Re: An Exit Strategy for Electronic Voting? VOTE PROVISIONAL TO PROTEST PAPERLESS TOUCHSCREENS

[Ralph Shnelvar <ralphs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Pete:

I love this idea and I'll try to think of ways to publicize the idea and
have people do it.

Ralph Shnelvar

On Sat, 26 Aug 2006 12:57:54 -0600, you wrote:

>now that I have finished serving as an election judge at the recent primary
>election, I feel free to air a dangerous idea.
> 
>Massive provisional voting.  No, make that MASSIVE PROVISIONAL VOTING!!!
> 
>I realized how dangerous this idea was, when I tried to discuss it during
>poll judge training.  When the officials saw where my questions were
>heading, they cut me off, changed the subject, and refused to recognize me,
>preventing the gathering from hearing it: May any voter, by voluntary
>preference, choose a provisional ballot, if they would rather vote on paper
>than touch-screen DRE?
> 
>If you truly object to paperless electronic voting, then don't do it!  You
>have a choice.  And, by HAVA, this choice is universally available
>nation-wide!  No, we're not talking about mail-in or absentee ballots.
> 
>VOTE PROVISIONAL to TELL OFFICIALS you DEMAND A PAPER BALLOT.
> 
>Believe me, they will notice!  Provisional ballots are a manpower nightmare;
>they are far more costly to cope with than even absentee ballots to process,
>since they can't be matched up with mail-out documentation.  Election
>departments dread provisional ballots, and they will go to great lengths
>(within HAVA rules) to avoid them.
> 
>Admittedly, provisional ballots face more bureaucratic hurdles than any
>other method, and there is risk of disqualification, error, or even
>mishandling.  I suppose election administrators could even deliberately lose
>provisional ballots.  Onsey-twosey, that would be hard to counteract; but to
>disenfranchise hundreds or thousands of organized and attentive electors in
>the glare of publicity -- I think they would recognize the peril.
>
>If restoring the paper ballot is not your priority, then this isn't for you.
>If you think a DRE is the lesser of some evils, then this isn't for you.  If
>you hope somebody will come up with something better than paperless
>electronic voting sometime, but in the meantime you'll put up with it, then
>this isn't for you.
> 
>Or if your partisan paranoia prevents you from any violation of convention
>that might imperil your precious preference, then you're whipped, they got
>you, you're going to give it up to some bits and circuits -- the vendors and
>the county clerks know a wimp when they see his/her electronic vote.
>
>But if you care enough to stand up to them, to risk it, to put this above
>partisan issues, this is for you.
>
>I DEMAND A PAPER BALLOT, AND I'LL VOTE PROVISIONAL TO GET IT!
> 
>I personally have voted only provisional ballots since (including) the 2006
>general election.  My money is where my mouth is.  How about you?
>
>Best hopes,