What's to stop a Harris e-vote fraud try, since FL law shields discovery?

[tiptoe]

1) Given the demo of a) how election results can be rigged by "malicious code" and b) how such code can spread "like a virus" from one e-vote machine to many more...in the 9/13/06-released Princeton Hack demonstration video (see: 09.13.06 Security Analysis of the Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting Machine—Abstract and Links

"We've demonstrated that malicious code can spread like a virus from one voting machine to another," said Felten in an exclusive interview, "which means that a bad guy who can get access to a few machines — or only one — can infect one machine, which could infect another, stealing a few votes on each in order to steal an entire election."

2) Given verification of the usability of modified memory cards to alter election results (as demo-ed above and as per VSTAAB re the original Harri Hursti Hack)...and this additional finding by the VSTAAB regarding the SOLE MEANS of DETECTING INCORRECT COUNTS BY E-VOTING MACHINES (see 02.14.06 Security Analysis of the Diebold AccuBasic Interpreter p.2):

We determined that anyone who has access to a memory card of the AV-OS , and can tamper it (i.e. modify its contents), and can have the modified cards used in a voting machine during election, can indeed modify the election results from that machine in a number of ways. The fact that the results are incorrect cannot be detected except by a recount of the original paper ballots.

3) Given a particular new law in 2005 in Florida that "changed over a half-century of Florida law relative to how you count ballots in a recount"...and referred to by RFK Jr in his new Rolling Stone article (see: 09.21.06 Will The Next Election Be Hacked?):

"In Florida, an astonishing new law actually makes it illegal to count paper ballots by hand after they've already been tallied by machine."

Given the above facts and findings, and the seeming absurdity of Kathryn Harris beating the incumbent in a fair election, wouldn't forces supportive of such an "extreme underdog" in a state central to election controversies in 2000 and 2004 be tempted to resort (or continue to resort) to the fraud tactics demo-ed above ("takes less than a minute per machine") given, too, for these upcoming elections, the extra protection from exposure that Jeb Bush administration election law changes in Florida affords by making it illegal to utilize the only technique (manual recounts of original paper ballots, as per VSTAAB) for detecting "incorrect count results" by electronic voting machines?

A DU poster asks today: "Is it illegal to have a paper trail in Florida?"

I am pretty enraged about this. Who sponsored this bill? How was it made into law? This is the most disgusting news I have read this year!

Why isn't it being challenged?

Does anyone in the Florida forum know any of the answers to the above DU'ers questions? I transcribed Ion Sancho's description of how the Florida law affirms manual counts only for overvotes, undervotes and provisional ballots -- i.e. just those ballot types which cannot be read by e-vote machines -- implicitly leaving disallowed the recounting of those original paper ballots which can be successfully read and counted by e-vote machines.

Is the Florida law being challenged by any groups?

Is "Parallel Testing" in the works for detecting suspicious vote results, lacking the legality in Florida of recounting original paper ballots previously tallied by vote machines?

Brennan Center for Justice Security Recommendations: See 06.27.06 THE MACHINERY OF DEMOCRACY: PROTECTING ELECTIONS IN AN ELECTRONIC WORLD -- Executive Summary, pp 3,14 -- Full Report, p3,87

SECURITY RECOMMENDATIONS

There is a substantial likelihood that the election procedures and countermeasures currently in place in the vast majority of states would not detect a cleverly designed Software Attack Program. The regimens for Parallel Testing and Automatic Routine Audits proposed in the Security Report are important tools for defending voting systems from many types of attack, including Software Attack Programs. For the reasons discussed, infra at pp. 6–7, we also believe that these measures would reduce the likelihood that votes would be lost as a result of human error.

Most jurisdictions have not implemented these security measures. Of the 26 states that require a voter-verified paper record, only 12 states require automatic audits of those records after every election, and only two of these states – California and Washington – conduct Parallel Testing. <190> Moreover, even those states that have implemented these countermeasures have not developed the best practices and protocols that are necessary to ensure their effectiveness in preventing or revealing attacks or failures in the voting systems. There is a substantial likelihood that the election procedures and countermeasures currently in place in the vast majority of states would not detect a cleverly designed Software Attack Program.

Recommendation #1...
Recommendation #2...For paperless DRE voting machines, Parallel Testing is probably the best way to detect most software-based attacks, as well as subtle software bugs that may not be discovered during inspection and other testing...
Recommendation #3...

[Prophet 451]

1. Nothing to stop them

The only thing that could stop them is a landslide for either side. The race needs to be pretty close for them to rig the results without tipping off everybody. Other than that, there's nothing to stop them.

Worrying, isn't it?

[bullimiami]

2. the florida constitution clearly allows manual recounts.

the no paper law is probably unconstitutional if a case is brought.

[kdmorris]

3. A case was brought

My congressman, Robert Wexler, has been fighting for it for years. It was declared to be without merit:

http://wexler.house.gov/news.php?ID=252

Over the past 3 years, Wexler has been fighting for a paper trail in Florida. On December 7, Wexler appeared before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that Florida is currently not in compliance with the Bush v. Gore standard and the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution because 52 counties in Florida use optical scan machines that allow for a manual recount, while the other 15 counties use touch-screen voting machines that have a paperless system, which cannot be recounted in the event of a close election. The Appeals Court dismissed Wexler’s lawsuit, and he is currently in the process of consulting with his attorneys on a possible appeal to the United States Supreme Court.

He started fighting for it as soon as Palm Beach County became one of the first counties to use touch screen voting. It was one of the last awful things Teresa Lapore (our ex-Supervisor of Elections, who presided over the 2000 Palm Beach county recount debacle) did to us before we voted her out of office.

[bullimiami]

5. i think it would be found unconstitutional by STATE law.

didnt wexler bring that suit in federal court?

it needs to get to the florida supreme court.

[Orangepeel]

4. ya know, I *almost* wish they would try to steal this one

I don't, but I almost do. It might be the earthquake the general populace needs to wake up to the dangers.

However, the powers-that-be will not do this. The leadership of the republican party wouldn't have written her off like they have if someone who was calling the shots were planning to fix the race for her. Jeb has publically dissed her. She isn't invited to "unity" events. She's not inner circle.

[bullimiami]

6. your wish is about to come true. it will be so dirty in so many places

your head is going to spin off your shoulders.

and it will be obvious and blatant and they will get away with it. just my prediction.

[Orangepeel]

7. it's just THAT race, which won't be fixed

because it would be too obvious. That's why she's been written off.

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. If Harris loses, is it proof that the machines are not rigged?

[ngant17]

9. maybe it will be an inside job like Watergate did to ruin Nixon

I think the Fla. repugs would be engaging in an act of self-destruction to try and rig Harris to win against Sen. Nelson. But look what happened with Nixon and the Watergate scandal. I think Nixon was really set up from some of the stories I read.

It is said that a criminal always returns to the scene of the crime. Harris is certainly loitering around the area of the Fla. crime scene, no doubt about it.

OTOH the dumb criminals are the ones that are caught first. As stupid of a campaign that Harris has run, I don't think she has the savvy type of criminal mind on the level of, say, a Karl Rove to try to pull off this brazen heist.

It would be a disaster worse that any series of hurricanes across the state if Nelson ends up losing to this air-head Harris. And the worse thing about it, it is currently illegal in Florida to recount votes or to create a paper trail for vote accountability. This has only happened because the Repugs have been in control of the sunshine state for too long. Where is the sun shine of gov. operations like we used to have?