SigEx Telecom : Voting system in Florida will change by January by Corina Ciubotaru

Democracy in America isn't quite in its finest time. Voting machines in Florida and California seem to have difficulty saying who won, and this is a good enough reason to have them replaced. So far, the system in use has been very high-tech: it used touch screens to cast votes, which were recorded onto a replaceable memory card. This card would be collected by specially designated people after the end of the voting day, and then the votes would be counted. The only trouble is these cards were so easily removed, that anyone could have switched a good one for a tampered one and mess up the results. So in the name of democracy, Florida has decided to replace voting machines in 15 counties with optical machines that scan the vote written on a paper ballot. This way, traces are left behind for a possible recount. Very democratic, isn't it? The news, however, sounds best for Diebold, the company producing the machines. They are the ones responsible for the dreaded touch screen systems and now several counties in Florida will be equipped with optical systems, also from this company based in Texas. The old voting method was in use for 6 years, but only in a few Florida counties such as Sarasota; the other 52 used optical validation. In other words, voters in this southern state will now return to their old ways and choose a candidate by marking and scanning. The new system is hoped to be applicable in all of Florida by January 29th, 2008.

related story: http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/33166/113/

by Corina Ciubotaru for SigEx Telecom (http://sigex.com)

SigEx Telecom is quickly becoming the leading telebroadcasting communications provider allowing people to easily talk, view, upload and share video clips through free online TV broadcasting, free unlimited global calls, websites, blogs, video-mails and SMS. SigEx Telecom captures many add-on services for its clients generating royalties and fees in a broad spectrum of marketing services including public relations and promotions.