Do you believe in the integrity of touch screen computer voting?

Question

Politicians have an earned reputation of being in their business for personal gain, and not for the true greater good of the American people and the country as a whole. How can we believe the political system will set up, distribute and monitor the elections honestly with so much at stake for the politicians and their parties during elections? We automatically receive a receipt for purchasing 50 cents of goods in a grocery store, and are respected for keeping track of our pennies. How can we not demand the same accountability when we vote for the President of the United States? Logic would follow that we would all automatically receive a guarantee that we have been acknowledged as a voter whose vote can be legitimately recounted with no doubt as to the honesty of the count. Our voting system has been plagued with doubt in the last two elections. Accountability should be on the increase, not thrown to the wayside with a system relying entirely upon trusting politicians integrity.

Answer 1

Start here: http://www.blackboxvoting.org/

Touch Screen voting is notoriously unreliable. There have been hundreds of reported instances in Ohio, Florida and other states where people have voted for one candidate and the computer records their vote for someone else.

Plus, aside from the machines, the integrity of central registry computers (where the votes are tallied) are in serious question. The software they use can be easily hacked by using simple Windows tricks. You could transfer hundreds, even thousands, of votes with virtually no trace.

In Wisconsin, we use scantronic machines. You fill out a paper ballot which is read by the computer. It combines a paper trail with electronic efficency. And the machine prevents overvoting and has a very high accuracy (99% plus) rating.

Answer 2

I do not think on line or computer voting is there yet. I think it is going to take a couple more years for the kinks to get worked out of the process. I think vote by mail is better set up.

County and state departments of elections are, for the most part, pretty clean and very non partisan. Except for the south, which has always had corruptions in the voting system, elections officials are generally pretty nonpartisan and fair. Local and municipal elections officers are not politicians. They are appointed and hired on their qualifications as administrators. Not as elected officials. And the League of Women Voters and other volunteer groups poll watch to make sure corruption doesn't creep in there.

On line and computer voting isn't there yet. It has problems for a couple of reasons. One is that it would need to produce a printable copy of a voting transaction like banks use when you withdraw or deposit money from an ATM. Second is that seniors are not all computer literate. And very old people are often very computer illiterate. So until all people are computer literate, it ain't gonna happen.

Accountability is on the increase. One reason is, you're looking right at it. Computer technology makes people more accountable because it distributes what you say and think all over the world. The problem I have is that my ballot is secret. And if President Bush saw how I voted, he would come after me with an Army.

Answer 3

Are you that ignorant of the facts, or just down right stupid. We used the so called butterfly ballot for years in many states. It wasn't till the 2000 election that the demacrooks could not believe that they LOST and they tried every crooked means to over turn the results. They even sent that Mafia don R. Daily from the Daily machine in Chicago down to Florida to find a way to turn over the vote. They even cooked up a scheme to through out some 10,000 absentee military ballots that, to this day, STILL have not been counted. They hollered about pregnant punches and hanging chads. In 2004, in Ohio, They again tried every crooked trick they could come up with. There have only been five indictments and convictions for voter fraud in Ohio. All five were Democrats. We have had the new touch screens in Ohio now and I like them for the fact that it makes it much better to know what issue one is voting for or against because it is there on the screen and easy to read. Can it be hacked? Can some other demacrook find a way to cheat? Guess we will have to wait and see. What kind of "fool proof" system would you suggest we try?

Answer 4

I've used several voting systems in several different states and I don't like the computer ones. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with computers (my degreee is in information systems) but that I don't trust them - especially when there is no paper trail.

The best system I've seen was actually in Oklahoma. They use scantrons (yes, like the ones in college). They have the scantron reader right there and run your ballot through before you leave. That way if there is a problem with your ballot you and fix it right there - no questions as to what you "meant" to vote for. The paper trial is there and it's easy to do a recount if there are any questions. They were also the first state to announce their results in the last election since they can keep a live count all day.

Answer 5

You know there was some university study about four years ago. I wish I could remember details on it but they compared accuracy between the different methods of voting (punch card, pull handle, touch screen, paper ballots). Know what came out on top?

Punch cards. So apparently it's a good system unless you are in south Florida.

Answer 6

It all started with the paper chads in Florida.
And you can't say Florida without "duh".
I think the day of the Presidential elections should be a day off for everybody.
Staff the voting places with paid volunteers to make sure befuddled octogenarians know what they are doing.

Answer 7

No, and I never will. I'm a computer programmer and I think computers can do a lot to help society. But I do not think electronic voting is or will ever be a good idea. It's just too easy to defeat such a system.

Answer 8

No, I don't. Actually, I don't believe in the integrity of the Registrar of Voters either. Why are people allowed to register without showing valid identification?

Answer 9

Absolutely not! If there is no paper trail to follow it is crooked....
But you keep on voting, let them know you are still out there...
and watching them!!!!

Just now, in my state, a bunch of dead people voted....HAHA
I've seen it happen before...we need picture ID's and watchers at the polls...

Answer 10

Emphatically not! They have been discredited in other places, and why we would want private companies to be in charge of voting is bizarre! Selling ports, selling airports, letting hoardes of invaders across our borders, and making sure votes can be rigged ... heck, if this happened in any other country, the U.S would invade and get them sorted out!!