Something I’ve been considering and was recently asked about.

Voting integrity.

It’s been an issue for literally decades. In the past 15 or 20 years it’s become more of an issue. 

There was a time when the only way to screw with an election was to stuff the ballot box with paper.

With the adoption of electronic voting machines, suddenly paper ballots weren’t that big a deal because electronics are really good at duplicating. 

What happens if you select a ballot with desired characteristics and tell and electronic voting machine to triple the count of the desired ballots. In a way, that would be the hardest malfunction to refute if original paper ballots weren’t available. How do investigators separate fiction from reality.

Let’s assume that I wanted to screw the pooch on a free and fair election. I’d create a random number generator, then I’d set that to collapse and regenerate at random intervals.. The random number would be the length of time that the voting machine was going to duplicate ballots for a particular candidate or select group of candidates.

Because the duplication wouldn’t be the same number every time, and the duplication would be happening at random intervals it would require a complete paper audit to get a real count on a single machine.

Now think what it would be like to have thousands of machines randomly duplicating a random number of ballots. From a software test perspective, these kinds of software glitches were maddening to figure out. 

Believe it or not, it’s possible for software to have something like I’ve described built in by accident. People like me, used to be what stood between the software you used and enjoyed, and software that made you crazy.

If someone were to intentionally program something like this into the voting machines, you’d have a suspicion the vote was being monkeyed with, but proving that assertion would be really difficult without a hand count.

Here’s another nasty thought about this kind of cheating. Because there isn’t any consistency it could be interpreted as spurious (and defined as well within the margin of error,)  causing courts to decide the plaintiff / candidate has “No Standing”.

Hmmm. 


So the question is, how do you ensure that there are no shenanigans in voting?

Well, you can bring technology to the rescue. But that is I think an incomplete solution and lends itself to the very shenanigans you’re trying to stop.

You could use a blockchain solution. You could use a simpler encryption. You could probably use just a simple CRC.

The problem as I see it, isn’t so much the encryption mechanism, the problem tracks back to one vote, one person. That implies that every State would have to  implement voter ID.

Once you implement Voter ID then something like a bunch of fields can be used to create a long string of data as a kind of header.

FNAMELNAMESTREETADDRESSAPTCITYSTATEZIPVOTERIDNUMBER 

464E414D454C4E414D45535452454554414444524553534150544349545953544154455A4950564F54455249444E554D424552C2A0 0x85BB9A40

464E414D454C4E414D45535452454554414444524553534150544349545953544154455A4950564F54455249444E554D424552B2A0 0xAA84E3B6

If you covert that data to numeric equivalents you’ve now got a string of numbers that can have a CRC value calculated.

In the example above, the portion of the data that starts 0x is the CRC. You’ll notice that they’re different. That difference is caused by 1 character being changed. The example was created from the text above the hexadecimal numbers.

Next, is the block of data that contains the actual voter selections. Again, convert this data to a kind of packet. The packet could be as long as needed.

For the sake of argument assume that the entire ballot is represented by binary numbers.

Candidate for office 1

Office – 00000001

Candidate

X – 001

Y – 010

Z – 011

Gives you 0000000100000011 assuming a vote for candidate Z.

Office 2

Office – 00000010

Candidate

X – 001

Y – 010

Z – 011

Gives you 0000001000000010 assuming a vote for candidate Y.

All this results in a string of numbers 00000001000000110000001000000010 that can be CRCed and again if one number is changed the CRC value won’t match. Indicating either tampering or a glitch.

Using a system like this you could easily have 255 issues/offices on one ballot. It’s equally possible to have 255 candidates per issue. This is just using 8 bits “0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0”. If necessary, expansion to 16 bits is easily done.

It’s even possible to have one or more selections to a point. It’s possible to build in checks that invalidate multiple selections per office where only one selection is allowed. In the case of a rejected ballot, you needed review the entire ballot, simply the office where a stray pencil mark may happen.

For the sake of consistency it’s probably best to convert the binary to Hex

The result would look like 01030202 0x4786058E again the 0x is the CRC. 

