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Does Voting Technology Affect Election Outcomes?
l2718 writes "Two
economists have just posted a paper online, showing a small correlation between counties' use of paperless electronic voting systems and voting results in the recent presidential election (after controlling for other factors). They found no evidence for systematic fraud by testing several potential indicators. Rather, the voting method seems to affect the relative turnout of different voter demographies. Thanks to Election Law Blog for the pointer."
Counted and then discarded.
Deleted
"If irregularities did take place, they would be most likely in counties that could potentially affect statewide election totals, or in counties where election officials had incentives to affect the results. Contrary to this prediction, we find no evidence that touch-screen voting had a larger effect in swing states, or in states with a Republican Secretary of State."
What if "irregularities" took place in lots of places, all of which favored Bush (by their own results)? That would include the more highly "incented" counties, and others, valuable for their masking effect. Of course, they can't analyze the electronic voting data itself for fraud, because faked data is undetectable in these trivially rewritable records, not to mention the many ways to record a different vote from that indicated by the voter - without a trace.
A scientific analysis would not have such holes in such a definitive statement discounting fraud. And honest people don't refer to vote fraud as "irregularities". States are paying lots of money to (Republican owned cartel) voting machine companies. I'd like to see some analysis of how these economists benefit from their "no fault" conclusions.
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make install -not war
part of the America First Party platform is that there should always be paper trail, and that e-voting is probably just altogether bad.
AFP is also pretty much the only conservative party in support of the working class, against illegal imigration, outsourcing, et cetera, instead of the interests of corporate internationalist oligarchs. Much better than stupid libertarian hippies anyway.
But, why are we taking advice from economists on election fraud? I could understand statisticians, sociologists, or constitutional scholars. But, economists?
No, I'm not a real election expert. But, I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night!
Now, for the freepers on here that like to take every situation that isn't an outright and total failure for their gods and declare victory: There is more evidence than just these guys that election fraud took place in 2000, 2002, and 2004. But, if you are that way anyway, nothing I say or post or link will convince you...unless it's about the 2004 Washington Mayor's Race.
Any sufficiently advanced influence is indistinguishable from control.
Of course it does, as this dramatized voting session will indicate:
.5 vote credit. Those with H1B visas please insert your cash contribution into the bill acceptor below. Don't forget to take your receipt.
... we already know how you really wanted to vote anyway.
Welcome, Citizen!
The new DIEBOLD MARK IV VOTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM is online and ready to take your order, uh, vote. Green card holders please insert your card to receive your free
Press the button next to the candidate of your choice. If you don't see a button next to the desired candidate, don't worry
A. Touch here to vote for John Kerry and a substantial tax increase, or
B. Touch here to vote for George Bush and receive a free Domino's pizza and two-liter bottle of Coke.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Well that's a pretty simplistic example. Here in DK the public new well before hand "who's with who" but the "two sides" of rightwing vs leftwing is simply made up of many parties. When you vote for Venste(rightwing) you already know that they are forming a government with Konservativ(other rightwing) with support from Dansk Folkeparti(Nazies).
But the point is that if Venstre who's "in control" does anything stupid(Like enter a war without the peoples consent) a vote of mistrust is held in the parlament and Konservative will form a government with the leftish party De Radikale since they both share a commen financielpolici.
Thus the govnerment has to ensure that what it does is supportet by enough people in parlament or they're in trubble.
So the minority being 48% of the population is voiced in both parlament and government. In the USA that 48% only get a newsshow on ComerdyCentral and is otherwised assraped.
The problems of bad representation in government start to arise only when you have as little as 3-4 parties, 2 being the extreme(Few interlectuals in Denmark consider USA a democrasy). As long as there is a wide representation of diffrent policies you know that however you vote, your vote goes towards the policies of that perticular party.