Comments on: More on electronic voting… http://kairosblog.com/blog/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/ Along for the Journey...On God's Time Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:03:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: will spotts http://kairosblog.com/blog/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/comment-page-1/#comment-220 will spotts Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:58:43 +0000 http://kairosblog.wordpress.com/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/#comment-220 I was tangentially involved in a similar conversation between a poll worker and the person in line ahead of me. MD had already had difficulties with the machines in our primaries, so I think the election worker was afraid we'd be the next FL 2000. Locally, elections went how I expected, so I have no reason to distrust the machine's results this time -- but not having an audit trail still concerns me. I was tangentially involved in a similar conversation between a poll worker and the person in line ahead of me. MD had already had difficulties with the machines in our primaries, so I think the election worker was afraid we’d be the next FL 2000.

Locally, elections went how I expected, so I have no reason to distrust the machine’s results this time — but not having an audit trail still concerns me.

]]> By: kairos http://kairosblog.com/blog/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/comment-page-1/#comment-219 kairos Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:19:02 +0000 http://kairosblog.wordpress.com/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/#comment-219 Its telling, NPH, that one of the workers wouldn't even us it himself. We don't have a choice here, or if we do they aren't overt about the matter. Its telling, NPH, that one of the workers wouldn’t even us it himself.

We don’t have a choice here, or if we do they aren’t overt about the matter.

]]> By: kairos http://kairosblog.com/blog/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/comment-page-1/#comment-218 kairos Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:18:07 +0000 http://kairosblog.wordpress.com/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/#comment-218 I can't figure it out either, Will. And your concern is one I share: trust in the basic institutions of our democracy is eroded if people do not think their votes are accurately measured. This seems like it could be an easy one to improve, without a cost that would exceed the benefit. I can’t figure it out either, Will. And your concern is one I share: trust in the basic institutions of our democracy is eroded if people do not think their votes are accurately measured. This seems like it could be an easy one to improve, without a cost that would exceed the benefit.

]]> By: Not Prince Hamlet http://kairosblog.com/blog/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/comment-page-1/#comment-217 Not Prince Hamlet Fri, 01 Dec 2006 12:01:28 +0000 http://kairosblog.wordpress.com/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/#comment-217 While I was waiting in line to vote last month, anxious to use the touch screen console for the first time ever, this is the [very loud] conversation that was taking place between a voter and an election worker: Worker: "Would you like to use the touch-screen console or the optical scan ballot? Voter: "How does the touch-screen one work?" Worker: "I don't know. I don't trust it myself." Nice, I thought. Could it not be the case that this election worker could be seen as influencing the outcome of the election by casting dispersions on one of the methods? While I was waiting in line to vote last month, anxious to use the touch screen console for the first time ever, this is the [very loud] conversation that was taking place between a voter and an election worker:

Worker: “Would you like to use the touch-screen console or the optical scan ballot?
Voter: “How does the touch-screen one work?”
Worker: “I don’t know. I don’t trust it myself.”

Nice, I thought. Could it not be the case that this election worker could be seen as influencing the outcome of the election by casting dispersions on one of the methods?

]]> By: will spotts http://kairosblog.com/blog/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/comment-page-1/#comment-216 will spotts Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:07:28 +0000 http://kairosblog.wordpress.com/2006/12/01/more-on-electronic-voting/#comment-216 I can't figure out what the resistance to a paper trail is. I wonder if people don't realize how fragile our system is in some ways. I mean not just the potential for fraud, but the potential for large numbers of Americans to believe that the system is rigged. If people lose confidence in the political process as a means to participate they are left with very few options. I can’t figure out what the resistance to a paper trail is. I wonder if people don’t realize how fragile our system is in some ways. I mean not just the potential for fraud, but the potential for large numbers of Americans to believe that the system is rigged. If people lose confidence in the political process as a means to participate they are left with very few options.

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