Can Open Source Software Save Democracy? | Government IT Blog | InformationWeek Government

Can Open Source Software Save Democracy? | Government IT Blog | InformationWeek Government:
Posted by Michael Hickins on October 26, 2009 03:19 PM

Voting machines and their foibles were catapulted to the top of public consciousness during the 2000 Presidential election, but have gone largely unnoticed in subsequent elections, which is a good thing. The possibility that a widespread glitch could affect a close national election, and the potential for this to undermine democracy, cannot be overstated.

But voting machines -- particularly the electronic voting machines that local election officials have started putting in place in the wake of the 2000 election with funding from the newly-created Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) -- have been responsible for a number of issues that, if they become more frequent, could fatally undermine Americans' confidence in election outcomes.