DC: Do you have masking tape over the built-in camera on your laptop? I suppose you could install the latest anti-virus software and do a search every day for malicious attempts to hijack your camera. Or you could put tape over it, just like Mark Zuckerberg. Not very sophisticated, but cheap, easy and, best of all it works. Tape over your camera is what statisticians would call a robust solution.
We love technology and it’s certainly great. But the obsession with technology and with being “advanced,” and at the “cutting edge” can create expensive problems and increase risks for individuals, organizations and even our democracy. Consider the fascination with electronic voting.
America has a serious election security problem. Individual hackers have shown that electronic voting machines are laughably easy to break into. Whether cracking weak passwords, infiltrating via wi-fi networks or thumb drives, our electronic voting systems are wide open to any malevolent individual or group – domestic or foreign. And, make no mistake, election integrity has been a problem as long as voting has existed in this country.
What are the chances of making these systems completely secure?
I was watching a youtube clip about the Florida results in the 2016 election. It’s pretty clear that the crooks in Dade, Palm Beach but especially Broward were up to hanky panky. As the votes came in from the panhandle – that closed one hour after these east coast counties – Broward was only at 74% reporting. Results dribbled in for hours.
I kept thinking, they had phony votes in their pockets that they would release to ensure a Clinton victory. Unfortunately for them in Florida, PA MI and several other states, Trump got more votes than their manipulated polls convinced them he would. In the final analysis, they didn’t stockpile enough phony votes. I’d love to see the timestamp on each of those late-transmitted votes.
Electronic votes should be reported instantaneously. I’m sure there are a couple of “checks” they do before transmitting but all votes should go out in one burst minutes after the polls close.
Electronic voting is necessary but we also need a paper back up – just like the receipt generated from point of sale credit or debit transaction – and then spot reviews of a representative sampling of votes cast by two independent groups. Trust but verify.
I don’t see electronic votes as necessary, Page. People have become acclimated to instant gratification. That’s an appetite that needs to be slowed the hell down. I live for the day some election helper is busted for speeding, then busted for carting a trunkful of fraudulent (not I-found-em!) votes.
Every built-in camera on my various widgets is either taped or disabled, just on general principle. I mentioned a ‘smart’ tv someone just gave me. Turns out I could disable the wifi. The previous owner had already modified (I’m being charitable) the camera, lol.
My small county has gone back to paper ballots because of the astronomical cost of programming the voting machines. Only used machines for two years. Now the paper ballots have a box that must be filled in completely and they are scanned. We do not have to know the results immediately after the election and paper ballots can be recounted.
@Rosalind I believe electronic voting is necessary because of the time it would take to count and double count paper ballots. 130,000,000 voted in the 2016 presidential election. They also voted on the same ballot for US, State, County and local candidates. Can you imaging tallying up all those votes manually and accurately? How long would it take to double check? How long if 1 vote is off between the two to do it all over again? And then there are the dozens of ways to manipulate the vote when it’s not going your way.
The best system, I believe, is the kind where you are hande a paper ballot, mark your selection which is electronically recorded and then put the paper ballot into a secure box.
It is my understanding that some states – Georgia I believe – went with 100% electronic. Other states that have a paper backup discard the paper immediately after the election if the vote is not challenged.
“Individual hackers have shown that electronic voting machines are laughably easy to break into.”
Uh…that’s a design feature, not a flaw.
Anything done electronically
can be undone electronically.
So sayeth my Prof. @ ITT Tech.
Anything done electronically
can be unplugged electronically
So sayeth my Master Electrician Prof.@ Local #26 IBEW
In Georgia, we have electronic voting, but it is in no way connected to anything. Each machine is secure.
Also, if you miss one major (Presidential year) election, you are purged from the records and have to register again. I know this because it happened to my oldest.
I find it odd that, in Dallas County at least, if you vote during early voting, it’s an electronic ballot, but on Election Day, it’s a paper ballot. That’s why I usually wait until Election Day.
We never ditched paper ballots in Maine. However, our terrible citizens’ referendum process has gotten ranked choice voting on the books. Yes, it does violate our state constitution but the courts move so slow we’re stuck with it for now. So they take the top few “winners” and have a second election where you rank your choices instead of simple majority.
No local vote counting either. Everything has to go to Augusta. Also violating our constitution.
Leftists…..aarrgghh!