Former Republican U.S. Senate candidate and ‘Tea Party’ favorite Joe Miller is no stranger to flawed election processes in Alaska. The BRAD BLOG strongly supported Miller’s attempt to receive a hand-count of questionable results in his 2010 race against Democrat Scott McAdams and victorious Republican write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
The experience left him understanding, as he writes in a statement given today to the progressive Alaska blog The Mudflats, that “the integrity of elections is one of the bedrocks of our nation” and “a non-partisan issue, critical to the survival of our Republic.”
We’ve been in touch with Miller ourselves, both during his own election contest, offering advice on how his campaign might achieve oversight of the results that were tallied only by Diebold optical-scan computers (either accurately or inaccurately, who knows?), and at various times in the months that followed. Last September, Miller linked from his own website, to our exclusive on the findings by Argonne National Laboratory that Diebold systems can by hacked by remote control with little more than an 8th grade computer science education and about $10 to $25 in electronic parts.
Now the frequently far Right politician is ringing in on the recent election disaster in Anchorage, which we detailed here last month, after a ballot proposition to extend anti-discrimination measures to the LGBT community was set to win by big margins according to a conservative pollster [PDF] just before the election, but ended up “losing”, according to the Diebold op-scan systems, by an even greater margin for reasons which still remain a mystery…
Alaska’s April 3rd Municipal election was marred by, among too many other things, ballot shortages that inexplicably plagued more than half of Anchorage’s precincts, as well as broken security seals on Diebold Accuvote paper-ballot op-scan tabulators which, as the Deputy Municipal Clerk confirmed to us during an interview for our original report, she had instructed poll workers to simply ignore. We detailed the madness of that instruction at the time, citing a number of security analyses by world class computer science and security experts warning of the “real threat” to election results posed by inappropriate memory card access, should they become unprotected prior to or during an election
“[A]nyone who has access to a memory card of the [Diebold Accuvote op-scan], and can tamper it (i.e. modify its contents) … can indeed modify the election results from that machine in a number of ways,” one of those studies [PDF] as commissioned by the state of CA warns. “The fact that the the results are incorrect cannot be detected except by a recount of the original paper ballots.”
The oft-failed, easily-manipulated Diebold Accuvote op-scan system is used in more than 1,000 jurisdictions in the U.S., across all or parts of 24 different states, and will be used to once again tally paper ballots in the 2012 Presidential Election as well in the upcoming historic state recall elections in Wisconsin.
In light of the many disturbing anomalies in the Anchorage election — for example, it now appears that Prop 5 actually won in the absentee ballot tally [PDF], while reportedly losing by huge numbers on Election Day — Progressives there have called for a complete investigation of the election process and a full hand-count and audit of paper ballots, at a minimum, and preferably a new vote entirely, given the extraordinary number of problems that have been revealed since the election.
Alaska’s conservative pollster, David Dittman, when asked by a blogger last week about the nearly 25 point “YES” to “NO” swing between his pre-election poll of Prop 5 and the unverified final results of the election, called it “one of the highest I can remember.”
“I think if you look back historically, the polls have been pretty darned good,” he explained. “We have on our website the graphic tracks, we have the final poll and the election, it’s just within a percent. It’s dead on. And I think if you look back over time, the polls have been pretty darn reliable. And in this case you’ve got like a ten percent shift or maybe even twenty.”
While some have criticized those questioning the results of the Prop 5 election as “partisan sore losers” or “conspiracy theorists” (the Rightwing Mayor on the ballot, who is also the former boss of the Deputy Municipal Clerk in question, is said to have won his race by almost exactly the margin that had been predicted in the same pre-election poll by Dittman), Miller, no stranger to partisanship himself, sees it differently, according to his statement issued to Jeanne Devon at The Mudflats today.
“As reasonable people from all political stripes recognize,” Miller wrote, “the integrity of elections is one of the bedrocks of our nation. ‘We the People’ is a rallying cry for many Americans, and this is manifested in our ability to vote, so that the people control what government does, and not vice versa.”
“What should be simple ““ voting ““ tends to become overly complex,” he accurately noted. “But vote integrity is not just about the outcome, it is about a process in which voters can have confidence.”
Devon writes that she, as well as progressive Alaska blogger and broadcaster Shannyn Moore (who put Miller and his campaign in touch with The BRAD BLOG, during his 2010 contest), “strongly supported Joe Miller’s (and Scott McAdams’) right to a full hand count of paper ballots in the 2010 election, and for processes that were fair, laws that were consistent, and the ultimate right of citizens to have confidence in their electoral process.”
Today, Miller returned the non-partisan courtesy when he wrote:
Devon adds: “Many thanks to Mr. Miller for stepping up and proving that though we may disagree ideologically on many issues, there will always be people on both sides who put aside partisanship for the sake of this cornerstone of our democracy. Accusations of ‘sour grapes’ from either side of the aisle do nothing but sabotage genuine efforts to ensure free and fair elections for everyone.”
We agree with Miller on very little politically — even on one element of his statement where he writes that “it is imperative that voters be permitted to conduct a hand count, at their own expense, of any election.” In truth, voters should not have to pay for their own hand-counts, they should be automatic, as “Democracy’s Gold Standard”, in every election. But on the core issue of election integrity, we’re more than happy — proud, in fact — to stand arm-and-arm with “Tea Party” Joe Miller.
The Anchorage Assembly has postponed final certification of the April 3rd election, for the time being, until May 3rd. The 11-member Assembly now faces the decision whether to certify as is, call for a complete hand-count audit, name a special investigator and/or blue ribbon commission to investigate what happened and/or call for a new election entirely.
