Dear President Obama, Glad You Won, But Can We Fix The Voting Machines Before 2016?

[MineralMan]

23. Minnesota's system is pretty foolproof, actually.

Paper ballots marked by voters, then optically scanned. A certain percentage of precincts are randomly selected after the election and a complete hand recount is done in those precincts. Since the 2008 and 2010 elections resulted in statewide complete recounts, the system was thoroughly tested, and no vote manipulation was found. It is the random recounts of precincts which acts as a protective measure against attempts to manipulate the vote.

It's going to be very difficult for the federal government to specify a specific voting system for the states. Such a thing would face serious judicial challenges, brought by the states. The voters in each state need to insist that their state create a voting system that effectively prevents manipulating votes. Voting practices will be protected by individual states from control by the federal government. They simply will.

However, some general and generic requirements for elections that affect national office, like Congress and the Presidency, can force states to create needed safeguards, as has been done in Minnesota and other states. They work very effectively to prevent post voting manipulation.