Re: [privacy] Florida ballot terminals favor Republicans

[Alex Eckelberry <AlexE () sunbelt-software com>]

Well, I vote on Tuesday, I'll let you know how it goes.  But at least in
Pinellas County, where I live, these machines seem just fine to me.  In
fact, I would venture to say that they're idiot proof. 

No paper trial though... 

-----Original Message-----
From: Dude VanWinkle [mailto:dudevanwinkle () gmail com] 
Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 6:46 AM
To: privacy digest mailing list
Subject: [privacy] Florida ballot terminals favor Republicans

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/31/florida_terminals_dont_cooperate
/

Florida voters using electronic ballot machines are having persistent
problems choosing Democrats in early elections, the Miami Herald
reports.

The touch-screen gizmos seem strangely attracted to Republican
candidates. One voter needed assistance from an election official, and
even then, needed three tries to convince the machine that he wanted to
vote for Democrat Jim Davis in the gubernatorial race, not his
Republican opponent Charlie Crist.

Another voter who went Democrat across the board kept finding
Republicans listed in the summary screen. He made repeated attempts
until, finally, the machine registered his votes correctly, and he cast
his ballot.

Yet another frustrated voter who complained of difficulties selecting a
Democrat was told that the machine she was using had been troublesome.
Poll workers fiddled with it for a bit, and then it seemed to work
properly.

Apparently, this happens all the time. According to the Herald, "Broward
County Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said it's not
uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync,
making votes register incorrectly. Poll workers are trained to
recalibrate them on the spot - essentially, to realign the video screen
with the electronics inside. The 15-step process is outlined in the
poll-worker's manual."
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