Re: Vote!
Re: Vote!
- Subject: Re: Vote!
- From: Jeff Porten <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:47:16 -0400
For anyone following this thread -- I was involved with several of
the activist groups on electronic voting last year, and if you're
interested enough to read this, then we need your help.
A stack of computer scientists have confirmed repeatedly that
electronic voting is custom-designed to allow a few people to commit
wholesale fraud on a scale never before seen in a democratic state.
The systems' defenders argue that there is no proof of fraud -- and
of course there is not, because these machines were mostly *designed*
to destroy evidence of their workings on the fly. It is IMPOSSIBLE
TO KNOW whether the 2004 election was rigged. Regardless of whether
you like the result of the 2004 election, I think that all computer
professionals can turn an apolitical eye to this design and say that
it would be rejected out of hand for managing a cash register, let
alone the presidential election.
Unfortunately, since 2004 immediately followed 2000, there was an
immediate resistance from the people who *did* like the result who
feared that questioning the technology would open up questions about
the result. The digital democracy activism groups made incredible
strides in 2004 -- far more people are aware of the issue than we
ever expected to reach -- but very little is happening on the ground
in terms of making changes.
What is needed is for computer professionals who care about the
democratic process to start making a hell of a lot of noise. The
corporations who are reaping billions from these sales, the
entrenched powers in both parties who see this as the latest tool
alongside gerrymandering and money-driven politics to lock in their
votes -- and dare I say it, those people who salivate at being able
to throw an election without fear of being caught -- are counting on
apathy and ignorance to get away with subversion of democracy. We
are the ones who can call them out, and in my opinion, American
computer professionals of all persuasions have a *responsibility* to
do so.
So -- if you agree, then here are the sites to visit next: <http://
www.epic.org>, <http://www.eff.org>, <http://www.verifiedvoting.org>,
<http://www.blackboxvoting.org>. You'll note that these groups, and
the dozens of others they link to, each have their own approaches and
political leanings and arguments. Find the one that speaks most
closely to you -- and then pick up the phone and ask how you can help.
Best,
Jeff
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