These tweets are from Col. Morris Davis, the former Chief Prosecutor at Gitmo, on how things went for him today as he was trying to vote in Virginia…
Took 4 tries to vote for McCauliffe. I'd touch his name but it would mark Cuccinelli. Had to touch above the name to get mark in right box.
— Col. Morris Davis (@ColMorrisDavis) November 5, 2013
Voting prob: Screen had McAuliffe w/aspirin size bubble then Cuccinelli. 3x touched M, checked C. 4th touched very top of bubble & got M.
— Col. Morris Davis (@ColMorrisDavis) November 5, 2013
In another tweet, Davis notes that he “voted in Buckland Precinct in Prince William County, Virginia,” and then noted to others that he “Hope[s] voters will double check their ballots before pushing submit to make sure they’re right.”
Good advice, of course. But, unfortunately, given the 100% unverifiable touch-screen voting systems used in Prince William County (and across much of Virginia and most of New Jersey), even checking the onscreen “ballot” for accuracy is no guarantee that the vote will be counted accurately, or even at all, unfortunately.
The same is true on systems that have so-called “paper trails” that print out for voters to examine before “casting” them. (On those systems, the “Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail” or VVPAT, is largely to make the voter feel better, somehow. In truth, those “paper trails” are almost never actually tallied. The internal computer numbers are used instead. And, even if the VVPATs were to be tallied by humans, there would be no way to know for certain that they actually reflect the intent of any voter.)
For the record, Prince William County uses touch-screen systems made by Sequoia Voting Systems, which is now owned by the Canadian firm Dominion Voting. To get an idea of the many problems and concerns over the years with Sequoia touch-screen systems, see this article detailing the day that Barack Obama early voted on one of them in Chicago last year. Those are also the same systems which managed to flip Oprah Winfrey’s Presidential vote back in 2008. (The Obama piece also includes links to our articles detailing things such as Sequoia’s “yellow button” on the back of each touch-screen system which, if pressed correctly, as an election official explained to us back in 2006, allows a voter to “vote as many times as you want. You won’t ever have to stop until someone physically restrains you from voting.”)
[Update: VA voter David Hutchinson reports similar problems with touch-screen flips today in BRAD BLOG comments below.]
Want to maximize the possibility that your vote will be counted and counted accurately? Try to vote on a hand-marked paper ballot where available. We were told today that, for the first time, some locations in Virginia are allowing voters to vote on paper if they like, though Charlottesville, VA voter David Swanson reports than when he voted at the precinct today, “Most people chose not to.”
Of course, paper ballots are also almost always tallied by computers, instead of humans, so those are causing big problems for voters as well today…
In New York, for example, the Post is reporting that “Many of the city’s ‘optical-scan’ voting machines were reported broken – or simply would not boot up – on Tuesday morning, forcing voters to toss paper ballots into overflowing baskets, according to frustrated Twitter posts.” The Gothamist confirms that report with Tweets from all over the city complaining of scanners malfunctioning. “At PS 32 in Carroll Gardens this morning, Awl co-founder Choire Sicha reported a wait time of 20-30 minutes because of malfunctioning scanning machines,” they report.
Many of New York state’s systems are also manufactured by Sequoia/Dominion, though the city itself uses systems made by ES&S, the nation’s largest e-voting company, and one with its own long and storied history of failure and inaccurate counting. (See a brief history of ES&S failures here.)
We’ve got some more tips on how to avoid problems or report them if they happen, right here. Those tips are from last November, but still largely on point for those of you trying to vote around the country today.
