Make balloting process transparent

On Super Tuesday, I worked at a poll in a Cook County suburb.

Voting equipment in Cook County includes both touch screens and an optical scanner.

The touch screens have a paper trail, and users are able to check that their votes have been archived correctly on paper before they cast their vote. Actual paper ballots are fed through the scanner and deposited in a storage bin.

I have long been a critic of electronic voting and the danger of technology that compromises the voting process. As a result, I have argued for a return to paper ballots with hand counting.

As I sat at the judges table during the important primary election, I was reminded of a quote from Joseph Stalin. He said he didn't care how many people voted; he only cared about who counted the ballots.

A ballot scanner can be rigged if someone is determined and there is lax security. A touch screen paper trail can survive, even if incorrect, if the voter wasn't vigilant. Even a ballot box of paper ballots can be "stuffed" and ballots can be "miscounted."

All steps of the electoral process need to be transparent and to have honest people from each political persuasion involved at each step.

I commend Cook County election officials for their decision to assure paper trails. I encourage them to also include citizens from all parties as part of each step in the process. Then we will know we have done everything possible to ensure the results of our elections are fair and accurate.

Karen Wagner

Rolling Meadows