Voting still insecure

To the editor: Election time is almost upon us again and our voting system is still not secure. In August 2006 the Open Voting Foundation found the “worst security flaw ever” in the Diebold TS voting machines. These are the machines in use in Pike County. On May 3, Florida legislators voted to replace touch-screen voting machines. On August 4 the California Secretary of State decided to secure several brands of electronic voting machines, citing vulnerability to tampering. Congressman Holt of New Jersey has introduced a bill demanding a paper back-up system nation wide. A better idea would be to vote like you took tests in high school, by filling in an oval. Electronic scanners could count the votes, but the paper ballot would always be there for a back-up. The Dutch government pulled the plug on e-voting because there was no paper back-up. The Irish government says there will be no e-voting without access to the source codes. Several French political groups are demanding the withdrawal of e-voting machines calling them “a catastrophe.” In July the New York Times reported that computer scientists from California universities hacked into and found several ways vote totals could potentially be altered. This coincides with the Princeton study that was done earlier. On October 1, a judge in California voided some election results after e-voting tallies from Diebold could not be audited. Monroe County had major problems in the primary elections and in Pike County there were counts in Dingman Township that needed further attention. If you get to speak to anyone who is running for election you owe it to yourself to ask them how they stand on these electronic voting machines. If their answer is that they trust them, or that it would cost the county too much to replace them, ask them what price they put on transparent democracy. I won’t be voting for anyone who thinks these machines are in the best interest of the voters. Our elected officials should always put our voting security as priority one. Anyone interested in doing exit polling in Pike County may call me at 570-686-3552. Donald Minasian Milford