There's some sort of election going on in the US

GuyClapperton -1 285 Views

Word has reached us in the UK that there is some sort of election happening in the US. In fact it has been happening for an incredibly long time, with one of the candidates in particular making more premature victory speeches (although not to Americans, I mean, they're only the people who get a vote) than anyone in the history of the known universe.

OK, OK, I'm being cynical. But the Democrats are having their convention this week and all the smart newswires are saying how involved people are with the electronic side of things this time around. It's truly impressive. What's more, young people will be able to vote through the Xbox Live community (it's not that old people like me at 43 wouldn't be allowed, we just wouldn't have a clue where to start).

I wonder, then, whether everybody's read - a summary of how a leading electronic voting system in America has been dropping votes for ten years but it's OK, a spokesman says, because he's confident someone would have noticed.

Well that's all right, then. Kind of.

jsepeta commented: has nothing to do with the forum where it was posted. +0

Dani AI

Generated

As noted, the 2008 conventions brought a new level of electronic outreach — Xbox Live partnered with Rock the Vote to let console users register, answer polls and pose questions to candidates (this was about registration and engagement, not casting official ballots).
Microsoft: Xbox and Rock the Vote partnership (Aug 20, 2008)

At the same time, independent technical work and later state reviews made clear that some direct-recording electronic (DRE) machines and tabulation systems had real weaknesses. A peer-reviewed security study demonstrated how an AccuVote‑TS unit could be altered to change results; separate reporting and hearings later documented audit‑log and ballot‑deletion problems in some tabulation software. These are concrete, documented problems — not just punditry.
Princeton CITP: Security analysis of the Diebold AccuVote‑TS (2006)
WIRED: Diebold admits systemic audit log failure (2009)

Because U.S. election administration is local, the difference that makes or breaks confidence is an auditable paper record and sound post‑election audits. Public resources exist to check what equipment a county used, whether voter‑verifiable paper audit trails (VVPAT) were available, and whether audits or recounts were performed. Independent databases and congressional reviews explain best practices and trace the problems that prompted calls for routine audits.
Verified Voting: Voting Equipment Database (AccuVote TSX)
Congressional hearing text on standards, audits and lost ballots (109th Congress)

Short takeaway: console-based outreach increased youth participation, but system reliability isn’t guaranteed by visibility or vendor reassurance alone. Verified audit trails and published audit or recount reports are the right sources to confirm (or refute) claims that votes were lost.

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