With both progressives and Joe Miller decrying what happened on April 3rd, it seems difficult to imagine that the Assembly would simply accept the inexcusably flawed results of this election as is.
Read Joe Miller’s full statement on the April 3rd Anchorage Election mess at The Mudflats here…
OK Brad…thumbs up…no nastygram from ole Davey.
I still marvel that Murkowski won as a write in and I kinda doubt that Diebold did those counts…
Davey Crocket @ 1 wrote:
Uh, oh. Must have done something wrong. Oh, yeah, I wrote positively about a Republican (as I do, whenever I can find one who deserves it.) So I guess it passes “Crocket” muster. Hope you’ll join me some day in the quest to put right and wrong over Right and Left…though I’m not holding my breath.
Not sure what that means. But what happened was that Murkowski was allowed to hand-count all votes that included either an oval filled in by a “Write-in” or ballots that were rejected by the Diebold machines.
Miller, on the other hand, was not allowed to hand-count all the other ballots to make sure that his machine-reported tallies were accurate.
He was screwed in the bargain. (There were other AK election laws that were ignored or violated in the process, but just responded to your main “Diebold machines” point here.)
It’s baffling why this issue gets absolutely no play in the lame stream media. You would think that rank and file reporters and editors of the lame stream would consider this important enough to shine a spotlight on something that throws such a huge red flag on election outcomes that form the cornerstone of democracy and its enormous implications during an election year. Why is there such apathy? What’s your sense Brad? It really makes me angry.
Maybe the Anonymous hacktavists can pull off a collective stunt in ensuring victories for democratic candidates and ballot measures by ridiculous margins when tallied by Diebold machines. Or maybe better yet, for some obscure third party champion of transparency. Only then might we start seeing some outrage in the press and movement on this issue.
Elaine Willingham
Kirkwood, MO
American Citizen
Small Business Owner x 3
elaine@beyondtherainbow2oz.com
April 29, 2012
Dear Congress,
What can one American Citizen sitting at her home computer do to help her country that she sees sinking deeper and deeper into a dark pit every day? I ask myself that question many times a day. I can honestly tell you that I considered writing to all of you and giving you a piece of my mind; I even dictated the narrative in my head (and it isn’t very pleasant let me tell you). However, I have decided to leave out the finger shaking and the stress and the desperation and just beg you to read this and take action. What I am going to suggest will take an Act of Congress, however, it will be the first step necessary to Restore America.
I consider myself well versed in politics. I watch and listen and read about what you all are doing every day and I think I am on top of things, more than some, less than others and I am very disappointed in most of you. I have my exceptions and the list is very short so I will share it with you. I have faith in the following members of Congress: Allen West, Mike Lee, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Jason Chaffetz, and Chuck Grassley — that is my list. I wish I could add Todd Akin, Roy Blunt, and Darrell Issa to that list but I cannot. They seem to be all talk and no action. I ask you, how can six members of Congress restore America and restore our Freedom? They can’t, but those men I listed have tried tirelessly to do their best and God Bless them.
I don’t think you all know where to start, so I am going to tell you. It all starts in the voting booth. And don’t tell me this is something each state has to enact — because remember, I told you, this is going to take AN ACT OF CONGRESS. You people must show some strength, some backbone show us you care, restore our faith in you —
that is paramount right now. What we the people want you to do, right now, is make it mandatory that all fifty states require citizens to show a photo ID in order to vote in America. Nothing should come before this. It’s criminal that people can vote in states without needing to show any form of ID. What are you afraid of? Will you just look at this http://www.ncsl.org/legislature.../voter-id.aspx The grey states require no voter ID of any kind. Walk right in and vote. Are you kidding me? I can’t walk right in anywhere and do anything without showing ID. I can’t cash a check, why they not only require photo ID but they even want your finger print to cash a payroll check at most banks.
Please show us that you people really can do something important and get this fixed, it’s a disgrace that we have such lackadaisical rules about the most important thing we the people can exercise — our vote. I don’t care what side of the fence you’re on and you shouldn’t care what side I am on, this is an American issue. And if you can’t fix this, and please, don’t make excuses, for heaven’s sake, you are the Congress of the United States of America, then if you can’t fix this, I am going to encourage my fellow Americans to vote you out of office. And folks, we’re not sleeping any more! We’re not stupid, despite your POTUS opinion to the contrary.
Sincerely yours,
A Fellow American
Who doesn’t qualify for unemployment, food stamps, free cheese or any other government handouts. I am a small business owner who pays her bills, taxes, employees, and earned one hundred and fifty dollars last week after all the aforementioned were paid. I get email from many of you, asking for my HELP, but your definition of help is donations, contributions, money from my pocket. How much of the one hundred and fifty dollars I made last week do you want?
Elaine Willingham
-Elaine Willingham
Kirkwood, MO USA
I don’t know Joe Miller , what I DO know is that there are NO honest elections involving DEMONRATS . One of them has recently admitted this saying that “everyone does it ” or something to that effect .
Buck @ 5 blathered:
But, of course you do. He was quite a superstar for your folks back in 2010.
That said, the election that the Tea Party candidate Joe Miller is referring to above is an election in which a Republican mayor is reported to have “won” and a proposition to protect the gay/bi/transgender community against discrimination that was set to win, according to pre-election polls, but ended up “losing” for reasons still unknown.
So if the “DEMONRATS” are gaming the elections here, apparently they’re not very good at it.
Oh, my! “One of them” said “something to that effect”?!
Thanks for that great info! Very impressive fact-gathering process you’ve got. We are indebted.
It is more and more a mystery to some people why states, counties, and municipalities cannot fathom our suspicions, when it is obvious:
(Guardian). Systems far more secure than electronic voting machines are hackable and are hacked regularly.
Come on Alaska, wise up.