Guest Blogged by John Gideon
“Congress today heard alarming testimony on the threat of electronic voting machines and experts at the hearing testified that e-voting machines are vulnerable to tampering, outright fraud, and political manipulation. They also testified it’s uncertain whether the votes of millions of Americans will count on election day,” said Lou Dobbs at the top of yesterday’s report.
Thursday’s Lou Dobb’s Tonight Democracy at Risk segment centered on a hearing before the House Administration Committee yesterday where experts told the committee about the possibility of tampering, fraud, or political manipulation.
Dobbs closed with: “I think, we’re at the point…that this country [has] got to start thinking about going to paper ballots because these machines — it’s obvious. The training is not there. The backup, the lack of a paper trail. If there is a close election anywhere in this country, we’re in deep, deep trouble.”
Princeton University’s Ed Felten was on hand among those testifying to demonstrate his Diebold Virus Hack originally reported by Brad the week before last. Here’s a taste:
Opening up this door, putting in a memory card like this, into the side of the machine. The memory card would have been prepared in advance with the computer virus on it. Then pressing the red power button and waiting about 30 seconds.
PILGRIM: The committee clearly need no additional evidence that the computer could be effectively hacked.
The text-transcript of Thursday’s segment on Lou Dobbs Tonight follows in full…
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT, LOU DOBBS TONIGHT (voice over): The hearing is focused on how insecure the technology is, featuring a demonstration of how quickly a machine could be hacked.
PROF. EDWARD FELTEN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: It takes about one minute of access to the machine. And I can show you roughly what would be involved. It would involve opening the door on the side of the machine, which would require getting a key, as I said, those are for sale on the Internet. There may be some security tape that would need to be removed and might be missing already.
Opening up this door, putting in a memory card like this, into the side of the machine. The memory card would have been prepared in advance with the computer virus on it. Then pressing the red power button and waiting about 30 seconds.
PILGRIM: The committee clearly need no additional evidence that the computer could be effectively hacked.
BARBARA SIMONS, U.S. PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE: Because of the risks of software bugs, malicious code, or computer failure, we cannot trust that the results in a paperless voting machine accurately reflect the will of the voters. That is why voter verified paper ballots or audit trials, or VPATs, as we refer to them, are needed.
PILGRIM: In many primaries the deficiency of the machines and the inadequate preparation of the poll workers who run them was evident. Testimony about review of the recent Ohio primary was chilling.
KEITH CUNNINGHAM, ELECTION DIR., ALLEN COUNTY, OHIO: Nearly 17 percent of those tapes showed a vote discrepancy of one to five votes from the electronic machine. And nearly 10 percent of those tapes were either destroyed, blank, missing, taped together, or in some other way compromised.
PILGRIM: Some say the machines can be made secure and flaws repaired in time for the November election. But experts caution just jerryrigging a paper trail attachment is dangerous.
PROF. MICHAEL SHAMOS, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY: It should be obvious that adding a new device with moving mechanical parts to an existing electronic machine cannot improve its reliability.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now, the legislation considered by the House committee calls for a voter verified paper trail on every electronic voting machine. Another bill, by Senator Boxer, provides financial reimbursement for the states to help pay for backup paper ballots.
DOBBS: I think, we’re at the point, it looks to me, Kitty, that this country is, as Senator Dorgan, or Congressman Holt have suggested, I mean, we’ve got to start thinking about going to paper ballots because these machines — it’s obvious. The training is not there. The backup, the lack of a paper trail. If there is a close election anywhere in this country, we’re in deep, deep trouble.
PILGRIM: It’s very clear. And the technology’s just been put in too fast. It’s not understood and it’s definitely not understood at the local level, which is the most important level when you have an election.
DOBBS: And unfortunately, nearly all of the knowledge on these machines is held by the companies that manufacture them. And that does not make me, for one, and I’m sure millions of others very comfortable.
Kitty, thank you. Keep up this terrific reporting on this very scary proposition. Kitty Pilgrim.
For some strange reason I don’t trust Dobbs. I feel he is setting up a defense for the Republicans if they should lose. I don’t trust any of them, not even my own Democratic Senator (Bill Nelson, FL) I’m still trying to figure out how I can vote against him without helping Harris out. I just can’t vote for him after he voted for torture. I wish we had a third party that could win. 🙁
All the suspected fraud across the country has favored the republicans in every election. The democrats can’t organize a picnic, let alone election fraud. If there is fraud, it’s GOP fraud. If only the democrats could get it together enough, at least we could have dueling fraud.
Xargaw #2,
“…The democrats can’t organize a picnic…” Gotta disagree with you there. We’re always hearing “the dems don’t have a plan”, “the dems are in disarray”, “the dems are this, the dems are that” …..all fostered & deliberately repeated by republicans. All bullshit, imho.
