Voting Controversies

Let me begin by saying I personally have never had a problem with the present voting system. However, I live in a rural area and seldom have to wait more than 10 minutes to vote. I usually spend a lot longer than that chatting with neighbors I haven't seen for awhile, sometimes since the previous year's election!

We live in a different time, now, though. Most of the population lives in urban areas, and shouldn't have to stand in line for hours to vote. More polling places is one answer, but we seem to be going in the exact wrong direction on that.

Mail-in voting is being promoted for this Covid-19 year, but there really isn't time to get that organized in a manner that can be trusted before November. If it can't be trusted, it will only bring about more controversy and division, as the legitimacy of the election is questioned by whichever side loses. I don't have a problem with mail-in voting in principle, but we need a strong voter ID system before it can be implemented. Only citizens should be able to vote, and only once.

We also need a working and efficient postal system, not one on the verge of collapse that our President is trying his best to destroy.

Online voting is another possibility, but there we need vastly improved security that has been proven over time. Right now internet security is a joke, and no one but a fool would trust online voting not to be manipulated in one way or another. Both hardware and software are untrustworthy at present. We would also need a strong voter ID system. Online voting isn't going to happen in my lifetime.

In my opinion, we can't get too radical for an election only 3 months away. We should increase the numbers of polling places and voting machines where needed. We also should allow an entire 6 days for voting, rather than one day. And thirdly, the elderly and those vulnerable to Covid should be allowed to vote by absentee ballot, even if they are near their own polling place. Altogether, these would vastly shorten the lines and speed up the process of voting, while decreasing the crowds and the possibility of spreading coronavirus, and protecting the vulnerable.

The downside is that we should wait for the entire 6 days, plus whatever time it takes to count all the absentee ballots, before announcing the results. Exit polls and media speculation should be banned during this time. We don't need "election by media". Americans will HAVE to show some patience, for once! Getting trustworthy election results is much more important.