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------- THE COURSEY REPORT --------
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October 29, 2004
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http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145320-1
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In This Edition
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David Coursey: The Coursey Report
1. Political Spam
2. Casting a Vote for Paper Ballots
3. Political Videos Via IM: Vote No!
4. Using Mapping Tech to Mine for Voters
5. Reminders
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The Coursey Report
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Political Spam
With the election coming up next Tuesday, it's not
surprising this has been a political week. Also not
surprising is the quantity of political spam I've been
receiving--not from candidates but from special interest
groups. Not hundreds of messages, but dozens over the past
week and--this is surprising--many of them are getting
through the spam filter, presumably because they look like
legitimate e-mail.
Invariably, these messages claim they comply with the
CAN-SPAM law; in one, the "remove me" list submitted someone
else's name and address rather than my own.
You have to wonder about groups who believe their potential
supporters are likely to be swayed by spam. I know it
doesn't help, but I have "canned" a note of my own that I
send back to these groups. It may not help, but it does make
me feel better.
Canning Spam
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145323-1
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Casting a Vote for Paper Ballots
As I write this, I'm listening to a report on NPR's "Morning
Edition" about voting irregularities in Florida and concern
about Tuesday's balloting. There's nothing I can do about
what happens in the "Sunshine State," a funny name for a
state where so much seems to take place in secret. But in
the spirit of "Think Globally, Act Locally," I have signed
up to be an election worker on Tuesday.
I spent half of Thursday getting trained on the Diebold
"AccuVote" system that's being used in my county in lieu of
a touch-screen system that's been shelved until it can
provide an auditable paper trail and hacking concerns can be
resolved.
My experiences and how the AccuVote's optical ballot
scanning works are described in one of this week's columns.
We also have a great special report on politics and IT in the
Government Industry Center. You can find numerous articles
on the upcoming election, including one that questions the
safety of voting by paper ballot. You might also want to
check out Chris Nolan's column talking about Diebold's
troubles in California and elsewhere.
Casting a Vote for Paper Ballots
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145326-1
Government Industry Center
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145329-1
Politics Meets IT
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145332-1
How Safe is Paper Voting?
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145335-1
Diebold Debacle Signals Need for a Paper Trail
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145338-1
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Political Videos Via IM: Vote No!
This week's other column was also election-related. AOL has
been using streaming ads in its IM client to deliver a
30-second commercial to voters in swing states and the
District of Columbia. I don't know that it matters that
the message is political so much as any streaming video is
obnoxious.
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145341-1
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Using Mapping Tech to Mine for Voters
I am very interested in geographic information systems,
which allow organizations to target their audiences based on
mapping and tracking technology. Chris Nolan wrote a piece
about how GIS has been used in a voter registration effort
to target constituents in just such a way.
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145344-1
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Finally, two reminders:
Remember to set your clocks ahead an hour before you go to
bed Saturday night. This is the "spring forward" part of the
"spring forward, fall back" shift to and from Daylight
Saving Time each year.
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145347-1
This is also the time when firefighters and the Consumer
Product Safety Commission ask you to change the batteries in
your smoke detectors, which should be located on every level
of your home, in the kitchen, and in all sleeping rooms.
There are few things more tragic than a fire where lives are
lost and firefighters later discover a nonfunctional smoke
detector.
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1314-20-37-22237-145350-1
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See you at the polls, and until next Friday, have a great
week!
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