Carlyn Reichel is the newest member of the By The People blogging team. Carlyn joins America.gov having recently completed a master’s degree in public policy. While writing has long been one of Carlyn’s hobbies, it wasn’t until graduate school that she presumed she had something to say worth sharing – even when she didn’t. She previously worked in public relations and continues to be a political junkie, a history and literature nerd, and a concerned global citizen.

In the United States, there are more than 600,000 elected offices in the United States. Additionally, there are numerous ballot measures and special elections that come up on a regular basis. For some it feels like that on any given Tuesday, someone somewhere in America is probably voting on something. Last week in fact, there was a special election for a federal office, a few states held off-year gubernatorial elections, and several cities including New York City and Atlanta held municipal elections. Atlanta’s ended without a clear winner in the mayoral race, so a run-off will be held in a few weeks. More elections.

But Americans have carried this craze for democracy and elections even further, and it is now a huge part of our entertainment life. Reality television often lets those watching at home vote, online or via phone, for their favorites to continue on the program. From American Idol to Dancing with the Stars, many of these shows rely on democratic fan participation. I am personally a fan of So You Think You Can Dance, and I exercise my right to vote regularly. That show also gets us to vote on Tuesday. At least we’re consistent.

The thing I find interesting though is that these shows sometimes get more voters than off-year Congressional elections in the U.S. It makes me wonder how much is the subject matter and how much is the ease of voting by text message or simply placing a phone call. Would more people vote in political elections if they could do so from the palm of their hand? What about outside the United States – could SMS voting make it easier for people in new democracies to voice their support in elections?

Of course, there are many problems with this – verifying voter eligibility and fraud to name only two – but we are continually looking for ways to make voting easier and more accessible using modern technology. As Stephen Kaufman recently mentioned, “Scantegrity” technology lets voters check online after they have cast their vote to make sure it was recorded accurately. It’s still a paper ballot, but it could help ensure every vote is counted correctly. What do you think about using new technologies to make voting easier?

(I’m listening to “Let the Good Times Roll” by The Cars)

Voting usually involves a sizable time commitment to stand in long lines and get your eligibility checked before finally proceeding to the voting booth. But after it’s over, do you ever get a lingering suspicion that your effort may have been in vain and your vote will not actually be counted?

The recent November 3 election in my town, Takoma Park, Maryland, saw the first-ever use of a voting system that would allow you to verify that, in fact, your vote was counted and your time was not wasted. It also lets you play the role of being your own elections monitor to ensure that your vote went to the candidate of your choice.

The system involves the use of paper ballots and specially designed ink that prints a unique three-letter code once you have marked your choice. The voter writes down the serial number of their ballot and the codes. After the polls close in the evening, they can go online and type the serial number of their ballot and see an image of it. Then they can check that the three-letter codes that were revealed when they made their choice are in fact the same ones on the ballot they see on the computer screen.

Of course, on the technical and transparency side, there is more to it, and I encourage you to check out this article.

Also, in full disclosure, I did not do my civic duty and go to the polls, where our mayor was up for re-election and there were a few contested and uncontested city council representations at stake. Otherwise I would now be able to report on my own test of the new system. Next year I promise to do better.

Michelle, you ask “What if my one vote made the difference in an election, resulting in this person winning?” In my (long ago) youth I consumed by the pound classic science fiction, including an old Isaac Asimov story called, I think, “The Voter.” The premise is that a super “Multivac” computer determines all election results but needs input from one and only one human being. That person is designated simply The Voter. Great speculation ensues every four years: will The Voter be old or young? From North or South? Average or extraordinary? Elections are known not for the candidates but instead the identity of the voter, viz. “The Michelle Austein Brooks” election.

Not so bad for Michelle if the winners govern wisely; problematic if not, as folks tend to blame not the President but, well, Michelle. Quite the burden for one humble voter: lionized if things go well but just as easily blamed for war, economic disaster, the Yankees buying another pennant and other assorted disasters. And it’s not as if Multivac asked “McCain or Obama?” The “ballot” more likely read: “So, Michelle, what color shoes do you like?”

On your other point: I’ll confess to the occasional case of ballot exhaustion. This past cycle, the head of our county government won a congressional race, opening his former position and necessitating a special election. Our local county delegate declared for that race. I respect her greatly, so on the appointed day I raced home from work and duly voted for her. She won, necessitating yet another special election for her old job. And I sat that one out. Not proudly, but so many new faces, not enough time to learn about them, so very much campaign literature stuffed under our doormat….

My mom once voted in a local election for a candidate named Friedman. She knew nothing about him, nor about his opponents. A Friedman, she figured, had to be good. He turned out to be a cult member and a total lunatic. Thankfully Mom was outvoted. But I’ve ever since steered clear of local contests when I don’t know enough about the candidates or the issues. Again, not with pride, but in recognition of my own all-too-real limitations.