Kennedy Advocates Paper Ballots to Ensure Election Integrity
In the wake of recent voting irregularities in Puerto Rico’s primary elections, prominent figures are raising concerns about the security of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate for the 2024 U.S. presidential race, and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and X, have both advocated for significant changes to the voting process to safeguard election integrity.
Kennedy Highlights EVM Issues
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took to social media to express his concerns, citing numerous voting irregularities during Puerto Rico’s recent primaries. “Puerto Rico’s primary elections just experienced hundreds of voting irregularities related to electronic voting machines, according to the Associated Press. Luckily, there was a paper trail so the problem was identified and vote tallies corrected. What happens in jurisdictions where there is no paper trail?” Kennedy wrote.
He emphasized the importance of ensuring every vote is accurately counted and preventing election interference. Kennedy proposed a nationwide return to paper ballots, stating, “U.S. citizens need to know that every one of their votes were counted, and that their elections cannot be hacked. We need to return to paper ballots to avoid electronic interference with elections. My administration will require paper ballots and we will guarantee honest and fair elections.“
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Elon Musk echoed Kennedy’s concerns, highlighting the potential risks posed by electronic voting machines. “We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high,” Musk asserted. This statement followed an announcement by Puerto Rico’s elections commission on June 12 about reviewing its contract with Dominion Voting Systems due to the discrepancies found during the primaries.
We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high. https://t.co/PHzJsoXpLh
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2024
Puerto Rico’s Election Glitches
Puerto Rico’s primary elections have come under scrutiny following reports of numerous discrepancies linked to EVMs. The elections commission reported software glitches in machines supplied by Dominion Voting Systems. Jessika Padilla Rivera, interim president of the commission, acknowledged that some machines inaccurately calculated and reported vote totals. Instances included machine-recorded votes that significantly differed from paper receipts, with some machines even reversing totals or registering zero votes for certain candidates.
“The concern is that we obviously have elections in November, and we must provide the island not only with the assurance that the machine produces a correct result but also that the result it produces is the same one that is reported,” Padilla said. The commission is now conducting a thorough review of its contract with Dominion Voting Systems. More than 6,000 Dominion machines were deployed for Puerto Rico’s primaries, affecting races for governor and mayor.
This is a huge sweeping generalization statement that implies no one can build secure digital hardware. Wrong. @elonmusk 's view may apply to US n other places - where they use regular compute platforms to build Internet connected Voting machines.
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) June 16, 2024
But Indian EVMs are custom… https://t.co/GiaCqU1n7O
Global and Local Reactions
Musk’s remarks have sparked debate globally, including in India, where EVM security has long been a contentious issue. BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticized Musk’s statement as a “huge sweeping generalization,” defending India’s EVMs as custom-designed, secure, and isolated from any network. “Electronic voting machines can be architected and built right as India has done. We would be happy to run a tutorial Elon,” Chandrasekhar said. Musk responded, “Anything can be hacked,” reiterating his concerns.
EVMs in India are a "black box," and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 16, 2024
Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process.
Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability. https://t.co/nysn5S8DCF pic.twitter.com/7sdTWJXOAb
‘टेक्नॉलजी’ समस्याओं को दूर करने के लिए होती है, अगर वही मुश्किलों की वजह बन जाए, तो उसका इस्तेमाल बंद कर देना चाहिए।
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 16, 2024
आज जब विश्व के कई चुनावों में EVM को लेकर गड़बड़ी की आशंका ज़ाहिर की जा रही है और दुनिया के जाने-माने टेक्नोलॉजी एक्सपर्ट्स EVM में हेराफेरी के ख़तरे की ओर… pic.twitter.com/evNAIxP4RG
Opposition leaders in India, such as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, have seized on Musk’s remarks to stress their own concerns about EVM security. The Election Commission of India maintains that EVMs are a viable and secure voting method with robust safeguards in place.
As the debate continues, the focus remains on ensuring election integrity and addressing the potential vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems. Both Kennedy and Musk’s advocacy for paper ballots reflects a growing concern over the reliability and security of EVMs in safeguarding democratic processes.
