NYT: Slot Machines Are More Trustworthy Than Electronic Voting 6/13/04

[AtLiberty]

Another oldie, but goody...

Slot Machines Are More Trustworthy Than Electronic Voting

By the New York Times editorial board
Published June 13, 2004

If election officials want to convince voters that electronic voting can be trusted, they should be willing to make it at least as secure as slot machines. To appreciate how poor the oversight on voting systems is, it's useful to look at the way Nevada systematically ensures that electronic gambling machines in Las Vegas operate honestly and accurately. Electronic voting, by comparison, is rife with lax procedures, security risks and conflicts of interest.

On a trip last week to the Nevada Gaming Control Board laboratory, in a state office building off the Las Vegas Strip, we found testing and enforcement mechanisms that go far beyond what is required for electronic voting. Among the ways gamblers are more protected than voters:

1. The state has access to all gambling software. The Gaming Control Board has copies on file of every piece of gambling device software currently being used, and an archive going back years. It is illegal for casinos to use software not on file. Electronic voting machine makers, by contrast, say their software is a trade secret, and have resisted sharing it with the states that buy their machines.

2. The software on gambling machines is constantly being spot-checked. Board inspectors show up unannounced at casinos with devices that let them compare the computer chip in a slot machine to the one on...

http://reclaimdemocracy.org/articles_2004/electronic_voting_slot_machines_nytimes.html

[napi21]

1. That's absolutely true! And they DON'T produce a paper receipt!

The argument I keep hearing is that the slot machines are in operation 24/7. Voting machines are used once a year, and sometimes not even that often! That IS a valid point. BTW, casinos also check those machines all the time. If one is erratically paying off, it's pulled out of service and replaced until the repairs can be made.

What I do think would help a lot is if the FEDS mandated the release of the software code! This proprietary excuse is BS! If these companies can't feel comfortable releasing their SW info to a Gov't agency, then THEY LOSE THE BUSINESS! Just make it part of the contract!!!!

[Village Idiot]

2. Do you honestly believe...

... that the same company that is responsible for making slot machines and ATM machines designed for FLAWLESS 24/7 service, with RECEIPTS cannot make a Voting Machine just as FLAWLESS?

Wake up, and smell the manipulation!!! If they weren't DESIGNED to malfunction, miscount and misappropriate, then what in the heck were they designed for???

[napi21]

3. Oh you misunderstand me! OF COURSE they are capable of

designing flawless (or close to it) machines! Dibold has been a respected name in the banking business for years! I'm not totally convinced that the voting machines were designed to malfunction though. I think the design and demands must be in the original order, and set by the buyer! If the buyer would have insisted on release of the SW code or you don't get the job, it would have been released!

I think there are problems with the machines, as there is with all NEW technology, and they aren't tested sufficiently. It IS a problem that they're only used once or twice a year at most! I've been through quite a few system implimentations in my life, and it's a painfull experience. Sometimes it takes months of daily use to work out all the bugs!

I just believe the best answer NOW would be for the Gov't to insist on release of the SW code NOW! Employ some experts to do the tests to work out the bugs.

People are always, justifiably suspicious of hidden info!

Personally, I'd prefer my voting machine bee made by Bally! But that's another story.

[AtLiberty]

4. Precisely...

One of the reasons that Diebold investors are considering a class action lawsuit against the corporation...

Diebold had a sound reputation for security for years until 2002 when it acquired Global Election Systems. That's when the seediness began and the felons hired. Christian reconstructionists managed to obtain power in the corporation and allowed this sinister election entity carte blanche. Diebold's high standards were allowed/ordered to deliberately fall short, encouraging fraud to take place. The fundies were bright, but not bright enough... They never realized they'd be caught before JAY-SUS came back to Earth...

Now Diebold stock is tanking and its good name tainted... Just like our country...

[Angry Girl]

5. They might be but they are STILL riggable....

ANYTHING electronic is riggable. Period.

And I still want my piece of paper, please.

Edited for stupid typos..