Disqus - Latest Comments for Lani Brown

Re: A slow extinction from apathy…

Lani Brown — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 19:21:35 -0000

If I write it, will they hear me? I felt democracy die a little during the chaos of the 2000 election. Again in 2004 and yet once more in 2006. I thought I might spark some interest in our failing election system by weaving a tale of intrigue. So, in "A Margin of Error: Ballots of Straw" one woman stands between a ruthless politician and the White House...one woman and the man sent to spy on her.

I'm hopeful, but also encouraged that at last elections and voting macmachines are receiving some long overdue attention. We'll see.

CJ: Thanks for the comment, Lani. I think the interesting thing now is that, seeing how popular the 'net has become in current campaigns, in theory it should improve things, particularly the perception of democracy. It allows people to have more of a say and to express their views where they might not have been able to before; the "1984" Hillary Clinton ad, for instance.
But all that would be worthless if there's another mishap with a voting machine. It seems like democracy comes down to a piece of software and how well it's written.... our system is different, but it's not perfect either, and I'm just not sure there are that many better ideas right now. That's the problem.
I'll have to have a look at your book at some stage. Sounds interesting. I rather feel like a political thriller at the moment. ;)

Re: Diebold: A New Beginning (to the First Step in E-Voting Terror)

Lani Brown — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:37:36 -0000

Terror or something perhaps more chilling. When "A Margin of Error Ballots of Straw" was first conceived, I wanted only to draw attention to our badly flawed election system. However, as I started collecting "proof" to build a story, the sheer simplicity of shaving a few ballots off here and there, converting actual votes to undervotes and flipping others…then when the voting's done, replace the computer software with the original in case of an audit…Wouldn't even take geek brilliance. Within the caverns of the computers, call an elephant a donkey or a donkey an elephant, the computer doesn’t care. Of course an inside job is the easiest and quickest way to populate all the voting machines from a given vendor. But in light of our recent proof of lax quality control, who would ever find it?

Is it possible? Absolutely. We can fix the machines, but if we are to achieve one voter, one vote…every time, we must go back to basics. Apply sound business practices to ensure the voting systems we purchase fully meet our needs for election integrity. And ensure those machines work …all of them. Not just a sampling. We're caught in a tailspin of bottom-up catch and fix of serious flaws that should have been addressed prior to purchase.

Moreover, until we also fix our election laws to be on par with technology, to protect us from machine and human error, and HUMAN INTERPRETION of election results our election process will continue to be broken. The courts should not decide the people's choices for them.

In "A Margin of Error: Ballots of Straw," when Florida's election is stolen, only one woman stands in the way of the governor's fast-track to the White House…one woman and the man sent to spy on her.

Lani Massey Brown, MARGIN OF ERROR: BALLOTS OF STRAW, a novel of political intrigue/romantic suspense.

Re: You Can’t Patch an Election

Lani Brown — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:39:23 -0000

Yes! Our election track record suggests the need for a more rigorous business approach to election equipment. Quick-quick dump the punch cards. Hurry up and scrap the touch screens. Errors will occur…technology just speeds up the process and mega-increases the volume. Our procedures and laws need to be brought inline with technology.

Paper ballots offer the means to verify and recount votes. Unfortunately, these and other paper trails will not ensure one-voter-one-vote-every-time with state-of-the-art independent, stand-alone vote counting machines. Optical ballot scanners are just as suspect as touch screens. Until we implement high-bar stringent guidelines for voting machine providers and elections officials to uphold, until we fix our election laws to protect us from machine and human error, and human interpretation our election process will continue to be broken.

Lani Massey Brown,
A MARGIN OF ERROR: BALLOTS OF STRAW, a novel