Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
We at VotersUnite.Org want to express our hopes that you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our best wishes to all. / We warn anyone who will listen that our election system is being privatized. Private companies use private software to count our votes. There is very little transparency in the system. So it is extremely disconcerting to learn that some counties in Indiana have hired MicroVote to tabulate their votes for them. The counties buy MicroVote’s machines, software, technical support and now even MicroVote employees to do the vote counting. MicroVote is the same company that knowingly installed illegal software on the machines in Indiana, and possibly in other states, prior to the primary. MicroVote is that same company that is being investigated for their practices in the state and has been investigated for illegal business practices and successfully sued for selling faulty equipment in the past. And yet this company is still being trusted to count votes? …
NAtional: HR-2239, HR-550, What Now?
2007 Federal Election Reform Legislation ““ VotersUnite.Org’s Recommendation LINK
NAtional: Whistleblower Stephen Heller Says ‘Diebold Cannot be Trusted to Run Elections in America’ LINK
NAtional: E-voting `hero’ pleads guilty to computer crime in Diebold case LINK
NAtional: Is the election over? Not in every race LINK
NAtional: ‘Vote-flipping’ is real, but the cause is still unclear
Vote-flipping is a user-interface problem, not a technical flaw, says co-director of the Voting Technology Project LINK
NAtional: Wyden: 15 Reasons ‘Vote by Mail’ is the best for America LINK
CA: Riverside County – Menifee race now down to one vote; about 20,000 ballots remain to be counted in Riverside County LINK
CA: San Diego County – Paper ballots not big draw on Election Day; 1 voter in 10 used paper LINK
CA: San Diego County – Complaint lodged about vote count LINK
CA: Ventura County – Ballot-counting improvements vowed
Elections chief says 14,000 votes still uncounted LINK
CO: Denver County – Vote Centers are a disaster LINK
CO: Pueblo County – No fraud in local election, says county clerk LINK
CO: Pueblo County ““ Editorial – Absentee ballot problems LINK
FL: FL-13 – Legal Fight in Florida’s 13th Could Stretch Into 2007 LINK
FL: FL-13 – Experts say revotes rare, but possible LINK
FL: FL-13 – More Questions Arise About Competence and Impartiality of Sarasota Voting Machine Auditors LINK
FL: FL-13 – Audit Finds Dems Would Have Won if all Votes Had Been Recorded in Sarasota’s FL-13 U.S. House Race LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Candidate denied access to vote machines’ insides LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Check of touchscreens needs more credibility LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Candidate can’t check voting machines yet LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Losing Sarasota Democrat denied voting machine access LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Judge won’t speed up testing of voting machines in contested congressional race LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Analysis: Ballots favored Dems LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Florida lawsuit targets electronic voting machines in close race LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Sarasota Voters File Lawsuit for Re-vote in Congressional Race LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Jennings asks that machines actually used in voting be tested LINK
GA: Follow the paper trail LINK
GA: The Future of Democracy Will Be Determined from the Bench…Whether Judges Like it or Not LINK
IN: Indiana Election Not Over LINK
IN: Mahern asks for recount in House race LINK
IN: Delaware County – Recount sought in recorder’s race LINK
MN: Minneapolis begins work on multiple choice voting system LINK
NC: NC-8 – 8th District race tightens slightly as recount continues LINK
NY: New Voting Machine Options Concern Citizens LINK
NY: Vote Groups Screaming At Screens LINK
NY: Advocacy groups fault touch-screen vote machines LINK
OH: Belmont County – Officials Seeking Funds For Elections LINK
OH: OH-15 – Pryce’s lead over Kilroy grows with 2 counties’ totals LINK
TX: Fort Bend County – Elections Chief Wants E-scan Machines, Better Phones To Avoid Past Election Pitfalls LINK
UT: Salt Lake County – Vote canvass bolsters Democrats LINK
UT: Utah County – Election analysis detects database problem LINK
**”Daily Voting News” is meant as a comprehensive listing of reports each day concerning issues related to election and voting news around the country regardless of quality or political slant. Therefore, items listed in “Daily Voting News” may not reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or BradBlog.Com**
Non proprietary open source code is so good, so mature and so well supported now days, there’s no excuse, aside from ignorance, to not be using it.
And ignorance, (plus some well placed cash), can be the ONLY reasons proprietary software is being touted as the solution, and, more importantly, ACCEPTED as the solution.
Anyone who knows networks and applications can tell you, without hesitation, they don’t call it Winblows or Windoze without reason. If you are in a position to certify, operate and or manage a series of systems running this OS and these applications, you MUST have, at least, multiple Microsoft certifications (MCP), if not, you are NOT qualified to operate, certify, or manage these machines.
Considering the “tubes” are clogged with “the e-mail” comments by Stevens, it’s no surprise that our “prior” elected officials are able to pull the wool over the majority’s eyes.
NO Proprietary OS or Application…Period.
STOP BEING SHEEPLE! Stand Up!
Signed,
Dan Tomkinson
MCSE and CCNA since 1999 (with over 25 years experience).
Maybe there is an ear in the congress now, since “Juanita Millender-McDonald of California” was elected “to House Administration, which oversees federal elections” (link here).
She would be a contact point … right?
Happy Thanksgiving.
Dredd,
What is her expertise when it comes to Computer technology? I see none in her CV/Bio.
if she has no knowledge or expertise in regards to Computer Science, then she’s not qualified to be an independant judge of the technology in question.
The mere fact that she is a democrat is meaningless, as the environment of corruption, influence and ignorance pervading Washington DC is completely bipartisan in nature. (until they prove otherwise!)
