We Have the Technology

Over at Electoral-Vote.com, the Votemaster has a modest proposal:

Why can't we make a voting system that is 100% right all the time? It would seem to me that the right way to do this would be a touch screen machine that asks the voter to make choices for the various offices in a language chosen by the voter (with audio output if desired), and when all done prints a paper ballot the voter can personally verify and deposit in the ballot box. The computer total would be available instantly after the polls close but in the event of a challenge, these paper ballots could be optically scanned or even hand counted. I can't believe a system like this is infeasible and it would certainly help restore faith in the electoral process.

What could be simpler than that? Unfortunately, the GOP has pretty much abandoned the notion that America is capable of inventing things, and discovering things, and solving problems; everything from stockpiling vaccines, to manufacturing trustworthy voting machines, to mass-producing biodiesel seems to be a bit beyond American ingenuity these days, to hear BushCo tell it. Though I'm sure that when the GOP starts mandating ritual sacrifices to Baal, John Poindexter will come up with a computer program that will streamline the process wonderfully.