You Thought It Was Over... But Its Never Over.

That's right, its time for more evoting. Well, not they actual voting part, but the part where we argue about the result, technology and obscurity. Remember that guy in Florida that lost by a few votes while thousands of votes were... um... well, not misplaced so much as never recorded? Well now a judge has ruled that he can't have access to the machine's source code because it contains "trade secrets". Yeah, trade secrets, like "randomly pick winner" and "create illusion of democracy." No, I'm just kidding. You can see exactly what's in these machines because the source code is readily available on the Internet. You just can't use it in court because the company never wanted anyone to see how they worked. Remember that story about the thug with a bullet in his head that the cops wanted to use for evidence but he hid behind patients' rights laws to keep it away from them? Strangely reminiscent.

But lets push past the legal ranglings of this company and the judge who thinks their profits transcend democratically elected governance. Why are we contracting with companies who use secrecy as their main security protocol? Nevermind that they can't actually keep a secret, this is not supposed to be a secret process. Everyone is supposed to understand how it works. Everyone drops one rock in a candidate's bucket and the one with more rocks wins. Bottom line: if you can't show me how you do it, you shouldn't be allowed to do it.

• Techdirt: Florida Judge Says Candidate Can't Look At E-Voting Source Code

Can't See The Fraud Through The Trees.

We didn't find any big problems with the electronic voting machines! Only a few small glitches! Isn't that great!?!

No. No its not. That not only says that you don't know if there were big problems, it means that you don't understand the concepts behind the problems we're worried about.

Oh and this problem of about 10,000 people who probably didn't abstain in Florida, isn't the worrisome kind. Because we can tell that something may have gone awry.

• Techdirt: How E-Voting's Small Glitches Have The Media Missing The Big Picture

Feline Disobedience.

Well that was fun. Everyone get a chance to feel like a responsible citizen? I'm actually kinda proud of Maryland; since we've been using these new fangled machines for a while we know how to turn them on and actually have an election. Unlike the folks in Cleveland or Hartford.

And the poll workers' touch screen voter database seemed like a nice improvement. Last time I worked a poll we had a box of cards with people's names on them; which worked great until someone didn't have a card. But when I told the poll workers that I needed a provisional ballot, they just looked up my old address and confirmed where I live now, printed me out a ticket and sent me over to the paper ballot corner. See, I've stumbled onto a non absentee ballot paper alternative, just rock out the provisional ballot. So no, I didn't make a big fuss about having to use a flawed and unconformable device.

But some people did. Like a guy in PA who (might be a little crazy) smashed his Diebold machine with a metallic cat paperweight. It doesn't really destroy any of the votes, but it does say 'I don't like this'. Maybe next time three people will do it. In harmony. And they may think its a movement - the smash a diebold with a metal cat movement. And all ya gotta do to join is just sing it the next time it comes around on the guitar...

• Voter smashes Diebold machine as e-voting problems crop up nationwide - Engadget