Comments on: voting issues, take n

By: Alisya

Alisya — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:33:59 +0000

I suspect that’s thereason general public want to read blog….Internet visitors generally create blogs to declare themselves or their secret views. Blog grant them same matter on the monitor screen what they specifically needed,so as the above stuffs declared it.

By: shredders

shredders — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:49:52 +0000

I think it’s interesting that people are focussed on the hackability of voting systems which is obviously important. But surely what is even more important is that people are actually able to cast the vote that they intend to cast in the first place.

By: Adina Levin

Adina Levin — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 19:37:39 +0000

Thank goodness we just elected Debra Bowen as secretary of state. She narrowly beat a much better funded R incumbent, who re-certified Diebold after they flunked a security audit.

She “termed out” of the state senate, where she got some excellent bills passed on voting rights and voting system integrity. With Debra Bowen as SOS, I feel really good about the CA system getting better.

By: andy

andy — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:37:55 +0000

it is fucked. Usually, when a country has consecutive disputed/shady elections — independent election observers show up. Not happen here, but no way am I gonna let the MAN determine the fate of American democracy (I mean, the DPRK is an alleged democracy as well).

There is HAVA — the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which entitles *anyone* to vote provisionally if they want to. (Even if you’re from Mars). Most likely these do not get counted, however.

The workaround for new arrivals to a precinct (in California) is to bring a photo ID, even better back it up with a utility bill or something.

Whether or not mini-bar-key hackable Diebold electronic voting machines are the norm in any given state — we Americans seem to be so accepting of our so-called democracy that the REAL result, is concluded super-artificially before the polls even close.

There should be no early concessions in close races. Take Mexican presidential candidate Lopez-Obrador as an example.

I’ll be roaming the county (there are *thousands* of polling stations in Los Angeles County) with video the vote. To hell with black/white blue/red partisanship. I want my democracy/free culture/open society!

By: CW

CW — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 17:13:45 +0000

Here in Australia it’s compulsory for all citizens over the age of 18 to vote. No ifs, no buts. I can hear people saying that it should be a choice, etc, but on the other hand, surely if you’re a part of our society you should have certain obligations?

By: Mark Federman

Mark Federman — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 18:29:52 +0000

And here in Canada, we have a check-box on our annual income tax return that says, more or less, put me on the voters list. Makes it easy to register, but of course, that assumes that those in power want to make it easy for people to register.

By: Stephanie Booth

Stephanie Booth — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 12:48:27 +0000

You’re not the first person I hear talk about “voting registration”, but it only hit me now that what I thought was “normal” (ie, the way it is here, at home, Switzerland: you’re a citizen, you get to vote) was not necessarily “normal” (damn ethnocentrism).

How do most countries function, with regards to voting?

Here in Switzerland, when there’s a votation coming up (and it happens way too often in a way, if you ask me — we get to vote on things like “do these two villages 150km away get to merge or not — but OTOH we get to vote on more important stuff too, and it’s “normal”) we get the voting material by post at our “official address”. (You’re on a register somewhere in the town/village you live in.)

Then we can either vote by post (had that now for a couple of years) or go to the voting hall on voting day to slip our papers into the urn.

By: John Bachir

John Bachir — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 10:47:00 +0000

HA! when i first saw that image, i assumed it was some sort of politically charged snide joke sticker that the EFF or someone was distributing. But no, it is the OFFICIAL “i voted” sticker. gaaah!

By: joe

joe — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:22:14 +0000

Here’s a video about the TSx you used from the LA County RoV: http://www.lavote.net/VOTER/TEV.cfm

By: tyfn

tyfn — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:49:56 +0000

It is unfortunate it is so problematic there. In Canada we have an independent, non-partisan agency that answers to Parliament and runs federal elections called Elections Canada.

http://tinyurl.com/y6gcjq

It used to be that for elections that enumerators were hired that went door-to-door in their electoral district and registered people to vote.

Now there is a National Register of Electors database that contains the names of a preliminary list of eligible voters. It is updated by a variety of sources:

Elections Canada has signed agreements with data suppliers, including the Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Post Corporation, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, provincial and territorial registrars of motor vehicles and vital statistics, and provincial electoral agencies with permanent voters lists. Lists of electors from provincial and territorial elections are also used to update the Register. It is important to note that there is no database linkage between Elections Canada and these data suppliers.

It seems super easy to get on the Elections Canada Voter Registry, you can check a box on your income tax form, your Canada Post change of address form, or your new citizenship form in you are a new Canadian. The info is then forwarded.

Here is an example of a by-election upcoming in London North Centre district which shows the type of information provided to assist people.

http://tinyurl.com/ymke3k

There is also a special emphasis on encouraging youth to vote.

http://tinyurl.com/yju29j