Great documentary on how electronic voting machines can be hacked.

[Dinner]

This is an HBO documentary which doesn't get into the partisan muck of finger pointing and instead just deals with the facts of how Diebald and other electronic voting machines can quickly and easily be hacked on a mass scale leaving no record. It's long but very interesting given that Diebald controls the majority of vote counting in American elections.

I'm not a conspiracy nut and the documentary doesn't allege that election fraud actually occurred and instead just shows how our current election system is wide open to massive fraud and how partisan politicians and for profit vendors are often in bed with each other. This is definitely a problem which should be addressed just so we can be sure fraud doesn't happen.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4463776866669054201

This is a legal link provided by Google video and which HBO has authorized to be distributed free over the internet. I honestly hope this loop hole is closed so that everyone can feel more secure about our election system.

[Wernazuma III]

Just get rid of this stupid system altogether. It doesn't add anything to democracy, will always be object of doubts and suspicion. It simply doesn't make things really easier.
And I hate the "we have to catch up with technological advance" argument. It's possible to invent all kinds of electronic machines to substitute "mechanical" activities that don't add anything to our lives.

[onodera]

You also should get rid of electors.

[Dinner]

I agree we should get rid of electors but it's in the constitution because in the 1780's any other system was impractical. The constitution can be amended but it is extremely difficult.

[germanos]

Pretty disturbing. In Holland there's been quite some doubt on voting machines as well, but little real action. In places they have returned to paper ballots though.


Did you notice an evil Fin was at the heart of it?

[Dinner]

they always are... They always are...

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by onodera
You also should get rid of electors.

QFT

Originally posted by Oerdin
I agree we should get rid of electors but it's in the constitution because in the 1780's any other system was impractical. The constitution can be amended but it is extremely difficult.

You had an amendment that outlawed booze, is it really that hard to do?

[MOBIUS]

It is a pretty ****ing obvious conclusion that electronic voting machines can be hacked, hence why they should never be used.

Stick to paper ballots I say!

[onodera]

Electronic voting machines are a great idea, but they will never work with the kind of government you (or we) have.
It is possible to make cryptographically secure voting machines linked into a trustworthy network, but the government will never do that:
a) it will give the contract to the firm that gives the largest kickback, not the one that provides the best solution, which by the way should be widely published in press and scientific journals, so the boffins can take it apart and verify its soundness, and not classified as it is now.
b) doing this will eliminate the possibility of voting fraud, as an open system will allow transparent tracking of the voting results. No government wants that.

[LordShiva]

Electronic voting

[BeBMan]

Once the voting machines declare themselves president you'll re-think that, I tell ya

[LordShiva]

I for one welcome our electronic voting machine overlords

[Aeson]

Like paper ballots can't possibly be manipulated...

electronic voting

(I'd prefer if you could check your vote as well.)

[Imran Siddiqui]

What's a "hanging chad"?

Though electronic voting, with a paper backup may be the best of both worlds... vote electronically and then take your paper backup and put it in a box.

[LordShiva]

I'd like teh anti electronic voting crowd to volunteer to count paper ballots at teh next Indian general election