Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Maybe one of my Ohio readers can help me out. What is so difficult about elections up there? This year they run out of ballots. I seem to remember issues in 2000 and 2004 as well. Can't they just print extra ballots, and use the ones that aren't needed as scrap paper or recycle them or something? I know they are experiencing record turnouts, but they've had record turnouts in most big states (Louisiana did not have a record turn out. In fact, it was very low. But people were still recovering from their Mardi Gras hangovers, so I guess that isn't a shock.). Couldn't they plan ahead for that?

And why are they still using paper ballots? Enter the 20th century folks!

(And yes, I know it's the 21st century. I'm being all ironic and sarcastic and stuff.)

2 comments:

tomzgrrl said...

First of all, according to most reports, we did NOT run out of ballots. There were moments when they ran LOW but they were never out. Hype.

Why paper ballots -- Cuyahoga County (where Cleveland is) was required by the state to use paper because the Diebold touchscreen systems that they spent millions of dollars on kept malfunctioning in the last election.

I voted using touchscreen. It was fast and easy. Longest part of the process was filling out the form to switch my party!!! (which, in my defense, the VAST majority of people in Ohio with (R) after their names did.)

HOWEVER, come fall, the state is requiring ALL counties to go back to scantron paper voting -- Take one GIANT step back, mother may I? Yes you MUST!

So, even counties who have the electronic voting figured out can't do it. It will not be punch card voting -- so no hanging chads -- but it will not be touch screen totally electronic (with a card) either.

I'm not sure WHY we have this mandate -- or how bad it will make Ohio look in November. But hey, every 4 years, at least half of the country hates us anyway!!!!

Sheryl said...

That's just insane - no offense to your fine state. The whole election system in this country is insane. It's no wonder people end up cynical.

Of course, Lousiana is completely nuts, too. We all have electronic voting here, but we have to vote about 15 times a year - and that's after the current Secretary of State reformed the election process. Plus, we have to vote on everything - from actual elections, to whether or not a casino can expand, to property tax, to...well, you get the idea. And, except for national offices, we have completely open primaries with a weird runoff system, which frequently makes a mockery of a 2 party system.

I wouldn't have it any other way than a democracy, but there has to be a better way to do democracy.