Doubts over touchscreen tech choice for Venezuela recall

[Kadie]

Doubts over touchscreen tech choice for Venezuela recall


By ALEXANDRA OLSON, Associated Press
Last Updated: July 11, 2004, 02:23:33 PM PDT


CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Despite an electronic voting fiasco in 2000 and the furor over e-voting in the United States, Venezuela is using untested touchscreen computers for its recall referendum on Hugo Chavez's presidency.

Critics fear touchscreen voting machines in the Aug. 15 vote could fail spectacularly, exacerbating a crisis over Chavez's rule that has polarized the world's No. 5 oil exporter and killed dozens in sporadic political violence.

The touchscreen machines on which a third of the U.S. electorate will vote in November are dangerously vulnerable to hackers, rigging and mechanical failure, computer scientists generally agree.

That didn't deter the Chavez-dominated Venezuelan Elections Council from choosing Smartmatic Corp., a little-known Boca Raton, Fla.-based company, to provide similar technology - albeit with a printed record of each vote - for the referendum.

more... http://www.modbee.com/24hour/global/story/1486403p-8940402c.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Definitely shouldn't use touchscreen machines in Venezuela

as they could be used maliciously, but it's just fine to use them here.

I see.

[Imperialism Inc.]

2. Only thing missing with these machines

is a law saying that the paper ballot should be the primary ballot, instead of used for auditing. Other than that they meet all that activists are asking for here. Glad to see they dumped ES & S.

Based on their past performance, if the CNE doesn't allow/call for paper ballot audits after the vote is complete I will eat my socks.

[stickdog]

3. Yes, doubts. With Chavez's paper ballots, they doubt they can steal the

election.

[daleo]

4. They should stick with paper ballots

If this is a simple yes/no issue there is no reason to go electronic. Canada used paper ballots for the Federal election, which worked just fine. With sufficient numbers of scrutineers, etc. counting paper ballots it is not easy to cheat (not as far as I know, anyway).

[AP]

6. Paper ballots and their slow return of results in VZ have caused problems

before. In gives a heads up on which districts you want to lose ballots, and some districts drag out the count until they know hom many votes they do or don't need.

As I said in the other post, what VZ is shooting for with these machines is an instantaneous count and something that is totally auditible, but they also want paper ballots that can't be touched except for auditing.

[AP]

5. These machines print up a ballot which voter reviews and is dropped into

the ballot box. The ballot can't be touched. The touchscreen part is a counter which will tabulate the results imediatley, and the election is totally auditible.

Obviously, there is room for fraud, but it sounds like this system is pretty good.

Interestingly, VZ dumped E&S, which doesn't have the best reputation if you read the BBV threads, in order to get these machines.