Stephen Downes

This post references a Globe and Mail editorial (paywalled but archived here) defending the use of the paper ballot in Canadian elections. I concur. It's not the fact that the ballot is on paper that matters; it's that the process of creating and counting the ballot is tangible, open and verifiable. I have worked in polling places and seen the process for myself. Each ballot is marked by hand by the voter, then when counter, each ballot is shown individually to the counters and to the scrutineers, who are representatives of the candidates who are running. The issue with digital voting isn't that it is digital, it's that it takes this entire process and hides it. The Globe and Mail editorial says, "A hand count renders the proper respect - reverence, even - for democracy." But it's not that. It's not about faith. It's about accountability.