Comments on: Why is Delaying Fair Elections a Top Priority for Ron Ramsey?

By: Judgement Day: Tennessee Voter Confidence Can and Must Be Implemented « Roane County Democratic Party

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:04:28 +0000

[...] as the next threat – delaying implementation of the TVCA as Republican legislative priority (as stated by Lt. Governor and gubernatorial candidate, Ron Ramsey): While Hargettâ€™s statement would appear [...]

By: Judgement Day: Tennessee Voter Confidence Can and Must Be Implemented » LIBERADIO(!)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:05:12 +0000

By: Dean

Dean — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:39:19 +0000

With the electorate divided pretty evenly, recounts will probably be the norm for a while.

Even the Obama-McCain election, which was a landslide compared with the two previous elections, was pretty close compared to all presidential elections as a whole. Of course, the two Bush victories were two of the closest in history, and turned on narrow margins in swing states. I think Al Franken asked for a recount and won â€” and, of course, his Senate seat has proven to be key.

More recounts are coming, and will presumably benefit both sides. Hence, the benefit of paper ballots, mandatory audits and spot checks.

Have a good day, y’all!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:18:28 +0000

Dean..

Most of us have interest in fair elections.

Some people feel the need to bring up recounts.. during every election.

By: Dean

Dean — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:43:16 +0000

If you ever saw the HBO documentary “Hacking Democracy” â€” it can be accessed on YouTube â€” you saw that it’s possible to tamper with optical-scan systems just like any other machine. Of course, optical-scan machines leave some sort of paper trail, which is good.

I’m not sure why this seems to be a partisan issue. We all have an interest in fair elections.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:49:58 +0000

I think it is very secure, and verifiable..

There are people much more competant at computer programming than either of us that handle this job in a professional manner.

Without that trust.. you will never trust in the voting system.. no matter what.

By: Mary Mancini

Mary Mancini — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:47:14 +0000

That said, we are going to have to agree to disagree on which is the best method going forward but what we can both agree on now is that the system of voting in TN now is not secure nor verifiable.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:46:09 +0000

Mary, if people aren’t competant enough to push a button, with their intent.. what makes you think they would be competant enough to fill in a bubble sheet? What about people without hands? At least the voting machine gives the ability to use a nub, or a nose..

Mary, do you think the machines are incapable of counting votes.. but the machine that is used to read the paper ballots, is infallable? That makes no sense.

There is a much higher room for error with paper ballots, period.

I guess that is what you want, huh?

By: Mary Mancini

Mary Mancini — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:45:56 +0000

Yes! Mandatory audits or spot checks are equally if not more important and they are part of the TN Voter Confidence Act as well.

The recounts only happen in the case of a close race and all the other recount request procedures are met.

I *might* be able to go with your scenario if the software were open-source. But the machines manufacturers refuse to allow it. All the counting software is proprietary.

By: eldano

eldano — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:23:31 +0000

Whoops, posts crossing in the ethernet.

If you get a printout that says who you voted for (without any identifying information), you can confirm that your vote was correct on the paper. Then you run spot checks at a few random locations comparing the paper count to the computer count. If they are the same, great. All good. This should be nothing different from quality control checks based on statistical quality control anywhere.

If you get differences, then you need to look more closely. If the machines captured the voter’s intent correctly the first time, there should be no need for a recount. This is what I like about the electronic voting method. People can’t enter invalid entries. Focus more on the initial vote, and the recount becomes unnecessary. Focusing on the recount is inefficient.