My email to E.J. Dionne re democracy in America

[Stevepol]

E.J. Dionne has an interesting article in the Washington Post opining about the possible trouble that democracy may be in.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/is_democracy_in_trouble_20130520/

My email in response follows:

E.J.:

Your article "Is Democracy in Trouble?" is an interesting read. The real
question is whether or not we actually have a democracy that can be in trouble.

Let me just give one, but a very critical, example. In Germany, in March of
2009, the Constitutional Court (their Supreme Court for constitutional
questions), essentially decided that computers could not be used henceforth to
count votes in Germany since using computers to count votes at this time makes
it impossible to have a democracy. Get it? Computer vote-counting and democracy
are totally incompatible. Why is this so according to the court? First of all
because it is too easy to hack, maliciously program, patch, or otherwise change
the vote without anybody finding out. And second because in a democracy the
average person should be able to verify, and thus believe in, the correctness of
the vote. Without a sense that the vote has been counted correctly, the average
person will eventually have no faith in the process, and democracy rests on the
trust and faith of the average citizen.

I know this sounds crazy, that is,the idea that the vote should be verifiable
(and I would add, always verified thru required audits or recounts when
necessary). But it is essential, it seems to me, and the German court, which
took a couple years I believe listening to all sides of the issue, to reach its
decision would agree with me. Hand counted paper ballots are the gold standard
for fair and democratic elections and will remain the gold standard for the
foreseeable future.

I feel sure you have already consigned me to that special circle in Hell for
tin-foil hat conspiracy nuts and I have no problem with that. Since computers
have taken over the counting of votes in the country, I no longer worry about
our so-called democracy. It's obvious to me that we no longer have a democracy,
at least not in the political sphere, and I refuse to worry about something that
doesn't exist.

Stevepol