Comments on: New Election Methods in CU? http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2005/09/09/new-election-methods-in-cu/ Champaign County Clerk Blog Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:21:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: J.B. Nicholson-Owens http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2005/09/09/new-election-methods-in-cu/comment-page-1/#comment-78 J.B. Nicholson-Owens Sun, 11 Dec 2005 22:26:00 +0000 http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2005/09/09/new-election-methods-in-cu/#comment-78 I serve on the Champaign County Election Equipment Advisory Board that recommended electronic voting hardware to the County Board. I tried very hard to get Free Software voting machines—machines where we would have the freedom to run, inspect, share, and modify the software for any reason at any time. Mark Shelden supported my effort wholeheartedly, including broaching the topic with vendors at our most recent Election Equipment Advisory Board meeting.<br/><br/>Some time ago, I wrote an article about <a HREF="http://counterpunch.org/baker08192004.html" REL="nofollow">why we need Free Software voting machines</a>.<br/><br/>I would still love to see the software for these machines licensed to us under a <a HREF="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html" REL="nofollow">Free Software license</a>. I specifically recommended licensing software to Champaign County under the terms of the <a HREF="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html" REL="nofollow">GNU General Public License</a> because I thought that license served business interests as well as user's interests very well—distributed changes would have to be supplied in source code form, not just as binaries, which means that other users of the same system could improve their machines using the code we wrote or had written for us. Collectively, this would be the basis for an ongoing series of improvements needed to make the machines suit our needs (such as ensuring that IRV or some Condorcet voting scheme was implemented).<br/><br/>Our Board was told that the proprietor would be receptive to our requests, and we had language in the points of negotiation that tried to grant us the flexibility we needed. But short of licensing the software under a particular known-Free Software license, I can only say that time will tell whether we can effectively accomplish this.<br/><br/>If you have any questions about the matter, please don't hesitate to <a HREF="jbn@forestfield.org" REL="nofollow">write me</a>. I serve on the Champaign County Election Equipment Advisory Board that recommended electronic voting hardware to the County Board. I tried very hard to get Free Software voting machines—machines where we would have the freedom to run, inspect, share, and modify the software for any reason at any time. Mark Shelden supported my effort wholeheartedly, including broaching the topic with vendors at our most recent Election Equipment Advisory Board meeting.

Some time ago, I wrote an article about why we need Free Software voting machines.

I would still love to see the software for these machines licensed to us under a Free Software license. I specifically recommended licensing software to Champaign County under the terms of the GNU General Public License because I thought that license served business interests as well as user’s interests very well—distributed changes would have to be supplied in source code form, not just as binaries, which means that other users of the same system could improve their machines using the code we wrote or had written for us. Collectively, this would be the basis for an ongoing series of improvements needed to make the machines suit our needs (such as ensuring that IRV or some Condorcet voting scheme was implemented).

Our Board was told that the proprietor would be receptive to our requests, and we had language in the points of negotiation that tried to grant us the flexibility we needed. But short of licensing the software under a particular known-Free Software license, I can only say that time will tell whether we can effectively accomplish this.

If you have any questions about the matter, please don’t hesitate to write me.

]]> By: Jay, Urbana http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2005/09/09/new-election-methods-in-cu/comment-page-1/#comment-77 Jay, Urbana Tue, 20 Sep 2005 13:56:00 +0000 http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2005/09/09/new-election-methods-in-cu/#comment-77 How is this impacted by the County recommendations effort for voting machines? Do any of the potential electronic voting systems support IRV, or even potential "future changes"? How is this impacted by the County recommendations effort for voting machines? Do any of the potential electronic voting systems support IRV, or even potential “future changes”?

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