Re: Re: [ga] So far, 28 poll answers logged

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

On Fri, Jan 21, 2000 at 04:27:39PM +0100, Roberto Gaetano wrote:
> Kent,
> 
> You wrote:
> >
> >Yes, I have a votebot, and it works fine.  I'm surprised that Harald
> >didn't use it.
> 
> I know you do have a votebot, that works fine.
> 
> The simple reason why I think a Web solution was more appropriate this 
> time is the fact that:
> - we did not need a high level of security, as this was just an opinion 
> poll (as pointed out by Harald since the beginning), i.e. a tool for the
>  Chairmanship (Chair+Alternate) to have a feeling of the opinion of the 
> subset of the audience that cared to comment, even if this was opening 
> up to the possibility of multiple votes;

Good point.  The votebot is really intended for formal votes, and for 
that reason it may never be appropriate for the GA, since according to 
the bylaws the GA is not a decision making body.

> - given the current climate on the list, it was *a good thing* to have 
> the results available at the same Web site for people to check in real-
> time how things were going. This will obviously not the case in a *real*
>  vote, where you don't know what's going on until the votebot is closed 
> - unless you rely on exit-polls ;>).

The votebot will show current results any time you send it a tally 
command.  I also added a web template that will show the current state 
of the vote a while back.

[...]
> 
> >  It is fairly simple -- some authorized person prepares a
> >ballot, and sends it to the votebot.  The votebot sends a copy of the 
> >ballot to everyone on the list, with an individual authorization code.
> 
> 
> "List" has to be understood in the abstract sense of "list of 
> individuals eligible to vote", which does not necessarily correspond to 
> one single DNSO Mailing List.
> Also, the ballot has to be sent individually, not to a "list" or a 
> "global name".

This is a significant issue -- the votebot mails ballots to the voters
-- that's the only way you can be sure that the mail address isn't
spoofed.  But that means that you *must* have a concrete list of email
addresses of the electorate, in advance -- the "registered voters", if 
you will.

Still, the votebot could easily be modified to accomodate 
unauthenticated votes -- I may do that sometime soon.

Kent


-- 
Kent Crispin                               "Do good, and you'll be
kent@songbird.com                           lonesome." -- Mark Twain