The squabbling about electronic voting machines has already begun with early voters in West Virginia. While the county clerk of Jackson County says 400 voters cast their electronic ballots without a hitch, a total of six voters say the machines registered the opposite of their intentions (okay, that's not really the machine in question in the illustration above). Retired nurse Shelba Ketchum described her experience:
"I pushed buttons and they all came up Republican," she said. "I hit Obama and it switched to McCain. I am really concerned about that. If McCain wins, there was something wrong with the machines."
West Virginia's Putnam County officials say voters may not realize that it takes a few seconds for their votes to be registered, and may push other buttons in the meantime. The officials insist there haven't had any major issues. They're also offering the voters a choice of the electronic machines or an optically-scanned paper ballot. How's the vote going to happen in your state? Here's our state-by-state map showing you what to expect.
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By Xiek at 4:19 PM ON 10/20/08
2 words. On Click
By Boxerfanatic at 5:48 PM ON 10/20/08
one of two situations.
PEBSAC: Problem Exists Between Screen And Curtain.
Or
The machines are not working correctly, REGARDLESS of who wins. Either they are working correctly or they are not. I wouldn't want my vote changed or wasted, even if I were voting for the candidate who doesn't end up winning.
The comment: "If McCain wins, there was something wrong with the machines."
That says more about the complainant than anything. If her choice is maligned, THEN it is a problem. That leads me to question her premise, and sincerity.
It is either a problem, or it is not. If it is willful, then it should be prosecuted every bit as diligently as ACORN's voter fraud. If it is technological failure, then it isn't partisan, and seriously needs to be fixed, or a different ballot format adopted, regardless of party or candidate.
But I still wonder if the first possibility isn't more true.
By Software dweeb at 8:48 PM ON 10/20/08
What is shown on the screen need have no correlation to what is recorded on the memory card. So even if the screen displays your vote accurately, that gives ZERO reliability that the vote was recorded that way.