Jerry has talked of part of it.
BIG DEAL is to REQUIRE that potential vendors provide open source code to both encourage them to provide code that does what it promises for the public, AND that poll watchers can get validated by whoever they trust as willing and able to do this.
Machine should:
Probably have a Z80 chip - old and stable, yet hopefully not too easy to make hacked imitations without getting caught.
Battery backup, inside the machine.
Have a clock, to record time whenever appropriate.
Able to print results both at beginning of a mode to show zeros, and at end to show voting totals. This printer only needs dependability, not speed, for it does little printing. If ballots are to be printed for some reason, that gets done by some other device.
Able to read and write CDRs
Have random access memory (likely a hard disk) to stow ballots as voted, but in random order for secrecy.
Probably some firmware, but the voting machine program comes from the CDR - thus versions tailored to the election methods being used can be loaded.
Have visible modes of operation:
Setup before polls open.
Checking - operate EXACTLY as with polls open, except that indicators visible to everyone, ESPECIALLY "voters", show the mode. Includes printing results when machine switches to another mode.
Polls open - exactly same as checking, except mode is displayed.
Leaving checking or open mode - need, when polls close, to automatically print results on the same paper as has been in the printer since zeros were printed at time polls were opened.
Any access doors, etc., that were open during setup must be locked in other modes (such as the CDR drive). If machine is able to access the internet, this prohibition applies to that ability.
CDR content:
Voting machine program - provided by vendor, validated by poll watchers and others, and copied onto a CDR for each machine before election day.
Ballot definition - provided for each precinct. Probably done by election workers before election day. Vendor provides PC program for doing this and I see no need for validating this program - sensitive part is what format the voting machine program is willing to accept, and that election workers validate this on a voting machine in checking mode at preparation time and poll watchers validate during checking mode.
Diary - voting machine program records everything that might be of interest as it happens on this single voting day:
Probably omit this during checking mode, or have two checking modes, one including diary to be like open mode.
Must NOT record votes when voted (must keep secrecy, thus record these only in random order, thus I believe the CDR cannot be used for this.
Record of all ballots for history, but arranged in random order for secrecy before writing to the CDR.
Note that I put no special effort into seeing to it that the right program and ballot definition was on the CDR. Instead, the CDR gets identified by the diary that is recorded on it while polls are open, and election workers are going to try to make sure that the program and definition on that CDR are the correct ones.
Dave Ketchum
On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 10:30:30 -0700 Audrey wrote:
At 09:05 AM 07/28/2003 -0500, you wrote:
You seem to focus on the SOFTware part of the problem, Jack. And I don't
like your solution. All that does is to provide the fire hose through which
will pass a flood of complaints about the dishonesty of the system, and that
flood will be dealt with in the same way that Wolfowitz and the rest of the
PNAC cabal are dealing with the truth about Bush's war.
What we need is an integrated solution that includes hardware as well as
software. If voting machines were tamper-proof in a hardware sense and the
software were embedded as firmware and thoroughly documented and published
to the world, and if there were no processing of data outside of each
precinct's machine then the output would not be questionable. There would be
required hard copy outputs in addition to the vote count that would be
checkable against data provided by the human voters outside the clutches of
the black box voting machine, and partisan watchers at each precinct.
This could work. It is when code is loaded into the box and there are interfaces for additional input of code before results are certified and reported that trouble occurs.
Jerry
REPLY: OK, Jerry. I will say the same thing that I wrote to Jack. We need your knowledge and insight in cleaning up the system. I don't care if you fix the hardware or the software. I just want to see election results that truly reflect the will of the majority. Election results in recent years have been highly suspect. I think the majority of Americans are not happy with the government that we have, but somehow have not been able to express their views at the polling places. If we do not do something then maybe soon we will have Hillary Clinton for president!
Help us.
Audrey of AUDREYS MISSILESS
-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.clarityconnect.com/webpages3/davek Dave Ketchum 108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY 13827-1708 607-687-5026 Do to no one what you would not want done to you. If you want peace, work for justice.
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