>> I have used many touch screens, and they do not need
>> to be recalibrated once they are working correctly.
Marc, you're wrong.
I own touch screens. Half a dozen of them, to be precise. I use them
to control everything in my home, from lighting to music to a/v gear,
climate control, telephone, security systems, etc.
Calibration on touchpanels is necessary each time you change their
position relative to the user's. For example, the panel in my home
theater is calibrated for someone sitting on the couch. If you try to
use it while standing up, it is more difficult to hit the smaller
buttons due to the new angle.
A very tall person and a very short person would have different
results with a fixed touchpanel based on the calibration. This can be
mediated by using larger buttons on the layout, and spacing them
further apart.
Mobile touchpanels, such as these panels used for voting, should be
re-calibrated each time they are moved to ensure accuracy.
These voting machines piss me off. I could design a bulletproof system
using AMX automation equipment with half my brain removed from my
skull. Why Diebold, etc, has problems with these systems is, quite
frankly, beyond me. If the government wants real touch-screen voting
they need to hire a computer geek, as that's the only way it's going
to be done right. My guess is there are too many illegal activies
going on behind the scenes to allow a decent product to be produced.
Everyone wants to cheat the system. But that's the conspiracy theorist
in me talking.