Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

There's at least two reasons, possibly even three:

a) Unless the outcome balances on a handful of votes, chances are noone will contest it. (If the result shows 47% to Party A, 32% to Party B and 21% to Party C, whereas polls showed 46% to Party A, 33% to Party B and 21% to Party C, chances are the result is fair.

That being said, yes - I think it would be good if just about anyone could contest the result and have a recount done - at least if they had to foot part of the bill, so that not every curmudgeon in the Kingdom would claim recounts just for the hell of it.

b) A voting machine system would enable one to have a preliminary result ready in seconds after ballot stations close, rather than today's system where, based on the size of electoral districts, results may be delayed by several days.

c) If properly designed, a voting machine could assist the user in creating a valid ballot; I've volunteered as an electoral clerk several times - we have had to dismiss surprisingly many ballots as there is simply no (approved) way to determine voter intent. A few checks before the vote is cast would likely improve matters.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: