Man's Vote for Himself Missing In E-Vote Count

Man's Vote for Himself Missing In E-Vote Count 672

Posted by Zonk on Sunday November 12, 2006 @05:30PM from the there's-your-smoking-gun dept.

Catbeller writes "The AP is reporting that Randy Wooten, mayoral candidate for Waldenburg Arkansas (a town of eighty people) discovered that the electronic voting system hadn't registered the one vote he knew had been cast for him ... because he cast it himself. The Machine gave him zero votes. That would be an error rate of 3%, counting the actual votes cast — 18 and 18 for a total of 36." From the article: "Poinsett County Election Commissioner Junaway Payne said the issue had been discussed but no action taken yet. 'It's our understanding from talking with the secretary of state's office that a court order would have to be obtained in order to open the machine and check the totals,' Payne said. 'The votes were cast on an electronic voting machine, but paper ballots were available.'"

Man's Vote for Himself Missing In E-Vote Count

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In one word... (Score:5, Funny)

by Frobnicator ( 565869 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @05:32PM (#16816400) Journal

Oops.

They use a voting machine for 36 votes? (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @05:43PM (#16816510)

Why? Don't they have first-graders who can help them count the votes?

Re:What happened to his wife's vote? (Score:2, Funny)

by Fullhazard ( 985772 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @05:44PM (#16816530) Homepage

Nobody. Women aren't allowed to vote in arkansas! Please. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me they have electricity, running water, civil rights, and high schools down there!

Re:In one word... (Score:5, Funny)

by PatrickThomson ( 712694 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @05:46PM (#16816552)

no, I believe the word is:

PWNED!

Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:5, Funny)

by myth_of_sisyphus ( 818378 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @05:48PM (#16816574)

I wrote in "Cthulhu" for Governor and the optical scan machine was jammed so
the poll worker--some asian dude--told me to put the ballot in the lockbox
slot. I had trouble getting it in because one of the pages was bent so the
guy grabbed the ballot and moved them. On top was my write-in: CTHULHU
in big black letters. He paused. Looked at it, looked at me. Swallowed. And
I said "Thank you" and left.

"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

Re:They use a voting machine for 36 votes? (Score:3, Funny)

by Duhavid ( 677874 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @05:49PM (#16816584)

The first graders wanted too much for the job.

Re:the funny thing (Score:5, Funny)

by casings ( 257363 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @05:54PM (#16816648)

women voting?!?!

thats preposterous!

Re:the funny thing (Score:4, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:06PM (#16816788)

No many countries now allow women to vote, some even let them drive cars as well . . . now that's truly preposterous. It's a mad world!

Re:Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:08PM (#16816810)

Good point. There _was_ way too much superflous information in his story. I'll shorten it:

"A person saw a write-in vote for CTHULU."

That's why they put a first grader in a box... (Score:5, Funny)

by Channard ( 693317 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:09PM (#16816830) Journal

.. with the words 'votting masheen' written on the cardboard box in crayon. He didn't count the vote because - in his words - Randy Wooten is 'a big poo-poo head.'

Re:Please note (Score:5, Funny)

by WhatAmIDoingHere ( 742870 ) * writes: <sexwithanimals@gmail.com> on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:09PM (#16816834) Homepage

That's not meant to be funny. It's true. The software and insides of the machine are considered trade secrets, and nobody can look at either.

The system works fine (Score:5, Funny)

by Subm ( 79417 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:11PM (#16816846)

The system works fine. I voted for the other guy 18 times and each time the machines worked perfectly.

And the count came out correct. I don't see the problem.

You must be thrilled then (Score:5, Funny)

by commodoresloat ( 172735 ) * writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:11PM (#16816850)

Your candidate won!!

Re:the funny thing (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:16PM (#16816902)
How could she vote! Woman not equal to man!! In my country, we say:
1. God
2. Man
3. Horse
4. Dog
5. Woman
Re:Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:3, Funny)

by myth_of_sisyphus ( 818378 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:20PM (#16816936)

We should do that with everything! Moby Dick becomes "White whale kills crazy bastard."

Re:the funny thing (Score:3, Funny)

by Warg! The Orcs!! ( 957405 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:24PM (#16816968)

I have heard that some nations allow women to regard those things that they have bought with their fathers' and husbands' money as their OWN POSSESSIONS!

Re:Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:3, Funny)

by digitaltraveller ( 167469 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:30PM (#16817022) Homepage

That's interesting.
I wonder if Arnold would get the vote if you wrote in something like:
'Conan The Governator'

Re:the funny thing (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:32PM (#16817040)

ZOMG! WERE DOOMED!!!

Oh well... I knew it was coming, because you see, we have GAY REPUBLICANS!

Re:the funny thing (Score:3, Funny)

by Ankou ( 261125 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @06:46PM (#16817186)

Now you offended me, Dog should definatly be before Horse!

His ballet was *terrible*... (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @07:15PM (#16817402)

You should've seen it. He just pranced into the voting booth, pirouetted through the procedures, and waltzed out of there. Anyone could've had his vote for a song.

Or, perhaps, did you mean "ballot" and not "ballet"?

Re:the funny thing (Score:3, Funny)

by 91degrees ( 207121 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @07:23PM (#16817462) Journal

So if I said your wife was a dog, it would be a compliment?

Re:the funny thing (Score:5, Funny)

by morcego ( 260031 ) * writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @08:16PM (#16817908)

No many countries now allow women to vote, some even let them drive cars as well

And don't even need a weapons permit to drive. Amazing.

