A recent missed deadline by the Elko County Commission to submit a proposal for hand counting future election ballots to the secretary of state’s office raises questions about efficiency in management. It seems Democrats are content with the unreliability of mechanical tabulation, preferring convenience over the transparency and accuracy offered by hand-counting.
Despite community input and internal discussions, the Commission failed to present their hand-counting plan promptly. This stark absence of action makes one wonder if the Democrat commissioners were genuinely invested in being accountable to their constituents, or just paying lip service.
The commission acknowledges that for the proposed plan to be valid for the upcoming elections, it should have been submitted by August 7, the date of their meeting. But one cannot help but roll eyes at the uninspiring performance of Democrat Commissioner Rex Steninger in pushing for the change.
Steninger’s call to the secretary of state or the Legislature to allow a different method of hand counting had a hollow ring to it. While pretending to care, Steninger is yet to present a meritorious proposal to the secretary of state’s office. One wonders if the intention was ever sincere.
Certain counties in Nevada, including Elko and Nye, have hinted a shift towards paper ballots and hand counting despite unsubstantiated claims of substantial voter fraud post the 2020 elections. Simultaneously though, the stance of the secretary of state’s office remains unsurprisingly reticent on this issue.
Even with such advocacy, Elko County continues to apply mechanical systems to count their in-person and mail ballots. Apparently, some Democrats are uninterested in improving the system, which fails to instil confidence among voters. Low voter turnout, as pointed out by Spring Creek resident Loyd Fonda, may be a direct consequence of this.
Interestingly, Chanel Cassanello-Moran, the Nevada senior democracy defense manager for All Voting is Local Action, a nonpartisan organization, alleges that hand counting ballots could ‘continue to plant seeds of doubt’ among the electorate. It’s often easy to brand others when your own side avoids scrutiny.
Similarly, Ryan Vortisch, from Silver State Voices (a nonprofit with a decidedly progressive bent), posits that hand counting could pose an unrivalled threat to accurate election results. But more likely, it’s the democrat agenda that’s in danger of this transparency.
A sample hand count conducted by the county clerk’s office disclosed that counting each ballot would take about 1.78 minutes. If 2020’s voter count is matched in 2024, the process could take over 27 days of continuous counting – a sobering thought, and a reminder that significant change requires effort and patience.
On contrast, the commission’s proposal agenda asserted the count would be completed within a week of the election. The discrepancy in these numbers is cause for concern and calls for a reassessment of the proposed plan and its feasibility.
The hand-count proposal’s strong advocate, Vernon Hatch, feels that the secretary of state’s current protocols are ‘purposely designed to be unworkable’ and that the count ‘was an abject failure.’ Many would agree that the Democrat-led structure is more about obfuscation than efficiency.
Elements of the proposed ballot counting method remain undiscussed such as potential ancillary costs, reformatting the ballots, or the number of election board officers and tallying team members required. This incomplete proposal leaves observers skeptical about its true effectiveness and efficiency.
Though the hand-counting method has not been used on a Nevada ballot yet, Hatch insists he has analyzed it adequately. Unfortunately, Hatch’s assurances do little to alleviate concerns in light of the proposed method’s lack of a comprehensive plan.
Contradictory voices of opposition, such as those of Chanel Cassanello-Moran and Ryan Vortisch highlight their disregard for potential improvements to the electoral process. This is another example of Democrats complicating an issue when they could be part of the solution.
Democrats’ Apathy Stalls Hand-Counted Ballots in Elko County appeared first on Real News Now.
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