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New technology will enable members of the American military serving overseas to cast ballots in the coming primary and general elections.
Arizona is leading the nation in providing this Internet-driven service to our troops, according to Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer, who told local Republican women about the state-of-the-art system during a visit here Monday.
Formerly, servicemen and women cast their absentee ballots by sending a fax to a machine in Brewer’s office.
As with many other things, technical advances do help to ease the tasks of society. The horse-and-buggy gave way to the automobile (although with gasoline prices, we may be reconsidering that one). The ice box was transformed into the refrigerator. With the advent of computers, typewriters became expensive doorstops. Vinyl LP records are nearly obsolete.
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It is conceivable that Internet-balloting could be expanded to other sectors of society besides overseas military personnel. This would greatly ease the tremendously large and multi-layered task of casting and counting ballots affecting municipal, county, state and federal issues — not to mention special districts and initiatives.
This is a task suited for solutions in the Information Age.
Trusting some of their most private and security-sensitive information, millions of Americans for years have filed their taxes and performed critical banking functions over the Internet. It does not appear that this convenient technology is going to decline or disappear, even with the occasional security breaches that attract wide publicity.
Our time-honored institutions — banking and taxes — have proven that systems can be put into place that will provide the security that Americans demand of their electoral tradition. Audit trails. Secure ID. All of this is available within the current technology.
There are some people who naturally fear that a paperless system will lead to corruption and vote-tampering. Unfortunately, paper ballots do not guarantee any security or confidence at all. History is full of stories of corrupt paper balloting systems. Chicago. Southern Indiana. How about the “hanging chads” of Florida?
For those who insist on paper, let them cast paper ballots. These can be accommodated into an effective, modern system.
Many Americans demand better efficiency in the balloting system. If our troops, who are defending the concepts of liberty and democracy overseas, can lead the way in using such a system, then perhaps others can, too.
