Machine Types, Usage and Impact on Residual Votes - Book Report/Review Example

Main Themes of the Work Transition over the Years As democracy continues to gain popularity the world over, elections become inevitable. This is because democracy allows that leaders into various governmental offices are elected. To ensure fairness in elections various interventions have been designed, tried, tested and used. These interventions keep changing with time. The United States is one of the pioneering nations as far as democracy is concerned. For this reason, the country has seen a lot of transitions with her voting system.

Today, one system that is under so much scrutiny is An Assessment of the Reliability of Existing Voting Equipment. This essay therefore seeks to analyze the system as it is used in the United States. Machine Types, Usage and Impact on Residual Votes Machines and mechanisms used in voting have seen a lot of changes over the years. According to the writers, there have been five (5) major types of machines used in the United States in various elections. These machines are ballot paper, lever machine, punch card, optically scanned ballot and direct recording electronic devices.

The most significant issue raised by the writers under this theme is the fact that change in machine type comes with an advancement in how voting and counting can be easier and fairer. For instance, the first mechanism which involved the use of ballot papers did not allow for automated counting of ballots; delaying the release and credibility of election results. Interestingly also, the choice of is influenced reliability in election results. In the write up, the writers measured reliability with the amount of residual votes cast and related them to the various machines stating “Some technologies seem to be particularly prone to over voting, such as the punch card systems.

Lever machines and DREs do not permit over voting. Some technologies may be prone to accidental under votes. Also, paper ballot are sometimes hard to count owing to the many ways that people mark their ballots” (The Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, 2001). Effects of Technology Adoption on Residual Vote Rates Using the rate of residual vote as the basis for judging reliability of results, it can be said that there really is whole lot of controversy as to whether or not the introduction of technology came to improve reliability of results.

Using the lever machine voting as a yardstick, the writers found that “Electronic machines registered significantly higher residual vote rates than lever machines (and, by extension, paper ballots and optically scanned ballots), but DREs do not do as badly as punch cards” (The Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, 2001). It is however important to empahised that the residual voting were recorded DRE as a form of technology for instance “does not permit over voting” and that the residual votes may be “due to a very significant rise in under voting attributable to electronic devices.

” Response to the Discussion From the discussion, it is clear that the quest to ensure free and fair election should not stop. Though modern technologies such as the DRE have not given a holistic solution to the situation, America can continue relying on technology through improved versions of existing machines. Finally, since residual voting is recorded not necessarily by machine errors but also due to voting errors, a lot more education need to continue among the populace to ensure that they are enlightened about voting.

By constant education, people will be more enlightened about how to use all the forms of voting and apply them most appropriately. REFERENCE LIST The Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, 2001, ‘An Assessment of the Reliability of Existing Voting Equipment’. Version 2. Pdf