Abstract:

Despite the provision of a $380M federal grant to enhance technology and improve security in the 2018 midterm elections, machine failures and computer malfunctions again plagued polling places (in GA, PA, NY, IN, TX, and MA), resulting in late openings, long lines, and turned-away voters. Poor ballot layouts resurfaced in Florida, resulting in nearly 25,000 missed votes and the removal of the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, due to “misfeasance, incompetence and neglect of duty.” Many of the unauditable electronic voting machines are now being replaced with paper ballots and scanners, but creative State legislation (including in FL, MI and CA) and new tactics (such as risk-limiting audits) are increasingly being used to thwart and prohibit comprehensive recounts, even when results fall within the range of equipment error. This talk examines some of the shenanigans that we may be looking forward to seeing in 2020, sheds light on the reasons why contrived (and even avoidable) disenfranchisement continues to play a fundamental role in American Democracy, and offers some suggestions for improvement.