TwinIon Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 Microsoft is building an open source system they call "ElectionGuard," an open source voting system, that actually checks most of the boxes for being a pretty good idea. First things first: they're not using it for any major elections this year. They've done testing in Wisconsin and will be doing more, but this isn't rolling out widely for use this year. So here's how it works: Voters make their selections using either a touch screen or an Xbox adaptive controller. Once finished, two ballots are printed. One goes into a ballot box, the other voters take home. Once the polls close, voters can scan the QR code on the ballot they took home and see that their vote was counted and verify that it was counted correctly. Homomorphic encryption allows vote totals to be counted without deciphering all the data and exposing who voted for whom. A ZIP file of all encrypted votes is also made available to download, so anyone can verify the results. Should the system be hacked, the paper ballots exist a safe, offline backup. Lots of hurdles exist, including verification of the machines, teaching people how to use them, and making people actually check their ballots. Still, this is largely a consistent set of best practices when it comes to voting machines that I've been reading about for a decade. It should allow for a voting system that realizes the benefits of digital voting, while being transparent, verifiable, and most importantly, always having a paper backup. If the US decides to throw some real funding at fixing voting systems, a system like this could actually be a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodger Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I was going to joke post and say coming to a caucus near you but that doesn't actually sound too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_m_b_m_b_m Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 Or we can just use fucking paper instead of giving millions (billions?) more to tech companies creating solutions to problems that don't exist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbobo Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 bring back the booths with levers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 1 hour ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said: Or we can just use fucking paper instead of giving millions (billions?) more to tech companies creating solutions to problems that don't exist To be fair, paper ballots don't allow you to confirm that your vote was counted correctly. And I'm not so sure anyone should feel super confident that no problems with voting exist in this country at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Washington and Oregon do it the best way. Paper ballots, and you can vote by mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massdriver Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 2 hours ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said: Or we can just use fucking paper instead of giving millions (billions?) more to tech companies creating solutions to problems that don't exist This. Paper scantron accurately counts the vote and every age group understands it. Why are we trying to change it up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Just now, Massdriver said: This. Paper scantron accurately counts the vote and every age group understands it. Why are we trying to change it up? But who makes the money with a scantron??? If some asshole company isn't making millions of bucks while making things worse for regular people, then whats the point of doing anything? Destroying institutions so a few people can make money is the most American tradition we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_m_b_m_b_m Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 21 minutes ago, thewhyteboar said: But who makes the money with a scantron??? If some asshole company isn't making millions of bucks while making things worse for regular people, then whats the point of doing anything? Destroying institutions so a few people can make money is the most American tradition we have. Big Evil Standardized Test Co (BESTCo) makes a killing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 In Trinidad, you mark your ballot by first dipping your finger in ink that won't wash off for about a week and then pressing your finger in the oval of the party you're voting for on the printed cardboard ballot. Instead of stupid "I Voted" stickers, you can easily tell who voted and who didn't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_m_b_m_b_m Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 28 minutes ago, SFLUFAN said: In Trinidad, you mark your ballot by first dipping your finger in ink that won't wash off for about a week and then pressing your finger in the oval of the party you're voting for on the printed cardboard ballot. Instead of stupid "I Voted" stickers, you can easily tell who voted and who didn't! I really do wish we'd do that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 2 hours ago, thewhyteboar said: Washington and Oregon do it the best way. Paper ballots, and you can vote by mail. Yeah but they want to become part of Idaho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputator Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 1 hour ago, SFLUFAN said: In Trinidad, you mark your ballot by first dipping your finger in ink that won't wash off for about a week and then pressing your finger in the oval of the party you're voting for on the printed cardboard ballot. Instead of stupid "I Voted" stickers, you can easily tell who voted and who didn't! screw u i like those stickers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricofoley Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Hello! It looks like you're trying to rig an election! Do you need some help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSpreader Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarSolo Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Microsoft hasn’t fucked up an election like it’s fucked up everything else so they felt left out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePi Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 18 hours ago, SFLUFAN said: In Trinidad, you mark your ballot by first dipping your finger in ink that won't wash off for about a week and then pressing your finger in the oval of the party you're voting for on the printed cardboard ballot. Instead of stupid "I Voted" stickers, you can easily tell who voted and who didn't! What about the people that don't have hands? Ableist bastard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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