Ireland scraps plan for e-voting in June elections

[tom bldr <tom_bldr@xxxxxxxxx>]

We need to follow Ireland's lead here in the US.

http://www.eubusiness.com/afp/040430131155.4c6kwa5h

Ireland scraps plan for e-voting in June elections

 The Irish government has scrapped plans to use
electronic voting for European parliamentary and local
elections in June because its reliability has not yet
been proven, Environment Minister Martin Cullen said
Friday.

The move follows a report from an independent
Electronic Voting Commission set up to examine the
secrecy and accuracy of the electronic voting system
involved.

Cullen said traditional paper ballots would be used
for the June 11 vote because the commission was
"unable to provide sufficient positive assurance" in
the time available.

The decision is a major embarrassment to Cullen who
strongly backed a move to e-voting as a symbol of
Ireland's hi-tech economy.

He argued it would improve the efficiency, speed,
accuracy and user friendliness of Ireland's complex
proportional representation system of ballots.

Bernard Allen, environment spokesman for the main Fine
Gael opposition party called for Cullen's resignation.

"Anything between 40 million and 50 million euros of
taxpayers' money has been committed to machines which
will not be used," Allen said.

"But even more serious is the fact that this
government was trying to foist an unreliable and
insecure voting system onto the electorate," Allen
added. 


	
		
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