Madam, - Like David Rolfe (February 5th), I have worked for many years in the computer industry. It is worth remembering that every single day, billions of transactions carry trillions of pounds, dollars and euro across the world's electronic systems. The motivation for someone to intercept or interfere with these transactions is obvious, yet such occurrences are negligible. If we cannot produce a system to count just a few million votes every four years or so, there is something seriously wrong.
Every day, we use credit cards, internet banking, wire transfers, on-line tax-filing and much much more without understanding in any detail how these systems work. Would Mr Rolfe seriously have us go back to paper-based methods of working because electronic methods are not understood by non-experts?
As it is, we accept serious flaws in our paper-based system - including the fact that tens of thousands of students are unable to vote because of the practice of holding elections and referendums on Thursdays. This is a serious distortion of our democracy. Yet we seem casually to accept it while trembling with fear at the thought of electronic voting. This is a medieval attitude to technology.- Yours etc.,
COLIN R. COOPER, London SW19.
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Madam, - Remember the Government's last major IT project? The PULSE system for the Garda. - Yours, etc.,
ALAN KINSELLA, Otterbrook, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.
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Madam, - The proposal to replace the current system of voting mistakenly assumes the electorate are e-jits. - Yours, etc.,
ULTAN Ó BROIN, San Francisco, USA.