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CA Proposes Rigorous Voting Machine Testing
christian.einfeldt writes "During her successful campaign for California Secretary of State, newly-minted California Elections Czar Debra Bowen spoke repeatedly of the need to use free open source software in voting machines to ensure the integrity of California's elections. Now that Secretary Bowen is acting on that campaign pledge, closed-source voting machine vendor Diebold worries aloud that rejecting its black-box voting machines could snarl California's elections. Diebold's concerns come at the same time that it is suing Massachusetts for declining to purchase those same voting machines." Quoting: "California's elections chief is proposing the toughest standards for voting systems in the country, so tough that they could [have the result of banishing] ATM-like touch-screen voting machines from the state. For the first time, California is demanding the right to try hacking every voting machine with 'red teams' of computer experts and to study the software inside the machines, line-by-line, for security holes."
Despite the fact the Bloc Quebecois just suffered a defeat, proving that no-one gives a crap about separation anymore.
How much does it cost a manufacturer to add information to a label?
IMHO, forcing information onto labels is one of the few really useful things that any government can do. They're not forcing me to buy one product over another, but I *MAY* choose to act on the information and move my dollars elsewhere. I usually ignore "Cali thinks this will give you cancer" notices, as if I'm playing with a chemical I usually investigate it first (those internets make it so easy to do). I do wish the government would get out of the business of having restaurants set aside 'no smoking' sections, and just force them to put a cigarette icon on their sign if they allow it (so I could keep driving). Informative labels are the most efficient way for a government to level the playing field in any market.
Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
Let's see, so your primary complaints about CA are that they forced you to have a cleaner running car and next they may cause CT to use secure and well verified voting machines. Did I get that right?
Wow, what a bunch of kooks. How dare they!
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace