You’ve heard it all over the news. We don’t want to expose our citizenry to massive crowds that might congregate in the lines of our voting stations, and we’re having a hard time getting volunteers to man the polls–many of whom are seniors.
Mail-in ballots are being implemented in some states (such as Nevada) to the chagrin of the president, who thinks this will cause all kinds of problems with voter fraud.
Is he paranoid? Maybe not.
Is voter fraud a myth?
Ballot stuffing, ballot harvesting, and ballot collecting have all been documented in a variety of locales. Some postal workers who work in largely populated districts of one party or another have trashed their ballots, figuring they are ridding their district of predominant votes from that party.
Nursing homes are frequent targets for ballot replacement of older residents. Volunteers who offer to collect ballots and mail them in on their behalf are part of the scam to replace the ballots with their own candidates on blank ballots, which is one reason to fear blank mail-in ballots.
There have been plenty of cases of voter fraud in elections from local races on up to the presidential elections, as documented by Just The News, The Heritage Foundation, and The Washington Times.
The American people are a creative and ingenious lot. Given a problem and a group of creative thinkers, we can come up with some ideas that are worth sending to the governor and even to the White House.
Here are some I like.
Drive-in Voting
Large parking lots could be manned by a combination of volunteers and the National Guard, each having an official anti-counterfeit badge with the same material used to make our drivers licenses.
Tablets with Hotspots for Voter Verification and Voting
Under this proposal, voters would drive up in the safety of their cars. An official would check the voter ID against a central database on their tablet to register that they are voting. The same tablet is given to the voter to safely fill out in their car, which then registers their vote to the district board of elections database.
Practice Voting from Personal Computer
Prior to official voting, a link can be made available to voters from a website which allows voters to practice. It can even validate a successful practice vote and let them see their ballot.
The ballot can be printed at their computer, and they can bring it with them to their official voting place to help expedite their time at the polls.
What’s your idea?
How can we facilitate a successful vote and yet keep everyone (voters and election volunteers) safe during this pandemic? If you have ideas, leave your comment below.
Where do I send my idea?
For Marylanders, you can contact the Governor here: Maryland Governor. If you live in another state, Google your local listings.
Consider sending a note to The White House, as well. I received an email confirming my White House communication within minutes of submission.
Know Your Candidate
At Convention of States, we are purposeful about using the tools given to us by the Framers of the U.S. Constitution. Voting is one means by which we actively take part in our government.
Part of the process is knowing local, state, and national candidates (what they stand for, their track records, and their platforms). Review sample ballots and seek out information to make your best determination about who can best serve your community, your state, and your nation.
