"Electronic Voting"

A Major Improvement

These computerized voting systems are easy to use. Among their several advantages, DREs, make it impossible for a voter to make more than one choice in a given race. Unlike other voting systems, DREs can be made fully accessible to disable persons, including those who are visually impaired. Those DREs that do not have a paper trail capacity can either be modified to do so or replaced. E-voting virtually eliminates that problem.

Beware of Electronic Voting

Many reputable computer scientists see a number of serious flaws in the DREs currently available. Several of them are most concerned about source code, the language of the software. Many also worry about the transmission of voter totals to central locations. Those results are not usually sent via the Internet. They may be transmitted by a direct modem connection, however, and intercepted by a hacker.

Exploring the Issues

1. Several of them are most concerned about source code, the language of the software. It is altogether possible, they say, that those who program a system, or hackers who gain access to it, can mainpulate the outcome of an election.