They had Diebold at the place I voted today.

[Selatius]

The only consolation was that it printed a paper ballot for review before you finalized your vote, and I checked to see if the candidates I had voted for printed properly on the paper ballot, and it did, but I don't think they will rely on those paper ballots unless the race was close and somebody called a recount.

Of course, here in Mississippi the race wasn't close. I voted for Fleming (D). The Repub? None other then Trent Lott, but Mississippians overwhelmingly support him.

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Warning:

EDITED for typing

I made a living as a computer programmer for 25 years, so I know what I'm saying.

What a machine tells you it stored and what it actually stores are two different things. No system of electronic voting that stores the vote in the machine is unimpeachable.

I don't care who manufactures the machine. I don't care what the intent of those who wrote the code is. Most software is run with bugs and any individual bug is only addressed when the problem becomes apparent. In a large, bureaucratic-heavy corporation, it can take weeks to do ten minutes worth of work; that's how long it takes to run the issue up three or four levels of management and back down again.

This is no way to run an election.

Electronic voting machnines are fine, as long as they dispense a paper ballot which is the document a voter takes to a locked box and is what the elections officers actually count.

[Selatius]

3. Amen to that.

If there wasn't a paper printer there attached to the machine to inscribe my vote, I wouldn't have used the machine.

[Misskittycat]

2. I voted on the same kind of machine in San Diego. Gives a false

sense of security. Everything "appeared" to go smoothly. Machines working; no lines; big screen, easy to read; no vote flipping; printed paper thing. But we have a really AWFUL Registrar of Voters here, Mikel Haas, who has engaged in all sorts of shenanigans last time and is keeping it up this time. He still sent machines home for "sleepvers" for several weeks; he won't count the "paper ballot" alternatives until Thursday; he ran out of absentee ballots, etc.

So, to someone who doesn't know how these things can be hacked, it looks like smooth sailing.

[Selatius]

4. Mikel Haas will burn your paper receipts or trash them if you aren't careful.

Make sure he doesn't do that so that you are left with only the electronic results.

[Misskittycat]

5. Went by at 3 pm again. One of 4 machines down. n/t