[E-voting] E-voting machines to be used in 2009 despite warnings

[Ciaran Quinn]

Aengus Lawlor wrote:
> On Tuesday, October 17, 2006 10:59 AM [EDT],
> Aengus Lawlor <aengusl at eircom.net> wrote:
>
>> ... If FF are
>> in power after the next election, he'll ram the project through
>> whatever committee is supposed to deal with the issue (just as Cullen
>> did). He might spend a million or two on cosmetic changes to muddy
>> the waters and win over public opinion (they won't know how effective
>> or otherwise such changes are), but as far as he is concerned, the
>> machines are a perfectly acceptable solution today,
>
> And a quote from todays Order of Business:
> The Taoiseach:    "We have to correct the software, which will cost 
> €500,000 and try to move forward. Otherwise, this country will move 
> into the 21st century being a laughing stock with our stupid old 
> pencils".
>
> I guess I was wrong - they don't think they'll even need to spend "a 
> million or two".
>
> Unfortunately, if the opposition insist on going on about the "wasted" 
> 52 million, instead of the threat to the integrity and secrecy of 
> Irish elections, they'll hand FF a victory, not just on this issue, 
> but in the General election too. It's easy for FF to "save" the wasted 
> money, if the public think that that's the problem. It'll be far 
> harder for them to protect the integrity of the eections, if the pubic 
> can be convinced that that's what is really at stake here. They've had 
> a couple of years to break FFs back on this issue, but they're still 
> recycling the same old sound bites, and they clearly haven't done a 
> whit of new research into the issue.
Should ICTE have a position in the election campaign? Should ICTE ask 
voters to vote only for those parties which promise to scrap 
Nedap-Powervote? Should ICTE produce and publicise a list of parties who 
support ICTE's principles?

Ciaran