Manual Voting Absurdities Around the World

Picture: Wagner T. Cassimiro "Aranha" 

The processes supporting democracy are no laughing matter. Elections of all sizes have a great deal of importance for the areas they cover, but this doesn't mean that there are not laughable absurdities when it comes to the world of politics. More specifically, there have been many absurd situations over the years regarding manual voting.

Refuting the Claims Against E-Voting Systems

Picture: lowjumpingfrog

The world is moving toward an increasingly paperless society. Email and scanners have rendered fax machines virtually obsolete. Credit and debit cards mean paper money isn't as necessary as it once was. Why is it, then, that so many countries around the globe still make use of manual voting systems for their elections rather than opting for a more efficient electronic voting ("e-voting") system instead?

Chubut’s Electoral Results: A Handful of Doubts

On March 20th, the citizens of the Argentinian province of Chubut casted their votes to elect their new governor, a position disputed between the candidates Martín Buzzi and Carlos Eliceche.

Several days have passed since the Election Day, but the official consolidated data is not yet known. Although the ruling party candidate Buzzi was declared the winner, the delay in issuing the results and the slight difference between the candidates has created a shroud of doubt over the election. Various sources have suggested a lack of transparency in the process, and the debate about the need for implementing an electronic voting system has been revived.

The World is Hip to E-Voting

Electronic voting is quick for voters, helps to prevent spoiled ballots, and counts votes in an instant. Election polls in general have historically experienced mixed results or fraud from myriad voting systems, but overall, electronic voting has made the process more efficient and secure for the United States and countries worldwide.

The May 2010 national election in the Philippines was that country’s first nation-wide automated election, and 50 million Filipinos took part in one of the smoothest elections in their history. The results were available in 12 hours, making it also the fastest vote count the 7000 island country had ever experienced.