Salt Lake Officials Urging Voters to NOT Come to Polls in Wake of Disastrous Move to Touch-Screen Voting

Share article:

Blogged by Brad Friedman from the Kansas/Colorado border…

Salt Lake City Weekly covers the state’s recent electoral woes in the wake of moving to Diebold touch-screen voting machines. They even use a word we reference often here at The BRAD BLOG in regard to upcoming elections: “train wreck.”

Meanwhile, in Salt Lake County, election officials are trying to figure out how to persuade voters not to come to the polls. With the switch from punch cards to touch-screen voting, the county ended up with 40 percent fewer polling booths. A large turnout will overwhelm the setup, says county Clerk Sherrie Swensen.

The presidential primary in February might be a good test of what is in store next year. Utah is participating in Super Tuesday with Mitt Romney on the ballot, and Swensen expects at least 40 percent turnout. If the vote goes anything like the recent city election, it could be a train wreck.

Utah, of course, was the home of one of the most notorious touch-screen voting system investigations in the country when Emery County Clerk Bruce Funk allowed renowned computer security expert Harri Hursti and e-voting watchdog group BlackBoxVoting.org to examine the new Diebold touch-screen systems forced on him for use by the state.

Their startling vulnerabilities revealed in the Diebold systems by the study were described at the time as a “major national security risk” and “the most severe security flaw ever discovered in a voting system” by Election Integrity, Voting System and Computer Security experts.

For his diligence on behalf of his voters, Funk, the 23-year elected County Clerk, was subsequently locked out of his office and removed from his job with the support of the very state officials who had gone into business with Diebold to create the mess the state now faces.

Share article:

Reader Comments on

Salt Lake Officials Urging Voters to NOT Come to Polls in Wake of Disastrous Move to Touch-Screen Voting

3 Comments

(Comments are now closed.)


3 Responses

  1. 1)
    gtash said on 11/29/2007 @ 10:13am PT: [Permalink]

    What happens if the exit polls say “it’s close” and Hillary wins primary after primary by a landslide? Would Democrats see this as the time to finally get involved in electronic voting machine issues, or would they just accuse Hillary of having hacked the election?

  2. 2)
    Off the Grid said on 11/30/2007 @ 10:52am PT: [Permalink]

    Maybe it’s just me…but aren’t election officials supposed to count all the votes, isn’t that the whole point of the job. I hope we don’t start having this problem at the sewer plant–>turd officials say today that the broken sewer plant isn’t the problem, the problem is all the turds, stop pooping

    Jim Matheson, my brother in Iraq would like to thank you for allowing W to still remain in office and would like to see you continue to sidestep any real reform so we may remove you from office as soon as possible. This message brought to you by JIM MATHESON FOR UTARDS.

  3. 3)
    Larry Bergan said on 12/2/2007 @ 9:25pm PT: [Permalink]

    Poor Sherrie Swensen. She has suffered immeasurably from the switch to Diebold, (or whatever.) She has said more then once that she would have preferred to stick with the punch card system and nobody can deny it was a much cheaper and reliable way to count votes, (that is if you trust the software.)

    Unless Keith Olbermann and Rocky Anderson misspoke on Rocky’s interview on that program, John Kerry actually won the Salt Lake County 2004 election. Our Bush friendly news media never told us that, but I think it’s a distinct possibility.

    Salt Lake is the county Swenson is charged with overseeing. I poll watched in Ogden, and saw some strange things going on there including doors that covered up the paper printouts which judges were ordered to keep closed rather then being removed before the election.

(Comments are now closed.)


Got thoughts, complaints, suggestions, requests or problems with our new BRAD BLOG design? Please let me know via comments right here! Thanks! — Brad

Thanks to you, The BRAD BLOG has been trouble-making and muckraking for … 22 YEARS!!!

Please help The BRAD BLOG, BradCast and Green News Report remain independent and 100% reader and listener supported in our 23rd YEAR!!!

ONE TIME
any amount...

MONTHLY
any amount...

OR VIA SNAIL MAIL
Make check out to...
Brad Friedman / BRAD BLOG
7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594
Los Angeles, CA 90028

RECENT POSTS

Repubs Seek Immunity Law for Big Oil; White South Rising Again After SCOTUS Ruling: ‘BradCast’ 5/7/2026

Guest: Laura Peterson of Union of Concerned Scientists; Also: Trump panel calls for FEMA cuts as MS slammed by another tornado swarm...

