LOTS of Diebold news!

[helderheid]

Milwaukee officials are counting every ballot by hand in order to find out how many ballots were really cast in Tuesday's election. They presently report 35,000 more ballots counted than cast. There is presently no plan to count any races. / The gentleman who "certifies" voting systems for the state of Colorado had to admit in court documents that he is not an 'expert'. He joins the growing list of non-experts who make crucial decisions on voting systems; people like Paul Craft, Brit Williams, Doug Lewis, and the EAC commissioners. / Tens of thousands of absentee and provisional ballots are still to be counted next week in Montgomery Co. Maryland / E-Poll books used in Maryland seem to have been a huge problem. Voters came to the polls to vote only to be told they had already voted according to the machines

NAtional: The GOP wants to see your I.D.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/15/voterid/

NAtional: Diebold Blasts Felten Study
http://www.techliberation.com/archives/040655.php

NAtional: Diebold says "They're poor researchers"
http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/3488

NAtional: Opinion - Electronic voting's moment of truth
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20060915/cm_csm/evoting

NAtional: Elections Easy to Steal, Say Computer Scientists
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2450290&page=1

NAtional: Diebold's Response to Princeton Report 'Dodges' Issues, Says Computer Scientist Doug Jones
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3479

NAtional: ES&S Burglarized in 2003, Information Just Made Available Today by MN Dem Sec. of State Candidate!
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3482

CA: Ventura County - Returning to old vote system just might work
http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/opinion/article/0,1375,VCS_125_4993639,00.html

CO: Colorado's E-Voting 'Expert' is no Expert, Admits 'Expert'
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3478

CO: New Concerns Raised About Voting Computers
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_258145954.html

CO: Voting machines "expert" says he's not
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_4337807

CO: CCEG Calls on Denver County District Attorney to Investigate Secretary Dennis for Violating Public Trust. CCEG Urges Secretary Dennis to Repeal Rule Infringing on Voter Rights
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=72362

CO: Suit: Ban computer voting. Attorney fears fraud, says state 'headed for train wreck' in Nov.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_4994042,00.html

FL: Sarasota County - Paper or touch screen?
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/OPINION/609150653/1030

IL: Kane County - Kane's voting machines get needed changes
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/city/2_1_AU15_VOTE_S10915.htm

IN: Monroe County - Election board member defends accuracy of new electronic voting machines
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?id=37508&adid=news

MD: Worse to Come in Fall Elections, Officials Fear
Primary Problems, Study Revive Questions About Md. Voting Machines
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401614.html

MD: More on the Maryland Primary Day E-Voting Meltdown
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3475

MD: Posturing over glitches. Ehrlich to question Democratic administrator; Democrats blame his appointees
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.voting15sep15,0,4769508.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines

MD: Judge problems at heart of poll issues
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.judges15sep15,0,6622696.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

MD: Baltimore County - Questionable equipment, endorsements cause confusion
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=808&NewsID=747781&CategoryID=5815&show=localnews&om=1

MD: Howard County - Election officials learn from glitches, errors
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.voting15sep15,0,3241425.story?coll=bal-local-howard

MD: Montgomery County - Provisional ballots could settle Wynn-Edwards congressional race
http://www.gazette.net/stories/091506/princou111447_31956.shtml

MD: Prince George's County - Baker Wants Voting Problems Investigated
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/15/AR2006091500836.html

MD: Worcester County - Local Election Returns Slow To Come In
http://www.mdcoastdispatch.com/localresults091506.html

MI: Opinion - Fight campaign to suppress state voting. Michigan voters must be vigilant or fewer votes may get counted Nov. 7
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/OPINION03/609150318/1008/OPINION01

MN: Clear sailing for voting machines
http://www.marshallindependent.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=5833

MO: Judge strikes down Missouri voter ID law
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15519955.htm

NJ: Groups urge vote for parolees
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/NEWS01/609150379/1006

NJ: Citing discrimination, activists urge state to let parolees vote
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/NEWS03/609150472/1007

OH: Voter Turnout Low In Ohio. Harrison and Belmont County among voting places in District.
http://www.wvnstv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=14139

RI: Ballots to be recount
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17199450&BRD=1713&PAG=461&dept_id=24491&rfi=6

RI: Board tackles voting claims. In one Providence City Council race, the outcome could be changed if alleged voting irregularities are proven.
http://www.projo.com/extra/election/content/projo_20060915_voting15.360e377.html

