[LINK] New technology delivers secret vote to blind

[Craig Sanders]

On Wed, Aug 15, 2007 at 01:00:02PM +1000, Howard Lowndes wrote:
> <hfl>
> When does someone get to cast the technical measure over this technology?
> </hfl>
>
> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/15/2005708.htm?section=justin
>
> New technology has been unveiled which will allow blind and vision-impaired 
> people to cast a secret vote at the next federal election for the first 
> time.
>
> The Australian-designed equipment will be installed in 29 locations around 
> the country and thousands of voters are expected to use it.
>
> The Australian Electoral Commission's Judy Birkenhead says there was high 
> demand for a way to cast an independent vote.
>
> "It works by replacing the ballot paper with a computer screen and the 
> people can put their preferences into that ballot paper using a 
> telephone-style keypad, then an encoded ballot paper prints [that] out, and 
> that's what goes into the ballot box," she said.

i really hope that:

a) it braille-prints the voter's ballot on the paper as well as a inkjet/laser
printout

b) all such printed ballots are subject to extra scrutiny to ensure that the
printed vote matches the braille vote.

c) in case of any discrepancy, the braille printout is regarded as
authoritative.


otherwise there is NO way for a blind voter to verify that the printed
ballot paper matches their intention.





i also hope that this technology is restricted to special-purpose voting like
this and isn't the thin end of the wedge in getting easily-subverted voting
machines into general use in australia.  there's just no compelling
advantage/reason to be using them and enormous risk.

craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>