Submitted by Andrew Gade
Reading the newspaper on my phone this morning reminded me of a thought I’ve had many times over the years; why are we still voting with paper?
Mail in voting is outdated, expensive and ripe for politically motivated fraud accusations. Currently, overseas voters can vote in elections by mail, fax, and email, but California law does not allow for voted ballots to be sent via email only by fax or mail. Other countries are offering online voting as an option, so we really don’t have an excuse when it comes to modernizing our election system.
Meanwhile, current voting systems waist [sic] hundreds of millions of dollars and much of this infrastructure is developed and managed by private corporations that profit from maintaining the status quo. That reality raises important questions about the financial incentives that are stifling the adoption of newer and more efficient technologies.
Today, nearly all our financial transactions are conducted online. We trust digital systems to manage our bank accounts, investments, and sensitive personal information. These systems use advanced security measures, including encryption and multi-layered verification, to ensure accuracy and prevent fraud. Given this, it seems reasonable to ask why our voting system has not evolved in a similar way.
Andrew Gade
