Voting with Open-source Computer Programs

Every computer program has a source code. The source code is the instructions and building blocks of the computer program. A computer program (including its source code) that is open-source means that anyone can freely use it, so everyone is like the owner of it.

The advantages of open-source include that no one can keep the source code secret, hidden or sell the code. This can be particularly useful to prevent manipulation or lying, since the source code is openly exposed. For example, when people vote using computers, the votes can be manipulated. One way to check for manipulation is to look at the source code. If the source code is private then you can be denied permission to see the source code. However if the source code is open source, then any person at any time anywhere is able to check the source code to look for any manipulation of the votes. Not only that, but people can actually contribute to make the code cleaner, organized, faster and simpler. For example, if you have a messy and disorganized computer code, it is very easy for someone to hide their manipulation of votes. But if it the code is simple, clean, and organized it is easy to detect a manipulation. It is also important that the source code is available all the time, because a person can sneak in a manipulation code when no one is looking. Thus for elections it would be best for people to check the computer source code, before, during, and after the voting process.

Because of the possibility of manipulating votes through private hidden computer programs it is a priority that for voting we use open source computer programs. See the video below:

This video was found online. I uploaded this video to prevent a broken link. I found it by googling: "computer programs that rig elections"