BBV: Good article re Recall and BBV

[Eloriel]

Posted on Wed, Sep. 17, 2003
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6791541.htm
Recall could have silver lining if verifiable voting is a winner
By Dan Gillmor
Mercury News Technology Columnist

Voting wrongs: California's perils-of-Pauline politics could have a silver lining -- if the people in charge of elections take the opportunity to ensure accurate vote-counting. Based on their previous actions, however, they aren't terribly interested.

The federal appeals court has ordered a delay of the Oct. 7 recall until next March on the grounds that old-fashioned, punch-card voting machines in some counties were much less reliable than newer systems in place elsewhere. So far, so good.

But California elections officials in many of the more modernized counties have installed what amount to black boxes: touch-screen video voting machines that offer no trustworthy way to verify that voters' choices have been accurately tallied. The government needs to fix these inadequate systems, and the counties that have yet to upgrade from the older systems should take care to do it right in the first place.

Officials, egged on by voting-machine makers with a financial stake in selling their questionable systems, have been bafflingly indifferent about the lack of a verifiable audit trail -- a paper printout of the ballot so the voter can verify his or her choices -- in the touch-screen systems. They are ignoring experts who know the risks, and they're playing roulette with democracy.

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Eloriel

[DEMActivist]

1. Good article

Now the question is...is anyone listening?

[frank frankly]

2. they will start listening

the BFEE is coming apart at the seams!!!
cheney you're next!

[4dog]

3. Surely the left coast can wake up to this issue?

I'm hoping.