RE: electronic voting tomorrow

["York, Albert" <albert.york@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think a reasonable solution would be portable ballot readers on site.
Instead of just stuffing the ballots in a box they would be inserted into
the reader. It would validate that the ballot was punched correctly and
could periodically dial up a central server to send interim results.

Albert York


-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of rob@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 1:56 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: RE: electronic voting tomorrow

Do paper ballots have instant offsite backup in case of fire or flood?
Did paper ballots stop the absentee ballot from the dead guy that made the 
news?
With electronic journalling of all records, will it be harder for a local 
clerk to abscond with some paper ballots?

I am sure that it will go to the Supreme Court.  Being gracious and 
accepting defeat has gone the way of the dodo bird.  It's like trying to 
get a law passed.  Don't want to bother?  Have it done by judicial fiat 
instead.

Rob Berendt
-- 
Group Dekko Services, LLC
Dept 01.073
PO Box 2000
Dock 108
6928N 400E
Kendallville, IN 46755
http://www.dekko.com





"Dan Bale" <dbale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
11/01/2004 04:42 PM
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RE: electronic voting tomorrow






I trust paper ballots far, FAR more than electronic ballots.  Not even
close.  No contest.

As I see it, the big difference between paper and electronic is that with
paper, you always have the physical evidence.  You can see why there are
unexpected discrepancies and the causes (hanging chads, etc.)  I can look 
at
my ballot and match it up to the legend that I punched it from.  (And I
always do this.)

With electronic voting, no one, with the *possible* exception of the
person(s) who wrote the programs, knows what happens exactly when a screen
button is pushed.  A vote bit is sent through a gamut of instructions for
which there are zero auditing capabilities.  It lands in a pool, 
hopefully,
and in the right pool, hopefully.  If someone screams "cheat!", how will
anyone ever verify?  To my knowledge, the auditing capabilities are 
totally
insufficient.

If you're cynical about what happens to a paper ballot after you return it
to be counted, well then, you're not doubting the technology so much as 
you
are the people responsible for ensuring every vote counts.  This type of
cynicism precedes our lifetime.

Overall, if "the people" lose the trust of the electoral process, it is an
open invitation to anarchy.

Who's giving odds that this election won't go before the Supreme Court
again?

db

> -----Original Message-----
> From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx / rob@xxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 4:21 PM
>
> Nothing is trusted anyway.  Not paper ballots.  Not mechanical paper
> ballots (hanging chads).  Nothing.  There will always be an argument
> saying why it's bad.  Thus, should all attempts to improve be 
permanently
> shelved?  After all, if it's all going to be tied up in the
> courts anyway,
> why spend the money on trying to improve the equipment when it could be
> better spent on something less controversial?
>
> Rob Berendt

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