Reply #34: Paper is the way to go. BTW your story made my skin crawl>>>>

[Monk06]

Canada has always had a paper ballot.

It's efficient poll result are available within hours
of polls closing except for recalls which are mandated
if a race is within several hundred votes.

Elections Canada runs the national elections and is
independent of government interference.

Here's the cost for the last national election.

Total cost

$277.8 million breakdown of expenses

Operations of local returning offices, including Election Day activities: $90 million

Pre-election activity, including staff training, maintenance of voter lists and systems readiness:$50 million

Election day delivery activities (public information) at the Ottawa office of Elections Canada:$35 million

Reimbursement for candidate election expenses and for registered political parties:$24.8 million Breakdown of expenses

Election delivery activities, including fees to election workers and poll officials, printing lists of electors, and renting offices of returning officers and polling sites:$108 million

Pre-election activity, including electoral material and supplies, the training of returning officers and other key staff. Maintaining the National Register of Electors since the 2000 general election, ad and outreach campaigns, support network and information technology support:$111.5 million

Reimbursements to candidates and parties according to new political financing provisions under Bill C-24:Estimated at $58.3 million


One change may be saving Canadians money. In 1996, Elections Canada began maintaining a National Register of Electors, rather than creating a new list each time through door-to-door registration. Elections Canada reports the change has saved $110 million to date.

With $110 million cost saving deducted by going to a permanent registry the bill comes to $167.8 million for an efficient and fair election. Multiple by 10 for the cost of this system in the US