India Starts All-Electronic National Elections

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India Starts All-Electronic National Elections

Posted by CmdrTaco on Tuesday April 20, 2004 @02:09AM from the future-of-democracy dept.

fantomas writes "Forget the problems of e-voting in a state in some middling sized western country as recently reported by Slashdot. The world's largest democracy is about to go to the polling stations and vote for a new government using all-electronic voting systems. Will it work? Will the USA follow if all goes to plan? Can any readers from India comment on how it seems to be going?"

14 of 395 comments (clear)

Python.. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-04-20 02:10 · Score: 5, Funny

How would they know if they have screwed up votes? The ballots read like the Python Spam Skit:

Place your vote:

Egg and Singh
Egg Bacon and Singh
Egg Bacon Sausage and Singh
Singh Bacon Sausage and Singh
Singh Egg Singh Singh Bacon and Singh
Singh Sausage Singh Singh Bacon Singh Tomato and Singh
Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and Singh

Just a joke, lads. In India "Singh" is like "Smith" in the West.
1. Re:Python.. by TiggsPanther · 2004-04-20 02:24 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  So, the one at the bottom would be a guy with a hat and a lasso on his knees then?
  
  --
  Tiggs
  "120 chars should be enough for everyone..."
2. Re:Python.. by mwood · 2004-04-20 02:40 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  We already did. If you truly don't know or care who is best suited to run things, you can just pull the lever with the cute donkey or elephant on it (whichever one your daddy taught you to pull) and be happy.
  
  Anyway the majority of us in the U.S. are semiliterate. Otherwise how would we know which bottle says, "Coke," and which, "Pepsi?" Now, *that* would be a calamity, wouldn't it?
  
  Some of us can even spell correctly without help.
3. Re:Python.. by zoney_ie · 2004-04-20 02:59 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  > Some of us can even spell correctly without help.
  
  Well, the original perpetrators of the English language might disagree that anyone in the US can spell correctly. :o)
  
  Fortunately, here in Ireland, we get to abuse the English language as much as we like, and if criticised, just point out that it's not our natural language :o)
  
  --
  -- *~()____) This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds...
4. Re:Python.. by Cassius105 · 2004-04-20 03:06 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Yeh but you guys make guiness which makes it okay :)
5. Re:Python.. by alphakappa · 2004-04-20 05:07 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Just a joke, lads. In India "Singh" is like "Smith" in the West.
  
  In north India, that is. In the south "Singh" is a martian.
  
  --
  "When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
elephants by millahtime · 2004-04-20 02:12 · Score: 3, Funny

"helicopters, bullock carts and elephants were all used to ferry the machines to the remotest corners of India."

An elephant carrying a voting machine. Even in my wildest dreams I never would have thought of that.

--
Evolution or ID?
If it works... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-04-20 02:12 · Score: 2, Funny

...lets hope they don't out source their election to a certain American company.
Risky by Anonymous Coward · 2004-04-20 02:13 · Score: 2, Funny

I just hope nothing goes wrong and they need to call tech support because it's probably been outsourced to India and they'll have a hard time understanding the thick accents. Oh wait...
In other news... by weeboo0104 · 2004-04-20 02:17 · Score: 5, Funny

India has just announced that they will be outsourcing all government officials and associated elections to the United States.

An unamed individual was quoted saying, "This is a very positive move for India. The savings will be good for our country because the US has the most skilled politicians that can be bought for the lowest price."

Back to you Kent.

--
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass
Re:Outsource US elections to India! by linuxperformer · 2004-04-20 03:09 · Score: 2, Funny

None can beat Americans in items 3, 4, 5 though. By any chance, have you been to the immigration section of any airport lately?
Answers In Advance by 4of12 · 2004-04-20 03:32 · Score: 4, Funny
Will it work?

Oh, yes.

The officials responsible for the decision to use electronic voting will herald its use as part of India's grand entry into the technology revolution.

Companies providing the equipment will highlight its features, talking about security and speed with which results are available.

Winners of the elections will be too elated to spend time dwelling on the nuts and bolts of the technology used to bring them to power.

Losers of the elections will call into question any irregularities as well as the inherent problems with the electronic voting machines that motivated some of the world's best computer scientists to disapprove of electronic voting.

More complaining will occur for closer elections. Media coverage of the complaining will vary depending on how close the elections are.

In the end we'll all accept the inevitable results:
- U.S. Republicans will win Mumbai
- Indian's BJP will win Flordia
[Damn! Applied the wrong firmware again!]
--
"Provided by the management for your protection."
Uh oh by piznut · 2004-04-20 03:57 · Score: 2, Funny

I hope Diebold rememberd to localize the voting software on those machines since Dubya seems to be having a hard enough time running this country.
President John F. Curry by AtariAmarok · 2004-04-20 04:02 · Score: 3, Funny

We're outsourcing the president?!?
See subject.

--
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.