Activists cry foul in electronic voting furore
Andrew Gumbel
27 June 2004
US voting activists who fear an "electoral train wreck" worse than Florida 2000 if electronic ballot machines are allowed to determine the outcome of November's presidential election, are claiming a breakthrough victory after the scandal-ridden resignation of one of the country's most outspoken e-voting apologists.
After years denying the evidence that touchscreen voting machines were unreliable and prone to tampering, the registrar of voters in Riverside County, California, Mischelle Townsend, suddenly announced her retirement - supposedly to spend more time with her family.
It seems more than likely, however, than her decision was swayed by a looming lawsuit challenging her handling of a recount in a local county race in March, and a flurry of allegations about her own conduct in office and the misleading claims of Sequoia Voting Systems, the company that makes and services the county's voting machinery.
Read More >>
27 June 2004
Who's on the list?
By Nancy Cook Lauer
DEMOCRAT CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF
June 27, 2004
Sam Heyward has voted in almost every election for the past decade or so. But according to the Florida Division of Elections, he's a possible felon who should be struck from the voter rolls.
Heyward appears on an infamous list - a list of 47,687 that is drawing national attention after possibly thousands of eligible voters like him were turned away from the polls in the election that gave George W. Bush the presidency.
Read More >>
By Nancy Cook Lauer
DEMOCRAT CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF
June 27, 2004
Sam Heyward has voted in almost every election for the past decade or so. But according to the Florida Division of Elections, he's a possible felon who should be struck from the voter rolls.
Heyward appears on an infamous list - a list of 47,687 that is drawing national attention after possibly thousands of eligible voters like him were turned away from the polls in the election that gave George W. Bush the presidency.
Read More >>
In this election, nothing will go wrongg
Carl Hiaasen
Late-night comedians are already making snarky jokes insinuating that Florida will botch the upcoming presidential election.
Enough already. One little fiasco that changed the course of history and dumped democracy on its ear, and they just can't let it be.
[...] Touch-free voting machines that leave no paper trail, absentee ballots that need no witnesses -- who says Florida's political leaders didn't learn anything from the debacle of 2000?
Read More >>
Carl Hiaasen
Late-night comedians are already making snarky jokes insinuating that Florida will botch the upcoming presidential election.
Enough already. One little fiasco that changed the course of history and dumped democracy on its ear, and they just can't let it be.
[...] Touch-free voting machines that leave no paper trail, absentee ballots that need no witnesses -- who says Florida's political leaders didn't learn anything from the debacle of 2000?
Read More >>
Heads Up Team
by Molly Ivins
JUNE 24, 2004
AUSTIN, Texas -- Heads up, team, the voting machine situation requires sustained attention, but not panic or paranoia. There is time to act, but act we must.
Yes, it is high time to "view with alarm" (an editorial page cliche rivaled only by "point with pride"), and with bipartisan alarm at that. It's in everyone's interest to have the cleanest, fairest elections possible -- that's one of those things you can watch even the most partisan politicians serving on legislative elections committees figure out in no time. The only way to make sure nobody's ox gets gored is to keep it clean. If you don't think there are just as many bright, 14-year-old hackers who would rig a vote in favor of Democrats as there are who would rig it for Republicans, you've been neglecting the 14-year-old hacker set.
Read More >>
by Molly Ivins
JUNE 24, 2004
AUSTIN, Texas -- Heads up, team, the voting machine situation requires sustained attention, but not panic or paranoia. There is time to act, but act we must.
Yes, it is high time to "view with alarm" (an editorial page cliche rivaled only by "point with pride"), and with bipartisan alarm at that. It's in everyone's interest to have the cleanest, fairest elections possible -- that's one of those things you can watch even the most partisan politicians serving on legislative elections committees figure out in no time. The only way to make sure nobody's ox gets gored is to keep it clean. If you don't think there are just as many bright, 14-year-old hackers who would rig a vote in favor of Democrats as there are who would rig it for Republicans, you've been neglecting the 14-year-old hacker set.
