These Computer/Election Machine Providers are backing this man into a corner,.. they all want this man gone.

So does Jeb Bush.

Nice to see Mr Ion Sancho make a move to file a Federal Court Case against these electronic voting machine junk boxes.

This issue is long overdue for serious attention,...
and the glaring spotlight of court review.

I have an interesting question: Can the families of fallen soldiers thank DIEBOLD for delivering a Bush victory? And then, can the families of fallen soldiers subsequently thank the MSM? If it wasn't for DIEBOLD & the MSM, we wouldn't be in Iraq.

What DIEBOLD & the MSM did to our great country, was surely no "game" to the families of fallen American soldiers and Iraqi "collateral damage."

FINALLY! Go Sancho-NO MORE WAITING!!

And one last question: What will the MSM say about the supposed "conspiracy theorists" who said for years that elections were being stolen by DIEBOLD? We were all crazy conspiracy theorists, right? So will the MSM headlines be, "DIEBOLD has been stealing our democracy for 5 or 6 years, and we haven't been reporting on it."? Or maybe they just won't report on it when DIEBOLD goes down, as if it never happened?

So Republicans believe it's appropriate for a politician to be removed from office for not allowing a hackable voting machine, but they should remain in office for violating the constitution, spying on americans, falsifying evidence to congress and going to war based on fabrications?

Republicans are idiots and fools, and it seems to be almost unanimously so.

Good for him. Keep following up on this, Brad. People eventually have to start putting the dots together.

I have two new posts up, for those of you tuning in late. First, MoDo's shorts sabbatical is over and not a moment too soon since she's back giving the Bush madministration hell from the NY Times. I have her newest up at my place, for those of you who also loathe the NY Times' Select bullshit.

Seondly, I have some original material of my own up about the unrest in Iraq and how it all seems to devolve on Bush’s idiosyncratic definition of “civil war.” It may appear to mirror the Dowd screed but the truth is I didn’t even read her article before I’d posted it until after I’d posted my take.

Anyway, enjoy and stayed tuned tomorrow as I’ll have a kick-ass post out by early tomorrow night that draws a parallel between the Cheney Bush administration and McHale’s Navy, with photoshopped pics by none other than the incredible Dood Abides of My Left Wing/DKos fame! Ciao!

Way to go, Ion Sancho!

Brad, will update the Ion Sancho story on our page with link to your story. As usual, you are doing a great job getting breaking important news.

Bev Harris
Black Box Voting

Do counties necessarily need *electronic* voting machines in order to satisfy HAVA? Could HAVA requirements be satisfied by a combination of optical scanners and those laminated, tabbed flip-books Brad reported on (perhaps a month ago) ? Or would the company that sells those have to have been certified previously to sell in each state and county?

What I'm getting at is this: as we hear about more and more counties waking up to the flaws in Diebold/Seqouia/ES&S machines, couldn't several election fairness non-profits take up a campaign of connecting them with better options?

Great job as usual Brad. Good work, Mr. Sancho; keep it up.

Don't states have the right to run there own elections with no federal mandates? How is HAVA even constitutional?
Amendment 10:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Thanks Brad and Mr Sancho. You both are courageous people . Can we help? I don't have any money but will pray.

JoeFass #9 -
HAVA does not mandate the use of electronic voting machines. That is disinformation that is being spread by the vendors. In fact, Section 301(a)(1)(B) of HAVA even allows the use of punch-card voting.

It is up to the state to decide on what their counties can and cannot use as long as HAVA mandates are followed. Vote-PAD, the 'flip-book', is not a voting system so it does not require federal certification and can be used in any state that wants to approve it for use.

Roger #10 -
States only have the right to run state and local elections. Federal elections must meet federal mandates.

{Ed note: Comment deleted. Disinformation.}

This man, Ian Sancho, deserves a lot of support, as does Clint Curtis, if we are ever going to conquer this crooked privatization of the American voting process.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
**'Expose Tom Feeney'**
"SUPPORT CLINT CURTIS!"
__www.clintcurtis.com__
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I've been doing a little reading of the Federalist papers and it's kind of ironic to look at the things that are going on. It's very ironic to consider what our Founding Fathers said about the Constitution, states' rights, the Executive, voting and the role of the people. After reading what these men had to say, I laugh when I hear Republicans say that they believe in a "strict" interpretation of the Constitution. They are so clueless.

