In America, we have many ways to vote. We've constantly tried to reform voting to make it more efficient, whether we passed or failed is up to whoever is evaluating it. In the past there was a lot of corruption and voter fraud. The current ways of voting aren't as corrupt, but still, there are plenty of problems.
Location is a major problem that needs to be dealt with during the voting process. People in rural parts of the country have to travel many of miles just to cast a vote. The people already feel like their vote doesn't count. So, making a potential voter have a road trip to cast a vote isn't going to help the turnout rates.
In states such as Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, in order to register to vote, you have to get a voter photo identification card. The ID card is strictly required in those states and will likely decrease voter turnout because a lot of Americans in rural parts of the country will have transportation problems. Past surveys show that rural Americans don't want to have to get a photo id card that will make the voting process even more of a hassle/effort for hard working Americans.
State Requirements for Voter ID
Table 1. State Requirements for Voter Identification | |||
States that Request or Require Photo ID | States that Require ID (Photo Not Required) | ||
Strict Photo ID | Photo ID | ||
This will be forcing the potential people/voters to contact the required place to get a photo developed. This is really in some way or format, restricting voter turnout by doing exactly that. For example, if you live in the woods, far south of any major cities and you're old/ a senior citizen, and you already have travel issues/problems and you're not computer/cell phone savvy you're going to have a major issue/problem with having to get a photo ID to vote, because those will be the only way to get one.
I recommend that the states go back to the original way of voting. This allowed anybody to vote even without a picture ID. They only had to be registered. That process makes it less difficult and not as inconvenient for the American people who already struggle with transportation and or technology. I believe we could keep the photo Identification requirement only if the states asking it to be done/passed carry out the means of transportation and/or service towards those Americans in their states that don't have the photo identification needed for voting.
Voting usually takes place only in major parts of towns and/or major cities within states. This also leads to the current decrease in voter turnout because as I've been stating, Americans in rural parts of the country will have a hard time with transportation. I feel that in order to help stop this issue voting should be held on farms and smaller towns. Basically, there should be more places/opportunities to vote in different and smaller areas.
According to the Washington city paper website, Americans have been voting with electronic ballots more than they have been voting with paper ballots. Americans feel that the electronic ballot/optical ballot is more convenient, quicker to deal with and more efficient and up to date, then having to fill out a piece of paper. Although they are aware of some of the downsides electronic ballots bring with them/produce, they still seem to prefer the electronic ballot than the old fashion/out-of-date paper ballots.
It seems that only the person who published the article on the website I'm using to get this information and a few others, including me, know most of the other problems associated with electronic ballots. Although electronic ballots are/maybe more convenient, they can still be corrupted and or untrustworthy. The corrupted and untrustworthy part comes into play when you think about whether or not the electronic ballot is/has been hacked and/or moderated by an outside force or serious threat.
Hacking and/or moderating are quickly becoming one of the world’s most serious threats to electronic systems. This may be because hacking and moderating are becoming easier to do/create by the average citizen. I assume this is because there are tutorials and lessons you can take on hacking and moderating on the Internet. A popular source for this information is the Internet sensation website, YouTube.
So, with electronic ballots and the hacking and/or moderating situation, someone can see who you voted for, and change whatever name the voter put on the ballot/machine to another candidates name who wasn't originally put on the ballot/machine. This will make it seem as if the voter voted for another candidate at the same position you wanted the original candidate to be elected to. This is/can be a serious threat to the country and would change whoever truly should be president; in my/this theoretical situation. Also, this is what I inquired from my cited website, about the electronic ballot being vulnerable to hacking.
I recommend that the government enforces a law that requires electronic ballots to have the best up-to-date/latest protection against all virus threats in society. I believe that this can be accomplished through 24 hour check up on the electronic ballot machines by experienced anti-hacking and/or phishing experts. I feel that this shouldn't only take place during election times but all throughout the year. This way if someone is stupid enough to hack a highly protected government object, they can be tracked down and put to justice and/or the damage that was done to the ballot machine can be reversed/fixed.
