Once again, the failures of the American election system to adapt to the 21st century have been put on display for the world to see. As the Democratic caucus in Iowa came to a close on Tuesday, voters, pundits and the American public eagerly awaited the results of the first in the nation results. The results, however, didn’t come. Hours went by, and it became more and more clear that something had gone wrong. When the sun came up the next day, there were still no results, but the nation had come to find out that multiple Iowa districts had been chosen not by voters but by coin toss. Once again, the results of an election were up in the air, leading to newfound speculation about corruption in an American election.

This, of course, is nothing new for our system. In 2000, it was the Florida recounts and hanging chad controversy for George Bush. For Barack Obama, it was thousands of allegedly dead voters who were left on voter rolls. For Donald Trump, it was alledged Russian interference that lead to investigations that plague his presidency to this day. Election fraud, and fighting it, should be a bipartisan issue. Each of us, as Americans, has a vested interest in ensuring that our votes not only count, but that they are not offset by means of election interference. 

We are now over 20 years into the age of the internet, and we still have no effective method through which we can guarantee the security of our elections. It is about time for that to change. We, as Americans, deserve to know that our leaders were duly elected by us, the people of the United States of America. There should be no Russians, no deceased citizens and no hackers in our elections. 

Our election machines need to be made by completely non-partisan organizations, not affiliated with any candidate or party. Our ballots should be easy to read, accessible and indisputable when they are cast. Voters should be verified in a quick and easy way that ensures  authenticity of every vote cast. As Americans, that is the least we deserve from our elections. 

When you cast your vote, you know exactly who it was that you voted for. There should be absolutely no reason for the individual responsible for counting your vote to cast doubt on that vote; it is not theirs to change. Our new system needs to be fair, free and American. Each and every one of us deserves to know that our vote will count towards the candidate we cast it for. Our votes being dismissed as a result of a torn piece of paper or because they were somehow suspected of undue influence is ridiculous. Our votes being tossed aside and winners decided by coin toss is ridiculous. It’s archaic, and it’s time for it to change.