Discussion Guidelines

 You should participate in ONE discussion topic per unit. Each unit will have 2 topics associated

with it.

 You should select ONLY one to participate in. If you choose this topics ALL of your posts

should be posted in the Unit 2 – Topic 1 Discussion Forum. To access the discussion form – click

on Discussions from the left hand menu

 You should have a MINNIMUM of three posts

 The initial post should be about a 1 page in length, and respond to the topic starter (this will be

worth to up 20 points)

 You should then post at least two posts responding to other student posts. The response posts

should be about 1/2 page in length (response posts will be awarded up to a max of 10 points).

Do electronic voting machines improve the voting process?

Originally developed in the 1970s, direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines have become

increasingly used nationwide. After the 2000 US presidential election’s troubles with “pregnant” and

“hanging” chads and the subsequent passage of the 2002 Help America Vote Act which swelled use of

DREs, electronic voting technology became widely debated.

Proponents argue that electronic voting machines are secure, able to unambiguously capture the intent of

a voter, capable of preventing residual votes, reliable, easy to use, calculate and report voting results

faster, and are accessible to disabled, illiterate, and non-English speaking voters.

Opponents of electronic voting machines argue that DREs give too much power over public elections to

their private manufacturers, are vulnerable to hacking and other forms of tampering, do not allow for

meaningful audits and recounts, and do not offer voters a trustworthy way to verify their votes.

Visit the website procon.org which presents laws, studies, statistics, surveys, government reports, and pro

and con statements on questions related to electronic voting machines.

http://votingmachines.procon.org/

http://votingmachines.procon.org/