black…MYstory

Think again…as you read the following passage (source):

A team of researchers under the direction of U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner Christopher Edley found that wherever they looked, half of the ballots tossed as “spoiled” were the ballots of African-American voters. Of the 2 million votes that never got counted in the 2000 election, half were African-American, a huge disparity considering that the black electorate is only 12 percent.

…

Given the contentious history of African-Americans and voting — from the three-fifths compromise, voter intimidation, literacy tests and poll taxes to more recent battles over the Voting Rights Act and the unprecedented scattering of New Orleans’ black electorate — there is understandably concern about how vulnerable to manipulation new voting methods might be.

Confidence in fair elections is waning in the public eye. I have a hard time trusting the numbers without some backup confirmation of accuracy. History tells me I have every reason to be vigilant.

So, if people can get away with discarding your vote where there’s a paper trail, doesn’t it become that much easier when you vote into a black box?

States have spent millions on electronic voting and, judging by the fiascos we have seen in states like Maryland and Georgia, they are not getting their money’s worth.

But, even more disturbing than breakdowns and flaws, is the ease by which these machines can be hacked. Recently, some computer experte from Princeton University gave a demonstration of how easily Diebold machines could be hacked and leave no evidence of the crime ever occuring (video demonstration here).

So, we have to ask ourselves, “can we trust the vote, especially knowing who’s in power right now?” Sadly enough, I think we’ll have to wait until November to find out.

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