Vote for the toy churn system
Charlie repeatedly places a small plastic toy into the churn and then puts the lid on.
Then he takes the lid off and, lo!, the toy is still in the tin churn. He then takes the plastic toy out and repeats the process.
Of course Charlie cannot count yet, but he is developing an understanding of the nature of storage.
If we consider Charlie’s toy to represent a unit of data, the number ‘1’ for instance, we can see that his play is prefiguring the understanding of that simple, straightforward data storage mechanism which involves pieces of marked paper and sealed tin boxes, and which, fortunately, is still a part of our democratic election process in this country.
Someday, if Charlie becomes perhaps a professor of computer science, he may have as full an understanding of how electrons are used within the immensely complicated architecture of the silicon chip to store data as he already has of how his tin churn stores a plastic toy.
But realistically, just like almost every other Irish citizen, he is unlikely to acquire such very specialised knowledge.
During the Government’s attempt last year to introduce electronic voting a great deal was made of the reliability of the proposed electronic process. Various experts were called upon to give their opinions. Like most people, I am not an electronic or software expert, so I can’t give any informed opinion on the matter - it’s quite likely such systems are technically highly reliable, but I just don’t know.
I can say something very obvious about electronic voting systems, though, and it is this: along with well in excess of 99% of the people of Ireland, I don’t understand the way computers process and store data. The central issue with electronic voting systems is not system reliability... the problem is understanding the system.
An additional issue is that any electronic ‘count’ occurring in some silicon chip is publicly invisible, hidden in tiny increments of both space and time.
It is of course quite impossible for anyone to detect an error or a fraud in a system whose workings they can neither observe nor understand.
I feel it is a matter of real imperative that data (ie, votes) storage at elections should always be with simple, publicly visible, sealed tin boxes and pieces of paper.
Counting should also be entirely visible to the public, a simple system open to ordinary understanding and scrutiny and so amenable to the people’s trust.
If Charlie could talk (he nearly can), I think he would agree.
Stan Reynolds
The Old Schoolhouse
Toames West
Macroom
Co Cork
