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Pros and Cons by Issue
Issue: General
| Q: | What are electronic voting machines? |
| Q: | What alternatives to electronic voting machines are currently used in the United States? |
| Q: | Are slot machines more reliable than electronic voting machines? |
| Q: | Did electronic voting machines work well in the November 7, 2006 General Election? |
| Q: | Who are the companies that manufacture electronic voting machines? |
Issue: Voter Comfort with Voting Machines
| Q: | Do voters who use electronic voting machines find them easy to use? |
| Q: | Do voters have confidence that electronic voting machines record votes accurately? |
| Q: | Do senior citizens feel comfortable using electronic voting machines? |
| Q: | Do electronic voting machines provide more rapid results than other types of voting systems? |
Issue: Help America Vote Act of 2002
| Q: | What is the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) and how does it relate to electronic voting machines? |
| Q: | Does the Help America Vote Act of 2002 in effect mandate the use of electronic voting machines? |
Issue: Voting Machine Manufacturers
Is it appropriate for former election officials to work for electronic voting machine manufacturers?
| Q: | Is it appropriate for private electronic voting machine manufacturers to facilitate public elections? |
Is it appropriate for former election officials to work for electronic voting machine manufacturers?| Q: | Is it appropriate for former election officials to work for electronic voting machine manufacturers? |
Issue: Political Ties
| Q: | Do electronic voting machine manufacturers have ties to a particular political party or candidates from a particular political party? |
| Q: | Did electronic voting machines in the 2000 and 2004 elections give an advantage to a particular political party or a candidate from a particular party? |
Issue: Hacking, Fraud, and Security
| Q: | Are electronic voting systems vulnerable to hacking? |
| Q: | Could electronic voting machine software be programmed to alter the outcome of an election? |
| Q: | Are electronic voting machines more susceptible to fraud than other types of voting machines? |
Issue: Open Source vs. Proprietary Code
| Q: | What is electronic voting machine source code? |
| Q: | Should source code for electronic voting machines be publicly available? |
Issue: Ballot Definition
| Q: | What is ballot definition? |
| Q: | Is there an effective method in place to assure the accuracy of ballot definition files? |
Issue: Physical Tampering
| Q: | Are there sufficient procedures in place to guard against physical tampering with electronic voting machines? |
| Q: | Is the practice of electronic voting machine "sleepovers" appropriate? |
Issue: Machine Reliability
| Q: | Are electronic voting machines mechanically reliable? |
| Q: | If there is a power failure during an election conducted on electronic voting machines will voting still be possible? |
Issue: Audits and Recounts
| Q: | What is the difference between an audit and a recount? |
| Q: | Is it possible to have a meaningful recount from an electronic voting machine? |
| Q: | Do electronic voting machines allow for meaningful audits? |
Issue: Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails
| Q: | What is a voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT)? |
| Q: | Should electronic voting machines have voter verified paper audit trails? |
| Q: | Does the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) mandate voter verified paper audit trails? |
| Q: | Do voter verified paper audit trails disenfranchise disabled voters and language minorities? |
| Q: | Do voter verified paper audit trails increase the likelihood of an electronic voting machine malfunctioning? |
Issue: Security of Vote Totals
| Q: | Are votes cast on electronic voting machines stored in a manner that preserves voter anonymity? |
Issue: Accuracy in Recording Voter Intention
| Q: | Do electronic voting machines accurately capture voter intent? |
| Q: | Is it possible for one person to vote multiple times in the same election on an electronic voting machine? |
| Q: | What are residual votes? |
| Q: | Do electronic voting machines prevent residual votes? |
Issue: Types of Testing
| Q: | What are the stages of testing electronic voting machines? |
| Q: | What is the difference between qualification testing and certification testing? |
| Q: | Is qualification testing conducted by independent and accredited entities? |
| Q: | Is Logic and Accuracy testing an effective method of assuring that electronic voting machines are operating properly before an election? |
| Q: | Is parallel testing an effective method of assuring the accuracy of electronic voting machines? |
| Q: | Is there a method in place to make sure the electronic voting machines used by voters on Election Day are fully certified and identical to the machines that were tested? |
| Q: | What standards are used to test electronic voting machines? |
Issue: Software
| Q: | What is a software 'patch'? |
| Q: | If a software 'patch' is installed, are electronic voting machines re-tested prior to being used on Election Day? |
Issue: Cost
| Q: | Is it less expensive to conduct an election using electronic voting machines compared to optical scan voting systems? |
| Q: | How much does it cost to purchase an electronic voting machine? |
| Q: | What are the ongoing and long-term costs associated with electronic voting machines? |
Issue: Disabled Voters and Language Minorities
| Q: | Are electronic voting machines accessible to disabled voters? |
| Q: | Are electronic voting machines the best way to provide access to language minorities? |
Issue: Poll Worker Training and Preparedness
| Q: | Do poll workers receive adequate training to facilitate elections conducted on electronic voting machines? |
| Q: | Do poll workers have sufficient support mechanisms to deal with unanticipated technical issues with electronic voting machines on Election Day? |