The Federalist Papers were obviously intended as a companion piece to the Constitution so that we, their descendants, could be clear on the intentions that they had. There was a four-tiered structure of power in the minds of our Founders. It was at the top---THE PEOPLE from whom the Government (when it was deemed just and suitable by those people) received its right to govern, then there was the Executive. He was OUR surrogate while in office and although he had been given the authority to make certain decisions, ultimately, he answered to us.

The legislature balanced out the power to spend and the power to make laws in two different houses. Their role was to help create laws that SAFEGUARDED THE PEOPLE'S RIGHTS TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. The judiciary was there to assess and make determinations as to who had broken the law and so forth. They were to interpret but within the framework that I just wrote about. That means that our Founding Fathers more than likely WOULD NEVER HAVE COUNTENANCED COMPANIES HAVING THE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS.

Finally, OUR VOTES WERE THE FIRST STEP IN WE THE PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS OUR WILL. We could use our votes to remove those who did not serve us well and who defiled, denounced, detracted from, despoiled or diminished the Constitution. IF WE THE PEOPLE WERE NOT ABLE TO OBTAIN SATISFACTION THROUGH OUR VOTES, then our Founders said that it was fitting that we rebel just as they had.

The Founders also intended for the Governors to be in charge of the military rather than the Federal Government. They felt that if there was not a standing army, the temptation to imperialism would be removed. GEE! I guess they'd be turning in their graves.

So, in conclusion, let me urge everyone to read the Federalist papers and then read Jefferson because he embodied some of the greatest yet most human qualities among the founding fathers. Each one of them contributed wonderful insights including the one that it IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CARETAKE OUR OWN COUNTRY AND OUR OWN GOVERNMENT. IT IS WE WHO MUST BE INFORMED AND VIGILANT AGAINST USURPERS and,well, just plain Slurpers. I think that we have all learned that.

As to the Federal government being able to compell voting practices...if it was not supposed to have control over the military to avoid that temptation, then how could it be trusted with voting?

It is time for another Constitutional Convention. I am making my list and on the top is a non-Senate option for removal from office of any Executive level official who is unworthy.

Ion, if you're reading this, I have another little piece that you can add to your lawsuit that will permit some major housecleaning.

I say that it is time to get rid of Double-Barrell Dick, Rumm-filled, His Nibs and the rest of this scrofulous group of scoundrels before they drive a Ryder truck up to the treasury.

GdM

Andy Stephenson was on to all of the crimes of the companies that produce the voting machines, and was doing his best to explain how they do their magic.

Andy passed away July 7, 2005 after a short but heroic bout with pancreatic cancer.

Wow! All three companies refused to do business with Sancho. It sure smells like a conspiracy and collusion. But "as punishment for exposing Diebold?" Hasn't everyone exposed Diebold? (Well, I mean the real testers.) Our politicos do nothing in the face of overwhelming evidence that our government is rotten to the core.

THEY ARE NERO. ROME IS BURNING.

Good, Mr. Sancho! Now, you do not have to use inferior products. Get a Federal Waiver!

Don't let the Bush family's fiddling bother you.Hang in there! You are fighting for the people who employ you. Guv Bush SHOULD learn from you, but he is incapable of being sincere.

#13 Bush deserts War Hero?? (Read the links in that post.) Cunningham's a thief. What he should do is rat his Repugnican brothers out so that they all can go into Club Fed together. (It is not a Jewish conspiracy. That is really silly. The jews involved with this Administration are going to be the second to go --- right after the political enemies and the Log Cabin Repubnicans are dispatched.)

#15 Gina deMiranda! Wow! You did a great job summarizing the Federalist Papers. Everyone should read them. Then, you'll know that the Federalist Society has bolixed up a few concepts... (I think that if you mouse over my name, it will take you to a web page where the link to the Federalist Papers are located.)

