Yolo County, CA Registrar Says e-Voting Should Not Be Used If Not Secure

[Wilms]

Yolo County, CA Registrar on Voting Machine Sleepovers: 'If E-Voting Systems can't be secured, perhaps they ought not be used at all. Period.'

Registrar Freddie Oakley Speaks Out on the Busby/Bilbray Controversy and the Crisis Concerning Deployment of Hackable Electronic Voting Systems…

BY Brad

6/30/2006

snip

As an election official, I understand the practical issues involved here perfectly. However, I am strongly of the opinion that it is exactly this kind of practical issue that should give election officials serious reservations about deploying electronic voting machines. If, as a practical matter, they can't be secured, then perhaps they ought not be used at all. Period. Until the impediment can be removed. Which, of course, can be accomplished with some original administrative thinking. Which will not occur until feet are put to the fire.

I think the business of machine sleepovers is very, very serious. And I think it may provide a useful P.R. issue. I am thinking of hiring Matt Bishop to be a poll worker and sending a machine home with him for a sleepover. I wonder what he could achieve over a long weekend?

As to the first requirement — election official shall maintain custody — that is easily satisfied if poll workers are deputized before the machines are placed in their custody. My colleagues argue that we have "always sent paper ballots home with poll workers…" True, but paper has such quaint trackability… They also argue that, "We have to trust our poll workers…" To this I can only say…only if they are incorruptible.

Freddie Oakley
Yolo County, CA Clerk-Recorder

snip

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3017

[Patchuli]

1. Yayyyyyyyyyy Freddie!

We love ya!

[EFerrari]

2. Excellent! K&R

[Stevepol]

3. K&R!!