Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

"Report: Electronic voting machines can’t be secured"
The Canton Repository ^ | 2 December 2006 | Associated Press

Posted on 12/02/2006 3:06:34 AM PST by lifelong_republican

"WASHINGTON Paperless electronic voting machines in widespread use across the country may be vulnerable to errors or sabotage and cannot be made secure, a draft report by a federal agency said.

The report by researchers at the influential National Institute of Standards and Technology said the paperless voting machines - essentially notebook computers programmed to display ballot images and record voter choices - "in practical terms cannot be made secure."

"Many people, especially in the computer engineering and security community, assert that the (voting machines) are vulnerable to undetectable errors as well as malicious software attacks," the report said..."

(Excerpt) Read more at cantonrep.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: electronicvoting; evoting; representation; vote; voter; voting
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-53 next last
To: lifelong_republican

RYMB!


21 posted on 12/02/2006 8:44:22 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest (Watching the Today Show since 2002 so you don't have to.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: L98Fiero
"?? Except for the paper that prints after you vote."

And THAT frill accomplishes exactly what??? A slip of paper left in the hand of the voter does squat to protect the integrity of the balloting process. A paper ballot sealed inside the machine which can be hand counted does.

22 posted on 12/02/2006 9:11:14 AM PST by Wonder Warthog (The Hog of Steel-NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: ClaireSolt
"The chances of human error are so much greater than machine error that hand recounts only appeal is that it is so time consuming people just give up and accept the results, no matter what they are."

A "potential human error" count is a hell of a lot better than a system in which an honest recount is impossible. All-electronic voting is just plain DUMB.

23 posted on 12/02/2006 9:12:46 AM PST by Wonder Warthog (The Hog of Steel-NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Wonder Warthog

i never said the solution would be all electronic. just secure and reliable. it would have the added bonus of being able to produce instant, up to the second tallies across the nation.


24 posted on 12/02/2006 7:05:37 PM PST by sten
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: sten
"i never said the solution would be all electronic. just secure and reliable. it would have the added bonus of being able to produce instant, up to the second tallies across the nation."

Electronically scanned paper ballots can already do all that, while retaining the integrity of the balloting process by storing the ORIGINAL voted ballot sealed internally in the event that a recount is needed.

There's already a superior approach available off-the-shelf. "Touch-screen" systems are a drastic step in the wrong direction. Pick the BEST system, and use it.

IMHO, electronically-scanned paper ballots are the best possible choice.

25 posted on 12/02/2006 7:30:09 PM PST by Wonder Warthog (The Hog of Steel-NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: M-cubed

You are right, of course. The counting must be observed.


26 posted on 12/03/2006 5:04:47 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: DB

Thank you, DB. Your patriotism is appreciated.


27 posted on 12/03/2006 5:05:24 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Wonder Warthog

You make an excellent point about the fascination with touchscreens. Even banks don't use them on their newer ATMs because they're so problem-prone.


28 posted on 12/03/2006 5:07:35 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: sten

I totally agree with you that the use of manipulatable 'voting' systems is deliberate.


29 posted on 12/03/2006 5:08:41 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: kellynla
You wrote:

Solution?

paper ballot(if it ain't broke, don't fix it)

You are absolutely right. Well said.

30 posted on 12/03/2006 5:10:54 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Dahoser

A lot of people asked that question about the lever machines when they were confronted with the huge expense and lack of accountability of the electronics. They were claimed not to meet HAVA - the Help ('Hack') America Vote Act - if I recall correctly, because of a lack of a paper printout. The corrupt Democrats of the Rendell mob made paper printouts from the electronics 'illegal' in PA, which is a more demonstrable violation of HAVA. Those crooks have been violating PA law all along. They even started refusing perfectly legal elector demands that the systems be examined by independent experts.


31 posted on 12/03/2006 5:15:44 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: sten
I don't want to get into a tit for tat, but I'm a professional electrical engineer that also has more than twenty years of experience. I've written a lot of code for numerous controllers, DSPs and CPUs that are embedded in my hardware designs.

And I strongly disagree with your assessment.
32 posted on 12/03/2006 5:15:59 AM PST by DB
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: EQAndyBuzz

Why do you believe that a computer must be on a network to be 'hacked'?

What you want to imagine would be a 'myth' is a very real problem, and it affects you, too.


33 posted on 12/03/2006 5:17:34 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: 100-Fold_Return

I agree totally.


34 posted on 12/03/2006 5:18:14 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Arrowhead1952

Why do you believe that a paper ballot must equal a 'butterfly ballot'?


35 posted on 12/03/2006 5:19:49 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: governsleastgovernsbest

I'm not so good at acronyms but one of interest is "MTBF", which stands for "Mean Time Between Failures". The votefraud systems fail far more often than the typical desktop IBM-clone, yet they cost ten times as much.


36 posted on 12/03/2006 5:22:30 AM PST by lifelong_republican (Valid Elections: The Idea of America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: lifelong_republican
Hack America Vote Act. I love it!

How hard could it be to add a paper printout capability? But that's not the question. What is the question, as you're pointing out, is how best for the RATS to rig elections. Disgusting.

37 posted on 12/03/2006 6:11:47 AM PST by Dahoser (It's going to be a long and miserable two years.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Wonder Warthog

"And THAT frill accomplishes exactly what??? A slip of paper left in the hand of the voter does squat to protect the integrity of the balloting process. A paper ballot sealed inside the machine which can be hand counted does.

OK, let's go over this again. When I voted last, I did so electronically. As I completed the voting process, a receipt printed and REMAINED INSIDE THE MACHINE. I was able to view my selecions, on paper, through a small glass window.

That is THE definition of a paper trail, is it not? Please, question liberals at every turn. What they are spouting about electronic voting is largely BS.


38 posted on 12/03/2006 6:15:32 AM PST by L98Fiero (The media as a self-licking ice-cream cone)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Wonder Warthog
"?? Except for the paper that prints after you vote."

And THAT frill accomplishes exactly what??? A slip of paper left in the hand of the voter does squat to protect the integrity of the balloting process. A paper ballot sealed inside the machine which can be hand counted does.

At my polling place (touchscreens, Santa Clara county, CA), the printed record that he's referring to does stay sealed inside the machine. Seen through a plastic viewing window, the voter has a chance to review it and change his votes before they're cast but the printed record stays within the machine.

A printed record that you take with you would be an open invitation for voter intimidation: "Please bring your voting record to the next (union/NEA/whatever) meeting."

39 posted on 12/03/2006 6:22:10 AM PST by Bob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: sten
As a com-sec and IT professional that has audited the security of vast numbers of commercial and military systems over the last 20 years, I can tell you that no solution can be made completely secure and reliable. You can only mitigate the risks.

Electronic-only systems are not only vulnerable to being compromised but highly vulnerable to being compromised with out the compromise being detected.

Of all of the automated voting systems I've seen, the electo-optical systems had the most resilience. The ballot is marked with an indelible marker and the vote counter scans the ballot. In the case of a problem, all of the ballots can be recounted electronically or manually. This removes the electronic system as the single point of failure.

40 posted on 12/03/2006 6:36:13 AM PST by Knitebane (Happily Microsoft free since 1999.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-53 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson