Sunshine, lollipops, rainbows everywhere...

I voted yesterday during early voting at the mall. It is at once odd and comforting to cast my ballot in the mall, a temple to consumerism. I spun the little dial on the electronic machine to make my choices, then pressed the red button (how appropo...) to cast my ballot.

I must admit it's exciting to vote. I feel good today. Don't worry, there's still a part of me that wonders about the reliability of electronic voting booths. I didn't get a paper receipt yesterday [no one did] so there's no way for me to know that my vote was really counted. If there's a problem later, I can't turn in my paper receipt for recounting or proof. I didn't check to see who made the machine I used last night. HBO is showing a controversial documentary about Diebold, the e-voting machine manufacturing company (whose CEO is apparently a religious nut and [surprise!] an outspoken Dubya supporter). Oy.

Is it too much to ask for me to get a little paper record of my vote? I get a receipt every time I use my debit card or check out a book at the library...why not at the voting booth? Come on, Election Commissioners! How about a little accountability?