VOA常速英语2007-Electronic Voting Concerns in 2008 Presidential

By Jeffrey Young
Washington
29 October 2007
 

In the United States, touch-screen voting machines are more and more becoming the norm.  While this new technology enables election officials to quickly tally¹ the vote and determine the winners on Election Day, VOA's Jeffrey Young reports that it has also brought new problems that some observers say could erode² public confidence in the election process.

Florida, November 2000.  The White House contest between Republican Party candidate George W. Bush and Democratic Party challenger Al Gore³ was ultimately determined⁴ by a post-election recount of the state's paper ballot⁵ cards.  In the next presidential election in 2004, many U.S. states decided⁶ to abandon paper systems and instead use touch-screen computer voting machines.  But in embracing this new technology, new vulnerabilities have arisen.

The credibility of a democratically-elected government begins with balloting⁷ the public believes to be fair and accurately⁸ counted.  And as the technology of voting advances, election officials have to take new steps to ensure accuracy, and with it, credibility.

In Montgomery County, in the mid-Atlantic state of Maryland, as is true across the United States, election workers get special training in setting up and operating electronic voting machines.  One instructor⁹ cites the steps taken to ensure the integrity of what the machines record. "These machines are prepared under 24-hour [security] cameras, and people from both [the Democratic and Republican] parties when they are prepped and set up.  Once we open them up [for voting], we are with them [the voting machines] every second until we re-lock them."

On the surface, using touch-screen machines to select candidates and tally the results would appear to be a big step forward.  But analyst¹⁰ Gary Kalman at the independent U.S. Public Interest Research Group in Washington, D.C. cites a significant shortcoming. "[With] many of these machines, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to actually audit¹¹ the results.  So if there is a challenge and a recount, all you can do is look at what the machine says.  If the machine was wrong, there is no way to verify or to figure out through any alternative system whether or not the machine is accurate," says Kalman.

These concerns about verifying what an electronic voting machine recorded have prompted some observers, including Benjamin Ginsberg at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C, to call for part of the traditional balloting system to come back. "Look, wherever you have a computer, it is possible to tamper¹² with it.  And that is why you need to have a paper backup.  But I think there have been numerous dry runs [and] numerous studies, and the computer touch screen with paper backup is about as safe as you can get," Ginsberg says.

The paper backup Professor Ginsberg refers to would be a printed receipt of someone's votes that would be saved by election officials and used if there is an election recount.  Unfortunately, many of the electronic voting machines now in use do not create receipts.  So, states and [smaller subdivisions called] counties would have to purchase many millions of dollars worth of new equipment to have this capability¹³.

But ultimately, what is at stake is the credibility of the election system in a democratic society.

1 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

2 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

3 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

8 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

9 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

12 tamper   

v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• Do not tamper with other's business.不要干预别人的事。
• They had strict orders not to tamper with the customs of the minorities.他们得到命令严禁干涉少数民族的风俗习惯。

13 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。