Russia puts webcams at voting stations

**YuriVII** · February 12, 2012, 11:19 PM

Russian Central Electoral Comission has responded to protests demanding clean elections by putting webcams monitoring ballot boxes to be an extra safety to ballot stuffing. These webcams will be available online for any user with an internet connection to see. I think the idea is genious. Of course as the guy in the video says, cameras still dont stop people from robbing grocery stores...but I like that idea none the less. Other democratic countries should adopt it. Although it doesn't make much difference in USA because of Diebold electronic voting machines. But still.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16706779

**icydawgfish** · February 13, 2012, 12:56 AM

OR it could be used to harass those who voted for the "wrong" party. Just sayin'.

**Dr Zoidberg** · February 13, 2012, 01:28 AM

As long as they're monitoring the actual ballot boxes right, i.e. the place where people place their votes; and not the actual voting booths, then I can't see much of a problem with this if it prevents vote rigging.

That said, this is Russia, and Putin's Russia at that, so we shall wait and see....

**YuriVII** · February 13, 2012, 01:55 AM

Yeah don't jump to conclusions on this one. When I first read it I thought it was in the voting booths and I was about to make an outraged post over here. Then I reread it. It is specifically for the ballot box- not the voting booth and I thought it was a good idea-especially nowadays when we hear so many stories of how technology is being used against the liberty of citizens.

Yeah it is Putin's Russia and I am gonna go out on a limb here and say that Russia is more democratic than foreigners think. That of course isn't me saying it some Jefforsonian democracy that just gets a bad rap but that it is not the absolute neo-Stalinist paradise some people make it out to be.

Ballot boxes are safe, but you know if I was a corrupt guy I could just change the numbers. I don't need slips of paper to change a vote. Like the guy in my avatar says in the movie of Gangs of New York: "Voters dont decide the election, the counters do! So keep counting!"

**King Gambrinus** · February 13, 2012, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by YuriVII

Yeah don't jump to conclusions on this one. When I first read it I thought it was in the voting booths and I was about to make an outraged post over here. Then I reread it. It is specifically for the ballot box- not the voting booth and I thought it was a good idea-especially nowadays when we hear so many stories of how technology is being used against the liberty of citizens.

Yeah it is Putin's Russia and I am gonna go out on a limb here and say that Russia is more democratic than foreigners think. That of course isn't me saying it some Jefforsonian democracy that just gets a bad rap but that it is not the absolute neo-Stalinist paradise some people make it out to be.

Ballot boxes are safe, but you know if I was a corrupt guy I could just change the numbers. I don't need slips of paper to change a vote. Like the guy in my avatar says in the movie of Gangs of New York: "Voters dont decide the election, the counters do! So keep counting!"

Stalin said that too lol.

The problem seems to be in places like Chechenya where United Russia appears to get 99% of the vote even though there's clear clamour for reform going on there.

**ivan_the_terrible** · February 13, 2012, 02:46 AM

It's meaningless until they put webcams in the counting rooms. I'm sure the electoral fraud doesn't take place with individual citizens putting in extra ballot papers into boxes in the public voting places, but when those boxes are taken away to wherever they get counted.

Nice idea though, if the webcams actually are put where the ballots are counted. Maybe it could even be a prerequisite for countries that receive western aid etc on condition of democratisation.

**Kanaric** · February 13, 2012, 11:32 AM

Seems like the natural evolution of cameras on every street corner.

**Admiral Piett** · February 13, 2012, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Kanaric

Seems like the natural evolution of cameras on every street corner.

This.

Plus, I 2nd the motion for the filming of the count process, rather than the break the value of privacy when voting.

**YuriVII** · February 15, 2012, 07:02 PM

In USA its useless though since most voting is electronic. So you would need some other way to monitor those Diebold voting machines...they dont leave a paper trail and you can be in Timbouktou and change the vote count.

@Futurefilmaker: It's specifically at the ballot box instead of the voting booth.