Political Notebook: Author argues elections bigger gamble than slots

[NVMojo]

March 27, 2006

An academic researcher has concluded that Las Vegas slot machines are more trustworthy than electronic voting machines.

Steven F. Freeman, a University of Pennsylvania professor working on a book about elections, "has assembled comparisons that suggest Americans protect their vices more than they guard their rights," according to the Washington Post.

Among the contrasts, Freeman contends: The state of Nevada has access to all the software that runs slots, but voting machine software is a trade secret of the companies that produce them.

Slots may be surprise-inspected by gaming regulators at any time, while election machines aren't required to be checked.

Slots are certified publicly by an independent public agency; voting machines are certified by for-profit companies paid by the machines' manufacturers, and information on the process is not public.

more...

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Mar-27-Mon-2006/news/6527933.html

[Kurovski]

1. K&R.

A great piece on why it's idiotic on its face to have private companies, with all their secrets, running our elections.

EDIT: A very catchy thread title, too.

[kster]

2. Kr..nt

[bleever]

3. Slot machines better than voting machines???

Say it loud, say it over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over...

And she'll tell two friends,

And they'll tell two friends,

And so on,

And so on...



:thumbsup:

[autorank]

4. That's exactly what Jim Lampley and TruthIsAll were talking about.

The odds are better in Vegas, and Vegas is now clean.

Can we say that about our political system? NOT

Recommended

[NVMojo]

6. ...and the very sad part about this is Reid helped fight to kick the mob

out of Vegas' gaming industry but does nothing about this in his own state. He knows that in the 2004 election and any LV city election since, there has only been one Sequoia paper-trailed machine at every poll in Las Vegas where the majority of Nevada voters live. And those Sequoias can't be used in a recount ...the ones without the paper trails. And, no one wants to unroll the tapes on the paper trailed ones due to the hassle involved.

[nicknameless]

5. This graphic in WaPo summed it up nicely

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/03/16/GR2006031600213.html

Discussion at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x417125

[NVMojo]

7. thanks for posting this! It did not run in any Nevada paper that I know of

and that is outrageous!

[nicknameless]

8. You're very welcome :)

Thank you for your OP. I'll be sending the link to Senator Bowen's office. She's California's best hope for saving our elections.

:hi: