With these three words, “We the People…”, Americans changed human history by asserting that leaders would be chosen by the citizens. There is only one means for this to work: The vote.
It has become clear, however, that many people do not trust the outcome of our elections. “Why” this is so is a subject for a different post, but it is clear that millions of U.S citizens currently mistrust the vote count.
We must, therefore, restore faith in the vote and insure that all eligible citizens have an opportunity to choose their leaders. We must make election vote totals Indisputable.
The five steps listed below would restore confidence in the vote totals. The election results would be Indisputable
Enactment of these five steps listed below would not resolve all voter suppression and eligibility issues. Ensuring that all eligible citizens have an opportunity to vote is an issue that will need to be solved separately.
Here are five steps that can make our election vote count results Indisputable:
- Align voter registration 100% with State Drivers Licenses/IDs
- Increase penalties for voter fraud
- Use counterfeit-proof paper ballots
- Seal all ballots in signed and traceable election envelopes
- Ensure maximum Visibility/Transparency of Vote Counting
Align voter registration 100% with State Drivers Licenses or State Issued Identity Cards. If someone has a driver’s license or State ID and is otherwise eligible to vote, they would be automatically registered to vote. There is no need for two data bases. Voters must possess a legal (and now enhanced) license that clearly identifies them, confirms citizenship and address, and includes their signature. In other words, use the exact same data base for voter registration that each state already has for DL/State IDs. The DL/ID card is the de facto Voter Registration Card. People who do not have a cuurent DL/ID (e.g. someone who moved recently) could still vote using provisional ballots which would need to be validated separately before being counted.
Increase penalties for voter fraud. To deter voter fraud, greatly increase the federal legal penalties for any person who votes more than once or who changes the vote of another person. The exact amount of fines should be set by Federal law. I would set this at $1,000 for voting twice (which could conceivably be done accidentally). For each illegally placed vote over two (i.e. intentional fraud), I would place a hefty deterrent fine at $100,000 per illegal vote. Enforcement would be strictly through the law enforcement and legal/court system, not by state or federal politicians.
Use counterfeit-proof ballots Print 100% of all Ballots on counterfeit-proof paper applying the same security standards currently used for U.S. currency. Include serial numbers on ballots for total accountability. Paper ballots allow for both machine and hand re-counting.
Seal all ballots in signed and traceable election envelopes. All ballots (including those submitted at polling places) must be placed into a sealed Election Ballot Envelope. The Envelopes would not be opened until they reach the location where votes are counted. The Envelope must contain a serial number, the voter’s full legal name and address and a place for the voter to sign their name in ink thereby verifying that the single enclosed ballot represents their will. Signatures can be checked using Artificial Intelligence scanners (and/or human backup) with the signature matched/compared with the individual’s enhanced drivers license signature. The number of ballots must equal the number of signed envelopes.
Maximize Transparency at Vote Counting Centers Wherever votes are counted, there should be maximum ability of the public to watch the process. In addition to designated poll watchers inside the voting counting center, there should be live-feed from cameras covering all aspects of the process of receiving the ballots, counting them, and storing them. If buildings that are secure can also have full visibility from the street, (i.e. glass fronts with public viewing allowed) that would be even better.
SUMMARY: These five steps could be accomplished with a single bi-partisan piece of Federal legislation and the accompanying funding. The law would apply to all Federal General Elections.
States would retain the right to: Issue their own driver’s license/ID cards and maintain their data base in accordance with “Enhanced Driver’s License” criteria already established/required by the federal government (i.e. no change from what all states are doing right now); determine eligibility for absentee/mail in ballots; identify polling places and hours; designate locations where votes will be counted and stored; set dates for primaries; set standards for who actually appears on the ballot; set deadlines for postmarks and ballot submission; set standards/rules for use of provisional ballots; and to decide whether the State wants to implement the same five requirements noted above on State and Local elections (highly recommended).
As noted before, enactment of these five steps would not resolve all voter suppression and eligibility issues. Ensuring that all eligible citizens have an opportunity to vote is an issue that will need to be solved separately.
What these five steps would do is restore confidence in the vote totals. The election results would be Indisputable.
“What say ye” to this proposal? Please click on Leave a comment below.
Hi Jim,
I was really interested in your blog. I got input from my family, a couple of which have worked as election judges, to give their thoughts. We would totally agree that having a system that is transparent and verifiable is needed and makes a lot of sense. We agree with what you have put forward. Clearly, many felt that the 2016 election was invalid and questioned it for 4 years. Questioning the 2020 election should not be viewed as anti American. A verifiable vote would help in many ways.
