On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 04:12:14 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

On Nov 5, 3:42 am, F. George McDuffee gmcduf...@mcduffee-
associates.us wrote:
On Tue, 4 Nov 2008 05:33:25 -0800, "SteveB"



Any of our international participants have some suggestions? Is
the lack of a consistent national ID document the problem in the
US?

It should be simple, but you guys insist in making things complicated
with this miserable fear of the federal government and the "right" to
have "freedom of choice" - whatever that means.

Here in OZ (where the sun always shines) the AEC (a federal government
statutory authority) keeps a register of all eligible voters. They
also decide electoral boundaries, trying to keep to the maxim "One
person one vote" On voting day, in your electorate, your name gets
crossed of an alphabetical list. ID? - drivers license will do. You
then fill out PAPER ballots, which can be re-counted if disputed. No
results are announced until all polling stations are closed.

Its simple, it works. You guys can put a man on the moon, but cannot
cooperate enough to run a paper electoral system....you guys ARE
funny, sometimes.

Andrew VK3BFA.
----------
Thanks for the insight. In many cases a different viewpoint is
necessary to see a problem.

While the phrase "this miserable fear of the federal government
and the "right" to have "freedom of choice" - whatever that
means," appears correct as the common ==excuse/rationale== for
the current cobbled together system, the actual underlying reason
may well be tacit cooperation between the Republican and
Democratic political machines to keep third parties and their
candidates from attaining electoral office through the current
arcane and baroque system.

As you point out, paper ballots not only remain a valid process,
but also provide an audit trail and can be recounted as
necessary, although these can be machine processed using
inexpensive optical scanners or consumer grade printer/scanners
or 3n1 machines with automatic sheet feed. [This may also be a
problem in that this would eliminate the highly lucrative voting
machine market, with the kickbacks.]

Several years ago I was in Canada during one of their elections,
and even the multilingual areas such as Quebec did not have the
systemic and pervasive problems so common in the US.

Of particular concern is that the US voting problems seem to be
getting worse and more opaque, not better and more transparent.

Its apparent to me that it is going to require a voter initiative
to cram the paper ballot system and workable/transparent voting
up the US politicians noses [I said noses] just like term limits
were. This of necessity must include a standard ballot format
and size so most any scanner [with the proper software] can be
used for counting, and oversight on the wording of ballot
indicative [no more "yes, we have no bananas" syntax], with a
Flesch reading score limited to not more that grade 8. [Most word
processor programs have a reading level checking option built
in.]
http://rfptemplates.technologyevalua...ity-Score.html
http://rfptemplates.technologyevalua...lty-Score.html
Indeed, a maximum reading level difficulty could be established
for *ALL* statues and regulations.



Unka' George [George McDuffee]
-------------------------------------------
He that will not apply new remedies,
must expect new evils:
for Time is the greatest innovator: and
if Time, of course, alter things to the worse,
and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better,
what shall be the end?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman.
Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).