Diebold voting machines

[leslie]

Jaga and Chris (Rdy..), and anybody else in the U.S.

I know you are interested in your election and its candidates, but thinking back to previous elections there always seemed to be problems with the voting system by computer. What have your experiences been of the Diebold voting machines and what is thought of them?

Your comments will be most welcome

Leslie

[valpomike]

leslie,

I don't think the problem is with the voting machines, but with those who do the counting.

Michael Dabrowski

[joyce]

Give me a paper ballot any day. I do not like the electronic voting machines. If the machine's software gets corrupted, and votes are lost, how can one prove that Candidate Zee got 1000 votes and Candidate Bee only got 998 votes. Where's the proof that Candidate Zee got all those votes? In large elections, a few thousand votes may not matter, but in small town elections, every vote counts.

Last time I went to vote, I faced the electronic voting monster. I asked the clerks for a paper ballot. They told me "we don't do that anymore" and I would have to use the machine to cast my vote. Begrudgingly I used that machine- The interface was not user friendly-it was difficult to see/read-altho there was people there to help if necessary. The overall screen was very dark.

[Jaga]

I also would like to go back to the paper ballots like Joyce. Computer information could be changed too easily. Paper records leaves the evidence and it is much more reliable.

[valpomike]

Jaga,

We could do a show of hands, but this is 2008, not 1900. Move on with the time.

Michael Dabrowski

[joyce]

valpomike said:

Jaga,

We could do a show of hands, but this is 2008, not 1900. Move on with the time.

Michael Dabrowski

Moving on with the times is not always the best. Our world has become so automated and impersonal.
We have lost a few things-such as cashiers knowing how to count change back to you without looking at the register displayed amount.

There aren't any price tag stickers on items any more. Most items have bar codes that are scanned. This bar code doesn't tell me what the cost is until I get to the register, then I receive a price shock.

We have lost some personalized service where a true sales person would give you their full attention and make sure that you are happy with your purchase.

We throw quarters in the toll booth windows and if we miss, who is there to pick up the quarters and pay the toll wihout having to dig for more change?

You can now get a recorded message if you call 911 for an emergency and be placed on "hold."

What ever happened to customer service on the phone? Can you not talk to a real live person instead of pressing numbers for information.

Thank goodness I can still talk to a McDonald's employee at the window and ask how her day was today, instead of being served by a robot. But I am sure that's on the way too.

[leslie]

Joyce
Oh how nice it would be as you describe the world that has gone - some say we have progressed but the comments you make seem to me to be regression. Typical was a phone call I made to a big organisation (on a call that wasn't a free-call, but I was paying). I dialed the number and received an immediate (automated) answer offering me 5 numbers to choose on my phone key pad; I pressed the relevant one and was rewarded by another 5 from which to choose; then I was given 3 numbers from which to choose. By this time, smoke was rising from telephone, so I just pressed the one that referred to 'none of these'. There was silence for a few seconds then a voice said ' All our advisers are occupied, but your call is valuable to us. Please wait for the next available free adviser.' So I sat and waited, listening three times to 'Greensleeves' being played before a real live person came on, who after hearing my reason for calling said that if I waited she would put me through to someone who could help me - back to waiting. If I wasn't desperate for the answer I would have hung up 10 minutes earlier - and this is progress!!!!!

Leslie

[valpomike]

Leslie,

That was in the United Kigdom, not here. Never here. We try harder.

Michael Dabrowski

[joyce]

valpomike said:

Leslie,

That was in the United Kigdom, not here. Never here. We try harder.

Michael Dabrowski

Excuse me Michael....REALITY CHECK!!!! HELLO?

what Leslie has described, about the phone experience happens everyday in the Untied States.