Computer Trouble in the Voting Booth

Re “State Blocks Digital Voting,” May 1: Why was it even considered in the first place? It’s too complex and asks for problems, even apart from the possibility of hidden dishonesty.

The system we used at the last election was fine, we thought. It was the traditional card, but with an ink-dot marker instead of a hole punch. No chads, hanging or otherwise. It was easy to check that we’d made the dots we’d intended to make. And it left a paper trail.

James and Carol Boyk

Los Angeles

Hooray for California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley! I hope the rest of the country is paying attention and will follow his lead (especially Ohio, whose electoral votes the president of Diebold Election Systems has promised to deliver to George W. Bush). These machines cannot be trusted. They can easily be sabotaged by those currently in power, who, I believe, will do anything to remain in power.

Tama Winograd

Studio City

Way before we heard the word “chads,” whenever I voted with punch cards I always held my ballot up to the light to make sure that all the holes were punched through. I’ve always wondered why there isn’t a message on the top of each ballot, or a sign in the booth, or a precinct worker who reminds every voter to do this. It seems a very simple, common-sense approach to this electronic voting mess. Maybe it’s too simple.

Barbara Shafer Marks

Los Angeles