Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Bush-The Mastermind behind 9/11? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mike bone (Hijacked) who wrote (2689)	9/17/2003 6:29:09 PM
From: Sidney Reilly	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20039

Agreed. We should demand that we go back to paper ballots. The computerized voting machines are wide open for voting fraud.

To: mike bone (Hijacked) who wrote (2689)	9/17/2003 7:52:38 PM
From: Don Earl	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20039

My view is some system where the public is able to self audit the results is what is needed. One method might be to do away with the secret ballot altogether, so voters would be able to see how (or if) their choices were counted. Another method might be to assign every registered voter with a unique identification number which would be accessed through a password such as their social security number. The ID numbers could then be published, without identifying the personal information of the voter. That way the information on the results would be a matter of public record, the voters would be able to make sure their votes were entered correctly, and the information would be available for independent audits by anyone who wanted to double check the results. My concern with paper ballots is they are still subject to manipulation by those trusted with counting them. Anything done in secrecy may be fixed. When political campaigns are using $200 million to win a job that pays $400K a year to the winner for 4 years, anything goes. Somewhere along the line the votes have to be counted, which pretty much means machines are going to enter the picture at some stage. So go ahead and count votes electronically, print out a paper receipt for the voter as the ballots are cast, then make the information public so the count may be accurately audited. That's about the only way I can think of that would eliminate the possibility that a million Gore voters ended up electing Bush. I'd tend to believe that a million voters standing on the White House lawn waving their receipts would be enough to pretty much eliminate corruption.