Reply #2: We need to repair the electoral system [View All]

The first thing we need to do is to ensure that the voting system is fair.

Bush seems to be destroying himself. Most recently, Intimigate is showing the public that the current administration is run by thuggery. By next November, will there be anyone left who doesn't see through him?

Probably I exaggerate, but still he's slipping.

Nonetheless, Bush can easily win the election if it's rigged. The computerized voting machines that are being used in more and more places are easily rigged. Their code is proprietary and inaccessible to the public, to election officers, and, in a contested election, even to a judge. Election officers are powerless to fix, or even detect, tampering, because the only tests run on electronic voting machines are not designed to do so. And once a vote is cast there is no way to confirm that the machine has recorded it correctly. An electronic ballot isn't worth the paper it's not printed on, with the result that the whole concept of democratic elections is under threat.

New Jersey Congressman Rush Holt has introduced legislation, HR 2239, to require a paper trail for electronic voting machines. This would make votes verifiable.

The media don't seem to want to mess with this issue. The best thing we can do, in answer to your question, is to make sure as many people as possible are aware of the problems with the voting system, because if those problems don't get fixed, opposition to Bush doesn't stand a chance.

For more on electronic voting machines, see http://www.verifiedvoting.org

For more on Rush Holt's bill, see his website at http://www.verifiedvoting.org and