Then finally, encode the date time, and location the vote was cast. To do this use epoch time. Epoch time is a number that computers use to calculate time internally. Since computers don’t think in Feb 27, 2024 there’s a numeric constant that’s being incremented every second. The starting date is Jan 1, 1970. Now you know why your devices will sometimes reset to that date when they lose power. Nothing magical about it, it’s just an arbitrary date that everybody agreed upon. So the number below represents the number of seconds elapsed since Midnight, Jan 1, 1970 followed by the CRC.

1709058569 0x3A404184

What I’m building here is modeled after a network packet. 

The object in the preamble it’s going to be unique. The vote data might be the same across 1000s of people is added as part of a unique yet retrievable voter record and the date/time, voting location ensures that only the first vote is valid.

If all of these fields were just CRCed. Then any variation or alteration of the data would show up. A CRC mismatch would indicate that the data has been tampered with. If more complex encryption or block chain was used, the security would increase. The question is, do we need that level of security?

Under this off the cuff system, each vote would be a singular event. There would be only one valid vote, any copies would be ignored. The data packet would look something like this:

464E414D454C4E414D45535452454554414444524553534150544349545953544154455A4950564F54455249444E554D424552C2A00x85BB9A40010302020x4786058E17090585690x3A404184

And it would be unique per person. 

Much the same process occurs in a computer network. Packets originate from a specific computer and even specific applications. The origination address makes certain that any response is returned to the proper computer and application. The data block is a defined size, and the time increment makes sure that individual packets can be reassembled into coherent data even if the data is received out of sequence.

There are CRC’s run on the data when it’s transmitted and again on the receiving system. If the CRC fails, the data packet is requested to be sent again.

The trouble is, no matter what system is implemented. Without voter ID in all 50 states the system falls down. 

A system like this also requires that no-one can register and vote on the same day. Registering and voting on the same day is INSANE and ripe for abuse. Everyone knows that, yet there are states that allow it.

Let’s be honest here, do we really want people voting who can’t make enough of a plan to register to vote 2 or 3 months in advance of an election? Voting is kind of like gun ownership, maybe we need a 21 day waiting period!

Another problem with a system as I’ve described is making the data unique to an individual. This begs the question of who votes? Do you allow only United States citizens the right to vote, or do you allow everyone in the country the right to vote? I’m a big believer that only United States citizens should be allowed to vote. I might consider flexibility for those people who are several years along the naturalized citizen pathway.

Voting rights could be granted as a milestone during the naturalization process. I’m aware that often a person working toward citizenship is better informed about this country and our laws than a citizen born here. I’m counting on it, and that the reasons a person chose to come to this country, then chose to work to become a citizen are reasons that will inform their voting choices. The idea is that whatever they left behind does not become the law of this land.

What does this have to do with a voting system as I’ve proposed? It’s about adding another data field that helps with making each vote a unique event.

What I’ve described is just a basic thumbnail sketch of a system. Application of encryption adds more security, and perhaps with a public key / private key scheme, tampering or whatever could be stopped. But everyone would have to have a public/private key pair. Using blockchain adds the same level of complexity. Everyone would have to have something like a blockchain account. How do you manage that?

One way would be to use the “smart” functionality of our passports and encode a key pair or blockchain ID into that chip. Then presenting the passport would unlock the voting process for the individual.

I’ve long been a proponent of every single citizen having a passport. I’ve got a passport and a passport card. I wouldn’t be opposed to presenting a passport, and my driver’s license at a polling place. I wouldn’t mind having to use my thumbprint next to my signature on the ballot, or to access the polling place, or activate a voting machine.

My Mother thinks I’m some kind of fascist for thinking any of the above is okay. She parrots that tired old BS the Democrat party has been peddling for years. “Not Everyone can get an ID. They’re poor, they may not have a birth certificate, it’s tough to navigate the complexities of getting an ID.” 

The last time we spoke about this issue, I asked her, “Okay Mom, then how do these people have bank accounts, buy cars, apply for FEMA when a tornado destroys their trailer park, or apply for welfare? They have to have ID for all of those things.”

I suggested that while my Mother was one of the least racist people I know, she was sounding a whole lot like an old racist Dixiecrat waiting on the sheets to dry for the cross burning that night.

