The old voting machines were 800 pound monsters. They resembled old time photo booths found in arcades. In Lehigh County, these heavy steel booths would be trucked and placed in the various polling locations by prisoners of the county jail. When the county was mandated to replace them with electronic machines for the 2006 election, I felt it was unnecessary. When they immediately disposed of the old machines, I knew that was a mistake. Those old monsters were reliable, foolproof and verifiable.
Governor Wolf has decreed that votes must now have a physical receipt. Although, Tim Benyo, Chief Clerk of Elections, claims that the new paper ballots are not going back in time, it sure seems that way. Some off the old mechanical machines, in addition to tallying the votes, also had a adding machine type of paper verification. Of course the expense of replacing those old mechanical wonders would now be prohibitive. So the new plan is paper ballots, which will then be electronically scanned.
The old mechanical machines were hack-roof. The current electronic machines are also hack-roof, not being connected to the internet. Their replacement and disposal will be another knee-jerk reaction.
Experience tells me if the Democrats want it, claim it helps people vote, it's because it helps them steal elections. If they are against any kind of voter security, voter I.D. , or time restrictions on voting, again it's because that would complicate their efforts to steal elections. Sorry to be so blunt but I have worked many polls in Downtown Allentown and have seen a willingness by those involved to bend, break, and ignore the rules. That and much more. Voter fraud is very real, only those guilty of it will deny this truth. In one party town's/Democratic urban areas, the Democrats are completely in charge of the process,from beginning to end. They take full advantage of that control.
ReplyDeleteAll these millions of dollars just wasted on technology and now we're going back to paper and pencil. Will they include erasers with the pencils or do I need to saddle up my horse and ride over to the general store to get one.
ReplyDeleteHow bout adding some real integrity to the voting process? Like buying a pack of smokes or a bottle of wine, I need to show I.D. to prove I am me. And the I.D. has a photo of me in living colour.
GET REAL.
Elections ARE surplus to requirements in an ultra-loyal and dependable One Party place like good ole' Allentown.
ReplyDeleteStill, why spend only $ 200,000 to demolish a building when City Council can and will authorize the expenditure of $ 1,250,000?
Happy 27% property tax increase to everyone and, please remember, there simply is no such thing as "Trickle-Down Economics"!
Also please bear in mind that Hillary Clinton's favorite political party says we must be ever vigilant and not allow Russians to 'steal elections', just like it has been repeatedly alleged that those dastardly Russians did back in 2016.
The way this county has been run in the last 20 years - I don't think elections matter. They have no effect. The politicians keep kicking the can down the road, and avoid tackling the real problems.
ReplyDeleteI never had an issue with the old machines.I left the state before the new machines were installed
ReplyDeleteThe endless cycle of machine replacement, whether mechanical, hand, or electronic in nature, has nothing to do with party politics....it has everything to do with $BUSINESS. Vendors bribe ("lobby") whomever is in control at the time. Contracting is the name of the game, from voting machines, roads, data management systems, whatever. As long as it is taxpayer ("public") dollars involved then there will always be impetus for replacement, as this means big $bucks to the vendor. "Competitive" bidding has become a corrupt joke.
ReplyDeleteYou know, maybe if we didn't have such Big Government here, there and everywhere ... then proud One-Party Cities all across this great land wouldn't have to fret so much about this so-called "Competitive Bidding" process which has become apparently has become such a well-known, to speak nothing of giant, joke.
ReplyDeleteGod bless former Democrat Party politician & Allentown City Mayor but now 40-something times convicted felon Ed Pawlowski.
We need to go with biometric ID cards. Hard for this old-time conservative to say that, but it might be the only way to preserve our republic.
ReplyDelete