Earlier this evening, I heard Mark Crispin Miller as the guest on Air America’s Majority Report discussing the Busby/Bilbray election fiasco with whoever was guest hosting tonight (sorry I missed the name.) As well, I’m told that Lara Flanders covered the issue on Air America as well tonight while guest hosting for Mike Malloy (I believe both Mimi Kennedy and Jeeni Criscenzo were her guests.)
But the largest media outlet to cover the story that we originally broke back on June 7th — and who still failed to invite me as a guest…am I hard to reach? — was Lou Dobbs on CNN.
Tonight, Dobbs covered the threat to democracy posed by the Voting Machine Sleepovers that we’ve been reporting on here since the Busby/Bilbray election was run on highly-hackable Diebold voting machines which were sent home overnight with poll workers for days and weeks prior to the election in contravention of both state and federal rules and laws.
One of our sources, San Diego Poll Worker Patti Newton, who we had helped CNN’s producers get in touch with, is interviewed in tonight’s report. Newton shows, on camera, the location of the “secure storage” she provided (her garage, near the paints) for the voting machines given to her for use in the “bellweather” Busby/Bilbray U.S. House Special Election a full week prior to the Election Day on June 6th. We originally posted some of Patti’s story in our report back on June 8th.
Tonight Dobbs and reporter Kitty Pilgrim discussed “the threat to American democracy from within,” the lack of security for e-voting machines and described them as “incredibly vulnerable to fraud, tampering, hacking and theft.”
Here’s a QuickTime video of Dobbs’ report, courtesy of BRAD BLOG reader, Tab B. UPDATE: Here are faster streaming versions of the video courtesy of David Edwards…
Video in Streaming Flash format…
Video in Windows Media format…
The full text transcript from Dobbs’ report tonight follows below. It’s short! Please read it!…
…
Coming up next here, our democracy at risk, the electronic voting machines that are playing a critical part in our upcoming elections. Just about a third of those elections will be decided by electronic voting, although they’re incredibly vulnerable to fraud, tampering, hacking and theft. We’ll have that special report.
…
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: … In the upcoming midterm congressional elections, a little more than four months from now, a third of the nation will be casting ballots on electronic voting machines. Tonight, new questions about the extraordinary lack of security that results from the use of these machines. Kitty Pilgrim reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In San Diego county Patti Newton volunteered as an election worker in the June 6th primary. After her training class for electronic voting machines, she got the surprise of her life.
PATTI NEWTON, FORMER POLL WORKER: We were given slips of papers, had them stamped by one of the staff members and we were directed to drive across to the parking lot to pick up our voting machines and take them home. We all felt an ominous kind of responsibility. It was not something that we were told we would be doing.
PILGRIM: She stored the electronic voting machine here, on the floor of her garage for seven days until the election. According to Vote Trust USA, states with so-called sleepovers for electronics voting machines are California, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Florida, but certain counties in other states do it also. Voter activists say while millions have been spent buying the machines, counties don’t have the budgets for storing them or delivering them on election day.
SUSAN PYNCHON, FLORIDA FAIR ELECTIONS COALITION: Each jurisdiction has been given money through the Help America Vote Act to purchase the machines, but many of these jurisdictions are strapped when it comes to trying to maintain them, already, and to have this some huge delivery charge on top of that, that money comes directly out of the local taxpayers’ pockets.
PILGRIM: In Florida the Volusia County Department of Elections manual makes it official, “Pick up the voting equipment and ballots at your designated pick-up site prior to the day of the election. As soon as the items are picked up, they must be stored in a secure place.” But on March 5th in Dallas County, a 14-pound electronic voting machine was stolen from the home of an election judge. Today the Dallas sheriff’s office told us the voting machine has still not been recovered.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now, voter activists say this simply reinforces the argument that the only real way to make sure that the machines haven’t been tampered with is to have a paper trail record of the machine on election day, so if there are any questions the machine can be audited. Lou?
DOBBS: What are…So often I say, what in the world are we thinking about in this country?
PILGRIM: It’s pretty mind-boggling when you start to look at this, that these machines would be in private homes.
DOBBS: What are the companies that make and run and maintain these machines saying?
