Question about electronic voting

[question everything]

Last year Bev Harris and her campaign against the black boxes was a hero. Now she is the villain according to some posts.

What happened?

[Paul Dlugokencky]

1. I'm wondering the same thing, must have missed something

http://www.cafepress.com/kickindemocrats

[question everything]

2. And, why is it difficult to keep this post alive for

more than a minute?

[FogerRox]

3. umm she fired fired everyone who worked for her--or they left

DAvid Allen, Andy Stephanson, Lynn Landes,and a 1/2 dozen more.
ANd quite frankly when you consider the work 0f others to further election reform, IMHO Bev has taken a back seat.

Eleen @ Votersunite for example and the Mythbreakers PDF
________________________________________
Miami-Dade County officials are studying whether to replace an
expensive, controversial touch-screen voting system after a series of
mishaps.

BY NOAKI SCHWARTZ


Three years after spending $24.5 million to install a controversial
touch-screen voting system, Miami-Dade County elections officials
have been asked to study scrapping the system in favor of paper-based
balloting.

The request from County Manager George Burgess follows the recent
resignation of Elections Supervisor Constance Kaplan and the
revelation that hundreds of votes in recent elections hadn't been
counted.

In a memo, Burgess asked new elections chief Lester Sola to assess
whether optical scanners, which count votes marked on ''bubble
sheets,'' would deliver more accurate results. Burgess also wants
information on how much a switch would cost -- and how much it might
save in the long run.

County officials say the machines have more than tripled Election Day
costs.

rest of article

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11370895.htm
http://www.votersunite.org/MB2.pdf

Between pages 58 to 60 on the PDF.

DRE's cost $3000.00 to $3500.00 ---w/o printer
ONE DRE can process up to 10 ballots/hr

OPscans cost $5000.00
ONE opscan can process up to 360 ballots/hr

So you would have to spend about 100 grand on DRE's to process 360 ballots/hr

If you dont keep the batteries charged between elections the batteries die--and need to be replaced. Have you ever bought a new battery for a laptop? They start about $100 & go to $200.

When you use DRE's you still have to print paper absentee ballots and spare ballots because DRE's freeze up (MSwindows)or stop working, so election officials still to print a significant number of paper ballots.
Suit filed on county vote machines
A contract between Snohomish County and a private firm is
unconstitutional, two Everett men argue in court action.

By Jerry Cornfield
Herald Writer


SEATTLE - Two Everett men filed suit Thursday to void the contract
between Snohomish County and the maker of its electronic voting
machines, claiming the deal illegally shifts control of vote counting
from the public to a private company.

Paul Lehto and John Wells allege in their suit that the contract
between Snohomish County and Sequoia Voting Systems violates the U.S.
Constitution by altering the right of citizens to an open and
transparent election.

For the rest of the article--go here:
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/04/08/100loc_voting001.cfm

Additional coverage @ MSNBC:

http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/reuters04-12-165037.asp?t=renew&vts=41220051 903
NJ suit-
this is the complaint--in PDF

http://www.eff.org/Activism/E-voting/20041021_NJ_complaint.pdf

This is the Memorandum,
http://www.eff.org/Activism/E-voting/20041021_NJ_memorandum.pdf

here is a compilation of problems with Seqioua

http://www.votersunite.org/info/Sequoiainthenews.pdf

From the web page of Assemblywoman Sandy Galef. Check this out!:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/member_files/090/20050318 /

“SCAN AND BE SURE”
A Voting Machine Campaign for New York State

My colleague Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and I are launching the “SCAN AND BE SURE” campaign that proposes paper ballots and optical scanning machines along with a marking system for the disabled. We want this to be the voting system chosen by New York as we implement the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). We believe that having voters fill out paper ballots and scanning them through an electronic optical system is secure, simple, accessible, transparent, and economical. It does not have the heavy price tag and security problems seen in electronic voting systems.

The concern about New York’s possible adoption of an electronic voting system was brought to me by my constituents who had volunteered in other states during the last presidential election and saw the flaws in electronic voting. While researching new voting procedures, I was very impressed with a model demonstration in Albany that had paper ballots that were optically scanned. I favor this approach as the best one for our state.

http://www.blackboxvoting.com/index.php
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/

http://www.ecotalk.org/VotingMachines-TechnicalIssues&Standards.htm
http://www.electiondataservices.com/content/datafiles.htm

On Wednesday, April 13th, Bo Lipari of the New Yorkers for Verified Voting had a press conference announcing county by county cost comparisons with the electronic touch screen, or DREs, aka Direct Recording Electronic, versus our preferred, paper ballot with precinct-based optical scanners.
http://nyvv.org/doc/AcquisitionCostDREvOptScanNYS.pdf

Total acquisition costs for New York State:


DRE system: $230,473,000

Optical Scan: $114,423,640

Cost Savings of Precinct Based Optical Scan Voting System: $116,049,360
New Yorkers for Verified Voting, NYVV, is releasing an analysis of the cost differences for New York State of two different types of voting equipment currently being considered for adoption to replace the state's lever machines. The estimate compares the county by county cost of touch screen voting machines (DREs) versus a system comprised of hand marked paper ballots and precinct based optical scanners, augmented by ballot marking devices to provide accessible, private and independent voting for voters with disabilities.

