Was the 2004 presidential election stolen? Well, as it turns out, it’s easier to rig an election than to rig a Las Vegas slot machine.

University of Pennsylvania visiting professor Steve Freeman compares slot machines to ballot boxes in his new book, Was the 2004 Presidential Election Stolen? Exit Polls, Election Fraud, and the Official Count, due out this summer.

TheWashington Post mentioned Thursday that Freeman gave a presentation of data from his book in October at the Philadephia chapter of the American Statistical Association. Among the problems he found in elections, none of which come as a surprise to my long time readers, were:

• Election software is kept secret, while gambling software is required to be kept on file with the state.
• State inspectors spot check gambling machines to ensure their software and computer chips haven’t been tampered with. Nobody knows what software or chips are in election machines, or whether they’re the right ones, and the vendors don’t care.
• Software programmers for gambling software must undergo background checks, while programmers for election software could be anybody, even convicted felons.
• Gambling equipment is tested and certified by disinterested third parties, while election equipment is tested and certified by companies in bed with the election equipment vendors.
• And finally, if someone thinks a Las Vegas slot machine cheated them, there’s a 24 hour hotline they can call and someone will be out to check that machine. If you think the ballot box cheated you, there’s nothing you can do.

Again, none of these were very surprising if you’ve been following the fallout from the 2004 election closely. But if you haven’t, prepare to be shocked. And by the way, there’s a lot more money to be made rigging an election than by rigging a slot machine.