Scrapping of Project
The prime issue was the lack of verifiability by the absence of an audit mechanism or verified paper trail. The former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had defended the flawed system in the Dáil, bemoaning the use of "stupid old pencils".
The voting machines bought by the government from Dutch firm Nedap are in storage as the cabinet ponders what to do after the Commission on Electronic Voting said it could not recommend the system. Approximately €0.5m was spent improving the software. Ahern has defended the system despite public scepticism and opposition from within his own party on the basis that having spent the money, it would cause loss of national pride if the system were scrapped.
In October 2006, a group of Dutch hackers, including Rop Gonggrijp, showed how similar machines to the ones purchased in Ireland could be modified by replacing the EEPROMs with Nedap -Firmware with EEPROMs with their own firmware.
On 23 April 2009, Minister for the Environment John Gormley announced that the electronic voting system was to be scrapped by an as of yet undetermined method, due to cost and the public's dissatisfaction with the current system.
A Department of the Environment website demonstrating how to use electronic voting machines is still in operation in April 2012 despite the project being abandoned in 2009.
On 6 October 2010, the Taoiseach Brian Cowen said that the 7,000 machines would not be used for voting and would be disposed of. As of October 2010, the total cost of the electronic voting project has reached €54.6 million, including €3 million spent on storing the machines over the previous five years.
KMK Metals Recycling paid €70,267 for 7,500 e-voting machines; 1,232 transport/storage trolleys; 2,142 hand trolleys and 4,787 metal tilt tables.
Read more about this topic: Electronic Voting In Ireland
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“The candidate tells us we are the “backbone of the State,” and we know that it is true, not because we are possessed of certain endowed virtues, but because we are a majority and have the vote.”
—Federal Writers’ Project Of The Wor, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)