On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 2:57 PM, john stampe <jwsta...@yahoo.com> wrote: > Interesting post. > > You may be interested in the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) which has > been looking into issues related to voting machines. See > https://www.eff.org/issues/e-voting > > Also you might want to read Bruce Schneier's writings on the issue. He is a > security guru who has written a lot about voting machines. His big point is > that there is no "security through obscurity". Search his blog at > http://www.schneier.com/blog > > Regards, > John >
Thank you. I'm reading this Bruce Schneier inspired thread right now, very interesting: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/04/ireland_does_aw.html EFF and OSU's Open Source Lab both connect to a local NGO called DemocracyLab. Here in my zip code area (97214) we have the Linus Pauling Campus, also discussing this topic. In luckier schools, a contingent of faculty sees designing and running a school intranet as a responsibility. Perhaps a local ISP gets involved (locally, our public LEP High has contracted with Open Sorcery). Students get to apprentice. The software one might use to catalyze democratic decision making does not stop with just voting. Kirby Urner Portland, Oregon > http://www.wikieducator.org/User:JohnWS > http://johnsearth.blogspot.com > > ________________________________ > From: kirby urner <kirby.ur...@gmail.com> > To: wikieducator@googlegroups.com > Sent: Tue, September 14, 2010 5:54:29 AM > Subject: [WikiEducator] prototyping voting machines in democracy-funded > schools > > VOTING MACHINES IN SCHOOLS > > Those following the many conflict-of-interest stories > that have always plagued the voting vista, might > appreciate the advisability of having schools serve > as "testbeds for democracy" in those systems > favoring this form of self-government (not all of > them do). > > The idea is to use both paper ballots and electronic > systems of various kinds (optical scanners, touch > screens...), with vendors invited to field test, getting > some positive visibility for so doing. > > It's not just the "polling booth" that we care about, > but the back end tabulation system and, most > important, all the safeguards and cross-checks that > make election results auditable, perhaps permanently > on record (just like famous sports contests, forever > archived to videotape (yes, I know, videotape has a > half-life)). > > Students and faculty will have responsible administrative > roles in what amount to realistic simulations, using > equipment the vendors hope will someday see the > light of day in higher stakes arenas. > > Not every high school would need to test every make > and model. However, a lot the the proposed electronic > systems run as open source software on commodity > hardware, perhaps with some custom peripherals (a > particular kind of touch screen for example). > > I say "high schools" without meaning to exclude > colleges and universities from running similar experiments > (many already do). However, I'm particularly interested > in moves to revitalize the "teenage wasteland" layer, > which by most accounts is where major breakage > occurs. > > GATHERING PUBLIC SECTOR RESOURCES > > I'm not sure what materials on Wikieducator and > other open courseware repositories already contain, > as far as technical information regarding the various > secret balloting technologies (from paper based > tabulation to LCD based). > > A context for this thread is my having just attended > a conference called DjangoCon, here in Portland, > Oregon. Django is a free and open source framework > for developing web applications, anything that runs > through a web browser and likely talks to a back > end database. Congressman Wu, chairman of a > House subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, > gave one of the keynotes. > > I've been watching this initiative take shape through > my Pauling House Campus connections as well. > Linus Pauling, x2 Nobel prize winner, launched many > of his chemistry studies right here near the foot of Mt. > Tabor, an extinct volcano within our city limits. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tabor,_Portland,_Oregon > > From a recent posting to our discussion list: > > """ > PS: getting working voting machines in the high schools is a really > good idea. Encourage kids to learn what makes them tick. Have > several mock elections every week, on all kinds of student and > faculty proposed topics. Look for cheats, discover schemes, do some > dry runs for that real world you're about to get into... It's also > a good idea because it'll be veeeery interesting to find out what > politicians feel the have the political capital to fight against it. > What, too expensive? Open source? C'mon! > """ > > I'll post a follow-up link to the Math Forum when it appears, > then to more journalism in the blogosphere I might happen > across (I'm mostly looking into the Python community these > days, i.e. those using the Python programming language, > an eclectic group). > > Here it is already: > http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=7203847&tstart=0 > > MAKING CYBERSPACE SAFER > > What's related to this thread, even if you're not looking at > prototyping voting infrastructure, is creating a safe intranet. > I'm a liberal arts type in espousing free and unfettered access > to information, but the flip side is vulnerability to malware, > malignant memes, a lot of those crazy ideas a strong > education will supply you with antibodies to fight, but a > weak one will leave you prey to. Schools need to provide > something like a sandbox, relatively free of malicious predators, > and this is one reason why adopting Internet policies is > so slow.** > > Here's a recent post somewhat belaboring the obvious in > this respect (that newbies are vulnerable, especially if > untrained). The lesson extends to those experimenting > with democracy though. Rigged voting equipment is > malware as well. > > http://controlroom.blogspot.com/2010/09/internet-is-broken.html > > The post just before it chronicles Congressman Wu's recent > visit to our esoteric little conference (only about 250 attendees). > > Kirby > > ** entertaining true story: our local police department in > Hillsboro, home of Intel, was feeling really frustrated by how > the schools were turning the Internet into something scary > and fascist, expected police to show up and make everyone > worry about downloading free stuff (pirating), prono, chat > rooms -- whatever behaviors. Lots of lurking dangers out > there, sure, but what about the stuff that's legally free, like > the web browser itself, maybe even the whole operating > system. Why weren't the schools teaching more about > that. The police were so frustrated they set up a Linux > lab in the police station and hired teachers out of their > own budget to work with the kids, showing 'em healthy, > happy ways to enjoy their heritage, with just the right level > of paranoia to steer clear of creeps and perps. I know about > all this because I was one of the teachers. This was years > ago. Have the schools sufficiently improved? > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "WikiEducator" group. > To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org > To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator > To post to this group, send email to wikieducator@googlegroups.com > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > wikieducator-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "WikiEducator" group. > To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org > To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator > To post to this group, send email to wikieducator@googlegroups.com > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > wikieducator-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WikiEducator" group. 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