Read More >>
Why You Should Be Scared to Death of Electronic Voting
Robert E. Mutch
The History News Network
June 21, 2004
Imagine what opportunities nineteenth-century politicos like Matt Quay would see in the recent trend toward paying private companies to count the votes in our elections. It might take the old Pennsylvania Republican boss a while to understand innovations like electronic voting and computerized voter lists. But he’d soon see how the new trends could give him high-tech versions of the low-tech practices he knew so well.
[...] The machine pols of yesteryear would see at once how much easier it would be to dissociate themselves from software than from a gang of hooligans or “a trusted man with the necessary funds.” If they are gazing down at us now from their final reward, they must be wide-eyed with wonder at the possibility of giving their cronies fat contracts to count the votes that kept them in power. You can almost hear the laughter coming out of that big smoke-filled room in the sky.
Read More >>
Robert E. Mutch
The History News Network
June 21, 2004
Imagine what opportunities nineteenth-century politicos like Matt Quay would see in the recent trend toward paying private companies to count the votes in our elections. It might take the old Pennsylvania Republican boss a while to understand innovations like electronic voting and computerized voter lists. But he’d soon see how the new trends could give him high-tech versions of the low-tech practices he knew so well.
[...] The machine pols of yesteryear would see at once how much easier it would be to dissociate themselves from software than from a gang of hooligans or “a trusted man with the necessary funds.” If they are gazing down at us now from their final reward, they must be wide-eyed with wonder at the possibility of giving their cronies fat contracts to count the votes that kept them in power. You can almost hear the laughter coming out of that big smoke-filled room in the sky.
Read More >>
24 June 2004
Digging for E-Voting Skulduggery
Kim Zetter
June 24, 2004
The woman who launched the controversy over electronic voting machines has formed a nonprofit consumer group that plans to investigate election officials who may have conflicts of interest with voting companies.
Washington-based publicist Bev Harris recently formed Black Box Voting in an attempt to improve the integrity of the election process and represent the interests of voters. Harris brought attention to the perils of e-voting last year when she discovered the source code for a voting system made by Diebold Election Systems on the Internet. The code, computer scientists determined, contained serious security flaws.
As a result, voting activists in California, Maryland and other states have been calling on election officials to replace e-voting systems or make them more secure. But some officials have resisted that call and vehemently defended the voting companies and their machines, raising suspicions that they may have ties to the voting companies.
In California, for example, Riverside County registrar of voters Mischelle Townsend is being investigated by the state's Fair Political Practices Commission for accepting plane fare to Florida from Sequoia Voting Systems to help film an infomercial in support of e-voting sponsored by Sequoia. Townsend, an unwavering supporter of the Sequoia machines used in her county, announced plans this week to retire to spend more time with her family. Former California Secretary of State Bill Jones became a paid consultant for Sequoia after pushing through a $200 million state bond measure to help counties purchase new e-voting machines. Support for the measure was financed by Sequoia and another voting firm.
To kick off her new organization's activities, Harris and the associate director of the group will launch a 90-day road trip to examine conflict-of-interest issues in several states. Harris and Andy Stephenson, a former candidate for secretary of state in Washington who now devotes his attention to researching and educating the public about election procedures, plan to examine officials in Georgia, Florida, Texas and other states where they've received tips that something might be amiss. They're focusing on local election officials who made the decisions to purchase the machines.
"The story about the voting machines that we uncovered was very interesting, but we felt it was really important to study the causal factors of how these things got pushed down everyone's throat," Harris said.
They are aiming at officials who have expressed a strong aversion to conducting audits of voting systems or who have refused to entertain the idea that e-voting systems could be flawed.
"The typical politician's response (when the security of the machines comes up) is: Let's set up a task force to study it," Harris said. "When you have someone who is not at all interested in studying it or getting information, you want to find out what mechanism motivated him to take such a strong position."
The road trip will end in mid-August, but the group will publish information as they uncover it, working with newspapers and other media outlets. After the road trip, the group will be investigating election auditing procedures in counties as well as other election processes to help educate the public and improve the integrity of elections.
