NDP convention electronic voting fiasco

For some very bizarre reason , apparently a cheaper price associated with the bid, the NDP chose an off shore Spanish computer firm to host the voting system for the convention. Unfortunately for the New Democrats this bad decision has led to an embarrassing delay in third round voting at the convention and consequently these results will not be available before 6 p.m. ET the final results might not be available to close to midnight. It should be a bedrock principle of a Canadian political party that aspires to govern the country that it uses a Canadian company to conduct its election of a party leader. Too bad for the New Democrats that this has happened. The other parties and the media will have some fun at the expense of the NDP over the issue for awhile. But it should be a warning for those who plan conventions. It will also raise serious questions about the wisdom of trying to include all party members in the election process. The principle on balance is a good one but the large numbers involved and the huge size of the country obliges one to have a tested and very reliable system in place with at least a back up plan should glitches occur. Apparently third party hackers may be at fault in the case of the NDP. It would be interesting to discover  the identity of these people and expose them.

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About haroldchorneyeconomist

I am Professor of political economy at Concordia university in Montréal, Québec, Canada. I received my B.A.Hons (econ.&poli sci) from the University of Manitoba. I also completed my M.A. degree in economics there. Went on to spend two years at the London School of Economics as a Ph.D. student in economics and then completed my Ph.D. in political economy at the University of Toronto. Was named a John W.Dafoe fellow, a CMHC fellow and a Canada Council fellow. I also was named a Woodrow Wilson fellow in 1968 after completing my first class honours undergraduate degree. Worked as an economist in the area of education, labour economics and as the senior economist with the Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation for the Government of Manitoba from 1972 to 1978. I also have worked as an economic consultant for MDT socio-economic consultants and have been consulted on urban planning, health policy, linguistic duality and public sector finance questions by the governments of Manitoba, Saskatchewan,the cities of Regina and Saskatoon, Ontario and the Federal government of Canada. I have also been consulted by senior leaders of the British Labour party, MPs from the Progressive Conservative party, the Liberal party and the New Democrats on economic policy questions. Members of the Government of France under the Presidency of Francois Mitterand discussed my work on public sector deficits. I have also run for elected office at the municipal level. I first began to write about quantitative easing as a useful policy option during the early 1980s.
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