This just in from poll worker Patti Newton from San Diego, where Registrar Mikel Haas has been sending all of their pre-programmed, election-ready, hackable Diebold touch-screen systems home with poll workers on “sleepovers” since Oct. 16th.
Newton reports the machines have been going to high-school kids who have also been recruited to be in charge of those machines tomorrow! Have we mentioned that San Diego’s Mikel Haas is amongst the worst most irresponsible Election Administrator’s in the country?! From Newton…
The PWRS told me that Mikel Haas directed recruiters to place every single teenager who applied. I believe they were actively recruited because they are receiving extra credit (in high school classes) in addition to being paid. She did not confirm or deny the answer to my question, “Did Haas put the teenagers first in line as Touchscreen Inspectors?” Her evasion was answer enough. I asked her if teens having voting machines in their custody for three weeks made her nervous. “Yes, a little.” She stated she was “just a peon” and following directions from ROV Haas.
It is obvious my PI has not cracked the cover of her election guide and made no attempt to contact me or the others to arrange to set up the poll tonight. She has not contacted the other workers. The two phone numbers I’ve (not my PI) actively sought for one worker are both wrong numbers.
These kids have no sense of urgency nor do they seem to take any responsibility. Perhaps Mikel Haas is smarter than we think.
But wait, she followed up with more!
…
I called a co-worker from the June election who said she and the other worker opted out (after six years of service) for that reason.
Why do you think older gangsters recruit minor kids to do the street work ?
I would like to know what constitutes the legal basis for “criminal negligence?” Hass should not only be fired, he should be prosecuted.
Well, kids are the most likely to “hack” for fun, and a few dropped bills here and there gets minors to commit crimes, especially when it’s something they think they can’t get caught for (doing something in your own home provides a false sense of security, especially to kids).
Now, when Pugs win in droves on hacked machines, they can point their fingers at “those bad kids”.
With a little luck, one of the hackers will be slick enough to make Daffy Duck win the election. Then we know for a FACT that these machines are hacked, AND we can have a do-over on PAPER without Congress swearing in a candidate and voiding our Constitutional right to a valid election.
Page scandal
Haggard
San Diego teenage vote fraud?
What’s with these Republicans and kids today?
The bigger question is whether these teenagers are 18 years of age.
If not, there is a legal problem.
Precinct captains (inspectors) must be sworn poll workers. I am not sure if the signature of a 17 year old makes them a “sworn” poll worker. Nor what would be the legal ramifications if something went wrong.
There are several steps in the process of running a polling station where all the poll workers are required to swear under penalty of perjury that what they are signing is true.
Any legal opinions out there regarding this aspect of this travesty.
I thought you have to be 18 years of age for a contract to be binding?
This should be VERY interesting. Advanced placement high school students are usually bright, energetic kids. They are likely to recognize problems and scream about them. They’ll probably be text messaging all day while they do everything else they’re supposed to do — this is a multi-tasking generation. I think Haas made a bad mistake this time. If he thinks that kids are more comfortable with computers, he’s right. They’re comfortable enough with them to know when there’s a real problem and not to be satisfied with being told that everything’s okay and to just ignore the problem, the way older people might.
Chances are that every single kid who is going to work the polls watched Hacking Democracy on HBO or online. My guess is that this gambit is going to backfire bigtime. Haas can fool some of the people some of the time, but he’s just hired the smartest kids in town.
That sounds to me like one of the miracles we need to get this election system straightened out. All sixteen to seventeen year olds know everything anyway, and these are the brainiest. Advantage our side!
Mark (#7),
I tend to agree with you; hiring the smart kids might not be a bad thing, though I think there are some legal questions to be sorted out. Here in Nashville, I’ve heard Bernie Ellis, founder of our YIPES (Your Incumbant Protection Election System) – fighting group Gathering To Save Our Democracy, say it would be a good idea to use high school National Honor Society kids to work the polls. This sounds similar. I’d rather use NHS kids, as they would have some adult supervision. What do y’all think of that? Keep up with how this goes for us, OK Brad?
shw
If they can’t vote, what are they doing running elections?
After all of the crap in the last election, Mikel Haas wants kids to run our elections?
He still wants the machines to go home with poll workers for THREE WEEKS, with high school students, many not even old enough to vote? And then not count perfectly good paper ballots until AFTER all the other votes are counted (or not at all…)
*sigh*
What a jackass.