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[–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

So sorry that happened to you. Stealing individual votes such as you experienced is a very tedious way to throw an election. While it might be successful for local races, it is unlikely to have an impact on national races where the margins are bigger. No doubt over the years there has been some fraud on both sides, there is a lot of history demonstrating that. And probably always will be, the stakes are high, it is so tempting.

Some states like Alaska and Colorado have been using mail-in ballots for years and have developed safe-guards, their citizens are confident in their system. Other states could learn from them. https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2020/10/01/colorado-mail-in-ballot-absentee-voting-how-state-perfected-system/3572176001/

I heard of people tracking their mail-in vote like they would track their FedEx package. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/01/politics/election-2020-mail-in-ballot-tracking-trnd/index.html

Internet voting will be the next big thing. We will have to do the regulation all over again so that everyone can be comfortable with that.

We as an electorate in general we seem to have lost the attitude that our opponents are the 'loyal opposition' - that they mean well, just have different ideas about the best way to govern. So many mean and scary things are said about the opposition. Fear not, Biden's presidency won't be that bad. He and the Democrats mean well, and will do their best. There will be another chance in four years.

[–]Zapped 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Thanks for the pep talk. I think Biden will be a moderate President and is still friendly with most Senators. Bill Clinton was a good President even with his moral deficiencies, and I think Biden can work across the aisle. I hope the Senate holds, though. I remember what happened the last time the Democrats took both chambers of Congress and the White House, although there is no chance for a super-majority this time.

Fraud only has to impact a few states to make a difference in the national election. There are reports of officials relaxing and even skirting the mail-in ballot safeguards. https://sharylattkisson.com/2020/12/what-youve-been-asking-for-a-fairly-complete-list-of-some-of-the-most-significant-claims-of-2020-election-miscounts-errors-or-fraud/

I hadn't even thought about internet voting. I'm not sure I'll ever be comfortable with that. You'd have to make sure both ends are secure.

[–]wendolynne 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Thanks for the link - which I would call "watching the sausage being made." The poll workers don't get a much of a dress rehearsal, and they don't always get clear instructions, or understand them even if they seem clear. And they might not be good with crowds, if one shows up. A lot of this is unfortunate, and we have to do the best we can with what we have got. throwing out a whole precinct's votes because of one confused poll worker would be not at all fair to the people who voted in good faith.

Leads changing as the ballots are counted is very typical. I've seen it so many times, where my candidate takes an early lead and later ends up losing. The explanation: ballots coming from big cities with efficient counting systems often post their results first, while the rural votes take longer to tabulate. That's just the way these things go. Similarly with mail-in ballots compared to in-person voting. So those stories are not at all convincing to me, since I have been on the other side so many times.

I can't claim to have studied the rules of every state, but I would expect as standard procedure, there would be ways of verifying that ballots are not counterfeit, that the voters casting the ballots are registered, and registered voters are legal to vote, in every state, county, and precinct. That would be standard procedure, although each jurisdiction is free to make its own rules. I find it hard to believe that fraudulent voting on the scale to change the outcome could have occurred.

[–]Zapped 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I appreciate you sharing your experiences and views. I think you're right that things will get better after this when verifying votes (and the voters). And I agree that the poll workers are generally selfless individuals who seem to do it out of duty instead of the very little pay they get. I've only seen one that let her political opinion known.