PILGRIM: They basically made the sale and say they should be secured. But, the definition of secured, as we have just proven is a little bit nebulous.
DOBBS: I think nebulous is a very kind word for it. I mean, this is enough to scare the dickens out of anybody.
PILGRIM: Yes.
DOBBS: Kitty thank you very much, Kitty Pilgrim.
Lou Dobbs
Exactly why it is not such a stretch to consider that the 2004 and 2000 elections were subverted (link here).
The Orwell book 1984 focused on a time that had very active spate of warnings of electronic election machines being used to facilitate a modern, different, but nevertheless real dictatorship (link here, and here).
Now daze the MSM in general has had a blackout, a boycott, of news relating to electronic voting machine insecurity.
For a long, long time.
The new revelations, even tho 2 decades late perhaps, are welcome.
It is never too late to take back democracy from the republican dictatorship … is it?
Even tho they are watching (link here)?
Watching what we read at libraries, our financial records, our medical records, our email, our phone calls, and even our voting habits?
Big Brother is a republican.
Brad, this is truly outstanding work.
My sincere thanks, my friend.
John
Not much of a story, it was quick.
DOBBS: And the threat to American democracy from within. Electronic voting machines, they can be rigged to erase your vote, so who’s guarding the machines?
intro DOBBS to CLINTON CURTIS !
Sleepovers!
I love that characterization!
If all Brad Blog aficionados would email Lou Dobbs to thank him for taking this subject seriously, I believe it would reinforce his current efforts.
The Lou Dobbs contact page is at:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?9
Email him at: LouDobbs@cnn.com
Arlene Montemarano #6
Done. Thanks for the link.
“Mommy, can I sleep over at Susie’s house tonight?”
“O.K. But are you sure Susie’s mom knows about it?”
“Oh, yes. Mommy. And she told us we could sleep in the playroom, next to the election machine.”
“What election machine, dear?”
“The one they’re using to vote for Congress next week.”
“What’s it doing at Susie’s house, Jennifer?”
“I don’t know. But we watched Susie’s dad and brother fooling around inside it yesterday. They didn’t know we were watching. It didn’t look honest to me, Mommy. It’s a voting machine. People shouldn’t fool with it.”
“Don’t be a moonbat, Jennifer.”
Rush L has been firming up his politic, but after the sleep over he got caught at the border:
(link here, bold added).
Word is that The Dick (apologies to The Donald) is not very happy about him being outed.
We need to get Brad and/or Bev Harris on Lou Dobbs. Why isn’t this happening? I just emailed Lou Dobbs.
Brad, don’t you have an agent trying like heck to book you on Lou Dobbs WHILE HE’S TALKING ABOUT THIS?
They’re breaking every law in the book. Sleepovers with the e-vote machines, punching votes for people, etc… What the hell is going on???????? They’re actually being BLATANT about it now, because nobody’s f***ing doing anything about it!!!
Only Republicans put up roadblocs to voting. The ONLY party that does so. Anything EVER introduced to make voting HARDER, is introduced by the REPUBLICANS!!!
Everyone EXCEPT the Republicans are trying to make voting EASIER!!!!!!!! They know the only way they can win is by fraud, fraud on e-vote machines made by their donors, disenfranchising voters, and setting up roadblocks to make voting harder.
THE LESS PEOPLE WHO VOTE, THE BETTER FOR REPUBLICANS!!!
Photo ID, lack of enough voting machines in Dem precincts causing long lines, purging voter registrations (Florida Jeb Bush), sending out false voting instructions, 3 million challenges of minority voters, etc…….
Brad:
It seems that this (usually ultraconservative) commentator just may be the next Keith Olbermann. (If you recall, you reported that only Mr. Olbermann actually understood what TRULY happened after the 2004 elections.)
But, Mmiixx is correct. Both you AND Mr. Curtis need to get booked on his show ASAP!!!
I HOPE TO SEE LOU GET ON THE ISSUE THE SAME WAY HE HAS OUT SOURCING OUR JOBS. HE’S LIKE A DOG WITH A BONE. (BOTH PARTIES WATCH HIM. ) FOR MONTHS I’VE BEEN E-MAILING HIM OVER THIS. SENDING BRAD’S REPORTS TO HIM. LETS ALL THANK HIM, AND SEND REPORTS. I THINK IT’LL KEEP HIM GOING , AND CHECKING INTO OTHER AREA’S OF FRAUD. FINGERS CROSSED IN OHIO.
