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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000080>Hello everybody,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000080>I am Ginger Paque, member of the advisory
council of the United Nations Association of Venezuela and member of the WFUNA
Task Force on WSIS. I have a particular interest in voting rights, specifically
as they may be affected by e-voting and technology issues. I would like to hear
about what is and what can be done to bring this issue to the forefront. I would
like to collaborate on any work being done: please count on me. To introduce
myself and my viewpoint, I have copied below my presentation at the recent
UNA-Denmark/ WFUNA Task Force Conference in Copenhagen. Thanks! Saludos,
Ginger</FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#000080><FONT face=Arial
color=#000080><BR></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">I am astonished by the lack of
widespread interest in electronic voting issues. The vote is the basis of
democracy. Without a proper exercise of the right to vote, all of our other
human rights hang on the whim of a “legally elected” leader and can be modified
“democratically” at will.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A
national assembly with a clear majority has a mandate to do whatever they
please. We must ensure that those governing are exercising the will of the
people they represent.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The right to
privacy is important, the right to freedom of expression is important. All of
our human rights are important. But we need to protect the base of these rights
as well, which is the right to vote. There is not a single reference in the
official summit (WSIS) documents to electronic voting, and only one short
reference in the Civil Society document. I don’t know if this issue is
considered unimportant, or whether it is considered too sensitive. But I think
it needs to be publicized and addressed.</SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Information technology can
support our human rights and be a tool for their propagation through education
and information. And electronic voting and identification systems may help more
people exercise their right to vote. But the potential for manipulation and
invasion are frightening.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The rapid
electronic dissemination of <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>even
correct information is sensitive enough: the spread of news, reactions and
violence can be fueled by correct information. Much more sensitive is the
manipulation of information as distortion or outright fabrication.</SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">The history of voting is
fraught with manipulation and fraud in almost every society and there are
documented cases of voting fraud by some of the world’s most prominent leaders.
If there is proof of voting fraud, as there apparently is, by John F. Kennedy of
the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
we know we are probably vulnerable to fraud by others with less reputation to
protect.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If there is not voter
confidence in the electoral process, there is no exercise of the right to
vote.</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">So it is obvious that any
electoral process, but particularly an electronic process must be overseen by a
non-partisan electoral commission to ensure transparency and
representation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This means that any
voting issues group must be careful not to be “opposition” or “against” any
government. It must be “for” fair elections, supporting whoever is the properly
elected party. Unfortunately, in many cases, the polarization of parties and
political positions has resulted in distortion by both parties in and out of
power and the media, to the point that it is difficult to tell where the truth
is. In this case, all parties lose, because the confidence lost in the electoral
process will undermine any election results and weaken the democratic process,
and all human rights.</SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">All voting processes, manual
or electronic, are subject to error, to omission, to physical and training
problems. Electronic voting adds the issue of vulnerability to manipulation
through software particularly if there is not a verifiable paper
backup.</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Computer hackers have every
conceivable motivation, many times incomprehensible to most of us. But without a
doubt, the stakes in an election are high enough that there most probably will
be attempts to manipulate the results. There must be an international
certification process for electronic voting machine and software manufacturers
to oversee these processes and ensure that all possible efforts are made to
avoid tampering.</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">The collection and use of
voter information may seem to be a privacy issue, but it is also a right to vote
issue. A voter who is not confident that their vote will be secret and is afraid
of retribution related to their political stance may well be affected in their
decision of whether to vote and how to vote. If voter ID information is
collected in a serial manner parallel to the serial vote tabulation, it is
conceivable that the individual vote could be deciphered and recorded.
</SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Further, this, or even
physically collected voting information can be published for consultation on a
Web Page, for instance, for possible discriminatory actions such as exclusion
from job opportunities, government loans, health services and access to
education. This possibility will also affect the individual vote, and possibly
the outcome of an election.</SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">First, this issue must be given the discussion and
attention it merits.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Second, we must have
guarantees of both privacy of the vote and transparency (non-manipulation) of
the vote. </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">At present, it would seem that
the only way to guarantee the transparency and legitimacy of an election is to
compare physical paper ballots with the electronic count. This way the public
will have access to an immediate count electronically, with the reliability of a
backup paper count within a reasonable time.<BR><BR><BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"></SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">“Electronic Vote and Democracy electronic-vote.org states
very clearly:<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><BR></SPAN><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">The Precautionary Principle
applied to elections means that even the smallest doubt about e-vote being
really less risky than paper voting it's a good reason to use the traditional
paper ballots! By the way, </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><A
href="http://www.electronic-vote.org/TERMINI/whatswrong_en.php">what's wrong
with ballot paper?</A>”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Necessary steps:<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: navy; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Publicize and raise
awareness of the e-voting issue in the WSIS
process.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: navy; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Publish appropriate
information on all pertinent mailing lists, and ask the HR caucus to make this
a focus of attention.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: navy; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black">Implementation.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></LI></UL>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Implementation:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>work towards inclusion of the following
principles in follow-up to the WSIS process:</SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Guarantee a non-partisan Voting or Electoral
Commission</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Require a process that includes a Paper Trail
verification system</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Require international certification of voting processes
and systems to avoid manipulation of the vote and guarantee
transparency</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Guarantee the privacy of voter identification and vote
information and avoid the use of serial storage of information that can be
deciphered for voting information</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black">Prevent the publication of voter ID and vote and its use
for discrimination.</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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