Comparison of Security: Slot Machines v Electronic Voting Machines
December 28th, 2008The markcrispinmiller.com blog has this interesting comparison of Nevada state security rules for gambling machines, versus the normal state oversight for electronic vote-counting machines. Most significant is that Nevada requires the users of gambling equipment to reveal the software to the government office that regulates gambling. Manufacturers of electronic vote-counting machines have always fiercely resisted sharing their software with state elections officials. Thanks to Ed Still’s VoteLaw blog for the link.
December 28th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Lets just change the entire election system at the state level to random slot machines, and let the President be any American who happens to be the winner of lottery type ticket !
Or perhaps we should use a large elimination poker tournament for the candidates.
The resulting administrations could not possibly be any more incompetent,or a diasaster, than the Clinton/Bush era!
December 28th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I support electronic voting as it would effectively eliminate the need for recounts, regardless of how close the race. However, the software’s source code must be available to the public.
December 28th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Many electronic voting machines eliminate the ability to conduct a recount, and there is no way to know if the software was tampered with.
December 28th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
LEGAL votes.
Over vote – ILLEGAL — some protest and MORON stuff.
Under vote – likely hate the choices on the ballots.
—
Human eyeballs for counting the votes.
If necessary, then mobilize ALL available able-bodied adults in each precinct = military service = judicial / jury service.
ONE count of the LEGAL votes.
All so New Age difficult — for the armies of New Age MORONS.
December 29th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
For a general overview of the stranglehold technology has on our culture, I would highly recommend the book “Technopoly” by Dr. Neil Postman.
December 29th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Just look north of the border. Canada uses paper ballots in national elections (some local elections use machines). The counting is usually completed within a few hours of the polls closing and the types of messes seen in Florida in 2000 and Minnesota this year are mostly unknown. Even the last election in October, which was quite close, was wound up by midnight on the West Coast.
I’m not against technology, but when a simple low-tech solution exists, why mess with it? The “need” for machines seems to be mostly driven by the lobbying of Diebold et al.
December 29th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Unfortunately, electronic voting machines can cause serious problems in close races. In a statewide race in NC in 2004, voting machines erased more votes than the margin between the two candidates. In the 2006 race for the 13th Congressional District in FL, the Republican was leading by about 300 votes when more than 13,000 votes were erased in a Democratic-leaning county.
December 30th, 2008 at 10:10 am
The recent election in Canada was not wound up by midnight. There were some races which were not determined until a few days later.
December 30th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Just to clarify, yes a few ridings in Canada took a few days to decide, but the overall outcome (continuation of the Harper minority government) was known within a few hours of the polls closing. To my knowledge there has been nothing in Canadian history like Florida in 2000 or the current situation in Minnesota.
December 31st, 2008 at 8:43 am
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Canada has the same ballot-type in all the provinces, as mandated by Federal law. Perhaps we should do the same here in the States?
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Why do our cyurrent elected officials not want us using paper ballots? Is it because paper ballots are harder to manipulate?
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:14 pm
The comparison with Canadian paper ballots is ridiculous. Canadians vote for one office in an election: member of House of Commons or member of provincial Legislative Assembly. Americans vote for numerous offices simultaneously in an often confusing ballot format.
January 5th, 2009 at 1:23 am
Obama worshippers are the only ones who are too stupid to figure out how to vote.