Pran

Everyone needs to send letters to the major newspapers in Florida asking that they cover Ion Sanchos' finding regarding corrupt Diebold voting machines. Either we are a country of laws, or we are not. Either we have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, or we don't. The promise of democracy is that every vote counts and is counted for the person it is intended. To that end, democracy demands that all voting devices are honest---whether electronic, mechanical or paper.
Ion Sancho has proven that Diebolod voting machines are not honest. He is a hero for all of America and needs to be supported, not threatened with being fired by Jeb Bush.

Fax letters to the following:

Palm Beach Post (561)820-4728
Miami Herald (305) 376-8950
Orlando Sentinel (407)420-5350
Tallahassee Democrat (850)599-2295
Daytona Beach (386)258-1577
Sun Sentinel - letters@sun-sentinel.com
If you can think of another paper, help us out here. Just do it.

Thought I would send you an article about several universities in CA getting involved in isolating the Diebold modules which are most vulnerable. Last news I read was the machines are recertified contingent upon an ongoing effort of some degree and timeline, to patch the flawed code and other design factors which rendered the same devices hackable in the FL test two months ago. The CA article is dated end of January, about one month after the FL expose.

I agree with you, Gina de Miranda, about the Federalist Society. They pretend to have a concern for our Constitution, but in fact their true beliefs in what form our government should take bears little resemblence.

Lately I've been reading historical biographies of those who sacrificed so much to create this democratic form of government we enjoy today.......or at least USED to enjoy. I've recently read Ben Franklin, John Adams, and am now reading Doris Goodwin's bio of Lincoln.

Take my word for it.....it's a very sobering moment after you delve into the lives of these selfless, great leaders and patriots to then ponder this disastrous clutch of civilian chickenhawks in charge today. I honestly believe "we the people" are finding ourselves in great peril today. And it's very much by design.

Mark my word, Bush has no intention of leaving office. I've been saying this for many months. He'll conjure up and declare a "national emergency" and quickly send his eager lackeys (also known as WH lawyers) on a mission to his compliant Supreme Court to argue for the "temporary" suspension of our Constitution. Reagan once toyed with this idea during his second term. In other words....martial law - a police state - a dictatorship.

The reason I'm almost sure it will happen with Bush has less to do with his slimy criminal character in general than his desperate need to keep the Democrats out of the White House, if not leadership positions in Congress, where they can, should, and will pore through tapes, documents, and emails (the ones that that haven't been destroyed) on our way to discovering just how corrupt this administration has been.

Bush will go to prison, unless of course his crack AG interprets law that allows Bush to pardon himself.

BTW, I don't feel I'm overreacting when I ask you, Mr. Sancho, to please be extra careful in your comings and goings in the coming days, weeks, and months. I'd actually feel better if you had a security detail around you until after the elections and would even be willing to travel there and team with others to help if this was thought necessary.

These are very troubling times for our country....probably infinitely more serious than we can even comprehend. I fear our demise as a democratic society and a once great nation is drawing to a close in small increments.

Many other good Election Directors around the country know Ion Sancho and the integrity he bravely is helping bring back to the base of democracy, the BALLOT BOX.

We need to look in our home states, find these election official, encourage them to standup and when they do, STAND WITH THEM!

Ion Sancho’s fight is OUR FIGHT!

To quote Rep. Cynthia McKinney:
“…In the fight against injustice, we stand together and we must. In the fight against intimidation, we stand together and we must. After all, a regime that would steal an election right before our very eyes will do anything to all of us.”

Abramoff in upcoming Vanity Fair telling all. It's in this advance .pdf

http://www.vanityfair.co...oom/advance_Abramoff.pdf

Wow. An election official that realizes that he works for the people, and that makes him one of the people.

The crooks, unlike Ion, want us to be worker bees or slave humans like in the Matrix.

They want us to serve their interests instead of them serving our public interests.

Ion Sancho is a breath of fresh air in this poluted political environment where crime is the mantra of public officials who deal with Diebold.

Ion Sancho is a people's political figure and we got your back Ion.

As a Canadian watching - with alarm - the rapidly disappearing democratic process, I can only urge all Americans ...WAKE UP!...who cares about Survivor & Entertainment Tonight?
The wonderful system that is the hope & envy of all the rest of the world is being raped with hardly a murmur fromt the supposed guardians of liberty - the press or the citizenry that is affected.

