Blast from the past: Jimmy Carter in 2004 on US elections

[badger2305]

This was originally posted by me in 2004, just before the election. It continues to ring as true today as it did eight years ago:

***

So here's a snippet of transcript from Terry Gross' interview on Fresh Air with former President Jimmy Carter [ed. note: starts about 4:58 into the interview] :

Gross: ...One of the things you do with your Carter

Comments

[gothtique]

This would be part of that sinking feeling I always get when politics are discussed... this feeling that the system is broken, and that we really should be able to do better.

[houseboatonstyx]

We just finished an election not too long ago in a Third World country that had a touch screen technique (the system was developed in the United States, previously in Spain) but in addition to casting their vote, after they punched the touch screen, uh the, final, uh, button, out comes a paper ballot showing you exactly how you voted. So you look at the paper ballot and you make sure that is the way I wanted my vote to be cast, and you fold up the ballot and put it in a box.

That's a step in the right direction. But it should give you two copies, one to take home and keep. Then when the votes are tabulated, you should be able to go online and look up your PIN and make sure your vote was counted correctly (and enter a challenge right there transparently online if it was not). Etc.