Absent Ain't Current
Not that anyone asked, but I'm not sure this absentee ballot thing is such a fine idea. As much I cotton to the notion that voting should be a simple procedure for everyone, I wonder about people casting their ballots weeks before the actual election. Back in the old days, when life moved a lot slower, it might have made sense for people who weren't going to be in their home district on Election Day to have a chance to have their voice heard. But nowadays, there are two big reasons, both electronic, why people should wait until the last moment to vote.
First, we live in an age when lots is happenin', and what's happenin' is communicated live. And if you don't get to see it live, you can find out about it in a matter of minutes on television or the radio or now the Internet. The point is that with modern communications, information can be disseminated -- and assimilated or rejected -- in a matter of hours, right up until the election day. And a conscientious voter will want to make the most informed decision.
Mailing in an absentee ballot shortly after it is received four weeks before election day is not that. And even those who have made their come-hell-or-high-water choice might want to change it if the morning before the election, it was discovered that their candidate was discovered between the sheets "with a live boy or a dead girl."
Point two, we have technologies today that enable us to safely move limitless amounts of money in a flash by typing a few characters on a keyboard. We can buy books, book vacations, sell stocks, and stock shelves, at any hour of the day or night, sitting at our home computer, or clackin' away on our laptop almost anywhere in the world. Surely, we can figure out a way to cast our ballots in a similarly secure fashion. Nor would people have to own a computer to vote, anymore than they need one to make purchases now; they could vote at libraries, shopping malls, government offices; or at a friend's house, for that matter.
Of course, there would always be a handful who would complain because they planned to be assaulting Everest on election day, but it wouldn't be difficult to accommodate these few. However, to encourage the most informed voting, the onus would be the exceptions to find access to the system within a reasonable time --a week maybe? -- before the vote.
Finally, another advantage would be that by computerizing the whole shebang, we wouldn't have to suffer the error-prone system of humans counting ballots. All of the votes would be tabulated instantly, and the results could be announced a minute after the polls closed. So instead of the mess we have now, there would be voting based on the latest information, less likelihood of fraud, and faster returns. Should be a slam dunk.
And that's SetonnoteS...I'm Tony Seton.
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