proprietary programming code and other issues. Shelley was just catching on to the fundamental flaws in the entire electronic system--and had grabbed hold of Diebold's tail on their lying about the certification of their machines--when he got swiftboated. Bowen is challenging all the premises.
See www.debrabowen.com
http://www.debrabowen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=1&id=1&Itemid=30Feb 08, 2006
California Holds Hearing on Open Source Software in Election Systems
Government Technology
Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach, Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee, and a candidate for California Secretary of State, conducted a hearing today to look at how private companies, as well as state and federal agencies, have begun using "open source software" and where it can or should be used in California's electoral system.
"Open source software has been around for several decades, but it's become more popular in recent years," said Bowen in a release prior to the meeting. "Some of the more well-known names in the open source software world are Firefox (an Internet browser), Linux (an operating system), and Red Hat (which sells and supports a version of Linux for businesses). A number of private businesses, including Bank of America, Amazon.com, America Online (AOL), DreamWorks, Charles Schwab, IBM, and Merrill Lynch, have begun using open source software for some applications. Furthermore, the Department of Defense, the State of Massachusetts, and the California Air Resources Board have begun to migrate some of their computer systems from proprietary to open source software.
"We've worked hard to make elections more transparent over the years by, for example, making it easier for voters to track campaign contributions, but when it comes to the fundamental issue of how the accuracy of the election results are ensured, voters are left completely in the dark," noted Bowen. "We're in the middle of an intense discussion over whether voting systems that rely on proprietary software, such as Diebold, should be certified or re-certified for use here in California for the 2006 elections. I want to look further ahead at what alternatives we have to trusting the vote-recording and vote-tallying processes to closed, proprietary software systems that have turned out to be fatally flawed."
http://www.debrabowen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=86&Itemid=30---------------
Also...
“If we want people to have confidence that their votes are being counted accurately, the process we use to certify machines for use in this state and the systems themselves need to be open, accessible, and completely transparent.” --Debra Bowen
Jan 28, 2006
Bowen announces dates on "Open Source Voting" concept and how voting equipment is certified
California Chronicle
http://www.debrabowen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82&Itemid=30