Harris said there is an obvious need for a consumer organization to protect elections and the interests of voters since, in some counties, nearly every part of the election process is now in the hands of private companies. Diebold Election Systems, for example, through its acquisition of another company last year, now controls voter registration, voter outreach and poll worker training in some counties, in addition to the actual casting and counting of votes.
Voting firms are chasing contracts worth billions of dollars in federal funds allocated by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to help states upgrade voting systems and election procedures.
"When you take hunks of the whole system and you start privatizing it, it makes sense to have a consumer organization that's completely independent," Harris said.
Black Box Voting gets its funds from individuals, though Harris wouldn't say how much money the group has gathered. She said she wants to avoid letting voting companies and election officials know the extent of her group's resources.
Link >>
Kim Zetter
June 24, 2004
The woman who launched the controversy over electronic voting machines has formed a nonprofit consumer group that plans to investigate election officials who may have conflicts of interest with voting companies.
Washington-based publicist Bev Harris recently formed Black Box Voting in an attempt to improve the integrity of the election process and represent the interests of voters. Harris brought attention to the perils of e-voting last year when she discovered the source code for a voting system made by Diebold Election Systems on the Internet. The code, computer scientists determined, contained serious security flaws.
As a result, voting activists in California, Maryland and other states have been calling on election officials to replace e-voting systems or make them more secure. But some officials have resisted that call and vehemently defended the voting companies and their machines, raising suspicions that they may have ties to the voting companies.
In California, for example, Riverside County registrar of voters Mischelle Townsend is being investigated by the state's Fair Political Practices Commission for accepting plane fare to Florida from Sequoia Voting Systems to help film an infomercial in support of e-voting sponsored by Sequoia. Townsend, an unwavering supporter of the Sequoia machines used in her county, announced plans this week to retire to spend more time with her family. Former California Secretary of State Bill Jones became a paid consultant for Sequoia after pushing through a $200 million state bond measure to help counties purchase new e-voting machines. Support for the measure was financed by Sequoia and another voting firm.
To kick off her new organization's activities, Harris and the associate director of the group will launch a 90-day road trip to examine conflict-of-interest issues in several states. Harris and Andy Stephenson, a former candidate for secretary of state in Washington who now devotes his attention to researching and educating the public about election procedures, plan to examine officials in Georgia, Florida, Texas and other states where they've received tips that something might be amiss. They're focusing on local election officials who made the decisions to purchase the machines.
"The story about the voting machines that we uncovered was very interesting, but we felt it was really important to study the causal factors of how these things got pushed down everyone's throat," Harris said.
They are aiming at officials who have expressed a strong aversion to conducting audits of voting systems or who have refused to entertain the idea that e-voting systems could be flawed.
"The typical politician's response (when the security of the machines comes up) is: Let's set up a task force to study it," Harris said. "When you have someone who is not at all interested in studying it or getting information, you want to find out what mechanism motivated him to take such a strong position."
The road trip will end in mid-August, but the group will publish information as they uncover it, working with newspapers and other media outlets. After the road trip, the group will be investigating election auditing procedures in counties as well as other election processes to help educate the public and improve the integrity of elections.
Harris said there is an obvious need for a consumer organization to protect elections and the interests of voters since, in some counties, nearly every part of the election process is now in the hands of private companies. Diebold Election Systems, for example, through its acquisition of another company last year, now controls voter registration, voter outreach and poll worker training in some counties, in addition to the actual casting and counting of votes.
Voting firms are chasing contracts worth billions of dollars in federal funds allocated by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to help states upgrade voting systems and election procedures.
"When you take hunks of the whole system and you start privatizing it, it makes sense to have a consumer organization that's completely independent," Harris said.
Black Box Voting gets its funds from individuals, though Harris wouldn't say how much money the group has gathered. She said she wants to avoid letting voting companies and election officials know the extent of her group's resources.
