Nicole - very good points. / How a House vote (one-state-one-vote) would have gone, given the rules, is anybody's guess; but yer right, it IS the fallback. / Be very glad the Supreme Court *isn't* elective, though. If it were, it would be 9 Antonin Scaliae. Think about it. Think about what the campaign issues would be. Brrrrr! Direct democracy has its limits.

"I was kidding about the ATMs and the banks. I haven't gotten to use one yet, just pokin' holes in my little yellow card." Given the banning of ol' Hanging Chad, that presumably would be the Optical Scan ballot. It's not bad. Decent compromise. We've field-tested 'em here in CT. Voters & officials like them. Voter-friendly; usable as mail-in absentees; fairly fast count; *acceptably* accurate (nuffin's poifect); and *you can hand-recount them* if ya gotta. Drawbacks: unlike computers & our old mechanical machines, they can't mechanistically prohibit certain voter errors (overvote for the office) nor effectively flag unintentional "undervotes" before it's too late; and tally-wise, their counting devices aren't as readily "linkable" as the fancier computers (touchscreen). But, they're good.

"... precinct locations are generally lousy, difficult to find and difficult to arrange around work hours." Polling-place locations are always great for those who live or work near them, & lousy for those who don't. And, they must change from time to time, especially after redistricting which is constitutionally mandated every decade. What can I tell ya? If your employer is breaking the law, report 'em, dammit. That's un-American. File as a Whistleblower. Tip the newspaper anonymously. 3,000 people were murdered last Sept. 11 by the enemies of democracy. Your bosses can goddamn well let you go & vote, or publicly explain why the Hell not. / 'Scuse me; that pisses me off.

I agree with you about our resources & technology. We're getting there.