We need a constitutional amendment requiring a paper trail for elections

[BushOut06]

I honestly don't see how anyone could oppose this with a straight face. We should all contact our congressmen and women and DEMAND a constitutional amendment requiring a paper trail for all elections. No more relying solely on touch-screen or other electronic or online methods. There should be a physical record of EACH AND EVERY vote that is cast, in every district throughout the United States.

The problem with simply passing a federal law is that the courts have ruled that the Constitution delegates election responsibility to the individual states. I'm afraid that with the current state of the Supreme Court, any election reform passed in Congress would simply get ruled unconstitutional. This is why we need to amend the Constitution. We've passed several amendments already to solidify voting rights in this country, now we need to take steps to ensure that every vote can be counted.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. A paper trail is worthless

We need paper ballots. Use a touch-screen, which prints an actual ballot for the voter to review for correctness and then turn in to be counted separately. In the event of a recount or investigation, we have actual ballots which can be, if necessary, hand counted.

[Deep13]

2. When I started voting in the 1980s,...

...my little town gave the voter a large sheet of paper with a printed ballot on it and one of those big pencils that first graders use. We simply checked the box for the candidates we wanted. The town clerk counted them with a D and an R representative looking over his shoulder.

Why don't we just do that? What's the hurry?

[BlueCollar]

3. I agree

Dems should make it a featured part of the party's ideology in the same way that the repubs have claimed flag burning

[Red Zelda]

4. Agreed

The voting tragedy - and that's what it is despite the media mostly ignoring it - must be attended to constitutionally.

[Atman]

5. All we need is a government that respects and follows the law

Virtually every state has statutes requiring ways to handle recounts and petitions, and virtually every state with a republican SOS is simply ignoring the law. BushCo's GOP has already demonstrated that it has no intention of following any law which stands in its way of creating their authoritarian state. If they're not abiding by the constitution now, a new amendment isn't going to change anything.

BTW, aren't these the people who say we don't need to gun laws, we just need to enforce the ones already on the books? Same deal here.

.

[BushOut06]

10. Of course, but we should still pass an amendment

It took amendments to the Constitution to give former slaves and women the right to vote. Now we need an Amendment to guarantee that there will always be a reliable paper trail, however that is implemented. Once there is an Amendment, then Congress (hopefully one not controlled by the GOP) can pass strict federal laws dealing with the process and funding. After all, it doesn't really do much good if you pass a law requiring certain equipment or staffing levels, but then don't give them proper funding (the way the GOP handles education).

Pass the Amendment. Establish strict laws regulating voting. Then when these GOP thugs try their shenanigans, nail their ass to the wall, send them to federal prison, etc.

[magellan]

6. We need to make voting a Constitutional right

Then the states would think twice before disenfranchising voters and screwing with the votes.

But in lieu of that, making voter-verified paper trails and random audits mandatory under federal election laws would be sweet.

[DeeDeeNY]

7. In addition, we need some kind of law on conflicts of interest

It is outrageous that an official in charge of a state's election can also be the chairman of the campaign of one of the candidates or have any ties to a candidate or other blatant conflict of interest in connection with the election they are supervising.

[cyclezealot]

8. that's not all. we need be assured the right to vote.

The Federal standard is this is a Republic. Under Scalia's thinking, a right not guranteed in the Constitution is not a right. We have no right to have an expectation to vote. State's determine that. It is not a violation of your rights to not be granted the assurance your vote is counted.

[helderheid]

9. Here's the problem.

You press on the screen your choices.
A Summary page pops up and you go over all your choices. It looks to be good. You say vote.
A Paper trail prints your choices. It looks good. You go home thinking your vote counted.

Screen says D
Paper says D

But the vote on record is in the memory of the machine and you CANNOT see it. Did it record as D? R? I? G? You have NO idea.

Unless we have meaningful audits, paper trails simply offer a false sense of security.

[emdee]

11. According to Rosie and Joy on The View....

this problem will be shown on the HBO special about the Diebold machines. Elizabeth, meanwhile, looked PO'd (the idiot).

emdee

[bluethruandthru]

12. Of course that idiot Elizabeth would be mad...

How dare anyone try to show how her party stole at least 2 elections! We're all just sore losers, right?

[emdee]

13. Where did she come from anyway?

I missed yesterday's show - I usually only watch it once or twice a week if that much. Evidently, yesterday they hashed out Kerry's botched joke (I hate to even call it a "botched joke" because, in my opinion, it wasn't botched but that's what he called it so....). Anyway, it was clear today that Ms. Eliz's viewpoint was strictly that he had insulted the troops. Period. She is such a tool.

I saw one of their shows over the summer that was a rerun. She was giving the guest host a reaming-over because she lived with a guy and didn't have immediate plans to marry him. Joy is in the same situation. Ms. Eliz kept going on and on about proper values and how wrong that it was. Finally, Joy asked her if she had had pre-marital sex. Her answer was, "That's none of your business!" LOL So, I guess we need to find out just how long it is ok. It was absolutely their business in light of her judgmental statements toward them. If she answered "yes" she is actually no different than the two she was judging (in fine Republican-hypocritical style, she is).

Why don't they get rid of her?

emdee

[helderheid]

14. GOOD TO HEAR!

[applegrove]

15. Hopefully when the Dems have the House..they can do something

[BushOut06]

16. Wouldn't you love to see the Repugs try to vote against voting reform?

Even if they manage to steal this election and retain control of Congress, we should introduce some serious voting reforms - if not my proposed Amendment. I would love to see those oily repugs try to weasel out of that. I'd love to see what kind of spin they could create in order to justify denying people the right to have their vote counted.

[emdee]

17. They just add a gazillion tax cuts for the rich to the bill....

then Dems will vote against it because of the tax cuts and in 2008 I'll get mail from the RNC saying "Dems voted against voter reform!"

emdee