Half of America's Voting Machines Are Now Owned by a MAGA Oligarch

Concentration of Ownership vs. Control

• Many argue the core problem is any single private vendor having such a large share of U.S. election infrastructure, regardless of party.
• Others note most jurisdictions buy and physically own the machines, but still depend on vendors for opaque software and support.
• Several think the “MAGA oligarch” framing is rhetorically hyped; one asks for concrete evidence of a strong MAGA link and finds only weak association so far.

Security Concerns and Anecdotes

• Commenters cite long‑running, serious security issues in voting tech (referencing CISA work, Defcon’s Election Village, academic research).
• Specific anecdotes include exposed USB ports on precinct machines and policies preventing them from being locked.
• Some suggest both parties are effectively captured by vendors and have little incentive to push for transparency or reform.

Paper vs. Machines

• Large faction: “Just use paper ballots.” They argue hand‑marked, hand‑counted ballots with party observers are simple, auditable, and used successfully elsewhere.
• Others counter that U.S. ballots often contain dozens of contests, making pure hand counting slow and expensive.
• A widely favored compromise: paper ballots + optical scan (or ballot‑marking devices that produce human‑readable paper) + risk‑limiting audits.

Auditability, Speed, and Trust

• Several see quick preliminary counts as important for perceived legitimacy, citing 2020 confusion as votes were tallied over days.
• Others say speed is overrated; trust, transparency, and mandatory audits matter more.
• Some worry QR‑code‑based systems could encode voter identity or diverge from the printed text; defenders say audits and sampling can detect manipulation, but critics distrust “just trust the machine” arguments.

Voter ID and Identity Infrastructure

• A side thread debates national ID and the SAVE Act–style requirements.
• Pro‑ID commenters want strong, uniform identity proofing before tackling voting tech.
• Opponents argue such schemes risk disenfranchising millions lacking documents and are often pushed for partisan vote suppression.

Partisanship, 2020, and Democratic Norms

• Several stress that structural issues (vendor concentration, gerrymandering, weak oversight) predate Trump.
• Others argue the post‑2020 wave of baseless fraud claims and refusal to accept losses makes partisan control of critical election infrastructure uniquely alarming now.
• Disagreement persists over whether 2020 legal challenges “never got a fair hearing” or were exhaustively tested and found meritless.