Watched the entire Florida governor’s debate on MSNBC last night. The candidates and Chris Matthews went round and round over the implications of a paper audit trail.
The assumption was that the voter would walk away with a printout of his vote as cast, and that this would lead to something nefarious such as taking money from a candidate or having the choice “held against” the voters, such as from an employer.
Who defined the paper audit trail in this manner? It looks to me as if a false illustration has been used, ignoring the type of paper audit trail that I experienced here in Cook County.
The ballot I completed two weeks ago was cast on a touch screen, and included a paper audit which printed out as an electronic calculator does, on a continuous roll that is contained within the machine. The voter has already reviewed his/her choices on the screen, made any corrections, then reviews the pages of the paper trail as they print out one by one. This provides yet another chance to correct any errors. The voter doesn’t take home any evidence with which to accept a bribe or to be “blackmailed” in any way.
