A simple way to create complete accountability in elections.

[LiberalAmerican]

Here's the plan:

When you vote, you get a receipt, with a random unique id, and your vote for each race.

Each district publishes all of its results, listing the unique id's, and votes, on a webpage.

You can verify the correctness of your own id.

You can also verify the correctness of the final count.

Boom goes the dynamite!

...this of course assumes the problem has been with the ability to create accountability, and not the desire : )

[electron_blue]

1. Kinda like how they have accountability in triathlons....

Lists are published, everyone goes to see if *their* time is recorded accurately, and mistakes are spotted quickly, sometimes loudly. Simple, yet effective!

[knowbody0]

2. i do not understand why voting cannot be like banks

you make a deposit or a withdrawal and can confirm by phone. It just ain't rocket science.

[rateyes]

3. Good idea. eom

[RC]

4. Nope - Still electronic.

The web page you visit can be correct, but the "actual count" can be anything that is is programed to be. Paper ballots are the only way to go. Other countries can do it, why can't the US?

[autorank]

5. "Accountability, what accountability? We don't need no stinkin' accounta

...bility. That's the attitude and if you remember the reference, that's the flavor of our opposition. They don't care because they don't have to. The elections are just a joke, a minor inconvenience which requires some real work. Unlike conquering foreign countries, domestic elections are easy since they don't have to do things much differently than their normal MO of managing information.

How about paper ballots counted in front of the world and precinct level results posted and then transmitted. This one is fool proof.

I do like the lottery idea also. Maybe, people could win things with the number..."It's the Election Lottery" or "Play SleazeBall on Election Day" (oops, too real there).

Your main point is exactly correct...there is no desire, hence no simple solution.

btw, How do those crazy Canadians do it every election...paper ballots.

Amazing!

[Ready4Change]

6. Problem

What's to stop someone from padding the "winnners" list with a bunch of extra, random, unique ID's?

You can verify real votes, but there is nothing to nullify faked votes.

[LiberalAmerican]

8. Damn you!

Just kidding. That would only be a problem if less people showed up to vote then were registered, since that number is known. So...that would indeed be a problem, and we'd need an auditable paper trail for that. So, what we've done is taken the mystery and moved it from the counting, back to the voting, where it belongs!

[Ready4Change]

10. Plenty of room in the voting registers.

The US has very low voting rates. Less than 50% I think? Even in nations with better rates, 75% turnout is remarkable.

Lots of room for the 5-10% needed to change an election.

[LiberalAmerican]

11. What about compulsary voting?

Some countries do it. I'm sure this is a whole other can of worms though...

[LiberalAmerican]

13. There's another way to cheat..

they'd have to give you the id before you voted, to ensure that you don't get the id of someone else who voted the same as you. Details..

[Independent_Liberal]

7. Not a bad idea...

...but we want to get rid of all e-voting. If we want true accountability in our elections, paper ballots and hand counts are the best way to go.

[LiberalAmerican]

9. this can augment paper ballots,

the point is that instead of being recounted by "Someone," it can be recounted by you, and you'd know your vote was counted.

[Dynasty_At_Passes]

12. That's an important distinction.

If you're counting the votes, at least your own vote the increase for accuracy is absolute and little "errors" or "stolen votes" can't really happen.

Each ID would be verified, starting with the mandatory audits of voter verified paper ballots.

It wouldn't make the system perfect, but it would produce fair outcomes that no one could argue with. No more screaming fraud by any of the parties because the vote counts would be fair and I think the law would demand it and stick behind it.

[kster]

14. The one thing I don't get

the majority of the people in this country know something was up with the past election. The neocons blatantly broke most all the election laws that were in place in 2004 election, and still some people want to write new laws for future elections, If they didn't abide by the laws in 2004 what would make anyone think they will abide by any new laws in future?

Paper Ballots Hand Counted. We have to fight, we are the majority, get the word out to people to start demanding PBHC. We have 14 months to pull it off. With enough people on our side we can do anything,it only takes a couple weeks, if that to print out paper ballots and if enough people know about the voting machines it should be pretty easy to get them OUTLAWED.

We know Kerry had the majority of the vote in 2004,we need to get all Kerry voters + to back us on PBHC. The neocons want to send us off on a wild goose chase making tougher laws. Because they don't want us to zero in on any one thing because that helps their cause.

From what I've learned to date on e-voting, (What The Hell Do We Got To Lose) fighting for PBHC.

My 2 cents for what it is worth.

[O.M.B.inOhio]

15. Inspired idea, but I have to add another "But..."

but... they could pad the votes with new unique ID numbers or duplicate numbers for those who voted for the same (undesirable) candidate, assigning the 'extra' vote to their favored candidate.

About paper ballots: Let's not forget that several Ohio BOEs participated in illegal activity, including the so-called Democratic members. Can't you see some small backwoods towns padding the votes in plain view, with full consent of the community. Paper ballots are part of the only acceptable solution, but it ought to go with such measures as broadsact/webcast/uninterrupted videotaping of ballot boxes and polling places from opening through final count; observers from outside the community; clear procedures where the security has lapsed; non- or bi-partisan adjudication of questionable ballots (Blackwell really screwed us there); and probaby a lot more than that.

I'm not really so opposed to picture ID requirements, as long as if they're required vote voting they're also free and made easy for everybody to acquire, in an equitable fashion. Could just see Miami police temporarily confiscating IDs from black citizens (perhaps at the road blocks or home raids that have been institutionalized in Jebland). The flip side is people voting for people who did not show up.

[Land Shark]

16. One objection that will be raised to such a system is that it

faciliates vote-selling (this allows you to prove you voted 'correctly'). But, the existence of a downside isn't necessarily fatal in my book, after all we just make things illegal and beyond that there's little to nothing else to stop one (think: murder for example)

[kster]

17. kick.nt

[LiberalAmerican]

18. To avoid fake entries

you'd have to assign each registered voter an id, and they would have to be sequential, so that anyone that didn't vote could verify there was no vote cast for them.

[FogerRox]

19. Landshark: Hey boss i'm going to vote on my lunch break--

I might a few minutes late--- ok?
Boss: Ok Landshark-- hey wait a minute-- bring me your receipt-- I'll look it up on the internet to make sure you voted for Jeb Bush-- then I'll give you a hundred bucks-- OK?

Landshark: A hundred bucks-- really-- thats a whole days pay-- man o man-- sure thing Boss--
----------------------

Landshark got to it before I could-- good call dude-- vote selling --
NO FREEKIN WAY MAN __ NO WAY

[LiberalAmerican]

20. Interesting point

A complete road block, I agree.