Should We Abandon the Secret Ballot for Transparency?

[omin]

If we decided to get rid of the secret ballot, it would solve most of the problems with the sabotage of the voting system.

Basically, all that would have to be done is print in a public publication:

1. the citizens full name
2. the vote they made
3. their address

Can everybody say, one, two, three, honesty?

The voting results would be printed in local booklets and formatted by location in blocks of say 100's so it would be easily counted and verified by citizens who made the vote.

A few simple things would have to be added to this idea to make it happen, but the seed of this idea would take care of most our Bush sabotage and the computer's lack of integrity problem and Americans would have the most accurate system. Sabotage couldn't be diminished with more magnitude with any other method.

The philosophy behind this is:

If you want to affect things publicly, then you must vote publicly. If you want to affect things privately, then keep it to yourself!

Now, I even have a poll I want you to vote on. It's a logic test, so think before you vote. If ending the secret ballot were put on the ballot, what would you vote? Be carefull what you vote for, or should I say who you vote for?

Let those who are leaders do the leading!

If you got something you want to say, get out there and say it, but only if you are ready to be real.

Open Democracy, Yeah Right, not until you're really ready to be honest!

If you're too scared to put it on your bumper sticker,...somebody finish this one for me.

Bring the Vote Home!

Omin
4416 212th Street, SW apt G-5
Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043

Let's get Kerry into Office!

 

[member 5645]

Yes, I can't see how making everyone's vote public could be a bad thing...[/major sarcasm]

 

[TALewis]

Tieing a vote to a person is an extremely bad idea. A large reason why we have a secret ballot is so that you can't be threatened or harassed or coerced into voting for a particular person. Since it can't be proven who you voted for, you are free to vote for whomever you wish.

 

[selfAdjoint]

I'm with TALewis. Can you imagine what Ashcroft would do with a public ballot? Just a little threatening, you don't want to be unamerican do you? We've got our eyes on you...

 

[kat]

eep, I'd be more concerned with the increasingly violent loony left wing Kerry supporters when Bush wins! *Grin*

 

[russ_watters]

Tieing a vote to a person is an extremely bad idea. A large reason why we have a secret ballot is so that you can't be threatened or harassed or coerced into voting for a particular person. Since it can't be proven who you voted for, you are free to vote for whomever you wish.

Ding, ding. Yes, that's exactly why we have it and why we need it.

Omin, votor rolls already have your name and address and say whether or not you voted. How does adding who you voted for help anything?

 

[selfAdjoint]

Duh! The fact that I voted doesn't tell you how I voted! If Kat's post and mine don't illustrate why this is a bad idea, I don't know what will.

 

[omin]

I'll wait a bit longer before I prove you all are sticking feet in mouth.

 

[motai]

Isn't it rather ironic that most of the people voted for a secret ballot yet this poll itself is public?

 

[Moonbear]

Yep, the entire purpose of a secret ballot is so you can't be intimidated into voting against your wishes.

Isn't it rather ironic that most of the people voted for a secret ballot yet this poll itself is public?

I noticed that too.

 

[omin]

Anybody here every put a bumper sticker your car, went to a political ralley, talked to strangers about politics? Many of you seem frightened some how. That you may have a belief that may cause the boogey man to come to your house if they knew what you voted. Are you all really that chilled?

 

[chroot]

Let it be known that I actually am the boogey man.

- Warren

 

[plover]

Both PF Admin and the boogey man?!?

Aren't there supposed to be checks and balances about things like that?

 

[member 5645]

Anybody here every put a bumper sticker your car, went to a political ralley, talked to strangers about politics? Many of you seem frightened some how. That you may have a belief that may cause the boogey man to come to your house if they knew what you voted. Are you all really that chilled?

Because having a searchable, printable list is the same thing as tracking down yard signs.

 

[russ_watters]

Anybody here every put a bumper sticker your car, went to a political ralley, talked to strangers about politics? Many of you seem frightened some how. That you may have a belief that may cause the boogey man to come to your house if they knew what you voted. Are you all really that chilled?

You are soooo missing the point (and the history). Didn't you say you are an American?

 

[CJames]

Sorry but I have to go with the minority on this one. Everybody in this country is scared of saying anything. We feel like the only way to say anything that matters is to crawl into an isolated booth and mark a piece of paper. But the truth of the matter is, publicity is what creates change. You can't make a difference if you stay quiet, whether you vote or not. All true revolutions are cultural. The civil rights era, the Vietnam protests, these changes didn't come from ballots, they came from human beings who spoke without fear of prosecution. It's time to turn this around. They've got eschelon monitering the entire internet, removing any possibility of privacey on almost all things. You can't even go to a grocery store without selling your public information unless you want to pay inflated prices. This lack of privacy that we have is something we must learn to adapt to and even take advantage of. We can't change it. We can exploit it. Be loud. Let's let this lack of privacy backfire on those who created it. If your loud enough, than even if Ashcroft does decide he's going to make an example of you, you'll be the one making the statement, not him.