Web design & FOSS
Front-end web technologies and Free Open Source Software.
Thursday 19 June 2008, 4:32 PM
Teacamp
I went along to Teacamp today, a loose gathering of interested/ing folk who work with the UK government and online technologies (and a barcamp spin-off).
I spoke to a very well-informed chap from Tyne & Wear who talked at length about the workings and machinations of The Digital Challenge & Inclusion Network, which was a bit of an eye-opener into the amount of politicking involved in the process.
I also spoke to Glynn from the Open Rights Group (the UK version of the Electronic Frontier Foundation) about the shortcomings and pitfalls of electronic voting. I didn’t realise there were so many. Apparently the London mayoral elections used electronic vote counting, and there was an alarming lack of transparency and checks in the system — see the Open Rights Group web site for more information.
Thanks to Jeremy for the introduction ;)
PreviousComments on this post
did I reed this correctly? I was aware of the postal voting issue, and possible fraud, but not this electronic vote counting business!! do you mean there could be shady characters sitting between the walls manipulating things behind the scenes? How do these things happen in a democracy, or is democracy really dying....some heads need banging together, people need to be held to account before its too late!!
regards roger
PS surely a matter for the electoral commision, the police and data analysts/hard drive recovery specialists!!
@Roger: The Open Rights Group is currently working on their report into the 2008 elections, having had a team of officially-accredited elections observers in the electronic count centres and in polling stations during election day. It should be published relatively soon; watch that space (http://www.openrightsgroup.org/category/issues/evoting/) for details!
(Disclaimer: I am on the Advisory Council for the Open Rights Group, but I am not writing here on their behalf).
PS: Hi Jake! How's it going? ;o)
@Owen: thanks for the background info, will keep an eye on this (btw I think the link is actually www.openrightsgroup.org/category/issues/evoting-issues/) -- this apparent voting debacle was all news to me, thank goodness for schmoozing ;)
