Securing Our Elections
Election integrity is bipartisan and must be if we want to keep our nation accountable and prosperous. The fact is, our elections have changed the outcome of nearly every global event of the past 50 years. This indicates without a doubt there is a clear benefit to taking control of our elections. Nations like Libya and Iran have always had their elections put under scrutiny but the US has typically stayed above the veil of scrutiny.
What has kept fraud out of our elections in the past? Strong and secure election laws. Regrettably, wholly partisan efforts to weaken the security and oversight of our elections has created a weakened system on which we base our entire democracy. New advances in hacking and a progressively larger and largely uncountable population make the task even harder. So what can we do to protect our elections and make sure that every legitimate vote matters?
Step One: Decrease our Dependence on Machines
The 21st Century has ushered in technological advancements that weren’t even dreamed of even 30 years ago. While this has largely served as a benefit for mankind, there is always a flip-side of the coin, and there will always be people and groups willing to exploit the digital sphere to its will through theft and deceit. When properly secured, paper ballots are far safer than computer ballots and tabulation machines. The infrastructure required to make this happen will take a lot of hard work, but it’s ultimately worth it to ensure faith in our democracy.
Step Two: Recruit an Army of Poll Workers
A hand-count of ballots can’t happen without a vast network of dedicated and qualified poll workers to take the task of counting the vote. Unfortunately, because of a number of problems, including extreme Covid-19 measures and general drop-offs in civic engagement, election integrity has not been as simple as previous decades. The truth is that many do not have the time to count ballots. That is why we must find ways to bring people out (although it appears that will not be an issue this year!)
Step Three: Make Election Day a Federal Holiday
That’s it. It’s pretty simple.
The bottom line is pretty simple. Election integrity is a states issue. That means that even if some of my opponents lie and say they have a plan to fix everything that needs fixing, they’re either ignorant or stupid. Bringing the federal government into elections is not the answer. That will backfire just like all the other federal government programs have. One look at the department of education or Department of Veteran Affairs will prove that the federal government needs to step back as far as possible and allow the states to do what they need to for the needs of their people. We have to fight for states rights.