So, the Democratic caucuses last night in Iowa have turned into a technological shit show. An untested app for reporting results, jammed phone lines, older volunteers who refused to download the party’s app for reporting results, zero training on the app for volunteers, an app that simply didn’t work or couldn’t connect, and then claims of victory by campaigns who have absolutely no idea what the numbers really are. The app used last night to report results “had not been vetted, tested at scale, or even shown to independent experts before being introduced in Iowa.” Trump tweeted that the only winner in Iowa last night was him, and he’s right.
We act like technology is going to make everything better, when in reality, technology does a better job of fucking everything up. Barring the hanging chad debacle in 2000, this country seemed to be doing just fine electing people without technology more complicated than an ink pen. The American electoral process is broken. Hell, why do we still vote on Tuesday? I’m pretty sure most voters aren’t traveling to the polls on their buckboard after the crops are put up. Why isn’t election day a national holiday? Wouldn’t that make it easier for people to, you know, vote? And why are we relying on untested, eminently hackable technology?
Oh, and good morning, Oppo. Have a bonus car-politics related pic.
