By Luther Weeks on February 14, 2016
There are several differences between a caucus and a primary election. These differences are glaring, especially in the case of the Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus. Like all elections, the rules, eligibility, and voting methods vary from state to state. In presidential primaries and caucuses they can vary from party to party.
Here is our list of important concerns with the Iowa Democratic Caucus. All things considered, democracy would be better served by a primary than the Iowa Caucus.
Posted in National, Our Editorials
By Luther Weeks on October 12, 2015
For Connecticut this is a time for our legendary “Land of Stead Habits”. A real crisis would be a knee-jerk reaction to claims of a crisis. It would be the National reaction to 2000 and the Help America Vote Act all over again.
There will be a time to change deliberately, once better systems are available and proven.
Posted in CT, National, Our Editorials
By Luther Weeks on June 10, 2015
In one of his books, Gerry Weinberg pointed out that employee evaluations should be multiplicative not additive, that is, the various dimensions of performance and capabilities should be multiplied rather than added to determine the overall value of an employee.
There is an analogy with laws, including election laws. Laws must be Sufficient, Enforceable, and Enforced. Missing one of the three, all value is lost.
Posted in Chain of Custody, Common Sense, CT Law
By Luther Weeks on March 3, 2015
Today the Hartford Courant printed an editorial citing the Citizen Audit’s latest report: Cheap Way To Boost Turnout
Posted in CT, Our Editorials
By Luther Weeks on November 22, 2014
We agree in part with the other critics, that we need radical change in Connecticut election administration. Yet, we need a carefully considered approach and a deliberate implementation of change. Our recommended approach is to do for elections what we have done for probate: Regionalize, Prioritize, and Economize. It won’t be easy, simple, or cheap in the short run, yet simply moving local administration to municipal clerks as many suggest would be a band-aid, with many of the same limitations and risks of the current system.
Posted in CT Law, Legislature 2015, Our Editorials
By Luther Weeks on November 12, 2014
We are amazed by the number of election integrity issues raised by this election and the flurry of suggestions for improvement, led by the Hartford Courant. Yet in all the excitement and rush to judgement and improvement, among the good intentions and good ideas, there is also a misunderstanding of the system, ideas that are not feasible, uninformed, and that would make a worse system.
Posted in CT Law, Legislature 2015, Other Editorials, Our Editorials
By Luther Weeks on October 15, 2014
[I]t doesn’t make sense that the Connecticut’s post-election audit law exempts all votes on questions, election day registration, originally hand-counted ballots and absentee ballots from our post-election audit. Election integrity and public confidence demand that all ballots be subject to random selection for audit. Exempt ballots already determine many elections, while the number and percentage of exempt ballots is growing.
Op-Ed for Connecticut Citizen Election Audit published today at CTNewsJunkie
Posted in Legislature 2014, Our Editorials, Post-Election Audits
By Luther Weeks on August 20, 2014
It seems that turnout is the holy grail of elections. Many election reforms are justified on a claim, true or not, that the reform will increase turnout. But, turnout is more a symptom of democracy, than an end in itself.
We have some suggestions to consider:
- Make it easier for third-party candidates to get on the ballot, easier to qualify for public financing. Let us start with a level playing field for public financing, and officials that follow the law, with a “Chief Election Official” with actual responsibility for elections.
- Reform the decentralized partisan election system.
- Eliminate the “Spoiler” effect, provide more democracy, with a true runoff election when one candidate does not get 50_% of the vote.
Let us recall that in this generation, two third-party “spoilers” did win elections in Connecticut: Governor Lowell Weicker, and Senator Joe Lieberman.
Posted in CT, CT Law, Our Editorials
By Luther Weeks on August 6, 2014
The Citizen Audit has just opened up our signup for the audits for the primary, which start fifteen days after the primary. The primary is August 12th, so the audits will begin Aug 27th.
Q: So, why bother signing to spend a day observing the audits?
A: To understand and the question ” [How] Do you know if your vote counted?”
Posted in Common Sense, Post-Election Audits
By Luther Weeks on May 4, 2014
We often take for granted the idea of the secret ballot. One alternative to the secret vote is the public vote. Sometimes we would prefer a public vote, sometimes it is necessary,
The Connecticut Constitution gives us the right to the secret vote. In considering the Constitutional Amendment this year, we note that it represents a third alternative: A semi-secret vote, if anything a worse alternative than either a secret vote or a public vote with the disadvantages of each
Posted in Common Sense, Legislature 2014, National
