Re: Some Voters Say Machines Failed, Incorrect Choices Appear on Screens (fwd)

[Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu]

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 01:00:46 EDT, "Atom 'Smasher'" said:

>           Herrera said she's heard stories from Democrats and Republicans. 
> In some cases, when people have tried to vote a straight ticket, the 
> screen has given their votes to every candidate in the opposite political 
> party, she said.
>
>           She believes it's a people problem. "I have confidence in the 
> machines," she said. "They are touch screens. People are touching them 
> with their palms, or leaning their hand. ... They're hitting the wrong 
> button."

If it's a widespread people problem, it's not the people's problem, it's
the UI designer or programmer's problem.

Synaptics makes a touchpad often used in laptops that can *do* palm detection.
Knowing this, the machine should either be built with equivalent technology,
or a *BIG* sign:

*** CAUTION: UNGROUNDED ELECTRICAL MACHINERY!!! ***

ONLY TOUCH MACHINE WITH ONE FINGER.  ALLOWING ANY OTHER PART OF
YOUR HAND OR BODY TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE MACHINE MAY EXPOSE YOU TO
DANGEROUSLY HIGH VOLTAGES!!

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