Linux Voting Machines Save US$ 8 Millions in Brazil
Brazilian Goverment will save US$ 8 Millions in election between 2008 and 2018. The economy is due to the use of Linux in the eletronic voting machines, made by Procomp-Diebold, it will also offer better transparency to the election process. The vulnerability tests were avaiable for anyone last saturday, April 5th, and the system will be open for propouses of modification until a month before elections.
Another advance in the voting machines are the experimental use of biometrical identification. In three cities the voters will be identified by pictures and fingerprints, avoiding frauds. It’s expected to 2018 a full election with biometric identification
The brazilian voting machines are used since 1996 and has proved as a model around the world. The initial OS was VirtuOS, based on DOS. Since 2002 Microsoft has provided a Windows CE version free of charge. In 2004 Procomp-Diebold decided to use Linux in the 2008 election as a cost reduction measure.
Source: TI Inside
Tags: ballot, Brazil, elections, eletronic voting machine
April 8th, 2008 at 7:24 am
That is nice that they are running on a Linux platform. As a free/libre software supporter, that is good to know.
But what _really_ matters to me with regard to election systems is the application software that does the tally. Is that software open-source so it can be peer-reviewed? Running on an open OS makes little difference if the software doing the vote is still closed. And considering Diebold’s history, shenanigans are a distinct possibility. Just say NO to black box voting, even if it happens to be a black-box program running on an open OS. No source code, no verifiable physical (aka paper) trail, no thanks!
Now if the voting software is truly open, then THAT is something to applaud!
Peace
Tim
April 8th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Tim:
AFAIK the software itself is open for specific public entities and political parties. The tests are open to anyone. A legislation change would be necessary to allow the software to be open.
About the physical trail using paper. There was some discussion around this, and it was detected a problem, a corrupt candidate could by votes and use the paper ticket as a proof that he was voted. The problem would be solved by the biometric identification.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Thanks for the response! I guess I am not up on the legislation in Brazil regarding the public release of voting software source code. But if the election officials are allowed to review the code and certify it, then at least it is a large step in the correct direction. I am grateful to the work done by folks such as blackboxvoting.org as it is efforts like theirs that help motivate more openness and transparency in electronic voting processes.
The Biometrics may help reduce problems of fake or “graveyard” votes and the like. But without understanding more about their systems I can’t really say I can form a solid opinion on whether it truly plugs the real security holes in the system relating to fraud. They very well may, or they may simply give the illusion of such security. I know that I am being very skeptical. But I firmly believe that a high level of skepticism is an extremely healthy attitude to take towards voting systems in general.
All and all, though, great story for your blog. It is certainly encouraging!
Peace,
Tim
April 9th, 2008 at 7:00 am
“AFAIK the software itself is open for specific public entities and political parties.”
For this reason I avoid the word “open”!!
April 9th, 2008 at 11:03 am
[...] Linux Voting Machines Save US$ 8 Millions in Brazil [...]
April 9th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
But what about the paper receipts? Without the receipts, it will be necessary to revert to party counting, where if the party determines the vote is not going our/their way, they will go and physically get additional known sympathetic voters from their homes so they can swing the balance, as one party did some years ago, getting my grandmother from her home and carrying her to the polling location as one of a handful to swing the vote in their favor.
Here in the US, without paper receipts, how is a union going to offer a lottery for a free trip or other perk back at the union hall, in exchange for voting receipts from the election, signed in the back to indicate who wins the prize? After all, the union reps went to a lot of trouble to have reps standing at the exit of each polling place to collect union members’ voting receipts… At least, without receipts, individual union members voting “the wrong way” won’t need to come up with an excuse why they “lost” their voter receipt in the 100 feet from the voting booth to the union rep standing outside the voting hall…
Or why workers for a company expecting a lucrative government contract if one party wins, and massive layoffs and losses if their favored candidate loses…can’t come up with their voting receipt to show they voted (and who for), so they can enter their receipt in the company’s lottery for two additional weeks paid vacation and a paid trip to (Hawaii, Disneyland, Graceland, insert salivating choice here), or to have an excellent excuse why they are one of the handful of employees (known troublemakers in the past) who “lost/forgot” their voting receipts.
Think this is far fetched? I’ve already heard union heads discussing the possibilities of how many additional members are going to vote the “right way” out of fear of someone from the union or union co-workers seeing their receipts through one gimmick or another.