(no subject)

[theweaselking]

Diebold admits that their election machines are corrupt and don't accurately count votes.

They're claiming that it's not a partisan error and it doesn't lose votes *on command*, but yesterday they claimed it was someone else's fault and the day before that they claimed it didn't exist at all.

Comments

[pyroofone.livejournal.com]

Still not sure why their nation hasn't run screaming back to paper ballot.
Possibly at the behest of the outraged parties from the first two Charlie Foxtrots.

[tsunami-ryuu.livejournal.com]

I'm really not sure why we haven't, either.

I love how Canada does its elections. It makes so much more sense, too, to use a paper ballot where you simply put a check next to your person of choice.

But here in America we like instant gratification. The news media would throw a shitfit if we switched to paper ballots... oh no, we couldn't have insta-results before the polls even close!

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Of course you would. In every election in the history of the world *except* the 2004 American one, exit polls gave an accurate account of the voting before the polls closed. And in Canada, the polls close at 8pm, meaning by 8:30 you've got your first results coming in from Returning Officers in smaller Newfoundland areas.

And that's 8:30 NEWFIE time, so it's 7PM in EST and 4pm on the west coast.

Sure, polls in BC don't close until 11PM EST, and results often aren't completely in until 1 or 2 AM, but you can still get a really good idea before then.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

That actually pisses me off. No one should project winners and losers until every polling place in the country is closed. Including (here in the states) Hawaii and Guam.

To do so should be prosecuted as election tampering, if not treason.

[opaqueplanet.livejournal.com]

actually, for a long time here in Canada (if it's not still the case) broadcasting results wasn't allowed until after 8pm Pacific (BC time). What with the internet, it's gotten a lot more... well, the image of a sieve comes to mind.

[tsunami-ryuu.livejournal.com]

That's a pretty sound law. I wish it were the same in America. I'm so sick of the rampant pre-poll closure speculation that goes on in the media.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

That would be wonderful for the US as well, but only if it were 8pm Hawaii time. Oh, and we really have to make election day a holiday.

[tsunami-ryuu.livejournal.com]

Ooh, it comes in that quickly? I (sadly) don't know much about the Canadian election process beyond what I said in my first comment, so my assumption was that it takes at least a night of tallying the paper ballots before you guys find out election results. But I hadn't thought about exit polls, and you make a good point.

So America really doesn't have an excuse for not going back to paper ballots. Dangit, most of the time sometimes I really hate the way this country works.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

It comes in that quickly, because while there are millions of voters, each *ballot box* only has a few hundred votes.

The boxes are opened in full view of observers from every party. Once each box is counted (by several people, each making a separate count) the ballots are returned to the box and it is sealed, only to be reopened in case of a recount. The returning officer reports the votes from that box in that riding to the bigger returning officer. Once he has all his boxes, he reports his numbers to the bigger returning officer. Etc. As each polling place returns it's results, it gets tallied up on The Big Board.

Eventually, you get a whole riding, and then you have an MP.

But yeah. *Hours*. And it's watched the whole time, verified, there's no opportunity to cheat, and the entire process can be repeated by an entirely new crop of people and get the same results again, if you so desire.

Meaning, COMPLETELY unlike American elections.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Envious. I wish I lived in a democracy, too.

[opaqueplanet.livejournal.com]

instant gratification? it takes you guys at least a week (from what I've seen in the last two elections) to get stuff counted and sorted out BEFORE the re-counts and election-fraud allegations, and ballot-tampering allegations... In 2000, it looked like you might not know who your president was going to be by the time his inauguration came around.

In Canada, I can't remember a time we didn't know by morning who the prime minister was. I can tell you how we do it. We don't keep it secret. I've scrutineered for elections; I'm familiar with the details. It's easy, it's cheap, it's accurate, and it's all done in the morning. No fuss, no muss.

We can send you a pamphlet.

[opaqueplanet.livejournal.com]

*two presidential elections. Also, the midterm elections, but who counts those?

[tsunami-ryuu.livejournal.com]

Hah, yeah, the 2000 Presidential Election was a circus sideshow. We didn't know 'til... December, I think? All because of those blasted punch cards (as well as messed up digital votes, voter disenfranchisement, Florida in general, etc.).

Can you send a pamphlet as well as international election monitors? I think America desperately needs both this coming November.

[mrbankies.livejournal.com]

*headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*

[spurious-logic.livejournal.com]

I used to work for their biggest competitor in that market. I'm very glad I left before the 2006 election.

I tell all my conservative friends...

[raie.livejournal.com]

What I usually tell the republican friends I have is that they don't really need to vote for John McCain, or really ANY republican candidate EVER again. They can vote Obama safe in the knowledge that Diebold will vote republican for them.

Re: I tell all my conservative friends...

[andabusers.livejournal.com]

Haha, brilliant. And also *sob*

[dreamshade.livejournal.com]

Diebold is a bunch of hacks?! WHY, I AM SO SURPRISED BY THIS INFORMATION.