Kucinich Calls for Suspension of Electronic Voting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2004
Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, who has been sounding warning alarms regarding electronic voting systems since he began his campaign last year, today called on federal, state and local election officials "to suspend immediately the implementation of any voting systems that do not provide a 100 percent reliable paper-trail back-up to corroborate results."
--snip
Especially in terms of the Presidential election, Kucinich said, "we cannot entrust the future of our country to technologies that are flawed, suspect, and proven to have failed, especially when those technologies have been developed by companies that have their own political agendas."
Read Article
25 April 2004
24 April 2004
US Heading for Another Election Fiasco as Reforms Fail
By Andrew Gumbel
The Independent U.K.
Thursday 22 April 2004
The United States may be on the way to another Florida-style presidential election fiasco this year because legislation passed to fix the system has either failed to address the problems or has broken down because of missed deadlines and unmet funding targets.
Such is the conclusion of a damning new report by the US Commission on Civil Rights, a bipartisan government body which previously looked into the Florida mess and found alarming evidence of voter disenfranchisement among poor and minority groups, incorrectly compiled voter rolls and other glaring irregularities. "Many of the problems that the commission previously cautioned should be corrected yet prevail ... Unless the government acts now, many of those previously disenfranchised stand to be excluded again," the report said.
--snip
The commission report can only heighten the anxieties of an electorate already alarmed by a growing controversy over touchscreen voting machines being introduced - with Hava money - in many parts of the South and West. The machines make meaningful recounts impossible and rely on software developed by companies with strong ties to President Bush and his Republican Party. California is expected to decide this week whether to decertify its touchscreen machines.
The debate over the health of America's electoral procedures is turning into a partisan fight, with Republicans dismissing the concerns as Democratic politicking unworthy of serious examination. When the Commission on Civil Rights convened an expert panel in Washington this month to discuss its report, the Republican Party delegation walked out before the proceedings began, one panel participant, Rebecca Mercuri, a Harvard University voting machinery expert, said.
In Florida during the 2000 election, thousands of eligible, predominantly black, voters were erroneously identified as former felons and purged from the voter rolls by a private company hired by Katherine Harris, who acted as the state's top electoral official and also as co-chair of George Bush's state campaign committee.
Read Article
By Andrew Gumbel
The Independent U.K.
Thursday 22 April 2004
The United States may be on the way to another Florida-style presidential election fiasco this year because legislation passed to fix the system has either failed to address the problems or has broken down because of missed deadlines and unmet funding targets.
Such is the conclusion of a damning new report by the US Commission on Civil Rights, a bipartisan government body which previously looked into the Florida mess and found alarming evidence of voter disenfranchisement among poor and minority groups, incorrectly compiled voter rolls and other glaring irregularities. "Many of the problems that the commission previously cautioned should be corrected yet prevail ... Unless the government acts now, many of those previously disenfranchised stand to be excluded again," the report said.
--snip
The commission report can only heighten the anxieties of an electorate already alarmed by a growing controversy over touchscreen voting machines being introduced - with Hava money - in many parts of the South and West. The machines make meaningful recounts impossible and rely on software developed by companies with strong ties to President Bush and his Republican Party. California is expected to decide this week whether to decertify its touchscreen machines.
The debate over the health of America's electoral procedures is turning into a partisan fight, with Republicans dismissing the concerns as Democratic politicking unworthy of serious examination. When the Commission on Civil Rights convened an expert panel in Washington this month to discuss its report, the Republican Party delegation walked out before the proceedings began, one panel participant, Rebecca Mercuri, a Harvard University voting machinery expert, said.
In Florida during the 2000 election, thousands of eligible, predominantly black, voters were erroneously identified as former felons and purged from the voter rolls by a private company hired by Katherine Harris, who acted as the state's top electoral official and also as co-chair of George Bush's state campaign committee.
Read Article
Diebold May Face Criminal Charges
By Kim Zetter
Wired
Friday 23 April 2004
SACRAMENTO, California - After harshly chastising Diebold Election Systems for what it considered deceptive business practices, a California voting systems panel voted unanimously Thursday to recommend that the secretary of state decertify an electronic touch-screen voting machine manufactured by the company, making it likely that four California counties that recently purchased the machines will have to find other voting solutions for the November presidential election.
The panel also voted to send the findings of its recent Diebold investigation to the state's attorney general for possible criminal and civil charges against the firm for violating state election laws.
