In a previous post I talked about voting machines and how I think the government has made a big mess about the whole thing. I mentioned that academia has already set forward useful guidelines, and resourceful information about this subject, but no one seems to listen. Then I ran into this article. The article basically explains how computer scientist from that Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Université Catholique de Louvain, deployed a Web-based voting system, which was tested for the presidential elections at UCL. The system is mathematically verifiable. It is open source. It is also free, as is free beer. When I say mathematically verifiable, I mean the system produces a mathematical proof, which cannot be spoofed, that the tallying was done correctly.
Furthermore, the tallying process is completely open, that is, any person from outside can come in and verify that there are no irregularities. This is possible because of the encryption scheme used that ensures that no sensitive information is released. All of this sounds wonderful, yet somehow I know it would never be picked up... why not? Because it doesn't cost money.
I think this society, in its capitalistic frenzy of spending like the world is going to end, has evolved into a mindset that associates anything worthwhile with money. If it doesn't cost, it must not be good. Why else, having some of the best academic institutes on earth, hasn't the government turned to the people who actually know, instead deciding to pay all this money to companies that are basically producing a bunch crap? I guess if you pay for it, it's good crap. Yet, it is crap nonetheless!
The only thing I don't like about the system above is the absence of a paper trail, and yet, in this particular system, because of the openness of the process, I thikn it would work without a paper trail... but in these things I always say better safe than sorry.
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