While it is laudable that she investigated ohio voting irregularities, why is she not investigating the significantly well documented elections system irregularities apparant in her own back yard of Califronia?
Just being a democrat isn’t enough.
FOX Hitler Daily Show News anchor:
“Der vas dis guy, zee??? hahahah unt he vas a BELLVRINGER…he vrang ze bell in ze bell tover, zee??? ding ding ding…now, ze zing about dis guy is, zee??? HE HAD NO ARMVS…he vould vring ze bell vith hi FACE, ze??? He vould get ze vrunning head ztart, unt smash into ze bell vith his FACE!!! hahahaha Unt, vone day, it vas very slippery, ze??? Unt he mizzed ze bell, and vell ovv ze tover, unt SPLATTZERED ON ZE GROUND!!!! hahahahaha
Ze crowd gazzered avround ze bellvringer vith neine armvs, unt ze priest zaid, “Yavolt!!! Doez anyvone here know who zis man izz, lying unt ze ground, splattzered???”
Unt…hahahahah…unt, I can’t evunt zzay it…..
Unt…vone guy in ze crovwd zaid, “NEINE, I DON’T KNOW ZIZ NAME…BUT ZE FACE VRINGS A BELL!!!!”
MO HO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA………
VY ARE YOU NOT LAUGHZING????????
Zis is vy ve pazzed out ze vaterboarding to ze audience before ze show…ve haf vays of making you laughzzz……
I’ll be here all ze veek….
Hapvee tanksgifffvinkkk, unt ze hapvee new year…ahhhh…I’m reminiscvingkkkk…der Var on Christvmazzz zeems to come avround earvlier unt earvlier effervy vear, doeszunt it????
Glad to see that Florida is not sitting back again and allowing the ghost of Katherine Harris (aka Dukie’s gal) to outright steal another election. After all, it was Katherine Harris who corrupted the vote count in 2000 which named the president of the united states (it could be said that she alone (with the assistance of the Governor no doubt) is responsible, by association, with the debacle we call the Iraq War?? The dots are being connected daily in the Buchanan/Jennings election (using undervotes this time) to the stolen election in that same district in 2000. It’s good to see that the people are waking up and doing something about it this time. Kudos to them.
As for the system itself, I’ve heard that there are many insider whistleblowers who, in order to avoid prosecution themselves, are finally “singing” about the details of these stolen, corrupt elections.
Be not fooled, however….just because the Dem landslide was so overwhelming that it would have been nearly impossible for them to do it this time without public outrage, the GOP has probably opted for the larger picture: SURRENDER THE SKIRMISH BUT WIN THE WAR IN 08. That’s their larger goal unless these machines are trashed and another fair and safe system of voting is established NOW! Press your legislators to do something to save this democracy. After all, it IS the responsibility of the people to do so. Do not allow these corrupt snakes to take away our constitutional right to vote as they have so handily done in 2000 and 2004.
In the words of Hobbes “WHERE MEN BUILD ON FASLE GROUNDS (STOLEN ELECTIONS?) THE MORE THEY BUILD, THE GREATER IS THE RUIN”… Truer words were never spoken….stolen elections certainly qualify as “false grounds”, don’t they?
Happy Turkey Day, all!
Dan #3
Stay out of it if you have no faith that it can be changed. Your efforts will be half hearted and counter productive.
Being a republican is probably more important, in terms of thinking an election was fraudy, since they lost, but contacting them when they are out of power will not set an agenda. Those in power are the only ones that can do it. The republicans put HAVA into law, now the dems have to counter it.
Debra Bowen in California and Juanita Millender-McDonald of California in Washington and in power is a good thing.
Pooh pooh it at our peril.
Maybe the agenda for the new legislature – not that there aren’t a number of issues needing addressing:
1. Impeachment
2. Amend/repeal HAVA
Let’s go back to paper and pencil AND anyone who has contact with votes HAS to be NON partisan!
Dredd,
Did I JUST HEAR YOU RIGHT? Stay OUT of it?
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
You are sounding just as arrogant as the the likes of the criminal Karl Rove.
I am ASKING legitimate questions.
If you are willing to accept a politician based soley on party affiliation, If YOU are NOT willing to ask the SAME QUESTIONS, then YOU are the one who is “OUT OF IT”.
Corruption, Influence peddling and just plain ignarance are NOT party specific.
I am proudly independant, I will speak my mind as I see fit.
AND…with over 2 decades of computer technology experience, the questions I ask regarding technology issues ARE legitimate questions.
The question neither of you idjits is asking is this:
What will the Democratic hopes de jour do when Diebold and ilk happily (and legally) drop a few million dollars on their campaign doorsteps… and then proceed to spread a few more millions around the newly-empowered politico’s jurisdictions “for the public good of course”.
Answewr that for each politico in question, sum up the results in the world of power politics, add in the Republican backlash, and you will have your answer to the question at hand.
Allie #6
Glad to see a coherent post.
Yes, your theory about letting ’06 go and instead target ’08 is plausible.
I am watching the committees in congress and the floor reaction as the big clue. The republicans should be open to fix the broken evoting system by following the lead of the dems. Unless they know something they think we do not. If they fight changes in HAVA and protest auditable paper trail systems or paper ballot voting, we have exposed them.
… Dan said…
“Non proprietary open source code is so good, so mature and so well supported now days, there’s no excuse, aside from ignorance, to not be using it.”
I’m catching up with stuff with a theme here…
So: does your faith in open source equate with a faith that e-voting can be done successfully and safely with current technology and techniques?
There will be a test afterwards 🙂
“And ignorance, (plus some well placed cash), can be the ONLY reasons proprietary software is being touted as the solution, and, more importantly, ACCEPTED as the solution.”
Education is the key.