Why Fair, Open and Transparent Voting is Like Saving Money: Both Require a Plan and Accountability.

by Staff Writer

Saving money is a chore for most US adults- one that requires planning, budgeting, and accountability. In order to save money, difficult choices must be made. First, one must decide how much money he or she must save. A plan is established- and a means of accountability for that plan is essential. This is the Gold Standard for saving money.

Voting is a means of accountability in the United States. And here we establish the Gold Standard of a fair, open and transparent voting process.

As there is a process of measurement for savings, there exists the same for government. So many dollars to put in, how to invest- or keep in cash- how much is needed for day-to-day expenses, etc. The question which must be directed toward the government centers on opportunity: am I able to be free from oppression, send my children to good schools, find employment at a fair wage, or start a business easily and without undue taxation or restriction? Both of these processes involve goal setting, measurement and accountability.

If we "cheat" on our savings plan, then the money is not saved, and when we look at our bank accounts, the results become apparent. If we do this in private- plan by ourselves, tell no one what we are doing, save in secret, and then try to stick to our plan- the results are usually much less reliable than if we are part of a group; this is why bankers and investments companies are an integral part of this process. The plan to save money is often "corrupted" by secrecy and a lack of accountability.

Thus, the voting process must also verifiable, fair, and transparent to its citizens. Government ceases to be government when it fails to uphold this criteria. The first principle of corruption is to deprive citizens of a right to alter their government by choosing their leaders freely. Any threat to transparent, fair and verifiable election results is a process of corruption.

Understanding what a fair election process consists of, and what an unfair election process looks like, is critical to your right as a citizen- that is, understanding the "gold standard" of voting processes. The schemes hatched by those in power to enable a process different from what is fair, open and transparent amount to corruption, plain and simple. The right of a citizen to vote in a fair election is as fundamental to a republic as air, water, food and shelter are to an individual, procreation to a species- or budgeting and investment to a savings plan!

Corruption, and corrupt people, are a result of a lack of accountability. This is why accountability in the election process is so critical to the success of a republic. If election results are corrupted, the right of citizens to a fair and open government is lost, and very difficult to regain.

What, then, are the elements of a fair, open and transparent election, and what are possible compromises to that process? First, the right of each citizen to vote is conditional on membership in a polity. In the U.S., only citizens are entitled to vote, and depending on their residence, only those who are declared to be residents of that particular, state, county or municipality are entitled to vote. This is why Voter ID, Voter Rolls, and the verification of that ID are critical.

It is also why corrupt government seeks to limit - or expand without due process - voter rights. Voting-related corruptors of democracy - Jim Crow laws, ballot stuffing, voter fraud, etc. – are based on the notion that a fair, open and transparent process results in new leaders purging and repairing a corrupt government, and thus seek to cloak their illegal actions in a shroud of respectability. Clean voter rolls with verified ID stop this nonsense immediately, much like budgets and an investment plan create a successful savings program.

Several mechanisms exist to enable citizens to obtain Voter ID. A fundamental need of any polity is to identify who their citizens are, and so the ability to obtain legitimate ID can take multiple forms- birth certificates, naturalization documents, driver's licenses, passport, State ID cards, military ID and passport cards, for example. Beyond that, residence in a specific location can be established by any type of agreement proving residence in that location- rental agreements, utility payments, DMV registration, bank statements, tax documents, etc. In fact, it is difficult, in our modern state, to avoid receiving some sort of state centered identification- if only to pay taxes and receive benefits.

Upon presenting proper identification to the corresponding authority, and at least 30 days before the election, a voter is placed on a voter roll- identifying this person as eligible to vote in specific elections. One risk of corrupt governments is that a person, through fraud, might enroll (or be enrolled) in multiple election districts.. I don't have enough info to verify if a national DB is the right action.

