West Virginia just what the hell!!!!!?

[lonestarnot]

21 days until Election Day. &&& Officials in West Virginia have just
identified a ballot programming error that will affect straight-party
voting. How counties got through their “Logic and Accuracy” testing
without discovering this error should give everyone a hint as to why it
is important to do testing that is thorough and robust. As to
responsibility for the error; all evidence points right back to ES&S, of
course. This is more evidence that straight-party voting is not wise.
Voters should skip the straight-part option completely and vote each
race; but they need to vote each race. &&& Today the NJ judge involved
in the Sequoia voting machine problems has ordered the state to tighten
up security around the voting machines. She wants everyone back in court
on Friday to discuss what actions are being taken to secure the
machines. It is also expected that she will finally rule on releasing
the Princeton University report on the Sequoia machines.

[progdonkey]

1. why are you yelling at Virginia?

West Virginia's a different state. Could just as well say, "Ohio, what the hell?"

[azureblue]

2. It's not West Virginia

It's really South Ohio, but the people there liked Virginia better...

[WildClarySage]

4. lol thank you! We are a separate state, and have been since the civil war!

It's worth mentioning that the problem with straight ticket voting affects only a hotly contested race for the Supreme Court- and our Republican Secretary of State Betty "I'm no Katherine Harris!!1" Ireland promises her office will be getting right on it. :eyes:

[lonestarnot]

6. oops fixed. Thanks.

:evilgrin:

[progdonkey]

10. no problem... ;-) n/t

[DB1]

3. More proof that paper is needed, so that paper can be counted by hand. When needed.

[stillcool]

7. West Virginia does have paper...

for what it's worth..course if nobody counts the paper what's the point?
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/verifier/

[Ilsa]

5. There is thread like this in the Texas forum about a tricky FALSE rumor.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=180x53738

There is a FALSE rumor going around by e-mail telling people that if they vote Straight Democratic Party, they must also cast a vote specifically for Barack Obama in order to have an Obama vote registered. THIS IS FALSE INFORMATION probably initiated by Republican dirty tricksters, but now being spread by well-meaning Barack Obama supporters.

The truth is that if you cast a Straight Democratic Party vote, you will be voting for Barack Obama and your Straight Democratic vote will count as a vote for Obama. But if you then go down and "vote" for Obama, you may actually be cancelling your Obama vote.

snip

On paper ballots if a person marked the straight ticket box and also marked by the name of the candidate they "really, really wanted to win", it was simply counted as a straight ticket vote. On these paperless electronic voting machines if you both mark straight ticket and then mark Obama, the Obama vote is erased. So the person you really, really wanted to win actually gets less votes. Apparently the software programming on the other paperless DRE machines used in Texas does not erase that vote for that person. The other machines simply record a straight ticket vote.

Hart eSlates are defective in my opinion since they treat votes "differently" according to the programming the other machines across the state use, but the courts ruled that people are responsible for reviewing their own ballots.

[lonestarnot]

8. This news came from John Gideon daily voting news.

And this erasing crap that is clearly a vote for Obama by any stretch is bullshit! With two different stories who is one to believe?

[Botany]

9. Flipping or dropping votes from straight party tickets .....

.... and I guess that this only happens to dem straight party
tickets is not a "glitch," or an error, or even a mistake in the
machine's software/hardware but a programed function to
make the machine do what it's right wing backers want it to
do.

Once again it is a simple addition algorithm like:

1+1 =2 2+1=3 3+1 =4 ....... 5872 + 1 = 5873

vote paper