4 ms·

I don't see how it would be that difficult to manage and run. Smartphones + kiosks + teaching social services workers to help the disabled equals much better pa

I don't see how it would be that difficult to manage and run. Smartphones + kiosks + teaching social services workers to help the disabled equals much better participation that with current systems.

mnw21cam 11y ago
Two important attributes of a fair voting system are the ability to verify that only one vote is allowed per eligible person, and that it is impossible to tell afterwards which way a particular person voted. A paper voting system fulfils both of these requirements, simply by the fact that a voting official can check your name and ID as you enter the voting area, and you personally can check that there are no distinguishing marks on your particular voting slip. Therefore the identification step is separated from the vote counting. With an electronic voting system, it is impossible for the individual to inspect the inner workings of the voting mechanism and verify that the identification step is separated from the vote counting, so the second attribute described above is not fulfilled. As technology improves, computer systems become more complicated, not less, and so this becomes even more true. Because of this, I do not foresee any future technology that will adequately provide secure and deniable electronic voting that the individual can trust. Sometimes the simple way is the best.
- guard-of-terra 11y ago
  It's very possible to make a watertight electronic voting system. Just as it is pretty easy to inspect the inner workings of bitcoin/blockchain, it will be as easy to check that every vote worked the way it should.
  - mnw21cam 11y ago
    I agree with you that it is possible (even easy) to make a watertight electronic voting system. However, it is not easy to make an electronic voting system that anyone can look at and verify. Only a small proportion of people have the skills to do that.
    - guard-of-terra 11y ago
      Only a small proportion of people (including me) watch the election process near election booths. The point is - everybody can, some small proportion actually does. WRT skills - it takes a week of dedicated study before you can watch the blockshain like a boss.

I don't see how it would be that difficult to manage and run. Smartphones + kiosks + teaching social services workers to help the disabled equals much better participation that with current systems.

mnw21cam 11y ago

Two important attributes of a fair voting system are the ability to verify that only one vote is allowed per eligible person, and that it is impossible to tell afterwards which way a particular person voted. A paper voting system fulfils both of these requirements, simply by the fact that a voting official can check your name and ID as you enter the voting area, and you personally can check that there are no distinguishing marks on your particular voting slip. Therefore the identification step is separated from the vote counting. With an electronic voting system, it is impossible for the individual to inspect the inner workings of the voting mechanism and verify that the identification step is separated from the vote counting, so the second attribute described above is not fulfilled. As technology improves, computer systems become more complicated, not less, and so this becomes even more true. Because of this, I do not foresee any future technology that will adequately provide secure and deniable electronic voting that the individual can trust. Sometimes the simple way is the best.

guard-of-terra 11y ago
It's very possible to make a watertight electronic voting system. Just as it is pretty easy to inspect the inner workings of bitcoin/blockchain, it will be as easy to check that every vote worked the way it should.
- mnw21cam 11y ago
  I agree with you that it is possible (even easy) to make a watertight electronic voting system. However, it is not easy to make an electronic voting system that anyone can look at and verify. Only a small proportion of people have the skills to do that.
  - guard-of-terra 11y ago
    Only a small proportion of people (including me) watch the election process near election booths. The point is - everybody can, some small proportion actually does. WRT skills - it takes a week of dedicated study before you can watch the blockshain like a boss.