Do you trust touchscreen voting?

[Boredtodeath]

Do you trust touchscreen voting?

By AJC staff | Wednesday, October 6, 2004, 10:50 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Do you trust Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines to accurately record your vote?

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[goddess40]

1. As much as I trust Bush

ZIP, ZERO, NADDA!!!

No paper trail means vote theft.

[bryant69]

2. I would trust it if there was a paper trail

Let's not kid ourselves; touch screen voting is the future; it can be made to be more reliable than the hole punch method and so on. And it will be easier to use for those who might find voting intimidating.

The problem is you need a paper trail of some kind so that you know what you voted for and who you voted for.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[mmonk]

3. Do elephants fly?

[Eurobabe]

4. no that's why I voted absentee :)

[prayin4rain]

5. I don't understand how they can set it up without a paper trail

That really makes me crazy. There has to be a paper trail. How can there not be paper trail??!!! AAAAWWWWW!!!!

[AmerDem]

6. no

How can anyone, knowing there is no reliable and accurate way for recount. Thank God I will be voting on the 70 year old lever type.

[WoodrowFan]

11. how can you know

whether the lever machone is counting it right? it has no paper trail either?

(to be honest I think it'd be easier to rig software to "fix" a vote on a touch screen than it would be to rig a lever machine)

[AmerDem]

12. well for one

at least we have history on our side. For the last 70years this area has used the old green lever machines and our local government has been functioning to an exceptable level. Nothing is perfect and set in stone but I sure have more faith in a proven machine then a new and fraudulent electronic system.

[WoodrowFan]

13. what if

Ok, that's fair. What if your county did what mine is doing, test the machines in a test election with both parties observing?

[AmerDem]

14. I would never trust E- voting

the way it's set up now. In most cases there is no means of recount, period end of sentence. You have to take the word of someone that actually has the means to change any totals in a matter of minutes to suit their own agenda. Until Congress and the Senate treat this with the seriousness it deserves and words are put into action how can anyone have faith in a system like this? This administration had 4 years to fix this but of course they did nothing so they could keep this as their ace in the hole for this upcoming presidential election.

[Skittles]

7. last time I voted it was on a DIEBOLD TOUCH SCREEN

in TEXAS. Oh yeah, I was FILLED with faith. :o

[Proud_Lefty]

8. Hell No

I went with a group of people to the Registrar of Voters yesterday for a Logistics and Accuracy Test for calculating the absentee votes. Unfortunately I missed the week before covering the main voting, but understood that we were stonewalled on all questions and concerns.

It was absolutely amazing. We were not allowed in the same room as the machines, but through a window, watched some lady's back as she was putting the cards into the machine. No cameras were allowed, no recording devices, nothing. If they're not hiding something, they all need serious mental help. But hey, I'm not stupid. They are hiding a lot or they would have been much more forthcoming without so much hostility.

Anyway, keep in mind if you're absentee voting, any pen marks outside the designated bubble area can void out your entire vote. They feel comfortable that warning the voter about this somewhere in their set of instructions is sufficient. They assured me pen marks get made on your absentee vote after it arrives at the RofV would never happen. Oh yeah, I totally trust them!

Someone came and said he would have members from his committee to view the opening of the absentee ballots and the processing. He was met with shock, saying they didn't have the facilities to do that. He assured them they had enough time to work it out. Hee hee.

[bearfan454]

9. The GEMS counting program is where the problem is.

[harmonyguy]

16. Permit me to modify your statement

The GEMS counting program is where the problem is one of the biggest problems is.
Others include
-the wrong type or color of writing utensil used to fill in the bubble on optical scan ballots.
-Poor ballot layout that causes confusion (butterfly style)
-Touchscreens bringing up the wrong ballot
Just to name a few.

Point being, GEMS (or the various other tabulators) is just ONE flawed part of the system, there are LOTS of others.
HG

[WoodrowFan]

10. kinda

I an an election official (i.e. a poll worker) in Virginia. The old machines and the lever machines didn't have a paper trail either. And I know that they really test our machines in Arlington and Fairfax counties to make sure that what votes are cast are what are counted. So I do trust that my vote will be counted.

that said, that doesn't mean I trust the companies that make them, nor do I trust that every district that uses these machines tests them as well as my county does.

[sventvkg]

15. Nope, and I think this is a set up to contest the Election

No matter who wins or loses. I feel it does need to be contested and mandates need to be put in place ensuring we have the ability to recount manually if needed. Our democracy depends on it.