Comments on: MD House UNANIMOUSLY rejects Diebold touch-screen voting machines

By: misschatter

misschatter — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:08:43 +0000

This is great news and here’s hoping Virginia follows. Our city didn’t get touch screens, but did get digital (scroll-wheel) machines. I volunteered at the polls at the last election (VA Governor et al.). The most complaints I heard were from older folks who did not feel at all comfortable with the new machines. Also, some of the longer names ran off the screen on the verification screen, making people concerned. And of course, the lack of printed confirmation/paper-trail.

By: jen m.

jen m. — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 19:49:39 +0000

i also would strongly support early voting. when i lived in texas, they allowed early voting for several days (not sure how many exactly). among other things it encourages increased voter turnout because it makes it easier for people who have trouble making it to the polls on election day because of transportation issues, work schedules, or other hurdles. the early voting locations were usually in places much more convenient that normal polling places — malls, supermarkets, etc.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 19:43:54 +0000

It’s not even the non-recountable that’s the problem, its that most of these digital things leave the voter completely unable to verify that what is recorded is their original intent. If for some crackpot reason they wanted to have a digital system that printed a little something that was then submitted that would be fine. But a system that generates a ‘receipt’ like many people call for doesn’t meet that criteria. All that does is create TWO chains to get to a solution rather than one which is reversable AND reproducable.

The whole issue is moronic anyway; we should be switching to systems that take longer to complete, not less time. The idea of a 12 hour voting period should be killed and buried. For 2004 Florida had a lot of success with ‘early voting’ and if they can get something right you know it’s easy. We’d also eliminate the East-coast effect where people in earlier time zones alter their behavior because of early reporting from us over here on the correct coast.

7 Day Voting! Take up the banner with me, folks!

By: tj

tj — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:28:20 +0000

AWESOME! i’m with tom … virginia next!

By: Tom Bridge

Tom Bridge — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:28:49 +0000

Excellent. Now, can we get VA to do the same? Paper ballots (even machine readable ones, think scantron) are the way we ought to be going, not creepy non-recountable digital ones.