2 important articles on Blackbox Voting -- and a call to action

[ianbruce]

From Dan Gillmor's eJournal in SiliconVally.com

July 20, 2003
Electronic Voting Machines Need More Safeguards

"... they must, as part of the verification process, create what's called a "paper trail" -- a printout that the voter can look at to verify that the ballot was recorded according to his or her wishes, a document that could later be used for recounts and audits to ensure that the machines had worked as designed.

That anyone disputes this need is astonishing. Yet some people who normally take the side of underdogs, who are passionate about voting rights and the accuracy of elections, are making a common mistake.

They're putting unwarranted trust in technology. They're believing that private companies, for the first time in recorded history, can produce perfect, tamper-proof electronic devices.

This is an epic error, and computer security specialists have been raising bloody hell about it in recent months... <more>

http://weblog.siliconvalley.com/column/dangillmor/archives/

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July 23, 2003
Security Experts: Electronic Voting Machines Threaten Democracy

Last Sunday I raised alarms in my column about the danger of the new electronic voting machines that are rapidly being installed to replace punch-card systems. There was inadequate security, I feared, and nothing resembling foolproof verification...

<snip>

... Again, if you live in California, I beg you to contact the top voting official, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, and urge him to require a verifiable paper audit trail for all such systems. He's soliciting public comments on a recent task force report on electronic voting machines, and the overall issue, until Aug. 1. You can snail-mail comments to:

Secretary of State Kevin Shelley
attn: Touch Screen Report
1500 11th St.
Sacramento, CA 95814.

E-mail comments to [e-mail] or,
send a fax to [phone].

Time is short. Please, please speak out.

http://weblog.siliconvalley.com/column/dangillmor/

[Melsky]

1. Thanks

I live in CA and have just sent in my comments.

This issue is really taking off, hope it continues to have legs.

[proud patriot]

2. I just sent a letter too

:hi:

[BevHarris]

3. A kick for Ian Bruce

good catches, both

[ianbruce]

4. Thanks Bev. A kick for West Coasties.

>kick<