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Sequoia Vote Machine Can't Do Simple Arithmetic?
whoever57 writes "Ed Felten is showing a scan of the summary from a Sequoia voting machine used in New Jersey. According to the paper record, the vote tallies don't add up — the total number of Republican ballots does not match the number of votes cast in the Republican primary and the total number of Democratic ballots does not match the number of votes cast in the Democratic primary. Felten has a number of discussions about the problems facing evoting, up to and including a semi-threatening email from Sequoia itself."
Update: 03/20 23:30 GMT by J : Later today, Felten added an update in which he analyzes Sequoia's explanation. He has questions, comments, and a demand.
I honestly do not understand how companies screw up something as simple as a voting machine. A first year CS student could write it in Java in a weekend.
The only possible explanation is that the votes are intentionally being miscounted.
I am really sorry, I don't mean to be off-topic. This voting machine problem is really big, but in my opinion it pales in comparison to another larger problem that no one seems to be addressing: people who vote that have no legal right to in this country.
I know in my area, this happens to be a huge problem that has no detection ability. I have personally seen illegal aliens standing in our lines to vote, because I could hear them speaking and laughing about it.
Case-in-point: My uncle (a very white southern-looking farmer-type) went to the local library to take his wife to vote. While he was there he was handed ballot with instructions for voting. He protested, "but I'm not a US citizen! I'm Canadian!"
"Oh!!! Well, give me that ballot back!!!"
THEY DIDN'T EVEN ASK IF HE WAS LEGAL TO VOTE FIRST.
How many illegal immigrants, convicted felons, and otherwise ineligible-to-vote people are participating in elections? Until you can filter out who is *supposed* to be voting in the first place, I don't see how a machine-count error makes any difference at all.
"They said I probly shouldn't fly with just one eye," "I am Bender. Please insert girder."
No, he didn't. He's saying the the vote totals the machine printed are *wrong*. Therefore he must have used some other method to count the votes to come up with a total that says the machine is wrong.