Watermark for absentee ballots?
Recently I read that the Tennessee legislature is considering requiring watermarks for absentee ballots:
Big Tech and Corporate America may face more difficulty funding the elections process under the “Tennessee Election Integrity Act.” In part, the act would require funding from nongovernmental entities to be approved by the Tennessee General Assembly if in session, or the Governor, House and Senate Speaker, Secretary of State, Comptroller of Treasury, and the General Assembly Treasurer. Additionally, an amendment to the act announced on Tuesday would make it more difficult to produce fraudulent absentee ballots.
In short, the amendment to the bill would require non-electronic absentee ballots to be watermarked by local election commissions. That way, county election officials could verify the validity of the ballots upon receipt. Ballots without the watermark would be discarded.
I can’t find much information on whether other US states use this method, but it seems like a good idea. When I read it, I was reminded that several months ago I read what Great Britain does to ensure the integrity of its mail-in ballots. Their system seems considerably more secure than ours:
Each postal ballot pack contains inside the cover envelope a ballot paper, two envelopes (“A” and “B”) and a postal voting statement. Postal ballot papers contain the following design, security and identification features on the reverse:
–an official mark (e.g. a watermark or an official stamp)
–a unique identifying mark (e.g. a barcode which is different for each individual ballot paper)
–a unique identification numberWhen issuing each postal ballot paper, the officer marks on a list (called the corresponding number list) next to the postal ballot’s unique identification number the elector number of the voter to whom the postal ballot is sent, and then makes a mark next to the voter’s name in a separate list of postal voters. The unique identification number of the postal ballot paper is also marked on the postal voting statement sent within the postal ballot pack. The local authority name and address and the name of the constituency/ward are printed on both envelopes “A” and “B”. Once all ballot papers for an election have been issued by the returning officer, the corresponding number list is sealed in a packet which can only be opened upon the order of a court when an election result is challenged.
So ballots there have a watermark, barcode, and an ID number.
And if I understood that passage correctly, it seems as though there is also a way, if an election is challenged, to go back and match ballots to envelopes again. There’s a great deal more at the link if you care to read it.
A friend who is very bright and seems quite conservative (we’ve been friends for about 30 years, but don’t talk politics much) now lives in Colorado and tells me their mail-in process is very good. He thinks it’s nearly foolproof and works well.
The more secure and accurate a mail-in process, the more adamantly the democrat party will oppose it.
That opposition is prima facie evidence of a fundamental rejection of the Constitution. Fundamental because such a betrayal is an extralegal, direct attack upon the social/political contract that the Constitution has established for American citizens. Consequential to that rejection is a voluntary forfeiture of American citizenship.
Clearly this is discriminatory against minorities who do not have watermark devices in their houses due to the inherent inequities of this, our most racist nation, in all 500 years of human history! ( sarcasm )
I worked this past election as a volunteer observer and also as a paid election worker and though I’m a newbie, I’ve developed strong opinions on this subject. I don’t like mail-in ballots. At all.
You lose the chain of custody, therefore someday bad things can happen.
I like marking my ballot at home, with access to my laptop and campaign flyers, etc. So I understand the attraction of that.
My idea of a workable compromise is this:
1) Most people mark their own ballots, seal them and deliver them to election workers at polling centers just like we did in November (of course, people can vote in person if they wish). Show your ID at time of drop off.
2) People who can’t find time to go to the polling centers to drop off their ballot can call and arrange for pickup of their ballots at home. There would need to be 2 person teams taking the ballot, just like there are 2 people in every stage of ballot processing. Show ID when the ballot is handed over. Since few people would be casting ballots in person there are many surplus workers who can work as drivers. Perhaps Uber/Amazon/USPS could provide software/algorithms that help make ballot pickup efficient.
3) For the very, very few who are out of country or have unusual circumstances, a vote by mail process can exist. This seems OK to me. If the numbers are too small to make a difference in outcome, the bad actors won’t have the incentive to find a way to use this to cheat.
The goal of any voting system is to establish and sustain a one-to-one relationship with the voter and vote, respectively, in an environment free of undue influence.
In part, the act would require funding from nongovernmental entities to be approved by the Tennessee General Assembly if in session, or the Governor, House and Senate Speaker, Secretary of State, Comptroller of Treasury, and the General Assembly Treasurer.
In short, the amendment to the bill would require non-electronic absentee ballots to be watermarked …
This is so depressing. So a Chan-Zuckerberg NGO can just wait for the Assembly to go out of session and then pick off one of six possible corruptocrats (which may include GOP politicians) for their pay-to-play scams. Is anyone even trying to think any of this through?
Why allow any NGO money to influence elections? Why not set up a donation fund run exclusively by officers selected by the Assembly?
Does Tennessee have electronic absentee ballots? Let me guess. A Dominion system is used. Sigh.
It’s very worthwhile to pursue practical solutions to voter fraud. I remember during Obama’s term stating to my boss that they NEED to fix the voting machines. With our advanced technology etc. why isn’t it a priority? Rhetorical question. Well we know the answer ultimately. Cheaters prosper. Could be the most disappointing deflating national deceit I’ve witnessed in my lifetime. Media with dirty hands all 100% enabling. There remains a cynical advantage to leaving voting machines and mail-in ballot “glitches” as-is.
“The goal of any voting system”…is to ensure that the Democratic party candidate wins.