Keep at Lou, everybody. I watched this last P.M. and he wasn’t hot enough, steamed enough, by a long shot. And can he ever generate steam when he gets worked up!
I have been emailing Lou Dobbs almost every day since he started covering this issue, and I did again today. I think our emails are encouraging him to stay on the case. Today I told him that, given the urgency of the situation, he should now be leading every broadcast with this issue. I hope he listens.
Please email him. Thank you.
How about a “round-table” on Lou, with Brad, Bev, & Clint? Would that be off the charts??????
btw, we need Brad to open up a thread on Limboob…PULEEEEZZZZZZ, PRETTY PULEEEEEEZZZZ, BRAD…………..
PRETTY PULEEZZZZ…WITH VIAGARA ON TOP????????
PRETTY PULEEZZZZ”¦WITH VIAGARA ON TOP????????
Dang, I thought you were supposed to eat the pills. NOW you tell me!
Living in CA, I heard about this a year ago on Democracy Now! This is stunning! Personally, if I were instructed to take an e-voting machine ‘home’, I would never have done it-this simply reeks of illegality.
Brad
I’ve heard you say that many machines can be compromised by hacking just one of them. I remember reading this in one of BBV’s reports also.
If this is true it needs to be hammered home to everyone because that next argument from Diebold apologists will be “Yeah its possible to compromise a few machines but that won’t make much difference. It would be impossible to hack enough machines to change the outcome.” – if the rebubs win by enough.
Off Topic
But is this sick or what? “Congressman tells House fear of rape, beatings by
Nat Guard is winning the ‘war’ on illegal immigration”
BB2 — That man sounds very confused to me.
Remember Alaska dems. wanting to see ’04 electon results. They were told they had to pay for the information to be manipulated. Old repub. manuever , blame the victim…make them pay for being a victim. Way of shutting them up. WE shouldn’t have to pay for recounts!
#6 Arlene,
Thanks for the Lou Dobbs email link. I sent him a second message, thanking him for staying on the issue & asking him to have Brad on the show.
Lou is covering the machines as I write this.
Tune in……
Big Dan #19-#21
These sleep overs with Rush and Viagra and all could lead to some pregnant chads … oops … and then a constitutional amendment against gay election machines …
Lou covering it again, RIGHT NOW! Go answer his poll at http://www.loudobbs.com
Now we know what that “tapping” is, on the Rush Limboob show.
Sorry, I digress……
It’s very good when Lou Dobbs is on your side. He will not stop, he’s relentless (see “broken borders”).
Big Dan claimed that the GOP puts up roadblocks to make voting more difficult. I don’t see it that way. Republicans make voting fair by setting up standards that prevent people from cheating.
How does a photo ID make a “roadblock”? Everyone has a photo ID … EVERYONE!! It is impossible to live in America w/o a photo ID. Can’t buy beer, can’t cash a check (even at a liquor store). Think about it, do you know anyone who doesn’t have a photo ID? I have never known anyone who doesn’t have a photo ID. (SO THE PHOTO ID LAW TO VOTE WON’T STOP ANYONE FROM VOTING)
Also, I keep hearing how Ohio was rigged in 2004 by Diebold and their e-voting machines. Well, here are the facts about e-voting in Ohio during the 2004 election. Ohio has 88 counties … and only 20 counties used e-voting machines. 68 counties used the punch ballot machines.
Diebold machines were only used in (2) counties for Ohio, Lucas & Hardin County.
HERE IS THE BREAKDOWN:
Election Systems and Software, Inc. (ES&S) ~ Allen, Hancock, Auglaize, Miami, Clermont, Washington, Coshocton, Ashland, Mahoning, Geauga, Erie, Sandusky, Ottawa County
Danaher Controls (Danaher Guardian) ~ Franklin County
Sequoia Voting Systems, Inc. ~ Lake County
MicroVote General Corporation ~ Pickaway, Ross, Knox County
Diebold Election Systems ~ Lucas & Hardin County
HERE IS THE LINK:
http://verifiedvoting.org/verif...ic_string=5std
Buckeye Fan
This site is loaded with material that can help you clear your head. I know it’s hard to keep up with the facts, because they are not given out by the mainstream, and, worse, right wing media out and out lie about the facts, but you have arrived at a great resource for great information. If it was not your purpose to mislead readers of this thread, you should know that there are links to important, true, verifiable FACTS all over the front page of BradBlog. I couple minutes following the links will give you a whole new outlook.
