Beware of electronic voting machines, Words of warning from a programmer

[AnIndependentTexan]

posted by VCambri, at Today, 12:04 PM on Kerry/Edwards forum
http://forum.johnkerry.com/index.php?showtopic=99216&hl=

As a Software Architect with 18 years experience and an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science I want to warn the Kerry campaign that a determined operative can commit fraud with electronic voting machines, even if there is a software based verification regime and ironclad security. All that will be needed to cheat the system is knowledge of the methods used to detect cheating.

My suggestions for the campaign would be these:

1. All data collected by the voting machines must be stored locally on each machine as well as transmitted to the server. All electronic voting machines must be quarantined after election day. They may not be connected to any kind of modem and they must be turned off immediately after the last person votes.

2. The exact compiled software, the source code, and the software architecture used for data assimilation must be provided to the campaigns before the election and the campaigns should have the right to visit any computer used in the vote and view the contents of the harddrive and RAM before election day, during election day, and after election day.

3. If it is not too late to organize this, I would propose an image recognition based verification system that would be installed in random voting booths. I suggest simple computers with small, simple cameras that image the monitor and record the result of the vote by video-recording and processing the confirmation page. Since this would provide a result that is completele independent from the processor of the voting machine itself, it would yield, at least for that particular machine, an independent record of the vote.

[flpoljunkie]

1. God, I am so concerned about computer hacking that leaves no trace!

These people will stop at nothing to win this election. Kerry Campaign, please take notice!

[salvorhardin]

2. You have to ask yourself

If a system so complicated is needed just to be sure votes are recorded accurately, then perhaps the old system wasn't so bad?

[flyingfysh]

3. another programmer opinion here

A great deal of work has gone to making banking transactions secure (there are very thick books available on how to do that), and in lots of ways voting is a harder problem.

The best solution is simply paper ballots. Not every problem requires a technical solution.

The only downside of paper ballots is that you have to wait a little longer for results. But to ensure a fair election, it is worth it.

[bemildred]

6. Yeah, exactly. But people like the flashing lights. nt

[sherilocks]

4. They will not let you look at the source code in Florida.

I've tried. A programmer friend of mine, unfortunately not a COBOL programmer, and now deceased, was allowed a quick glimpse in 1980 in Broward County. I still have his notes somewhere. His conclusion was that there was the original source code, and then additional code added to it at a different time. But before he could examine it further, he was led away when they saw him taking notes.

[Blaze Diem]

8. A few months ago, someone posted that the problem would not be the code,

but, rather the operating system itself.
I believe the person posting this was from Seattle.
I regret not having any info on his post, since it was quite well researched and explained his findings in great detail.

I fear this election has already been decided by Diebold..recalling the memo from Diebold assuring Bush that they have done everything possible to insure his victory..

I'll look for the link to this also..from a past posting.

I hope the Lord has plans for the salvation of our American Democracy.
Evil rules in the halls of the Bush regime.

[TexasSissy]

5. Machines cannot be quarantined during early voting, which

goes on for 2 weeks in Texas. ????

[Awsi Dooger]

7. I noticed New Mexico is predominantly electronic machines now

That is seldom mentioned on DU, with all the concern about Florida and Ohio. MSNBC showed a national map broken down by the types of voting methods. Nearly 1/3 of the nation's voters now use electronic methods.

I'm not usually a cynic, but became alarmed at the potential fraud when an elections official said their goal was to make the machinery as reliable as Nevada slot machines. What a fucking worst case scenario horror. I have lived in Las Vegas since the '80s and have known sportsbook regulars who have made a living from flawed slot machines, literally hundreds of thousands of dollars profit.

I always wondered how they could be broke one day and make a $500 bet the next. Long after the fact they will laugh like hell and detail little glitches, like punching an obscure button sequence that makes the machine pay off when it should not.

If it's a machine it's potentially flawed or rigged, or both.