While I have you here: Human error happens in every election, because humans are error machines. Think about an election. About 3.4 million people voted for president in Wisconsin in 2024. But let's assume, for easy math, that 10,000 people voted in an election. 1/ - ThreadSky

ethicking.com • 31 days ago

While I have you here: Human error happens in every election, because humans are error machines.

Think about an election. About 3.4 million people voted for president in Wisconsin in 2024. But let's assume, for easy math, that 10,000 people voted in an election. 1/

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pfiore8.bsky.social•30 days ago

Common sense

ethicking.com•31 days ago

Let's also assume that 2,000 of them voted mail-in absentee, and 3,000 of them voted in person, and the rest voted on Election Day. These are very made-up numbers, but again, easy math. 2/

ethicking.com•31 days ago

In Wisconsin, if you vote early (mail in or in person), you need to sign your return envelope, and have a witness certify your return envelope by signing it and putting their address on it. If you vote early in person, that witness is an election worker. 3/

ethicking.com•31 days ago

If you vote mail-in, that witness can be any eligible voter except someone who is on that ballot. That's going to be rare (though my spouse was an elected official for 11 years, so for elections when he was up, I could witness his ballot, but he couldn't witness mine). 4/

mhoreilly.bsky.social•30 days ago

This happened to me and G in 2020, I couldn’t sign his and we had to go in early COVID times to a neighbor. I believe we left it in the middle of his driveway, he walked to the ballot to sign it and walked away. And then maybe we waved to each other. Strangest of time.

ethicking.com•30 days ago

I ended up taking my 2020 ballot to the Bay View library and having it witnessed there. The city set up election inspectors at each drop box location to handle that.

ethicking.com•31 days ago

Still, this is 5,000 ballots filled out by humans and certified by additional humans. Errors can happen:
1. In filling out the ballot (overvoting, improperly marking the ballot)
2. The voter forgetting to sign
3. The witness forgetting to sign
4. The witness forgetting their address

5/

ethicking.com•31 days ago

So, that's 4 potential points of error for each ballot (and there are more possibilities, but again, easy math). And those errors can even happen if you're voting in person, though that's rarer. Still, that's 20,000 points of error. 6/

ethicking.com•31 days ago

Then, on Election Day, those 5,000 additional voters don't have to worry about signatures or addresses. Errors are less likely. But still, they can mark the ballot improperly in a way that won't be caught before it's tabulated. That's another 5,000 error points. 25,000 so far. 7/

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