At 03:30 PM 12/09/2013, David Boxall wrote: >The Act is quite clear. There's ample case law on the subject. For >software to permit an invalid vote would probably be illegal. > ><http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/backgrounders/files/2010-eb-compulsory-voting.pdf> > >
Interesting how words are interpreted based on context. Someone may want to check the act for what I'm about to say. Allowing an invalid vote to *count* toward a result would be illegal. That's what the scrutineers are for. However, it is obviously NOT illegal for an individual to cast an invalid or what is normally called an informal vote. Otherwise a lot of people would be charged in every election for doing so. The question is therefore how to vote informally with an e-vote. I can come up with a specific way. Sign in at the polling desk and immediately turn around and walk out without voting at all. It's not quite as satisfying as putting an X through all the names of the idiots you hate or writing nasty limericks, but the effect is the same. The problem would be if the AEC attaches any identifier to the individual at the time and logs them into a computer, keeps track of a vote against that login, then takes action against the person who walks out. If the voting system turns into a tracking system, they would be acting outside the law (that's the part that would need to be checked against the Act. And no, I didn't read the link above.) Jan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia jw...@janwhitaker.com Sooner or later, I hate to break it to you, you're gonna die, so how do you fill in the space between here and there? It's yours. Seize your space. ~Margaret Atwood, writer _ __________________ _ _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link@mailman.anu.edu.au http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
