No Fraud Mailing
By Steven J. Grisafi, PhD.
It would be relatively easy with little extra cost to insure that voting by mailing ballots remain free of fraud. To do so we would need to print our paper ballots provided with a carbon copy. Both the original and the carbon copy would bear a State designated random number. Each State would prefix the random number with the abbreviation of the State. The random number serves as the serial number of the ballot. It is to appear only on the original ballot and its carbon copy. This is to insure that the serial number cannot be traced to the identity of the voter. The voter retains the carbon copy when mailing the original to the county election office. When the original ballots are counted the serial number is recorded. The Secretary of State of each State would publish a list of all counted ballots.
If there should appear to be any question regarding the validity of a particular ballot the Secretary of State would also publish a listing of questionable ballots. It would be the responsibility of the voter to check to see that his or her ballot was verified counted or listed as questionable. If a voter should find the serial number of his ballot listed as questionable and uncounted he is to follow a procedure to enable the Secretary of State to verify the received original ballot with the carbon copy kept in possession of the voter. Each State can choose to make this verification process as simple or as rigorous as the people of the State desire. Some States may wish to permit facsimile transmission of the carbon copy to the county election office while other states may require that the carbon copy itself be returned to the county election office. How exactly each State may require that the comparison check occurs is left to the discretion of the elected officials of each State.