From: Ralph Shnelvar <ralphs@xxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: ralphs@xxxxxxxxx
To: <cvv-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: An Exit Strategy for Electronic Voting? VOTE PROVISIONAL TO
PROTEST PAPERLESS TOUCHSCREENS
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 22:19:07 -0600
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,