In the next few days Spain and Argentina will face electoral processes. As tempting as it may be, we are going to avoid topics that have nothing to do with this blog and focus on the position of free software entities and democracy.
As a curious fact, the voters of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires will have the dubious privilege of using two voting technologies almost simultaneously. We will vote for the president and legislators on a paper ballot and local authorities through the electronic ballot system
Free software entities and democracy
Unlike Spain, in Argentina there is no vote by mail. Only face-to-face voting Regarding the electronic modality, it is the ballot, that is, the machine prints the selection of candidates, the user checks it, folds the form and puts it in the ballot box. There is a double count, that of the machine and manual.
Organizations linked to the dissemination of free software have a firm position before the use of electronic voting machines.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The EFF has a stand Absolutely negative regarding the use of electronic means to cast the vote.
The entity maintains that:
Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. The mechanics of how we vote and how those votes are counted are critical to ensuring that our votes are meaningful. EFF supports paper records for every vote and automated audits that limit risk for every election. We will oppose legislation that does not include those two critical measures. EFF opposes online voting.
Regarding voting technologies, he makes his position quite clear:
Touch screen voting machines, counting machines and other devices involved in
Elections are subject to hacking. Such attacks, by their very nature, can be stealthy and ambiguous. A clever attack can tamper with voting machines and then erase itself, making it impossible to prove after the fact that an election was interfered with. Paper records ensure that such interference can be quickly detected and corrected. Many states still do not follow this basic best practice.
The entity does not look favorably on online voting either and recommends that sample counts of paper ballots be carried out in different parts of the country. The EFF talks about the US
However, all that the Electronic Frontier Foundation contributes are possibilities that the system can be tampered with, not any concrete proof that it has been done.
After this year's election, the EFF joined many election security researchers in calling for a recount of the votes in three battleground states. This was partly due to evidence that the hackers affected other parts of the election (not directly related to the voting machines). But more than that, it was based on longstanding research showing that electronic voting machines and optical scanners are subject to errors and tampering that could influence an election.
Free Software Foundation
The FSF agrees with the EFF in advising against the use of voting machines
the only truly free, ethical, and democratic voting system is actually a system that avoids the use of software.
Although the FSF accepts the use of technologies in secondary aspects of the election as in carrying out calculations or verifying them (Provided that it is done with free software) its use for voter registration, casting of votes and counting of results is strictly denied.
En Article Various examples are given of electoral applications that failed in testing periods, but again, no specific cases of electoral machines that have been tampered with.
I am not defending the use of voting machines, nor advising against it. I say that so far there are only speculations. All systems have errors.
Spanish friends, from this side of the Atlantic I wish you a great voting day.