Another Day, Another Set Of Prior Art Discovered Against Verizon's VoIP Patents

Add France To The List Of Countries Unhappy With E-Voting Machines

from the it's-not-like-they-didn't-have-any-warning dept

Tue, Apr 24th 2007 5:59am — Mike Masnick

It's not as if there haven't been enough warnings that e-voting machines have some kinks to work out, but apparently every new country that makes use of the machines figures that all the problems have been worked out. Unfortunately, one by one, they're discovering that's not the case. The latest is France. lavi d writes in to let us know that the election held over the weekend in France was the first that made use of e-voting machines, and it's being described as a "catastrophe" -- though mostly by those who didn't win. So far, there haven't been reports of the machines having errors, but apparently many of the machines malfunctioned while the ones that worked weren't at all easy to use. Of course, the nature of the problems isn't clearly explained -- suggesting that it may just an easy scapegoat for politicians or voters unhappy with the results of the election. Still, you would think that with so much attention placed on problems with e-voting machines over the last few years, election officials and e-voting companies would go out of their way to make the process as smooth as possible.

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17 Comments

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VoicesInMyHead, 24 Apr 2007 @ 6:55am

Try Try Try...
I tried because the voting machine issue is a reality, and just when I thought it would happen... Nope. I just can't give a crap about France. Did they surrender to the voting machines?
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Apr 2007 @ 7:08am

"though mostly by those who didn't win"
Not to sound like a I-know-better-than-thou, but actually the machines were recommended by the same ministry the top candidate run. I mean he was the one assuring that the voting would be done indiscriminately.
that looked way too suspicious to let that pass...

on a more funny way : "Did they surrender to the voting machines?"
Well they could have invaded Irak because they were angry because Sadam Hussein, helped by Al Quaida, made the voting machines?
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same anonymous coward, 24 Apr 2007 @ 7:15am

problems
also the problems were :
people queuing long after the poll should have been closed (they replaced in some places 4 paper ballot places with 1 machines, how dumb can people be >.>)
=> the result should have been known at 19h/20h PM sharp, yet in evoting machine places people were still queuing after 21:45....
the voting machines were made to gain time, they failed big time
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Erik the Red, 24 Apr 2007 @ 7:18am

Re:
It wasn't Saddam; it was the CIA... oh, yeah, and the Freemasons, too. Don't want to exclude the world's favorite scapegoats.
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same anonymous coward, 24 Apr 2007 @ 7:59am

Re: Re:
It wasn't Saddam; it was the CIA... oh, yeah, and the Freemasons, too. Don't want to exclude the world's favorite scapegoats.

You forgot the patent system >.>
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Ajax 4Hire, 24 Apr 2007 @ 8:03am

Freemasons rock
Freemasons rock, National Treasures.

I could not resist.
Resistance is futile.
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same anonymous coward, 24 Apr 2007 @ 8:26am

links
I looked up the links and th eleast we could is that they were the worst possible source on the subject I have found today...
I can't believe that they were the only one talking about that...
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Apr 2007 @ 9:48am

Sour Grapes
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Jack Sparrow, 24 Apr 2007 @ 11:17am

Amazing!!!
Hey mates!!!

Arrrggghhhhh!!

Again and again this issues come out!!

Let me point out a little question: Could any one believe a bank be working with paper cards to make all appointments, for each customer and calculators to sum/sub and calc the ballances? Could any one, please try to sell a system like these toa bank owner ??

For sure if the bank can use computer terminals/PC whatever to retain and compute the whole thing. Why vote machines should be so... Difficult!

Give me a break, Holleritz did the same in early 1989/1900 for the Census Bureal. Just input-and-counting simple procedure.

Charles Babbage , Blaise Pascal and others probably are laughing about it.

Of course, with lots of concerns about security and aditability.
Gone!
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Carlos Felipe Zirbes, 24 Apr 2007 @ 1:01pm

Here in Brazil e-voting works just fine
We've been using e-voting machines for more than a decade now and everything always worked like it was supposed to be.

Even the poorest and less instructed people are able to use the machine without any difficulties and the election results are announced before 7pm or 8pm of the SAME DAY the poll was taken.

And note, Brazil is a huge country (in some locations the voting machines are deployed by small boats) and voting is mandatory, so there are more or less 100 milion voters.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Apr 2007 @ 1:18pm

Re: Here in Brazil e-voting works just fine
Yeah, that's just what we need. More "less instructed" people voting. If there is one disadvantage to e-voting it's that it now allows people who would otherwise give a crap about democracy the chance to flaunt their worthless vote. At least now only the people who truly care will go out and make their voice heard.
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Antonio G Oliveira, 25 Apr 2007 @ 3:27pm

E-Voting
The risks of e-voting to democracy in Brazil just started been pointed out. Citizenship of the majority of the Brazilian population is very poor. However, they have the right to vote electronically. The fact is that this kind of technology is just reinforcing the powerr of political parties and the Electoral Court of Justice, but reducing citizenship. The poor in Brazil does not have access to political information, but the access to e-voting machines. The top-down decision to adopt e-voting in Brazil by the political elites is based on the market-driven approach. Therefore, e-voting is increasing the digital divide gap (the government is investing in a technology that does not improve democracy and participation) with the reduction of citizenship. In short, e-voting is the most appropriate tool to alienate the poor. The Brazilian political elites want to equate democracy with the right to vote eletronically.
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Antonio G Oliveira, 25 Apr 2007 @ 3:41pm

Here in Brazil e-voting works just fine
How innocent you are! Where is the citizenship of the Brazilian population. What does it mean for you to have e-voting, but having no access to a richer technology like the Internet. Remember that your political participation in Brazil is restricted to the act of voting. E-voting in Brazil is a risk to democracy because is alienating you to think in democracy just in terms of voting. Ask the Brazilian authorities for a technology that can increase your participation in the democratic process. E-Voting is a project of the political elite in Brazil, decided behind closed doors, and based on the market-driven approach. Have you already thought that e-voting in Brazil is alienating the people, reinforcing the political parties and the Electoral Court of Justice and reducing citizenship? Please try to give a better contribution to your country for a people that want so much to improve their democratic rights and citizenhsip.
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toronto escorts, 8 Jul 2008 @ 11:16pm

Evoting
i think evoting will be the voting system of the future.
regards
Toronto Escorts
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Peninah, 20 Sep 2008 @ 3:01am

tours and travel
Best of Africa tours in Kenya lodge safaris including Kenya budget camping safaris in kenya, tanzania safaris & uganda uganda gorilla treks; budget camping holidays in East Africa, beach holidays in Mombasa,Lamu and Zanzibar, culture around Lake Victoria.
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Tanzania Safari, 30 Nov 2010 @ 3:47am

E-Voting
I think it is the future, however systems such as the internet can be abused so much easier than voting in person, what stops someone from voting with stolen information obtained via phishing?
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Monica Crater, 14 Apr 2011 @ 12:18am

Tanzania safari
E voting sounds like a great idea,i only pray that such a system gets to my country so as to avoid rigging.This shows how the world's technology is developing at a fast rate to benefit all people.Thanks for the information.
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