Write-in candidates and Diebold

How does a voter choose a write-in candidate electronically?
Today's article in the Concord Monitor concerning electronic voting raises serious issues for unknown or unannounced candidates in New Hampshire elections, particularly the upcoming primary.

It is quite possible that a national figure, such as Al Gore, may not enter the primary by the election law deadline, but may still wish to be considered by the electorate as a "write-in" candidate.

How does a NH voter cast a write-in ballot when the candidate may not be on the ballot screen itself and, presumably, cannot be "touched" electronically?

With electronic balloting, are we not precluding from the New Hampshire electoral process a candidate of world-class stature? Are we denying New Hampshire voters the opportunity to express their opinions through voting for the candidate of their choice?

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Farrell S. Seiler, Chairman
Draft Gore, New Hampshire!
PO Box 463, Littleton, NH 03561
603-568-4916 -- 802-748-8060
JoinUs@DraftGoreNH.com
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Optiscams

We don't have any touch screen machines in NH. We have paper ballots that are hand counted or counted by computerized Diebold optical scanners.

The computers are supposed to be programmed to kick out write in ballots so they can be hand counted.

Whether or not they do this successfully is anyone's guess, because nobody except the Diebold programmers are allowed to see the code.