Really scary: Your vote may be irrelevant

"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."

A version of this quote has been attributed to Stalin, an attribution that has been hotly debated. Thom Hartmann, among others, has said that Rush Limbaugh repeated this phrase on November 24, 2000, in the midst of a critical month in U.S. history when the result of the election for President was yet to be decided. Eventually, of course, the election results were finalized de jure if not de facto.

As election day approaches, more and more is being heard about whether the official results will really reflect the true results that occur when a citizen casts his or her vote.

Minnesota information technology expert Bruce O'Dell (resume) has weighed in on the issue. His conclusion? Pull the plug on the voting machines.

As nearly all articles on the subject conclude: Be afraid. Technology has made voting less secure, not more.

The article is in two parts. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.