Make Them Suffer

In June next year the residents of ireland will go to the polls to vote in european and local elections.

This election will be the first to have nationwide electronic voting, using the system developed by the Dutch company which so memorably made Nora Owen cry. This system is being challenged for a whole range of faults beyond making female members of Fine Gael cry. Boards .ie has covered this issue well - but there has been little coverage of electronic voting in other media.

Maybe this is because of companies like Diebold which have used the law (copyright in an imaginative attack) to prevent memo's about how, well, shite their voting system was. They even had a go at Indymedia, which was ably repelled.

Personally I like making our political leaders stare at our messages of what we think of them for 24 hours. I like the openness, simplicity and built in feuding of the multi-seat single transferrable vote system of PR which we have held dear through multiple referenda. It can be like getting our own back - publically and drawn out over a period of days - indulging the bloodsport element of tribal politics. Not necessarily a reason I would support elections - but definitely the type of election I would support.

Be a Luddite.

Smash the machines.