-------- Original Message -------- Subject: why machines? Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 11:16:26 -0700 From: Robert To: declan@private <declan@private> Please suppress my address if you decide to post this, Declan. Thanks The specter of legal and electoral deadlock hangs over the upcoming US Presidential election. In that light, I would like to ask Poltitech members a question I have tried before, but have never received a satisfactory answer. Why the American obsession with voting machines? Here in Canada we run effective elections with paper and pencil ballots. We almost invariably have complete results on election night. We have a secure paper trail for recounts and judicial review, all of which occur from time to time. The system is indeniably old-fashioned and yet has been studied and copied around the world. And yet in the United States it seems to be accepted that some form of voting machine is an absolutely necessity. Why is this? Is there some history behind it? Robert Neville _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
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