The polls are still open for the 2012 Presidential election and there have already been problems with our democratic vote.

It seems like such a simple process:  go into a booth, cast a ballot. But in this election, as in so many before it, reports of fraudulent or questionable behavior have emerged. There are allegedly voting machines altering votes, voter fraud, as well as a whole host of other electoral problems.  It is enough to make anyone wonder: is my vote actually being counted?

For example, a  YouTube video shows a vote that is actually being altered by a machine. (However, it remains unclear where the video was filmed.) Virginia has already reported voting machine problems, including malfunctioning ballot machines, errors in setting up machines, and not enough machines for the districts.

That doesn’t even include reports of both in-person and absentee voter fraud such as voting at more than one polling location or voting as someone else.  Not to mention the slew of confusion around voter ID laws, voter registration processes, and poll workers who may provide incorrect information to people waiting in line.

In Florida, there were reports of seven to nine hour waits to vote, with some people just giving up and leaving without ever casting a ballot.  Conspiracy theorists predict there will be recounts and complaints and inaccuracies in those recounts.

Which begs the question: why does this keep happening election after election?  Clearly the voting process in this country is abysmal, yet we all line up election after election to experience the same issues. Why don’t government officials take the time to make a more efficient process so that election day isn’t such a nightmare?  Is an accurate, dependable voting system really too much to ask for?

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