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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow secure is your electronic vote?
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/03/tech/innovation/electronic-vote-security/How secure is your electronic vote?
By Doug Gross, CNN
(CNN) -- In an era when shadowy hackers can snatch secret government files and humble big businesses with seeming ease, it's an unavoidable question as Election Day approaches: When we go to the polls, could our very votes be at risk?
According to voting-security experts, the answer can be boiled down to a bit of campaign-speak: There are reasons for concern and there is work to be done but, by and large, we're better off now than we were four years ago...
More than 45 million U.S. voters, or one out of every four who go to the polls, will cast a ballot on a machine that stores votes electronically, but doesn't create a paper ballot, according to Verified Voting...
While there have been no documented cases of foul play, experts say the potential for malicious hacking is very real. ...
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)If it connects to the outside world, it can be hacked. That's not even counting what's hidden in the source code that they won't let anyone look at.
Raster
(20,998 posts)The government should contract for an independent firm or firms to produce the next-age voting machines and infrastructure and contract to have the ultra-secure voting software written by bonded and heavily surveiled programmers. The resultant code should be open to continual inspection by third parties.
We already have the technology to produce ultra-secure machines and infrastructure: think, for example ATMs.
We already have the technology to create ultra-secure and ultra-accurate voting software: think bank accounting software.
Now we need the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT to make this a national, high-level initiative. This could be done so easily. So easily, in fact, one has to wonder, WHY IS THIS NOT BEING DONE?
What do you think this Ohio software will do? Or do you think the feds will crack down on Husted and not let it happen.
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)If there is any institution which requires paper evidence, it is the election process. Labor intensive? Yes? But how much are our votes worth? A nanobyte of time? Whizbang technology? A blip in cyberspace that can be stolen or subverted in a second? Not on your life.
RC
(25,592 posts)I mean, how can I be able to sleep that night not knowing that all my guys won? For the sarcasm impaired around here ---->
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Which means you can trust them as far as you can throw them!
My serious point is, Voting machines are CORPORATIONS!!!
RomneyLies
(3,333 posts)There's a paper trail when I use an ATM, there damned well better be when I vote.
RC
(25,592 posts)Paper ballots and fill in the ovals.
RomneyLies
(3,333 posts)When I vote early, it's on a touch screen, but there is a paper record of my vote. I watch to make sure it records everything correctly.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)about votes not being flipped.. but just being lost. Conveniently lost. Oops...sorry, you came down to vote, and before you could leave the polling place the machine malfunctions and your vote plus 50 thousand other votes have just vanished...without a trace. Sorry about that.. D:
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Someone who had access to the paper ballots there, was adding votes or flipping votes by making extra pencil marks on already cast ballots.
Having been looking at this whole situation for years now has me believing that when crooks are anywhere close to the ballot box we can expect the worst.
GoCubsGo
(32,093 posts)I live in South Carolina. They let the state Dept. of Revenue computers get hacked recently, exposing all of our personal information. I am sure these shitty electronic voting machines they have been using are no safer.