Mike Luckovich for November 07, 2012

Modernize government??? NEVER!!! We need to run it just the way the Founding Fathers did. Nothing has changed!

Someone in the long voting line yesterday said that we should vote at ATMs. They’re secure, efficient and ubiquitous. Seemed to make sense around hour two of standing in line.

Years ago I suggested permanent voting precincts. Open year round and presenting opportunities to vote on local and state issues as they arise, they would be constantly staffed and available for citizens to express their will. Early voting in person is a good thing, strictly controlled absentee voting is also a good thing, and having election day be a “holiday.” I do not want a new paid holiday, but I would gladly see Columbus day removed and election day installed. Washington and Lincoln would be happy to see their ‘holiday’ removed if it gave citizens greater access to vote for their government. I believe these actions would go a long way to reducing lines during elections.Respectfully,C.

In Canada, polling is generally in a school gyn with the actual ballot box in the center (centre) of the room and marking the paper ballots around the walls. When the polls close, the stands fill with citizens with note pads. The box is opened and dumped on the table. With representatives of all parties watching up close, the ballot is read and the representatives agree, and the citizens mark their note pads. This continues until all are counted. No recount is needed because there are a few hundred copies in the room. In a parliamentary election, the results are known nationally by the eleven o’clock news. Ballots are short because national, provincial, municipal, and school boards have separate elections. Also, campaigns are limited to five weeks..Something to consider.

My area got re-districted, and an older woman that was in a neighboring voting line couldn’t figure out what line she should be in. I noticed the voter registration card she had was the old design. There was a ballot innitative that even confused me. Things were even worse in other places. Oh, BTW, this Left Independent Floridian Voter has never been polled.

The only explanation I have for the long lines is that counties get to do their own thing. The county I live in had very short lines.

Actually most of the long lines were in heavily Democrat controlled cities.

I really want to thank all of the voters who did wait in long lines to vote. Those of us who had it easy and voted by mail weeks ago, want you to have the same chance.

What I really don’t understand is why in this world of fast everything we all can’t vote easy and accurately. I’m from Washington State and during the past local school levies we had to borrow machines from Oregon. To put a levy on a ballot costs $100,000.00 to borrow one machine cost us the same. Our voting board decided it was cheaper than buying our own. After that race (I was running for office) the voting board decided that never again would we pay another state to borrow their voting booths.

So the voting board voted on mail in ballots. It works great. We have time to read up on things, listen to speeches and talk to others before voting. The machines are ancient and we should rethink our countries ability to be fair. Voting by mail in my state is free if you drop it into a ballot box. $0.41 if you mail it. The cost of mailing out the ballots priceless.

People waiting in line for hours to vote . . . now, is this a great country, or what?

I continue to be amazed that so many people in these United States are unaware of the ease of Absentee Ballots. Here in the state of Florida, you don’t have to be away to qualify for an absentee ballot — you just ask the supervisor of Elections to mail you one, and they will. Maybe some states insist that you have to actually be :“away,” so I guess I’m lucky that I live in Florida, where anyone and everyone can get an absentee ballot. You can study the ballot and the issues in your own home, take your time to vote (without holding up people in a line)and mail it in (for 65 cents) — or take it directly to the office of the Supervisor and watch them stamp your vote and put it in the box (hopefully not a shredder!)

Why are we griping? At least people were out voting!

I worked at the polls. The technology sucks. Everything is unreliable. But the thing that takes up the most time? The voters! They have no idea what precinct they are in, or even if they are in the right polling place. They hold up the lines.

I’ll bet BIG money that the right has hackers working on corrupting the voting machines. They’ll do anything to win. Except change their ways.

HEY! There were two reasons why that happened: 1) In Miami, one polling place just shut down – no reason given that I know of. 2)In Orlando, there was a bomb scare at one of the Libraries used as an early polling place, so of course they had to evacuate the building!.Do you not read the news or what?

Yes, but that happens less frequently than Black Panthers intimidating voters at polling places, right?

The Dems won in 2008 and 2012 because they motivated enough new and lapsed voters to offset the GOPee party’s voter suppression and election fraud.

The Dems won in 2008 and 2012 because they motivated enough new and lapsed voters to offset the GOPee party’s voter suppression and election fraud.