What is your opinion of the state of Election Integrity in the US?

[Junkdrawer]

[FormerDittoHead]

1. The problem is WE DON'T KNOW and with the present tech - CAN'T KNOW.

As I wrote last week, the thing that stuns me is the lack of representatives out there who want to make absolutely sure that our voting system is as sound as our banking system.

[ThomWV]

6. I don't know about you, but for me its certain that we have a problem, I just don't know how bad.

[Scuba]

13. +999,999,999,999,999

[Junkdrawer]

2. BTW: The "doesn't matter" choice is a paraphrase of Chomsky's opinion of all this....

....

In fact, in our elections, the issues are unknown. There’s careful efforts to make sure that the issues are unknown to the public, for good reasons. There’s a tremendous gap between public opinion and public policy. So you have to keep away from issues and concentrate on imagery and delusions and so on. The elections are run by the same industries that sell toothpaste on television. You don’t expect to get information from a television ad. You don’t expect to get information about a candidate from debates, advertisements and the other paraphernalia that goes along with what are called elections here.

There’s a lot of fuss on the left about election irregularities, like, you know, the voting machines were tampered with, they didn’t count the votes right, and so on. That’s all accurate and of some importance, but of far more importance is the fact that elections just don’t take place, not in any meaningful sense of the term "election." And so, it doesn’t matter all that much, if there was some tampering. I suspect that’s why the population doesn’t get much exercised over it. The concern over stolen elections and vote tampering, and so on, is mostly an elite affair. Most of the country didn’t seem to care very much. "OK, so the election was stolen." I mean, if you’re flipping a coin to select a king or something, it doesn’t matter much if the coin is biased. That seems to be the way most people feel about it. And there’s some justification.

....

http://www.democracynow.org/2006/12/19/from_bolivia_to_baghdad_noam_chomsky

[Odin2005]

10. Noam is right, as usual.

People don;t care because they KNOW the game is rigged, that both candidates are corporatists.

[BeFree]

19. Noam can go suck an egg

Elections don't matter?

Gore or bush, no difference?

Democrats in the majority or republicans?

Sorry to all those who look up to this character, but he speaks with forked-tongue.

[nashville_brook]

3. this is a great question, and i'm glad to see it being polled here.

i think there's prolly widespread corruption -- and until we get proprietary software and for-profit companies out of the loop, i won't be convinced otherwise.

[Junkdrawer]

4. Thus far, "Widespread Corruption" and "Doesn't Matter" are neck and neck...

What a horse race. :sarcasm:

I'm going to kick this evey so often to get a good sample...

[Junkdrawer]

5. Kick

:kick:

[Junkdrawer]

15. Kick

:kick:

[undeterred]

7. I think its widespread, but not in my state (Wisconsin).

Of course I could be in a state of denial. :shrug:

[TBF]

8. The game is rigged -

but I don't mean just the voting. That is largely a dog & pony show. Capitalism is like a casino - the only winners are the house (the wealthy) no matter how you deal the cards.

[Odin2005]

9. There is widespread election rigging and corruption.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. Perhaps more importantly, there is widespread candidate rigging.

I can't remember when the choice of an actual progressive candidate was on my primary ballot; let alone in the general.

[Stevepol]

11. There are places where it's probably pretty accurate, the vote counting that is.

But who knows for sure. If the place uses optiscan so that there's paper to use for audits and recounts, then it's potentially more secure and accurate. But if it's the ES&S Ivotronic, it just depends on whether or not the people running the show or perhaps the vendor support people are honest or not or have got ways of rigging or manipulating the vote results and can do it w/o getting caught in the act.

I'd say about 40-50% of places are more or less accurate, but that's just a guess. There's essentially no way to know when the vote is counted in secret w/o verification (auditing). So much depends on who the people are running the show. The potential fro fraud is ever-present. As Steven Freeman says it's "trivially easy" to manipulate the machines. It's just a question of access and motivation of the part of those who know how to do it.

Basically, the US has a faith-based election system worthy of a banana republic. Now our election system is far less trustworthy than those in Central and South America.

[ThomCat]

12. Widespread corruption AND Doesn't Matter

The elections are rigged before and during. :(

[KaryninMiami]

14. The machines we vote on are built by and run by corporations

who refuse to give access to their source codes. Every state and district who purchases them does so with full understanding that the source codes are "proprietary". Since the 3 companies that manufacture these machines are ALL major GOP donors (look up Bob Fitrakis, 2004 Election Fraud, Clint Curtis, search on www.bradblog.com or PM me), one would have to suspect/assume that we are all voting on machines that are or have the potential to be rigged.

There's tons of evidence - we know what they did and even when. And it has happened repeatedly. I watched my own vote change before my eyes here in Florida in 2004 on a touch screen machine.

And we STILL use the very same machines. Even today. Are they being rigged? You Betcha. That's why we need to have a landslide in every election now- because a percentage is skimmed off- in their favor- wherever and whenever they want.

Why isn't America outraged? That's a question I've been asking for years- along with many who have been reporting this story over and over again.
Assorted links below.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0406-27.htm

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/2004votefraud.html?q=2004votefraud.html

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0813-29.htm
Watch this movie: http://votinglies.com/

[applegrove]

16. The corruption is in the exit polls that give democrats a win at 2PM on voting

day when the vast majority of democrats have not yet voted. Then they get home from work and don't go out to the polling station because 'our guy won'.

[jimlup]

17. I didn't read down far enough or I would have picked the last choice.

Darn it!

[GreenArrow]

20. Interesting to compare this poll...

with this one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9084924#9085424

[Fire1]

21. The game is rigged long before we hit the booth. n/t