in brief Visually impaired Australians will be able to cast their ballots using e-voting machines for the first time in this year's federal election.
The e-voting machines will be available for two weeks before the election and on the election day itself at 29 locations across the country, including Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney.
Groups representing the visually-impaired will be invited to a demonstration of the machines before they are put into use, Special Minister of State Gary Nairn said.
The machines will be in deployed in Melbourne, Kooyong, Ballarat, Shepparton, Warragul, Geelong, Adelaide, Gilles Plains, Noarlunga, Wollongong, Parramatta, Enfield, Chatswood, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Albury, Darwin, Alice Springs, Brisbane City, Brisbane North, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Cairns, Hobart, Launceston, Perth, Mandurah, Bunbury and Canberra.
Blind or visually impaired voters who live too far from the machines will still be able to vote by post or cast an assisted vote, the minister said.
Now tell me again how secure e-voting is? Have we not seen it in the the great US of A?
Who is the company? Is the screen simple and not confusing, as it has been in the several forms in the US? Does it generate proof you have voted? How will the blind see the screen? Are the machines linked so you can't vote twice? Who is to say the person voted, and not someone on their behalf without their consent? What happens if the computer has a software fault, does it have back-ups?
If the Yanks can't get it right, then it isn't simple enough and it's too error prone. Send it back.
Now go and see the movie 'Man of the Year' with Robin WILLIAMS.