Do your own recount

Official “Check your vote here” websites currently used around the country can easily be updated with Vote Word. In a tight race, or one that you feel personally invested in, you can download the list of votes to a spreadsheet and do your own recount.

Eliminate doubts and distrust

If you have any doubts whatsoever about the accuracy of electronic voting booths–if you suspect fraud, incompetence or simple human error–then seeing your vote and recounting every vote cast means that you know your vote, at least, was counted correctly and the totals are reported correctly. You can no longer say, “I still don’t trust the system,” because your vote got to the right place.

Encourage participatory democracy

If you think others may have been cheated, then you can urge them to check their Vote Word. If they care about their vote, they will want to make sure their vote is counted correctly. Vote Word keeps the system transparent—but still anonymous. For example, let’s say that your friend lost an election to the Board of Education by only 6 votes. You might want to call all known supporters of your friend and encourage them to check their Vote Word (you never know!). Then, you can do your own recount by downloading the results to a spreadsheet.