Compromised Voting
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Voting is such a serious matter and subject to discuss. Especially when people feel that their vote may be compromised due to the ways of voting and policies. Some even feel that your race may even have something to do with voting being compromised.
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Voting Policies
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According to Voter Registration Age Requirements | USAGov, most voting policies are enforced mainly at the state level. Voting policies serve one of two general purposes. “Voter accessibility policies”: (early voting and same-day voter registration) be improve access to the ballot. Absentee voting is a voting method that involves voting on a day earlier than the actual election day.
Tennessee has two forms of absentee voting:
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Absentee in person, which is better known as early voting.
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Absentee by mail, which is commonly called by-mail voting.
Having mail in ballots would be a solution for those who may not have transportation to get to a local voting site.
Middle Tennessee State University student, Jonathan Thomas said, “I feel that mail-in ballots are one way to solve... making the information available on how to get mail in ballots easier to obtain would be nice.”
The Voting Rights Act since 1965 has protected minority voters at the polls. In June 2013, in big controversy to democracy, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the coverage formula used for Section 5 of the VRA, which required jurisdictions with significant histories of voter discrimination to “pre-clear” any new voting practices or procedures get federal approval from the Department of Justice and show that they do not have a discriminatory purpose or effect. This was the turning point in the United States when it came to vote.
Ways of Voting
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If you are a resident in Rutherford County, students may choose to change their county of residence. You can re-register to vote in Rutherford County, and then vote during the Early Voting period or on Election Day. This process will cancel voter registration in the previous county of residence. The age of registration in Tennessee is 18 years old.
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Middle Tennessee State University student Hayley Cannon said, “Being under aged kept her from voting in the past.”
Other states like District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, etc. have laws that you can pre-register to vote at the age of 16. California has a law that you must be 18 or older on Election Day to register. You can pre-register to vote at 16 or 17 and if you do, you will automatically be registered to vote on your 18th birthday. Age laws can be different in every city and state depending on the political status.
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In February of 2018, Pennsylvania issued a directive to county election officials stipulating that all voting equipment purchased afterwards provide for a paper record of all votes cast. The directive did not mandate that counties obtain new equipment, but it did establish specifications for new equipment that counties could purchase should they replace their existing voting systems.
Jonathan Thomas said, “I dislike electronic voting, but technically that’s a way to get it done.”
US states now are rapidly abandoning the technology because of concerns about its security and reliability.
Jonathan Thomas said, "The one time I did vote was with an electronic voting machine, and while I have no reason to believe that the devices was tampered with you can never be certain. There's always an element of doubt, and I think that whenever you're doing an election it’s important that the people voting do have some amount of doubt in whether or not the votes will be counted. As a way to internally keep the system honest.”
Punch card machines have gone into extinct and have been abandoned by most states after their starring role during the 2000 election.
With punch card balloting, a voter employs a mechanism on the machine to punch a hole next to the name of his or her candidate on the ballot.
One of the earliest forms of voting, paper ballots are no longer used in many election precincts, often only in primary voting in smaller communities and absentee balloting. With the paper ballot, voters mark boxes next to the name of their candidate of choice, then drop the marked ballot into a sealed ballot box.
Hayley Cannon said, “I would rather vote with a paper ballot because you can’t mess up anything with paper, but electronics the system can shut down and anything can happen.”
High-tech devices resembling the automatic teller machines widely in use at most banks across the United States, touch screen machines were widely employed after the punch card debacle of the 2000 election.
In Florida for example, 15 of the state's 67 counties -- jurisdictions representing more than half the state's population -- purchased touch-screen equipment after the 2000 presidential election.
But US states now are rapidly abandoning the technology because of concerns about its security and reliability.
The shift away from touch-screens rapidly has been gaining momentum. Election Data Services estimated that half the electorate used touch-screen voting in 2006. This year, less than a third will be using the touch screens.
Some voters reported problems, including that the machines sometimes registered a vote for the wrong candidate. Critics also have said the electronic machines are susceptible to tampering, even though election experts maintain there is no definitive proof of this.
Many localities, disillusioned with touch-screen voting, have been switching to paper ballots that can be read by optical scanners -- the same technology used by US students taking standardized, computer-scored tests in school.
Optical scanning equipment is being put in place in some jurisdictions because, unlike touch-screens, scanners maintain a record of each vote in the event of a recount.
Voting Clarity
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The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that voter registration and voting be accessible for people with disabilities and that poll workers assist voters with disabilities if they need help. According to Fighting Voters Suppression, voting rights are under attack nationwide as states pass voter suppression laws. These laws lead to significant burdens for eligible voters trying to exercise their most fundamental constitutional right. Since 2008, states across the country have passed measures to make it harder for Americans but particularly black people, the elderly, students, and people with disabilities—to exercise their fundamental right to cast a ballot. These measures include cuts to early voting, voter ID laws, and purges of voter rolls.
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Blacks Voter Matter
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Finding sources for this particular subject wasn’t as difficult as it seemed. But finding the best organization/foundation for this cause was slightly difficult. According to the BVM Capacity Bldg | About, Community Building Institution (CBI) is an organization that have 5 core beliefs in mind:
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The key to effective civic engagement and community power is understanding, respecting and supporting local infrastructure.
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Black voters matter not only on election day, but on the 364 days between election days as well. This means we must support individuals and organizations that are striving to obtain social justice throughout the year.
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Black voters' matter *everywhere*, including rural counties and smaller cities/towns that are often ignored by candidates, elected officials, political parties and the media.
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For Black voters to matter, we must utilize authentic messaging which speaks to our issues, connects with our hopes and affirms our humanity.
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The leadership, talent and commitment demonstrated by Black women must receive recognition and, more importantly, *investment* in order to flourish and multiply.
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The courts ruled that North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kansas, North Dakota, and Texas must remove discriminatory restrictions that silence voters of color. The Voting Rights Act protections gutted by the Supreme Court.
