Mr. Trump and the 2020 Election

Defending Democracy After the US 2020 Presidential Election

Democracy needs to be embraced and treasured as a way for people to celebrate their humanity, their community, and their integrity.  People are people, they like to choose their leaders and they like to have their votes count.

Maricopa County Casting Ballot

Source: Citizens Clean Election Commission.

Qualities of an election system that stand out as core protectors of the system of government called democracy include:

1.    A local system of voting where the poll site and local election district implement the pre-election and the election day procedures as specified by law in every state

2.    Voting for representatives of government positions at every level of government in a manner that is fair for everyone.

3.    Support for secure in-person voting. 

4.    Use of mail-in ballots as needed.

5.    Step-by-step procedure manuals for before polls open, during voting hours, and after polls close.

6.    Step-by-step procedure manuals individual for each locality, each state, each vendor voting system.

7.    Observation of every step of the election process by representatives of opposing parties with certificates from each stage signed by them, and signed certificates of process signed by observers who represent each major opposing party.

8.    Certifications signed by representatives of opposing parties stored in blockchain or other immutable, protected data storage devices along with paper copies are fundamental to protecting the integrity of the election. 

Voting systems that make fraud detectable are an essential aspect of election systems.

Democracy rides on the back of a majority vote.  The only way to determine the will of the majority is to conduct fair, open elections certified by representatives of opposing parties.  Democracy is first and foremost letting the will of the majority be expressed.  One definition of the majority that has stood the test of time is “all men are created equal”, which has been interpreted by the US Supreme Court to include women and people of color. 

The practice that has evolved of people volunteering to work in the polling place to collect and count votes has been effective for hundreds of years.  In 2020 there was controversy over the voting counting and the marking of ballots.

Maricopa County Voting System Spurred Recounts

Source: 12News

Voting system security needs to support the concept of everyone participating in the electoral process. The phrase "all men are created equal" is part of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1776 during the beginning of the American Revolution.  Since that revolution, we in the US have evolved a representative system with the number of representatives at every level of government roughly based on population. In Maricopa County, Arizona everyone wanted to vote and have their votes counted, which after multiple recounts and contests it turned out Joe Biden still won the US presidency.

Donald Trump wanted to hold onto power no matter what, he kind of ignored the history of our country, maybe he never learned it in school. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” embraces the concept that the King of England, the rich guy, could not tax the colonists without representation.  In the US today, the striation of the very wealthy, symbolized by the fact that most rich guys pay very low tases, has become a problem for the rest of the population.

In summary, protecting democracy is simple:  Be sure the voting systems make fraud detectable, Use 3-to-7-page step-by-step procedure manuals at every poll site.  Have step-by-step procedure manuals with text accompanied by a picture for each step.  Have poll workers and election officials from opposing parties work side by side to perform the duties of running the election.  Ensure that every stage of the election a written certification is signed by election officials and poll workers from opposing parties.  Store the certifications in a blockchain that provides immutable protection. 

Respectfully Submitted,

By Susan Eustis

Ms. Eustis serves on several national Election Standards committees, including several from MIST, she leads the Government Blockchain Association voting working group, and WinterGreen Research has a market research study on voting machines written by her and the team at WinterGreen Research. https://www.wintergreenresearch.com/product-page/voting-machine-markets

Ms. Eustis invented the first electronic voting machine, some of the patents are under the name Mary Huhn, her given name.