Slashdot Mirror
Company to Pay for Election Problems
technoid_ writes to tell us the Indiana Star reports that Election Systems & Software has agreed to pay the Indiana State Government $245,000 in addition to extra hand-on and technical support in response to problems during the May primary. From the article: "The company, which has faced similar complaints in other states, reached a settlement with Arkansas officials Monday. In that deal, ES&S pledged services, training materials and technical support but offered no payment. Jackson, the Johnson County clerk, said the company "has done a 360" since the primary. ES&S officials have been more assertive in preparing for the fall elections. The instructional materials, she said, also will help."
That headline's too long. It should have been "Company to Pay for Election". Oh wait. That's not exactly newsworthy, is it?
Where were you when the voynix came?
"Jackson, the Johnson County clerk, said the company "has done a 360" since the primary."
Translation: We've done nothing but play Xbox since the primary.
God spoke to me.
Only $245,000 to rig an election? Sounds cheap to me.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
So, they're back where they started?
Do you have ESP?
Because it sounds more modern, like elections are "catching up with the times". Going paperless is so 20th century. They should just skip to the current century and call them Elections 2.0. Actually, Elections XP Corporate Edition might be more appropriate.
Developers: We can use your help.
Enough of this crap with broken/complex/rigged election devices. Let's just go back to paper, pencil and handcounting. It's cheap, fairly reliable, and leaves lots of evidence when tampered. Let the news media rely on exit polls for immediate results (after polls close nationwide). They're more accurate than the official results, anyway.
--
make install -not war
This is the same ES&S who's chairman got into trouble with the Senate Ethics Committee because he failed to disclose his involvement with the company when he, as virtual an unknown in his first bid for public office, ran for and won a Senate seat against two well known and popular opponents in what was widely called "a surprise upset" -- in an election which was counted exclusively on machines manufactured by ES&S. Subsequently, the law in his state was changed to prohibit election workers from looking at the ballots, and outlaw hand recounts. The only recounts permitted by law are on machines manufactured by ES&S.
In case that helps put this in perspective.
--MarkusQ