[ExI] voting machines again

[spike]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org 
> [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Emlyn
> Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 5:17 PM
> To: ExI chat list
> Subject: Re: [ExI] voting machines again
> 
> On 20/01/2008, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
> > And this jewel, which made my day:
> >
> > ...voters...[used] any scrap 
> > of paper available to cast their votes...
...
> 
> Any scrap of paper! That's very weird. In Australia, your 
> vote has to be made in a very strict way or it is declared ... Emlyn


Thanks Emlyn.  I have made a number of contacts regarding these numbers and
learned that the anomalous outcome of the NH primary is not something that
we can do much about.  One informed source claimed that even if they messed
with the machines in NH, there was not necessarily any law broken.  With
this I disagree, for this notion must surely be wrong.  But what do I know?

I have thought of several of explanations for why the vote came out
Hillaryward of the exit polls.  The most popular one is that many people are
closet racists (which will soon be proven or otherwise).  But there are
plenty of other explanations.  The motive of voters to lie to exit pollsters
is difficult to understand, but consider that pollsters can also lie about
what they were told.  They can interpret wishy-washy answers as Obamaward
for instance.

The fact that the votes appear swapped can be explained without conspiracy
as well.  Imagine people voted 8% to the right of the exit polls.  Then if
the leftward guy was leading by 4% going in, then he would lose by 4% and it
would appear the votes were switched.  It doesn't require a double
coincidence, but rather only one.

I have not been able to imagine a reason why the hand counted polls
disagreed with the machine counts however.  That one is still most
mysterious to me.  But plenty of people have looked at the machines in the
past week, and not found a problem.  So I am watching closely, as are many
others.  The upcoming election will surely be unique in many ways.

spike