[LINK] New technology delivers secret vote to blind

[Daniel Rose]

Craig Sanders wrote:
> 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.

Well I reckon it is a first step, absolutely.

This was discussed on local radio not so long ago.

It seems to me that this could be replaced with either a bucket load of braille-printed ballots, which are completed with a pencil like normal ones, or with a printer which prints braille ballots as required.

The predicted argument is "What about the blind people who can't read braille?", which is of course more than a little silly, but that won't stop it being made and any audience thinking "Good point!".


-- 
Daniel Rose
National Library of Australia