By Lisa Anderson
COLUMBIA, S.C.—It was man, not machine, who fouled up the electronic voting machines in Myrtle Beach and elsewhere in Horry County in the eastern part of the state today, according to Chris Whitmire, public information officer for the State Election Commission.
Some of the county’s 127,000 registered voters were turned away and told to return later because some voting machines were locked and could not be used. Technicians have been dispatched to remedy the situation before polls close at 7 pm.
Whitmire said the problem came when election officials, who test the machines by placing dummy votes and checking that they are recorded, forgot to complete the last step of the test in some cases. That last step clears the machines in preparation for actual voting.
As a result, some machines were locked and unusable when voters arrived to cast their ballots. Whitmire said he didn’t know how many of the county’s 118 polling stations were affected.
However, given the sensitivity about electronic voting, he said, he emphasized that “The voting system performed as it was supposed to. It was a human error.”
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Comments
“The voting system performed as it was supposed to..."
Gee, Mr. Whitmire, obviously they didn't. Human error or no, they couldn't be turned on.
However, the PAPER BALLOTS worked like they were supposed to: 100%!
...where they were available.
Tom
Myrtle Beach
Posted by: Tom | January 19, 2008 3:34 PM
DUHH!!!
Looks like they will never learn! Use ANY system to make it easy to vote but post voting, print an easily HUMAN readable ballot that is given to the voter for his review .. If OK.. then drop it into a scanner.. if not, call a poll official.
If the vote is challenged, use entirely different scanner/tally program to count and if that is challenged (doesn’t match the first), hand count the ballots!
ALWAYS have paper ballots for every person on the rolls.. for BU and in case they wish to simply use the paper and drop it in the scanner and bypass the voting box computer.
My precinct uses electronic tablet only.. I kinda feel like I wasted my time by voting.
Sans a paper audit trail, it’s all smoke and mirrors.. I know.. “never fail.. never fail never fail” That’s what the B-777 folks thought as well!
Don.. Uncounted in the LoCo
Posted by: Don Raines | January 19, 2008 5:00 PM
I love this country!!
hahah ... where is the name of the officials who were "Testing the machines" and forgot to reset it? oh wait! oh wait! It was just human error... right! sure... in 2000 it was hanging chat but at least there were some real evidences of it since it can be trace.
Electronic counting machines are only as good as the software program (source code) which one knows it can be written in a way that flip a vote based on given parameters. if you do not want to believe that then why don't you check the rules that dictates how a machine is certificated by your state. Specially the software section…
uhmm you will be amaze by what you read. Let me give you an example:
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~daw/papers/testimony-house07.pdf
We got to go to the Paper BALLOTS until this stuff is resolved. Lets not sacrifice accuracy for speed, America, let’s not sacrifice our moral values for the greed of power and to pretend to know at any cost.
Casting your vote is the real peaceful venue a citizen has during elections; being well informed of the shortcoming the electronic voting machines present and how it can encroach on the way and means we vote is something one need to pay attention. Send a message to your state representatives and get involved on your voting precinct otherwise DO NOT COMPLAINT.
Pay attention, get informed and bring your findings to the attention of others so united you can bring positive changes.
Posted by: Roger | January 19, 2008 5:44 PM
the electronic voting machines present and how it can encroach on the way and means we vote is something one need to pay attention.
http://www.paper-machines.com/
Posted by: paper machines | June 20, 2008 5:04 AM