How does posting the source to vote counting software help anything? The real issue isn't that people want some source that's capable of counting votes accurately. The problem is that the machines aren't necessarily counting all the votes; having some open source software laying around somewhere doesn't guarantee that the machines themselves are running audited and trusted code. How can anything other than a physical, tamper-resistant audit trail help make vote tallies trustworthy?
I saw Debra Bowen speak at USENIX Security this year and it struck me how completely intimate she was with all associated technology. She <i>understood</i> PKI, various encryption methods and their caveats, open source, operating systems, issues of intellectual properties and her drive to get it right the first time was eye-opening.<p>The stereotype of politicians being technology-inept and low-bidder-first type people was totally shattered with her. Not only did she truly care about the voting process (and dedicates a huge portion of her time to it), she actually took the time to understand the backing technology and made contacts with mostly everyone who matter in e-voting.