From Deseret News archives:
The rush to electronic voting
Welcome to the potential nightmare of the ballot box, 21st century style.
We hope this little anecdote reported by the New York Times isn't an omen of what is to come on Nov. 2. But after the debacle of 2000, it's not all that hard to imagine.
Utahns are lucky. They will get to vote the old-fashioned way this year as a state committee continues to decide between two bidders vying to handle electronic voting the next time around. But an estimated one-third of the nation's 150 million registered voters live in precincts that will require them to use computers, and that could, under the worst circumstances, make Florida in 2000 look like the good old days.
The only thing that seems to be completely clear is that too many states are rushing into electronic voting.
Thank goodness Utah isn't one of them. A group of computer scientists sent a letter recently to state elections officials urging them to be careful. Above all, they want the state to choose a system that would create a paper receipt verifying how a voter voted. Without this, they say, the computer's word would be final, and there would be no way to double-check results in a tight race.
That sounds like good advice. Unfortunately, neither bidder in Utah has machines that make paper receipts. They ought to rectify that before the state decides to award a bid.
After the hype of 2000, it's easy to lose focus. The most important thing is not to move toward electronic voting. The most important thing is to provide the most accurate and safe voting system possible, making sure within reasonable limits that every legitimately cast ballot counts.
No system is fool-proof. Even under ideal conditions, push-pin punch cards and paper ballots have slight margins of error. And no system is tamper-proof, particularly if some of the people involved turn out to be dishonest.
But in the interest of representative government, and the public's trust in the electoral process, the states that have gone electronic need to hope Mikulski was just unusually careless.
Comments
- Obama hails U.S.-India partnership 11:00 p.m.
- AF handles scrappy Fremont 10:50 p.m.
- Human race related to earliest fossils 10:40 p.m.
- Alaska diocese agrees to pay $10M 10:32 p.m.
- Photo: Lion cubs pride of Ohio zoo 10:31 p.m.
- California could get Tesla plant 10:31 p.m.
- Loyal to Cougarettes, Crimson Line 10:24 p.m.
- Ex-legislators call for ethics reform 10:23 p.m.
- Research: gratitude brings health 10:21 p.m.
- Food drive to benefit Road Home 10:13 p.m.
- Utah, BYU are top choices for bowls
- BYU would like friendlier rivalry
- Protests against Phoenix LDS temple
- Best prep football games of 2009
- KSL: Prostitution in Utah County
- Man trapped in own body for 23 yrs
- Kirilenko climbing blocks list
- Woman describes stabbing, killing
- Boys basketball rankings
- 'Dancing' will fill out finale
- BYU would like friendlier rivalry
230 - Glenn Beck to enter politics?
224 - RSL wins MLS Cup on penalty kicks
202 - Protests against Phoenix LDS temple
188 - Palin plans tour stop in Utah
179 - Bronco, Kyle rubber match
137 - Palin's book shows she's unqualified
136 - BYU records with win
133 - Letters: Rushing to judge Palin
120 - Officer cleared in Cardall Taser case
104
another day, another protest against the church.... (long... yawn...)
What in heaven's name. Tried to make it through your run-on rant....
Have these Utah County law enforcement dudes go work with the SLCPD and West...
Every academic all state that has ever come from my school has been a good...
Its awesum for the fans cuz they won the cup; way to go! I'm still not a fan...
When the Jazz have only half their team they play like a desperate...
As a teacher, I tend to agree. Unless it impacts his ability to read, if this...
Posters are Boise envy.
Utah State does the same thing every year in basketball: we lose to...
Oooooooooooooh puuuuulease!


You can be the first to comment on this story.