Vote By iPad

The people in Oregon have been voting by mail for years. It all began with trials in some local elections back in 1981. Now, they want to vote by iPad. According to the Associated Press, election workers are spreading out in five counties to nursing homes, community centers and anywhere else there may be people that don’t or can’t vote by mail.

According to the story, the election workers ‘help’ the voter use the iPad to cast a ballot, it is printed on a portable printer, signed by the voter and the worker drops it in the mail.

Sound like a great idea? I don’t think so. Before you get your panties all in a wad, let me say clearly that I believe every citizen of sound mind - if there are any left - could and should vote. I am lead to believe that every state makes provisions to allow for everyone to vote.

The problem I have is the obvious. If the workers ‘help’ a voter to vote, is there a reasonable opportunity for that worker to influence or even cast the ballot for a ‘preferred’ candidate? Oh silly me. Surely there are no unethical workers.

Yes, there are ‘safeguards’ such as the voter must be registered and sign the ballot envelope. That signature is to be compared with the one on file at the registration office. Don’t know about you, but I’m not qualified to compare signatures. Oregon must be full of qualified people though.

In the daily drivel on the op-ed page, William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, advocates requiring all citizens to vote. Obviously we are hoping that means those of ‘sound mind.’ I still don’t how many would qualify, if any.

Voting is still one of the few rights we have left. I believe that to exercise that right, one should be required to complete an exam that proves he or she understands some basics about the issues or candidates. While this will never happen, it certainly would change the course of government at all levels.

As for voting by mail or by iPad, what happens if the postal union goes on strike or the batteries go dead in the iPad?

Also, who pays the postage? We all know the answer to that. Isn’t that another tax?

PMO
©2011