I just do not understand, have your collective i.q's taken a sharp drop or (conspiracy, conspiracy?) is there something in the "fast food"?
:confused:

John #20

I've said the exact same thing. Bush is going to come up with some way to suspend elections. (Make that Karl Rover, woof. Bush couldn't pass an exam to get out of kindergarten.) I'll also stand with you to protect Mr. Sancho if necessary. I wouldn't put it passed these scum to resort to murder. BTW, I got a direct e-mail from Shawnreilly@hotmail. I didn't know who it was so I deleted it. Anybody know this guy? Sounds like a rightwing nutcase. Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly supporter perhaps with a virus attached? He doesn't have a post here.

#20 & #28,

I told the blog sometime in the recent past that there is a piece of legislation quietly sitting in committee right now that was introduced about 18 months ago, I believe.
It's purpose is to EXTEND THE TERMS A PRESIDENT CAN HAVE IN OFFICE FROM THE CURRENT 2 TO 3.
Yes!

Wally O'Diebold's head must be spinning right now

Charlene,

I believe that such a move would require an amendment to the Constitution to undo the (what is it, 22nd, 24th?) amendment the repugs rammed through out of bitterness at FDR's repeated wins. A constitutional amendment is too lengthy a process to fit in before 2008, so it looks like our real concern should be a "national emergency" of some sort that would suspend elections and excuse the imposition of martial law. And we should be very concerned, indeed, as the crew of miscreants in power right now seems to lap up those "national emergencies," aka "trifectas."

#27
Peter,
There are MANY MANY of us that more than share your alarm. You do not hear much from or about us because we have no venue for our voice!

Think about it: our newspapers, radio & tv are conservatively owned & controlled. How do you get news about the MAJORITY!! of people here in the US who want the bush crime family out? On your computer or from a foreign news source. We are in some deep shit down here, my friend! Maybe you could send a Canadian Intervention Team.

Ok, I joke. Comic relief. But the situation is extremely dire, no joke. Our system of 'checks & balances' is being dismantled. There has been no accountability for the crimes of this administration.

As far as I know, Air America Radio is the ONLY left-leaning radio station in the whole country, and I believe you need a satellite dish to get Democracy Now on your television.

Our voting system is a hackable sham, its machines under conservative control; our congress & our courts system are all conservatively controlled.

Call it what you will...it seems clear to me that threats, bribery & blackmail is the modus operandi in Washington D.C.

They do things in secret, their hands are bloody & their pockets are stuffed with obscene amounts of cash.

It is complicated & it is not good.

So THANK YOU MR. SANCHO!!! We surely need more like you!!!

In case some of us want to send him a holler of thanks& support:

Ion V. Sancho, Supervisor

Office hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Phone: (850) 606-8683

Fax: (850) 606-8601

Address: Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office
315 South Calhoun Street, 1st Floor
Tallahassee FL 32301

Mailing Address: Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office
P. O. Box 7357
Tallahassee FL 32314-7357

Email: vote@leoncountyfl.gov

Yeah, I just went over to my supervisor of elections web site and linked her to this story
This is the machine they use here

That "2000" in the name gives me the willys, man

GOOD GUY ALERT

A reporter of the Miami Herald is blasting Florida officials for persecuting Ion (link here).

The reporter's name is FRED GRIMM. Good job Fred!

He gets it. He sees that Ion is a friend of all freedom loving people who vote in democracies. Mr. Grimm says:

"Ion Sancho may be a hero in California, where grateful election officials have verified the serious security vulnerabilities in Diebold voting machines that the Leon County election supervisor uncovered last year." (emphasis added)

"Sancho is regarded a little differently in Florida.
Florida's secretary of state's office disparaged Sancho's finding, demonstrating considerably more interest in propping up vendors than protecting elections."

Regarding the Vote-Pad and Ion Sancho's situation:

Sancho has looked into the Vote-Pad, a device for the disabled that provides a paper audit trail and does not require federal certification. It does require state authorization, however, and Florida has not authorized the VotePad. Florida has also not authorized the AutoMark.

I have spoken with Sancho several times about the possibility of hand-counting Leon County. Voting integrity advocates from as far away as New England and Texas are ready and willing to travel to Leon County to help hand count the next two elections. Sancho does appreciate the willingness of so many citizens to volunteer, and he did work out the logistics of that. It is possible to do (logistically) but not possible under current Florida law.

