E-voting machines sold for €70,000

ArtSmart

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Oh boy.

anyone with physical access can reprogram them
anyone with a scanner and computer can probably detect remotely which way a vote was cast


when you remember that the government of the day can set the ground rules for tribunals into corruption the temptation to nudge key marginals may be too much



reuse, so maybe they will be appearing in a dictatorship Arab spring country near you soon

What was scary was how close it came to being a reality. Ah Bertie and those damned stupid old fashioned pencils

nice_very

could they not have been reprogrammed (many years ago) to, lets say, be tourist information points in our towns and cities, a fas related job network ( with the existing fas machines)

70 grand from a 50+million expense, and "big" phil on the news smiling like it was a great coup..

the company that are "paying for their removal and recycling" are paying less than 1000E for each machine, how much will they make on the scrap metal/gold etc? they even said they are going to keep a few back for nostalgic purposes.

1 of them should be placed in the middle of the floor in the dail for any house votes, to be a reminder of the WASTE of money in this country.

while Im ranting: another waste of money is that we will have another referendum in the autumn, and possibly another euro referendum not long after, then local elections, and (hopefully) a general election before not too long.... are they TRYING to throw away money we dont have?

Jesus Wept

nice_very wrote: »

could they not have been reprogrammed (many years ago) to, lets say, be tourist information points in our towns and cities, a fas related job network ( with the existing fas machines)

70 grand from a 50+million expense, and "big" phil on the news smiling like it was a great coup..

It'd cost €55m to have them reprogramed. Then they wouldn't work. And if they did, they'd be ****.
:pac:

nice_very

Andy Carroll wrote: »

It'd cost €55m to have them reprogramed. Then they wouldn't work. And if they did, they'd be ****.
:pac:

ffs u joking? twice the cost??? better off making a dam around Corcaigh with them

Jesus Wept

Jesus, they were 100 quid a piece. I'd have bought one for €150 for the laff.

Jesus Wept

Jesus, they actually went for €9.30 each, I had a decimal point wrong.

wrote:

THE Government has sold the infamous €54m e-voting machines for scrap -- for €9.30 each.

A huge fleet of trucks will begin removing the 7,500 machines from 14 locations on Monday.

They will be taken to a Co Offaly recycling company, KMK Metals Recycling Ltd in Tullamore, where they will be stripped down and shredded.

Ironically, the owner of the firm, Kurt Kyck, cast his vote on one of the machines in the 2002 elections. He has now paid €70,000 for the lot.

Scrapping the machines brings to an end the embarrassing e-voting debacle which has cost the taxpayer more than €54m since it emerged the expensive equipment was faulty.

They could not be guaranteed to be safe from tampering. And they could not produce a printout so that votes/results could be double-checked.

But last night the man who first proposed using them washed his hands of the affair.

Former Fianna Fail minister Noel Dempsey suggested e-voting in 1999 but the machines were purchased by Martin Cullen three years later.

- Paul Melia and Luke Byrne

Who is paying for the 14 trucks...

Captain Darling

mike65 wrote: »

There will be a bunch of warehouse owners crying into their beer krystal tonight

FYP.

SEPT 23 1989

Is it beyond the capabilities of the public service to arrange for those machines to be transported to a scrap dealers themselves and take whatever they get for them which i am sure will be more than 70,000

Sam Kade

Phil Hogan said on the news that they were a waste of taxpayers money. 10 out of 10 Phil for stating the obvious :rolleyes:

seamus

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Is it beyond the capabilities of the public service to arrange for those machines to be transported to a scrap dealers themselves and take whatever they get for them which i am sure will be more than 70,000

Probably. Nobody in the public sector would be "qualified" to transport the machines. Not in their job description.

There is a bit of work in scrapping the machines to be fair. The computer unit on each one has to be removed and stripped down and properly destroyed and recycled. There's no way that an intact unit could be sent onto a pub or onto another country or whatever, since a small number of the machines had been used for actual ballots. So you can't risk that information being released into the public domain.

Once that's done though, the rest is fairly easy. The owner of the company was on the radio this morning saying he'd already been contacted by a few people looking to get their hands on one. They'd only be given a unit without the computer inside it, but I imagine he'd still be able to sell the empty shells for €50 a pop.

gerryo777

Sam Kade wrote: »

Phil Hogan said on the news that they were a waste of taxpayers money. 10 out of 10 Phil for stating the obvious :rolleyes:

He'd know all about that, isn't he just back from a junket to Rio after staying in an €850 per night hotel room.....

Macca07

Kurt Kyck was on Today FM this morning talking about them.

He said the majority would be scrapped, but there was a small amount being sold to other people, I'm guessing ones who wanted them as ornaments.

It's a pity no one told the government what a stupid idea it was to introduce e-voting!

Lister1

gerryo777 wrote: »

Eh, I think we're paying €70k to have them scrapped.....

Was also my take on it when I read the story on the RTE website. That it was costing us 70k to have them recycled rather then us receiving 70k.

the purple tin

gerryo777 wrote: »

He'd know all about that, isn't he just back from a junket to Rio after staying in an €850 per night hotel room.....

