Dear Thread:
After due consideration of this situation, I have come to the following conclusions:
1) We can not afford to politicize the voting process. The long term effects are too grave. Just look at what two days of this has caused the behavior of people to change.
2) Any problems with a particular election must be resolved at the next election. If fraud, which is very deliberate in itself, occurs, all of the votes in that precinct should be thrown out period. If the problem is statewide, the governor or the legislature of the state, according to that states constitution, just as in the case of US Senators and Representatives, should decide the electoral votes of that state. If no fraud occurs, the result is final.
3) Any method used by a precinct or higher should now have five goals. First, it should completely separate the vote from the registration. The vote by any individual cannot be traced back to that individual. Second, registration should have a method that, as so far as is possible, verifies that an individual only votes in one precinct at one time per election. This provision should mitigate fraud. Third, the vote should be able to be checked and verified through out the process of tabulation to a result. This means that any vote can be traced to an unknown individual from that single act to the final tabulation. This should introduce accuracy and repeatability into the process. Fourth, the tabulation should be complete within 24 hours, preferably sooner, after the close of voting in that precinct. Fifth, there should be some portion of the system to show all that everything is done right and proper. This gives those that participate, as much as possible, confidence in the outcome.
4) Overseas citizens and those in the military, should be able to vote as if, they were in the voting booth (or whatever). Embassies and any military systems should be able to create a virtual voting booth to the precinct of their residence to any citizen either at the time of the vote or at sometime before but, not after the polls close. This could be changed only by consent of all parties concerned. This allows for foreseen problems like wars, combat, disasters, etc.
5) Perfection is not guarranteed by the constitution, only the attempt is. Elections should be a snapshot of the electorate at a given time. They should not be rejected because some people were obscured because of defects in the lens used, dust in the way, or the light was bad in one area or another. If you want a better snapshot, get a better camera, lens, film, studio, or cameraman but, you can't change the result once permanently fixed and mounted (at least you couldn't back in the old days).
Given the above, I think that the original count is final and Gore lost and he should face that, just like Ashcroft, Nixon, and many others before. He has been given two chances and failed twice.
Everyone seems to want campaign finance reform, and most want campaign reform. Perhaps what we really need is election reform. It took this very narrow result to show the current problems that have been lurking for years in the shadows of very many wide margin elections. We are far better connected than before and the cost of virtual printing presses is very low (internet). So, we should be able to come up with some changes that everyone (almost everyone) could agree to make this "fumble pile" (to use a football metaphor) impossible in the future (or very very unlikely (one vote difference in one precinct with a million cast)).
We need to get back to business.
Pete |
