Guest Blogged by John Gideon
Yesterday the University of Connecticut released a report of the results of a study they did of the Diebold AccuVote Optical Scan voting system the state will be using in the future. This new report, commissioned by the Secretary of State, is as scathing as the recent Princeton Report accomplished on the Diebold TS Direct Recording Electronic machines.
In his blog, Johns-Hopkins University Computer Scientist Avi Rubin says:
“Reading this report was a hair raising experience for me. Diebold has clearly not learned any of the lessons from our 2003 report, and it is startling to see that their optical scan ballot counter is as vulnerable to tampering, vote rigging, and incorrect tabulation as the DRE.”
To which Diebold responded: “So? Whatcha gonna do about it egghead? We’re just going to buy your SoS and Election Boards and install the units anyway. It’s our answer to all those folks who insist on ‘a paper ballot’ and other nonsense.”
Oh wait, they didn’t actually say that out loud — they just thought it to themselves.
The Secretary of State in CT, Susan Bysiewcicz, is under heavy pressure to authorize a voting machine under HAVA. She is running a trial in three communities in CT with optical scan voting machines. The UConn report is a response to that.
I need to know more about Vote-PAD. Can anyone tell me why the California SoS refused to certify that? I want to recommend it to our SoS. Any reason why not?
There’s a group of Indian spirits laughing to tears at the way the white settlers have set up shop to mismanage earth’s resources. After genocide which killed 75% of the native American population, a government was set up “for the people” who live in these United States. Rules changed over the years but now we got the Bushit terrorist propaganda machine and their unverifiable system of electronic elections.
California has an amendment up for vote called the clean drinking water amendment. Like CA voters whose vote doesn’t actually count have to have a vote for clean water or even vote on another wrongheaded amendment to give broad powers to people for screwing up the California environment called prop 90. But who is against clean water? Why big business and other special interest groups/companies who pollute them.
In other words, a government of greedy criminals mismanaging in mock representation of the people need an actual amendment for clean water. Seems like this would be a no brainer without having to pass an actual amendment for this BUT given the fact that the Bushit administration has reversed over 200 environmental laws (always passing the bill with a deceptive name like the clean water act), you need to pass a law like this to save fresh water now.
Laughing Indian spirits don’t think Americans are stupid but that they believe stupid shit and allow themselves to be ruled by murderous lying criminals.
Maybe when i grow up i can fck a brand new truck since from watching TV and being bombarded by auto commercials, i now believe that the ultimate expression of my materialistic happiness and superiority over all other life forms on earth will be fornication with a truck. Screw the planet and Global Warming Climate Change, i’m gonna love my truck because a video coming out of a metal box tells me it makes me feel like a “real” man and it makes me cool. So it must be true and this feeling is more important than any crisis be it Global Warming, Constitution, or the way elected officials steal all elections moving forward. i am a mindless selfish helpless human and i will enjoy publically showing video of me fcking my truck because nothing is sacred to these bastards as long as they stay in power.
yeh right.
Too much is at stake for the “secrecy” of our ballot. I, for one, don’t care who knows who I vote for.
I suggest we send e-mails to ourselves saying who we’ll vote for and how we’ll vote on propositions. Then, print out three sets of copies. One set for each candidate to mail by regular mail (certified mail is preferable because you get a receipt back from the person you send it to). The other set, to keep yourself as a record. The third set to mail to ourselves and keep SEALED.
So, for example, if you live in New York and vote for Clinton, Spitzer, Cuomo, etc. Send yourself 3 separate e-mails: one for Clinton, one for Spitzer, one for Cuomo. (More e-mails, really, if your voting for a Congressperson, Local candidates, etc.)
You should also send an e-mail to the candidate you’ll vote for, so they’ll have an idea of how many voted for them. If they are an encumbent they’ll have they’re e-mail listed at their government website. As would new candidates at their campaing websites.
I think Move-On, True-Majority, etc. should send this idea out to everyone on their lists. We have to spread the word to every blog. We have to hold a “parallel” election oursleves.
For those we know who don’t have computers. Ask them to write a brief note to each candidate that they’re voting for and tell them to include their name and address. Before they mail it, have them photocopy each sheet to keep for themselves as a record.
If any candidate challenges the results of the vote, they can contact us for “affidavits” in which we state we voted for them (in case our e-mails are suffcient for court challenges).
So, there goes the absentee (Opscan) vote. Potentially. I hope to God that Freedman is going to include that and voter disenfranchisement measures in his polling somehow…
Oh, and early voting as well…
Brad, today’s Democracy NOW! on LINK-TV & FSTV, DISH 9410 & 9415, devoted their entire 60 commercial free TV news to electronic machines and vote fraud in Ohio, with Bev Harris of http://www.blackboxvoting.org sitting next to Amy Goodman for the entire broadcast!!!
So, I’ve said before here, the 2 greatest women in America are Amy Goodman and Bev Harris…they were TOGETHER FOR THE WHOLE 60 MINUTES!!!
Grizzly Bear Dancer #3
It’s always burned me up how they advertise these big trucks. They always show the drivers ravaging through the most beautiful places on earth.
I once worked with a nice young guy who must have watched one of these commercials. He had just bought a very expensive. (all the trimmings), brand new truck with huge wheels that put him so high up, he thought he could impress the people at a quiet lake about 60 miles out of town, and drive right through it to the other side.
The lake won that battle, and he had to show up at work the next day wondering how he crap he was going to get this monument to his stupidity back home. I’m sure people who were fishing at the lake for the next couple of days were angry their view was obstructed, but I’ll bet they got one hell of a laugh out of it too!
And that’s just at the local machine level, imagine the buggery they can pull off farther up the line after the tally leaves the machine.
Hand counted paper, or we’re screwed