If your purpose was to mislead, are you ever going to get tired of it?
#26 Molly… Last I read alaska was to get the 2004 results, then they said no, it’s against the law, or results are the property of e-vote machine co. Never read that they got to see the results. One more thing that should be a big deal, and isen’t ! Like how exit polls count in the Ukraine, but not here .
Donna #36
Here’s an update on Alaska Democrats File Lawsuit To Get 2004 Election Records
This is pretty amazing — we’re getting Rolling Stone and Lou Dobbs covering these issues — and still the majority of the media refuses to pick the story up (because they’ve been ordered not to.) How can we ever overcome restore freedom in America when the NeoCons control the media? Really, the only option seems to be a well-financed start-up truth-telling media company. Someone like Ted Turner to start it up. Otherwise, crap, we’re dead meat. Plans are already underway to have the internet controlled by NeoCon-complicit AT&T, which means blogs like this one may be history. (On a side note, remember 25 years ago when AT&T got broken up into all the baby bells? They’re back.)
After the rigged elections are over in November, know what Bush is going to do? That’s right, take away social security. He actually admitted it this week. He doesn’t even care to lie about it any more! It’s not like the people can do anything about it, right? Well, okay, he did lie about it, in the guise of “saving” social security.
We can keep getting the word out all we want to, but at some point, the workers are going to have to seize the means of production. The people will have to rise up. That means we will have to get our hands dirty, folks. Get ready for it…
For our old friend “Buckeye Fan” (apparently here under a new name).
No, everyone does not have a photo idea. Some 10 to 30 million Americans actually.
That said, when Ohio requires a photo ID for Absentee and Military voting, we can talk. Otherwise, I look forward to rampage demanding Photo ID be used for absentee and military folks. Guess I’ll be waiting a while for that. Either way, that makes the law unfair on it’s face, of course. In addition to the fact that it will disenfranchise millions.
But keep up the misleading and disinfo! Apparently America ain’t buying it anymore.
big dan #18
You said:
“How about a “round-table” on Lou, with Brad, Bev, & Clint? Would that be off the charts??????”
You could even balance things out with John Fund and Ronald McDonald!
I’m sorry, Ronald, that wasn’t called for!
All, I want Ronnie Dugger on that panel, he has been covering this since I was in High school
Link
Brad, switch the two first letters of the (B)uck eye (F)an around, then do it 😉
Well, maybe not since High School
(I guess I’m older than I’d like to admit to myself) 🙁
Floridiot #41
I emailed this to Dugger:
Hey, the only way to go now is up to the people.
BLUEBEAR 2 Thanks, reading that only makes me more sick over how twisted all this is. (Alaska trying to get results from 2004 election, still ) In a real world the news would be all over this. America fell down the rabbit hole ! Too bad nothing is called Bill or Monica so the msm could plaster it in headlines… daily… for a couple years !!! Thank you Brad, the first place I go every morning. You give me hope!
Dredd, hope he does show some interest, that would be great !!!
Buckeye Fan, this statement “Everyone has a photo ID “¦ EVERYONE!!” is false. The entire paragraph is therefore invalid and your logic flawed.
I only had a photo ID at 16 because I had a driver’s liscense. I’ve met a LOT of people who NEVER HAVE HAD A DL.. Some people as old as 70 and NEVER had a DL. The alternative is a “state photo ID”, and if you don’t drink you don’t have a need for one.. The only bit that comes into play is the “cash checks” bit, but you CAN cash checks with “id”, it does NOT have to be “photo id”. If you are on welfare and can’t afford a car (no DL), you CAN cash your checks at your bank or grocery store WITHOUT PHOTO ID.. you just need ID. Just like voting TODAY.. you need ID.. various forms are ACCEPTABLE.
