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There are lots of reasons. - Technical. You can create auditing systems that require a secret number the user is given at the ballot. They are also shown other

There are lots of reasons. - Technical. You can create auditing systems that require a secret number the user is given at the ballot. They are also shown other numbers that would show different results to deceive people who might try to coerce. This is very off the cuff, there are certainly far more elegant solutions that effect the same result. It's hardly a difficult problem to solve with technology. - Reality. Regardless of whether cameras or photography is allowed in a booth phone video is silent and many voting areas have completely curtained off booths. People could use this to confirm and sell their votes. Problem is nobody's buying, which leads to point three. - Practical. Voting in the US used to be heavily restricted. Each and every vote was crucial. The total number of people voting used to be smaller than the margin of victory between candidates in "close" elections today. To have any effect in modern elections you'd need to carry out an extensive system of vote buying, which is illegal -- you'd get busted incredibly fast. As America has become increasingly politically polarized, you'd also almost certainly end up getting reported by the very people you're trying to buy votes from.

jacques_chester 8y ago
> You can create auditing systems that require a secret number the user is given at the ballot. You can also have paper ballots. They are understood by everybody and do not rely on a handful of high-trust individuals to come up with flawless software. You can ensure votes are counted without revealing identity by using scrutineers. > many voting areas have completely curtained off booths Closed off booths are a legacy of lever-pull voting machines. Semi-open is fine and allows officials and scrutineers to spot people photographing their ballots. > To have any effect in modern elections you'd need to carry out an extensive system of vote buying, which is illegal You can also just make it impossible as well as illegal. It's worth noting that even in elections where vote buying and vote menacing don't change the result, they cause harm in themselves. Some individuals are deprived of their vote by fear and the overall legitimacy of the system is corroded.
pulisse 8y ago
> To have any effect in modern elections you'd need to carry out an extensive system of vote buying, which is illegal But this isn't a new feature of politics. It was equally true during, e.g., the period when Tammany Hall controlled New York, and vote buying was common then. When a political system is corrupted, law enforcement tends to be as well, and nominally illegal practices can flourish, even openly.

jacques_chester 8y ago

> You can create auditing systems that require a secret number the user is given at the ballot. You can also have paper ballots. They are understood by everybody and do not rely on a handful of high-trust individuals to come up with flawless software. You can ensure votes are counted without revealing identity by using scrutineers. > many voting areas have completely curtained off booths Closed off booths are a legacy of lever-pull voting machines. Semi-open is fine and allows officials and scrutineers to spot people photographing their ballots. > To have any effect in modern elections you'd need to carry out an extensive system of vote buying, which is illegal You can also just make it impossible as well as illegal. It's worth noting that even in elections where vote buying and vote menacing don't change the result, they cause harm in themselves. Some individuals are deprived of their vote by fear and the overall legitimacy of the system is corroded.

pulisse 8y ago

> To have any effect in modern elections you'd need to carry out an extensive system of vote buying, which is illegal But this isn't a new feature of politics. It was equally true during, e.g., the period when Tammany Hall controlled New York, and vote buying was common then. When a political system is corrupted, law enforcement tends to be as well, and nominally illegal practices can flourish, even openly.