A couple of add on ideas. They should show the election day results of each of the precincts/jurisdictions. They should also show separately the absentee votes for each precincts/jurisdiction. Then add both up for the total, and all the precincts/jurisdiction for the states total vote. We would also suggest in your system, that all of the voter rolls have a method to keep the rolls current.
We would love to see your voting system put into place. We would like to see this idea put forward to elected officials all over the country and encourage you to do the same in the State of Washington.
The strength of our system of government is the ability to share various viewpoints. Quickly writing off different opinions or suggesting all people who vote for one party or the other has no right to speak causes all to suffer. Mistakes are made, and we all must learn, correct the mistakes and move forward. Thank you for your thoughtful idea and the opportunity to respond to it.
Pam
Thanks for the input Pam, I agree the results should be shown by each precinct. I believe in some states this is the case. I am pretty sure that vote counts are available for all elected positions – I think they would have to be, but perhaps not down to a precint level. As long as the individual person’s vote is not disclosed, I say, the more transparency the better.
I did not address the deadline issue, different states handle this differently and I don’t think all election issues can be resolved at the national level. Some States allow votes to be counted that have been postmarked by election day. This has some advantages in that people who are in the military overseas can have their votes counted. There are also disadvantages to going by the postmarked date because then the count is delayed. One way this could be handled is by ensuring that mail-in ballots are sent to voters well in advance so that there is no excuse for not getting them in on election day. This would of course also require that the USPS deliver the mail in a timely manner.
I think if voter registration were aligned with driver’s license/ID card data bases we would get as accurate a timely update of the voter rolls as possible. It is probably impossible to get this to be 100% current because people move around alot and people are turning voting age every day. It can take weeks to get a new drivers license when someone moves and this could be a problem if it occurs around election day. I think most states have a “provisional ballot” option that allows people who, for whatever reason, don’t have an updated ID card on election day could still vote but then the burden of proof is then on the individual to show that they are eligible in their voting location.
I am going to take your suggestion and mail my recommendations for increasing the faith of citizens in the vote count to Senators and Congressmen who represent us in both Washington and Pennsylvania,since we live part-time in each place. Because of our unique situation, I am registered to vote in Washington, Marianne is registered in Pennyslvania. In Pennsylvania Gettysburg is represented by a very conservative Republican. Seattle is represeted by a very progressive Democrat. I will recommend they talk to each other because getting the vote count right should not be a partisan issue. Wouldn’t it be nice if representatives from polar opposites on the political scale could co-sponsor a bill that resulted in people having more faith in the count?
There are issues beyond the vote count that impact our election results such as the influence of money and voter suppression such as limited access to polling places. It is also very unfortunate that so many eligible voters choose not to vote. Even though 2020 was a “record” year for voter turnout, only 66.3% of eligible voters actually voted. Nonetheless, I think getting the count right and indisputable is a good first step. Every eligible voter who votes must know beyond any doubt that their vote was accurately counted.
Thanks again for your feedback Pam and double thanks for your family members who volunteered to help on election day.
I agree with the intent of your proposal, Jim. Make everyone’s vote as “Indisputable” as possible, and the measures you have proposed would help with that. I would suggest that every person born in the United States be automatically registered as a voter, upon attaining the age required to vote.
Keep up the good thinking, and recording your thoughts.
Ben
Thanks Ben. I am not sure about the legal limits of federal involvement in State-run elections, but clearly it should be a goal that every eligible citizen have an opportunity to vote. Having a separate process for voter registration seems like an unnecessary administrative/buerocratic step that is not needed. You are either a citzen of eligible age or you are not. The only other things we need to know is where you live (One place at a time only for voting purposes) and whether you are currently “doing time” which would temporarily suspend your voting rights until one has “paid their debt to society.” Since we already are capturing all of this information via the drivers license/ID card and other data base systems in place, I am merely suggesting we use these sources as a de facto voter registration. There may be other existing data sources that tell us what we need to know: Citizenship, age, residency, and whether or not voting rights have been suspended by the courts.
The problem with Blogs in general, and your is specific, is that only people who think like you respond – because everyone loves validation. As to your 5 suggestions: they are not bad, but I do not believe they rise to indisputable. First, many states allow DL to non citizens or even those with legal status. If DL entities are not linked to the Federal data bank and Citizenship clearly understood, the DL/ID system will not work…. and there should be hefty penalties for those employees who bypass that clearance. AND, there are folds who get DL in a particular state, but do not live there… I have one of those in my own family; and know many folks from P.R. who come to PA, get their ID/DR (and other government services) and return to P.R. (not a state- still a foreign country with their own laws having nothing to do with the U.S.)
