🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <AE5AB0299668C5D2@betty-p04.netinfo.com.au>,
petermac@netinfo.com.au (Peter Mackay) wrote:

> In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.960909110324.19726B-100000@student.canberra.edu.,
> "Geiselhart / Karin (COM)" <u833885@student.canberra.edu.au> wrote:
> 
> > Interesting to see the stirrings of electronic democracy. The Minnesota 
> > e-democracy project was a successful attempt to open up the political 
> > debate in that state. Why can't the info-rich ACT be a similar example in 
> > Australia? A prerequisit would be an access terminal in local shops. 
> > Any grass roots activists interested in working on such a project for the 
> > next ACT elections? 
> 
> Access terminals *are* available in local shops, and the population has
> been trained in their use over the last decade.  All we need is a VoteCard,
> and a way to enter in a selection with a keypad.
> 
> Unfortunately, the system falls down in terms of privacy.  It is all but
> impossible to achieve a secret vote *and* to convince the voters that this
> is the case.

Hmm..   I believe completely anonymous electronic ballots falls within the
cryptographic area of "zero-knowledge proofs of knowledge" and is entirely
possible with today's level of crypto technology - without even invoking
VoteCards.

But you're right - explaining how the system works is problematic.  And
there are other, major problems with any form of electronic democracy. 
Despite our best advances, the voting system will be wide open to
hacking/tampering.  I think electronic voting is something of a blind
alley in this regard.

As far as electronic democracy goes, however, I'm all for opening up MPs
and policy makers to public feedback through email, mailing lists etc. 
There is the noise problem, however...

Cheers,

--
Jason Stokes: j.stokes@student.anu.edu.au