EXCLUSIVE: ES&S CERTIFICATION TESTING SUSPENDED IN COLORADO

[BradBlog]

Source: BRAD BLOG

EXCLUSIVE: ES&S CERTIFICATION TESTING SUSPENDED IN COLORADO
Letter from Sec. of State, Obtained by The BRAD BLOG, Says America's Largest E-Voting Vendor Failed - Yet Again - To Deliver Required Materials to State Testing Board
Company Previously Decertified After Lawsuit Found Little or No Testing Performed by State in 2006...

Once again, the country's largest voting machine vendor, Election Systems & Software, Inc. (ES&S) has failed in yet another state certification process, The BRAD BLOG has learned.

In a letter faxed to the company yesterday, Colorado's Secretary of State Mike Coffman informed the Omaha, Nebraska company that the state has suspended the certification process of ES&S' voting systems due to a failure to provide required documentation and other materials needed to complete testing. That, after several previous deadline extensions had been granted.

"here is a history of coordination issues with your company," Coffman wrote to ES&S' Vice President of Certification, Steve Pearson in the two-page letter, before detailing a litany of problems they've had with the company throughout the testing period.

"Those issues include the following: changing project managers multiple times since April, providing incorrect programming of required databases for testing, providing incorrect ballots for testing, failing to provide required documentation of Federal testing, and test failures requiring extensive machine servicing," wrote Coffman.
...
But similar failures by ES&S to cooperate with state officials around the country have now become legion.

The latest mess in Colorado echoes closely similar problems with the company as seen in other states over the last year. Just a brief sampling of some of those extraordinary failures include...

COMPLETE STORY, LIST OF PREVIOUS ES&S FAILURES,
FULL LETTER FROM CO SOS TO ES&S:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5210


Read more: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5210

[siri2k]

1. EXCLUSIVE: WHY IS YOUR SUBJECT LINE IN ALL CAPS?

n/t

[alittlelark]

3. maybe the subject line is all in caps because -

IT'S REALLY DAMN IMPORTANT!!!!!!! IT IS ACTUALLY TRYING TO GET US TO LISTEN TO THE FACT THAT OUR DYING DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM IS STRUGGLING FOR HELP.

[BradBlog]

4. Thank you, lark... NT

[Demit]

6. Except all his post titles are in caps, all the time. It's damned annoying, is what it is.

It's shouting. If you shout all the time, then what's important can't be differentiated.

[acmavm]

8. Here ya go. Take issue with the first thread since you have nothing

better to do.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x484944

[BradBlog]

14. You are wrong. Which I find FAR more annoying. NT

[Demit]

27. Wrong about what? You don't always put your titles in caps?

I don't think you should be taking take such offense. I'm not trying to deliberately insult you. I'm pointing out that all caps is not professional. And I might as well say that the use of the phrase 'BradBlog has learned' is a little hokey too. Just report the story without all the throwback dramatic stuff, it will be a stronger presentation.

[siri2k]

15. *Exactamundo!* Especially the posts, claimed as Brad's 'exclusives,'

typically are, in actuality, reposts/rehashes (although sometimes better-titled, summarized) of mainstream media items.
Moreover, Brad puts nearly EVERY SINGLE POST TITLE IN ALL CAPS, to DRAW ATTENTION TO HIMSELF.

[BradBlog]

20. Wrong. Your note is a smear, unless you are able to show otherwise...

Please feel free to share with me ANY post titled as "Exclusive" which is not.

In lieu of that, one would have to conclude that you are...um...not telling the truth. I would not even begin to guess at the reason.

As to your comment:

Moreover, Brad puts nearly EVERY SINGLE POST TITLE IN ALL CAPS, to DRAW ATTENTION TO HIMSELF.

You'd have a good point. If it were true, of course. Which, like your other point, is not.

I look forward to your demonstrating otherwise, of course. Good luck to you!

Here's some help for you. My DU journal listing all of my OP's here:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/BradBlog

And, of course, BRAD BLOG which is here:
http://www.BradBlog.com

You should have no problem demonstrating the evidence for your ridiculous claim(s). And good use of your/my time, btw!

[hisownpetard]

17. So, if we discover in 2008 that a THIRD election has been stolen, would you expect

the headlines announcing it to be in small type, or in caps?

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BradBlog]

22. Again, I'd ask you to back up your statement with a scintilla of evidence...

You continue to make inappropriate, inaccurate and unevidenced slurs.

