Electronic Voting Machines

Episode 794, "Molly bites Her Cheek", addressed the admission by Diebold that votes had been lost in their voting machines in Ohio. Diebold, Inc. through a subsidiary, Premier Election solutions, has marketed touch screen voting technology. The system has been tested in forty-four counties in the state of Ohio. Diebold has admitted errors resulting in lost votes in at least eleven of those counties.

Touch screen machines had been made available to voters in Ohio. The system was touted for being user friendly and especially useful to handicapped voters. The system claimed to eliminate the possiblity of fraud and to increase security. Opponents cited the lack of a paper trail or other visual record. They expressed concern with the ability of hackers to access the system and create fraudulent outcomes.

The topic is very appropriate for the time with the upcoming govertmental representatives elections less than twelve weeks away. Diebold has admitted that the flaw cannot be patched before the election. Despite this admission Diebold says that the issue can be managed by proper training and instruction to voting officials.

Every system has flaws of one sort or another (hanging chads in Florida and moodle at ULM) but that is not sufficient reason to abandon the system. Convenience and reliabilty are critical to protect every vote and no system has proved more reliable than electronic voting machines. Reliability can be improved only through use with each new problem addressed and resolved as they develop. An advantage of the application of technology in the voting process should provide a system to eliminate the outright fraud that has occurred in elections in the USA for most of its history.

A question arises of what effect the publicity related to lost votes may have on Diebold's reputation in the banking industry. Before the technological revolution Diebold's development was tied to services to the financial community. Diebold adapted to the new technology and was a pioneer in the development of technology in banking. Their business expansion into the application of technology to voting systems is evidence of an aggressive attitude of application of experience in new markets, but it also reveals the risk side of venturing into those new markets.

References and extras:

Premier Continues Proud Tradition of Diebold E-voting Screw-ups - Digital Daily - Aug 22, 2008

Diebold Admits Ohio Machines May Lose Votes - Slashdot: Generated for g051051 (71145) - Aug 22, 2008

www.dispatch.com/live/content/index.html

www.bradblog.com/?p=6309

http://xkcd.com/463/