[.ca] Brave New Ballot: The Battle to Safeguard Democracy in ... (ISBN 0767922107)

The Voice of Reason:
Being both a political junky and a computer geek, I get excited about the use of technology, albeit PROPERLY, in the field of politics. So this book appealed to me particularly, having followed Slashdot articles about the Diebold and other voting machines (and problems encountered) in the United States. From a technical standpoint, I was expected a little more technical details. That is, I was hoping that he would include more of the original report on the Diebold source code within the book. But, given that this book is meant for a wider audience, and is not intended to be technical so much as an advocate for independently auditable voting methods as well as a story of the occasional push against science and logic in the world of politics, the lack of technical information is forgivable. In fact, it just means that you need to go out and read the report after... Rubin provides, with stunning detail, conversations with people for and against Rubin's case, court hearings to determine legitimacy of all claims, and the interpersonal relationships and political jockeying that surrounded the Diebold controversy. If anything, it serves as a tool to teach lessons in bringing logic and science to a world populated by spin doctors, all the while maintaining the themes of transparent democracy and the dangers of blind love for machines. I think this is a great read for those in the science community who have to deal with politicians, but as a great read for all citizens of democracy as an opportunity to understand how little it would take to destroy democracy without proper voting systems.