Episode 32767: Open Democracy Minute for February 7, 2022: Stop the Steal activists trying to stop the use of voting machines in NH towns

You're listening to the Open Democracy Minute, keeping Granite State government by and for the people.  A small but vocal group of Stop the Steal activists have been making the rounds in New Hampshire.  As a voter, you have reason to be concerned. For some weeks, proponents of the Big Lie of voter fraud narrative have been organizing a “petitioned warrant article” in 20 towns around the state which use the annual “Town Meeting” format.   This warrant article would remove the use of voting machines in town elections, under the misguided assertion that these optical ballot reading machines are subject to hacking and fraud.  This theory has been discredited, and a first attempt in the back in December 2021, the effort was defeated by sensible voters in the Town of Greenland, 1070 to 20.    Problem is, this Stop the Steal faction forgot to consult with the moderators, town clerks, supervisors of the checklist and ballot clerks who are the backbone of New Hampshire’s election system.   Ballot counting machines are more accurate, save hours of time, save taxpayer dollars, and have been proven over years of use to be very reliable.   More alarming, is the state legislature, where legislators who know better have proposed bills trying to restrict voting machines and require the use of paper ballots.  While the people espousing these bills might not understand, the legislators know that the true aim of these bills is to undermine our election system and implement deliberate barriers to voting.       As Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it's something we DO.”  For the Open Democracy Minute, I'm Brian Beihl.