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| | Name : | Pete Nicholls | Organization : | N/A | Post Date : | 9/30/2005 |
| Comment : | Subject
electronic machines are hackable, period.
Hi,
I'm a very concerned citizen who happens to know a thing or two about
computer hardware, encryption and even a bit about programming. I've
written programs, built computers, taken them apart and rebuilt them
again. One thing I know for sure is that no system is 100% secure and
any digital system is less-so. Paper trails may seem like a solution
but they aren't. Here's why:
You tell an electronic ballot machine you want to vote for Joe Blow.
It spits out a piece of paper that says you've voted for Joe Blow,
meanwhile, it records that you voted for Joe Blow's opponent.
An electronic machine could easily be programmed to function as I
describe above. It could even be programmed to function as I describe
some of the time or only after Joe Blow's opponent gets X number of
votes behind Joe Blow. With computers, you can essentially fake
anything and this can all be done without anyone being able to spot
the nefarious code.
I know it sounds absurd, but the safest, most secure way to hold
elections is with a piece of paper with the candidate's name written
on it by the voter. Obviously, that's incredibly cumbersome, but
punch cards are at least more secure than *any* electronic machine.
The only time punch cards are confusing to the voter is when they are
intentionally made to be confusing, by using a design like the
infamous butterfly ballot. If such obvious design flaws are simply
attended to by election officials, then confusion over something as
simple as poking a little hole where you are supposed to can be
completely removed.
Please reconsider the path to electronic ballot boxes. As I've
explained above, you just can't assume they're programmed properly.
This is the will of the American people we're talking about here that
can be usurped by a single unscrupulous programmer. Please don't ask
us to trust individuals to have that much power and to resist taking
advantage of it.
Please say NO to ALL ELECTRONIC BALLOT BOXES. | |
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