I bet the food/bar bill for Hulk and his gang ran into thousands for that trip.

GetWithIt

GetWithIt wrote: »

Many were on 25 year contracts which would still have to be honored.

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Please tell me you are joking :eek:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/were-stuck-with-25year-evoting-storage-deal-2150896.html
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055659361

Unfortunately this 70K, whilst buttons in the greater scheme of things, is the best that could be achieved. Anyone who thinks they could have made more should have placed a bid.

Sometimes you got to cut your losses and move on.

Jester252

And that is why we're broke. It buy low sell high not the other way around

DoesNotCompute

senorwipesalot wrote: »

Good idea,surely they can find a buyer in Eastern Europe or the Middle East.

I hear Mugabe's in the market for some e-voting machines...

Dr.Strange

That Martin Cullen character had to be one of the biggest clowns ever.

Him and Noel Dempsey.

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

Squiggle

Don't rub salt in our wounds by having that sneering bollíx Phil Hogan trying to justify/explain things. Smug príck :mad:

Odysseus

BEASTERLY wrote: »

Shame considering nothing was wrong with them. The teachers and county council workers who kicked up about not getting their easy money for counting votes are to blame! Never mind the €55m lost on the machines, how much money has been payed in wages for vote counters since the scheme was scrapped?

Have you a link or reference for that? Are votes not counted by various party workers and volunteers?

Capt'n Midnight

nice_very wrote: »

could they not have been reprogrammed (many years ago) to, lets say, be tourist information points in our towns and cities, a fas related job network ( with the existing fas machines)

No.

they have the processing power of a 1980's home computer and the display capabilities of a 1990's mobile phone.

A €40 knock off android tablet would completely wipe them in all categories including ease of programming. When you take into account the savings on electricity and floor space it's sheer madness to suggest they could be reused for anything other than a conversation piece or for vote rigging.

seamus

Odysseus wrote: »

Have you a link or reference for that? Are votes not counted by various party workers and volunteers?

Votes counted by people working for the political parties? Think about it for a second

People are hired for elections and referendums for the various jobs which need doing in an election, including counts and such. There are no volunteers doing it.

Afaik the hiring process is managed by each council and they generally choose the same people each time (provided that they apply for the job). The jobs are often taken by teachers because the schools are closed that day and they would generally be considered trustworthy citizens.

Agent Smith

senorwipesalot wrote: »

The electronic voting machines are to be sold on for just over €70,000 and disposed.

The 7,500 devices - which have cost the taxpayer almost €55 million - will be scrapped and recycled by a company in Co. Offaly

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/e-voting-machines-sold-for-70000-557203.html

Mods,feel free to move to Bargain Alerts.

If this Republic is to stand for a Thousand years... this was our finest hour....

Odysseus

seamus wrote: »

Votes counted by people working for the political parties? Think about it for a second

People are hired for elections and referendums for the various jobs which need doing in an election, including counts and such. There are no volunteers doing it.

Afaik the hiring process is managed by each council and they generally choose the same people each time (provided that they apply for the job). The jobs are often taken by teachers because the schools are closed that day and they would generally be considered trustworthy citizens.

Again have you a link, certain members of my family have counted votes as a member of a party, these are of course counter-checked by invligators[sp] sorry could never spelt that word.

Angeles

Former Fianna Fáil Environment Ministers Noel Dempsey and Martin Cullen oversaw the decision to purchase 7,500 electronic voting machines - at a cost of €50 million.

Am i the only one who finds info like this hilarious?
55milion for 7500 computers, really?
Sounds like a bloody carlsberg add.

7500 computer at a generous 5k each - 37.5k
Team of developers working round the clock on the most advanced secure voting software known at the time - 450k
Transport of all units to key locations with added security - 350k
Convincing the minister to pay 55million for the job - priceless

Capt'n Midnight

Odysseus wrote: »

Again have you a link, certain members of my family have counted votes as a member of a party, these are of course counter-checked by invligators[sp] sorry could never spelt that word.

Not to mention the tallymen who overlook the whole process

it's open and transparent as it can be


If you can prove which way you voted, then votes could be sold.

ArmaniJeanss

Angeles wrote: »

Am i the only one who finds info like this hilarious?
55milion for 7500 computers, really?
Sounds like a bloody carlsberg add.

7500 computer at a generous 5k each - 37.5k
Team of developers working round the clock on the most advanced secure voting software known at the time - 450k
Transport of all units to key locations with added security - 350k
Convincing the minister to pay 55million for the job - priceless

You are quite the mathematical genuis.

seamus

Odysseus wrote: »

Again have you a link, certain members of my family have counted votes as a member of a party, these are of course counter-checked by invligators[sp] sorry could never spelt that word.

Don't have any "official" link because apparently these positions are never advertised, you just have to apply to the Returning Officer who sticks your name down on a list. But they are paid positions, and allegedly you're not permitted to be a member of a politicial party.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70190365

Lots of similar links from boards and AAM with just people who've done it outlining the process.

paddy147

It says in this mornings paper that each machine was sold for 9 euro each.