Following a contentious six-hour hearing during which the Voting Systems and Procedures Panel grilled Diebold president Bob Urosevich about his company's business practices, the panel voted to recommend decertifying the Diebold AccuVote-TSx machine, which was used for the first time in California during the March primary in Kern, San Joaquin, Solano and San Diego counties.
The decision was based partly on the fact that a peripheral device for the machine performed poorly in the March primary and partly on the fact that Diebold had marketed and sold the TSx to counties before it was certified by the state. The panel also said Diebold misled the state about issues pertaining to the federal certification of the system.
Read Article
By Kim Zetter
Wired
Friday 23 April 2004
SACRAMENTO, California - After harshly chastising Diebold Election Systems for what it considered deceptive business practices, a California voting systems panel voted unanimously Thursday to recommend that the secretary of state decertify an electronic touch-screen voting machine manufactured by the company, making it likely that four California counties that recently purchased the machines will have to find other voting solutions for the November presidential election.
The panel also voted to send the findings of its recent Diebold investigation to the state's attorney general for possible criminal and civil charges against the firm for violating state election laws.
Following a contentious six-hour hearing during which the Voting Systems and Procedures Panel grilled Diebold president Bob Urosevich about his company's business practices, the panel voted to recommend decertifying the Diebold AccuVote-TSx machine, which was used for the first time in California during the March primary in Kern, San Joaquin, Solano and San Diego counties.
The decision was based partly on the fact that a peripheral device for the machine performed poorly in the March primary and partly on the fact that Diebold had marketed and sold the TSx to counties before it was certified by the state. The panel also said Diebold misled the state about issues pertaining to the federal certification of the system.
Read Article
California GOP Faces Election Forgery/Fraud in it's Ranks
The Associated Press
Friday 23 April 2004
WASHINGTON - The campaign manager and fund-raising committee for a California Republican have agreed to pay $84,000 in civil penalties for sending out letters pretending to be Democrats during a 1998 congressional campaign, the Federal Election Commission said.
Adrian Plesha, manager of Charles Ball's campaign, agreed to pay a $60,000 fine and Ball's campaign committee agreed to pay $24,000. Plesha also pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FEC and was sentenced to three years probation, fined another $5,000 and ordered to perform 160 hours of community service.
In announcing the agreement late Thursday, the FEC said Plesha and the committee sent out 40,000 letters and made 10,000 phone calls just before the 1998 general election urging registered Democrats not to vote for Ball's opponent, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.
The letters and phone calls came from the "East Bay Democratic Committee," a fictitious organization created by Plesha and the campaign committee. The letters falsely used the signature of Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.
The FEC said Plesha initially denied any knowledge of the scheme.
Link
The Associated Press
Friday 23 April 2004
WASHINGTON - The campaign manager and fund-raising committee for a California Republican have agreed to pay $84,000 in civil penalties for sending out letters pretending to be Democrats during a 1998 congressional campaign, the Federal Election Commission said.
Adrian Plesha, manager of Charles Ball's campaign, agreed to pay a $60,000 fine and Ball's campaign committee agreed to pay $24,000. Plesha also pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FEC and was sentenced to three years probation, fined another $5,000 and ordered to perform 160 hours of community service.
In announcing the agreement late Thursday, the FEC said Plesha and the committee sent out 40,000 letters and made 10,000 phone calls just before the 1998 general election urging registered Democrats not to vote for Ball's opponent, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.
The letters and phone calls came from the "East Bay Democratic Committee," a fictitious organization created by Plesha and the campaign committee. The letters falsely used the signature of Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.
The FEC said Plesha initially denied any knowledge of the scheme.
Link
23 April 2004
Legislators Wary of Electronic Voting
By RACHEL KONRAD
April 23, 2004
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A growing number of federal and state legislators are expressing doubts about the integrity of the ATM-like electronic voting machines that at least 50 million Americans will use to cast their ballots in November.
Computer scientists have long criticized the so-called touchscreen machines as not being much more reliable than home computers, which can crash, malfunction and fall prey to hackers and viruses.
Now, a series of failures in primaries across the nation has shaken confidence in the technology installed at thousands of precincts. Despite reassurances from the machines' makers, at least 20 states have introduced legislation requiring a paper record of every vote cast.
On Thursday, a key California panel unanimously recommended banning a popular Diebold Inc. paperless touchscreen model _ a move that could force Diebold and other manufacturers to overhaul their business practices nationwide. Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, who said Diebold glitches "jeopardized the outcome" of the March 2 primary, has until April 30 to decide whether to decertify Diebold and possibly other touchscreen terminals in California.
