Electronic Voting: Fraud Made Easy.

This year some 3/4 of the country will be voting, for the first time, on electronic voting machines --touch screen if I am not mistaken. This opens my mind to a bit of speculation about why and what-if.

It seems that we Americans look to machines and computers as infallible. We do not seem to realize that the computers are only as reliable as the code they run on...and only as honest as it too.

In previous election the risk for voter fraud was still high. Everywhere from the local to national level elections have, since as long as voting has been an institutionalized system voting fraud has been a problem. But the difference between paper fraud and electronic fraud can be pin-pointed to one main obstacle: the paper trail.

When fraud such as stuffing the ballots or discounting votes comes into question there is always one thing which will deter, or at least make more difficult, the act of fraud: the paper trail. The risk of a "sloppy job" leaving a trail for an individual to find, follow and bring to light was always a serious one. However, it now seems that that pesky little trail is no longer a threat.

The electronic machines can be used to, from within the machine, guarantee that whomever is supposed to win...will win. The powers that be can now decide before the election even begins who will win.

After all, these are computers doing the calculating...there could be no error; let us not think that it could all be programmed to do exactly what it needs to.

This is, as I said, speculation on my part. I am willing to look at all arguments, for and agaisnt my point, with an open and critical mind. I open the floor to you for discourse and debate.

No thoughts on the subject? Oh well, I will check back tomorrow and see if anyone has anything to say.

Apparently there are allready problems right out the gate.

Cnn Article

"Glitches delayed voters in dozens of Indiana and Ohio precincts. In Delaware County, Indiana, officials planned to seek a court order to extend voting after an apparent computer error prevented voters from casting ballots in 75 precincts."

Originally posted by Bootyac
Apparently there are allready problems right out the gate.

Cnn Article

"Glitches delayed voters in dozens of Indiana and Ohio precincts. In Delaware County, Indiana, officials planned to seek a court order to extend voting after an apparent computer error prevented voters from casting ballots in 75 precincts."

Ah yes, I didn't even adress the issue of glitches and error within the system. Good point there. Interesting article and thank you for the good read.

Anyone else have something to say on the matter?

What I would like to know is this, with all the malfunctioning and lack of paper proof, and the just plain public perception of these machines as dubious.

Why are they still being used!
Why havent the problems been fixed?
Still no printer on them either!

With something as important and as sensitive as voting, I am amazed the American people put up with this.
But American's have no say anymore anyway, so I guess they don't bother.