If you are taking the time to read this congratulations the presidential campaign has not consumed your every waking thought.
There are two things I’m concerned about leading up to and on the day of voting.
One, which is really two, is how states ensure that only citizens vote and the security of electronic voting machines. It’s a privilege of citizenship to vote in national elections. It’s how we the people determine who we are as a nation and how we will embody our beliefs on the world stage.
I believe that requiring ID proving citizenship when registering to vote or showing up at a voting station should be mandatory. There are so many less important elements of our day to day where we must present ID that it seems crazy to me that it’s not held up as the standard here.
I also believe that all electronic voting machines should be tested and certified as meeting a standard of cybersecurity compliance by CISA the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. Not only the machines but the backend processing of the votes too.
Two, is the level of vitriol and hate I see between our fellow countrymen and women. Will there be acts of violence at voting stations, I hope not. But I can foresee it, if the vote doesn’t go one way or the other for a group of extremists. The day of and for weeks after will be tense.
The other scenario is related to Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Will an escalation in the Middle East draw in America? If it does, will it spill over onto American soil. There is lots of speculation that the next attack on America will be much larger than 9/11. That ISIS(X) and others want to outdo the planes attack. When you have sleepers all across the United States does the next attack look more like lots of small cells attacking voting stations where there are 50-100 people waiting to vote?
A coordinated attack at lunch time when many people leave work to vote could end in a much larger death toll than 9/11.
Yes, I know I’m old but take a look at the Tet offensive of January 30th, 1968.
Due to a coordinated attack, the U.S. and South Vietnamese militaries lost more than 2,100 and 4,000 dead, respectively. An estimated 12,500 civilians were killed.
Personally, I hope I’m wrong. Get out and vote. Keep your head on a swivel. Protect your loved ones and enjoy the fall.