E-voting critics wasting their time

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Friday, September 05, 2008

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Dear editor,

Activists in Napa Valley voicing opposition to electronic voting machines are not only wasting their time, they are complaining to the wrong people (“Napa activists focus on e-voting, ‘Hacking Democracy,’ Aug. 27).

The protesters already got their wish: California Secretary of State Debra Bowen earlier this year ordered county election officials to scrap their electronic voting systems. And it was the “top-down fix” that activist Joanne Gifford demands got us into this mess.

Congress’ mandate to update voting technology demanded the change to come too quickly. Given more time, private firms in competition would have come up with better, more reliable voting solutions and municipalities would have had better choices.

A knee-jerk decision in the wake of the post-Florida fiasco has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars, and has done nothing to boost public confidence in elections. Angry? Blame Congress.

James G. Lakely

The Heartland Institute

Chicago, Ill.

5 comment(s)

napaman wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:38 PM:

" Mr. Lakely

It's NEVER a waste of time to right a wrong. WE THE PEOPLE have the right to a tamper free election. And if by complaining to the elected officials so that it stays that way so be it.

You should be thankful that people like Secretary of State Debra Bowen are looking out for us, the voting population.

My question to you sir is: Why do care about us? You're in Chicago. Do you own stock in any e-voting computer companys?

And yes am a republican. "

Dwayne wrote on Sep 6, 2008 8:04 AM:

" Our do-nothing Congress didn't "right a wrong"... To point that out, when was the last time that Congress did anything right...???

Just imagine what's coming down the pike with government controlled health care...

Nancy Pelosi recently said that natural gas is not a fossil fuel... It's "experts" like that who are the cause of multiple fiasco's in Washington...

Congress is a lot like children... If you ignore bad behavior, it just encourages more bad behavior...

In a free enterprise society, incentive to make money will always win out over government mandates... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 6, 2008 2:47 PM:

" My first comment did not make it past the moderator.

Soooo... Dwayne... with out all the smoke-blowing and attempts to change the subject... why is it that you don't want our ballots to be auditable without trusting in some electronic gizmos that have been tested and found wanting?

Could it be you are happy with the idea that a socialist commie eco-fascist whackjob could like me could jigger an election in the favor of my favorite socialist commie whackjobs... and nobody could prove what really happened?

After all, when Republicans bellyache about Democrats not liking elections systems, its hard to imagine them liking the shoe on the other foot.

~Ruff "

kevin wrote on Sep 6, 2008 3:34 PM:

" Wow. Big surprise there. Government took a small problem, spent hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars on it and turned it into a BIG problem.

It would be news if it DIDN"T always turn out this way... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Sep 6, 2008 6:08 PM:

" Yes - The not really news is that corporate crocodiles vacuumed up lots of cash to deliver junk equipment to people under short timelines to get that money spent.

And testifying to Republican officials about it was as useful as well... expecting Republicans to do anything right.

Just like Republicans to set up a debacle and then point at their mess and say 'See... see... government doesn't work!'

The answer to that is "Sure enough, Republicans are incompetent to run a lemonade stand!!!"

~Ruff "

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