[EM] Open Voting Consortium for e-voting?

[Ken Johnson]

Paul Kislanko wrote:

>Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 4:12 PM
>
>(Ken Johnson) ...
>
>In my view, public disclosure of precinct totals should be construed as 
>a potential violation of voter secrecy. If a high percentage of people 
>in my precinct vote a particular way, one could draw a highly probable 
>inference about how I voted based on the precinct totals. Politicians 
>may show favoritism toward or bias against certain precincts based on 
>their voting patterns, or may use the information for targeted political
>marketing campaigns.
>
>PK replies:
>Anyone who would draw a conclusion about about how any specific voter
>voted from the totals for a precinct is not worth worrying about, unless
>one of the totals is zero. 
>
>In any case, precinct totals ARE reported publicly already.
>
They are, but is that a good thing? Should they be?

>... 
>
>Ken Johnson:
>... Ballots and 
>precinct-level totals should only be available to election officials and
>auditors who are obligated to maintain such information in confidence.
>
>...
>
>The idea that "precinct level totals should only be available to
>election officials" is just flat repugnant. 
>
I agree! That's why I said "... and auditors...".

>Once the Repulicans are in
>charge of appointing all of the Election Officials and only they are
>allowed to see the totals (and tell the voters who won) then we can't
>even talk about being a "democracy" and can't have any faith in our
>votes being counted, so why bother to vote at all?
>
Agreed. The election officials who are actually handling ballots and 
running the process should, of course, be represented equally by the 
major political parties (as they are in a recount process), and there 
should be oversight by independent auditors.

>There's no harm in collecting results of an election "by precinct" -
>those are a public record. The only question is how easy should that be
>for researchers. ...
>  
>
Following is an excerpt of precinct totals from Harris County, Texas, 
for the 2000 presidential contest. (I found this by searching Google and 
downloading it off the web.) Doesn't this data give you a pretty good 
clue how people in some precincts voted? ;-)

http://www.harrisvotes.net/HISTORY/001107/canframe.htm

 Final Official Canvass - Total Votes
Combined Election Day and Early Ballots
General And Special Elections - Harris County, Texas
November 7 , 2000

PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT

          1    REP - GEORGE W. BUSH AND DICK CHENEY
          2    DEM - AL GORE AND JOE LIEBERMAN
          3    LIB - HARRY BROWNE AND ART OLIVIER
          4    GRN - RALPH NADER AND WINONA LADUKE
          5    IND - PAT BUCHANAN AND EZOLA FOSTER
                                              
1......2......3......4......5    
...
0024 PRECINCT NO. 0024                    .  12....326......0......0......1
0025 PRECINCT NO. 0025                       13    541      0      0      0
...
0031 PRECINCT NO. 0031                       29  1,162      0      3      0
...
0042 PRECINCT NO. 0042                    .  10....675......0......6......0
...
0047 PRECINCT NO. 0047                       16    693      0      1      0
0048 PRECINCT NO. 0048                       16    466      1      2      1
...
0068 PRECINCT NO. 0068                       19  1,047      1      1      0
...
0085 PRECINCT NO. 0085                       22    904      1      8      2
...
0109 PRECINCT NO. 0109                       28  1,320      0      2      0
...
0150 PRECINCT NO. 0150                    .   0......1......0......0......0
...
0167 PRECINCT NO. 0167                        0     55      0      1      0
...
0209 PRECINCT NO. 0209                        4      0      0      0      0
...
0271 PRECINCT NO. 0271                       22  1,350      0      6      1
...
0346 PRECINCT NO. 0346                    .   0......1......0......0......0
...
0412 PRECINCT NO. 0412                        3     78      0      0      0
...
0582 PRECINCT NO. 0582                    .   9....681......0......0......0
...
0592 PRECINCT NO. 0592                        1     91      0      1      0
...
0697 PRECINCT NO. 0697                        4      0      0      0      0
...
0706 PRECINCT NO. 0706                        1      0      0      0      0
...
0754 PRECINCT NO. 0754                    .   0......1......0......0......0
...
0768 PRECINCT NO. 0768                        3      0      0      0      0
...
0771 PRECINCT NO. 0771                        0     19      0      0      0
...
0773 PRECINCT NO. 0773                        0      1      0      0      0
...
0776 PRECINCT NO. 0776                        0     25      0      0      0
...
0788 PRECINCT NO. 0788                    .   0......1......0......0......0
...
0791 PRECINCT NO. 0791                        1      0      0      0      0
0792 PRECINCT NO. 0792                        0      1      0      0      0
...
0806 PRECINCT NO. 0806                    .   0.....12......0......0......0
...
0817 PRECINCT NO. 0817                        2      0      0      0      0
...
0865 PRECINCT NO. 0865                        0      1      0      0      0
...
0869 PRECINCT NO. 0869                        0      1      0      0      0
0870 PRECINCT NO. 0870                    .   0......3......0......0......0
...
0891 PRECINCT NO. 0891                        1      0      0      0      0
...
0894 PRECINCT NO. 0894                        0      1      0      0      0
...
0904 PRECINCT NO. 0904                    .   0......2......0......0......0
...
0911 PRECINCT NO. 0911                        0      1      0      0      0
...
0933 PRECINCT NO. 0933                        0      1      0      0      0
...