Link >>
22 June 2004
The Trouble With E-Ballots
It's a culture clash between the election world, which prizes reliability, and computer scientists, who obsess over security
Steven Levy
Newsweek
June 28 issue
It's now official: Walden O'Dell is no longer raising funds for George W. Bush. Why should you care? That was Walden O'Dell's attitude last year, when he promised, in his role as rainmaker for Ohio's presidential re-election campaign, to deliver the state to the incumbent. To his surprise, he learned that lots of people did indeed care—once they realized that his day job was running Diebold, a company that makes electronic-voting devices used by millions of voters. So it was prudent for Diebold to adopt a new policy that banned its executives from outside political work, adopted months ago but formally announced just recently.
Unfortunately, Diebold hasn't conceded its bigger problem—that the current generation of computer-voting devices, the ones that many of us will use this November, are flawed by their inability to verify that the voter's choices are actually the ones that count in the final tallies.
[...] O'Dell claims to be "agnostic" on the necessity of providing voters with evidence that their choices are the ones reflected in the count. But the possibility that a future president can attain office mounted on a Trojan horse isn't a philosophical issue: it's a threat to democracy. It's nice to know that Wally O'Dell is no longer working to elect one candidate in particular. It would be even nicer to know, beyond any doubt, that his voting machines weren't, either.
Read More >>
It's a culture clash between the election world, which prizes reliability, and computer scientists, who obsess over security
Steven Levy
Newsweek
June 28 issue
It's now official: Walden O'Dell is no longer raising funds for George W. Bush. Why should you care? That was Walden O'Dell's attitude last year, when he promised, in his role as rainmaker for Ohio's presidential re-election campaign, to deliver the state to the incumbent. To his surprise, he learned that lots of people did indeed care—once they realized that his day job was running Diebold, a company that makes electronic-voting devices used by millions of voters. So it was prudent for Diebold to adopt a new policy that banned its executives from outside political work, adopted months ago but formally announced just recently.
Unfortunately, Diebold hasn't conceded its bigger problem—that the current generation of computer-voting devices, the ones that many of us will use this November, are flawed by their inability to verify that the voter's choices are actually the ones that count in the final tallies.
[...] O'Dell claims to be "agnostic" on the necessity of providing voters with evidence that their choices are the ones reflected in the count. But the possibility that a future president can attain office mounted on a Trojan horse isn't a philosophical issue: it's a threat to democracy. It's nice to know that Wally O'Dell is no longer working to elect one candidate in particular. It would be even nicer to know, beyond any doubt, that his voting machines weren't, either.
Read More >>
1 million black votes didn't count in the 2000 presidential election
It's not too hard to get your vote lost -- if some politicians want it to be lost
Greg Palast
San Francisco Chronicle
June 20, 2004
In the 2000 presidential election, 1.9 million Americans cast ballots that no one counted. "Spoiled votes" is the technical term. The pile of ballots left to rot has a distinctly dark hue: About 1 million of them -- half of the rejected ballots -- were cast by African Americans although black voters make up only 12 percent of the electorate.
This year, it could get worse.
Read More >>
Greg Palast is the author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy."
It's not too hard to get your vote lost -- if some politicians want it to be lost
Greg Palast
San Francisco Chronicle
June 20, 2004
In the 2000 presidential election, 1.9 million Americans cast ballots that no one counted. "Spoiled votes" is the technical term. The pile of ballots left to rot has a distinctly dark hue: About 1 million of them -- half of the rejected ballots -- were cast by African Americans although black voters make up only 12 percent of the electorate.
This year, it could get worse.
Read More >>
Greg Palast is the author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy."
The Patriot amendment
Conservatives attempt to kill clean elections in Arizona
Molly Ivins
Creators Syndicate
06.17.04
AUSTIN, Texas -- No sooner do we win a long struggle to clean up politics and restore democracy in this country than we find the whole thing under attack, and we have to go out and re-fight the same battle all over again. Good thing we're not easily discouraged.
This is what's happening in Arizona, where the successful Clean Elections law is now under attack by the big special interests and national conservatives with ties that run from Tom DeLay (surprise!) to Bush's fund-raising machine.