The head of a newly created federal agency charged with overseeing electronic voting called Diebold's problems "deeply troubling." The bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission, formed in January to develop technical standards for electronic voting, will conduct a May 5 public hearing in Washington, D.C.
MUST READ ARTICLE
By RACHEL KONRAD
April 23, 2004
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A growing number of federal and state legislators are expressing doubts about the integrity of the ATM-like electronic voting machines that at least 50 million Americans will use to cast their ballots in November.
Computer scientists have long criticized the so-called touchscreen machines as not being much more reliable than home computers, which can crash, malfunction and fall prey to hackers and viruses.
Now, a series of failures in primaries across the nation has shaken confidence in the technology installed at thousands of precincts. Despite reassurances from the machines' makers, at least 20 states have introduced legislation requiring a paper record of every vote cast.
On Thursday, a key California panel unanimously recommended banning a popular Diebold Inc. paperless touchscreen model _ a move that could force Diebold and other manufacturers to overhaul their business practices nationwide. Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, who said Diebold glitches "jeopardized the outcome" of the March 2 primary, has until April 30 to decide whether to decertify Diebold and possibly other touchscreen terminals in California.
The head of a newly created federal agency charged with overseeing electronic voting called Diebold's problems "deeply troubling." The bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission, formed in January to develop technical standards for electronic voting, will conduct a May 5 public hearing in Washington, D.C.
MUST READ ARTICLE
TrueMajority's "Computer Ate My Vote" My Vote is Rocking!
Here's a sampling of what they're saying about us:
Associated Press: “‘There’s such an easy, reasonable, inexpensive solution to this problem,’ said Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and president of TrueMajority.org, the advocacy group funding the ads. ‘Just have the machine print out a receipt, just like an ATM does.’” 3/19/04
Newsweek: “…touch-screen systems should include printers that generate ballots for verification. Six other states have jumped on the bandwagon, spurred in part by a campaign on the Internet called ‘The Computer Ate My Vote.’” 3/29/04
Washington Times: “…questions about the integrity of electronic voting have been generating significant concern, reflected in recent newspaper ads run by the advocacy group TrueMajority.org.” 3/22/04
TrueMajority members have sent tens of thousands of faxes and e-mails, bought full-page ads in major newspapers and shown up in person at press events by the hundreds.
--snip
NATIONAL
The drumbeat of national media coverage continues. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post published editorials supporting a voter-verified paper trail. Vanity Fair featured a nine-page article on the voter- verified paper ballot movement, and Newsweek’s story was a big step forward.
Let’s be clear—as with all fights worth waging, there are powerful forces that don’t want the voter protections we’re after. Time is on their side, as they run out the clock to the November election. But this is an issue that many elected officials understand. The media is with us. And grassroots pressure has shown to be effective.
There’s a lot left to do, but all of us should be proud of what we’ve accomplished together so far.
I’m happy to be in this with you,
Ben Cohen
President, TrueMajority.org
PS: For more information about our campaign, check out True Majority - Computer Ate My Vote
For more information about computer voting systems, check out Verified Voting or www.calvoter.org/votingtechnology.html#resources.
Here's a sampling of what they're saying about us:
Associated Press: “‘There’s such an easy, reasonable, inexpensive solution to this problem,’ said Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and president of TrueMajority.org, the advocacy group funding the ads. ‘Just have the machine print out a receipt, just like an ATM does.’” 3/19/04
Newsweek: “…touch-screen systems should include printers that generate ballots for verification. Six other states have jumped on the bandwagon, spurred in part by a campaign on the Internet called ‘The Computer Ate My Vote.’” 3/29/04
Washington Times: “…questions about the integrity of electronic voting have been generating significant concern, reflected in recent newspaper ads run by the advocacy group TrueMajority.org.” 3/22/04
TrueMajority members have sent tens of thousands of faxes and e-mails, bought full-page ads in major newspapers and shown up in person at press events by the hundreds.
--snip
NATIONAL
The drumbeat of national media coverage continues. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post published editorials supporting a voter-verified paper trail. Vanity Fair featured a nine-page article on the voter- verified paper ballot movement, and Newsweek’s story was a big step forward.
Let’s be clear—as with all fights worth waging, there are powerful forces that don’t want the voter protections we’re after. Time is on their side, as they run out the clock to the November election. But this is an issue that many elected officials understand. The media is with us. And grassroots pressure has shown to be effective.
