The Pentagon----------------------------Bruce Schneier

Matt Blunt is running for Governor of Missouri as the nominee of that state's Republican Party. He is now, already, the Secretary of State of Missouri.

In his capacity as Secretary of State, Mr. Blunt has arranged with the U.S. Department of Defense to use the Internet to facilitate voting by overseas Missourians in the armed services. His plan has been criticized in the Washington Post on technical and political grounds. The New York Times doesn't think that it is a good idea.

Etopia Media Voting News today interviewed Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, who, in the course of her interview, says that "Our first preferences is that people use the U.S. mail. That would ensure their privacy, which is what voting is all about."

The plan devised and now being implemented by Secretary of State Blunt and the Department of Defense requires participating voters to sign away their right to a secret ballot.

One critic of the Blunt-DoD plan who is quoted in the Washington Post article of August 26, 2004, linked to above is Bruce Schneier, founder of Counterpane Internet Security, Inc., and an Internet security expert who often comments on electronic voting issues.

Like the Pentagon spokesperson, Mr. Schneier believes privacy is at the heart of the voting experience. In an interview today with Etopia Media Voting News about the Blunt-DoD voting system, he says, "My first complaint is the loss of the secret ballot.".

To hear Lt. Col. Krenke's interview in its entirety, click here.

To hear Bruce Schneier's interview in its entirety, click here.