French Parties Call Voting Machines a 'Catastrophe'

[Flagg]

FRENCH PARTIES CALL VOTING MACHINES A 'CATASTROPHE'


Received Sunday, 22 April 2007 20:08:00 GMT

PARIS, April 22, 2007 (AFP) - Several French political parties demanded the withdrawal of electronic voting machines for the second round of the presidential election after widespread problems during Sunday's ballot.
The Socialists, the Communist Party and the Greens put on a rare show of unity to call the machines, used for around 1.5 million of France's 44.5 voters, a "catastrophe."
It is the first time the machines have been used for a presidential election in France. Amid big queues in general to vote, people using the electronic machines were forced to wait up to two hours to cast ballots.
The left wing parties complained following problems at Noisy-le-Sec, a suburb east of Paris.
"In line with our forecasts, the electronic vote has been a catastrophe," the parties said in a statement. They said that many voters had walked away in disgust because of the wait.
Protests came from other cities as well.
Philippe de Villiers, a nationalist Catholic candidate in the election, called it a "cheating machine" as he voted in his home town of Herbiers in western France.
Daniel Guerin, a member of the Paris regional council, made an official complaint to the Constitutionl Council because of "disfunctioning" machines in his constituency in Villeneuve-le-Roi, in the Paris suburbs.
The elderly had particular problems with the machines. Many said they did not believe the computerised system would keep their vote secret.

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http://www.ttc.org/200704222008.l3mk83g03107.htm

[merwin]

1. The French people are pretty smart... Governments are slippery.

I hope the French people know how to protest better than we do.

[yourout]

2. Anyone know if the machines are US made?

I agree machines have no business in elections.

[papau]

3. "the machines are not French (made)" - hmmm n/t

n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Nedap (Dutch), ES&S (American), and Indra (Spanish)

http://www.efve.eu/International_overview

[LiberalEsto]

4. That's exactly what I call them

Cheating machines

[Atman]

6. What a coincidence! The right-winger WON there, too!

Those crazy electronic voting machines, eh? :eyes:

Right-wing means "corrupt" in any language.

.

[bonito]

7. K&R n/t

[Hubert Flottz]

8. K&R