Re: California SB 1438

I think one can finesse this whole word play. I claim that OVC NEVER stores the ballot electronically. The ballot is not a ballot until it is cast by placing it in the ballot box. While you might colloquially finalizing your on-screen choices as "casting" a ballot but it''s not fficiall cast till its in the ballot box. The only think that is ever cast is a peice of paper. The electonic vot is never cast. the ballot is never stored electronically.

the only thing stored electroincally is the audit trail.

Ultimately Alan put it best

DRE:
electroinc ballot with potential paper pseudo-audit trail

OVC:
paper ballot with electronic audit trail

its all in there.

OVC is electonic only in the audit trail.

-----Original Message-----
From: "Nathan L. Adams" <adamsn79@bellsouth.net>
Sent: Jul 15, 2004 7:58 PM
To: voting-project@lists.sonic.net
Subject: Re: [voting-project] California SB 1438

On Monday 12 July 2004 10:27 am, Joseph Lorenzo Hall wrote:
> No... the OVC has a piece of paper outputted (and verified) at the
> time to vote is cast... this is the official record of the vote... the
> electronic records in the OVC system are for reconcilliation (someone
> correct me if I'm wrong). -Joe

Yes, I'm aware of the OVC's scheme, and your description of the scheme looks
correct. I was commenting on the way Douglas worded his definition of a DRE.

On Monday 12 July 2004 11:14 am, Douglas W. Jones wrote:
> OK, time to refine my definition:
>
> The important thing is that the records of votes are stored
> electronically for some interval before they are printed or
> otherwise converted to durable human-readable records, and
> as a result, the voter never has a chance to inspect or
> approve the human-readable record of his or her vote.

How about this instead:

"The important thing is that the records of votes are stored electronically
for some interval before they are printed or otherwise converted to durable
human-readable records IN SUCH A MANNER THAT the voter never has a chance to
inspect or approve the human-readable record of his or her vote."

The OVC system in fact stores the votes electronically for some interval
before they are printed; your wording makes it seem like that in itself is
inherently bad. I think the real point is that the voter never gets to
inspect & verify their piece of the audit trail in paper form. Also, as Joe
points out, the OVC paper *is* the legal ballot; in a DRE the electronic copy
is the legal ballot.

Nathan
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Received on Sat Jul 31 23:17:05 2004