Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Election Luddites, Unite!

The machines are breaking down in Virginia and (of course) Florida, leading to a cry of the heart against electronic gizmos and for a return to pieces of paper and thick pencils at the ballot box.

Digital democracy has a nice ring to it, but at what price and for how long until the nerds get it right? If we need technology, why not supermarket scanners to count the pieces of paper that human beings have marking for centuries? If the results look fishy, scan them again or count by hand.

As it is, we're in for a day of breakdowns, long lines and who-knows-what glitches in the counting, leading to paranoia on all sides. Is it worth it?

1 comment:

Ron Davison said...

It is worth it!
Time for a little victory dance. thanks for your posts that helped add another snowflake to this avalanche.