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“A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

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Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#41

> The Boston-based company raised $2.2 million earlier this year, helped along by buzzwords such as “biometrics” and “blockchain,” which it claims allows it to secure the voting process. Its app reportedly requires voters to take and upload a picture of their government-issued I.D., along with a selfie-style video of their face, which facial-recognition technology then uses to ensure the person pictured in the I.D. a…

I wonder how many pairs of ID pic and selfie video can directly be grabbed off Instagram.

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#42
post #34

If we think that not enough people are voting, the way to solve this is NOT through get-out-the-vote efforts, voter registration drives, and tools like this to make it easier to cast a vote. These are not the bottleneck. Voting may be a duty, but it's one that carries a lot of responsibility. Getting ignorant people to cast poorly-informed votes does not help our society. And I think that people realize this. So when…

I agree this is far from the primary thing Americans should be focusing on, even forgetting about all the horrific and completely impossible to fix security issues that this will bring. What the US needs to be focusing on is changing the voting system. It's absolutely insane and undemocratic for this to keep happening almost every election: https://preview.redd.it/lyvqks420vw11.jpg?width=949&auto=web... If this isn't…

The senate will never change. It was an agreed-upon compromise to entice independent states to join a federation. You’re better off hoping for the state where you live to declare independence and do without the federation completely than hoping the federation changes its entire structure.

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#43
post #12

If we think that not enough people are voting, the way to solve this is NOT through get-out-the-vote efforts, voter registration drives, and tools like this to make it easier to cast a vote. These are not the bottleneck. Voting may be a duty, but it's one that carries a lot of responsibility. Getting ignorant people to cast poorly-informed votes does not help our society. And I think that people realize this. So when…

Moving voting day from a Tuesday to a Sunday would also make a big difference. There are many people who have have informed opinions but can't afford to take off work (write-up for being late to work/take off early, lost income, transport issues). Also that would avoid removing a school day since most public schools are used for polling. Another option would be to switch to make mail-in ballots only.

They won't do that. The people a certain party doesn't want voting will get bussed to voting stations by local churches, etc.

Tuesday is a day that certain people have to be at work, working. And politicians like that.

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#44
I think the way the private sector solves problems and the way voting should be done are diametrically opposed- the more inefficient voting is, with the more people involved, the larger a successful conspiracy must be. Trust a lot of people a little over a few people a lot.

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#45

If we think that not enough people are voting, the way to solve this is NOT through get-out-the-vote efforts, voter registration drives, and tools like this to make it easier to cast a vote. These are not the bottleneck. Voting may be a duty, but it's one that carries a lot of responsibility. Getting ignorant people to cast poorly-informed votes does not help our society. And I think that people realize this. So when…

[deleted]

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#46
The problem with "meta" democratic decisions is that we can only discuss them honestly in the abstract. Once it's a live agenda decision, gerrymandering implications are all that will matter. The quality of the proposal becomes irelevant.

Lets imagine that security issues are 100% solved. The app can go live. Pollsters will figure out how this (inevitably) changes voting patterns. Young, or rural or some other group will vote more, to the benefit of some party.

At this point the only relevant factor determining most politicians' stance on this will be determined by good/bad for my side, in the short term.

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#47
post #34

If we think that not enough people are voting, the way to solve this is NOT through get-out-the-vote efforts, voter registration drives, and tools like this to make it easier to cast a vote. These are not the bottleneck. Voting may be a duty, but it's one that carries a lot of responsibility. Getting ignorant people to cast poorly-informed votes does not help our society. And I think that people realize this. So when…

I agree this is far from the primary thing Americans should be focusing on, even forgetting about all the horrific and completely impossible to fix security issues that this will bring. What the US needs to be focusing on is changing the voting system. It's absolutely insane and undemocratic for this to keep happening almost every election: https://preview.redd.it/lyvqks420vw11.jpg?width=949&auto=web... If this isn't…

One issue with ranked choice is that it's more complicated than some alternatives like approval voting, and certain ranked choice methods (non-Condorcet ones) can encourage strategic voting or produce surprising results.

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#48
There needs to be a paper trail. Newer technology is not the answer for voting.

What would be a good idea is a team to do UX on voting ballots, nationally. Solve this problem once and take into account all the variations of local things (bonds, amendments, etc.) Then pick a company to make ballot readers, open source the software and use best in class info-sec practices.

We don't need instant results, people don't take office at midnight of election day. We need accurate, transparent and verifiable results.

Also, make it a national holiday, close schools and just use them all as polling places.

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#49
post #21

My town has annual “Town Meetings” where everyone pours into a gymnasium (turnout is up to 800 voters in a town with population ~15,000) to vote on all the “articles” of which there can be upwards of 20. The annual meeting often extends multiple evenings as much discussion is permitted on each article, and traditional voting can add several hours to the process when vote counts are close. Instead of shouting aye or n…

~$20 per device to RENT a very basic and simple piece of electronics seems like a huge ripoff. That company must have an amazing profit margin.

Re: “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming

#50
post #13

> The Boston-based company raised $2.2 million earlier this year, helped along by buzzwords such as “biometrics” and “blockchain,” which it claims allows it to secure the voting process. Its app reportedly requires voters to take and upload a picture of their government-issued I.D., along with a selfie-style video of their face, which facial-recognition technology then uses to ensure the person pictured in the I.D. a…

> and “blockchain,” which it claims allows it to secure the voting process... (I'm rubbing my temples right now) I don't even have the words for how bad this would be for a democracy or republic. I will, however, make a curt but general comment on blockchain: Anytime you see that buzzword, be on your guard.

Question: Are there (m)any people other than those involved in the manufacture and sales of voting machines, or their lobbyists, that support increased automation in the voting process?

I'm absolutely, 100% happy with putting a pencil mark onto a paper ballot, which I fold and place into a box (with people watching), which is later taken (with people watching) to a counting place, emptied out on a table (with people watching), and counted by hand by volunteers (with yet more people watching).

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