October 7, 2003

WE VOTED. DID YOU!

VOTE NO ON THE RECALL!
THE POLLS ARE OPEN TILL 8:00 PM!

Pete and I went to the polls together today. It was crowded, but everything moved rapidly. There was a steady stream of voters. At least in our neighborhood, it looked like people were taking their right to vote seriously.

We voted where we usually do, at our local High School. School was still in session, and I was pretty sure that all the people driving up were coming to vote.

We still have the old punch card method. I was glad. I have been nursing some fears about the new computerized method. Since I have been using the computer, I am very aware that it doesn’t take much for things to go wrong. You know, the “human error” thing. All one has to do is enter something incorrectly and everything can get messed up. Not to mention, programming errors, computer hacks and those nasty viruses that continue to plague us. It seems to me that almost anyone with access, and some up-to-date technology and knowledge, could high-jack our elections, when voting is completely done by computer.

I suspect my kids will accuse me of trying to live in the dark ages on this issue, as they are both pretty comfortable with a computerized world. But, punch card voting is simple, easy, and not hard to check. For years after I finished voting, I have double checked to make sure that I punched the right hole, even when there are many issues on the ballot. I then turned the ballot over to make sure that the hole was punched through, and there were no hanging chads.

Doing this only takes a few moments, and is worth it. After all, our right to vote is precious and we are not doing it that often.

I just have a feeling that if we thought we had problems with the old way, the new method will prove to be a nightmare. But then, I wonder who would notice or care, until we lose our freedom to vote.

Posted by Judi at October 7, 2003 2:35 PM | TrackBack
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