Voting for Pres. on Internet. I have purchased items many times on the

[patricia92243]

web.

In fact, I just did three transactions this morning - including transferring money from one account to another one - all on the web.

Each time I purchase anything or transfer money, they send me a message that says "This is a secure server" or something like that - I can't remember the exact wording.

My question is: If there are ways to keep this information safe, why can't that same technology be used to make safe voting possible?

It sure would make voting easier and therefore more people would vote.

[carnie_sf]

1. But the repukes

don't want more people voting

[radwriter0555]

2. Because you can't trust the republicans to be honest with the voting, as

was proven in the last 2 elections.

The republicans have subverted and destroyed the integrity of the voting process and by doing do, have destroyed and subverted the very US Constitution.

Sure, technology can indeed develop a secured voting system, but as long as liars, thugs, bankrobbers and thieves in are in charge of the USA, the USA is headed for a regime just like the nazis under hitler.

[mcscajun]

3. Because the only secure server is the one accepting your transaction.

It then gets transferred onto other systems that are not secure because they're not connected to the 'Net. The potential for abuse is strong at that point. And even 'secure' servers can be hacked. And have been.

A security expert once told me about this in detail, and advised me to do as he did: get one low-limit credit card to use for online purchase only and use an e-mail ID set up for that purpose only. That way, if my information was part of a hack or theft on the non-secure end, or possibly even in the 'secure' server, my damage would be limited and easily corrected.

We're a long, long way from secure Internet voting. As a techie and as a voter, I'm totally against it.

[K-W]

4. No one has a great interest in changing your online purchase,

people will have a great interest in changing your online vote.

Making sure that your vote counts is a much much different issue than making sure no one can steal your credit card number.

To my mind an e-voting system would not only require technology, but a revamping of our election system to put checks, moniters, and audits in place, to ensure that there was no foul play.

Until then a ballot needs to be paper, so that in the end, a group of people can sit in a room and count them.

[salvorhardin]

5. Not as secure as you think

There are demonstrated vulnerabilities in SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security -- the method used to securely exchange data on the web). Most of them are very hard to implement in the real world, but they do exist. Further, any encryption standard that relies on the exchange of keys is subject to man-in-the-middle attacks, and with the recent development of DNS cache poisoning, we have a real world example of an exploit that gives all the appearances of being a valid secure session, but where the user is never interacting with the intended website.

The point here is that all technological voting solutions will have vulnerabilities, and in a game where the stakes are so high it is only prudent to assume that those vulnerabilities will be exploited. While exposure to possible exploits can be managed, it comes down (as all security issues do) to how much you trust the humans involved.

So... I think it has to be asked, what advantages does electronic voting offer and do those advantages outweigh the risks? Additionally, could we gain similar advantages without incurring the risks by using low-tech solutions (pen & paper) by simply altering the methodology of voting.

Personally, I think the answer is yes. Pen & paper balloting coupled with easy registration (present the proper ID at the polling place), extended voting times (make it a week, or a national holiday), independent exit polling (as a check against the system and to provide short term feedback) and human ballot counting would be preferable to any technological solution. IMHO, of course.

[DrDebug]

6. It would be easy to vote for somebody else on the internet

The SSL security is good enough to ensure that nobody can read what you are trying to communicate with the webshop, but the point about voting is to ensure that YOU are the person who makes the vote and not somebody else and that's the real problem. There's no guarantee that it is YOU who does the voting and not somebody else.

You have no idea whether the person typing this post is the same person who used this account yesterday. It's likely, but I could be a different I very easily...

[Steel City Slim]

7. It's Not As Safe As You Might Think

The repubs love money a lot more than they love your vote. Commerce is more important to them than a honest election. Just because transactions are secure doesn't mean they are impenetrable and can not be altered. On line voting would open the door to massive, nationwide abuse at all levels.