Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 3: Beware of the one-party state
We are a society that thrives on instant gratification. We want it all right now. That makes electronic ballots much more appealing in this day and age. We get the results faster and require less people to achieve that goal. Right now there are only a few states that use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). There is risk of these machines being cyber attacked. There are many people who are not technologically knowledgeable enough to deal with the computerized age. This will prohibit a certain portion of citizens their right to vote. I fear that the rapid, always evolving AI technology will take voting results totally out of the hands of humans making it more easily manipulated. And, what if – what if someone happens to hit the delete button. All those votes gone.
Yes, paper ballots are more of a nuisance. They require more time to tally, more people to do the tallying, and of course there is the chance of human error. BUT, there is a paper trail with paper ballots providing the country with a way to verify the results. Sometimes, we need to slow down, take our time, and do it right. I can’t imagine a more important reason to do that than when executing our sacred right to vote. So I do agree with Snyder’s argument that paper ballots are needed.
One way to secure our liberty is to protect our elections. To be patient, guard our tradition of voting with paper ballots, and produce that paper trail should questions arise. We need to guard those ballots as if they belonged in Fort Knox. We need to fight against gerrymandering and the creation of registration requirements that prohibit millions of people from registering to vote. The SAVE Act must not be allowed to pass through Congress as it is now written. We need to be vigilant about what is happening to our mail service so that the mail in vote does not become jeopardized.
My job is to VOTE. My job is to be mindful of what legislature is being introduced that might hamper or deny voters their rights. My job is to not let apathy win when I feel tired and overwhelmed. My job is to keep watching and keep speaking in whatever way I can. My job is to protect our First Amendment rights. Once a government takes my voice they will never give it back.