Finally, for now, here again is our short animated video from 2010 — unfortunately, it’s still accurate as well — explaining why it’s important to vote on a paper ballot however possible, if you want to try and maximize the possibility of your vote actually being recorded accurately…
Virginia again. Just sent this account to Wonkette, because my search included “report voting machine problems” and their request came up. I touched Northam for lieutenant governor, but on my summary page the machine indicated I had chosen E.W. Jackson. To the best of my memory, the first time I went back and changed it, with my choice “Northam” showing clearly, the summary page still showed Jackson. In one of these retries (at least 3) I forgot I had to undo the “X” in front of Jackson. But at least twice I went back and changed it to Northam on the lieutenant governor options page WITH THE “X” UNMISTAKEABLY REPLACED IN FRONT OF NORTHAM; and for sure both times my summary showed I’d chosen Jackson. On my last try I was incredulous. Could not believe it! One poll worker said she wasn’t allowed to look at the process. Another one did, and he advised it might not work if you hit the choice box directly, but hitting it a little above the box might. The latter method was how we got Northam for lieutenant governor on my summary page.
While your work here is important and I know why you make this about paper ballots — that is not actually where elections are being stolen — its in the tabulation of ballots regardless of how they were cast (though there are issues with touch-screen, as you correctly point out).
And Karl Rove has his fingerprints on ALL of the election fraud that can be documented and statisitically demonstrated since 1988 — remember — rove was a George Herbert WALKER Bush man since 1980!
Anna Minity said @ 2:
You may not have read my article above in full? Or my hundreds of articles on exactly those concerns over the years? I suspect few, if any, outlets have reported on concerns about tabulation more than we have here. For the moment, however, on Election Day, if there is a chance of being able to count votes accurately, and in a way that the citizenry can know they’ve been counted accurately, it’ll have to start with a hand-marked paper ballot.
Today’s article focuses on that (though it is not exclusively on that.) So I hope you’ll read it in full, or go back and read it a bit slower 🙂
Rove has plenty to answer for (including not just fraud, but massive voter suppression). But to suggest he is responsible for “ALL of the election fraud” since 1988 is kinda silly. There is plenty of nefariousness and failure to go around, frankly.
We all know you think you are a blogging GOD, but your response, as usualy, is abusive and off-target.
You will be an effective voice in election integrity when you learn to play respectfully with others — as your attacks above show — this has yet to happen.
Oh — and brad — outside of showboating and disrepsecting the folks that are doing the heavy lifting here, what have YOU done but right silly posts that somehow casting your vote on paper protects from election fraud.
I have it from the folks that actually take meaningful action that you are of no help to them at all nor will you even acknowledge their work.
This was put up a few hours ago, to get people over here to your site to read abt the voting “snafus.”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014640377
It is on the Latst Breaking News page on DU. If you want to, Brad, feel free to post on the General discussion page.
Ho hum. Another virtual election conducted on 100% unverifiable touch screens and the easily manipulated op-scans, sans counting of paper ballots, and another opportunity to pose the never answered question from Pete Seeger’s, Where Have All the Flowers Gone:
“When will they ever learn?”
As long as unverifiable, easily hacked voting systems are used, my days of voting are done. I have, however, sighted in my rifles and over the past generation of wholesale looting of public funds by a bipartisan political RICO enterprise I know well who my enemies are.
Brad Blog is the only web site that consistently covers all typres of election tampering, from touch screen voting to the Black Box tabulators. It’s always the messenger who gets attacked and as we fight amongst ourselves, elections are stolen. The early returns in VA look to be another “surprise” win for the GOP despite pre-election and exit polls telling a different will of the voters. Brad, thanks for fighting the uphill battle. A financial contribution is headed your way.
Sigh…The anonymous “Anna Minity” said @ 5 and 6…
I must have missed the “abusive” part. But how is it off-target??
Okay. What “attacks”?
Not sure I’ve ever argued that “paper protects from election fraud”. Though, without paper, it is strictly 100% impossible to know that any vote has ever been tallied accurately. As to “disrespecting the folks that are doing the heavy lifting here”, I’m not sure what that’s about either. Given the massive number of EI folks I’ve worked over the years, and still do, it’s a strange case for you to make.
That you are writing from Wisconsin makes the case all the stranger, given our coverage of election concerns in that state.
