Bipartisan Request Seeks Halt to Internet Voting

[LiberalFighter]

Bipartisan Request Seeks Halt to Internet Voting
Groups Fear Citizens Abroad Will Be Compromised

In a highly unusual pairing, the Republican and Democratic party organizations for citizens living abroad have banded together against the Pentagon's Internet voting program for the presidential election.

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"We do not want to undermine confidence in our system of voting by discovering some real or imagined fraud in the November balloting," wrote the leaders of Republicans Abroad and Democrats Abroad.

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The online experiment suffered a setback a week ago when four computer security specialists asked to review the program released a report saying that the Internet and personal computers running Microsoft Windows are so inherently insecure that online voting would be subject to hacking. They urged a halt in the program for fear that ballots collected online could undermine the integrity of the election. The four were part of a group of 10 academics and other experts involved in a $1.8 million review of the program under the leadership of R. Michael Alvarez, co-director of the CalTech-MIT/Voting Technology Project and co-author of the book "Point, Click & Vote: The Future of Internet Voting." Alvarez said he wants the full group to issue a report after the election to evaluate how the program performed.

I can see a minor change in overseas voting but absolutely NO INTERNET VOTING!!!!

[POed_Ex_Repub]

1. Whoo hoo!

And they need to dump that Diebold garbage while they're at it.

[dusty64]

2. Kick!

:kick:

[PATRICK]

3. They will go ahead

anyway unless Bush foresees an easy blowout. Then they will go ahead anyway with the larger project which can almost seal the deal in future elections with overseas ballots affecting primarily states with large military bases.

Their last statement before this was unequivocal despite the reasoned protests already given. The safety problem will be the same as it is now no matter what cleanups or improvements they tout. The Repugs might be a little anxious but Bush is taking all the risks which are virtually(no pun, both senses intended) nil.

Effectively our elections are going to be in the hands of an increasingly "privatized" pentagon and private contractors, all with ties of course to the very worst elements of the GOP. This is an issue, the same as the inherent stupidity of misusing computer tech "advances" for comfort voting and uncontroversial, no comeback possible election processes. The Democratic Party despite assurances and fights here and there appears to be left behind and invisible on the one issue most vital to any future they could have.

Despite squeaks in the media, the issue is not faced head-on or ever phrased properly. Common media definition of the issue misses most of the main points or squeaks them in with loud and comforting disclaimers by the salesmen. When the issue is brought up it is with a sense of alarm or disquiet, but always retreats into the stock treatment which the media trapped itself into beginning with the Florida "mess" sellout.

The latest example of using mischievous hackers who easily did everything they wanted with the current machines in Maryland was almost as much damage control and asked no questions about the shoddy security and dangers of the company itself pushing proven and already used crap in the door.It is always framed as if some teen hacker is going to do it for fun. Brief mention and no investigation is done about the "inside" job, especially company integrity and their position to tamper with all the counts, hackers or no.

As with every other vital issue, America is dancing around the edges in the largest state of cognitive dissonance I have ever seen. The ship is going down. Everyone feels it. The party goes on.