For the first time since I started voting in 1992, I voted and left no paper record of my vote. We filled out a paper application and were pointed to a line to vote at a bank of touch screen computers. I asked the lady doing the 'applications' if there would be any paper record of my vote and she said "Your vote will be recorded by the computer". Obviously, I can't really raise hell with her as she's a volunteer and doesn't make the decisions in my state, but I told her that I had a problem with this and she told me that once funding is available all polling locations in MI will be like this. Then she added that most states are also converting to this system, and offered that she didn't like it either.

As far as I am concerned, a vote on a computer is WORTHLESS. There are too many potential ways to compromise the data collected to matter how good the chain of custody is.

I'll be writing the papers tonight.

Dave

As far as I am concerned, a vote on a computer is WORTHLESS.

Agreed.  I voted on computer today and had a sick feeling about the whole deal.  

at our polls we can request paper as an alternative to the computer.

www.blackboxvoting.org


Aaaaaand the Fraud starts here:

I find it funny that the general consensus among computer security professionals is that computerized voting is a bad idea.

The one good thing that will come of this is that we'll be able to tell everyone how they voted and no one can prove differently.  That's how it'll go down when I'm elected emperor.  

Quoted: I find it funny that the general consensus among computer security professionals is that computerized voting is a bad idea.

Ironic, isn't it?  The biggest techies are the biggest Luddites.

I'm a computer professional who does security part-time and I'd rather see a pure paper-based system like they use in the Great White North.

I used to work for a bank as a systems analyst, and there's no way in Hell I'll put a deposit into an ATM.

I work with databases all day long and it would take about 1 second to issue a command that would change a million votes in a database. Not saying it happens, but that's the kind of control a database admin has.

We still have the punch card where I vote.

No chad on mine

In my township in norther MI we use a paper ballot & fill in the circles with a pencil then feed the completed ballot into a machine that resembles a paper shredder

Quoted: In my township in norther MI we use a paper ballot & fill in the circles with a pencil then feed the completed ballot into a machine that resembles a paper shredder

That's what we have in San Diego now too!  Last election we had Diebold touch-screen machines but they were declared unconstituational or subversive or something.

The "paper shredder" thing made me uncomfortable.  I cracked a joke about the thing trying to grab my wallet.  Everybody laughed.

As a software engineer, computer voting horrifies me. I want paper and fortunately we have in my state.  

Quoted: As a software engineer, computer voting horrifies me. I want paper and fortunately we have in my state.

+10

I know how easy it is to tamper.  I used to work on a so called secure system as a computer operator, and I could probably have modified records without being discovered.  The new voting machines are even less secure than the computers I used.  After that I do not even trust ATMs with my money.

Quoted: Quoted: As a software engineer, computer voting horrifies me. I want paper and fortunately we have in my state.   +10 I know how easy it is to tamper.  I used to work on a so called secure system as a computer operator, and I could probably have modified records without being discovered.  The new voting machines are even less secure than the computers I used.  After that I do not even trust ATMs with my money.

I don't even mind using computers for important tasks like counting and keeping track of money. But my freedom is just too important to trust to these machines... the stakes are way too high and there's way too many crazy people with time on their hands to try and tamper with my freedom this way.

Paper ballots at my voting station!