On paper and pencil

I have to say, I don't agree with Jay regarding voting methods in the specific context of the American electoral system. Paper and pencil work excellently in our electoral system. I honestly can't see how they'll work at all well in the American system, which is, I will grant you, structurally crazy. The paper ballot counting at King's that Jay and I presided over back when we were wild and crazy would take two or three hours to count three hundred votes. Given that you'd have more races, more controversy, and infinitely more votes to count, I have to think that switching to paper and pencil would be disastrous for the American electoral system. Not that it isn't disastrous already.

That said, I like Jay have to ask why some sort of paper receipt for voter verification and recount purposes hasn't been a requirement for every electronic voting machine. It just seems like common sense. On the other hand, these are the guys who hold referenda on whether of not to ban gay marraige-common sense is perhaps in shorter supply than one would like.