Micah Sifry of Public Campaign reports, "They've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that doesn't mention anywhere its true intent, to de-fund the Clean Elections system." This charming endeavor is masquerading under the misnomer "No Taxpayer Money for Politicians," a misleading moniker right up there with Bush's "Clear Skies and Healthy Forests" initiatives. What a shame they couldn't figure out a way to call it the Patriot Amendment.
The bad news for the bad guys is that evidence continues to accumulate that Clean Elections work -- they are actually reviving democracy.
Read More >>
Conservatives attempt to kill clean elections in Arizona
Molly Ivins
Creators Syndicate
06.17.04
AUSTIN, Texas -- No sooner do we win a long struggle to clean up politics and restore democracy in this country than we find the whole thing under attack, and we have to go out and re-fight the same battle all over again. Good thing we're not easily discouraged.
This is what's happening in Arizona, where the successful Clean Elections law is now under attack by the big special interests and national conservatives with ties that run from Tom DeLay (surprise!) to Bush's fund-raising machine.
Micah Sifry of Public Campaign reports, "They've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that doesn't mention anywhere its true intent, to de-fund the Clean Elections system." This charming endeavor is masquerading under the misnomer "No Taxpayer Money for Politicians," a misleading moniker right up there with Bush's "Clear Skies and Healthy Forests" initiatives. What a shame they couldn't figure out a way to call it the Patriot Amendment.
The bad news for the bad guys is that evidence continues to accumulate that Clean Elections work -- they are actually reviving democracy.
Read More >>
Military Ballots Still Unfixed
More Soldiers Abroad and Mail Woes
Augur 2000-Style Delays
WALL STREET JOURNAL
June 16, 2004
During the Florida recount turmoil in 2000, George W. Bush maneuvered in court to force Florida officials to tally military ballots that arrived late or mislabeled. Those ballots pumped up Mr. Bush's slim lead in the recount.
Nearly four years later -- and less than five months before the general election -- the system for military balloting hasn't improved in any major way. In fact, the matter is in some ways more complicated -- and more sensitive -- because President Bush has deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Read More >>
More Soldiers Abroad and Mail Woes
Augur 2000-Style Delays
WALL STREET JOURNAL
June 16, 2004
During the Florida recount turmoil in 2000, George W. Bush maneuvered in court to force Florida officials to tally military ballots that arrived late or mislabeled. Those ballots pumped up Mr. Bush's slim lead in the recount.
Nearly four years later -- and less than five months before the general election -- the system for military balloting hasn't improved in any major way. In fact, the matter is in some ways more complicated -- and more sensitive -- because President Bush has deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Read More >>
State Sets Standard for E-Voting
By Kim Zetter
June 15, 2004
The California secretary of state on Tuesday released the first standards in the nation for a voter-verified paper trail for electronic voting machines, in an effort to restore voter confidence in the devices.
The standards (PDF) come six months after Secretary of State Kevin Shelley mandated that all new e-voting machines purchased in the state produce a paper trail by July 2005.
Read More >>
By Kim Zetter
June 15, 2004
The California secretary of state on Tuesday released the first standards in the nation for a voter-verified paper trail for electronic voting machines, in an effort to restore voter confidence in the devices.
The standards (PDF) come six months after Secretary of State Kevin Shelley mandated that all new e-voting machines purchased in the state produce a paper trail by July 2005.
Read More >>
Lawyers: We're set to aid voters
The group of lawyers plans to be at the ready to assist voters if any problems crop up in the coming elections
By Tamara Lush, Times Staff Writer
June 12, 2004
MIAMI - A group of lawyers plans to fan out across the state for Florida's upcoming elections, intent on helping any citizens who have problems at the polls.
"We want to make sure we do not have a repeat of the fiasco in 2000," said Alma Gonzalez, special counsel for the Tallahassee office of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Read More >>
The group of lawyers plans to be at the ready to assist voters if any problems crop up in the coming elections
By Tamara Lush, Times Staff Writer
June 12, 2004
MIAMI - A group of lawyers plans to fan out across the state for Florida's upcoming elections, intent on helping any citizens who have problems at the polls.