Unfortunately, Florida law now only permits electronically counted elections.

60 Minutes has been contacted about this. However, the higher level editors at CBS would need to approve the story. They have already killed a couple important stories on this issue, including videotaped footage of voting machines flipping votes in Louisiana and videotaped footage of an elections supervisor who corroborated the fact that embezzler Jeffrey Dean was given access to the GEMS voting system. Still, it wouldn't hurt to write to 60 Minutes producers urging them to take a fresh look at the story through the eyes of Ion Sancho.

For John Gideon: You're right that HAVA doesn't specifically mandate electronic machines. But effectively it does, because the bill promised blind people an easier method of voting, and the assumption it made was that touch-screen machines were the way to go about it.

That's why Chris Dodd reacted so angrily when John Kerry said, "There's a problem with these machines." (if only Kerry would say that publicly!).
HAVA's architects (including Dodd) had made a tacit commitment to Diebold and the other companies that if they could devise a machine that helped blind people, they'd endorse its use to the states. Then HAVA put in a deadline for the states to conform.

Dodd is trying to save himself from embarrassment, because he never realized how corrupt Diebold, E.S.&S. and Sequoia were. He's just another typical politician who cares more about his own image than the public interest.

Why doesn't someone organize a protest rally in front of Gov's office, make it big.

You guys need to form an organization nationally and start going after specific targets. Mass protests so big that the news media COULDN'T POSSIBLEY ignore, boycotts targeting irresponsible newspapers and their advertisers and definately companies affiliated with the faux voting machine makers.

NOTHING WILL CHANGE UNTIL ALL OF YOU COME TOGETHER AND START TAKING CHARGE! GOD KNOWS YOU POLITITIONS AREN'T!

Sorry I meant politicians. D' OH

There is a WAITING market, although the competition is politically connected a good product will make millions. Here is your first customer in Florida.

2 things are required to get the product to the market. 1st - Hardware , the touchscreen and printers are already on the market, just choose which vendors you want to work with. 2nd - Software , this is where you will guarantee your success. And it's not that complicated, devise a program to tabulate VOTES and work with the hardware!! Now the key to succes - provide the source code to your customers so they verify that the machines can't be hacked. Possibly using open source software so many people can try to find holes in the programming. Use the Red Hat model, sales and support for income if you collaborate and use open source code.

Does Ion Sancho have the same capacity for Leon County, that Arthur Andersen has for Palm Beach County? If they do, contrast the difference in their responses: Arthur Andersen said that Bev Harris's audit results of the machines "can be explained", and then didn't explain.

No wonder Jim Cramer issued an enthusiastic BUY for Diebold last week. They are the leader in a profitable growth field. Lie back and enjoy it.

"...because the bill promised blind people an easier method of voting, and the assumption it made was that touch-screen machines were the way to go about it."

Um.. I guess I'm just stupid, but how does a "blind" person benefit from a "touch screen" and not just much larger and better contrasted print? That is, "big ballots" instead of small ones? And if you are "totally blind", those machines are useless anyway, as much so as paper ballots.

If you want to have access for "blind" people, then you have to basically have the vote video taped and cast for them by comittee or something. There has to be a way to link the person (perhaps not their name) with the vote to make sure it's not being messed with, but you also have to consider that there are probably very few "handicapped voters" that are being discussed with these machines. Not to mention, why can't you have brail ballots?

"Unfortunately, Florida law now only permits electronically counted elections."

If this is true, it is very scary to me. How do "educated" leaders, people who are supposed to be able to THINK, EVER come up with such an ignorant law??

With the complete lack of interest by the masses (mostly because they are busy trying to escape the nightmare of debt and frail financial boat they are in), this country is doomed. Most people I know aren't paying attention. Some are exactly the problem with this country (saying we deserve to do what we want in the world because we're a super power, or because we "saved them" in the past, so we get a free pass now.. stupid shit like that). Then tie in the brainwashing from corporate america making everyone think they "need to buy this" or that.. and you have a perfect storm of financial terrorism being extoled on the public causing them to keep their heads down and their pocketbooks open.. Until "TV" tells them to care, they won't.

