RE: Diebold Global Election Management System (GEMS) Backdoor Account Allows Authenticated Users to Modify Votes

["Jason T. Miller" <jasomill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 gandalf@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Let me add one more social dynamic.  The public will want to see
> instantaneous vote results,

I hear this voiced often in the debate, and that it's one of the big
benefits of DRE systems, i.e., faster results, though I've never seen any
evidence to support the claim that voters are particularly unhappy with
the speed of election returns using current technology (the Florida
recount aside, but that's an exceptional event), or, more importantly,
that "the public" (or, less ambiguously, a majority of voters in this
country) is willing to sacrifice accuracy for speed in elections. Of
course, "all things being equal", it's probably safe to say that "the
public wants faster results", much as it's safe to presume that the masses
would rather be rich and healthy than poor and sick, but that's not really
saying much, as all things are never equal, and, in a world of finite
resources, priorities have to be set.

This member of "the public", for one, doesn't really care if election
results take a day or a week, so long as they're as accurate as available
technologies and resources permit.

On another note, I'm curious what's being done on the paper-trail systems
to prevent vote buying -- seems like I could snap a picture of the receipt
before I leave (with a camera phone, say) and use it as evidence that I've
voted for someone. Sure, such a thing could be Photoshopped, but doing so
untraceably is beyond the skill of most voters, so that isn't much of a
risk for a prospective buyer. Can I say "no" to the verification and vote
again, without leaving the booth or otherwise drawing undue attention to
my actions?

Sincerely,
Jason T. Miller
Shaffstall Engineering

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