Envelopes NOT SIGNED should be discarded. Simple. Not tracted down and harvested.
Election Day should still be a specific DAY. Perhaps a federal holiday….But a single day. Mailed or absentee ballots should be required to have ARRIVED by ELECTION DAY. As they are mailed out well ahead of time, there should be no issue about getting them back on time. If someone “forgot”, “mislaid” or otherwise did not do it in time – they ALWAYS have the opportunity to appear in person.
There should be NO HARVESTING ballots. Period.
Voting is, you are right, the way “we the people” can voice a particular opinion. It is our unique privilege to vote. All (with a few limitations) have the “right” to vote. BUT, there is nothing that directs us to MAKE a person vote, or even to make it effortless. If a person does not want to vote, or does not care enough to vote, or make reasonable effort to vote, will then….. There has always been rural folks. There has always been elderly folks. If they cared, they found a way. And in the highly populated urban areas, well provide more polling places to reduce the sheer numbers going to any one location. This past year people stood in line to enter grocery stores because they wanted to eat. They could stand in line to vote – if they wanted to vote – as I did.
Just for you I add this note: I, myself, witnessed vote tampering at my nice suburban location, 3 times within 10 minutes. I am an educated, flexible, moderate voter (who has voted both D and R) who highly doubts the 2020 election results. I would never “march”/riot on our Capital, but then I would not in Portland or Seattle or Minniapolis either. Your blog would benefit by you spending research on sites which do not simply mirror your own opinions. The “lies” go in both directions……
You and I will live out our lives, whatever time we have left, more or less as we choose. I do not worry for me. I DO worry for the coming generations. FREE SPEECH as we have known it is disappearing rapidly. I studied the Constitution in law school. Our 1st Amendment rights are THE MOST IMPORTANT of all rights – without which none of the rest will stand for long.
So. There are a few comments.
Hi Robin,
Yes, we all tend to live in echo chambers and certainly this blog, and my opinions, are influenced by those I spend the most time with, people with whom I communicate regularly and what I read. I have always limited my promotion of this blog to people I know personally. Some friends and relatives of mine clearly do not agree with me on a number of issues and I suspect don’t always feel comfortable in criticizing my thoughts. Clearly you are not among that group :-). Actually, I enjoy honest criticism. Sometimes I am wrong and sometimes I get a chance to respond. Here then are some responses to your reply:
Yes, I agree that perhaps a cross-check with federal data bases and State DL/ID might be needed to ensure U.S. Citizenship. Homeland Security says that Enhanced Drivers Licenses, which all states must eventually have, do indicate citizenship. I am not sure if citizenship is noted on the card itself (I don’t see it on mine, but maybe it is coded somehow?) but surely the feds know and it is not difficult to compare two data bases.
The issue of some people living one place and having a drivers license in another would need to be clarified. I am of the opinion that you can have one, and only one, designated home. It is illegal to have more than one driver’s license. I would say, “Make up your mind, what is your home state & primary address.?” Perhaps there are legitimate reasons to have a different DL address and certainly these can be identified and special accommodations made so that these people can vote – just so they only vote once.
Puerto Ricans are U.S. Citizens, they can choose to live in any state they want.
I have heard a lot about “harvesting” of ballots but defining the term gets vague quickly. If you are referring to modifying the vote of someone else or submitting someone else’s ballot, that is voter fraud, not “harvesting.” If you are referring to hand carrying someone’s ballot on their behalf, I guess I would need to know the circumstances before absolutely saying, “No.” Seems to me the easiest solution here for people who can’t get to a drop box or polling place is to use the USPS – it is not 100% safe but mail theft is a crime and difficult to pull off.
I ‘m OK with an Arrived By Election Day rule for ballots as long as this is clearly set in advance so everyone knows, the USPS prioritizes ballots, and the ballots are delivered to citizens in enough time to allow them to be returned by Election Day.
I am not sure what is gained by having election day be a single day. A deadline, certainly. And also a date before which no results can be released, but honestly, what difference does it make as long as the individual citizen has the opportunity to cast their vote? Clearly there needs to be a window of some sort, but what does it hurt to have designated early voting?