Let's hope we can get enough Ion Sancho's out there to help the sheeple stay free sheeple for a little longer.. then lets try to vote in people who will encourage EDUCATION at school, not just day-care. Perhaps if we can get a generation educated we can save this country.

I'm not defending HAVA, Savantser. On the contrary, I agree that touch-screen machines don't help blind people vote. But I can tell you that was the reason Connecticut hesitated about going to paper trails...because Chris Dodd told the state legislature that paper trails would interfere with the implementation of HAVA. I know that for a fact, because I was on the Capitol steps in Hartford a year ago January, protesting the 2004 election and demanding paper trails in the future.

By the way, I just sent an e-mail to the Sun Sentinel in support of Ion Soncho, and the e-mail was rejected as SPAM! Can you believe it? I plan to call them this afternoon to raise hell. I'll keep everyone posted on how that goes.

I thought this previous Brad article explained how the electronic machine operatives used HAVA to get these unsecure machines installed, using the "blind person" angle...

Brad/HAVA-NOT

Dear Brad,

Thanks for your post. It's about D****D time the people took over and let the evil politicians from both parties know that elections are the domain of the PEOPLE, not the pols!

However, do you think that there is any way we, as BradBlogville, can show our support/solidarity/appreciation to Mr. Sanchez... reassure him that we are behind him 100%?

Just a suggestion...

DEATH TO THE TWO PARTY SYSTEM

Vote Independent.

If we ever do have another opportunity to vote, the time may be right for a grass roots "throw the bums out" movement to cleanse the corruption from our government once and for all.

Whatever back door was built into the Diebold Machines to rig elections is dependent on "vote flipping" to succeed. This means that the assumption is built into the software that only two parties are relevant, and that if a Democrat is leading and likely to win, the votes attributable to his/her name could be "flipped" to the Republican assuring his vistory.

What if the entire nation got so goddamn pissed off that in every race, all across the country, they simply went into the voting booth and voted for any candidate other than the Republican or Democrat listed?

All of this talk about the need for campaign finance reform assumes that the American people can ONLY vote for the candidate that spends the most money.

Money is the problem, not the solution.

By voting for anyone other than a Republican or a Democrat, WE THE PEOPLE can effectively pass our own campaign finance reform.

The two party system is not the solution.

The two party system is the problem.

The time is ripe for a grass roots movement to "Throw The Bums Out" and start over. Dump all of them at the ballot box.

HIT RESET.

Find out which candidate on the ballot in your district raised the least amount of money - and vote for them!

What do you have to lose?

Voting - a Revolutionary concept!

"Whatever back door was built into the Diebold Machines to rig elections is dependent on "vote flipping" to succeed. This means that the assumption is built into the software that only two parties are relevant, and that if a Democrat is leading and likely to win, the votes attributable to his/her name could be "flipped" to the Republican assuring his vistory."

Only, you have no way to know this. That is, it's easy to check "multiple candidates" and verify the totals and make sure you guy edges out no matter how many candidates there are. As a Software Engineer, I'd say it's "trivial" to account for more than just 2 parties.

the republicans are in their last throes...thanks to brave, citizen serving people, like ion sanchos...jeb bush is as dumb as his monkeyfaced brother for trying to fight this...down with the republicans...! INVESTIGATE...PROSECUTE...IMPEACH...IMPRISON...EXECUTE...!

The truly shocking thing about this public crucifixtion of Ion Sancho is that it's so blatant, unsubtle and in-your-face. Jebbie-Baby isn't offering even a pretense of even-handedness and legality, and the corporate gang has descended on an elected official in open hostility. This country has been commandeered and co-opted so thoroughly that the thugs don't even have to hide anymore.

Thank you, Mr. Sancho. Stay safe.

Sorry - "crucifixion" WHEN will I learn to proofread?

For Plunger: I suspect Republicans have already factored third parties into the vote-flipping process.

In Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Cleveland), the Greens and Libertarians received extraordinary blocks of votes which should have gone to Kerry according to voter registration and historical factors. I don't have the exact numbers, but it was something on the order of 4,000 votes for third-party candidates in one precinct, where the same parties had gotten only a handful in 2000 (fewer than 100).

