Desiring Machine

If you only have time to watch one video about the problems of voting machines then you should watch the Hacking Democracy documentary from HBO.

Hacking Democracy now available on Google Video.

There is a lot to be said about the problems of voting machines. Many will attempt to smoke screen the argument by suggesting that this is about delusional fantasies of conspiracy theorists. But that is not the point. Not even close. Malice and malfeasance do not figure into the real problem. The problem is one of secrecey around the verfication process. Secrecy by the vendors, secrecy of the machines, secrecy of the software processes and code that run the systems. The problems are profound. And when you have secrecy you create an atmosphere of conspiracy. But potential for evil actors is not so much the issue for me. I think in the balance there are partisans on both sides that will in effect neutralize the bad actors. If people do hack the machines then I trust that it will simply be an arms race between Republican leaning partisans and Democratic leaning partisans. Who knows, maybe a Green or Libertarian cabal could throw a senate race and get one of their candidates into office. No I am not worried about conspiracy.

The problem with secrecy is incompetence. How do we verify that the machines are sufficiently competent for the task that they serve? I work in the high tech industry. I have a fairly broad understanding of technology in general and computing in particular. And I would not trust these machines as far as I could throw them. So long as the vendors insist on keeping a veil of secrecy around their systems we have every right to remain suspect. It is our duty to remain suspect. With secrecy there is insufficient transparancy to insure competence in implementation. And Hacking Democracy, and Bev Harris have gone to great lengths to demostrate the lack of competence in the implementation of these voting systems. The motives of a Diebold corporation are clear. It is about profit. If there is a crisis of legitimacy in their systems then that is bad for business. I don’t believe in a grand conspiracy to turn elections towards one party or the other. I think it is really about trying to sell as much technology as possible. And at the end of the day people who demand transparency in an effort to expose these flawed technologies should be commended. This is what democracy is all about. It is about moving toward a more perfect union. A better system.

I think voting machines are ultimately on the out. Vote by mail seems to be the best of breed system and encourages high turnout.

This is a straight forward problem with straight forward action. The president and the federal goverment do not control how elections are run. That is done at the county and prescint level with the guidance of the Secretary of State for each state. Do yourself a favor. Watch the Hacking Democracy video and ask yourself if you trust the voting machines. If not, and you live in a county that implements this kind of system then complain to your county or prescint representative. It really only takes a handful of people in each county to dramatically alter the landscape of our election system. In fact your voice on this matter is probably more important and more significant than your voice in determining your Senator or President.