That ended the conversation. 

I’d even be totally willing for any U.S. Citizen to be able to obtain taxpayer funded verified ID. If money wasn’t a roadblock to the poor, then implementation of national voter ID should be a breeze. 

Except… the pushback for a national ID system is enormous and it comes from some of the oddest places.

One of the funniest things I’ve ever participated in was a family reunion discussion that found atheist democrats and religious republicans startled because they both were against national voter ID.

The religious group called it the number of the beast and a sign of the end times. The atheists called it a horrific invasion of privacy and the first step toward a Nazi fascist state.

I was sitting there watching the show, enjoying my beer. 

After both sides appeared to have exhausted themselves, I pointed out that unless they’d moved from one state to another, their driver’s license number was already an ID number that hadn’t changed since they were 16 years old. How big a leap is it to have the feds just used that number as a national ID?

Then I pulled another beer from the cooler.

I’m sometimes an evil fucker. The other half glared at me trying to act angry, then he started chuckling and we both enjoyed the rest of the show.

I can see some of my über liberal friends saying, “what about those people who can’t get to a polling place?” Well, if we have national ID then the polling place can be taken to those people. Their ID grants access to a digital polling pad that’s portable and records their biometrics and their ballot. That pad gets physically plugged into a voting tabulator which verifies the records and either tallies the vote or kicks it out because it’s invalid. 

That puts an end to dead people voting. When you die, your ID along with your credit cards, and bank accounts are closed or at least locked and unusable.

As an aside, when you die… the Social Security Administration is informed pretty damn quick. They in turn send out some kind of notice to the banks and credit card folks. So if one of your loved ones dies, don’t fall for the scumbag banks trying to bully payments out of you. Especially if your name isn’t on the card or line of credit.

Don’t fall for the creditors claiming they weren’t notified of the death. They absolutely had access to that information. It’s probably the one time the misuse of our Social Security Account Numbers works in our favor.What those fuckers are counting on is that in your grief you’ll reaffirm on the line of credit by paying or talking to them about it. If you acknowledge the debt they can fuck you.

Note, if the account, card, or line of credit has your name on it, sorry bucko, you’re still on the hook.

Have you ever really thought about this? Someone asking for your social security number is pretty much the same as them asking for your checking account number or debit card number. So why does the medical system, or banking, or insurance provider, or utility company need your social security number? 

You know why? It’s a unique identifier, kind of like a national ID number. Yeah… Think about that for a minute!

How about this? Ask me for my passport number. It’s more secure, has a photograph of me, and with the new chipped versions they’re going to be really hard to duplicate.

Just a thought…

A Swing and a Miss!

It’s a real good thing that I had a bourbon or two before the SOTU address. Otherwise I’d have thrown a rock through the television. (Shooting a Television as some of my southern ancestors tended to do, is a waste of ammunition. Rocks are easier to come by and you can wind up a nice baseball pitch with them. Or you can just use a baseball.)

My goodness, what a shit show!

If this was Biden’s most important speech of his career (to date) he royally fucked up. Not that I or anyone is surprised by that. I believe it was his former boss that said “Biden can fuck up anything you give him.” Or something to that effect.

His speech did not unify, nor did it comfort a weary country. If anything, I feel it further alienated people who have come to believe that the D.C. politicians are elites who have no concern or care for their constituents.

The President essentially yelled at America for an hour, and he lied about a lot of things that are easily fact checked. 

Biden was an angry senile old man. 

He is not presidential material. As an American, I am sick and tired of being humiliated by this old fool. 

Biden needs to get the fuck out of the White House.

Oh goody! Tonight is the State of the Union Address.

Should I just kill myself now?

I know Joe Biden is going to paint me as a White Supremacist, MAGA Republican, Racist, Misogynistic, Bastard, who should just die.

Oh, he’s going to do all that based on two things. 1) I’m a White Male, and 2) I’m not a Democrat

So much for “Unity” or the great unifier.

Aside from what Biden has done to this country in 3 years, I really dislike him for continuing to divide the nation with truly hateful rhetoric at almost every speaking event. 

