Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Call me a Luddite...

"Programming errors and inexperience dealing with electronic voting machines frustrated poll workers in hundreds of precincts early Tuesday, delaying voters in Indiana, Ohio and Florida and leaving some with little choice but to use paper ballots instead." (cnn.com)

"The voting process wasn't always smooth, with precincts in several states staying open later than scheduled because of problems with voter machines." (cbc.ca)

"Ultimately, Bev Harris' research proved that the top-secret computerized systems counting the votes in America's public elections are not only fallible, but also vulnerable to undetectable hacking, from local school board contests to the presidential race. With the electronic voting machines of three companies - Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia - collectively responsible for around 80 percent of America's votes today, the stakes for democracy are high." (Hacking Democracy)

I'll cast your vote for you, Dave...

Exactly how difficult is it to pick up a pencil? I realize that a ballot in a US election can be lengthy what with all the banning of same-sex marriage and the numerous people to vote for, but these voting machines seem to be far more trouble than they're worth and if I were an American voter, I would be very concerned with the validity of election results in light of all the problems.

Call me a crotchety old man, but I'm glad for my pencil and paper ballot. Knowing me, I'd probably forget to take my debit card out of the voting machine.

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