[ale] OT: Voting machines cracked in California

[Thompson Freeman]

On 08/03/2007 02:17:41 PM, Bob Toxen wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 03, 2007 at 01:42:10PM -0400, Thompson Freeman
> wrote:
> <<snip>>
> 
> > I don't _expect_ any organization to just box up a probably
> 
> > flawed approach and try again fresh. Such will rarely happen,
> as
> > most people are likely to throw good money after bad in hopes
> of
> > saving the original investment. It is almost certain to
> happen
> > here also.
> Why not?  Isn't that EXACTLY what happened with punched card
> ballots
> and the old mechanical voting machines before that.  The
> difference
> is that those systems were VERY HARD to cause massive voting
> fraud on.
> The punched cards actually were by far the cheapest to
> operate.
> 
> > I'm not sure patching with procedures and wrapping in legal
> 
> > bailing wire is _less_ costly in the short run even as
> opposed
> > to backing out and trying fresh to apply the lessons
> available
> > through the experiment.
> 
> <<snip>>
I would not expect it because "the system" is now operating in  
screwup defense mode. We cann't just admit that the new  
technological magic is worse in many ways than the old stuff.  
Somebody might think we made a mistake! And we cann't have that  
now can we??