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:5, Funny)

by feepness ( 543479 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @08:39PM (#16818080)

Actually, the word here is scary. If things go wrong with just 36 votes in a town of 80 people, what do you think this means for an entire country voting electronically?

Even more scary... why is a town of 80 using electronic voting at all? Shouldn't they get a gas station first?

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:3, Funny)

by PatrickThomson ( 712694 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @08:44PM (#16818118)

point is, it's kind of hard to smooth over this and handwave. With, say, 1 vote out on a vote of 40/80, nobody will know for sure. With this guy, we know something's fishy. The voting machine company just got caught balls-deep in apple pie, so to speak.

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:3, Funny)

by Zonk (troll) ( 1026140 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @08:51PM (#16818186)

I live in a town of 88. It has four gas stations.

Re:Please note (Score:5, Funny)

by electrosoccertux ( 874415 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @09:07PM (#16818288)

No, really, it's not funny. Stop modding it funny.

If I said "the sun is bright" would that be modded as funny?

Re:the funny thing (Score:3, Funny)

by Sparr0 ( 451780 ) writes: <sparr0@gmail.com> on Sunday November 12, 2006 @09:16PM (#16818356) Homepage Journal

You expect a married couple to always have the same political views? That would be kinda boring, no?

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:5, Funny)

by Impy the Impiuos Imp ( 442658 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @09:31PM (#16818460) Journal

> Even more scary... why is a town of 80 using electronic voting
> at all? Shouldn't they get a gas station first?

We have cleanest prostitutes in region.

Re:the funny thing (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @09:40PM (#16818520)

Women driving? But who has a house big enough that she can't just WALK between the washing machine and the cooker?

Re:In one word... (Score:3, Funny)

by FhnuZoag ( 875558 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @09:44PM (#16818552)

I guess the system didn't recognise his write-in vote of 'ME'.

Re:Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @09:53PM (#16818608)

As far as I, the reader, am concerned, you should have made it a hot young filipino chick anyway. Facts be damned.

Re:the funny thing (Score:2, Funny)

by icedcool ( 446975 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @10:11PM (#16818720)

End Women's Suffrage now!

Re:Please note (Score:2, Funny)

by JWallyR ( 824828 ) writes: on Sunday November 12, 2006 @10:48PM (#16819008)

The sun is bright. *crickets*

Re:Add the tag "loser" (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday November 13, 2006 @01:35AM (#16820008)

Actually, I think Loser fits.
"Wooten got the news from his wife, Roxanne, who went to City Hall on Wednesday to see the election results. 'She saw my name with zero votes by it. She came home and asked me if I had voted for myself or not. I told her I did,' said Wooten, owner of a local bar."
The guy's wife didn't even vote for him.

Re:So the buttons fire stochastically? (Score:3, Funny)

by plopez ( 54068 ) writes: on Monday November 13, 2006 @02:32AM (#16820328) Journal

t would take a COMPLETE FREAKIN' MORON to field a computer program that can't count to 80 without screwing up!
Welcome to the wild and wacky world of commercial software development.

Re:Better late than never (Score:2, Funny)

by Ksevio ( 865461 ) writes: on Monday November 13, 2006 @02:42AM (#16820372) Homepage

Well I imagine that would be partially because of the Diebold voting machines since that brings the total to %110.

Re:Please note (Score:3, Funny)

by Garabito ( 720521 ) writes: on Monday November 13, 2006 @03:25AM (#16820570)

Rule #1 of Slashdot: If you ask some post not to be moderated funny, it will get moderated that way.

Re:Wait a second... (Score:1, Funny)

by ne0n ( 884282 ) writes: on Monday November 13, 2006 @06:50AM (#16821364) Homepage

My Pentium disagrees with you. Don't argue with silicon.

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:3, Funny)

by Lars T. ( 470328 ) writes: <{Lars.Traeger} {at} {googlemail.com}> on Monday November 13, 2006 @09:37AM (#16822492) Journal

So your argument is that the voting machine uses a D20 to get the results?

Re:Add the tag "loser" (Score:3, Funny)

by rabidMacBigot() ( 33310 ) writes: on Monday November 13, 2006 @09:44AM (#16822560)

The guy's wife didn't even vote for him.

Women can't vote.

Can they?

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:2, Funny)

by ksattic ( 803397 ) writes: on Monday November 13, 2006 @01:15PM (#16825166)

We have cleanest prostitutes in region.
Borat, is that you?

There may be more comments in this discussion. Without JavaScript enabled, you might want to turn on Classic Discussion System in your preferences instead.

In one word... (Score:5, Funny)

They use a voting machine for 36 votes? (Score:3, Funny)

Re:What happened to his wife's vote? (Score:2, Funny)

Re:In one word... (Score:5, Funny)

Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:5, Funny)

Re:They use a voting machine for 36 votes? (Score:3, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:5, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:2, Funny)

That's why they put a first grader in a box... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Please note (Score:5, Funny)

The system works fine (Score:5, Funny)

You must be thrilled then (Score:5, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:3, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:3, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:2, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:3, Funny)

His ballet was *terrible*... (Score:2, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:3, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:5, Funny)

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Please note (Score:5, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:3, Funny)

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:2, Funny)

Re:In one word... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Cthulhu for California Governor (Score:2, Funny)

Re:the funny thing (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Please note (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Add the tag "loser" (Score:3, Funny)

Re:So the buttons fire stochastically? (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Better late than never (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Please note (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Wait a second... (Score:1, Funny)

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Add the tag "loser" (Score:3, Funny)

Re:You're both wrong... (Score:2, Funny)

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His ballet was terrible... (Score:2, Funny)