[Novalug] OT: Re: Remember to vote!

[Stephan Greene]

At my precinct, it was about 20 min to get into the school (on line just
before 6AM) and another 40 min to get thru the check in and under 5 to vote
(optical scan paper ballot, there was a line for the electronic machines),
get sticker, and leave.  All the E-K showed up, your experience explains why
the S-Z was no waiting (they were all at your location) and the poll
official kept going outside to invite the end of the alphabet to come right
in.  The outside line was at about 50% (10-15 min) when I left at 7AM.  I'll
be able to eyeball it's length on the way home.

Ob linux content - with the electronic machines on their way out, I wonder
what software is used in the optical scan systems? Could be Linux.  But will
it be open source and auditable?  Or still proprietary and "trust us"?
(That's a more important question than the underlying OS).

And the software question ignores the larger ones of potential in the system
for accidental (poll worker almost checked off the wrong Steve this morning)
and deliberate voter and voting fraud and ways (technical and process) to
detect and minimize it.  That said, our imperfect system is way better than
a lot of the alternatives!

Any rumors on freebies with your "I voted" sticker?  I've heard Dunkin
Donuts, Krispy Creame, Starbuks, California Tortillia, Ben & Jerries, and
Cafe Sano (Reston, South Lakes shopping center).


Steve

On Tue, Nov 4, 2008 at 9:27 AM, Kevin Chin <kevinchin5 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Umm... Go vote. If you don't like either, you can always write in.  If you
> don't vote, don't complain.
>
> FWIW, I voted this morning and there was NO line... if your last name
> begins with A-C... I voted and was out in 5 minutes. You may not need to
> wait in a huge line if your polling place divides the crowd up by last
> name.  At mine, everyone was standing in the S-Z line, and it was huge!
> "John Smith" was apparently out in force!
>
> (sorry for the non Linux tangent)
>
>


-- 
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Steve Greene  ks1g04 at gmail.com  <kay ess one gee zero four>@gmail.com
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