I, at least, have no issue with the idea that a more tamper-proof system would be a good idea. My issue is with the contention of some that the current system has led to some problem that justifies the wave of insurrectionist anger we now see, or that requires diversion of attention from the problems and expenses we now face.
Improvement is good, and many things could use improvement. There is, in this as in any issue, a question of cost versus benefit. We can go on and on forever discussing how disorganized and potentially flawed the current system is, but if it works well enough on the whole it's well down the list of things we need to do something about.
If the system is broken, it's been broken for a long time and it seems just a little suspicious that it becomes a front-burner issue only when the worst, stupidest, and most corrupt president in history has lost, and his followers, in response to his insane lies, have attempted to overthrow the government. There's a thin line here between addressing a problem and pandering.
We've managed, it seems, to survive a period in which important policy was based on slim presumptions and outright lies, and even if the potential flaws of the voting system are not actual lies, the presumption that it failed is, and (whether or not any posters here are in the group) it seems that the same people who fomented that lie and justified its disastrous results are trying to convince us that we need to give priority to assuaging the injured faith of the disappointed. If we want to deprive the enemies of democracy of their power, we might have to stop empowering them.
This is not the first time flaws in the voting process has been a topic of discussion amongst those who might care about such things.
Dead voters, hanging chads, Diebold machines, Russian interference, and most recently Mail in voting, have been topics throughout many elections- and have called into question the legitimacy of the wins of candidates on both sides of the aisle- over a span of decades.
The biggest impediment to setting up something fair and secure has been the short attention span of the populace- we only think about these things right after the election, and right after an election the newly elected react the most defensively regarding the election process-for fear their wins will seem illegitimate. So they stick their fingers in their ears and scream "la la la I can't hear you" when the topic is being discussed, long enough for the next event that captures the publics' attention to occur.
Now would be an ideal time for the Democrats to take the initiative on establishing some safe, fair, secure, accessible, and uniform voting process for the Nation. Instead, it seems, they must insist the system is
perfect, and that any calls to address the obvious problems with it is just an attempt to discredit their win.
A month ago I would have been shocked had someone said that getting into the Capitol while congress was in session required little more than breaking a window and walking down a hallway, now I know that the building was not quite as secure as I had assumed it was. Do we wish to wait until a foreign power
actually changes the results of our election to make the election process more secure?
Biden could address a real problem, whilst simultaneously demonstrating confidence in the legitimacy of his own win, and a willingness to reach out to the loonies who need to be brought back to a level of reasonableness, by making "election reform" a centerpiece of his admin.
No one here will fall for your crap.