TN: Tipton County - Loser by 1 vote gets 'no' on runoff
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/millington/article/0,2845,MCA_21396_4994367,00.html

WI: Milwaukee - City is counting every ballot by hand. Mayor says election system sound despite mix-up in turnout totals
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=497946

WV: Berkeley County - Voting machines to be borrowed
http://www.journal-news.net/News/articles.asp?articleID=3705

**Articles included in "Daily Voting News" may not all reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or its allied organizations. These articles are all included for the information of the subscribers of "Daily Voting News" though we realize that the subscribers may not agree with the opinions given in all articles**

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John Gideon
Executive Director www.votersunite.org and
Member www.votetrustusa.org

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
US anthropologist & popularizer of anthropology (1901 - 1978)

VotersUnite! is a national non-partisan organization dedicated to fair and accurate elections. It focuses on distributing well-researched information to elections officials, elected officials, the media, and the public; as well as providing activists with information they need to work toward transparent elections in their communities.


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**Articles included in "Daily Voting News" may not all reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or it's allied organizations. These articles are all included for the information of the subscribers of "Daily Voting News" though we realize that the subscribers may not agree with the opinions given in all articles**

John Gideon
Information Manager
www.votersunite.org and www.votetrustusa.org

VotersUnite! is a national non-partisan organization dedicated to fair and accurate elections. It focuses on distributing well-researched information to elections officials, elected officials, the media, and the public; as well as providing activists with information they need to work toward transparent elections in their communities.

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To unsubscribe from Daily Voting News, please send an email to [email protected] requesting that you be removed from circulation.

[texpatriot2004]

1. No Transparency = No Democracy nt

[me b zola]

36. It's really that simple.

Without transparency you cannot verify. Unverified=illigitimate.

[malaise]

2. Bookmarking to read later

thanks

[lonestarnot]

3. wooodamnwhoo! Have been waiting for this post!

Eternal gratitude to you H.! Looks like something may be done in the face of all this controversy, i mean do they have a fucking choice?

[helderheid]

5. God I hope not! I hope they have NO choice but to pull these machines!

[lonestarnot]

7. You misunderstood me or I wasn't clear. They don't have a choice

but to get rid of these fucking disasterous machines! Short of this "choice" somebody is going to be royally fucked.

[helderheid]

14. I need more coffee.

:hug: I hope you're right!!

[lonestarnot]

15. I am not always clear about what the hell I'm talking about...

:rofl: :hug: :coffee:

[Dems Will Win]

39. Now Abramoff is tied to Diebold and Ney!

SEE MY NEW TIMELINE ON HOW ABRAMOFF, THE GOP AND DIEBOLD STOLE OUR DEMOCRACY: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2153139!!

[young_at_heart]

4. Will people finally stop taking "voting" for granted?

How much proof do we need that something is terribly wrong?

[stepnw1f]

6. Great Work AGAIN, Helderheid! Kick! (nt)

[helderheid]

23. Thanks!

[kpete]

8. Wow, Wow

And more WOW!!!

[helderheid]

25. Don't forget...

WOW!!!!

[midnight]

9. It has been years since the first election was stolen.....

each time we come up to another election we start talking about the lack of transparency, manipulation of the memory card within a minute, and other aspects of the vote that make the count unbelievable. Why can't we just say paper only. We get to say it at the grocery store. Why can't we have that choice every few years? Paper only.

[acmejack]

10. Great thread helderheid!

Again!

[helderheid]

22. Thanks!

[livvy]

11. Nice! K&R

I've added your post to the ERD.

[oasis]

12. Thanks for posting. k&r

[lonestarnot]

13. So bradblog reporting burglary in MI ES & S office.

[rosesaylavee]

16. I live in Kane County, Illinois

and know that our clerk is not the brightest bulb in the box. Still hoping we can revert to paper ballots - but don't see how the county can afford to shift back this late in the game.

K & R and bookmarked of course!

[MindMatter]

17. We're going about this all wrong, I believe

We can talk until we're blue in the face about those damned voting machines with no paper trail. If we want something done about it, the way to get action is the STEAL an election, plain and simple. The Princeton report shows it can be done. As long as the Diebold technology is being used to steal elections for the Republicans in power, they are going to fight like crazy to maintain that status quo. But the day the Dems use this technology to steal one from the Republicans, that is when the discussion changes.

We don't actually have to steal an election. All we really have to do is get some real viruses in place that have the potential to steal an election.

Do you think the media would pay any attention if in a rural Midwestern precinct, the Socialist Worker's Party candidate for the school board ended up taking 90% of the votes on one of these Diebold beauties? Yeah. That becomes a real story then.