Votes can be flipped every which way. As I understand it, a card can be inserted that flips every tenth vote, or every twentieth vote, to a default line. What's a default line? I believe it's whichever line is on top...it could be a Republican, or it could be a Libertarian, or it could be a Democrat (in which case, nothing is flipped, of course). So in Cuyahoga County, if a third-party candidate happened to be on the default line, it would explain how he got thousands of votes when he expected ten or twenty.

The fact that Ellen Connelly, the African-American judge candidate from Cleveland who was almost unknown outside her home area outpolled Kerry in Southwestern Ohio almost certainly is an example of a straightforward flipping of Kerry votes to Bush. They didn't bother to flip Connelly's votes to the Republican, because they knew he'd win, anyway. If they had been smart, they'd have flipped her votes also, because the discrepancy stands out like a sore thumb.

This is so great! Thankyou Mr.Sanchez!

Now, once we get rid of the Deibold machines and their ilk maybe we can go that one giant step further toward better and more responsive elections by making IRV the law of the land.
Instant Runoff Voting is the most feasable way at this point to give people a real choice, because it allows a person a first AND second choice, a chance to vote for something besides Repug or Dimocrat, something closer to what they REALLY want without having their vote automatically default to what they really DON'T want. And it is probably more do-able at this point than election finance reform, which is hamstrung also by having only 2 parties (that are essentially morphing into one, it seems.)

This is part of a message I received from Janet L. Olin, Assistant Supervisor of Elections here in Leon County in regards to helping defend Mr. Sancho's exposing the vulnerabilities of voting machines. It took a lot of courage for this man to stand up to the entrenched Republican culture of corruption we have here in Florida. It would not surprise me in the least if he loses his job over this.

"You could help our efforts further by contacting those in authority that can make the difference, such as the Governor, committee members of the ethics and elections committee of the Florida Legislature.......We hope there are communications such as yours to our county commission supporting the actions taken by Supervisor Sancho."

Perhaps some of the '6 or 7' Bradblog readers could help out with some calls, faxes or emails. Below are the numbers and addresses. I'm going to try and do a short video from that meeting.

This is the Secretary of State, Sue Cobb's email address, who is causing a lot of the problems. She is no different than Katherine Harris, whom I doubt no one has forgotten. All three voting machine companies that are certified to sell machines in Florida are refusing to sell machines to our county because of Mr. Sancho's courageous stand. Sue Cobb refuses to certify any of the other systems like the paper marking system discussed earlier on your site. We could also go to paper only voting in this state eliminating all these problems, which she also refuses to do. This is all because the Republicans in state are not only in bed with the voting machine companies but are humping like teenagers in orgy of cronyism.
secretaryofstate@dos.state.fl.us

Others:

jeb.bush@myflorida.com

Florida Commission on Ethics
(850) 488-3077 fax
(850) 488-7864 tel

Florida Elections Commission- this is an important one!!
(850) 922-4539
http://election.dos.stat...ontactus/emailForm.shtml

Leon County Commissioners:
proctorb@leoncountyfl.gov
saulsj@leoncountyfl.gov
danw@leoncountyfl.gov
rackleffhsd@earthlink.net (defended Mr. Sancho- please thank him)
cliff@leoncountyfl.gov

grippat@leoncountyfl.gov
depuye@leoncountyfl.gov
This is the commissioner that attacked Mr. Sancho, so much so that the other Republican on the Board (Tony Grippa) apologized for his fat mouth. The whole time the Commission was going on Tony Grippa was looking at blackboxvoting.com on his laptop, apparently astounded that all the systems certified by the state of Florida have problems. Grippa's call to convene a grand jury to investigate Ion Sancho was (or appeared to be) more to find out why no one will sell machines to Leon County unlike Commissioner Ed DePuy, a Republican lobbyist, who wanted to know the answer to that question too (although he damn well already knows the answer- his cronies are blackballing Mr Sancho and this grand jury attempt is payback!).
depuye@leoncountyfl.gov
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Sincerely,
Robert M.
blueblogsradio.com

Hi Peg! Cheer up! There are so many more of us than there are of them, and I, for one, having once been a minimally at best willing soldier for the US, feel confident in saying that Kent State could never happen again. I sure hope I'm right...

Ooops,I meant Mr Sancho.

AND Y