Oh. Okey dokey. Thanks for your thoughts, though! (Is that an “attack” as well? Sigh…)
Carol Sterritt-Frost @ 6:
Thanks much for that! Much appreciated, as ever!
Paul said @ 9:
Thanks much, both for the kind words and the support!
“Ana minnity”, courageously posting anonymously, bravely asserts that the path to true election integrity is through respect for those doing the real work.
And who might that be, “Ana”? Do tell.
From a political perspective I suppose most progressives will see what appears to be a narrow Terry McAuliff victory as a good thing.
From an election integrity perspective, not so much. As happened with respect to the 2008 and 2012 Obama victories, I expect that most Democrats will simply shrug their shoulders over touch screen horror stories, and mistakenly assume that all is well.
When, if ever, will people come to understand that election integrity is not based upon whether a Democrat or a Republican prevails in a given race but upon the knowledge that the officially declared winner actually received the most votes–knowledge that can only be attained through the transparency that only hand marked paper ballots, publicly tallied at each precinct can provide?
Ernest, you are somewhere over 90% right on everything you wrote up there in comment #14. A Pub could have gotten in yesterday through a process having integrity; but IMO the leadership’s specious propaganda (in these times, in such a case yesterday) used to convince the polity supporting them…would most certainly have lacked integrity.
I’m not shrugging my shoulders, though you’re right IMO that most Dems will. The narrowness is awesomely humbling and frightening [whether due to accurate counting or some hacking modality that visits or roves about (toggles) wherever and whenever at will]. It should motivate me to speak out against Pub propaganda and bagger propaganda more than I have before.
I can’t write code, but the “how” of the hacking that has gone on, and that might still be going on, I find an interesting subject. From what I read about 2000 (mainly Greg Pallast) I came away with my own (if memory serves) speculation: the firm hired to ostensibly purge unentitled FL citizens [by their law] utilized a program that purged names that were, say 51% and up more prevalent among Afro-Americans…precinct by precinct. I don’t think that’s what Pallast was implying, or, whether he was or not, I remember this speculation as being my own. And, Brad, I wouldn’t want to take up too much of your time, but if you could remind me or inform me as to what was the more likely mechanism (or why this theory of mine isn’t plausible) I’d appreciate it!
Anna Minity @4 and 5,
That was the rudest, most gratuitous, over-the-top, projected bullshit I’ve seen in a long time.
If that’s a typical example of your “heavy lifting,” please go do it somewhere else.
And maybe look in a mirror while you’re at it.
The Attorney General race in Virginia looks like a dead heat. Both sides are talking about a “recount”. Wonder how anyone’s gonna do that.
Despite all of the above reporting and observation, at least one tea party group is whining to the press about “Democrat” vote fraud being responsible for Ken the C’s loss. More likely, one suspects, is that “Republic” vote suppression and vote tampering didn’t go far enough in preventing votes for the other guy. Col. Davis’ anecdote is straight out of that “Simpsons” episode from a few years back wherein Homer tries to vote for Obama and the machine keeps choosing McCain.
Yes, Ron, I see your point, or your conjecture. When I was reading a fair amount about tampering after the 2000 pres election I got the impression that tampering could be turned on and off depending on successive estimates and/or intensified at whatever weakest links…as too much tampering runs too much risk. Perhaps this is the way things went even before any electronic equipment was involved. But my opinion is that paper is MUCH more trustworthy. You have to have poll workers who trust one another with paper…that’s all. But contracter logic seems to be that that “difficult” chore (work) can be elminated by lucrative hi-tech contracts (like palm readers for kids in school lunch lines for another example). THE PEOPLE need to speak out against efficiency really and truly getting replaced by this errant mimetic trend in thinking. In reality it supports more and more sweetheart deal scams (which in the case of voting machines could provide, at worst, levers to disenfranchize the polity). Meanwhile all the Pub talk is that only Dems are over reliant on gov handouts.