California to Require Paper Voter Receipt

DDumitru writes "Wired reports that California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley will require all electronic voting systems be equipped with a voter-verifiable paper receipt. This receipt will not be retained by the voter, but deposited at the polls and may be used to audit electronic election results. All new voting system installed after July 1, 2005 must include the new printers. Existing systems, including the systems already installed in four counties must be retrofitted by July 2006. It looks like the public outcry about Diebold and other voting equipment manufacturers has been heard, at least in a very major market for these machines in the US. It should be very difficult for other states to not follow suit."

New warning labels

[eap]

It looks like the public outcry about Diebold and other voting equipment manufacturers has been heard, at least in a very major market for these machines in the US. It should be very difficult for other states to not follow suit.

Will Diebold voting machines should now carry warnings that state, "This voting machine contains technology known by the State of California to be harmful to Democracy"?

Re:My system can do that!

[balloonhead]

Important Guy Running Elections: "This system is lame. We need a better one."

Staff #1: "The Think Tank has lots of ideas, we're going through them case-by-case for viability"

Staff #2: "Look at this other country, they have a good implementation, we can modify it and try and solve the problems it has."

Staff #3: "Here are a list of commercial vendors, they all seem to have quality products except for one - Diabolic I think their name is?"

Important Guy: "No, we've tried them, what a shambles."

Staff #4: "I read some guy's Slashdot journal. How about you all shut the hell up and we do what he says? Screw your multi-million dollar deals"

Aye, fucking right. Why the hell would they be scouring slashdot for some idea of pompous preacher who thinks "I thought of that first. I'm so l33t."

PS this is a joke, although it does seem to come across as quite abrasive.

Re:Why So Long?

[borkus]

Because if George W. Bush does not become re-elected, they can send Governor Schwarzenegger back in time to terminate the Democrat president.

Re:Let's add to that..

[karstux]

Yeah, and of course the CIA, being the honest and independent source of information that it is, would tell you that this "democratic tradition" is a bit shaky right now...

Re:Hey...

[Ulven]

Isn't that everywhere?

Re:Still the potential for abuse

[NoOneInParticular]

Or you could dig a tunnel under the vote station and use a saw to make a hole under the box where all the paper votes are kept. Then when a paper gets fed to the box, you will take it and replace it with another vote of your liking. Don't forgot to wear a tinfoil hat during the operation.

Re:Repealed in 2005

[Wardish]

Nutz!

Unclench your sweaty hand from the crack pipe, deposit it carefully on the table in front of you and then slowly back away.

Re:Hey...

[saforrest]

Canada... you mean that country that harbors terrorists intent on killing americans?

Been watching Fox News, I see.

Re:New warning labels

[Malcontent]

Democracy is a dozen wolves and a sheep arguing what to have for dinner.