[Article]More scare stories on e-voting from you know where

GavinS

I hope you all caught the recent Slashdot roundup of e-voting issues, and were listening to Pat Kenny during the week....
http://www.gavinsblog.com/mt/archives/000585.html

star gazer

Apparently the e-voting system in the Dail itself went down earlier this year. There was a virus in the system that doesn't have internet connection. It doesn't exactly instill one with confidence to hear that kind of news. They are totally different systems, but you'd think that they could get the dail voting right. The numbers are small enough to know if a mistake ever occured in the count there, not so in a general election.

Victor

Originally posted by star gazer
Apparently the e-voting system in the Dail itself went down earlier this year. There was a virus in the system that doesn't have internet connection. It doesn't exactly instill one with confidence to hear that kind of news. They are totally different systems, but you'd think that they could get the dail voting right. The numbers are small enough to know if a mistake ever occured in the count there, not so in a general election.

The difference is the Dáil vote record, as best I know is public. I presume records are printed and distributed.

star gazer

originally posted by Victor
The difference is the Dáil vote record, as best I know is public. I presume records are printed and distributed.

indeed and it lends more weight to the argument that the evoting system has to have a VVAT (paper trail). It also adds weight to the argument that the people who brought us this breakdown aren't immune to bringing us another breakdown in evoting for national/local elections.

daveydub

I think there is one quite simple solution to this issue of e-voting @ the polling station.. and that is to NOT introduce it. I have been at seminars were CEO's of leading businesses, have repeated "Trust technology at your peril" ... Technology is great for most things but why change a system of voting that we have had stand to us for centuries... The paper ballot is the hard copy, its transparent because everyone can see it and most importantly it is the centre of our institution of voting, the recounts and the tallymen... Why give up all that?

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/2279525?view=Eircomnet

Hi-tech system will eliminate spoiled votes
From:The Irish Independent
Wednesday, 31st December, 2003
Gene McKenna Political Editor

SPOILED votes will become a thing of the past when the Government goes ahead with the full introduction of electronic voting to all constituencies in the upcoming local and European elections.

This could also have a major bearing on the destination of future Dail seats, as the Wexford experience at the 2002 General Election demonstrates.

On that occasion, there were over 1,000 spoiled votes but the final seat taken by Fianna Fail's Tony Dempsey over party colleague and former Junior Minister Hugh Byrne was decided by just 78 votes.

Despite Opposition reservations, Environment Minister Martin Cullen is proceeding with plans for electronic voting at more than 6,200 polling stations.

He is to launch a major public information campaign shortly when reassurances will be given to the public after concerns were expressed about the security of the system.

Opposition parties and even some of Mr Cullen's own Fianna Fail colleagues have expressed reservations about the electronic system which many claim will take much of the excitement from the count.

The Labour party has come out particularly strongly against the extension of the system to all areas for the June polls, putting major question marks against how safe and tamper-proof the system is.

Mr Cullen says around 7,000 voting machines will be available for use at the June elections, though the exact number to be used in each county has not yet been finalised.

"The number of machines to be used at any polling location is a matter for each returning officer, there will be at least one voting machine for each ballot box previously used. Additional machines will be available, as required," says the Minister.

A Department spokesman said a steady approach was adopted to the introduction of electronic voting, even though legislation allowing for the system to be used had been passed in 2001, The system was introduced in three constituencies for the 2002 General Election and was also used for the Nice Referendum.

"Through these ballots, almost 300,000 Irish people have used the system and given it the thumbs-up," said the spokesman.

star gazer

"Through these ballots, almost 300,000 Irish people have used the system and given it the thumbs-up," said the spokesman.

And if they knew about the security implications of not having a verifiable paper trail would they still be satisfied? Curiously the Minister is going to reassure people and opposition parties about security implications after he has decided to go ahead with the system. He expects us to trust the system when some basic questions have yet to be answered and he is going ahead regardless. It's just as well he's not the director of elections for Fianna Fail in the local elections...