[Andy_Stephenson]

I think there is a real chance Democrats will continue to hold sway in California. Let me explain...I am a researcher on the Black Box Voting issue. I am running for Secretary of State in Washington on the BBV issue. Based on Research I have done, there is real danger in the new electronic voting machines that offer no paper. Now...I am running as a Democrat but the issue is non-partisan. I am more than happy for Republicans to win...the same goes for Democrats. But with no paper Ballot that you can look at when you are done voting...can you be sure that you vote was counted as cast? The biggest proponent of a Voter Verified Ballot in California is Jim March a Republican Gun Lobbiest. We may not see eye to eye politically, but we do see eye to eye on the need for a voter verified paper ballot. Paper...not vapor.

Andy Stephenson

[Republic Rocker]

Lets split....we will take the military, jobs, corporations, traditional marriage and faith and give them the UN, welfare, unions, gay marriage and the secular society they so often seek...!

[SAJ]

Any electronic balloting system that does not generate paper receipts and a complete audit trail of keystrokes, mouse clicks, and/or screen touches is absolutely 100% guaranteed to be used fraudulently -- likely enough from the get-go -- in, say, 50-60% of precincts/districts using them.

Mark you, it is in no way difficult OR expensive (compared to the initial cost of the systems, most of which are taxpayer ripoffs to start) to provide these safeguards, and anyone saying otherwise is either A) utterly ignorant, B) a liar, C) a corrupt politician or hanger-on, or D) all of the above.

[CurlyDave]

we do see eye to eye on the need for a voter verified paper ballot.

Actually we need something much stronger. We need two copies of a voter verified paper ballot. One that is kept by the board of elections, and one that is kept by the voter. Both have the same serial number which can not be traced to the voter by the government, but which the voter can use to determine that his vote was counted accurately.

Board of elections paper ballots are kept & are the only acceptable method for recounts. Voter copies are the property of the voter and the government must publish on the web a voter searchable database of how each ballot was counted.

This allows the voter to go home & check that his/her vote was counted properly, and gives a record which can be used in later proceedings to correct improperly recorded votes.

Couple this with some real penalties for election fraud and the system may work pretty well.

[Amerigomag]

Andy, the trend toward electronic voting will probably continue. The aim is to make the process part of a large area network.

In the interim us old fogies can subvert the process by continuing to vote absentee. I expect the absentee process will revert to it's original intent as its use grows in response to suspicions of the security of the touch screen.

I have complete faith that a networked system will be compromised soon after introduction, the governance will unsuccessfully attempt to suppress the news and these discussions will continue among our grandchildren.