"We want to make sure we do not have a repeat of the fiasco in 2000," said Alma Gonzalez, special counsel for the Tallahassee office of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Read More >>
15 June 2004
League of Women Voters drops support of paperless voting machines
By RACHEL KONRAD
AP Technology Writer - June 14, 2004
The League of Women Voters rescinded its support of paperless voting machines on Monday, after hundreds of angry members argued that paper ballots were the only way to safeguard elections from fraud, hackers and computer malfunctions. About 800 delegates who attended the nonpartisan league's biennial convention in Washington voted to adopt a resolution that supports "voting systems and procedures that are secure, accurate, recountable and accessible."
That relatively neutral stance was a sharp change from last year, when leaders endorsed paperless terminals as reliable alternatives to antiquated punch card and lever systems. About 30 percent of the electorate will use paperless touchscreen voting machines in the November election.
The league's support of paperless systems infuriated members from chapters around the country - particularly in Silicon Valley, where computer scientists say the systems jeopardize elections. Legitimate recounts are impossible without paper records of every vote cast, they say.
League members who have been lobbying for months to get the national leadership to change its position said the revision was welcome - if not overdue.
Read More >>
By RACHEL KONRAD
AP Technology Writer - June 14, 2004
The League of Women Voters rescinded its support of paperless voting machines on Monday, after hundreds of angry members argued that paper ballots were the only way to safeguard elections from fraud, hackers and computer malfunctions. About 800 delegates who attended the nonpartisan league's biennial convention in Washington voted to adopt a resolution that supports "voting systems and procedures that are secure, accurate, recountable and accessible."
That relatively neutral stance was a sharp change from last year, when leaders endorsed paperless terminals as reliable alternatives to antiquated punch card and lever systems. About 30 percent of the electorate will use paperless touchscreen voting machines in the November election.
The league's support of paperless systems infuriated members from chapters around the country - particularly in Silicon Valley, where computer scientists say the systems jeopardize elections. Legitimate recounts are impossible without paper records of every vote cast, they say.
League members who have been lobbying for months to get the national leadership to change its position said the revision was welcome - if not overdue.
Read More >>
Making Votes Count - Gambling on Voting
New York Times | Editorial
13 June 2004
If election officials want to convince voters that electronic voting can be trusted, they should be willing to make it at least as secure as slot machines. To appreciate how poor the oversight on voting systems is, it's useful to look at the way Nevada systematically ensures that electronic gambling machines in Las Vegas operate honestly and accurately. Electronic voting, by comparison, is rife with lax procedures, security risks and conflicts of interest.
Read More >>
New York Times | Editorial
13 June 2004
If election officials want to convince voters that electronic voting can be trusted, they should be willing to make it at least as secure as slot machines. To appreciate how poor the oversight on voting systems is, it's useful to look at the way Nevada systematically ensures that electronic gambling machines in Las Vegas operate honestly and accurately. Electronic voting, by comparison, is rife with lax procedures, security risks and conflicts of interest.
Read More >>
Fla. Voting Machines Have Recount Flaw
Jun 12, 2004
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Touchscreen voting machines in 11 counties have a software flaw that could make manual recounts impossible in November's presidential election, state officials said.
Read More >>
Jun 12, 2004
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Touchscreen voting machines in 11 counties have a software flaw that could make manual recounts impossible in November's presidential election, state officials said.
Read More >>
10 June 2004
High hopes for unscrambling the vote
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
June 8, 2004
PISCATAWAY, N.J.--Computer scientists gathered here recently and bobbed their heads into an odd-looking contraption for a glimpse of emerging technology that might just help make the digital world safer for democracy.
Beneath the viridian green glow of a viewfinder flowed an inch-wide strip of paper that inventor David Chaum says will prove with mathematical rigor whether a vote cast on a computer in a ballot box has been tampered with after the fact.
The system was demonstrated publicly for the first time at a Rutgers University voting conference late last month. The technology builds on the increasingly popular notion that computerized voting machines need to leave behind a paper trail to safeguard against fraud--something that's lacking in most current models and the subject of furious debate.
