Super Duper Tuesday, and an Announcement
After perusing the results of the Super Duper Tuesday primaries, I decided to check out the sample ballots for Ohio's upcoming primary. I was relieved to see that Thompson was still an option, at least on the sample ballot, so I won't need to request a write-in ballot to lodge my protest vote.
I was dismayed to see that no one is running against Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Now, I don't believe that any will actually beat her, especially anyone with an (R) after their name, but I also believe no politician should ever run uncontested. In that spirit, I am announcing my write in candidacy for Ohio's 11th district. I will, over the next few weeks, months, etc. outline my platform in this venue, mostly because its free and I'm on a budget.
So, while I wait for the donations to pour in, I'll outline the first plank of my platform: election reform. Election fraud generally takes one of two forms: legal voters being prevented from voting, and illegal voters being allowed to vote. My aim is to make both as difficult as possible, and punish transgressions in an unduly harsh manner.
To take the second case first, all voters must show ID. It seems to me that possessing state issued ID is fundamental enough that no one is unduly burdened by having to acquire it in order to vote. Any caught using fake ID to vote will have their fingernails pulled out or some-such, I'll figure the specifics out later.
Additionally, poll workers will be trained to not sign in any voter until the voting booth into which said voter will enter is available. I believe that this activity is what caused 12,000 extra votes to be cast in Cuyahoga County during the Nov 2006 elections: voters were signed in before booths were available and placed in a second line; that second line became long enough that the people at the sign-in desk had no control over it; and voters who had not signed in (yet) simply entered the second line leading to the voting booth. It seems that a simple rope maze, a la the local bank, would help alleviate this type of traffic problem.
As for the first case (legal voters not being allowed to), cases of voter intimidation can be reported to the voter fraud hotline created by the Indy-Cimperman Voter Protection Act of 2009 (see, I'm already reaching across the aisle), and Mr. T will be dispatched to deal with the perpetrators post-haste. Ok, I jest. Things like calling voters with incorrect polling dates or locations, destruction of vehicles used to transport voters, etc, needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law (wire fraud, vandalism), with modifications to the penalties for lawbreaking related to voter fraud.
In order to help make voting more accessible, and resistant to fraud, I would support moving federal elections from Tuesday to Monday (rural voters no longer need a full travel day to get to the polls), and making it a federal holiday. Not to overburden November with holidays, I'd recommend moving it forward two weeks as well.
Because I don't believe in unfunded mandates, some federal monies would be made available to train poll workers better (and perhaps pay them more to attract some better ones).
What I'm still struggling with, and thusly am turning to my throngs of supports for help, is what is to happen if a ward or precinct cannot match the number of votes to the number of signed in voters? Obviously throwing out all of the votes penalizes those who voted correctly, whereas keeping extra votes would mean diluting the votes of those who voted correctly. What should the success criteria be, and who should pay the penalty in the event of mismanagement?
I was dismayed to see that no one is running against Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Now, I don't believe that any will actually beat her, especially anyone with an (R) after their name, but I also believe no politician should ever run uncontested. In that spirit, I am announcing my write in candidacy for Ohio's 11th district. I will, over the next few weeks, months, etc. outline my platform in this venue, mostly because its free and I'm on a budget.
So, while I wait for the donations to pour in, I'll outline the first plank of my platform: election reform. Election fraud generally takes one of two forms: legal voters being prevented from voting, and illegal voters being allowed to vote. My aim is to make both as difficult as possible, and punish transgressions in an unduly harsh manner.
To take the second case first, all voters must show ID. It seems to me that possessing state issued ID is fundamental enough that no one is unduly burdened by having to acquire it in order to vote. Any caught using fake ID to vote will have their fingernails pulled out or some-such, I'll figure the specifics out later.
Additionally, poll workers will be trained to not sign in any voter until the voting booth into which said voter will enter is available. I believe that this activity is what caused 12,000 extra votes to be cast in Cuyahoga County during the Nov 2006 elections: voters were signed in before booths were available and placed in a second line; that second line became long enough that the people at the sign-in desk had no control over it; and voters who had not signed in (yet) simply entered the second line leading to the voting booth. It seems that a simple rope maze, a la the local bank, would help alleviate this type of traffic problem.
As for the first case (legal voters not being allowed to), cases of voter intimidation can be reported to the voter fraud hotline created by the Indy-Cimperman Voter Protection Act of 2009 (see, I'm already reaching across the aisle), and Mr. T will be dispatched to deal with the perpetrators post-haste. Ok, I jest. Things like calling voters with incorrect polling dates or locations, destruction of vehicles used to transport voters, etc, needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law (wire fraud, vandalism), with modifications to the penalties for lawbreaking related to voter fraud.
In order to help make voting more accessible, and resistant to fraud, I would support moving federal elections from Tuesday to Monday (rural voters no longer need a full travel day to get to the polls), and making it a federal holiday. Not to overburden November with holidays, I'd recommend moving it forward two weeks as well.
Because I don't believe in unfunded mandates, some federal monies would be made available to train poll workers better (and perhaps pay them more to attract some better ones).
What I'm still struggling with, and thusly am turning to my throngs of supports for help, is what is to happen if a ward or precinct cannot match the number of votes to the number of signed in voters? Obviously throwing out all of the votes penalizes those who voted correctly, whereas keeping extra votes would mean diluting the votes of those who voted correctly. What should the success criteria be, and who should pay the penalty in the event of mismanagement?