[ale] voting machines

[tfreeman at intel.digichem.net]

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004, Irv Mullins wrote:

> On Sunday 13 June 2004 10:44 am, Sean Kilpatrick wrote:
> > It looks like Diebold's competition is similarly plagued
> > with buggy software.
> >
> > http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040612/ap_on_el_pr/florida_vo
> >ting_machines_1
> >
> > This is an AP story out of Tallahassee, Fla.,
> > and concerns machines made by Election Systems & Software
> > of Omaha, Neb.
> 
> My question is: how many citizens have you heard who 
> are demanding computerized voting?
> 
> The beneficiaries are, it seems:
> 
> 1. The media, who want to be able to 
> announce the winner the instant the polls close - 
> if not before they open.
> 
> 2. The voting machine companies (along with the 
> politicians they can buy), who will obviously profit - 
> from selling the machines, and from tilting  elections.
> 
> 3. The two political parties, both of which no doubt 
> realize the golden opportunities afforded them by 
> this closed system. Why, corruption has never been
> easier!
> 
> 4. Those who plan to cry about 'voter confusion' if 
> results don't go their way. If punching holes in cards 
> is too much for some voters to handle, what makes 
> anyone think that they will be able to handle a touch 
> screen any better? "Ohhh! Computers are so confusing!"
> "I voted WRONG!"
> 

I think you left out one group, although they aren't all that noisey

5. Those who beleive that technology/technologists can solve any 
and all social ills. Throw some technology at a problem, and watch
the problem just go away!

Wishful thinking. Besides, who has ever heard of usable software that 
didn't have significant bugs? IMHO of course, YMMV.


-- 
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If you think Education is expensive
Try Ignorance
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