I agree with you that voting should not be effortless. I am a Washington State resident so I got my ballot about 3 weeks before the election. I spent about an hour an a half with my ballot which of course includes lots of positions and referendums in addition to just the Presidential choice. Honestly I don’t know the name of my Port Commissioners much less their qualifications so I need to at the very least check several information sources before voting for one or the other. I spent time and effort voting, but I did not stand in line. I am not sure what “standing in line” does for anyone, it certainly does not make them a more informed voter. Does it build character?
It is worrisome that you observed “vote tampering.” Did someone change another person’s vote? Did someone vote more than once? Was this voter fraud? If so, did you report it to authorities?
Your point about lies going in “both directions” begs the question, “are there only two directions?” There seems to be an effort on both the far right and the far left to define people who don’t agree with virtually all of their positions as “they.” We are being pushed into one of two camps and I don’t like it and it is not good for our country.
Certainly we need to take virtually everything we hear or read with a grain of salt. If you are interested in my “sources,” please see my post titled “Truth”. Short version: I give the most credence to things I have seen/experienced personally or have second hand knowledge from a person I know personally. Like the blind men holding different parts of the elephant we all have some of the truth while at the same time we all usually miss the bigger picture.
Finally, I agree that free speech is our most important right. On that note, thanks again for your comments/critique Robin.
Jim, your suggestions are good ones, but I think that the problem is with people who do not believe facts and “reality” even when it is presented to them. These are the people who believe what they are told by their leader, and are moved by emotional states more than by rational analysis.
No matter how well the voting system is designed, these are the people who will tell us that elections are stolen.
Hi Pat, I think that both you and Walt are correct that no matter what enhancements are made there are some who will not accept any outcome they do not like. My hope is that there are enough people “in the middle” who recognize reality and honestly believe in a system that allows people to choose their leaders. Misinformation and conspiracy theories are a major hurdle here. Jim
I applaud your effort but I don’t believe your steps will solve the problem. The problem isn’t that the system is particularly flawed but that people don’t believe their side could lose so there must be fraud. My friend from GA believes the election was stolen despite the fact that all Republican officials say it wasn’t. Many now believe “facts” that absolutely have zero basis in reality. That delusion applies to science as well as politics and no matter what system is used, they would still believe it must be fraud. As to state id’s my state has closed many locations where the id’s could be obtained and the purpose is clear if you look at the areas that were effected. Moreover our governor declared there could be only one location in Harris County to drop off the ballots. Harris County has a population of probably over 4 million. Do you think he was trying to protect the process or to suppress the vote?
Thanks Walt, I fear that you may be correct about some people not even accepting results they don’t like even with these additional measures I propose in place. I tried to address some of the arguments I heard from people about the count of votes. My hope is that rational people will accept results they don’t like as long as they know the count is correct. I did not address voter suppression issues in this post which is an important, but I think somewhat separate,issue. One of my suggestions, aligning voter registration with State IDs, would help ensure that the vast majority of eligible voters were not turned away at the polls. As you point out however, voting must be possible for all eligible citizens and limiting accessiblity, particularly in specific areas, works against inclusion in the voting process. Semper Fi my friend.
Sounds like a good plan! However I personally feel our past elections have been accurate and fair, I am sure a rouge vote may occasionally slip thru, but I can’t see that a couple of ballots would have changed a large margin in which most offices had. In Washington State we have been voting by mail for years and the envelopes they use appear to be very tamper proof, as far as the cameras, well I thought all vote counting centers already had them, and I feel they should be mandatory. I feel harsher penalties for fraud is a great idea and having ID that is uniform nationwide is a great idea. I feel secure voting is essential and I think this past election was the most secure election we ever had, and I think the candidates that lost and claimed voter fraud in this past election just can’t accept the results and want to make the public believe that it was because of voter fraud which none of them had any proof of it! And I want to close this post with saying I think what happened on Jan. 6 was un excusable and disgusting and truly brought on by the leader of our country. I am not dem or a rep I vote for the person and did not vote for Donald Trump and not sure if I will ever vote for a republican again after that day. Thank you, god bless and take care of yourselves. We will get through this pandemic, we have people in office now who want to truly help the people.
Thanks for the feedback Peggy. Yes, I too believe the election was fair but sadly there are many who still do not. My ideas are ones that I think could improve the system and provide further clarity. I also like the Washington State system which I have addressed in a previous post on this blog titled “Ballots.” All states, however, don’t have that system and the security it provides. In this post I tried to identify steps that I don’t think anyone who wants a fair count could object to. If anyone does I would like to hear their objections. Like you I have always thought of myself as an independent and have in the past at least tried to vote for who I thought was the best person regardless of party. Take care Cuz!