What we need are fewer erudite white papers and more action.

[lonestarnot]

18. You already did that! Twice!

[helderheid]

19. *giggle*

[lonestarnot]

20. I see you've had your injection of caffeine... Ready to take on the

world again? :evilgrin:

[helderheid]

21. :) As ready as I ever am!

[stepnw1f]

24. no thanks... We Don't Steal Elections... GOP Does

We win on issues and will never lower ourselves and demean democracy by doing such a thing. When you steal elections, you cheat the whole process and undermine the system of democracy itself. No WAY!

Let the GOP do what they only can do.... cheat, lie and steal.

[hootinholler]

26. Got source?

I've often thought of electing Mickey Mouse to some office.

-Hoot

[MindMatter]

42. I don't know if the vulnerabilities lend themselves

to orchestrating that kind of a write-in result. That would certianly make the point if Fred Flintstone came up the winner in some school board race in Ohio. The press would give the story more coverage in one day than all the cumulative covereace since 2001.

If not a falsified write-in campaign, there are all sorts of elections where there are colorful candidates who put themselves on the ballot knowing they won't get 100 votes. Tipping an election to one of these nuts would be almost as effective as rigging it for Elmer Fudd. There would be no permanent harm done because the courts would step in and void the election. And while they are at it, one would hope they would disqualify the Diebold equipment.

[hootinholler]

50. From reading the princeton report....

It seems to me that a write in winner would be as easy as swinging it to someone who is already on the ballot. I have to qualify that with there really wasn't enough technical detail in the report to know at this point and I'm not intimately familiar with the machine, but, they imply that whatever is on the card would execute, so electing a bogus winner is actually easier because you don't have to worry about stealth because the intent is to be discovered.

It would be an interesting court fight in the aftermath,, and I wouldn't do it before I had a good defense team, and funds, but if I had that in place I'd do it in a heartbeat with no regrets.

-Hoot

[nosferaustin]

51. give Texas

to Kinky!

[marions ghost]

27. yawn...why bother

stealing the election and be used as the scapegoat for election theft, when it's Repuglicon criminality that needs to be exposed? And give them the chance to say that 'both parties do it?' Makes NO sense. Are you on our side?

These DRE machines are capable of screwing up so badly they speak for themselves. High-priced junk.

[MindMatter]

40. We are now 5 years into the era

of computer election fraud launched when Congress authorized billions for new election machines after the 2000 debacle. Five years later, these machines HAVE NOT spoken for themselves. That is the point. The fastest, most effective way to get this into the realm of public consciousness is to steal an election with it.

Sometimes it is necessary to fight fire with fire. Taking the timid route rarely pays in the world of politics.

[marions ghost]

41. sounds good in theory...

but you have to consider how fighting fire with fire can so easily backfire. We should leave the stealing to the Repuglicons.

This isn't the timid route. It's the smart route.

[helderheid]

28. This is THE issue DU!

[helderheid]

29. This one has me particularly interested: Suit: Ban computer voting

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_4994042,00.html

[seafan]

30. Re the paper ballot initiative for Nov. '06 in Sarasota County, Florida:

A judge has ruled that a paper-based-ballot initiative be placed before the voters on November 7. If voters approve it, it will require Sarasota County to switch by 2008, to paper ballots that would be counted by optical scanning machines.


Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful start, allowing voters to decide whether they want paper ballots rather than vulnerable touch screens. It should be on every county's ballot in the other 66 counties in FL.

What troubles me is that the optical scanning machines are of dubious nature themselves and not above suspicion. What's more, if optical scanning is used to count votes, it's likely that the paper ballots themselves would never be examined unless there is a close election. (And *Co has since figured out how to make their *winning margin* just wide enough not to trigger any recount.)

And, to top this off, Jeb Bush and his former Secretary of State Glenda Hood conveniently made it illegal under Florida law for any ballots that have been initially counted by a machine, to be subsequently hand-recounted. Isn't that special? (Much more into from this journal entry: Activist slams new voting machines (Palm Beach County, FL)



Here is a quote from the link in the OP's September 15, 2006 article about the Sarasota ballot initiative:

But because the touch screens store votes intangibly, their election results cannot be independently verified if tampering occurs.

Paper ballots do provide that ability, but they aren't cure-alls. They can be lost, stolen, altered and misread; they can be harder for people with disabilities to use (although solutions exist for that problem); and they can pose logistical difficulties (such as precincts running out of ballots) that can disfranchise citizens. A new voting system also would require revamped procedures, retrained poll workers and re-educated voters -- critical to smooth, fair elections.

