Experts warn Congress of e-voting woes

[Renew Deal]

This is from a tech site.

Committee missed chance of ensuring November's elections will produce auditable results, expert says

By Marc L. Songini, Computerworld

September 29, 2006


With hotly contested nationwide elections just weeks away, several computer experts Thursday questioned the reliability and security of e-voting systems during a congressional committee hearing.

Access doors of thousands of Diebold AcuVote-TS touch-screen systems can all be opened with the same key -- a type commonly used for office furniture, jukeboxes and hotel minibars, Princeton University computer science professor Edward Felten told the committee. That door protects the removable memory card that stores votes.

"Though some claim that election procedures will prevent the kinds of problems we identified, the rigid procedures described in vendor manuals are often ignored in practice," said Felten, co-author of a study that was highly critical of Diebold Election Systems' AccuVote TS.

Also today, the Committee on House Administration took no action on legislation proposed by Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) aimed at remedying e-voting vulnerabilities. The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (HR 550), introduced last February, now has more than 200 bipartisan co-sponsors.
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http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/09/29/HNevotingwoes_1.html?source=NLC-TB2006-09-29

[texpatriot2004]

1. K & R for Transparent Democracy nm

[mom cat]

2. This needs to be a huge election issue.

[bleever]

3. The lack of confidence is mushrooming into widespread suspicion.

All those close elections coming up...gonna be a lot of scrutiny.