Reply #3: How do you know your vote was recorded as shown?

[Boo Boo]

The output from the printer is the same as the output displayed on the screen. If the screen shows your votes correctly then obviously the printed copy will too. So What? How do you know that your votes were actually recorded as they are shown on the screen or on your printout? It doesn't matter how many different ways you display the information; if it isn't the same as what gets saved on the memory card, you're screwed.

You have to trust the system. There is no way around that.

There are two major things wrong with computer voting: 1) There is no actual ballot. 2) The current systems are poorly engineered, prone to failure, and have serious security flaws. The second problem can be solved, the first one cannot.

I vote absentee in CA, because then I'm sure to get a real paper ballot that I mark with a pen. If there is ever a recount, then the original ballot, that I marked myself, is counted again. One can do a small test run to verify that the scanning machines are correctly recording votes (by comparing with the actual ballots), and then all the votes can be counted again. Or, if one really wants to go all the way, the ballots can be counted by hand.