Are you one of those people who thinks that voting would be great if the votes were actually counted? Do you worry that your secret ballot is annually vanishing into a secret electronic netherworld? Are you afraid that your votes are being shepherded off to a secure and undisclosed location?
Well, if you live in Wake County, guess what! Your votes just got liberated:
On Monday, county commissioners decided to buy new optical-scan ballot counters. They rejected a proposal for 13 additional touch-screen voting machines.
The decision led to applause from voting activists, who had questioned the touch-screen machines’ reliability.
Why is this such great news?
Two reasons: First, we’re not in Florida anymore, Toto. The machines that Wake County voters will confide in on election day will keep old-fashioned, tried-and-true, unmistakable paper records of every vote cast. (Remember Carteret Co., anyone?)This will make for accurate counts of voters’ choices and will help us all sleep at night knowing that the person who is sworn into office all but certainly received more votes than any of his or her opponents. Plus, if there are questions or irregularities, there’s always a paper trail just waiting to be recounted.
Another reason why this is so wonderful is that it’s the result of a long-fought battle by local grassroots activists (including our own Lanya Shapiro). Not only have Tractivists been out there fighting the good fight, this decision is proof positive that when we bring our passions, skills and tenacity to the table, we can achieve spectacular results!
Ya gotta love it. Happy Valentine’s Day!