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Computer enthusiasts have conflated cryptography and security for so long that simple ballot verification systems like the ones in use for decades around the co

Computer enthusiasts have conflated cryptography and security for so long that simple ballot verification systems like the ones in use for decades around the country are regarded as "insecure" merely because the speaker doesn't really have a clear definition of the term. My ballot has a tear-off receipt and a bar code. I can verify when and how my ballot was counted. If I suspect fraud at the ballot counting site I can supervise the process myself in person. If my signature doesn't match the ballot office can contact me to verify. There is no world where cryptography is a requisite for ballot security, and I would not want to live in a world where computers are required for something as basic as democracy.

Loughla 4y ago
That's it entirely. I live in a VERY rural area, and we have receipts with barcodes that you can track either electronically or in person if you want to. They are not attached to you, they are attached to your vote and have unique ID's on them. In theory anyone can track your vote, but only you know which is yours and whether it's accurate or not. This is not the difficult problem. The difficult problem is that we have thousands of systems, depending on where you live, and politically, getting anyone to agree on any one system is probably impossible. But I am with you, cryptography is absolutely not required, and computers should not be fundamental to the process. Hell, electricity should be optional as well, just in case the shit hits the real fan.