Bruce Godfrey of Crablaw says it best.
Nothing is more important to Democracy than fair elections. Montgomery County today did not get a fair election. Maryland bloggers have a responsibility to protect our ourselves, whether we live in MOCO or not. In November the same issue could occur in Baltimore City or Carroll County, in PG County or Frederick County. Any one of our precincts could be next.
Some things need to change before November. First, all polling places must be ready to open with all machines working and all resources available at least a WEEK before the election. For 238 precints to begin the day unprepared is inexcusable.
Second, voters need a paper trail. I deserve to see a simple reciept when I vote, letting me know that my votes were recorded correctly. It must be an anonymous reciept, but a receipt none the less.
I am sure there are many more things that should be and CAN BE fixed before November. Lets figure out what they are and start the push.
By 2008, a lot more can be accomplished, including the passage of a well-crafted, legal early voting bill. We can also work to have a DC like system, where voters have a choice between paper and digital ballots. This is especially important for Senior Citizens and those who are less tech savvy.
Bruce is correct that as a MD problem, Marylanders and specifically MD bloggers have both the local knowledge base and vested interest to take on our Voting problems.
Establishing a voting system in Maryland by 2008 that voters can trust should be our ultimate goal.
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Agree with you 100% about the problem. Not sure whether paper trails can be implemented by November, though I'd like that a lot. "Paper trail" is generally not proposed to be a receipt you keep, just one you see; the objection to keeping an official receipt is that people might sell their votes. That may be one reason why people are switching to calling the idea "voter verified" instead.
Also writing to say your blog is hard to read with Firefox.
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