All of that is just nonsense. Paper ballots will NOT be "lost, stolen altered or misread... precincts running out of ballots....." NONSENSE!

No "additional training" is needed to hand count ballots. No "additional training" is needed for the voters. This is all just blather.



The critical thing to understand is that using optical scanning machines to count ballots should be banned as well.


The only method that will circumvent all of these unreliable machines is to mandate pen and paper ballots, hand-counted at the precinct immediately after the poll closes, allow direct public observation of the counting, and the poll chief calling in the totals by phone to the Secretary of State's Office.

Bottom line: Hand count all ballots on the first count. And the next Governor of Florida, Jim Davis, should nullify Jeb's law of not allowing machine-counted ballots to ever be hand-recounted.


We have so much work to do after this crowd is forced out on January 2, 2007.

[helderheid]

31. Are they voting for this on a machine??

[seafan]

33. Good question! My guess is yes. It's a start, but so damn slow!

I'm still breathing fire over the December 12, 2000 theft.

[Raksha]

35. There's an easy solution to the "close election" problem.

Re >>What troubles me is that the optical scanning machines are of dubious nature themselves and not above suspicion. What's more, if optical scanning is used to count votes, it's likely that the paper ballots themselves would never be examined unless there is a close election. (And *Co has since figured out how to make their *winning margin* just wide enough not to trigger any recount.)<<

The op-scan machines can be used to get a quick, preliminary count if people are in a hurry for the results. HOWEVER, all ballots should be counted by hand subsequently NO MATTER WHAT the "winning margin" is, whether it's an apparent landslide for one candidate or whether it's a close race. And, of course, the hand count should also be the official count--and NO swearing-in of candidates until it's completed!

[seafan]

37. Speed should never trump accuracy when counting our votes.

I understand your point, however, I don't feel that there is any need for ANY OTHER METHOD to count our votes except by hand and under public observation.

The beauty of a hand count is its accuracy, observability, reproducibility, no need for extensive training for poll workers, no need for troubleshooters for faulty machines, no anxiety on the part of the voters. And it is inexpensive. Have a xerox nearby in case there is a shortage of ballots because of a large voter turnout. Any ballots not used by the time the poll closes are destroyed under public observation.


We can use high tech for many other things, but not when it comes to counting our votes, IMO.

It's time for common sense to rule again. This is a fight I'll never give up.

[lonestarnot]

32. kick!

[Danger Mouse]

34. Amazing!

Lots of information to partake. Yeah, Diebold is a big problem...we need to do something if we are to see real change. Uhm...here's hoping that the Dems grow some stones on this issue and fight fight fight!!!

[donco6]

38. The Colorado issue is pretty hot.

Another article today. And it's coming to play in the Secretary of State's race. The guy running is GREAT. Ken Gordon. Here's his site:

http://www.kengordon.com/

[helderheid]

43. excellent!

[Dinger]

44. My, My . . . You Don't Screw Around, Do You! Excellent Post - Thanks!!!

Wow!:toast:

[helderheid]

45. keep swimming!

[Zorra]

46. Thanks. Here is the archived DU Evoting Links Library for

a historical research tool if anyone needs it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=106&topic_id=3390

[helderheid]

47. oh MANY thanks for this!

[Vidar]

48. Thanks helderheid, K&R.

[Bushfire]

49. Update on Milw WI

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=498522

City's vote recount ends

46,500, not 80,000, people turned out, agency says

By DERRICK NUNNALLY and DAVE UMHOEFER
[email protected]

Posted: Sept. 16, 2006

Milwaukee officials announced Saturday that after a three-day manual count of ballots, Tuesday's primary election brought 46,500 voters to the polls in Milwaukee, not 80,000 as the city previously reported.

snip

"The public should be very pleased with the outcome of this joint canvass," Edman said. :sarcasm: :rofl:

The laborious manual review was not a recount of votes cast for individual candidates. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Edman have said repeatedly that the computer error was isolated to total turnout and did not affect the reporting of results in any race.

Those statements seemed to satisfy all the candidates on the ballot except Vince Bobot, an assistant city attorney who lost a fairly close race for the Democratic Party nomination for sheriff. Bobot is considering seeking a recount of votes in the sheriff's race, for which the total vote tally - 39,285, including write-in votes - is in line with vote counts for other races.

more to come i'm sure....