Sweet Liberty

31 January 2004

Security measures urged for voting machines

Many forms of tampering possible, consultant says

By Stephanie Desmon
Sun Staff
Originally published January 30, 2004

Results tallied by Maryland's 16,000 new electronic voting machines can be trusted in their first statewide test during the March 2 presidential primary, but only with some added security measures, a state official and a consultant told legislators yesterday.

Even more extensive upgrades - including the creation of a paper trail to allow voters to feel sure their ballots are counted just as they cast them - need also to be added to ensure the new ATM-like machines can be relied on in future elections, said Michael A. Wertheimer, a Columbia-based consultant hired by the state.

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Government Accountability Report

While electronic voting systems hold promise for a more accurate and efficient election process, numerous entities have raised concerns about their security and reliability, citing instances of weak security controls, system design flaws, inadequate system version control, inadequate security testing, incorrect system configuration, poor security management, and vague or incomplete voting system standards, among other issues. For example, studies found (1) some electronic voting systems did not encrypt cast ballots or system audit logs, and it was possible to alter both without being detected; (2) it was possible to alter the files that define how a ballot looks and works so that the votes for one candidate could be recorded for a different candidate; and (3) vendors installed uncertified versions of voting system software at the local level. It is important to note that many of the reported concerns were drawn from specific system makes and models or from a specific jurisdictions election, and that there is a lack of consensus among election officials and other experts on the pervasiveness of the concerns. Nevertheless, some of these concerns were reported to have caused local problems in federal elections resulting in the loss or miscount of votes and therefore merit attention.

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'In Ohio" - Free MP3

Madog Pavanelli & the Virtual Country Boys new song, "In Ohio"

3 T I M E S I N O H I O

Ohio's Presidential Election was a fraud in 2000 and 2004. Care to go for three? They can. They control the elections. That'll be three times Ohio handed over the country. What about the current insane financial devastation? With that, George Bush can cross the last task off his "to screwup" list. Congress and the major candidates don't even want to get it. Wall street most surely gets it - and keeps on getting it. Meanwhile people are losing their homes, jobs and savings. We need to hold them all accountable and stop all this. In Ohio, the poster child for stolen elections... does Main Street really care??

Copy and distribute freely - in 3 formats - bluegrass, big band, and 12-string solo.

"In Ohio" is freely available for use by others in films, documentaries, live performances, radio and CD's. Interested parties email Gary Polvinale: garypcd@madogmusic.com

Go here to listen and for your free download:
Madog Music

Stealing America - Documentary

"STEALING AMERICA: Vote by Vote does for American democracy what An Inconvenient Truth did for global warming."

-FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Why is this film a "must see"? Inaccurate vote counts, illegal purging, improbable machine errors, and more have led millions of people to believe that recent national elections were stolen.

Look at the evidence in this film and decide for yourself:

STEALING AMERICA: Vote by Vote by OSCAR-nominated, EMMY-winning filmmaker, Dorothy Fadiman

Narrated by Peter Coyote

Stealing America >>