Election Integrity

We Should All be Concerned about Election Integrity

No matter if you are on the right or left side of the aisle, we should all be concerned of the integrity of our elections.

The Ohio Secretary of State (SOS) is really a very secretive organization when it comes to elections and does not make information easily available to conduct proper and timely independent audits. Bureaucrats for the SOS routinely sit on data and make requesters wait the maximum time allowable by law before they disclose any information.

The real Question is not about election integrity - but that of Voter Trust

We could have the most accurate elections in the world - but if a majority of voters don't believe it - then the state must present evidence to reassure voters. While there is a significant portion of Ohio Voters that believe Ohio elections have serious problems - the Secretary of State has made not made substantial efforts to address their concerns.

Ballot access for Independent candidates and for Ballot Initiatives depend upon the review from the County Boards of Election under guidance provided by the SOS's office to verify petition signatures. When very little guidance is given and there are no audits to ensure any type of compliance with the little guidance given, there is very little confidence in Democrat and Republican review of these petition signatures - and the verification should always be challenged. Unfortunately, Ohio law does not allow for the same type of cure for petition signatures as they do for absentee ballot signatures especially concerning non-genuine signatures. Additionally, there is nothing preventing Boards of Elections from placing ballot initiative petitions and the petitions of independent candidates under much more rigorous inspection than for other candidates - giving such candidates an unfair disadvantage due to an unequal application of the law.

Then there are the things that the SOS does not require or insist upon - like open-source voting machines and tabulators.

There are open-source code voting machines out there that are cheap and reliable. There is no longer any reason to keep using machines that obscure their code. It comes down to this premise - If you have nothing to hide, let the code be examined! Better yet, in almost all cases your county can get these machines free of charge and test them before they purchase them.

Testimonials on the quality, reliability, and service of open-source voting machines.

Secret-Ballot Receipts: True Voter-Verifiable Elections

Secret-ballot receipts set a far higher standard of security by letting voters verify the election outcome—even if all election computers and records were compromised. The system preserves ballot secrecy while improving access, robustness, and adjudication, all at a lower cost.

When you finish voting you have essentially a carbon copy of the ballot that has a serial number on it. This is a random and anonymous number from the ballot you randomly selected (or the voting machine you randomly selected). There is nothing on the ballot that identifies you. Once polls close you can look up the serial number to see if it matches how you voted.

Voter Residence Mapping - empowering citizen auditors

Ballot-box stuffing has been a tried and true method of election cheating for years. But what happens when every person that votes is mapped to their residence? If ballot-box stuffing occurs you'll be able to see it because the fake person will claim to live somewhere that they don't actually live.

Voter Residence mapping when combined with Secret-Ballot Receipts makes it infinitely harder to cheat. If the ballot box gets stuffed then there will be a whole bunch of people claiming to live where they don't live. You may find 100 people living in the vacant lot next door, or the neighbor that died a month before the election magically voted.

Text Alerts - Register a Phone so that you get an alert when you vote

Identity theft is a reality in this day and age. With mobile phones, we can provide an extra layer of protection to fight against those that seek to cheat with your identity

When you register to vote - every Ohioan should be given the option to receive a text once their local board of election receives their cast ballot. This will immediately let Ohioans know if they have been identity thefted and if a perpetrator voted using their identity.

Photo Identification or Thumbprint Verification

The largest amount of voters should vote with photo identification. Some religions do not allow members to be photographed and other biometrics such as a thumbprint should be employed to positively identify them.

We support positive voter identification - utility receipts (which are accepted now in lieu of a driver's license) are just too easy to mass counterfeit. If the courts rule against positive identification then we support boards of elections taking a digital photo of anyone that votes without photo identification. Additionally, Ohioans deserve to know how many Ohioans vote with no state-issued photo identification. The SOS and county boards of elections should be required to capture this information.

Phase out Absentee Ballots in favor of Blockchain Voting System

Crypto-currency is built upon blockchain technology. It is one of the most secure types of transactions on the planet. We can use the same type of technology for voting.

Absentee ballots have a number of weaknesses that make the process an easy target for fraudsters and groups looking to manipulate elections. Not everyone can vote in person and we believe that Blockchain helps to close many security concerns.