FOIA for Gastonia, NC

[Blue in the face]

We've all seen the mess that Gastonia made of their election count. Does anyone think it would be a good idea to send Gaston County a FOIA request? I have a friend in the county who'd be willing to sign for it if need be.

I'd like to know that if it worked that I'd have someone to send the info to who knew what they were looking for. And my fear is that sending the request would mess it up for someone who knew what they were doing and were going to investigate.

[KatieB]

1. Gastonia used the Diebold Accuvote machines - so a good idea

http://www.verifiedvoting.org/verifier/map.php?topic_string=5std&state=North%20Carolina&county=Gaston

[Eloriel]

2. There's a group in NC --

aaargh, where did I see mention of that? Let me see if I can search for it.

Ugh. "North Carolina Fair Elections" (which I think is part of what the group is called) turned up the following threads in a DU search:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1348397

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1344536

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1350234http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=57286

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=51199

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=55396

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=54302

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=51308

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=41599


Sorry, but you'll have to look thru these threads yourself. Other suggestions include asking in DU's NC State Forum, and/or checking out the discussion forums on www.blackboxvoting.org.

OBVIOUSLY, it would be better for you and your friend to join forces with folks already working on this -- instead of re-inventing the wheel.

Good luck!

[Blue in the face]

4. You are so right!

I've been checking out my home state on BBV, and there's never anything there. I didn't even think to look again. (I swear I don't know why I need to be led around by the hand on this, but thank you for doing that). FOIA sent two days ago!:

"2. "11/15/04 pub records request sent to Gaston County BOE"
In response to message #0

From: Joyce McCloy
To: [email protected]
Sent: 11/15/2004 7:16:17 PM
Subject: Public Records Request for Specific Election Security Information

Sandra Page
[email protected]
P O Box 1396
Gastonia, NC 28053
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Dear Ms. Page;

R/e public records requst -


Reply to: [email protected] AND [email protected]

Pursuant to NC Public Records Law" N.C. GEN. STAT. §§132-1 to -10, I am requesting the following records.

- Please provide us with the type voting system you use, the manufacturer of the system, hardware model #, firmware version numbers and tabulator software version number and manufacturer.

- Please provide the lists you have kept of the names, positions, and employer of every person who has accessed your central tabulator, or your main tabulator computer for votes, from January 1, 2004 until your receipt of this public records request. If you do not keep a list, please indicate that you do not have such a list.

- Please provide a printout of the document called the "audit log" or "event log" or its equivalent, from your central tabulator program or your main tabulator for votes, for your most recent two elections. If your computer system does not make such a log available, please indicate that, and provide documentation on what manufacturer and version number you use for your voting system tabulation.

- Please provide a copy of the "key log" indicating access to your locked central tabulator room, from January 1, 2004 until the present. If you do not maintain a log of who enters the central tabulator room, please indicate that you have no such documentation.

- Please provide the lists you have maintained of the names, positions, and employer of every person who has election modem access, as well as a contact telephone number for each person. If access is granted to individuals employed by other than governmental entities or election equipment vendors, please note the status of the person (such as "volunteer pollworker"), and please still provide a contact number for
each person.

- To clarify this request, by modem access, I mean any person who has been given the modem phone number, user name, and password (or any other log-in or sign-in codes or devices) of the modems used to transmit precinct results on election night, or any subsequent time thereof. If you do not maintain lists of persons granted such access please indicate so by e-mail response.

- Also please send us any information which pertains to any change of the modem phone number and or passwords. Also, please provide us with the names, contact telephone numbers, positions, and employer (or volunteer status) of every person who has been given this number and/or passwords since the change.

-The date time and street address of any and all planned logic and accuracy tests.

The above records will not be used for commercial purposes. Please advise as soon as possible by e-mail of any costs. Please send any records available in electronic form by e-mail.

Mail records to:
Black Box Voting - Attn Cleanup Crew
PO Box 25552
Seattle WA 98165

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Andy Stephenson
Associate Director,
www.BlackBoxVoting.org 501(c)(3)


this email and all repies are public and can be viewed at:
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID44


Thank you for your assistance in this matter.


Regards;

Joyce McCloy

The North Carolina Coalition for Verified Voting is a grassroots organization fighting for clean and verified elections.
Contact Joyce McCloy, Coordinator, N.C. Coalition for Verifiable Voting - phone [phone] -
email: [email protected] group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ncverifiablevoting/
website: http://www.ncvoter.net


North Carolina Coalition for Verifiable Voting: Yahoo Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ncverifiablevoting/"

That is so awesome!!!!

