Reply #73: Whistle blow worked!

Well it is nice that the guys in the ivory tower get together to back up what was said in the law suit--from another vendor!

This shows, as I suspected, systemic problems with certification. The development of those systemic problems is a story in itself. I am glad I did not shut up! I am glad Bev and I got together!

I am launching a web site in support of the suit I brought, and will be announcing the site soon, which will have some new information and analysis on it, not seen before!

In the mean time, if anyone wants to donate to the suit, please do so The check is made out to "Citizens for Corporate Accountability-WA", which is a real-live non-profit.

Do NOT make checks out in my name.

Mail to:
Citizens for Corporate Accountability
Attn: Dan Spillane
410 E Denny Way #229
Seattle, WA 98122

2/25/2003 -- Dan Spillane, a voting machine test engineer, has filed a lawsuit against his former employer, DRE touch-screen voting machine manufacturer VoteHere.

Spillane's lawsuit charges wrongful and retaliatory termination; he contends he was removed so that he could not blow the whistle to certification labs and pass critical information to the US General Accounting Office.

He says he has evidence which shows voting systems are certified despite known flaws, demonstrating a weakness in both the NASED and the ITA system for certifying machines.

-- SANTA CLARA COUNTY decided Tuesday night to purchase machines without a paper trail, despite the urgent warnings of over 100 of the nation's top computer security experts. Officials pointed to the strength of NASED and ITA certification when explaining their reasons for ignoring the warnings.

-- Similarly, Collins County Texas decided this week not to follow safety recommendations for a paper ballot audit trail, in part due to assurances that the NASED and ITA certifications could be counted upon to catch errors or vote- rigging.

Spillane, the first insider from a voting machine manufacturer to come forward, reports that system flaws sometimes go undetected. His former company, VoteHere, manufactures touch-screen machines of its own -- which have been certified by NASED and national ITAs -- but also markets its software for use inside machines made by other companies.

Spillane says in his lawsuit that he reported over 250 issues in the VoteHere voting system, including critical errors that can prevent the machines from correctly registering the votes, or working efficiently on election day. He sought meetings with company officials to express concerns about integrity flaws, which he says led to his firing. His complaint indicates that VoteHere did not address the flaws, and that the VoteHere system was certified by independent testing labs despite known issues.

Georgia recently approved VoteHere's machines, and the military and others are considering the technology.

Spillane also alleges company officials bragged about using political connections to pass software, rather than meeting the rules.

VoteHere's board of directors includes former CIA director Robert Gates. VoteHere's Chairman is Admiral Bill Owens, who was senior military assistant to Secretaries of Defense Frank Carlucci and Dick Cheney, and also includes Ralph Munro, a key Washington State politician.

Spillane's findings also suggest the recently-passed Help America Vote Act makes problems worse, by releasing a large sum of up-front money for equipment based on the same approval system which led to Florida 2000.

Permission is granted for reprint.

The lawsuit is at:
http://www.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=Content&...