Read More >>
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
June 8, 2004
PISCATAWAY, N.J.--Computer scientists gathered here recently and bobbed their heads into an odd-looking contraption for a glimpse of emerging technology that might just help make the digital world safer for democracy.
Beneath the viridian green glow of a viewfinder flowed an inch-wide strip of paper that inventor David Chaum says will prove with mathematical rigor whether a vote cast on a computer in a ballot box has been tampered with after the fact.
The system was demonstrated publicly for the first time at a Rutgers University voting conference late last month. The technology builds on the increasingly popular notion that computerized voting machines need to leave behind a paper trail to safeguard against fraud--something that's lacking in most current models and the subject of furious debate.
Read More >>
Feds want e-voting source code disclosed
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
June 8, 2004
HUNT VALLEY, Md.--Electronic voting machine vendors should make their source code available for scrutiny by state elections officials, the head of a federal voting commission said Tuesday.
DeForest Soaries, chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, or EAC, said disclosing the source code--the line-by-line instructions that make up an electronic voting machine's software--would help to restore public trust in the elections process. Vendors should not "have the right to keep this source code a secret," Soaries told a dinner gathering of Maryland election officials.
Soaries' suggestions, which also include standardized security checks and better record-keeping of problems, stop short of calling for paper receipts from electronic voting machines. Some advocacy groups are lobbying for "voter-verified paper ballots" that would create a physical audit trail to flag what could be a buggy computerized election machine.
"I find myself at the middle of a national debate that will quickly go global," Soaries said. "How do we secure electronic voting devices for the 28 (percent) or 29 percent of the population that will use them?"
Some 50 million Americans are expected to use e-voting machines in the November election.
It's unclear, however, what effect these recommendations will have. Soaries readily acknowledges that the commission he chairs has no authority to impose its views on state election officials, and he said he had not yet approached the other three members of the commission to seek their endorsement.
"Now is the time for computer scientists and election officials to get together and solve the problem," Soaries said.
His recommendations include:
Read More >>
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
June 8, 2004
HUNT VALLEY, Md.--Electronic voting machine vendors should make their source code available for scrutiny by state elections officials, the head of a federal voting commission said Tuesday.
DeForest Soaries, chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, or EAC, said disclosing the source code--the line-by-line instructions that make up an electronic voting machine's software--would help to restore public trust in the elections process. Vendors should not "have the right to keep this source code a secret," Soaries told a dinner gathering of Maryland election officials.
Soaries' suggestions, which also include standardized security checks and better record-keeping of problems, stop short of calling for paper receipts from electronic voting machines. Some advocacy groups are lobbying for "voter-verified paper ballots" that would create a physical audit trail to flag what could be a buggy computerized election machine.
"I find myself at the middle of a national debate that will quickly go global," Soaries said. "How do we secure electronic voting devices for the 28 (percent) or 29 percent of the population that will use them?"
Some 50 million Americans are expected to use e-voting machines in the November election.
It's unclear, however, what effect these recommendations will have. Soaries readily acknowledges that the commission he chairs has no authority to impose its views on state election officials, and he said he had not yet approached the other three members of the commission to seek their endorsement.
"Now is the time for computer scientists and election officials to get together and solve the problem," Soaries said.
His recommendations include:
Read More >>
09 June 2004
Today Indiana, Tomorrow Your State
An investigation into electronic voting in Indiana has frightening implications for the presidential election in November.
By Elaine Kitchel
It's no secret that the new voting technology--paperless, electronic voting machines--has increased the risk of fraud and incorrect totals. You have only to read the daily newspapers to see story after story of possible tampering and elections gone wrong.
Take Indiana, for instance. WISH TV, an Indiana television station, did a recent in-depth investigation of the election woes plaguing some Indiana counties after some precincts ran out of republican ballots shortly after the polls opened, and after some counties reported thousands more votes than registered voters: click here and click here.
What the WISH-TV news team uncovered was something far deeper even than a lack of ballots. A look beyond the present failings toward the fall election revealed possibilities for tampering that would scare even the most complacent of voters.
Read More >>
An investigation into electronic voting in Indiana has frightening implications for the presidential election in November.
