A Resolution Opposing Reverting to Hand-Counting Ballots
WHEREAS, humans are good at a great many things, but accurately counting large numbers of objects is not among them;
WHEREAS, modern counting machines are very good at counting quickly and accurately, as it is their entire purpose for existing;
WHEREAS, it has been well documented that hand-counting ballots introduces more errors than it resolves;
WHEREAS, the Wyoming Election Code sets a strict time limit for the counting of ballots and certification of election results.
WHEREAS, the Wyoming Election Code states that ballots “shall not be determined subjectively by human tabulation except when the intent of the voter is unmistakable but the ballot was received in such damaged, soiled, or other condition that it is rejected by the machine.”
WHEREAS, the hand-counting of ballots is by nature extremely time consuming, requiring many person-hours of the time of well-trained and competent staff;
WHEREAS, the hand counting of ballots is by nature extremely expensive, owing to the aforementioned staff time needed, and this is coming at a time when the state is suffering budget cuts already;
WHEREAS, human tabulation reduces the secrecy of the ballot in cases where citizens with disabilities require a machine to be able to vote;
WHEREAS, county election offices already are struggling to find enough staff to run free and fair elections without the massively increased staffing needs that would be imposed by hand-counting ballots;
WHEREAS, election results are already thoroughly checked and audited, and these results do not find errors or fraud;
WHEREAS, the only people who have concerns about the integrity of the election process seem to be those who have not taken the opportunity to closely observe the process. At every step of the process there are observers from more than one political party, as well as the professional staff and election judges, and none of these people ever call into question the integrity of the steps they performed or observed;
WHEREAS, calls for the hand counting of ballots stem from paranoia rather than facts; WHEREAS, the accuracy of the ballot count is of paramount importance to the legitimacy of the government;
WHEREAS, the accuracy of the ballot count is of paramount importance to the Liberty and Equality of the people;
WHEREAS, the accuracy of the ballot count is threatened by human tabulation of the results;
WHEREAS, our Elected County Clerks and their Election staff are professionals trained in voting best practices;
Resolved, the Wyoming Democratic Party opposes without reservation the hand-counting of ballots in the state of Wyoming when machine counting is possible.
Resolved, the Wyoming Democratic Party respects the expertise of the County Clerks and supports their decisions.
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