Using the iPhone to keep a 2.0 voter record in the first 2.0 election

After the California primary earlier this year where my touchscreen voting machine literally rebooted in mid-vote, this time around I was wondering what California and/or San Francisco election officials would do. Sure, my buggy e-voting machine did have a paper receipt behind glass next to the machine that looked to have captured my choices accurately, but the whole experience was not particularly reassuring. What about those folks in states that do NOT have a paper record next to the machine?

This election, with all the hype, all the California propositions that really matter, is one where an independent record could be vital. (Of course, this is San Francisco, so it may be a bit of overkill) This is, after all, one of the most important elections in recent times. At least those of us under 35 seems to think so.

So, I was somewhat delighted/relieved to see paper ballots with a Sequoia Optical Voting machine at my precinct. Because I was the first one in line, I watched the workers setup the ballots, the folders and the boxes for the dreaded provisional ballots. The iPhone's camera allowed me to record my vote for any disputed election ballot issues that may or may not arise. So, while my vote may have been case in a 1.0 manner because the powers that be deemed 2.0 election machines dodgy, I used the iPhone's camera (which could still use a flash incidentally) not only to record the moment for posterity, but also to actually provide a record of my vote.