Touch screen and pushbutton style DREs have been found to be error prone, impossible to recount, and extraordinarily expensive. The NYVV cost estimate shows that the purchase cost of DREs exceeds the equivalent cost of precinct based optical scan systems by over 100 million dollars.

Optical scan systems have been used successfully in elections around the United States for over 20 years. Currently used in nearly 30% of all the precincts in the US, the states of Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Rhode Island and West Virginia have decided to use optical scanners to comply with the Help America Vote Act, which mandates new voting machines for New York.

o Optical scan voting systems are a reliable, mature, auditable and cost effective technology." said Bo Lipari, Director of New Yorkers for Verified Voting. "It's a mistake for NY to spend over 200 million dollars on untested, unauditable, problem prone DREs, when a proven system like optical scanners can be adopted for a fraction of the purchase and maintenance costs." said Lipari.

o "Precinct-based optical scan voting machines with the addition of accessible ballot marking devices will satisfy Help America Vote Act requirements to replace lever voting machines in New York State," said Aimee Allaud, Elections Specialist, New York State League of Women Voters. "The League supports optical scan systems because they meet our criteria of secure, accurate, recountable and accessible," said Ms. Allaud.


Peeps like landshark who sued Seqouia in the State of WAshington. This is where the front lines are--these are the peeps in the trenches fighting tooth and nail for ELection reform in their own Towns and County's.

Ya gotta by in it to win.

[question everything]

4. Thanks for the info

Still, for someone to fire favorite people, or to take a back seat is not enough, in my view, to turn this person into a monster. At least I would give her the benefit of being the first to raise questions about the Black Boxes. She certainly got cover in the main media outlets... or was this misleading?

On the other hand, minor events - good and bad - often get magnified on these pages

[FogerRox]

5. Everything I ve seen of the Progressive internet community

thats working on Election reform--seeems to be on the same page--well at least 2 pages-
1)working to support legislation for VVPT
2) VVPT is not enough--ban DRE's--work at the local level
------------------
also--

Tactical review
The need to build a foundation before building a house should be quite clear to everyone. In our case we need to do the same. Our foundation starts with Educational forums. But these forums need to be conducted in coordination with a Media, community and pubic officials outreach. Inviting members of Congress to speak at or attend a forum when Congress is in recess gives us a realistic chance of their participation and an opportunity for some good earned media. Letters to editors and public officials thanking the public officials for their support gives us two opportunities for earned media before the forum and one after, besides educating the public as to the issues of cost and reliability of voting into a Black Box. It is imperative that a mandate be developed from this educational process, and that that mandate be used to take action that effects positive change.

Once these events have engaged the communities we should be ready to use our political capital to pass Town Resolutions banning DRE's. By now each member of the town government should have been invited to each event, and asked to attend or participate in each forum. Providing town officials with educational materials above and beyond the call is a must. Any concerns or questions they have should be addressed directly. Any opportunities to engage these officials in a private meeting should be taken full advantage of. During this process a petition drive should be initiated to get a question on the ballot in that county. A County referendum to ban DRE's should take full advantage of all momentum gained to this point. An educated County resident is more likely to vote in their own self interest to ban DRE's.

Rallies & Protests get the same media treatment as forums, a coordinated media, community and pubic officials outreach. Rallies and protests are invaluable for an issue oriented campaign. We know the benefits from the Civil Rights and Vietnam War movements. Rallies and protests give our issue good visibility and earned media. While engaging the community and public officials, an event gives them an opportunity to show their support. And don’t forget those letters of thanks for any Public Officials that support or show up for any event. These events should be organized county wide, and just like the instructions on a bottle of shampoo: repeat if necessary.

As far as I'm concerned any time is a good time for a legal action. Injunctions and law suits may ultimately prove to be the home run that wins the game. And finally every group in New Jersey has to be one the same page. And towards that goal, a County grassroots leadership council should be formed to coordinate all efforts in the state.

[Kelvin Mace]

6. Ms. Harris

became paranoid, vindictive and had serious problems telling the truth. She libeled her own supporters, attacked DU, Bartcop.com, Keith Oberlman, Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy, the Democrtaic Party, John Kerry and many others.

She began telling stories about how George Bush had bought her book and was a supporter. She attacked anti-BBV activists such as Avi Rubin, Lynn Landis, Roxanne Jekot, David Dill, Rebecca Mercuri, and many others. She sent vicious emails to reporters who she deemed insufficiently loyal. She knifed Andy Stephenson in the back, publicly humiliated him, and even now is orchestrating (in my opinion) attacks against Andy while he fights pancreatic cancer.

She accused many activists of secretly filing a qui tam in order to make money off of BBV when in fact SHE was filing a secret law suit to make money off BBV.

The archives are full of her crimes with hard proof.

If you would like links to her various outbursts, PM or email me.