Fwd: Open Source Voting Demonstration

Wed May 28 14:59:58 EDT 2008

Programming assistance for Open Source project requested. This will be
the biggest demonstration to date of Open Source Voting systems that
combine the advantages of electronic voting for the disabled and for
prevention of overvoting and most undervoting, with the advantages of
Open Source and an auditable paper ballot. The electronic records will
make ballot-box stuffing and losing paper ballots without detection
much harder.

I intend to submit this as a Sugar Activity, for use in school and
local elections, and for education about the very wide variety of
voting algorithms in use or proposed.

Please pass on to other Python and Free/Open Source Software groups.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Alan Dechert <dechert at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, May 24, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Subject: [OVC-discuss] Fw: Open Source Voting Demonstration
To: Open Voting Consortium discussion list <ovc-discuss at listman.sonic.net>

I'm forwarding the message about the LinuxWorld conference.  I also
posted something about it on openvoting.org

http://www.openvotingconsortium.org/blog/2008-may-20/ovc_to_provide_voting_system_for_linuxworld_aug_5_7

I need help to make all this happen.  Among other things, I want to
get the process down for creating the ballot definition files so that
a 6th grader could do it.

We are using Ping's Pvote voter interface (see Pvote.org for details).
 My previous post to this list also has links to documentation on
that.

http://gnosis.python-hosting.com/voting-project/May.2008/0001.html

Please help!

Alan D.

----- Original Message -----
From: melinda_kendall at idg.com
To: Alan Dechert
Cc: kristen_margulis at idg.com ; briana_pontremoli at idg.com ;
charlotte_mccormack at idg.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 7:59 AM
Subject: Open Source Voting Demonstration

Hi Alan--
Good talking with you last week.  In an attempt to summarize this program:

The Open Voting Consortium will do a demonstration of open source
voting at LinuxWorld, August 5-7, 2008, at Moscone Center, San
Francisco.  Generally, OVC will provide the machines, staffing, and
overall presence at the event.  World Expo will provide the space and
promote this area as a feature of the event.

Attendees will have an opportunity to use open source voting to cast a
ballot and also to see how the votes are tallied and available for
recount using this system.  In addition, the ballot itself will have
key questions to the event and community, and be a true plebiscite of
event attendees.

Attendees entering the area will have their badge scanned to register
that they have voted.  The badge scanners will reject any badge that
attempts to vote a second time.  Attendees will then proceed to one of
three PCs to vote using a touch screen.  Their ballot will be printed
for them to review for accuracy.  They will put their ballot into a
privacy folder to put it into the ballot box.

Every half hour the ballots will be scanned into the voting system,
and the results displayed on a plasma screen above the booth.

OVC is welcome to handout literature about the technology and
political issues at the Information Counter in the booth.

World Expo will send out a press release about the area pre-show, and
release and promote the result of the ballot, during and after the
event.

The ballot will consist of three categories of questions:
       1. Presidential election:
               Senator John McCain (Republican)
               Senator Barack Obama (Democrat)
               Congressman Bob Barr (Libertarian)
               Raph Nader (Independent)
       2. People's Choice Award for Best Product at LinuxWorld 2008
               8-10 choices from Product Excellence Award Finalists
(available by 7/25)
       3. Technology issues, based on: (Exact questions in preparation)
* Reform the DMCA to allow circumvention of DRM
systems, and distribution of circumvention devices,
for non-infringing uses.

* Patent reform 1: stop diverting patent application
fees to the general fund; stop paying bonuses to
USPTO employees based on number of patents granted
or time of pendency.

* Patent reform 2: stop issuing patents on algorithms
or business methods; legislate that distribution
of software for a general-purpose computer is not
patent infringement.

* Require that the government use only data formats
that are implemented in open source software free of
patent licensing requirements.

IDG Provides
Booth space in LinuxWorld (size and location TBD)
Badge scanner and duplication detection capability
Stanchions directing booth traffic
8' table for PCs
42" Plasma screen on stand
Table for ballot box

OVC Provides
All staffing
3 PCs and printers
Ballot scanner and vote counting
Ballot box
Privacy folder
Voting area verisimilitude

Cost estimate TBD
Info counter
Electrical
Carpeting

No internet required

We expect to have a rendering, booth size, and costs within the week.

Thanks
MK

Please consider the environment before printing this email

Melinda M. Kendall
VP/GM LinuxWorld/NGDC
IDG World Expo
3 Speen St. Suite 320
Framingham, MA 01701
P. 508.424.4853
C. 650.224.5445
F. 508.620.6690
E. melinda_kendall at idg.com
www.idgworldexpo.com

_______________________________________________
OVC-discuss mailing list
OVC-discuss at listman.sonic.net
http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/ovc-discuss
By sending email to the OVC-discuss  list, you thereby agree to
release the content of your posts to the Public Domain--with the
exception of copyrighted material quoted according to fair use,
including publicly archiving at
http://gnosis.python-hosting.com/voting-project/

--
Edward Cherlin
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay

-- 
Edward Cherlin
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay