It has been debated and discussed since computers and the internet
have become so reliable and world changing. That debate centered on
seeing if our representatives can vote via the internet so that they may be
closer to us the people they represent. So what are the arguments for and
against?
For: One of the key reasons that some want their elected
Representatives closer to home is because they are typically unreachable.
Many stay in Washington for most of the year and thus the only way for a
constituent to reach them is by phone, via a home office staffed by interns and
employees who may not forward your message or to spend large sums to go to
Washington D.C. When a Representative is far away they lose touch with
the wants and needs of their constituents and are thus more susceptible to
special interests.
Right now it is easier for special
interest groups like lobbyists and others who want their causes funded or
supported by government to manipulate and bribe our elected officials. It
is easy because the Representatives that make law and dictate where money is
spent are all concentrated in one place. Thus, they only need to rent an
office to lobby on the cheap. If Representatives where to vote from home,
it would be much less feasible for these special interest groups to meet up and
bribe our politicians. Also, cause they will be at home, we the people
will know who outside of the community is meeting up with our Representatives
and when. Thus, it makes it harder to bribe politicians by keeping them
in their home districts and keeping them decentralized.
This decentralized approach has another
advantage. It protects our politicians from terrorist attacks. If a
terrorist wants to attack our government, they have only to attack while
congress is in session. But if all the Representatives are voting from
home, then there is no centralized target to attack.
Against: The biggest fear is hacking or some form of
disruption of the voting process. Voting by proxy of computer has the
same issues as voting using a messenger or by mail. It can either be
intercepted or changed, or not arrive in time due to some other form of
disruption. So Meeting in person is much more secure with respect to
keeping such corruption from occurring.
Conclusion: While I am in favor of
Representatives being home more often, I
am not in favor of computer based voting by our lawmakers. While voting
for a representative is much more easily fixed if the constituents vote via
computer, the idea that a law can be easily fixed after it has been corrupted
is not. So I am open to other alternatives that are more secure.
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