Does your Vote Count…wouldn’t you Want to Know?

I just watched an amazing, scary and astonishing TV documentary on HBO, “Hacking Democracy.” A small group of citizens curious and frustrated by the vote counting and tracking system, headed by a grandmother, asked the tough question that most public officials should have asked, but were afraid to ask: ‘IS YOUR VOTE SAFE?”. And..

The Answer Will Shock You

It will be showing again on (please check you local listing to verify times and channels)
HBO #504 – 11/2/06 – 10:00PM
HBO #502 – 11/4/06 – 10:00AM
HOB #501 – 11/5/06 – 7:00AM

The following is an expert taken from the producer’s website with their permission. For the complete article go to Public Interest Pictures (dot) Org.

“Hacking Democracy: This cautionary documentary exposes the vulnerability of computers – which count approximately 80% of America’s votes in county, state and federal elections – suggesting that if our votes aren’t safe, then our democracy isn’t safe either.

Electronic voting machines count 80% of the votes cast in America today.
But are they reliable? Are they safe from tampering? From a current congressional hearing to persistent media reports that suggest misuse of data and even outright fraud, concerns over the integrity of electronic voting are growing by the day. And if the voting process is not secure, neither is America’s democracy.
In 2002, Seattle grandmother and writer Bev Harris asked officials in her county why they had acquired electronic touch screen systems for their elections. Unsatisfied with their explanation, she set out to learn about electronic voting machines on her own. In the course of her research, which unearthed hundreds of reported incidents of mishandled voting information, Harris stumbled across an “online library” of the Diebold Corporation, discovering a treasure trove of information about the inner-workings of the company’s voting system…
In Florida, Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho presided over a trial “mini-election” to see if the vote could be hacked without being detected. Before votes were actually cast, computer analyst Harri Hursti “stuffed the ballot box” by entering votes on the computer’s memory card. Then, after votes were cast, the results displayed when the same memory card was entered in the central tabulating program indicated that fraud was indeed possible. In other words, by accessing a memory card before an election, someone could change the results – a claim Diebold had denied was possible.
Ultimately, Bev Harris’ research proved that the top-secret computerized systems counting the votes in America’s public elections are not only fallible, but also vulnerable to undetectable hacking, from local school board contests to the presidential race. With the electronic voting machines of three companies – Diebold, ESS and Sequoia – collectively responsible for around 80 percent of America’s votes today, the stakes for democracy are high…

HACKING DEMOCRACY was directed by Simon Ardizzone and Russell Michaels;
produced by Simon Ardizzone, Robert Carrillo Cohen and Russell Michaels;
executive producers, Earl Katz, Sarah Teale and Sian Edwards; edited by Sasha Zik. For HBO: supervising producer, John Hoffman; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.”

MotionVoter.com – Online voting software, electronic voting

MotionVoter is online voting software service that gives you the power to manage web based motion voting. Electronic voting for small to large organizations or groups. Check out www.motionvoter.com for more info.

Using SMS voting For Political Events

For decades companies have offered polling services to candidates and their campaign managers. These polls have been used to gauge public opinion and tailor a campaign strategy specifically to gather votes. However, there is a new service called SMS voting that allows political candidates to create their own polls and gather data. SMS voting allows politicians to create a poll based on the information they feel they need to know more about. These polls are then advertised online, on television, and on the radio. Some politicians even hand out flyers at rallies explaining the SMS voting process. Once the votes are cast the campaign can use the data received to make future decisions for the race.

SMS Voting Ease Of Use

Using an SMS voting system is very easy. Politicians can offer questions that allow voters to choose a specific answer or rate a topic on a specific scale. The voters are instructed to text in their answers to a specific phone number. Once these results are received they are placed into graphs and diagrams that detail what results are received. The results can then be divided by the geographic region they were received from or by the age, sex, or gender of each voter. By dividing the results in this manner the politician or campaign can determine which points are important to which voters.

Predict the Outcome Using SMS Voting

SMS voting will allow a campaign to track whether the politician is losing ground or gaining it against other opponents as well. SMS voting can be used to predict the outcome of a complete political race or just a portion of it. One of the best aspects of SMS voting is that a new poll can be taken every day or every week. SMS voting is also very affordable. This is especially true when the process is compared to hiring door to door pollsters or employing phone operators to call for votes.

Instant Results When They Are Needed

SMS voting can also be used to gain public opinion immediately during a speech or debate. This can help a politician tailor their answers to match the crowd in attendance. Campaign workers can monitor the poll and provide the results simultaneously to the candidate so they know whether they are leaving a mark or missing by a mile. This can be very helpful information for any speaker to know. If the results show that the candidate is too hard on an issue he or she can lessen their stance. However, it is also possible for a candidate to instantly realize which parts of the crowd are not being reached and speak more to that area of a room.

There are many reasons why polling is important to political races and competitions. However, these tools can also be used once a candidate is elected to determine the best way to vote or which policies are important to the people. SMS voting can bridge the gap between the people and their candidates.