Priscilla,
I agree that "if" the new computerized systems actually work
it will be a triumph. Unfortunately, I'm too pessimistic about it. We all
know what happens to end users when an application is changed, or even an
OS, confusion reigns supreme. I think it's going to be a massive boondoggle
on election day. The segment of the population that votes the most is also
the segment that is going to be the most confused by the mere introduction
of a computer into the process. I think as time goes on computerized voting
will be the way it's done almost everywhere, but for now, I'm dreading the
lawsuits after election day.
This brings us to your points regarding these systems and what
we actually know about them. I thought I remember reading somewhere that
after the 2000 election MIT and Stanford did a study regarding new methods
of voting and found that the computerized system wasn't a secure as everyone
thought it would be. I'm not sure if that's correct, but I think I remember
reading that. Not knowing the process of how these systems work also makes
me wonder how "secret" your ballot is. If a record is kept of each person
voting, how hard would it be to keep track of who they voted for? I agree
with you that not enough has been made known about them.
Which brings us to the final problem. What happens when the
voters complain " the network is slow". :-)
""Priscilla Oppenheimer"" wrote in message
news:200211050315.DAA24012@;groupstudy.com...
> Yes, indeed, VOTE. But, shall we take odds on the number of problems that
> will occur? :-) Many states are using new computerized systems. If these
> actually work in most cases, it will be a huge triumph for Information
> Technology. Back in 2000 I tried to get a discussion going about what an
> awful job IT did in letting states linger with 1970s punch-card
technology.
> There were some general lessons to be learned there about the need to get
> rid of legacy technologies, etc.. But people thought I wanted to start a
> political discussion and refused to have a "best practices" discussion. I
> was bummed. ;-) But that's OK. It wasn't really Cisco-focused.
>
> But what do we know about these new computerized touch-screen systems? I
> heard that they were paperless. So is the data going to be transmited to a
> server somewhere? Are the devices connected via wireless or wired? Is
there
> a Cisco switch? A router? How does the data get to the state authorities?
> How was the new system tested? What are the security issues, not to
mention
> the reliability issues? Does it scare anyone else that we don't know
> anything about these systems? Shouldn't something about them be published?
> Did they go through a code reivew by experts in programming and security?
>
> Accoring to this article, Theresa LePore, the Queen of Chad, Supervisor of
> Elections in Palm Beach County, Florida, signed an agreement with Sequoia
> Voting Systems, the makers of Florida's new system, to protect their
"trade
> secrets," which effectively prohibits any party contesting an election
from
> examining the machine or its programming. Scary.
>
> http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0805-07.htm
>
> Then again, maybe everything will go smoothly. If it does, it's a great
> credit to the programmers and network administrators who made it work and
> troubleshooted problems that happened in real-time.
>
> _______________________________
>
> Priscilla Oppenheimer
> www.troubleshootingnetworks.com
> www.priscilla.com
>
> The Long and Winding Road wrote:
> >
> > For those United States residents, Tuesday is election day. No
> > politics
> > here. No flames here. You have a right and a privilege that is
> > rare in
> > today's world. Please take the appropriate amount of time to
> > get to your
> > polling place and exercise the right that many have fought and
> > died for.
> > Your vote DOES count.
> >
> > --
> >
> > www.chuckslongroad.info
Message Posted at:
http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=56895&t=56758
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