Updated: When You Vote, Double-Check Your Ballot

Elections

touch_screen_lgA few of you may have seen stories circulating late last week and this week about problems with electronic voting machines in Arkansas.

According to KARK news, at least one person who voted early reported that when she used the touchscreen voting machine to cast her ballot, the machine misread her vote; instead of marking the candidates she selected, the machine marked the candidates’ opponents. In this particular case, KARK writes, the woman voted for several Republicans, but the machine recorded the votes as being for Democrats.

According to election officials, electronic voting machines have to be calibrated in order for the touchscreens to work properly. As the machines are used over and over again, those calibrations can change and the machines begin to malfunction.

Review Your Vote Before Casting It

The lesson here is regardless of whether you are using a paper ballot or an electronic one, always review your ballot carefully before you submit your vote.

If you incorrectly mark a paper ballot, you should be allowed to get a new ballot from a poll worker. If you spot a mistake on an electronic ballot, you should be able to correct it before submitting your vote.

According to the Secretary of State’s website, electronic voting machines offer two ways to review your ballot before you submit it. The first is on a “Review” screen; when you are done marking candidates, you simply click “Review” and review your vote in much the same way you might review a purchase on a website before actually submitting your purchase.

The second is on a paper receipt to the left of the touchscreen. The electronic voting machine prints out a paper receipt with your votes recorded on it. When you review your votes on the screen, I would suggest also reviewing the paper receipt to make sure they both match with how you voted.

If you spot a mistake, follow the instructions on the screen to correct it or ask a poll worker for help. And after you’ve corrected your mistake, review your ballot again–just to make sure the machine accurately recorded your correction.

Conclusion

Reviewing your ballot is simply another part of voting responsibly. If you spot a problem with a ballot or if you think an electronic voting machine may be malfunctioning, notify a poll worker immediately.

Update: KATV reported last night that Pulaski County has received about a dozen of complaints of “vote flipping,” with votes cast for one candidate being recorded for the candidate’s opponent. Similar reports have come out of Lonoke County and Franklin County. Election officials are recalibrating voting machines daily and encouraging every voter who uses the machines to verify their ballot before submitting.

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4 Things You Need to Know About the “Hitching Post” Case

Religious Freedom,

We have written recently about two ministers (Mr. and Mrs. Knapp)  in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, who face the prospect of fines and jail time for failing to permit a same-sex wedding at their wedding chapel.

Same-sex marriage became legal in Idaho a few weeks ago when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal over a lower court ruling striking the state’s marriage laws. According to attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom–who is representing the ministers–city officials told the pair multiple times that their wedding chapel would be required to perform same-sex weddings. The ministers filed suit against the city. Now the city is backing off, saying that because the wedding chapel is a nonprofit entity, they won’t be required to perform same-sex weddings after all.

There’s just one problem, ADF writes: The Hitching Post Wedding Chapel is not non-profit. It is a for-profit chapel. In fact, ADF says there are four things that need to be set straight about this case concerning religious liberty:

  1. The Hitching Post is a for-profit corporation, and it always has been.
  2. The city, on at least three separate occasions, made clear that because the Hitching Post is a for-profit company the Knapps would be in violation of the law and subject to criminal prosecution and punishment if they declined to perform same-sex marriages.
  3. The lawsuit is not premature.
  4. Idaho’s religious freedom laws should protect the ministers and their business.

This is a critical case for religious liberty in America. The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Hobby Lobby case makes it clear that business owners do not forfeit religious liberty by entering the marketplace. In America, you are not only free to engage in business, but to do so in a manor consistent with your deeply-held convictions.

To read ADF’s full article “setting the record straight” on the situation in Coeur d’Alene, click here.

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Houston Mayor Receives 500+ Bibles, Backs Off Churches

Religious Freedom,

After two weeks of controversy, the Mayor of Houston has withdrawn subpoenas of church sermons from local pastors.

The mayor’s office initially subpoenaed all pastoral communications, sermons, and similar documents related to homosexuality, the city’s mayor, and the city’s controversial “nondiscrimination” ordinance. After receiving push-back, the city said it no longer wanted pastors’ sermons; instead it would settle for their “speeches.” Needless to say, that did very little to end the controversy.

Yesterday, Mayor Parker released a statement announcing she is directing her legal team to withdraw its subpoenas against the pastors.

When the subpoenas first came to light, leaders and ministers from across the country had different ideas on ways pastors in Houston could peacefully protest the city’s actions. John Piper suggested pastors invite the mayor to church for a sermon on biblical sexuality. Mike Huckabee, Glenn Beck, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Eric Metaxas all gained attention, however, for suggesting Christians politely send the mayor’s office a copy of the Bible and pastors send a copy of a sermon. Local news outlets are reporting the mayor’s office received between 500 and 1,000 Bibles from Americans concerned by the city’s actions.

We are glad the City of Houston is withdrawing its subpoenas of the sermons and pastoral communications, but it’s troubling the withdrawal took so long and came only after members of the public rallied and the city’s rather meaningless attempts to change the wording of the subpoenas failed.

We will continue to monitor the situation in Houston for any similar developments in the future.

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