More E-voting Problems in California

thefultonhow writes "Wired News is running a story about Napa County, CA's problems with their new E-voting system. Not only did an optical scanning machine fail to record absentee ballots properly, necessitating a recount of 13,000 ballots, but now Registrar of Voters John Tuteur is saying that the machine used in precincts failed to count 6,692 votes. The incumbent Napa County Supervisor had originally lost his bid for reelection by only 50 votes (the recount of absentee ballots bumped that up to 107 votes), so with nearly 7,000 votes gone AWOL, this is a big deal." The first Wired link above shows that the discovery of the problem was apparently mostly chance: if none of the 10 (ten!) ballots picked for rescanning had exhibited the problem, they might not have figured it out. It also suggests a new strategy for rigging the vote: pass out pens of a certain type in districts unfavorable to your candidate, then calibrate the machine not to read that type of ink.

Comments

What does this have to do with 'e-voting'?

[goldspider]

This is a story about machines not being able to read a certain kind of ink.

The fact that the ballots are 'counted' by a machine doesn't make this an "e-voting" story.

This problem has been around for YEARS! Nothing to see here, folks. Take off your tinfoil hats and move along.

Re:What does this have to do with 'e-voting'?

[thefultonhow]

To defend my articles: look at the other Wired story in the posting (the one that the whole thing was about). That one deals with problems with actual e-voting machines in precincts.

Re:What does this have to do with 'e-voting'?

[NineNine]

Have you *ever* voted? This has been around for many, many years. Fill out a "scantron", and stick it in the machine to be counted. This technology has been around for many, many years.

Besides, you always have to trust someone or something to count votes, unless you're physically going to do the entire process yourself. Put your tin foil hat back on!

Re:Keep it simple

[TrollBridge]

"Keep it simple: paper and marker pen."

RTFA - this IS about paper and pen ballots, and a machine's inability to properly record it. This has NOTHING to do with people voting on computers.

Re:We need receipts

[bigpat]

"I don't understand why there is so much resistance to voting machines that print receipts for each voter."

'Show me your receipt or else your daughter loses a finger, you better have voted for the guy we told you to vote for'

Understand now?

I don't understand people that don't undertand.

Texas has problems too

[GeorgeH]

Texas Safe Voting has a video on their site of election workers talking to a Diebold sales rep. It shows just how bad off we are with current evoting initatives. My favorite quote is "I just want to make sure this machine can add. Remember, we've had machines recently that didn't add."

Re:Testing procedures?

[arivanov]

Ahem. This has been the case since the first such tests came out in the late 80-es. Nothing has changed ever since. This is also the reason why we used to be issued pencils along with the test papers for some classes in college 15 years ago. Actually the type of pensil also matters. It should be 2B. F and H can be misread as well.

When the hell is everyone going to get it?

[NIN1385]

Ok, I am going to start by saying that anyone that thinks e-polling/e-voting or any other kind of electronic voting system is accurate....you are an ignorant bastard. Politicians cheated in elections ever since the beginning of politics, all e-voting does is make it even easier to cheat. How many of you computer programmers wouldn't take a million dollars to move a decimal place over a few places? Having people count ballots is not as bad as people think it is...wouldn't you do it for a paycheck? It does not hurt anyone to have a paper ballot and people counting every single one just like they used to have to do. I have shared this website with you before, but here it is again: Black Box Voting .

I have donated money to this lady on more than one occasion. She has evidence of about seven or eight states that have FOR A FACT cheated or purposely screwed with the results and she is raising money to take every person responsible for it to court. She is what some (including me) may call a patriot. She is fighting a war that is just beginning between this power hungry government of ours and the people. There will be a new civil war some day soon, I just hope the people are on the right side and see all the facts. I bid you all good day....peace