Coding with Fountain Pens

Bruce Schneier has pointed out an interesting analysis of the protocol used to elect the Doge of Venice from 1268 until the 18th century (pdf). It is quite complicated, involving 10 rounds of expanding the college by election and shrinking it by lot. The paper was prompted by research into computer networks that must elect a leader, which is typically done by majority voting. This protocol, however, has some interesting properties which would be of use if some of the computers were not trusted, for instance.