There are a number of categories of voters that are disenfranchised in one way or another in the United States, and that's simply unacceptable.  Here's a list of some of the most disenfranchised voters.

The Blind

Guess what... You know those "HAVA Compliant" voting machines that allow disabled persons to vote "independently" and "privately."  Well, there's no such voting machine that allows a blind person to vote completely privately.  The best example is the Automark.  It uses headphones to read a ballot to an individual; the individual then uses a touch pad to place his/her votes; then the machine physically marks a paper ballot.  Then, the voter must remove the ballot and take it to the ballot box.  Guess what, a blind person can't do that last step without assistance.

The Wheelchair bound

A ramp doesn't mean a building is wheelchair accessible.  Are the doors wide enough?  Is there a booth that is wheelchair accessible?

The Mentally Disabled

Any usability person knows that letters in all caps causes serious difficulties for certain types of people, but even still, it is still mandated by law that certain parts of ballots be in all caps.

The Illiterate

Not everyone knows how to read, believe it or not, so why are we forcing people to have to read ballots?  Their vote still counts.

The Military

This is most astounding group of disenfranchised voters.  Those deployed overseas must request an absentee ballot that may or may not get to them in time.  It can take almost 6 months for an absentee ballot to get to our men and women in uniform and back.  Then, the ballots are probably not counted anyway!  To put it mildly -- this pisses me off!  Our most patriotic citizens can't even vote because politicians have yet to get off their asses and put into place ethical election systems!

These will be problems in November, so look out for them.  If you see someone get turned away because the polling place can't accommodate their special needs, call it out, blog about it, twitter it, raise hell! Voter disenfranchisement is not acceptable!  That said, please respect people's privacy.  If they choose not to call it out, they probably want to be left alone, so don't identify them.

Now, how do we fix this in the future?  We have to move to good election technology that is universal.  One machine that accommodates every need with multi-modal interfaces.  Prime III at Auburn University currently uses a touch user interface and a voice user interface which accounts for most disabilities; however, it would also be possible to include a tactile user interface as well.  Then, we have to implement some form of electronic voting for people overseas.  This may sound scary, but it's really not as dangerous as some doomsdayers would have you believe.  Many people pay bills online with zero problems, and just about everyone trusts an ATM... Why is a voting machine different?

Regardless of political affiliation, we all agree the voting system in this country must be fixed.  Honestly, I think it needs a complete overhaul.  The voting system has become a political toy to try and keep certain voters from the other side from being able to vote.  This has to stop, and we have to stop it.  There's a white elephant in the room.  Can you see it, or have I gone insane?

Posted by: Travis