Ensure accuracy in

voting system
Lane County Elections has followed the mandated reform (and flawed lesser-of-evils theory) by choosing a new optical-scan vote-counting system. Presumably there is a physical record (pencil mark on paper ballot), but the virtual tally will be much easier to rig than with a punch-card system.
Some questions need answers: Is the software proprietary? Will Lane County Elections have access to the code? Will audits or recounts account for ballot input and vote tally, but not the black box in between? Will anyone outside of elections have access to the software, such as political oversight or media investigation? Or only the voting machine corporation?
Will elections allow the press to audit both the vote tally and the software data after every election? If the company that makes the machines has the sole access to the software, and since it is a constitutional requirement to hold transparent elections, is this not by definition an illegal voting system?
Why not choose the system (hand-counting paper ballots) with the lowest error rate, the least risk of rigging, the most honest and transparent process and which tabulates the votes in a few hours?
Is it typical or expedient to avoid a recount or audit of vote-counting procedure, especially after an actual election, rather than merely pre-testing mock-ups? (As evidenced in the 2000 coup with the suppression of any true recount in a contested election where the spectacular and primary issue was exactly how many votes were cast in Florida.)

Bernard Nickerson

Eugene