Once a person has established eligibility to vote, this person's ID must be checked against the voter rolls when the would-be voter appears at whatever polling location. After all, it does no good to make a savings plan and then put money in a different account! Establishing the right to vote, and then verifying that person is who he or she says is a critical step. This is so common in every other aspect of modern life- taxation, receiving benefits, banking, housing, schooling etc. - that it is a wonder there is any question about its necessity to the voting process.

Any voting alternative to this Gold Standard is open to corruption- and judging from the news, often falls victim to fraud. Lack of clean voter rolls, not requiring voter ID at the polls, vote by mail, and voting machines without paper ballots are processes which lack accountability- and therefor are subject to fraud. Why use them: for convenience? For quicker results? To save money? As in savings, "get rich quick" schemes rarely lead to riches. More often, they lead to failures.

The workers at polling locations need support and training to be effective- just as the advisors for a savings plan must be knowledgeable about various budgeting and investment tools. Accountability requires knowledge of the process and measurement of the plan's success. Trained poll workers ensure a clean election through monitoring and verification of the rules of the voting process- no one is admitted who does not possess the correct ID to verify their name on the voter rolls, no one who has correct ID is turned away, voters are given the correct paper ballot, those ballots are tabulated and stored for audit correctly. Fair, open and transparent elections cannot exist without these procedures.

Paper Ballots are the most reliable, accurate and verifiable means of collecting and tabulating votes. All other methods of vote collection and tabulation are much more susceptible to fraud and corruption. Just as any savings and investment plan is ultimately redeemable in tangible cash, a verifiable paper trail through physical audit is vital to the voting process, as it dramatically reduces countless possibilities of fraud and corruption.

And just as the design and use of physical cash money is carefully controlled and managed, so too must the design and control of paper ballots in elections be measured. No one wants "funny money" or damaged or illegible bills; likewise, the paper ballot design must be clear, and easy to read and scan, with no QR or Bar Codes on the ballot. Although we rely on banks and investment firms to account for our money and investments, most often electronically, if we did not know we could receive cash for those investments and accounts if we wanted to, we would not invest or save with those institutions.

When tabulating results, the absolute most reliable method is hand-counting done twice by different people. While this is feasible in many elections, especially with smaller numbers of voters, in larger elections optical scanning is often used successfully- however, these optical scanners must by physically AND cyber secured. This requires an extensive and well-planned management process, and again, one that is end-to-end (from the start of tabulation to the reporting of results) verifiable and auditable. BEEF UP RISK LIMITING AUDIT MESSAGE.

Any savings or investment plan must account for its results to its investors. These results must also be auditable- so much accounting fraud takes place, especially at larger corporations, that some of the wealthiest and most successful corporations are those that perform audits- and when they fail, it often causes massive effects in the value of both the auditing company and the audited firm. In the same way, any election which does not perform audits, and is not auditable after the election results are reported, is likely to be fraudulent and corrupted.

Finally, the results of the election must be reported to the authority that is ultimately responsible for reporting results- often the Secretary of State, or, at the federal level, the Federal Election Commission (FEC.) This process is the final element of fair, open and transparent elections. For example, reporting of federal election results is often delayed until the polls close across the nation, in order not to unduly influence voters across different time zones. Much like looking at investment results on an intraday basis, rather than on a more measured and preset schedule, this can lead to emotionally skewed decisions, and improperly or untimely reported election results can lead to skewed, fraudulent or corrupted results.

Humanity depends on government to create fair, open and honest policies and laws. Our elected representatives help create, make into law and empower these policies. When the process goes awry or corruption is involved, the only defense citizens have is the right to "throw the bums out." When voter rights are compromised, or corruption besmirches the voting process, the rights of citizens either erode over time or are trampled violently and without recourse.

Just as there are recognized and time-tested methods for successful savings and investment, there are proven and successful strategies, policies and laws that create a Gold Standard of voting rights. Any change or compromise to voting rights standards invites corruption. Any change to the methods and strategies of savings and investment invites financial and other forms of failure. Knowing what these standards are, and insisting on them, leads to the best possible outcomes, whether in government or savings.