Why don't we get a receipt when we vote? I get a receipt when I buy a pack of gum

[prayin4rain]

How hard would be to vote electronically and when you close your session two tickets print out that say Obama, you verify your ticket is indeed who you voted for, one is deposited in a box before you leave the computer and you take one home with you. The votes are counted electronically and if there is a dispute... they start counting the paper tickets. I think there should have to be a real paper trail. Why isn't there, it would not be difficult.

[AirmensMom]

1. That would make it too hard

for them to steal elections. :P



Otherwise, it's a great idea! :applause:

[ret5hd]

2. "Receipts" are a very bad idea...

leads to vote selling, etc.

and besides, what are you gonna do (in event of a "recount), round up everyone that voted and get them to bring their "receipt"?

verified voting, on paper, with a pen. that's all that is needed.

[prayin4rain]

4. Huh? I said you deposit it in the box before you leave the voting booth

whether you write it by hand or a computer spits out a piece of paper you can verify and then deposit in a box... it's the same thing. The receipts are EXTRA, EXTRA insurance plan C. A. Count electronically ... dispute... go To B. Count paper tickets deposited... Real absolute disaster got to C. Have people bring their receipts up.

If you wanna cut C out entirely that is fine but A and B accomplish the same has pen voting in my opinion but more efficiently.

[ret5hd]

8. You said you "take the receipt home". the receipts arent "extra insurance"...

they are a way for someone to buy your vote.

[prayin4rain]

9. ok cut c out, point is why isn't there a real paper trail in voting

i vote in Texas and you push some buttons on the screen and leave. i would like something to print out when i close my session that i verify and then drop in a box.

[ret5hd]

11. I agree completely.

[prayin4rain]

17. I don't know much about the dangers of receipts.. what about

a randomly assigned number to each receipt and in case of complete disaster your randomly assigned numbered ticket with Obama could be matched with it's partner that you dropped in the box? Would that help close the buying problem?

[dana_b]

3. which state are you in?

In California, we do get a receipt. The paper trail shows you voted too. Why can't we have the same rules for all federal elections - all the states would have the same rules?! It's so absurd that people are made to jump through hoops in order to vote and then can't verify that they actually did.

[prayin4rain]

5. Oh that's cool... I'm in Texas :( we vote on computer and then just kinda turn around

and walk off feeling like... uh... I guess that went OK.

[Robbien]

12. I wouldn't like that, we get to have a piece of paper, but have to leave it there

We get paper confirmation but after one's done reviewing, it gets slipped into one of the polling place's locked boxes.

Getting something for a minute or so is a much better feeling then just walking away from the terminal. Whether the votes are any safer is another discussion.

[prayin4rain]

14. yeah true, that's where the receipts come in... maybe each receipt

could have a randomly assigned number that matches the receipt you dropped in the box so they can be verified in case of a real disaster.

[dana_b]

21. that's the receipt that we are doing in my county

After voting electronically, the voter looks at his/her vote on that paper to the side of the screen(that paper is saved in a box on the voting machine) and the receipt that they receive has a number that corresponds to the number on the paper and in the machine.

[prayin4rain]

26. awesome!!!! now that needs to be done nationwide n/t

[dana_b]

29. here it is:

e-Slate voting

http://www.shapethefuture.org/eslate/votevideo.html

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. Leaves you feeling empty doesn't it? Like I hope that gets counted.

I hate that. I'm in Texas too.

[prayin4rain]

18. yeah and i hope i hit the right thing and i hope the instructions weren't

if you wish to vote for Obama please touch the red Mccain button. I hate it.

[prayin4rain]

19. double post n/t

[99th_Monkey]

6. A "receipt" should provide no comfort to a concerned voter.

As I understand it, the e-vote buggering happens up the line, at terminals that tabulate the ballot counts
before being transmitted to the Election Officials.

So your "receipt" could still show you voted Obama, but who the fuck knows what happens up the line without
an internal paper trail.

Paper ballots and pencils = best hedge against election fraud.

[magellan]

25. Exactly, a receipt proves nothing

...because the tampering takes place afterwards. A receipt doesn't prove your vote was counted correctly; it just proves what your vote was when you cast it. And it's next to worthless in a state like mine where paper trails are used only in the rare event of a manual recount.

Paper ballots and count watchers. Simple, elegant, and about as fraud-proof as it gets.

[AlCzervik]

7. i do, we have the fill in the bubble, and me the voter feeds it into the machine and i get a receipt

showing what voter number i was for that day and my ballot number.

[notalemming]

23. You want to give them your ballot number and thus how you voted?

:scared:

[Cleita]

10. It's the same technology as ATM machines and we

all get receipts when we use the ATM. Also, the banks physically count the cash and other documents like checks to balance against the tapes. Shouldn't our votes be counted by hand to verify the machine totals like the banks do?

[prayin4rain]

13. yep DEFINITELY if there is a dispute, it is close, or something seems fishy n/t

[zbdent]

15. hell, do you understand all the legalese you get when you buy some new

electronic device? And people say "You're stupid!" when they say a person can't understand that their mortgage payment was going to go up massively in a few years ... because it was hidden in legalese in the contract ...

[ladjf]

20. It's a good question and I think that we should get a receipt.

On the other side, people will say that such a receipt is a threat to the anonymous voting practice, that somehow, who you voted for would be known by others.

[cobalt1999]

22. That's my argument too.

There is a big downside and no upside.

If someone doesn't trust a machine, then they won't trust the receipt. So why bother?

[Two Americas]

24. because it isn't shopping

I think that a big reason why the Republicans have successfully been stealing elections is because so many people now look at voting as though it were shopping - and exercise in individual personal choice.

There is no reward, no benefit to be derived personally for us in exchange for our one vote. Obsessing over one individual vote is a distraction from the theft of millions of votes. Our votes only matter in aggregate.

[rucky]

27. Why don't we get gum when we vote?

that would really increase turnout.

[prayin4rain]

28. haha an even better question!! n/t

:+

[goodboy]

30. VOTER-VERIFIED PAPER BALLOT

There's a 'paper trail' even from electronic machines, and optical scan systems. Doesn't stop them from e-stuffing the ballot box.