Re: [atlarge-discuss] Panel Mandate options

[espresso@e-scape.net]

Hi, Joop,

Before I volunteer to watch the Polling Booth, I need to know
what is really involved. It's easy enough for me to offer
to receive copies of e-mail ballots and count the votes off-line;
anything that requires me to be online is more complicated since
I have very little time for using Web interfaces and such, especially
if there is much of a learning curve -- I have a *lot* of work to
do over the next couple of weeks, and all too little brain to do it
with!

Much as I like the idea of using the Polling Booth for gathering
input, I am still extremely hesitant about conducting official
votes on the Web.

Given that only one person in two in most developing countries has
any Internet access at all, and many of them have limited,
intermittent access which can be a problem for dealing with the Web,
not to mention that some of them have to pay for their connections
by the minute or kilobyte transferred. E-mail tends to be more
economical of both time and money, which is a good thing for
people in lower-income situations.

Also, as you've seen, I'm quite concerned about the security
and privacy aspects of Web-based voting systems, as well as
the difficulties of verifying the identities of voters and
of doing a recount when results may be disputed. (BTW, so are
most governments and other organizations.) Hence my earlier
recommendation of a two-step process for e-mail ballots, whereby
membership and eligibility to vote are checked first, then
identifying information removed before the ballot is passed
on for the count.

>From our little test-run of the Polling Booth, during which I
myself was unable to vote due to technical difficulties and
other members were not even invited to cast their ballots, I
don't think your system is yet at the point where I'd recommend
adopting it as our official method of voting. That's not to
say it couldn't be at some point in the future, if provision
were made for those who can't vote via the Web, but it would
not be my preference now.

The topics look good, though I'm too rushed right now to
know whether they are what the group as a whole wants right
now and I do have some concerns about the process by which
the questions were chosen last time around.

I don't know when I'll have a chance to visit your site to
read what you've posted there but will do so when I can.

Regards,

Judyth

--

At 10:34 +1300 2003/02/25, Joop Teernstra wrote:


>Dear Judyth,
>
>I am happy to see you back on line and very happy to see you volunteer
>as
>Poll watcher/counter.
>
>(the Booth does the counting, but the process still needs watching and
>verification)
>
>May I add you to the team of Walt Schmidt and Jan Siren as Polling
>Booth
>watcher?
>Like you (and me) Jan is also very busy and cannot always respond
>timely.
>
>I have sent them the Polling message and Topics/options for approval.
>
>He and Walt have come up with good idea's with regards to Poll
>Watchers'
>rights and duties and I have published  them here for public
>acceptance by
>the Watchers :
>
>http://www.icannatlarge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=309
>
>The tentative topics of the coming  Poll are:
>
>-Panel size , term and mandate
>-Panel and web master rules
>-Panel quorum and succession rules
>-Your Election Voting System preference (STV or FPP)
>- basic mission statement options
>-membership options
>-Incorporation preference
>
[snip]
>-joop-


##########################################################
Judyth Mermelstein     "cogito ergo lego ergo cogito..."
Montreal, QC           <espresso@e-scape.net>
##########################################################
"A word to the wise is sufficient. For others, use more."
"Un mot suffit aux sages; pour les autres, il en faut plus."
##########################################################



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