A couple weeks ago I traipsed int the NYS BOE and had to undergo the final insult to the state's determination of how I pursued democracy.
Warren Redlich suggested I blog about it. I hadn't the heart for it then or perhaps have just had the bile receed in my throat now.
Today I made it back there. The ladies who help you are great. I'm not sure what the other people do all year after the business of ballots is over. With sheet after sheet of FOIL requests, knowing each to be a painful $.25 cost, a small group from DC reviewed the new voting machines.
As they took pictures a functionary outlined all the disability features and the ability to operate in numerous languages. Some IT honcho gave them a quick low down on the new disk available with all the voters in the state on it. It's available to FOIL. Perhaps some random byte head will just post it somewhere for anybody to find and use for free. I hope so. Perhaps yours truly.
After the ardous paperwork was filled out and the fee paid, I had a chance to glance at these new wonders of democracy. I was astonished to see a machine that almost recreated the mechanical system we currently use. It made a big deal about a paper receipt, which you don't get now anyway. I've asked.
What kills me is that all this money and thought go into a system that amounts to a crazy idea like EZPASS. We take the ancient, obselete idea of a toll road and modernize it with electronics and pass it off as convenience. If the whole argumant against an open ballot to any citizen being there is that it will confuse the voter, than we will only propogate that myth with these new systems.
I'm a big fan of an open source, scientifically encrypted machine that would allow voters a full range of choice and options. What we're seeing is fear about an open democracy. We should be able to vote on any budget anytime. A digital plebiscite, if you will. Vote every Tuesday. Probably would only insure more taxes and reappropriation of wealth. Perhaps we could decentralize and repeal. It would be a brave new world. One that the current generation of Bread & Circuses could not handle . . . more tomorrow, or is it today ?