[LINK] Blind voter demands secret vote

[Pilcher, Fred]

> Fred,
> 
> Have you every asked a person who is blind or vision impaired 
> about this? Or are your own prejudices coming out here? The 
> crocodile analogy is pointless, and it's like saying the 
> lifesaver at the beach may drown you when you think they 
> should save you, but you could have struggled to the beach 
> and safety after all.
> 
> Many people who are blind and vision impaired have advocated 
> for years for a way to vote with privacy. Electronic voting 
> gives them this ability. And for the problems that exist, 
> instead of saying "no, can't have this... [for whatever 
> reason you want to insert here]", how about look at it from a 
> human rights aspect and then think, "how can we make this 
> safe and secure". Something quite a few here seem unable to think of.

You're interpreting my position as wanting to deny blind people a secret ballot?

Either I expressed myself very badly, or you're drawing a bow long enough to baffle Robin Hood.

Without going into details of my advocacy for and work with the blind over many years on web site accessibility, let me be perfectly clear: my position is that claiming that electronic voting per se is the best solution to their issue is not only wrong, it borders on the deceptive.

Electronic voting, *properly implemented*, is certainly one of a variety of ways that blind people can be given a secret ballot. Improperly implemented it's like the wheelchair ramp with the crocodile pit.

Of course blind people should have access to a secret ballot. Of course legless people should have wheelchair ramps. But the former should be secure, and the latter should avoid crocodiles.

Is that better?

Fred 
  
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