Computer Voting Machines

110806 | Francis

[Francis]

Computer Voting Machines November 8, 2006

How can a citizen verify that there vote was counted on a computerized voting machine, when the voter receives no receipt? If the vote was challenged, how could a recount be verified?

[Nathan Zachary]

"How can a citizen verify
that there vote was counted on a computerized voting machine...

Same way they'all can verify
this here vote was counted.

[ClaireSolt]

Doris Kerns Goodwin has explained that before we had secret ballots union enforcers stood outside polls to see how people voted. I know a man who remembers that his family got delivery of a load of coal when proper voting was confirmed. Receipts would take us back to that time.

In reality, recouting by hand introduces a certain factor of human error. The way to insure integrity is not by receipts but citizen participation including verifying of the computer program by qualified people from both parties.

[Echo Talon]

Yea, I like the paper/optical scan the best BUT we need some sort of Voter ID(could even be a drivers license) because nobody asked me for ANY information when I voted... I could have been ANYONE...

[Echo Talon]

How about this... when you send your ballot into the optical vote counter, the machine takes your picture(like a ATM Machine does)! The pictures would NOT record who voted for whom it would just be a folder of ALL voters in each precinct(600 DIFFERENT PEOPLE's FACES = 600 Ballots) , then if someone votes in multiple precincts they can be caught.

[Echo Talon]

How about this... when you send your ballot into the optical vote counter, the machine takes your picture(like a ATM Machine does)! The pictures would NOT record who voted for whom it would just be a folder of ALL voters in each precinct(600 DIFFERENT peoples FACES = 600 Ballots) , then if someone votes in multiple precincts they can be caught.

[Echo Talon]

ish... sorry about the lag double post.

[Ruth C]

Well, though a good idea, you can't even get people to agree on using opticals of any kind to look for terrorists, there's no way they'll agree to having 'honest' citizens have their photos in a computer.

To be honest I don't expect anything to get done that is reasonable, it would take a constitutional ammendment. That's never getting done. Look at term limits, there was a huge support for it, but when it was ruled unconstitutional, did you see anyone start a constitutional ammendment for that? Of course not.

The government is no longer ours and hasn't been for decades. We have no way to force action and all the platitudes about 'you have the power you can vote them out' are just that, a lot of words to placate the citizen while elected officials consolidate their power. How about if we had the power to recall our elected rep/sen? Now that would give us some control. But, again, that would take an ammendment and we aren't willing to fight, we'd rather complain.

[Echo Talon]

An ATM machine takes your picture, so does the store 7-11 or Wal-Mart K-Mart etc....

[Ruth C]

Not having used an ATM, I didn't know that. Learn something new every day :)

[Echo Talon]

WOW, you never used a cash machine? yea whenever you put your card in it takes a picture