Nancy Giles: Why Doesn't U.S. Voting Work?

Inspiring Democracy Abroad May Seem Easier Than Ensuring Democratic Principles, Like Voting, Back Home

(CBS)  Sunday Morning commentator Nancy Giles wants to know why there are so many voting problems here in the United States, the country that places so much stock in democracy.

Remember the moving images of Iraqi citizens voting? This was a human demonstration of what we're "fighting for" in Iraq. We were spreading democracy, letting liberty and freedom take root, and for the first time the Iraqi people had the chance to choose their leaders in a democratic election. The final step — an election worker marked the voters hand to prevent repeat voting. The pictures were moving — proud, defiant, purple ink-stained fingers. Proof of their taking a major step towards self-determination.

So: Democracy, self-determination. One person, one vote, no repeats. Sounds good, right? Well, why are we spreading these innovative concepts to other countries, and simultaneously tweaking laws in our own country to make it more difficult for our own citizens to vote? And more difficult to count the votes accurately?

From state to state, even district to district, different rules, deadlines and voting methods apply. Some will cast a paper ballot; some will touch a screen to register their vote, or feed a ballot card into a computer device, or use the old mechanical lever machine. Some states require you to bring a voter registration card, some ask only for signature verification; others require a drivers license, or even a birth certificate. For the poor, elderly and non-drivers, getting this documentation can be especially difficult.

And polling hours vary widely: in New York City you can vote from 6 in the morning to 9 at night; but in Hawaii it's only from 7 a.m. till 6 p.m. In Illinois it's 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; North Carolina, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Why? These inconsistencies leave way too much room for tampering, mistakes and misinformation that could lead to voter suppression.

Voter fraud can happen. The rumors of lost and found ballot boxes in Chicago during the 1960 presidential election were legendary. And in the 2000 presidential election weird things happened: tens of thousands of eligible Florida voters who were said to have felony convictions were wrongly purged from the election rolls; ballot cards with "hanging chads" were questioned, and polling places closed early.

If "American Idol" can get 63 million telephone votes, then it's crazy not to make voting for public officials more simple, accessible and uniform. Why can't voting be as simple as a paper ballot — and a purple finger?

[dhemsath]

Voting _could_ be as simple as you describe, _provided_ that we all collectively get over our desire for real-time results. I'd be happy to wait a week or two for the results to be certified and published. Paper ballots are not immune to fraud, but we better understand how to prevent and detect such fraud, compared to the newer electronic voting systems, with their proprietary software that's (usually) not been subjected to any credible third-party review.

[cbsvoice]

Now, if only the "powers-to-be" heard this intelligent young woman and take heed.
She is so right.
After I watched on t.v. last night about the criminal things that are going on when voting takes place. I know now for a fact, that the wrong person ended up in the White House. I was a resident of Florida at the time and had lived there for 13 years. I'm still asking myself the same question right now............."How do they get away with that?" It's a scary time and truly does make my husband and me think more and more about relocating to France with his family.

[cbsvoice]

Now, if only the "powers-to-be" heard this intelligent young woman and take heed.
She is so right.
After I watched on t.v. last night about the criminal things that are going on when voting takes place. I know now for a fact, that the wrong person ended up in the White House. I was a resident of Florida at the time and had lived there for 13 years. I'm still asking myself the same question right now............."How do they get away with that?" It's a scary time and truly does make my husband and me think more and more about relocating to France with his family.

[cbsvoice]

Now, if only the "powers-to-be" heard this intelligent young woman and take heed.
She is so right.
After I watched on t.v. last night about the criminal things that are going on when voting takes place. I know now for a fact, that the wrong person ended up in the White House. I was a resident of Florida at the time and had lived there for 13 years. I'm still asking myself the same question right now............."How do they get away with that?" It's a scary time and truly does make my husband and me think more and more about relocating to France with his family.

[njmueller]

We are a federation of states and each state is responsible for establishing the method of voting for its citizens. We are an intelligent people and can live with differences. However, we are an impatient people. We seem to think that we need answers before before the fact. Not so when it comes to democracy. We need to remember that its worth taking the time to do right.

[hncsr]

Yes, a paper ballot and a purple finger sounds great and easy. But there are reasonable requirements to vote. Such as citizenship, minimum age, and where you live. How do you track and prove those things? What prevents a person from going to vote somewhere that a vote could benefit a candidate that doesn't represent their district? What if you%u2019re a felon? How about an illegal immigrant? That's why we have to register and prove our eligibility! Otherwise fraud would be rampant! We can debate how votes get counted. But those who think voting should be as simple as a purple finger need to consider that we live in a vast country with hundreds of millions of people. It's never as easy as it sounds. Think about it Nancy, American Idol may get more votes than a presidential election, but anyone can vote as often as they like, over the phone. A 10 year old can vote 20 times if they want! Maybe voting is not as easy as we would like, but imagine the chaos and confusion if there weren't requirements for voting when it comes to putting people in office who run our country! What sounds great and what is practical are often two different things.