AP: Electronic Vote Distrusted in Venezuela (reforms implemented)

[Eugene]

Warning: The headline is misleading. The real story is
that the parties are generally satisfied with the new
safeguards for electronic voting.

Electronic Vote Distrusted in Venezuela

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 01 18 PM

(11-28) 13:18 PST CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --

Under pressure from opponents of President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's elections
council has adopted safeguards for the country's electronic voting machines
to prevent tampering in Sunday's election — conditions so strict that experts
say they surpass some standards in the United States.

The opposition boycotted Venezuela's legislative elections a year ago, saying
it couldn't trust that the electronic machines would be used fairly. But after
thorough checks of hardware and software and some key concessions by
electoral officials, presidential challenger Manuel Rosales says he's satisfied
— as long as the agreed-upon rules are respected.

"The Venezuelan people and I hope that the electoral council doesn't step
outside the rules, that it maintains impartiality," Rosales said Monday.
"I'm going to defend the transparency and the results of this process, even
if it's with my last breath."

Unlike with most U.S. electronic voting machines, Venezuelans will get paper
receipts that verify their choices were properly recorded, and must deposit
them into boxes before leaving the polls. After Sunday's vote, election officials
monitored by representatives of each candidate will count millions of the paper
receipts for comparison to the electronic totals.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/11/28/international/i131821S98.DTL

[angstlessk]

1. Oh, I really like THIS diddy...

..."conditions so strict that experts say they surpass some standards in the United States." Like that is saying it is all safe and effective! BUT THE US EMBASSY WARNS AMERICANS TO STOCKPILE FOOD AND WATER IN CASE THERE ARE RIOTS AFTER THE VOTE IS COUNTED?????

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. What about the substance of the article though? Do you not find the idea that actual ballots are

created, and most of them are counted as an audit against the machines, to be reassuring compared to the lack of any such safeguards here?

And, given the open hostility of the Bush administration towards the Chavez government, wouldn't you expect the administration to make propaganda casting doubts on the integrity of their vote, when it's OUR system that is all hosed up?

By the way, the article doesn't mention what you said about stockpiling food and water in case of riots after the vote. Not sure where you got that one.

[angstlessk]

6. Here is the article warning US citizens to stockpile food and water......

..in case of riots: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2633017&mesg_id=2633017

[mom cat]

5. Now who would be "planning riots"? Certainly not

the good ole US of A. :sarcasm:

[bullimiami]

7. "surpasses some standards". how orwellian.

some is how many. few? some? most?

to be honest they would have said 'surpasses most standards..' and certainly meets or surpasses ALL standards when DREs are used here.

[ret5hd]

2. Venezuela's system is OPEN SOURCE!

Why can't we have the same???

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. Open source or not (and it should be), it PRODUCES BALLOTS! And AUDITS

over 50 percent of them!