There’s a lot left to do, but all of us should be proud of what we’ve accomplished together so far.
I’m happy to be in this with you,
Ben Cohen
President, TrueMajority.org
PS: For more information about our campaign, check out True Majority - Computer Ate My Vote
For more information about computer voting systems, check out Verified Voting or www.calvoter.org/votingtechnology.html#resources.
Rose: Another stolen election?
By John David Rose
Special to the Carolina Morning News
Think About It
As we learned in the last presidential election, the candidate who gets the most votes doesn't necessarily win.
'Hanging chads' on punch-card ballots was thought to be the culprit in Florida, but it wasn't. The real cause has been largely overlooked."
Read Article
By John David Rose
Special to the Carolina Morning News
Think About It
As we learned in the last presidential election, the candidate who gets the most votes doesn't necessarily win.
'Hanging chads' on punch-card ballots was thought to be the culprit in Florida, but it wasn't. The real cause has been largely overlooked."
Read Article
22 April 2004
Panel recommends ban on computer voting system in four counties
DECISION THAT WOULD AFFECT NOVEMBER ELECTION RESTS WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SHELLEY
By Elise Ackerman
Knight Ridder Sacramento Bureau
Apr. 22, 2004
SACRAMENTO - An advisory panel unanimously recommended this morning that Secretary of State Kevin Shelley ban use of a computerized voting system in four California counties.
The panel also called on state Attorney General Bill Lockyer to open a criminal investigation into the conduct of Diebold Election Systems, the Ohio-based firm that manufactured the touch-screen system.
The advisory panel had convened a two-day hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday to review a report that Diebold had jeopardized the March primary by selling an untested and poorly functioning election system in California.
The recommendation to decertify Diebold's TSx balloting system, if adopted, would force officials in San Joaquin, Solano, San Diego and Kern counties to find alternative ways to count votes for the November presidential election.
LINK
DECISION THAT WOULD AFFECT NOVEMBER ELECTION RESTS WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SHELLEY
By Elise Ackerman
Knight Ridder Sacramento Bureau
Apr. 22, 2004
SACRAMENTO - An advisory panel unanimously recommended this morning that Secretary of State Kevin Shelley ban use of a computerized voting system in four California counties.
The panel also called on state Attorney General Bill Lockyer to open a criminal investigation into the conduct of Diebold Election Systems, the Ohio-based firm that manufactured the touch-screen system.
The advisory panel had convened a two-day hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday to review a report that Diebold had jeopardized the March primary by selling an untested and poorly functioning election system in California.
The recommendation to decertify Diebold's TSx balloting system, if adopted, would force officials in San Joaquin, Solano, San Diego and Kern counties to find alternative ways to count votes for the November presidential election.
LINK
20 April 2004
Out of the Frying Pan ...
April 15, 2004
Matthew Frederick Streib
Cornell Daily Sun
When it comes to voting, America has greater problems than the Electoral College. After the mess that was the 2000 election, Congress passed 2002's Help America Vote Act to straighten out the electoral process. The favored solution appears to be electronic voting, which is quickly sweeping the nation. Nevertheless, electronic voting currently has more flaws than a diamond bought on the streets of Chinatown.
Primarily, there is the inability of the state or voters to audit the system, or verify that the results reflect the votes cast. Say you vote on one of these machines. In order to ensure anonymity, your vote is randomly saved on the machine's hard drive. Because it is not in sequential order, there is no way to verify if the vote you cast was ever legitimately recorded. Essentially, all it would take is one hacker to infiltrate the system or one programming glitch and the votes would be altered.
Read Article
April 15, 2004
Matthew Frederick Streib
Cornell Daily Sun
When it comes to voting, America has greater problems than the Electoral College. After the mess that was the 2000 election, Congress passed 2002's Help America Vote Act to straighten out the electoral process. The favored solution appears to be electronic voting, which is quickly sweeping the nation. Nevertheless, electronic voting currently has more flaws than a diamond bought on the streets of Chinatown.
Primarily, there is the inability of the state or voters to audit the system, or verify that the results reflect the votes cast. Say you vote on one of these machines. In order to ensure anonymity, your vote is randomly saved on the machine's hard drive. Because it is not in sequential order, there is no way to verify if the vote you cast was ever legitimately recorded. Essentially, all it would take is one hacker to infiltrate the system or one programming glitch and the votes would be altered.
Read Article
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)