Addendum to
Democracy In Danger -- Computerized Elections and Institutionalized Vote-Fraud
by Lee Goldberg
When my friend Scott suggested I research and write an editorial about the potential for fraud in electronic voting machines last week it looked interesting and important, but I had no idea it would turn into such a hot topic. I won't take any credit for it, but I discovered the NY Times ran a very credible article a couple of days after my editorial went up, and a HUGE uproar at slashdot started around the same time.
Also, we got several very enthusiastic pieces of mail from our readers, including “Steve,” who says:
“I have been following the same issue myself. See http://peacedeland.org for my general take on the matter; it's featured prominently on the front page.
One important thing that is not being mentioned in the press: HR 2239, the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003. Its sole purpose is to fix the problem by mandating the creation of voter-reviewed hard copy records, to be retained for manual count if and as necessary. PeaceDeland.Org has links to thomas.gov (the text of the bill & its status), and votesmart.org (to help people identify and contact their Representative and Senators).”
Thanks Steve, and all the others who wrote to express their opinions.
Hopefully, all this attention will bring some action to what I consider to be one of the biggest and most important “unknown” stories of the year. Pressure must be brought to bear on the electronic voting machine industry to clean up their act, improve their security, and remove all connections with any government officials.
Let’s take Steve’s advice and educate ourselves on the issue, and then educate our legislators on the potential danger we face if electronic voting is not made more secure.
Remember, the democracy you save may be your own.
Questions? Comments? New schemes for tamper-proof voting? Write me at: lgoldberg@green-electronics.com.
Read Lee's original Editorial of July
21, 2003.