"Poll workers saw unfamiliar Windows screens, frozen screens, strange error messages and login boxes -- none of which they'd been trained to expect."
As in Microsoft Windows? It was written with an uppercase W. If so, I'm sure Linux fans are all over that one.
"After the Oct. 7 recall election, when Diebold's vote-tabulating software wrongly awarded 9,000 Democratic absentee votes to a Southern California Socialist, Diebold decided its computer was overwhelmed and replaced it."
I used the electronic voting machine last November, and I liked it a lot. It was much better than the old way. Pretty slick. Easy to learn and use. No problems.
But ...
I've heard people complain about the electronic machines not having any kind of "paper trail" to audit the voting in case there was a problem. With that problem mentioned above, if a paper audit did exist, wouldn't it also be wrong? Wouldn't a paper printout of the voting just be a copy of the software's output?
I don't understand the rush for these computer voting machines. I think they need a couple more years of testing, but a presidential election is not the place for testing.
Whoever loses this November, you know the computer voting machines will be blamed.
posted by jr at 04:49 P.M. EST on Wed Apr 21, 2004 #
The city of Oregon took a more precautionary stance and a few months ago and put a single electronic voting machine in each precinct. It seemed like a prudent move to me.
posted by photodan at 05:35 P.M. EST on Wed Apr 21, 2004 #
There was only one electronic machine at the Toledo precinct I voted at last November. We had a choice. There was no waiting for the old machines, but there was 15 minute wait for the electronic machine. It seemed people were curious about the new technology.
posted by jr at 06:25 P.M. EST on Wed Apr 21, 2004 #
>>Whoever loses this November, you know the computer voting machines will be blamed.>>
Correction - if Kerry loses in November, the voting machines will be blamed.
posted by babbleman at 07:39 P.M. EST on Wed Apr 21, 2004 #
The more I discover about this issue, the more outrageous it is to me that the elections board wants to jump headlong into a system that isn't merely unproven, but has had some spectactular failures already.
Just today, I read a post on slashdot.com that states: "Diebold admitted today that 'thousands' of voters were turned away from the polls during the Super Tuesday Presidential Primary because of flaws in Diebold's machines." ... 'Today, California officials may recommend decertifying some or all of Dielbold's machines for the November General Election.'"
Is it really a wise move to spend millions of dollars buying into a system that might not even be reliable enough to use yet?
posted by photodan at 12:38 P.M. EST on Thu Apr 22, 2004 #
One editorial wanting the new electronic machines. There are problems with the old system too as demostrated recently by Lucas County.
"Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's Secretary of State and top elections official, said Tuesday some precincts will not have touch-screen voting machines in place by November. That means some Ohioans will be using the infamous punch-card ballots. Meanwhile, Lucas County officials are still trying to figure out the origin of 300 completed ballots from the March primary found in storage. The discarded votes may not have been counted. Then again, maybe they were."
"It is unacceptable to allow an admittedly flawed system such as punch cards to tally ballots in a state as close as Ohio. And we all know the headache caused in Florida by recounts and absentee ballots trickling in long after election day. Every vote matters, and Ohio must do all that it can to count every one."
"The delay in new touch-screen machines is due to fears of voter fraud. That concern cannot be faulted, but the timing can be. Blackwell's office said new machines would be installed in as many as 27 counties by August, but why not the entire state? Our elected leaders have let us down -- again. The bottom line is that more than $133 million was devoted to upgrading voting machines, and we've seen election day coming for four years."
I think 2000 caused an unnecessary mass knee-jerk reaction to get all the old machines replaced ASAP.
I wonder if there is a shortage of people volunteering to work the polls on election day? Maybe there is too much poll-worker turnover. Sounds like the old method just requires getting the workers trained properly. I would think recruiting volunteers and training them for the old voting methods would be easier than trying to debug a complex computer system by November. I would think those familiar with implementing a new computer system would understand the need to phase it in gently, and not just wallop everyone with it all at once.
A little off-topic: I've always wondered if moving the November election to a Saturday or Sunday, instead of having it on Tuesday, would increase voter turnout and increase the number of people volunteering to work the polls? Or make the first Tuesday in November a national holiday, like we need another one, but it is important.
"The National Federation of the Blind yesterday filed a federal lawsuit against Ohio for backing off on plans to equip 31 counties with electronic voting equipment by November's presidential election. Ohio and Maryland are the only two states sued so far. Ohio was sued, in part, because it had come so far toward implementation of computerized touch-screen machines only to be stymied late in the game when the Ohio Controlling Board refused to release the money."
"Voters in Lucas County will use touch-screen voting machines under a decree issued [March 31] by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell."
" "The county is one of Ohio's most populous, and its voting population is very diverse. The [touch-screen] system offers greater flexibility in several ways that allow it to better serve that diverse population," Mr. Blackwell said in a statement."
"He also highlighted the system's ability to "accommodate more ballot styles than the optical-scan system can. It also has the capability of offering ballots in languages other than English, an asset that may need to be implemented in the not-too-distant future." "
"Touch-screen systems offer more flexibility for voters with disabilities and help voters do a better job casting ballots because they steer the voter through the entire ballot, Mr. Blackwell said."
"The federal government will pick up the tab for most of the costs of the county's new machines, estimated to be $2.5 million, as part of the federal Help America Vote Act signed into law last year. That law was designed to update voting systems nationwide to help avoid a repeat of the 2000 presidential election debacle in Florida."
A repeat of 2000, maybe a misplaced fear?
Even the types of voting machines seems to follow party lines.
"Democrats wrote that "unanswered concerns regarding the security issues" surrounding touch-screen machines made them an "unacceptable" choice."
"Republicans countered that buying optical-scan machines would mean "voters will be stuck with a system based on old technology that is harder to use and will not benefit from the inherent advantages of electronic voting." "
No matter what, the November 2004 election should be interesting.
posted by jr at 07:53 P.M. EST on Thu Apr 22, 2004 #
News from Apr 22:
"California should ban the use of 15,000 touch-screen voting machines made by Diebold Election Systems from the Nov. 2 general election, an advisory panel to Secretary of State Kevin Shelley recommended Thursday."
posted by jr at 10:00 P.M. EST on Thu Apr 22, 2004 #
News on May 5 from WSPD:
"The Lucas County Board of Elections continues its mission to have a new voting system in place by November. Chairperson Bernadette Noe says they're asking the Secretary of State to look into questions raised about the Diebold touch screen system in California. If all issues surrounding the touch screens get worked out in time, Noe says a purchase order will be placed with Diebold for use in November. However if that doesn't work out, Noe says they'll lease optical scan machines, and voters will have to feed paper ballots through them after voting."
posted by jr at 09:24 A.M. EST on Thu May 06, 2004 #
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