for consistent, secure, dependable voting procedures. By incorporating the time tested infallibility of the Paper Ballot based voting systems in Switzerland, and catering these techniques to the specific needs of the voting consumer, SwissVS provides necessary and cost effective services and products. We believe that by initially focusing on the populations that have the most similarities to Swiss voting, SwissVS is in a better position to market itself with confidence. The world’s entire democratic voting entities are too large and too varied to tackle at one go. However, preliminary research shows comparable U.S. populations which could benefit from the SwissVS report.Brief Introduction
Swiss Voting System, Freedom of Voting ®(SwissVS), meets the obvious need of the U.S. and other democratic states
The approximately 7 million U.S. overseas voters are one group, that coud benefit from the report. This is a population that is almost exactly the population of Switzerland. SwissVS could help this population by developing easier methods for these voters to accurately cast their votes. For example, by following such mandates as HAVA has initiated, and overseas and military constituents cry for SwissVS can create central state databases for all elections.
Other obvious compatible populations are the mail in, domestic absentee or early voting constituents. These existing voting systems can benefit from SwissVS and would be cost effective and easy to implement on short notice.
Some examples of how to cater already existing systems to SwissVS can be developed in regard to the voting ballot. Existing paper ballots are confusing and inconsistent. Mailing in ballots, while possibly eliminating some poll station mistakes, take away the formality and feel (*ceremonial aspects of voting) that are a valuable experience on Election Day. This is especially true for first time voters, and people who are afraid of change. On the other hand, the Swiss mail in ballot is color coded and easy to use. One could encourage the printing of democratic, republican and green party symbols on ballots as well as patriotically coloring them red, white or blue for federal, state, and local categories. Red for federal, white for state etc., etc. With an automatically generated receipt of vote sent by mail with accompanying "I Voted Today Sticker" one could possibly bottle this feeling of Election Day patriotism.
We are positive that as research and development continue, more ways of improving voting in the U.S. will surface. But for the immediate time we strongly believe that our attention should focus on mail in ballots, and ballot designs should be the product of choice.