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Re: Hand count or open source - voter verification - more...

Yes. I agree. You have to write the ID on the ballot while the voter is the in polling place.
I was saying that it is possible to have a computer print out a paper ballot with a unique ID. This can happen either when the user enters the booth (the ballot can then be filled out by hand), or after the choices have been make on a computer, or even right before the ballot is dropped into a ballot box (something like a punch clock but with random times).

The one time unique ID must be recorded *on the ballot* so that when the
ballot is scanned into the vote tallying computer system, it is there *with the ballot data* for inclusion in the database of all votes,

**and**, so that it is still there in any possible recount of the votes,
***and***, this must be done while the voter is waiting in the polling
place. 

I think these are requirements for voter verification to be meaningful.
I don't think they are easily met, just that they are requirements of
voter verification that uses one-time unique ID on a paper ballot.

If one accepts 'electronic ballots' other things are required, but I
was writing about voter verification of paper ballot elections.




I understand; I just miswrote. Yes, the entire database must be downloadable. I meant to say that the contents of the database can be exported to another form so that any program can do the tally. As far as the format goes...it doesn't really matter. Tabs, spaces, special characters, whatever. Counting the results is a one line command in unix.

You misunderstand. I am trying to say that the whole database of recorded

ballots must be downloaded, not merely the tally. Of course the tally
must be published, but that is not enough to allow verification that a
particular vote has been counted. The voter must also be able to verify
thet the tally was done correctly. I outlined the steps of the verification
in some lines that were not included in your reply. 

As an aside, I have found in working with scientific data that space separated
numerical values are much easier to handle than tab separated values. Space
separation fits more easily with the I/O routines of C/C++ standard libraries.





--
My razor-sharp wit was confiscated at airport security.