Either demonstrate what you are charging, or knock it off. As a journalist, my credibility is my livelihood. I am happy to have criticism on *anything* that I write or the way BRAD BLOG is run, etc.

But if it is not based on FACT, as your comments aren't (nothing is labeled "EXCLUSIVE" unless it actually is), then I will have to ask you to cease and desist, because what you are saying is actually libelous.

Again, I look forward to a shred of evidence for your claims. I note, you have yet to give ANY.

Thank you.

[siri2k]

16. I do agree, however, that the subject is important. n/t

[alittlelark]

24. The subject is important, Bradblog ROCKS w/the subject

How important are your issues?

[Kurovski]

2. K&R. (nt)

[GMFORD]

5. Excellent reporting.

I visit Bradblog regularly. He has been travelling all over the country talking to state election officials about how they are handling the problems with voting machines. I never see this stuff reported anywhere else.

[acmavm]

7. Oh for God sakes almighty (or whomever/whatever), what in the world

is wrong with some people??? Are your ears bleeding? Your eyes??? Do you have an allergic reaction to capital letters???

This is an critically important story about one of the tools that the republican used and are using to turn this country into a third world banana republic. And all you can do is bitch about capital letters?

Oh my, talk about annoying. Sometimes this place is so damn petty and whiney is seems like a board for six year olds. JUST DON'T CLICK ON THE THREAD. SKATE ON BY.

Now was that so hard???

[Demit]

26. I felt like expressing an opinion here, so I did.

And my opinion is that using all capital letters for every thread post is what's commonly agreed is 'shouting', and it's amateurish. I'm not casting any aspersions on the story itself. Why all the emotion?

[Peace Patriot]

9. THANK YOU, BRAD! THE RIGGED VOTING MACHINES *ARE* THE FASCIST COUP.

THEY ARE *WHY* WE CANNOT MOVE THIS POLITICAL SYSTEM TO REFORM. THEY ARE THE 'COUP DE GRACE' TO OUR DEMOCRACY--THE FINAL BLOW--ADDED ON TOP OF MONEY CORRUPTION AND THE CORPORATE NEWS MONOPOLIES, TO BLOCKADE ALL CHANGE. NON-TRANSPARENT VOTE COUNTING IS THE ONE THING WE *MUST* CHANGE, HOWEVER WE CAN, TO UNLEASH THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY.

AND I DON'T AT ALL MIND YOUR USING CAPS TO HIGHLIGHT THIS VERY SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT IN THE BATTLE FOR OUR DEMOCRACY. CAPS ARE APPROPRIATE.

FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND THE BLASE ATTITUDE OF SOME DU POSTERS TOWARD VOTING MACHINES RUN ON **'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY** PROGRAMMING CODE, OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY RIGHTWING BUSHITE CORPORATIONS.

THIS IS THE WHOLE BALLGAME. THIS IS *WHY* WE HAVE A WAR THAT 70% OF THE PEOPLE OPPOSE AND WANT ENDED. THIS IS *WHY" BUSH AND CHENEY ARE STILL IN THE WHITE HOUSE. THIS IS *WHY* WE HAVE A 'DEMOCRATIC' CONGRESS WITH AN 11% APPROVAL RATING THAT CAN'T GIVE BUSH AND CHENEY ENOUGH BILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS TO KEEP KILLING IRAQIS UNTIL THEY SIGN OVER THEIR OIL RIGHTS. THIS IS *WHY* ALMOST NOBODY IN WASHINGTON DC IS REPRESENTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND SEEING TO OUR INTERESTS.

SO CAPS IT IS! WAKE UP, PEOPLE! BEGONE, TROLLS!

AND KUDOS TO COLORADO SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE COFFMAN FOR DOING HIS JOB! THAT TAKES COURAGE THESE DAYS!

[natrat]

13. I AGREE

stupid petty internet annoyances

[Stevepol]

10. This is by far the most important issue in the world today.

ISN'T THAT WORTHY OF CAPITAL LETTERS?

[Lugnut]

23. IT IS TO ME

My county is using these POS machines.

[DemReadingDU]

11. VERY IMPORTANT!!

THANK YOU!

[Joanne98]

12. They can't pass the tests because the machines are RIGGED!

[lyonn]

18. GREAT! How many more States to go? nt

[DCKit]

19. We Want Paper Ballots!!! nt

[Occulus]

25. Why can't their license to do business be revoked? n/t