Interests

Time: 19:39 UTC   |   Date: November 21   

Electronic Voting Systems in New Hampshire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Robert (Rob) Lembree
Chair, Greater NH Linux Users Group
603-494-0559
rob@lembree.com
http://www.gnhlug.org/

�Electronic Voting Systems in New Hampshire,� presented by Anthony Stevens, New Hampshire Assistant Secretary of State, hosted by the Greater New Hampshire Linux Users' Group, at Daniel Webster College's Collings Auditorium, Nashua, NH, October 27th at 7:00 PM

(Nashua, NH, October 19, 2004) -- Anthony Stevens, New Hampshire Assistant Secretary of State, will address "Electronic Voting Systems in New Hampshire" in Daniel Webster College's Collings Auditorium Wednesday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Greater New Hampshire Linux Users' Group (GNHLUG), Mr. Stevens will present prospects for new elections technology in New Hampshire. An informal discussion will follow.

�We're very excited to host the assistant Secretary of State for this

very important topic, within a week of such a closely watched election,� said Robert Lembree, chair of the Greater NH Linux Users' Group. �As proponents of open source software, GNHLUG members have a keen interest in electronic voting systems, which are exclusively closed-source and therefore not open to analysis by outside professionals. Absent public scrutiny, governments must proceed cautiously in adopting any technology, especially any technology which

can be verified only with 'trust-us' escrow procedures.�

�The 'Help America Vote Act' has mandated a new processes and systems

which the States are now working to implement�, said Bill Sconce, GNHLUG Program Chair. �GNHLUG is pleased to have this opportunity to sponsor a discussion of New Hampshire's progress in these efforts, and how they relate to the robust elections process which New Hampshire

uses. We are privileged to have Mr. Stevens as our guest.�

"Our nation was built on being 'open'", said Jon "maddog" Hall,

Executive Director of Linux International. "Open town meetings and electoral accountability are part of what makes our nation great. If we are to surrender to computers the counting of our votes, we need to be sure that the software which does the job is not only correctly written and valid, but that anyone who wishes to inspect it can verify

for themselves that it is correctly written and valid."

ABOUT GNHLUG - Members of the Greater New Hampshire Linux Users' Group are interested in the Linux operating system and other free and open source software. GNHLUG has several chapters in New Hampshire with regular meetings that are open to everyone. Membership is also open to everyone, and there are no dues. With over 275 members, GNHLUG provides assistance with Linux and free software to individuals, businesses, schools, and organizations in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. For more information, see www.gnhlug.org.

ABOUT LINUX - Linux is a free, open-source operating system that runs on everything from hand-held devices, to set-top boxes, personal and office computers, servers, mainframes, and supercomputers. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

ABOUT DWC - Daniel Webster College (DWC), founded in 1965, educates purposeful men and women for professional entry, advancement, and advanced studies in the fields of aviation, computer science, management, social science, and engineering. DWC students prepare throught residential and continuing studies programs that emphasize the integration of theory and practice through interactive teaching and learning in the professional and liberal studies. DWC offers the Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and information systems through its day program. Through its graduate and continuing-studies program, DWC offers a Bachelor of Science degree in software development, as well as certificate programs in Client-Server Application Development; C/UNIX Programming; Computer Security; MS Windows Programming; PC Networking; UNIX Systems Administration; Web Design; Microsoft .NET; and Webmaster Technology. For more information visit www.dwc.edu or call 603-577-6500. - END -

Greater New Hampshire Linux User Groups = an association of User Groups in and around the state of New Hampshire, USA of people interested in Linux technology and/or those who created it in the first place; and continue to this day.