MTM-Laura Schaar..Election Integrity: The Case for Paper Ballots

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What happens when our votes disappear into a technological black box? South Carolina Election Integrity advocate Laura Scharr pulls back the curtain on America's troubling voting systems while offering a surprisingly simple solution.
The startling truth about our elections emerges quickly: most Americans have no understanding of how their votes are actually counted. Our voting systems operate on technical standards from 2005 - predating the first iPhone - and create what Scharr calls a "weapon of vote destruction." She vividly compares it to receiving a bank statement showing only your final balance with no transaction history. Would you accept that level of opacity with your money? Then why accept it with your vote?
Following her recent Gold Standard Election Expo in Dallas, Scharr expertly walks us through her comprehensive four-phase approach to election reform: voter registration, voter validation, tabulation, and reporting. Each phase must satisfy four essential pillars: accessibility, security, transparency, and verifiability. Her team's simple yet revolutionary "Gold Standard Tally Method" relies on just three elements - people, paper, and pens.
The conversation takes a fascinating turn when examining President Trump's March 25th executive order, which prohibits barcode/QR code tabulation and requires upgrading to new voting system standards by September 2024. With primaries approaching and certification timelines tight, Scharr explains why we might see hand-counted federal races in 2024 - creating a nationwide demonstration of what transparent elections could look like.
Critics claim hand counting would take too long or prove too error-prone, but Scharr's team has debunked these myths through extensive testing. With properly sized precincts of 1,500 voters, counts can be completed by midnight. A Rasmussen poll revealed that 52% of likely voters across all demographics would volunteer to count ballots in their local areas.
Whether you're deeply concerned about election integrity or simply curious about how your vote gets counted, this eye-opening conversation reveals why election reform must precede all other political priorities. As Scharr powerfully states, "Our ballots shall be cast in secret, but they shall not be counted in secret."
Ready to take action? Visit scsafeelections.org to download the Gold Standard white paper and contact your representatives to demand transparent, verifiable elections that restore trust in our democratic process.

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Chapters

1. Introducing Laura Scharr on Election Integrity (00:00:00)

2. The Gold Standard Election Expo (00:01:27)

3. Four Pillars of Election Reform (00:03:16)

4. Trump's Executive Order on Elections (00:06:22)

5. Current Election Technology Challenges (00:10:48)

6. Gold Standard Election Recommendations (00:16:06)

7. Call to Action for Election Reform (00:20:38)

8. Closing and Final Thoughts (00:24:44)