Rule 4: You're No Smarter Than Anybody Else
The Report observes that ...the problems experienced left the impression that machine tampering was a distinct possibility. Ensuring that the machines work is a necessary part of using electronic voting, but it's not sufficient. The entire election process, from voting through tabulation to presentation, must be open to inspection and verification. Any part of the operation labeled, "Trust me, this is OK!" marks the spot where tampering will occur.
I've heard from several folks with proposed technological fixes for various voting machine problems, all of which miss the mark. It seems to me that, if the source code and circuitry were open to public inspection, the actual machinery wouldn't matter.
The real problems lie in the election infrastructure, which must not only not become swamped by tech failures or corrupted by outside influences, but must also retain visible and verifiable integrity in the face of those influences.
If you can help accomplish that, perhaps we can be smart enough to avoid some serious grief and pain. One can hope, anyway.
Last Tab
The relevant reports from Cuyahoga County are available through bocc.cuyahogacounty.us under "Investigation Reports" near the bottom of the page, along with Diebold's response. Evidently, planning was not their strong suit.
Avi Rubin's blog at avi-rubin.blogspot.com covers many of the problems with voting, both electronic and manual. He's been a poll worker, too, so his knowledge runs the gamut. Verified Voting is at www .verifiedvoting.org.
Get refereed definitions at dictionary.reference.com. Newer words, slang, and jargon appear at www.urbandictionary.com.
The nytimes.com article is at www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/washington/ 29ballot.html. You'll need registration and perhaps paid TimesSelect membership.