Your assertions that “everyone has photo id” is bullshit. While a LOT of people have one, probably MOST people, we’re talking about potentially TENS MILLIONS of voters that DO NOT. Until you are willing to travel door to door and give out FREE Photo IDs, the issue is moot. Forcing those without photo IDs to get them is unreasonable. Just because YOU might have time to wait in lines for hours to get a DL or photo ID to cash checks with doesn’t mean everyone does.
“and only 20 counties used e-voting machines.”
I’ll take your word for that.. But, in case you missed it, ALL E-VOTING MACHINES have MASSIVE problems, and are VERY hackable. Diebold has become the poster child for the “verifiable/transparent voting systems”, but ALL of the electronic systems NEED TO GO. Go look at all the problems in those TWENTY COUNTIES (as you assert), and look at how the Exit Polls were WRONG in EVERY county that used e-voting, but CORRECT EVERYWHERE that PAPER was used.. Once you see that “e-voting is bad” and stop pretending like Ohio wasn’t gamed because diebold was only in 20 counties at the time, come back and chat. Oh, and NOW, Ohio has ALL 88 COUNTIES running electronic machines, right? I don’t think “all” votes are cast on them, but all 88 have the machines and available (to unwitting saps who would use them).
#38 Neoconvict
I understand exactly what you mean.
I recently found there’s a better way to right the wrongs at http://www.gravel2008.us
This new concept called the National Initiative will put law making power back into the hands of the People, & will not allow our ‘esteemed officials’ to roll over the will of the People in contempt like they have for so long.
I’m not yet going so far as to say we should elect Gravel, an ex Democratic senator from Alaska with a good record fighting corruption–but I do believe all Americans need to look at the National Initiative he introduced.
It is a real answer to end the corruption from both parties–all at once. I already voted for it. It deserves a look.
Naturally, both parties are going to condemn it & try & scare people out of it–because it will mean the end of their corrupt reign over the People.
They don’t scare me at all–I trust the People before I trust our ‘esteemed officials’ any day!
It’s impossible to screw things up any worse than the Democrats & the Republicans have done. Shame on them both….We deserve way better than them & we can get it.
Wayne Madsen, for one, likes Gravel & has interesting info about his great record that can be found by putting “Mike Gravel” into Wayne’s search engine & then clicking on the results.
If you don?t have the money to store them & maintain them ? DO NOT buy them!
It?s not rocket science.
WTF ? again WHY, WHY, and WHY are paper ballots not produced????
It?s bull shit. We got to get rid of them. But how?
What can We The People do ? before November 2006!
My daughter is 18, and does not have a photo ID. So, she shouldn’t get to vote?
These e-voting machines are bad news, however they make little difference.
With the “signing statement” having been used over 750 times it matters little who is elected. The “signing statement” is based on the idea of the “unitary executive”, more properly identified by its modern historical name “” the Fà¼hrerprinzip, authored by the Nazi regime’s anointed “Crown Jurist” Carl Schmitt. It forms the core dogma of the ultra-right-wing Federalist Society. With that kind of power the “executive” can do anything he/she chooses, overturn laws ““ elections ““ voting rights ““ civil rights, the list just goes on and on. That is exactly how Hitler took over Germany. History repeats because “the people” are not paying attention.
Lou : What ever happened to common sense,integrity,virtue ect.. – the citizens of this country should demand from their congressmen,that the right to cast their vote be exactly that-THEIR VOTE that cannot be manipulated by electronic hackers or “Florida type” government employees. W.Wood – TEXAS
How’s this for a late response.. 😀
Bet we see the exact same thing happen this November. Dems are showing strong numbers to take the House and Congress back. I bet that doesn’t happen.
When is America going to become angry that the only voice we have is being stolen from us? I know I am pissed as hell! No paper trail? What public company in America would get away with that? Especially after Enron. Isn’t this public with us being the shareholders?? Sorry, corporate America has proven to us that we NEED that paper trail! And, we should be demanding it!
Our country is in so much trouble when the basic tenets of what we were founded on go so far astray. Fraudulent voting. Torture. Lying. Corruption. World aggressors. Our forefathers are spinning in their graves.
Sad. Sad. Sad.