Comments on: E-voting and the Revolving Door http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/ Keeping politicians' hands off the Net & everything else related to technology Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:03:36 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Tim Lee http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/comment-page-1/#comment-49293 Tim Lee Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:40:01 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/#comment-49293 Arlene, I agree that using paper ballots is the best policy. However, I don't think the Holt bill is necessarily going to cement the acceptability of computers in elections. Nothing in the Holt bill prevents states from ditching touch-screen voting machines entirely, which I hope that many states will choose to do. I would rather have legislation that flatly prohibits the use of touch-screen machines, but I don't see that on the horizon.<br><br>I'm also sensitive to federalism concerns, but I don't think those are a serious problem here. The bill leaves almost all of the implementation details up to states, and only requires that states certify to the federal government that their election processes meet certain requirements. I'm not wild about these provisions, but the only states that will be seriously burdened are those states that have adopted paperless touch-screen voting systems, and those states need to be burdened. Arlene, I agree that using paper ballots is the best policy. However, I don’t think the Holt bill is necessarily going to cement the acceptability of computers in elections. Nothing in the Holt bill prevents states from ditching touch-screen voting machines entirely, which I hope that many states will choose to do. I would rather have legislation that flatly prohibits the use of touch-screen machines, but I don’t see that on the horizon.

I’m also sensitive to federalism concerns, but I don’t think those are a serious problem here. The bill leaves almost all of the implementation details up to states, and only requires that states certify to the federal government that their election processes meet certain requirements. I’m not wild about these provisions, but the only states that will be seriously burdened are those states that have adopted paperless touch-screen voting systems, and those states need to be burdened.

]]> By: Tim Lee http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/comment-page-1/#comment-39004 Tim Lee Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:40:01 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/#comment-39004 Arlene, I agree that using paper ballots is the best policy. However, I don't think the Holt bill is necessarily going to cement the acceptability of computers in elections. Nothing in the Holt bill prevents states from ditching touch-screen voting machines entirely, which I hope that many states will choose to do. I would rather have legislation that flatly prohibits the use of touch-screen machines, but I don't see that on the horizon. I'm also sensitive to federalism concerns, but I don't think those are a serious problem here. The bill leaves almost all of the implementation details up to states, and only requires that states certify to the federal government that their election processes meet certain requirements. I'm not wild about these provisions, but the only states that will be seriously burdened are those states that have adopted paperless touch-screen voting systems, and those states need to be burdened. Arlene, I agree that using paper ballots is the best policy. However, I don’t think the Holt bill is necessarily going to cement the acceptability of computers in elections. Nothing in the Holt bill prevents states from ditching touch-screen voting machines entirely, which I hope that many states will choose to do. I would rather have legislation that flatly prohibits the use of touch-screen machines, but I don’t see that on the horizon.

I’m also sensitive to federalism concerns, but I don’t think those are a serious problem here. The bill leaves almost all of the implementation details up to states, and only requires that states certify to the federal government that their election processes meet certain requirements. I’m not wild about these provisions, but the only states that will be seriously burdened are those states that have adopted paperless touch-screen voting systems, and those states need to be burdened.

]]> By: Arlene Montemarano http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/comment-page-1/#comment-49292 Arlene Montemarano Thu, 02 Aug 2007 01:58:39 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/#comment-49292 Let's face it the only way to free our voting system from vendor control and influence is to go for all paper ballots, made out by the voter himself and then counted in the precinct where the voting takes place.<br><br>Without electronic technology, the system can be 100% transparent to any human, geek or not. No high level government certification needed.<br><br>The nearly four billion dollars behind HAVA could have bought us a lot of human labor in ballot counting.<br><br>Holt will only cement the acceptability of computers in elections, and for the first time give the Feds say over how we conduct elections. It should not pass. Let’s face it the only way to free our voting system from vendor control and influence is to go for all paper ballots, made out by the voter himself and then counted in the precinct where the voting takes place.

Without electronic technology, the system can be 100% transparent to any human, geek or not. No high level government certification needed.

The nearly four billion dollars behind HAVA could have bought us a lot of human labor in ballot counting.

Holt will only cement the acceptability of computers in elections, and for the first time give the Feds say over how we conduct elections. It should not pass.

]]> By: Arlene Montemarano http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/comment-page-1/#comment-39003 Arlene Montemarano Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:58:39 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/08/01/e-voting-and-the-revolving-door/#comment-39003 Let's face it the only way to free our voting system from vendor control and influence is to go for all paper ballots, made out by the voter himself and then counted in the precinct where the voting takes place. Without electronic technology, the system can be 100% transparent to any human, geek or not. No high level government certification needed. The nearly four billion dollars behind HAVA could have bought us a lot of human labor in ballot counting. Holt will only cement the acceptability of computers in elections, and for the first time give the Feds say over how we conduct elections. It should not pass. Let’s face it the only way to free our voting system from vendor control and influence is to go for all paper ballots, made out by the voter himself and then counted in the precinct where the voting takes place.

Without electronic technology, the system can be 100% transparent to any human, geek or not. No high level government certification needed.

The nearly four billion dollars behind HAVA could have bought us a lot of human labor in ballot counting.

Holt will only cement the acceptability of computers in elections, and for the first time give the Feds say over how we conduct elections. It should not pass.

]]>