Is there a reason we can't have standardized voting, standardized ballot forms,

[grannylib]

standardized counting machines, etc. all across the country? I don't understand how we wound up with so many different styles of ballots, different configurations, different counting methods, and PARTISAN CONTROL of same.
Can anyone help me understand how this happened, and is there any way out? Can the FEC dictate any of that to the states? Is it not possible to design a simple, paper ballot that would be easy and foolproof to read and count accurately???

This is really pissing me off.

[hobbit709]

1. Low bid contracts with kickbacks.

County government has always been cronyism to the max.

[Perky]

2. Because there is no such thing as a national election

Elections by constitutional design are state actions. That is why we call ourselvees the United STATES .


Is it approprpriate? Maybe maybe not. But it is the bargain sstruck in the Constitution.

[Thothmes]

3. States Rights

The Constitution of the United States allows each state to pretty much make up its own voting rules and proceedures. To carry our your recommendation would require the willing cooperation of 50 States or an amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

[Perky]

4. yep and good luck with that.

see my post just above yours.

[JHB]

5. Because it was originally handled at a local level...

...and arguably that's where it should be returned to, reducing the power of state Secretaries of State.

As for ballot style, etc.: How do you plan to standardize a single ballot for every locality (and every local race and initiative) in the country?

My best solution would be for paper ballots, separated by race or initiative (maybe on different color paper to aid identification and separation).

It's not foolproof, but the ways of cheating with paper ballots are pretty well known and have established means of countering them. Mechanical counts reduce accuracy and add more avenues for fraud, at the "benefit" of taking less time and labor to count.

[billyoc]

6. No, and you don't want it, either.

Imagine mandatory nationwide Diebold voting. You'd never see another blue state.

[grannylib]

8. No, I sure as hell would not want that...it just seems so asinine

that we have ballots where the names don't line up with the spot to mark the ballot (the infamous 'butterfly' ballot) or other such shit...and the electronic voting is clearly a BIG mess, especially when partisan companies like Diebold and ES&S are involved...

[Brazenly Liberal]

7. States' rights messes are like so many others - a political third rail

The entire concept of states' rights was sensible and productive when the country was in its infancy. Now it's an outdated and counterproductive concept. But like other nonsensical laws like marijuana laws and tax-free status for churches, you'd be hard pressed to find a politician willing to speak out honestly about it.

For a society that pretends to be so freaking dedicated to free speech, we are incredibly repressed when it comes to some speech.

[dipsydoodle]

9. For a society that pretends ...................

That's because you maintain only the illusion of democracy.

[whitewomenforobama]

10. I'm with you

I'd think the federal government could at the least establish a few strong guidelines. For instance, driver's licenses have a few superficial differences from state to state, different colors and typefaces and whatnot, but you never see a round one, or one printed on a plastic cube, they're all the same size and they all have pretty much the same information. Someone somewhere laid down a few strict ground rules. I REALLY don't get why we go through this registration nonsense every 4 years, and so many people show up to polls thinking they can vote because they did last election, and learn they suddenly can't. If I ran the world, everyone would be added to the voting database when they received an SSN, registration would become active at 18 and stay that way, information would be changed in the database right along with any address updates sent to the IRS or driver's license office, and before you gave up your voting rights due to felony conviction or some other extreme reason, you would sign something to indicate your awareness of this.

[Coexist]

11. Socialist!!1 Marxist!!11

I would like to see voting in all states either full mail in, or open for a solid week.

[grannylib]

14. I'd kind of like that too, but I bet total mail-in would never fly...maybe too much

room for fraud, and God knows I've had enough shit go missing in the USPS...but cripes, something has to change!!

[fujiyama]

12. I think the minimum that has to be done

is proper federal funding to have an adequate number of polling sites for people everywhere. It makes no sense to have people wait 8+ hours to vote, especially when few employers give the day off.

I also would prefer a style template that all states would follow, proving for a uniform method.

[grannylib]

16. That's kind of what I meant...some kind of standard template

that could be adapted state by state for whatever races were going on, but all 'fill in the little ovals' or all 'check this little box' or whatever, but EASY TO UNDERSTAND and markings CLEARLY connected to the person/ticket for whom you intend to vote!

[bowens43]

13. Yes, the Constitution.

It's a matter for the states, not the federal government.

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. I'm very happy with my paper and pencil. I don't want a machine :^(

[bdamomma]

17. my husband who is not american said the same thing

in 2000 after the hanging chads matter. Standardized ballots and same system throughout all states.

only in America:shrug:

[Jennicut]

18. Paper ballots should be mandatory for all states but unfortunately

no one wants to step on the states' feet. The system is crappy. We have one of the worst for a modernized country, for the wealthiest country in the world.

[grannylib]

19. You'd think there would be a way to at least ensure a verifiable paper trail,

and to end the partisan control of elections. There should at least be a non-partisan state election commission, NOT an elected Sec'y of State from any political party, controlling elections.

[Doctor_J]

20. yes. then we would have 63 senate seats, 270 house seats, and a lock on

the WH, and with it health, prosperity, peace, and education. What would MSRNC, ConNN, and Fox "news" cover all day?

[youthere]

21. Biden's wanted to do this for ages. It's all fallen on deaf ears..

He's always said it was a simple way around the Diebold issue...just make a law that says for federal elections there must be a certain type of voting machine with a paper trail. States can use whatever they want for local and state elections, but for federal voting it must be uniform across all 50 states. How many precincts are going to keep two sets of voting machines?