You might be surprised what shows up if people started recording their experiences at the voting booth. In 2006 my best friend was recording the Orange County elections people at work and this kid did something with a thumb drive that sure looked suspicious…

Well congratulations, it looks like we will win and gain substantially in the Senate and the House.

Now is the time for each of us, and all of us out here, to start the drumbeat for the primary challanges of 2010. Each and every member of the Party who voted for the 700 billion dollar rip off that Barak supported will be targeted for replacement with a true progressive.

We are starting now to campaign to replace Harry in the Senate and Nancy in the House. They both have more than amply demonstrated that they have neither the guts or the smarts to lead in the Congress. We are not taking back to government to let incompetent jerks give away the store to the corporate interests.

We want an honest, strong, and smart Secretary of the Treasury appointed. If Barak appoints anyone other than Warren Buffet, they had better be prepared to show that they have all the qualifications of a Warren Buffet. Buffet will not either sqander our money or fail to get value for our dollar. No political Hacks need apply and any history of elective office will disqualify the person immediately.

To echo Barak, this win is not an end, it is the first step of We the People takeing back that which is ours. A very good thing for you politicians to remember.

this is not allowed but it is being done anyway

most new registrars are democrats and that’s where the big obama push is going to come from

this must be stopped

I’m thoroughly convinced that the cell phone camera is the savior of our democracy — they watch us, we watch them.

And there’s more of us!

Shouldn’t the use of electronic voting machines be discouraged altogether?

Thanks for your great work!

Much thanks for being here AND, especially, to both of you, for caring enough to actually become involved in making things better.

Top marks, all around!

First there is the problem that you have mentioned: Voting is controlled by State rather than Federal standards. This constrains what can be done by Federal legislation.

Second is the enormity of the task of changing the technology: As different voting systems (paper ballot, optical scanners, mechanical systems, electronic voting, etc.) are evaluated and problems are encountered, it is expensive and time consuming to change the “user interface” down at the local level. Even if we did have a national standard of voting technology, how long would it take to implement?

Third is that State AGs (who usually control how voting is done) don’t like getting jerked around on the technology. After going through a change-over from one voting system to another, most State AGs are not going to be eager about another mandate for change a few years later.

Fourth, I find it especially egregious that a number of the electronic voting machine companies use proprietary software that regulators are not permitted to examine. I think this is unconscionable and should not be permitted anywhere. “Just trust us” doesn’t work anymore, especially not after Ohio. All such machines ought to be prohibited. The software should be open for examination and testing until election day, and then sealed to prevent tampering (allowing unsealing and testing after the polls are closed.)

I could go on and on, but let me end with a bit of personal experience as a poll worker several years ago: Our crew was very conscientious, and everyone was earnest about doing our job right. At the time, we were using a paper ballot with optical scanning. I had the job of showing each voter how to insert their ballot into the counting machine, and checking to make sure their votes were counted. If they had made a mistake, their alternatives were (1) a complete do-over, or (2) tell the machine to ignore that particular item (thus voiding their vote on that item). I noticed that older voters would often choose to have their vote discarded rather than go to the trouble of re-voting.

My experience has been that no voting system is perfect. Whatever system is used must be tested and certified, and must provide a means for a re-count to take place that starts with the individual vote (not just precinct totals). Whatever the system is, we are going to have to live with dangling chads or the equivalent thereof.

Is that your impression?

Bob in HI

I hope that Obama’s overwhelming voter registration success will thwart the upcoming Rovian election fraud!! Throw Rove in jail, and we will save the country!

e Exit Polls…just saw an article in the Oregonian that discounted the value of exit polls…perfect GOP MO!!

yup, they are gaming it up so the flip becomes believable