Our media are bought and/or threatened, again imho, into complicity with the neocons: we hear it, read it & repeat it too. There are bad apples among the dems for sure, & dems who are more republican than some republicans (could you BE more republican than zell miller??!), but I think there are more good than bad. I hope so anyway.
The dems have plenty of plans, plenty of good ideas, but no consistent venue for their voice. WE have to be their voice. Like the Bradblog bumper sticker says: BE THE MEDIA.
DOBBS: And unfortunately, nearly all of the knowledge on these machines is held by the companies that manufacture them. And that does not make me, for one, and I’m sure millions of others very comfortable.
Is this a round about way of talking about the secret software. I wish they would just come out with it! That is the thing that scares the crap out of anybody who knows it!
Lisa B #1
I’m with you as far as trusting Dobbs. Mark Crispin Miller has been talking about how the Repubs will deal with any close losses in November —
The following is an excerpt from a transcript of an interview ms in la at CCN (Clark Community Network) conducted with MCM in August of this year.
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7997
~ snip ~
Mark Crispin Miller: — it sounds pure Orwell, but of course, that’s what they always do””They will basically “swift boat” Democrats by charging them with the very crimes that the Republicans themselves have long since perfected.
And let’s not, you know, let’s never underestimate how… how low they will go to make their case. It’s true that Lou Dobbs has spent a lot of time, you know, I mean a laudable amount of time dealing with the problem of the voting machines. However, Lou Dobbs is driven primarily by one thing, and that’s his…xenophobia.
I predict that it will all come down to the Sequoia machines. Sequoia, for your listeners here, is the smallest of the three top manufacturers of DRE machines, it’s nowhere near as big as Diebold or ES&S, and it’s been no more pro-Democratic than either of those other two. All three companies have basically done service for the Republicans in the last several elections. However those are the facts and the facts don’t matter in a propaganda campaign. Sequoia is now owned by a Venezuelan company.
MSinla: –Smartmatic out of Boca Raton. Some of those dots they’ve connected a little too closely. They’re trying to connect it right to Chavez’s inner core, and it’s a bit of a leap.””
MCM: Oh, it’s a bit of a leap, if we’re going to remain in the realm of the factual. You know, we would note that Chavez uses Sequoia machines, and I think he shouldn’t””
MS: Well, he used to use ESS machines, if you recall, he had to stop his election in the middle because of the errors””ESS out of Nebraska””an American company which we “kindly” donated to him to use… And he had to fly people down to Nebraska to bring their technicians back to Venezuela to fix the machines. And had a judge stop the election in the middle””it was unprecedented. And the machines were repaired, and he of course won by a landslide.
MCM: Right, right, right. The point is, my reply to this is””if Chavez uses them… it’s wrong. You know, you shouldn’t use computerized machines no matter who makes them, I don’t trust him anymore than I trust Bush! But the point here is that…. that fact–, that a Venezuela concern now owns Sequoia machines… believe me, that is more than enough to suffice the propagandists of the right who will set up this hysterical fantasy of Chavez, Jesse Jackson and John Conyers… and Bobby Kennedy Jr.,and Hillary Clinton””
Read entire transcript of the interview at ms in la’s blog at CCN — WesPAC–Securing America
(You can also listen to the interviews on ClarkCast 021 of August 15, and ClarkCast 022 of August 20, although the entire interview didn’t fit in the time constraint. That’s why ms in la put the text-transcript at her blog.
Dr. David Dill and Senator Debra Bowen were also interviewed on these ClarkCasts.
http://securingamerica.com/node/1143)
Jen #5
I am so glad I’m not the only one thinking like that. Thanks for the article. These people (Republicans, Dobbs, Bush, Cheney, and Rove ect”¦..) have criminal minds, and so to beat them, we need to venture into the minds of criminals and find out, to what extent they will go. I have no doubt that they will do anything and everything. These criminals are driving this country to fascism just so they can stay in power.
Folks,
I guess I need to point out that Dobbs is getting a lot of assistance from the activist community as far as story ideas and information on those stories.
I totally disagree with a lot of Dobbs’ ideas on a whole lot of issues but he has been more than fair, almost biased on this issue.
John Gideon #7
But, IS he being fair, so when the Republicans lose he can use us to prove the votes are rigged. You see what I’m trying to say? I wish I didn’t think like that, but these people have made me so suspicious of anything they do. I don’t know if I will ever be able to trust the media or any republican ever again. I hope I’m SO WRONG.
Indeed, Mr. Dobbs has been covering things about voting fraud that nobody else has touched. If we seem skeptical around here, it’s because we have been tricked by Republicans and even Democrats many times.