(Fixed it for ye.)
…And if you complain, then yer a white-hooded, Jim-Crow-luvin’ racist…. (Mr. NO-MALARKEY told us so hisself….)
Remember: UNITY!
Geoffrey Britain @ 12:25: “… Consequential to that rejection is a voluntary forfeiture of American citizenship.”
I like the way you think.
Our ballots here in Texas have bar codes and ID numbers on them, but no watermark.
I’m in favor of placing very strong limitations on the ability to vote absentee, and instead, make election day a national holiday once every four years so that people have no excuse not to go and vote in person.
Of course, that might mean more polling sites would have to be opened, but that doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
…And if you complain, then yer a white-hooded, Jim-Crow-luvin’ racist
Chauvinistic, sexist, genderist, puppy-loving (where pussies are in fashion), baby first, anti-whatever, too.
So is it just me, or does the US have THE single worst election security of any first world nation on Earth ?
And by extension, since we all know who opposes election security and why, is teh Democrat party, THE single most corrupt political entity in the entire first world ?
Seems like it. Quite an accomplishment
I’m of the opinion that apart from Military serving overseas, there should be zero absentee ballots. Otherwise, if you have expatriated yourself, good for you… but no vote. Then again you shouldn’t be taxed on worldwide income — that’s just USG out of control behemoth business as usual though.
If you’re too unwell to vote at a polling station standing on your own two legs, then you’re potentially too unwell to make a reasoned and sound choice (as if most anyone does anyway haha).
If you’re old and infirm with not long to live and can’t walk or otherwise enter a polling booth unaided, you don’t get to vote on stuff you won’t be around to have to live through. Your Skin is headed off to a different Game.
Voting ought to be a milder version of the way Gurkha Mercenaries are recruited. They publish a date and a place. The place happens to be on top of a mountain plateau with no roads up. Getting to the recruiting station without aid of helicopter is Step 1 in the qualification process.
One could argue a bit around the edges. But the system of absentee voting is such a minefield of potential skulduggery that it should be shut down almost entirely. Hell, given the state of civil society in the USA it’s almost impossible to fix in-person voting. But step one in solving an intractable problem is go for the low-hanging fruit: get rid of absentee ballots.
And there shouldn’t really be many or any military based overseas, so that takes care of that, too.
This is funny:
https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2021/04/genius.html
But I’m also the first to say that pointing out analogous situations and their contradictions is no way to win political arguments with Leftists. So it’s just good for a laugh.
Bumping a link from TJ on the 4/22 open thread, for relevance.
https://joannenova.com.au/2021/04/the-new-battlefront-in-war-is-election-machines/
Zaphod: I’m no fan, in general, of absentee ballots either, but I would expand your list of allowable oversea voters beyond just military personnel. As a US diplomat who has been overseas for most of the past 20 years that absentee ballot has kept me from having to make several multi-1000 mile round trips. And I haven’t voted for a Democrat (from dogcatcher to President that party is dead to me) since 1992.
@Telemachus:
You and the Diplomad (now retired) perhaps… but I don’t imagine there would be too many other Foreign Service types who vote R, would there?
My last encounter with Foreign Service types was paddling past a coven of Seven Sisters reeking witches in the pool of the Okura Bangkok. From what I heard of their discourse, they needed more drowning and less absentee voting. But that’s just me; I’m no Talleyrand.
There’s also the wider argument that government employees and dependents perhaps ought to surrender their franchise for the duration of their employment. And of course should be totally banned from making any political donations. Otherwise all roads lead to Argentina, no? In some ways would theoretically do no harm to career diplomats who supposedly at least serve whichever elected master with equal zeal and impartiality.
None of these things will ever likely come to pass, so one can but dream.
Zaphod: I’m no fan, in general, of absentee ballots either, but I would expand your list of allowable oversea voters beyond just military personnel. As a US diplomat who has been overseas for most of the past 20 years that absentee ballot has kept me from having to make several multi-1000 mile round trips. And I haven’t voted for a Democrat (from dogcatcher to President that party is dead to me) since 1992.
Any absentee ballots for non favored candidates, were thrown away. As in 2000.
Zaphod “I’m of the opinion that apart from Military serving overseas, there should be zero absentee ballots” –
Oh, so a nurse pulling a 12-hour shift on election day is shit out of luck. Makes sense.
“f you’re too unwell to vote at a polling station standing on your own two legs, then you’re potentially too unwell to make a reasoned and sound choice”
Sorry wounded vet, no vote for you! Sorry spina bifida victim, you don’t get a vote either.
From what I can tell there is not a huge amount of interest in reducing election fraud by our elected officials. The insurance industry has implemented a lot of items to reduce fraud, which could be used. Such as automatically flagging absentee ballots from empty lots, industrial zones, rent an address, etc. an author that was analyzing absentee ballots had a list of what could be done, and commented on the lack of interest to fix this.
Arizona ballot audit that Dems fought is underway using tech to detect counterfeits
AZ has used watermarks, and possibly now they are checking them.
Dare we hope for any outcome of significance?
@steph:
I imagine it could be tweaked a bit. Still, you’ve reminded me to disenfranchise all women in my Utopia because too much Muh Feelz and resulting diminished faculties for grokking big picture / common good / long term / unintended consequences. You’re welcome 😀