Farcical: I should learn to hack Diebold machines.

[Ready4Change]

First: I have no (zero) intention of doing this.

As I went to vote in todays primary on my counties Diebold Accuvote machines this thought occurred to me. Why? I've read enough concerning these machines and their flaws that it's clear that my vote can easily be overwritten in over half a dozen ways, in some cases by anyone in the entire world with access to a phone line, or perhaps even an internet connection.

I've no idea if the machine I voted on counted my vote as I cast it. I've no idea if that vote got transfered without modification. I've no idea if, after transfer, my vote hasn't been modified. And I know that, should a recount be called for, there is no way to be sure that my vote, as I cast it, will be recounted as I cast it.

On the other hand, if I learned how to hack the Diebold voting process, I could up the votes for my candidate(s) by one. That way I'd be sure that, at least at one moment in time, my vote was tallied correctly. I'd still have no surety that some other hacker wouldn't come in behind me, erase several hundred votes for my candidate and add them to his. But at least, for a second, my vote would matter.

Again, let me repeat that I have no intention of doing this. But I think it's sad that, were I to do so, my hacked in vote would be more secure than going through the process as a good citizen should.

[flpoljunkie]

1. I share your concerns, especially that tampering shows NO trace!

We cannot allow this in the general election. Machines must be made unhackable!

[Ready4Change]

2. I'm a programmer.

I understand the generalities in how this stuff works, albiet I don't know the specifics in this case. However, I feel confident in saying that you CANNOT make computers or other electronic devices unhackable. Can't be done. No way. No how.

Then again, there's no way to make ANY voting system unhackable. Our nations electoral history proves that.

Our nations electoral history also shows the solution. Make the system recountable. That's why insisting that these new systems provide a voter verifiable paper trail is so important.

If this were done, not only would it provide a backup counting method, it would actually be an improvement on the previous non-electronic systems. The initial counts would be quick and accurate. And if tampering were suspected there would be a trustworthy, completely separate recounting system. It would be a good trick for miscreants to tamper with both systems into identical results.

Right now, these new systems are a step backwards. Add a paper trail and they become a step forward.

[larco]

3. What kind of paper trail?

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way in support of the current system of the paperless ballot. But, I'm not sure how we could solve this problem. If we did have the machines print out a paper ballot after pushing the "cast ballot" button on the screen, what then? Does the voter get to look at it? Does it stay in the machine to be used in the case of a recount? We may have to use the same faith in the system (after we address security concerns and certification) as we did for punchcards. After we punched in the holes, we put our ballot in a box, never saw the ballot's results, and relied on hopefully ethical election officials to count our votes.

[Ready4Change]

4. Here's how I see it:

You use the current touch screens. They tally the results in the same mysterious, hackable manner they currently use. However, at the same time, the machine prints a paper card which you, the voter, have a chance to review. You make sure that card agrees with how you've voted. Then you drop that card into a recount box.

If a precincts votes are questioned, those paper cards get recounted. That way, if someone wants to rig the vote, they not only have to hack the electronic system, they must ALSO "hack" the voter verified paper trail, and do BOTH in a way that they match each other. Such people now have twice as many chances to get caught, twice as many places to make an obvious mistake. That not only makes the voting process more secure, but it provides a real deterent to many would be vote tamperers.

[TrogL]

5. The paper ballot should be the document of record - the "ballot"

The touchscreen system should just be a convenient way of generating the ballot and doing a rough count.

[NNN0LHI]

6. We have had dead people voting on paper ballots for decades in Chicago

There is no system that can't be diddled with. All we can do is keep it to a minimum and lock up someone for a long time when we catch them doing it.

Don

[Ready4Change]

8. Yep, problem is...

The latest touch screen voting machines make it EASIER to tamper with the system without getting caught.

With the dead people voting thing, there's a chance you can find out who put those people into the voting rosters, and who cast votes as those people. There are human access points.

Electronic voting has done nothing to lesson certain peoples desires to tamper with votes, and done much to enable that very tampering. It's easier today (literally) to do than it has ever been before.

Did your vote count today? How do you know?

[napi21]

7. GREAT IDEA!

Quite simple, but documentable too!

Got any idea how much an upgrad like that would cost? Esch time I complained about not having a paper trail I was told that all the states are hurting for money and they can't afford any additional expenses for NEW voting machine upgrades.

[PATRICK]

9. Money is a rotten excuse

against paper accountability since these wheezing monsters constantly need updating, repairs, maintenance, certification and year long security. If they bought these things in the first place thinking they were saving money they were total idiots. Only Federal HA VA money was the carrot that induced them in the first place. "Free" money and then the aftermath, if anyone forces them to fix the junk.

The solution must be for a nationwide automatic recount of the paper. Start making exceptions and the chaos and the unreliability descends. Take your complaints and bureaucratic woes to Human Nature when you whine why this is necessary.

Yet they are still forging ahead with the even more ethereal shell game of Internet voting since people who should know better bought this digital lie so enthusiastically.