I'm uncomfortable with this: On-line voting in primaries.

[gristy]

Or any other time. It seems this is discriminatory to those without computers or easy access to one. And while the potential for fraud is not as big a concern for me in a primary, this is a slipperly slope which heads us towards on-line voting the the general election. Which I have a BIG problem with.

Michigan's Online Ballot Spurs New Strategies for Democrats
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Published: January 10, 2004

DETROIT, Jan. 7 - The virtual ballot box has arrived in Michigan. Democrats in this state are the only voters in the country who have the option of voting online in the presidential primaries this year.

Since New Year's Day, voters have been allowed to apply for ballots and vote by mail or Internet in advance of the Feb. 7 caucuses. Or, on Feb. 7, they can go to one of 576 caucus sites and vote the old-fashioned way. By Thursday night, 11,000 people had applied for ballots, three-fourths of them over the Internet, according to the Michigan Democratic Party. About 100 people had voted so far, 90 of them online.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/10/politics/campaigns/10MICH.html

[eyesroll]

1. Well, since Internet voting is optional, it's not really discriminatory

but I agree with you on the rest. I like the idea of Internet voting -- click, verify, done, don't have to wait in line. But the potential for fraud is staggering. No paper trail. Are they exit polling, like MoveOn was? That would be one way to verify results, but if they took names and numbers, as MoveOn did, it would violate the right to cast an anonymous ballot.

[sendero]

2. It depends....

... entirely on how its done. If ballots are serialized and you have to enter the serial number on the internet form, it is hard for me to see how it could be gamed effectively. Assuming of course that there are procedures to track all of the ballots...

[gristy]

3. I think it is discriminatory.

By making it easier to vote for those who can afford a computer, you are making it (relatively) more difficult for those who don't. I suppose I'm nitpicking a little.

[Benhurst]

5. No, you are not nitpicking. You are raising a valid point. n/t

[eyesroll]

8. Good point.

It's not all that difficult to get a mail ballot, either, but I see your point.

[LiberalFighter]

15. Places where computers could be used for voting.

Libraries
Public schools
Universities

As for fraud that would be the more serious obstacle.

[SadEagle]

9. Easy to coerce people, too.

eom

[rasputin1952]

4. It all comes down to a paper trail to verify votes cast...

without 'hard copies' of the votes cast, I am against it. What do you do in a re-count?

The basic reason we have a paper trail, is because there ARE dishonest people that will do anything to win. I believe the FL fiasco will bear me out.


O8)

[ajacobson]

6. First try out

This is the first time this has been tried on this scale (I think, please correct me if not so). If it flops, then that will be it for internet voting for some time.

I much rather try this kind of new voting technique out at this stage (primary level) than during a general election for all the marbles. If the process is a fiasco, then mea culpa, come up with something different next time. If it's a fiasco during a general election, that's a disaster.

Personally, if we are interested in increasing voter participation, instituting instant runoff voting is the way to go. That way, if your first choice doesn't get in, your second or third preference might and that's a lot better than all or nothing.

[pocoloco]

7. It would seem to me that any election would be unacceptable

without a verifiable paper trail! Is there no way this can be stopped by the courts? The consequences of this years elections are enormous!

[Nazgul35]

10. I already voted in Michigan's caucus via online...

and this is how they set it up...

You apply online and give biographical and personal information that you will have to be able to reproduce when it comes time to vote...

You must already be registered as a voter...

You get your ballot in the mail and you have the option of filling out the ballot and mailing it in or you can do it on-line....

I chose to do it on-line....

You are given a unique password and login name...

once you log in, you must reenter some of the information they asked you to provide when you requested the ballot...

after that, you cast your vote...

you also answer an online survey...

as you have a unique username and password, you have a verifiable check on whether or not your votes was properly counted....

hope this helps....

As to those who do not own computers, I am encouraging those individuals to go to their local library to request the ballot and then return to cast their vote, or they can just mail it in (the ultimate voter verification)....

This gives people well over a month to vote...anyone who can't do that are just lazy!!!! (if they get the ballot that is)

[DUreader]

11. How does a user name and password tell you how or if vote was counted?

There is no way to do a sample audit.

[Andy_Stephenson]

12. Internet voting IMHO

is a no starter and is even more dangerous than touchscreens.

[pocoloco]

13. What were they thinking???

[LiberalFighter]

16. And touchscreens are no better

The data is collected in a cartridge that can be manipulated.

[baggypants]

14. Thsi will be a hacker's paradice waiting to be abused by someone

[MrSlayer]

17. Internet and Touch Screen voting should not be allowed!

It is way too easy to manipulate the data by hacking or simply changing the votes afterward. Paper ballots should be the Only method used with votes counted by hand. It will take longer but there is almost no way to cheat it with proper supervision.

The worst part of it is the company that will be writing the software for the touch machines are big Bush supporters. And due to the ridiculous law that says corporations are protected and considered the same as citizens under the 4th Amendment no one can look at their source code or even check the results but them. It's a recipe for disaster.