He’s stoking violence and lawlessness along the racial divide and then when a White person, ANY White Person takes action to defend their lives against a person of color, Joe is the first out the gate to scream racism and paint the person of color as somehow the victim instead of the White person laying in hospital wondering why the police weren’t there to protect them.

Joe wrongly accused border patrol of “Strapping” innocent Haitian immigrants. Never has Joe said, “Hey Guys I’m very sorry for jumping the gun there.”

But it’s worse, because right from the beginning in that incident, the person who took the photo, you know the actual witness, said that border patrol was not hitting the immigrants.

Doesn’t matter. Biden’s administration said no horses on the border. 

Joe Biden has been wrong every single time he’s made comment about a crime, or victim, or in fact anything happening in the country over the past 3 years.

He’s tried to violate our freedoms on bodily integrity, by forcing upon us all a horribly flawed vaccine. He’s created situations where people lost their jobs because they chose not to panic over a virus that was 98% survivable.

He demonized those people and publicly called for them to be treated like pariahs. He’s repeatedly tried to bypass Congress’s ability to make laws, such as when he made OSHA demand COVID vaccination as a workplace safety issue.

Then claims that he doesn’t have the power to stop the flood of immigrants. What does OSHA  and the CDC say about all the tropical diseases that these folks may be carrying into places where those diseases never existed?

He’s significantly eroded our military readiness and destroyed thousands of military careers with vaccine mandates, DEI, and Transgendered bullshit.

Oh, and let’s not forget that he’s made it clear that White people need not apply to the military because even if they’re accepted, they’ll never achieve rank.

In Joe Biden’s vision of America only people of color will succeed and then, only because they’re people of color not because their promotions were based in merit.

That devalues the achievements of every person of color who worked their asses off for their promotions and careers.

It also tells every single white person, “Don’t bother to try. We’ve rigged the system so heavily against you you’ll never succeed. If by some miracle you do succeed, we’ll file law suits and IRS liens, and accuse you of some crime and take your success. We’ll bleed you dry with legal fees and unrealistic judgements. But you can avoid all of this by sucking the Democrat Party dick.”

Joe Biden in every single speech has demonstrated contempt and hatred of average Americans like myself.

As a result, I feel the same about Biden, His administration, and the government in general. 

Nothing Biden could say in this State of the Union will redeem that feeling. Even if he were to resign tonight, the damage is done. I will never trust the government again.

I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt they have no concern for me except as a contributor to their coffers, facilitator for their wasteful spending, and financier for their graft and corruption.

Biden’s 87,000 ARMED, Jack Booted IRS THUGS are a testament to how little choice any of us have in paying taxes. If we refuse to give our taxes willingly they’ll happily rob us at the barrel of a gun.

I love my Country. I HATE with all the fury of HELL what our government has become. 

I can save all of us time tonight. Here’s a summary of Biden’s address.

YOU ARE ALL SLAVES. YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS EXCEPT THOSE THE GOVERNMENT ALLOWS. NOW BEND OVER AMERICA, CAUSE I’M GONNA FUCK YOU HARD AND DRY FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT 10 MONTHS!”

Since we live in a time of “Feelings”. That’s how I feel, therefore it must be right.

I typed it in CAPS because we all know Biden is going to go from creepy whisper to yelling. 

I’ll probably tune into the speech. During which I’ll appropriately numb myself with bourbon. No, I’m not masochistic, I just would like to know how badly I’m going to get fucked during the next 10 months, and possibly maybe likely… God Help me the next four years.

I am almost sure that somehow, some way, no matter how unlikely, outlandish, or illogical it is. Biden will get another term in office. 

Yeah, that’s how corrupt I believe our government has become. That’s how stupid 50% of this country has become. That’s how sure I am that the Democrat party will find a way to cheat like a motherfucker in this next election.

Even if Trump were to win, another “God help us” situation, even though I tend to believe that Trump really does want to fix what’s wrong with the government. All we’ll have is four years of conflict and badmouthing but nothing will get done. 

This is what Hope dying looks & sounds like.

This is Biden’s legacy with me personally. I’m not sure how many other people feel the same way.

The Democrat Party wants their fucking plantations and slaves back. Guess what? 

That’s Us!