Asking as the us election is approaching and we know it’s going to be a shitshow and this is if we are lucky. Else it will be something .. well let’s not go there.
Our problem is not how quickly we arrive at a result. That's not even really a problem. Fast results and "breaking news" both have created more problems than they solve.
Our problem is too many people in power aren't interested in trustworthy, reputable elections.
Doing that well does not require machines. In fact, using them often adds weak, or dubious links to the chain of trust between voter intent and a human readable, suitable for a court room, record of their vote.
Further, the winners of past elections are not very interested in changes or improvements that may impact their future in a negative way. Status quo inertia is strong.
All we really need are people, a publically visible process, and leadership committed to a fair election.
We don't have that right now, and we don't have it because corruption is rampant and the incentives to reform run into conflict with large amounts of money. No joke.
I don't know how to fix it. I have seen nothing electronic that comes close.
Think after you read this. Go take a look at elections, and fair and free election standards around the world, and wonder about how we apply those here. More of us need to.
I don't know for USA but in France it goes like this : People put their votes inside an envelope which they then put in a transparent box in front of at least two people, who are making sure you don't put more than one envelope and vote more than once.
When the vote is finished, volunteers and officials count the envelopes from the box and then count the votes. Everything is checked many times, at anytime half of the volunteers are for example checking that the other half is doing well. I did that twice and it's very very difficult to cheat while it's also a simple procedure. The first time, I remember having a lot of people watching me ready to notify any mistake.
Then the results and envelopes are collected and transmitted higher up. If you were part of the vote counting process, or a spectator, you know the numbers and you can check that what is reported is correct. It did happen that dead people were caught voting in the past but usually in France it's simple and secure enough.
Now, try to explain the blockchain to almost everyone.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01677...
notably, if the individual ballot verification process involves each voter knowing their own ballot, this still provides a proof mechanism enabling a voter to demonstrate to another what their actual recorded vote was.