‘Green News Report’ – May 7, 2026

With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen

Time to Reform our Illegitimate Supreme Court: ‘BradCast’ 5/6/2026

Guest: Alicia Bannon of NYU's Brennan Center for Justice; Also: Primary and special election results in OH, IN, MI...

The Corrupt Hypocrisy of SCOTUS’ VRA Ruling in the Middle of Primary Election Season: ‘BradCast’ 5/5/2026

Also: 'Project Deadlock' in Strait of Hormuz as Admin pretends ill-fated, unlawful, continuing Iran War is over; The conflict's very real, if ironic, upside...

‘Green News Report’ – May 5, 2026

With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen

Billionaires Spending Millions to Fight Against, Lie to Voters About CA’s Proposed, One-Time Billionaires Tax: ‘BradCast’ 5/4/2026

Guest: Harold Meyerson of 'The American Prospect'; Also: GOP states scramble to write Black districts out of existence; A warning for CA vote-by-mail voters...

Steyer Facing Deceptive Fire in CA Gubernatorial Race for Call to Eliminate ‘Trump Loophole’

Trump-allied GOP opponent lying about progressive billionaire's proposal to end state's corporate 'property transfer loophole'...

Sunday ‘Dead to Rights’ Toons

THIS WEEK: RIP VRA ... '86 47' by the Seashore ... Ballroom Grift ...

‘86 47’ or ‘Weekend at Donnie’s’: ‘BradCast’ 4/30/2026

Guests: Heather Digby Parton of Salon, 'Driftglass' of 'Pro Left Podcast' on the SCOTUS VRA ruling and fallout, the ballroom, Iran, Comey, Kimmel and much more!...

‘Green News Report’ – April 30, 2026

With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen

Corrupt SCOTUS Undermines U.S. Constitution, Guts Last Remaining Protections of Voting Rights Act: ‘BradCast’ 4/29/2026

Guest: Redistricting expert Dan Vicuña of Common Cause; Also: Comey's dumb new indictment; E. Jean Carroll wins again; More new lows for Trump approval...

Trump’s Activist Rightwing ‘Originalist’ Judges Strike Again in Texas: ‘BradCast’ 4/28/2026

Guest: Jay Willis of Balls and Strikes; Also: Dem takes polling lead for U.S. Senate in TX as Repubs brace for 'sour, ugly, bad, bleak' midterm elections...

‘Green News Report’ – April 28, 2026

With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen

Trump, Repubs Exploit Failed Assassination Plot to Advance Ballroom Blitz: ‘BradCast’ 4/27/2026

What we know about the alleged shooter, Trump's opportunist response, corrupt contracting for the ballroom, fury at being described as a 'pedophile'; Also: Callers ring in!...

Sunday ‘So Much Winning’ Toons

THIS WEEK: Punch Drunk ... Kash Poor ... Forever War ... The Shadow Docket Knows! ...

About Brad Friedman...

Brad is an independent investigative journalist, blogger and broadcaster. Full Bio & Testimonials… Media Appearance Archive… Articles & Editorials Elsewhere… Contact…

He has contributed chapters to these books…
…And is featured in these documentary films…

BRAD BLOG ON THE AIR!

THE BRADCAST on KPFK/Pacifica Radio Network (90.7FM Los Angeles, 98.7FM Santa Barbara, 93.7FM N. San Diego and nationally on many other affiliate stations! ALSO VIA PODCAST: RSS/XML feed | Pandora | TuneInApple Podcasts/iTunesiHeartAmazon Music

GREEN NEWS REPORT, nationally syndicated, with new episodes on Tuesday and Thursday. ALSO VIA PODCAST: RSS/XML feed | Pandora | TuneInApple Podcasts/iTunesiHeartAmazon Music

Media Appearance Archives…

AD
CONTENT

ADDITIONAL STUFF

Brad Friedman/
The BRAD BLOG Named...

Buzz Flash's 'Wings of Justice' Honoree
Project Censored 2010 Award Recipient
The 2008 Weblog Awards