GAO Report on Election Irregularities

[eppur_se_muova]

From the FreePress site:

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/7/2005/1242

This is the report requested by Conyers. Spread the word of this; people need to know what happened in Ohio (and elsewhere) so we can safeguard the elections in 2006!


Powerful Government Accounting Office Report Confirms Key 2004
Stolen Election Findings
October 26, 2005

By Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

...Among other things, the GAO confirms that:
1) Some electronic voting machines "did not encrypt cast ballots or system audit logs, thus
making it possible to alter them without detection." In other words, the GAO now confirms
that electronic voting machines provided an open door to flip an entire vote count. More than
800,000 votes were cast in Ohio on electronic voting machines, some seven times Bush's
official margin of victory.
2. "It is easy to alter a file defining how a ballot appears, making it possible for someone to
vote for one candidate and actually be recorded as voting for an entirely different candidate."
Numerous sworn statements and affidavits assert that this did happen in Ohio 2004.
3. "Falsifying election results without leaving any evidence of such an action by using altered
memory cards" can easily be done, according to the GAO.
more... http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/7/2005/1242

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. What can we do with this information?

Is there a way to get a lawsuit started that would overturn the election? Or would it be better to make sure that these machines can never be used in an election again?

[Selatius]

2. I think it would tear this country apart if we were to file suit

Is achieving justice worth tearing this country apart? Personally, I think it's worth trying for justice's sake.

[Selatius]

3. Kick n/t

[Igel]

4. Is there a link to the original report.

Primary sources trump secondary sources.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Here's the link:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05956.pdf

Elections: Federal Efforts to Improve Security and
Reliability of Electronic Voting Systems Are Under Way,
but Key Activities Need to Be Completed GAO-05-956,
September 21, 2005

(SEPTEMBER?!? And we're just now hearing about it? BTW, this is an active topic on Smirking Chimp.)


to search GAO,

http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/

( There's another document, which may be relevant:
Elections: Views of Selected Local Election
Officials on Managing Voter Registration and
Ensuring Eligible Citizens Can Vote GAO-05-997,
September 27, 2005
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05997.pdf )

Edited for syntax.