Opinions needed: The Ten Principles of Voting

[Jo March]

Read these over and let me know your comments. These were developed by Andy Stephenson as a nice, simple way to get our message across.

Let us know what you think.

1. Thou shalt not have an electronic ballot.

2. Thou shalt have a paper ballot as the ballot of record.

3. Thou shalt audit properly.

4. Remember Election Day and keep it a holiday.

5. Honor thy forefathers: Vote!

6. Thou shalt not prevent thy fellow citizens from voting.

7. Thou shalt not alter the vote.

8. Thou shalt not steal votes.

9. Thou shalt not use private source code.

10. Thou shalt not do anything that will damage your countrymen’s faith in the ballot.

[TwentyFive]

1. Bush/Rove violated every one!

[Andy_Stephenson]

3. Hummmm

yes.

[Jo March]

2. kick nt

[whistle]

4. Pretty good, now cast this in stone and erect it in the congress...

...for all to see. I particularly like commandment #4, that needs to be the law of the land.

[Up2Late]

5. Thou shalt not Allow Multi-Million/Billion Dollar Corporations...

...the exclusive right to count the Votes.

[Andy_Stephenson]

6. Taken care of by 9

9. Thou shalt not use private source code.

[Wilms]

7. Blessed are these principles. n/t

[demodonkey]

9. Kick. GOOD STUFF! nt

[El Supremo]

8. I don't like the simile.

How about:

Don't you dare vote unless you think you know the issues.

Vote your conscience not how somebody told you.

Vote for the good of the majority not your own selfish interests.

Don't be intimidated by the long lines.

Vote for your children who can't.

[PaganPreacher]

11. Looks good, with one exception:

Vote for the good of the majority not your own selfish interests.

Here are a few things that were good for the majority:

slavery
"separate but equal"
"No Irish need apply"
internment of the Nisei
forced relocation of American Indians to reservations

If those things were put on a ballot today, how many would get your vote?

The Pagan Preacher
I don't turn the other cheek.

[Bill Bored]

10. 4. says "keep" it a holiday?

Doesn't it have to BE a holiday first?
How about "make" it a holiday?

[NationalEnquirer]

12. Looks good to me! n/t

[Fly by night]

13. Arnheim, I like them. And even 1 and 2 are flexible enough ...

... to not eliminate the use of electronic voting equipment entirely as long as the "ballot of record" -- the official ballot -- is a piece of paper. Unfortunately, the big recent investments in electronic voting equipment create resistance to rejecting this new equipment wholesale. And we know that, technically, they can be supplemented by equipment that produces a paper ballot from the preferences indicated on the touch-screen machines. So as long as a paper ballot -- verified by the visual inspection of the voter, however the ballot was created, before being deposited in the "ballot box" -- becomes or remains the "ballot of record", a voting system could comply if (and this is an important "if") it also meets the other requirements of the 10 Commandments, which includes open source code for all equipment, etc.

Even though I like the idea of returning to paper ballots entirely (and my county still has opti-scan ballots so I'd want to at least keep that hybrid paper ballot system), I also like the flexibility of being able to work with existing voting systems as long as they can be brought to meet our standards.

Other than that comment, I like the 10 Commandments. In particular, I like the last several, because they remind folks that this election theft wasn't just about switching votes electronically, it was about every sordid sort of malfeasance known to or newly invented by man to tamper with an election.

Let's show everyone these election reform and election justice 10 Commandments "moral values" and ask them just what it is they believe in themselves? Believe me, there's a whole lot here to agree with regardless of the person's political persuasion that we'd be talking to. And that's what will make us successful at what we propose to do.

Thanks for posting these and letting us comment. I'm about to send you a private PM to respond to your earlier email. Things are moving ...

[Eloriel]

14. and foreMOTHERS?

Sheesh. Pitiful to have to remind people.

[Andy_Stephenson]

16. That was my bad...

But I am a guy...what do you expect?

A

[anaxarchos]

15. What is the purpose or intended use for this? n/t