By the way, was this posted earlier? http://www.wral.com/news/3927751/detail.html">Recount ends in most NC counties "In Cleveland County, officials said 120 ballots that were left on a counter at a fire station were thrown away by firefighters. However, those ballots were counted on Election Day, but they will not be part of the recount."

Why would firefighters throw away ballots? What the hell is NC doing?

[truehawk]

3. Yes!!!

[chomskysright]

5. this is what I sent to NC BOE re: Gastonia tonight

Marsha V. Hammond, PhD: Licensed Psychologist: GA & NC
e mail: [email protected]


November 18, 2004



Mr. Blackwell: what was going today in Volusia county (OH), when there is
a FOIA document to cause you to turn over the records?

Here is the BOE results:

http://www.volusia.org/elections/110204results.htm


Registered Voters: 309,930
Absentee Votes: 43,750 (15%)
Unscanned: 19
Provisional: 621
Early Voting: 40,077 (12%)
Total Votes: 228,839 (73.8%) <- Pretty high turnout

How they voted:

Absentee: 24,780 (56.6%) Bush , 18,672 (42%) Kerry
Early Voting: 15,819 (39.4%) Bush, 24,064 (60%) Kerry Why are there such
huge discrepancies here?
Total County: 111,859 (48.8%) Bush, 115,484 (50.47%) Kerry

Precinct 215 Results:
Registered Voters: 2364
Votes Cast: 880 (37%)
Results: 520 (59.1%) Bush, 351 (39.9%) Kerry



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address
=104x2704906#2712680

And then this from Bev Harris report (Blackboxvoting):

".....By now, a county lawyer had appeared on the scene, suddenly
threatening to charge us extra for the time we took looking at the real
stuff they had withheld from us in our FOIA. Other lawyers appeared,
phoned, people had meetings, Lana glowered at everyone, and someone shut
the door in the office holding the GEMS server.

Andy then went to get the GEMS server locked down. He also got the memory
cards locked down and secured, much to the dismay of Lana. They were
scattered around unsecured in any way before that.

We then all agreed to convene tomorrow morning, to further audit, discuss
the hand count that Black Box Voting will require of Volusia County, and of
course, it is time to talk about contesting the election in Volusia.

Bev Harris
Executive Director
Black Box Voting"

Why was the GEMS Diebold server being held hostage when all we seek to
understand is what the vote was, Mr. Blackwell? Please advise: the country
wants to know.

I would not be so concerned except the fate of the country is bound
together, each state to the other. This is a UNION of states, Mr. Blackwell.


Sincerely,

Marsha V. Hammond, PhD




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Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"

Marsha V. Hammond, PhD: Licensed Psychologist: GA & NC
e mail: [email protected]


November 18, 2004



Mr. Blackwell: what was going today in Volusia county (OH), when there is a FOIA document to cause you to turn over the records?

Here is the BOE results:

http://www.volusia.org/elections/110204results.htm


Registered Voters: 309,930
Absentee Votes: 43,750 (15%)
Unscanned: 19
Provisional: 621
Early Voting: 40,077 (12%)
Total Votes: 228,839 (73.8%) <- Pretty high turnout

How they voted:

Absentee: 24,780 (56.6%) Bush , 18,672 (42%) Kerry
Early Voting: 15,819 (39.4%) Bush, 24,064 (60%) Kerry Why are there such huge discrepancies here?
Total County: 111,859 (48.8%) Bush, 115,484 (50.47%) Kerry

Precinct 215 Results:
Registered Voters: 2364
Votes Cast: 880 (37%)
Results: 520 (59.1%) Bush, 351 (39.9%) Kerry



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2704906#2712680

And then this from Bev Harris report (Blackboxvoting):

".....By now, a county lawyer had appeared on the scene, suddenly threatening to charge us extra for the time we took looking at the real stuff they had withheld from us in our FOIA. Other lawyers appeared, phoned, people had meetings, Lana glowered at everyone, and someone shut the door in the office holding the GEMS server.

Andy then went to get the GEMS server locked down. He also got the memory cards locked down and secured, much to the dismay of Lana. They were scattered around unsecured in any way before that.

We then all agreed to convene tomorrow morning, to further audit, discuss the hand count that Black Box Voting will require of Volusia County, and of course, it is time to talk about contesting the election in Volusia.

Bev Harris
Executive Director
Black Box Voting"

Why was the GEMS Diebold server being held hostage when all we seek to understand is what the vote was, Mr. Blackwell? Please advise: the country wants to know.

I would not be so concerned except the fate of the country is bound together, each state to the other. This is a UNION of states, Mr. Blackwell.


Sincerely,

Marsha V. Hammond, PhD




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