The act of voting in the American society is/can be a very dangerous but necessary process. Turnout rates are lower then they use to be, but as I stated earlier I believe it's because of location and I discussed what I feel the solution should be. Voter registration is becoming less complicated and more convenient but also more threatening at the same time. I stated how I believe there should be a 24 hour watch from experienced professionals. I discussed how people tend to vote in our society and whether it's secure and/or legit. I hope I was able to help you readers in some way.
The act of voting in the American society is/can be a very dangerous but necessary process. Turnout rates are lower then they use to be, but as I stated earlier I believe it's because of location and I discussed what I feel the solution should be. Voter registration is becoming less complicated and more convenient but also more threatening at the same time. I stated how I believe there should be a 24 hour watch from experienced professionals. I discussed how people tend to vote in our society and whether it's secure and/or legit. I hope I was able to help you readers in some way.
Very good blog, great points about rural voters having difficulty with transpiration and health
ReplyDeleteID cards? Really? That's so over the top! I still can't believe how ridiculous some policy is. I thought closed primaries were a bit much but that takes the cake. Sorry that distracted me
ReplyDeleteI agree. It is a well written blog. I like how it is structured or layered. I could not read over it completely because of time constraints but i think you did good. P.s. i do agree with what you said about location being an inconvenience because i have experienced that with my mother when it was time for her to go vote. We would have to drive a rather long distance or in New York where we had to walk a long distance to get there.
ReplyDeleteWhen you commented that you want voting elections to be held in rural areas, it would lead to the same problem if they aren't held in urban areas. More people live in/near urban areas, however, I see your point. Voter Turnout could be based upon distance of the election. I do not know if this is correct but I read a statement that Voting Elections are placed according to the populous around it. I do not know if this is true but if it is then it could be that the rural areas without elections are too small to count anyways. BTW great job with your blog!!! Now comment mine!
ReplyDeleteGood stuff man, i agree with having the latest up to date protection for electric ballots because if they aren't secure neither is the voice of the people.
ReplyDeleteOverall, very well-written with a variety of ideas. I believe that the government (federal, state and local) should do a better job of advertising and making absentee voting a possibility for those who would be inconvenienced by actually visiting the designated polling locations; this would greatly help the elderly, sick and those with very demanding/less predictable schedules.
ReplyDeleteI also agree about the ID requirements. Younger people are accustomed to having their government-issued IDs with them at all times; what young person cannot readily flash his/her driver's permit or license? However, this is not the case with the elderly, who sometimes lack the appropriate documents to obtain a government-issued ID. For example, my grandmother has had several issues with the Social Security Administration, because she was born the second week of July, but the government had her documented as being born in the third week of July instead, as well as having her first name misspelled; obviously, her own mother knows better than the government when her child was born and how to spell her name, but it really makes me wonder how many other errors would keep other people (particularly the elderly) from being able to vote. Numerous mistakes are made even in 2011, so I can only imagine how many mistakes were made when everything was paper-based.
Technology is a blessing, but also a curse. While it of course makes the voting process and the counting of ballots much easier (and hastens our ability to indicate the winner of election on the very night, as opposed to waiting days or weeks), it also poses its own risks. For example, what if the voting machines crash, or the counting machines are misplaced? As you said, the possibility of hacking is very real (particularly when agencies such as the CIA and Pentagon are hit with tens of thousands of hacking attempts on a daily basis). I wouldn't put it past one or a group of disgruntled voters to sabotage the competition, or for one or more candidates to entice at least one tech-savvy hacker to swing the election in his/her favor.
very good, well put blog. I agree that location is a very important part but then again i think that us as americans vote entirely too much. Everytime you turn around there is voting. Even for us in school voting for class president, homecoming king and queen etc. We barely even know the people we are voting for which also includes lack of information which could corrupt turnouts also.
ReplyDelete