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State Dems aim to spur caucus turnout; critics fear the digital divide
By Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Despite substantial criticism -- including fears of hackers and the silencing of minority voters -- Michigan Democratic leaders are holding to their plan to allow Internet voting in the Feb. 7 caucus that will select a presidential favorite.
The plan, which is being challenged by seven of the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls, would for the first time allow Michigan voters to use the Internet in a public election. Arizona, the only other state to try online voting, used it in the 2000 Democratic presidential primary -- and saw turnout increase more than six-fold over 1996.
Critics of the Democratic Party's plan fear it would bring into play the "digital divide" -- the gulf between wealthy and lower-income Americans in access to and everyday use of computer technology. _____________________________________________________________ There is mention that Dean is all for the computer voting which is probably due to his success with the internet. Not sure who the other one is who is for this.
Computer voting = No paper ballot = no security, hackable, disenfranchisement
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