Australia (maybe a good place to move to? djf} more on you can choose a paper ballot!!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Andrew Pam <xanni () glasswings com au>
Date: November 1, 2004 8:34:49 AM EST
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: Einar Stefferud <stef () Thor nma com>
Subject: Re: [IP] more on you can choose a paper ballot!!

On Mon, Nov 01, 2004 at 07:14:12AM -0500, Dave Farber wrote:
> From: Einar Stefferud <stef () Thor nma com>
> Date: October 31, 2004 4:42:41 PM EST
> To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Re: [IP] you can choose a paper ballot!!
>
> Has everyone forgotten how easy it is to cancel a paper ballot and turn
> it into an OVERVOTE for a given ballot choice?
>
> Paper ballots have been used to commit fraud ever since the Australians
> invented the so called secret ballot system based on paper.
>
> All that is needed is for someone/anyone with access to overvote a  
> ballot
> by adding another X so that the ballot shows votes for two candidates  
> for
> the same office.  Essentially the same thing as punching out an extra  
> CHAD
> for the same voter choice.

Note that in Australia any candidate can nominate "scrutineers" at
each polling place, who are strictly forbidden by law from advocating
candidates or making any physical contact with the ballots but may  
observe
both the voting and the counting process as closely as they desire.
Any irregularities in the voting not rectified on demand can then be
brought to the attention of the Australian Electoral Commission  
officials
and if necessary the media.

I have regularly acted as a scrutineer and there will typically be
at least one from each major party and some from minor parties at each
polling booth, as a result of which Australians have very high  
confidence
in the reliability and accuracy of their system - so much so that in
one historical election the national result was reliably decided by a
margin of eleven votes!

I am not aware of any documented instances of overvoting in Australia
in the last decades.

More information here:
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/ 
The%20Australian%20electoral%20system

Regards,
        Andrew Pam
--
mailto:xanni () xanadu net                         Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/                       Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/                   Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/                      Manager, Serious  
Cybernetics

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