"You can very easily erase entries" - Cleveland State University Finds Problems In Election Machines

[kpete]

Cleveland State University research helps find problems in election machines
Posted by Laura Johnston/Plain Dealer Reporter March 24, 2009 08:28AM

Such flaws mean that insiders could tamper with election results, then erase their electronic trail.


Poll workers in Medina County were pleased with their new voting machines in 2005, but new research finds flaws in the design.

Audit logs were supposed to be the fail-safe of elections, an indestructible record of votes to assure the accuracy of electronic voting machines.

But thanks in part to research at Cleveland State University, California has found problems with the audit logs of Premier Elections Solutions, the maker of optical-scan and touch-screen systems used in 33 states and half of Ohio's 88 counties, including Lorain, Medina and Portage.

The Premier software does not keep track of ballot deletions, according to a recent report by the California secretary of state. The software also records the wrong entry date and time for some ballots and allows audit logs to be deleted.

Such flaws mean that insiders could tamper with election results, then erase their electronic trail.

Experts say the problem could violate voting system standards.

"You can very easily erase entries," said Candice Hoke, director of CSU's Center for Election Integrity. "These are flaws in the design, and they're part of the concerns motivating the California secretary of state right now."

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more at:
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/03/cleveland_state_university_res.html

[msongs]

1. "flaws in the design"? umm probably deliberate, not flaws nt

[Jackpine Radical]

2. There are no bugs.

There are only undocumented features. See? Microsoft was right.

[zbdent]

3. if this were a product in the real world

it would never have gotten past R&D ...

[Stevepol]

4. Big problem here: to paraphrase a Diebold rep, "Yeah but nobody would erase an entry because...

this would be a felony."

This was one of the many brilliant rejoinders that the best-known Diebold rep made when confronted with the fact that his machine could be easily mis-programmed to steal an election. Forget his name right now. To be honest, I'm glad I don't remember his name anymore.

[BeFree]

5. What?

When are you bunch of conspiracy nuts gonna give up? There's nothing wrong with Diebold.
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Pretty much heard the last of that crap, eh?