A Standard Voting System for Federal and State Elections: Benefits and Implementation

Adopting standardized voting systems at federal and state levels in the United States is a crucial step towards ensuring fair, transparent, and secure elections. The current landscape of diverse voting methods across states raises numerous questions about reliability and integrity. This article explores the case for adopting a standard voting system and outlines proposed measures to improve the electoral process.

Benefits of Standardization

Standardizing voting systems across the United States offers several key advantages. Firstly, it enhances voter confidence and security, eliminating concerns about disparate and potentially unreliable voting technologies. Secondly, a standardized system simplifies the audit process, allowing for more consistent and transparent recounts when necessary. Moreover, standardization facilitates easier transition to new technologies and improves overall efficiency in election administration.

Proposed Federal Standardizations

Electronic Hand-Countable Ballots

Under the proposed system, all elections should mandate hand-marked paper ballots, supplemented by machine-assisted voting for individuals unable to mark ballots independently. These hand-marked ballots should be readable and verifiable by the voter or a trusted companion. The machine-assisted ballots would need to be read identically to the hand-marked ballots, ensuring consistency and preventing any form of encoding in 2D barcodes. This method provides a reliable and verifiable record for each vote cast.

Public Hand-Counting

For increased transparency, ideally, all elections should be hand-counted in precincts immediately after polls close. While the logistical challenges are significant, machine-tallying could be accepted under specific conditions. These conditions include risk-limiting audits and the provision for hand recounts, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the final tally. This measure reduces the risk of errors and fraud, fostering trust in the electoral process.

Secure Mailed Ballots

The use of mailed ballots should be strictly regulated. Only individuals who are physically unable to travel to voting precincts, or who have valid personal or business travel plans, should be eligible to vote by mail. This regulation minimizes the risk of voter fraud, such as vote-selling, impersonation, and non-submission. To address the challenges of traveling, the number of polling places should be adjusted based on population density and public transit availability, ensuring accessibility without compromising security.

Legal Justification for Standardization

The current interpretation of the U.S. Constitution grants election administration primarily to states. However, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment can be leveraged to justify federal standards. Ensuring uniformity in voting processes across jurisdictions aligns with the principle of equal treatment under the law, promoting fairness and equity in the electoral system.

Conclusion

Implementing a standardized voting system across federal and state elections is a necessary step towards maintaining the integrity and reliability of the U.S. electoral process. Through the adoption of hand-marked balloting, public hand-counting in precincts, and secure mailing processes, the nation can enhance voter trust and confidence. Legal justifications and practical adjustments can be made to facilitate this transition, ensuring that every vote counts and every election is fair and transparent.