On Tuesday, voters in Delaware will elect school board candidates in two counties. Why does this matter to NorCo? Because the voting will be on the ExpressVote XL system, which has been proposed here. Northampton County is waiting to see how that election goes before voting to purchase the choice of Executive Lamont McClure, a vast majority of 40 election judges who viewed several systems, and a 3-2 recommendation of the county's Election Commission. The purchase is opposed by political activists, most of them Democrats, who want a return to paper ballots instead of a touchscreen.
Though both federal and state governments are pretty good at telling counties what to do, there is no single voting system in use nationwide. Instead, it's a potpourri of different choices. All have their flaws.
The dispute in Northampton County is whether to go with ExpressVote XL or a paper ballot that is subsequently scanned.
ExpressVote XL is considered a hybrid. It is still a Direct-Recording Electronic voting machine, but it includes a Voter Verifiable Paper Trail. As explained in Harvard Political Review, " the machine prints out a receipt with the voter’s choices on it. The voter can therefore easily verify that the machine counted the vote as they intended. This paper is kept at the polling station and can be used to conduct post-election audits." It concludes that either this hybrid or a paper ballot is satisfactory, and that Express Vote XL is an improvement over current touchscreens.
Long term, there really should be a single system put in place by the federal government, which is better equipped to deal with this fundamental problem of democracy of making a machine that is built entirely for elections and only elections.
That's a long way away. For now, I feel far more comfortable with the touchscreen than having some election official decide what Imeant when I marked a paper ballot.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Monday, May 13, 2019
20 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Can we truest Machines?
ReplyDeleteI trust the machines far more than I trust the democrats!
DeleteTinfoil hat brigade
ReplyDeleteI trust the Federal Government to take care of it.
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!!!!!!
bring back the chads
ReplyDeleteEven as a child, now as an adult, you still can't keep your drawings between the lines! Have you seen some people with the "shakes" trying to write?
ReplyDeleteNo, give me an electronic version, any day.
THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING FOR THE ELECTIONS!
ReplyDeleteWhat happened Bernie? Why don’t you cover Allentown anymore? When the school board took out a 10 million dollar loan, I thought for sure that might get your attention. Is it just too much work to fit into your new lifestyle? At least your keeping an eye on the state hospital, we really do appreciate that.
ReplyDeleteThese comments from people who WANT machines that could be hacked are so distressing.
ReplyDeleteAt a point when the security of our elections is so critical, why would we want a system that can be manipulated by outside actors? Why wouldn't we want the most transparent, simple and fool-proof option available?
And why are those who are pushing for these hackable, insecure machines so resistant to any rational discussion?
I'm with Bernie. I trust the feds to do it. They always do the right thing - and do it efficiently, under budget, and with minimal legal challenges. The machines will be set up using $500 wrenches and everybody will love them. It'll be awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe intention is for them to be easily hacked for the lefts agenda right, than they can keep there flakka zombies trolling the inner city making it look as though genuine commerce were taking place? Just think out loud on this one today, this is just the kind of mass voters carted in by the left claiming it's the right.
ReplyDeleteThe Left
ReplyDeleteThe Right
The Left
The Right
Everything's left or right with you guys!
Quite frankly at this point I trust the machines more then the people voting on them.
ReplyDeleteThe best comment on this article.
DeleteI agree. This shouldn't be a "left" or "right" issue. We should all come together and figure out what our new Russian overlords think is best.
ReplyDeleteJust think I'd thought I was allways right when fact is I just ain't quite right. The left thinking brain has had many a mishap with the Russian collusion dillusions force feed by the national media talking heads. Bernie is great because he mainly leans left and sometimes leans right doing his Michel Jackson moves, I love the one with the horses asses weaved into the hare!
ReplyDeleteWatched the videos. The so-called "experts" are not always wanting rational discussion. Their idea of a discussion is if you agree with me you are smart and rational IF you do not you are stupid and irrational.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time they use barely controlled hysteria and call it rational discussion.
Yeah, a lot of hysteria. The machines are not connected to any internet and have no wireless capability. Also who is to say the paper ballot you use and feed into a "machine" won't be miscounted? You may see your ballot but the scanner could have software that records something differently?
ReplyDeleteNot one case of a subverted machine and the only ballot problem was the stupid paper ballots in Florida.
Get a life. A real buggies problem. How about feeding the poor?
Allegedly Cozze and Detringer are in Delaware "observing" the election. Will it be an overnight trip for them both and charged to the taxpayers??
ReplyDeletePaper only? Its 2019...hanging chads were 20 years ago! Have we forgotten already? A machine that isnt connected to the web AND prints a receipt sounds perfect. I’m with 7:12..lets refocus on a real problem.. Like the potholes on 33 at the 22 bridge.
ReplyDelete