So, I was on my way to the CVS tonight with my shopping list (hand soap, dish soap, and wine) firmly in hand. NPR was running their election preview coverage and one of the topics was electronic voting machines. The primary concern was that, since these were computers, they were susceptible to "hacking." This seemed a little ludicrous to me - not the possibility, but the fear.
I'll grant you that the machines in question are, essentially, computers and that someone who knows enough about computers could "hack in" and alter the apparent vote count in their party's favor. However, it is a mistake to assume that the computer is any more hackable than a paper ballot box. This seems like people priming the pump to take advantage of people's unfounded luddite fear of machines. That way, if the elections don't turn out the way they want, they have something to point at to level blame.
See, the voting machine's hackability arises not from it's machine-ness, but from the fact that it is a system. All systems are prone to hacking. If you understand enough of how a system works, you can exploit its tendencies to your advantage. We have a long and storied history of stuffing the ballot box in this country - the machines actually offer the advantage of creating an auditable paper trail.
While we're at it, let's talk about the systems being hacked before we even make it to the ballot box or, in other words, the human mind. Candidates spend millions on negative attack ads to convince you that "Tammy Duckworth wants to feed your unborn children to illegal immigrants and then tax you for it." Essentially, they're creating the equivalent of an adware popup they hope shows up just prior to you casting your lot or dangling your chad. They do so not because they believe it, but because the believe you will believe it.