Duval County, FL, mandates paper trail - Yes!

Always nice to win one. We've been so battered by this administration over the past 6 years that it's easy to forget what a victory feels like. The Lamont miracle was a glimpse of daylight. Scarborough's "Is Bush an idiot?" was a breath of fresh air. Here's something new to feel good about:

A paper trail for your vote

More, flipside...

Jacksonville, Florida, is America's largest city in terms of geographical size, and it has a population near 1 million. Politically, it's a red city with a slowly burgeoning Democratic base. We have a long way to go here. But the city has influence. Duval County is the largest in Jax, and yesterday the Supervisor of Elections enacted a decision that will be noticed throughout Florida:

In an effort to assure voters that not only will their vote count but also be traceable if needed, Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland is securing funding to buy 330 printers compatible with the office's optical scan voting machines.

While they won't be ready in time for the midterms, they should be up and running in time for the next presidential election.

The funding is available and the initiative has public backing. City Council member Lake Ray has sponsored a bill that officially gives the paper trail the full blessing of Council. Ray said he supports creating a paper trail, especially considering the amount of electronic hacking going on these days.
"Every time I turn my computer on, it warns me that I may have a virus," said Ray. "Given the way computer systems are today, nothing says a voting machine won't be invaded. I think the public is concerned enough about this (to warrant legislation). To me, it's strange that you can walk in, cast a ballot and there's no record of it.

OK, so they're getting it. This is a major development in election integrity. If your city is trying to palm off touchscreen voting on you, contact your local election supervisor and ask why they aren't following Jacksonville's lead.

One thing we know for sure: ATM machines never fail to your advantage, that is, they never accidently toss you an extra $20. Never. We obviously have the technology to ensure secure voting - it's just sad that we have to demand it.