Apple's iPad: Seeding a next-gen voting machine?

A handful of voters in Oregon iPads to help them locate the vote today as part of a plan from the government to determine whether the tablet can eventually be used as a voting system.

According to the Associated Press, which first reported on the efforts that have five Apple iPads donated to Oregon to help workers in five provinces it easier for voters with disabilities place their ballots. Election officials have been visiting nursing homes, community centers and other locations to voters who need assistance to find.

The process seems very simple one vote. The election officials bring an application developed to Oregon $ 75000 with a list of all candidates in the primary election to replace U.S. Rep. David Wu. By their choice, print so voters in the referendum on portable printers, sign it and send it to the board of elections for counting. Thus, while iPads not be used as voting machines, they are easy to vote.

Oregon's decision to rely on iPad to help voters will inevitably bring security concerns about electronic voting machines.

In 2007 succeeded computer scientists hacked electronic voting machines California, which allows them to vote for change, but they saw fit. During the 2008 election, showed concern among both politicians and security experts about the reliability of e-voting machines prompted some states to abandon completely touch-screen voting systems.

These concerns were exacerbated earlier this year when the U.S. Department of Energy Vulnerability Assessment Team at Argonne Laboratory have shown that a simple radio frequency remote control can be placed via a ballot e-voting machine, capturing, and allows the attacker to change the mood of what they want. Worst of all, the problem seems to apply to all e-voting machines.

The stakes are high. According to recent estimates, would be less than 25 percent of the voters next year, marking their presidential ballots with electronic voting machines vulnerable to this hack.

Or iPad could solve this problem is not even considered at this point. However, Oregon, told the AP that if the test is working properly, it could roll out iPads in all provinces in the state. Granted, it will be designed to roll out to help voters with disabilities, but could iPads Oregon barriers and bring the wider electorate? If so, would not the first time the state has taken a risk with voices: In 1998, Oregon became the first state to hold elections by e-mail.