Presidential hopeful - I think not.

For those of you who don't know me that well, Vote Twice for Swice isn't a legitimate attempt to win the Presidency. Instead, it's an experiment in political wikis. There are two protected pages that only I can edit, everything else is up for grabs. Being a wiki, it is entirely possible that various portions will be changed by myself or others, but the idea is to create a Centrist Presidential Platform and bring awareness to one of the potential flaws of electronic voting that can be addressed if the politicians make it happen - the write-in vote.

I see the possibility for the quick and hasty embrace of electronic voting machines post Election 2000 in the name of making sure "every vote counts". What happens when the write-in vote isn't an option any longer because touch screens without that option have replaced them? What happens when someone like myself, outside the political - well, possibly even the regular - mainstream decide to launch a grassroots attempt for any seat? If I can't get my name on the ballot because of time restraints or the lack of financing to mobilize a state-wide/nation-wide signature campaign I am effectively blocked from entering the race. Thus the two parties, in their quick embrace of technology to fix a problem have fixed the method for getting into an election.

Electronic voting is the answer - we need a fast, accurate voting machine that can provide immediate feedback to the voter to insure that their vote is cast for the candidate that they wanted it cast for. Write-in votes can still be a part of this equation. The last few years have seen character recognition software (CRS) become extremely powerful. Voters could be presented with the ballot, with one extra place to select for write-in votes. Once there, they are given a box in which to print the name of the person they wish to vote for. The written name is run through a CRS program and displayed back to the user for them to verify. At this time, they can make any adjustments necessary by selecting a character and using the on-screen keyboard. Thus preserves the "write-in" vote, and still provides a means of privately checking to make sure it is recorded correctly.

So is a Vote (once or twice) for Swice a wasted vote? Both parties are so essentially the same that a vote for a change might be your best bet. Visit Vote Twice for Swice and help create the platform that if elected I will uphold. Once that's in place, then decide if it's a waste to flip a coin to decide who you vote for, or to vote for something and someone that stands for something different.