Are votes in American elections being counted fairly and accurately?  In an open democracy worthy of the name, this should not be a question for forensic science, but in 21st century America, that's just what it is.  The United States is unique in the developed world in counting votes with proprietary software that has been ruled a trade secret, not open to inspection, even by local officials whose responsibility it is to administer elections.  As we have learned, there is stiff resistance to looking at the ballots with human eyes which might offer a check on the computers.  So we are left looking at statistics and anecdotes, trying to determine whether vote counts are honest and reliable.  The evidence does not inspire confidence.  But whatever you think of the evidence, there is no justification for a system without the possibility of public verification.