Blogged by Brad Friedman on 11/7/2004 8:18PM  
'Something zapped it'
Something? (ES&S Again!)

Why is it only in heavy Democratic counties that votes just seem to disappear? But in Republican counties, votes just seem to get added? This time, "something zapped it" in a heavily Democratic country in Indiana:

"Maybe there was a power surge," LaPorte County Clerk Lynne Spevak said. "Something zapped it."

At about 7 p.m. Tuesday, it was noticed that the first two or three printouts from individual precinct reports all listed an identical number of voters. Each precinct was listed as having 300 registered voters.

That means the total number of voters for the county would be 22,200, although there are actually more than 79,000 registered voters.
...
Spevak said workers at the clerk's office thought a computer correction could be done once they received a software patch from Election Systems and Software, the Chicago company that provided the tabulation software. However, the patch did not work.

"We thought we could get a copy of it e-mailed file to us and start all over, but once the program was downloaded from Chicago, it still didn't work right," Spevak said.

Dots connecting yet for ya? If not, read on. Otherwise, I'm working on trying to organize some "action items" now. Hope to have news on that in the next day or two...

Buzz this story! C2NN: Submit it!


READER COMMENTS ON
"50,000 Votes LOST in Dem Indiana County!"
(5 Responses so far...)

COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
... Linda Colloran said on 11/7/2004 @ 10:44 pm PT...


Thanks for doing this--no emoticon because I appreciate your effort but I am mad as hell.


COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
... Dad said on 11/8/2004 @ 7:44 am PT...


Give it up! All the votes you claim still don't change a thing.
Give it up!!


COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
... Bryan said on 11/8/2004 @ 10:16 am PT...


Honestly Dad, regardless of the outcome this incenses me. I don't care if it turns out there are 3 million more votes for Bush, this incenses me. Whether it's a Republican conspiracy or just a laissez-faire company, this incenses me.

It's important work, and someone has to pay attention to it. Had this happened in a third world nation, it would turn heads. If we claim to set the standard and example for the rest, we best start behaving like it, and verify that all votes reflect accurately.

Brad, keep it up.


COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
... desth said on 11/8/2004 @ 2:53 pm PT...


Dad, it isn't about returning to the election of last week, it is about protecting the elections of the future. the nation is mandated by law to switch to all-electronic voting by 2002, and if there are glitches in the system, i want them fixed NOW.

Don't you?

frankly, i'm surprised that anyone who calls themslves an American wouldn't want to make sure our voting system is secure and honest, and that the vote of every American is counted.

Seems like it should go without saying that since we are trying to demonstrate to other countries the benefit of Democracy that we also show them *how*. we can't expect them to be honest and to care about Truth if we don't care enough about it to be vigilant ourselves. this is more important than John Kerry and even George Bush. it's about the future of the country and the sanctity of the vote.

it's crunch time, folks --- do you care more about whether your guy wins, or do you care more about the TRUTH?

me, i try to err on the side of truth. i'm not afraid of the Truth.


COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
... c. howard said on 11/22/2004 @ 5:11 pm PT...


one system, one party, one leader? get it?
if your vote is systematically corrupted, and repeatedly so, you are paying (if you happen to pay taxes) for the pleasure and pretense of living in a faux democracy.
where's the pre-election o, so angry kerry, now? he and his party should be leading the loudest charge against an obviously fraud-ridden election process (if one can even call it that).
stealing votes is so easy now - and not a substantive word uttered from our government reps with respect to real, substantive, non-partisan election reform.


-=- Comments on this item are now closed. -=-


BRAD BLOG'S 2008 ELECTION INTEGRITY FUND DRIVE!
SUPPORT DEMOCRACY!
GET COOL STUFF!

Click here for details!
Only you keep us going!
COLLECTORS EDITION PREMIUMS for just $5!

BRAD BLOG Featured Stories

Brad to Guest Host 'Randi Rhodes Show' Monday, Details Soon...

Pima County (Tucson)'s John Brakey gets "frog marched" from counting room after noting ballot bags missing security seals. Incident latest in growing list of arrested and/or barred citizen advocates, and the latest in a string of disgraces for Pima's Brad "Election Director Gone Wild" Nelson...


Brad's Upcoming Appearances
(All times listed as PACIFIC TIME)
Media Appearance Archives...
VotersUnite.org's Daily Voting News 'Daily Voting News' For September 07, 2008
by John Gideon

Today’s featured article is, again, from Palm Beach Co Florida. The quotes in this article make it clear that failing elections supervisors are going to blame the transition from DRE voting systems to optical-scan voting systems for any failures they encounter this election season.

“It was extremely challenging to make the transition" from touch screens to optical scanning of paper ballots in just three months, Elections Supervisor Arthur Anderson said”. Yes, I’m sure it was a challenge. Just as much a challenge as the successful move from DRE to Optical-Scan accomplished by the state of New Mexico a couple years ago or the same change made by Cuyahoga Co. Ohio prior to this year’s presidential primary. New Mexico and Cuyahoga Co didn’t seem to have anywhere near the problems that Palm Beach Co had.

“[County Judge Barry] Cohen said there were no numbers on the documents he signed to certify the judicial race on Tuesday. County Commissioner Addie Greene said she didn't notice whether vote totals were listed.” This judge has now admitted to signing legal documents without having all of the numbers filled-in. Now, I’m not an attorney but this seems to me to be an admission of misfeasance on the part of a county election official and probably the whole canvassing board on which Mr. Cohen serves.

And then there is this gem; "I decided whatever system (Palm Beach County) buys next time, I'm not buying it," joked Kay Clem, elections supervisor for Indian River County, the only other county in the state with Sequoia equipment. "I feel bad for them, it's tough. I can't imagine dealing with all those paper ballots. It must be a nightmare." This quote from an elections supervisor who allowed an experiment to be done with real votes in a real election and that resulted in over 10,000 votes being mis-reported....

Click for links to all of today's notable voting news headlines...

BRAD BLOG'S 2008 ELECTION INTEGRITY FUND DRIVE!
SUPPORT DEMOCRACY!
GET COOL STUFF!

Click here for details!
Only you keep us going!
COLLECTORS EDITION PREMIUMS for just $5!
Support The BRAD BLOG
Please visit our advertisers




Spend your advertising dollars wisely! And support the good guys at the same time! or Advertise with the good guys! We're it!













OTHER SITES
Groomsmen Gifts - Pub signs can be personalized for a unique gift for your wedding party.

Support The BRAD BLOG
Please visit our advertisers
Brad Friedman's
The BRAD BLOG



Go to front page...

Recent Entries

Archives
Important Docs
Categories