By Elaine Kitchel
It's no secret that the new voting technology--paperless, electronic voting machines--has increased the risk of fraud and incorrect totals. You have only to read the daily newspapers to see story after story of possible tampering and elections gone wrong.
Take Indiana, for instance. WISH TV, an Indiana television station, did a recent in-depth investigation of the election woes plaguing some Indiana counties after some precincts ran out of republican ballots shortly after the polls opened, and after some counties reported thousands more votes than registered voters: click here and click here.
What the WISH-TV news team uncovered was something far deeper even than a lack of ballots. A look beyond the present failings toward the fall election revealed possibilities for tampering that would scare even the most complacent of voters.
Read More >>
State elections chief resigns
Ed Kast, the director of the state Division of Elections, abruptly resigned from his job Monday, just months before the 2004 presidential election.
BY GARY FINEOUT
Florida's elections chief, who just last month ignited controversy by pushing for a new purge of voters identified as felons ineligible to vote, abruptly resigned from his job Monday.
[...]
GROWING SCRUTINY
Kast's decision to step down comes in the midst of increasing scrutiny of the upcoming presidential election in Florida, which decided the presidency by 537 votes four years ago.
In early May, Kast alerted the state's 67 election supervisors that there were nearly 48,000 voters that the state had identified as possible felons ineligible to vote. Kast asked the supervisors to start notifying those on the list, in advance of purging the names, but many election supervisors have delayed so far, saying they remain concerned about the accuracy of the new felon list.
Lists of ineligible voters developed in 1999 and 2000 were riddled with errors and some supervisors ignored the list. Elections supervisors are meeting this week in Key West to discuss how much independent verification they should do before notifying voters that they may be ineligible.
One liberal group, People for the American Way Foundation, tried to use the news of Kast's resignation as a reason for putting the new purge list on hold. The group called on Hood to work more on restoring to the rolls those voters who may have improperly lost their eligibility in 1999 and 2000 -- and that she tell supervisors to delay processing the new felon list.
Read More >>
Ed Kast, the director of the state Division of Elections, abruptly resigned from his job Monday, just months before the 2004 presidential election.
BY GARY FINEOUT
Florida's elections chief, who just last month ignited controversy by pushing for a new purge of voters identified as felons ineligible to vote, abruptly resigned from his job Monday.
[...]
GROWING SCRUTINY
Kast's decision to step down comes in the midst of increasing scrutiny of the upcoming presidential election in Florida, which decided the presidency by 537 votes four years ago.
In early May, Kast alerted the state's 67 election supervisors that there were nearly 48,000 voters that the state had identified as possible felons ineligible to vote. Kast asked the supervisors to start notifying those on the list, in advance of purging the names, but many election supervisors have delayed so far, saying they remain concerned about the accuracy of the new felon list.
Lists of ineligible voters developed in 1999 and 2000 were riddled with errors and some supervisors ignored the list. Elections supervisors are meeting this week in Key West to discuss how much independent verification they should do before notifying voters that they may be ineligible.
One liberal group, People for the American Way Foundation, tried to use the news of Kast's resignation as a reason for putting the new purge list on hold. The group called on Hood to work more on restoring to the rolls those voters who may have improperly lost their eligibility in 1999 and 2000 -- and that she tell supervisors to delay processing the new felon list.
Read More >>
Florida elections division chief quits amid controvery on voter rolls
By Bob Mahlburg
Tallahassee Bureau
Posted June 8 2004
TALLAHASSEE · The head of Florida's elections division resigned Monday amid reports he was feeling political heat over a push to purge thousands of suspected felons from the state's voter rolls.
Ed Kast, who has worked for the state elections division for more than a decade, said only that he was resigning to "pursue other opportunities."
But Kast has told a handful of associates that he was uncomfortable with growing pressure to trim felons from voter rolls in time for the fall election, friends say.
[...]
Hours earlier, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson joined a lawsuit to force state election officials to reveal the names of 47,000 suspected felons who could be dropped from voting lists, saying he wanted to be sure mistakes in 2000 are not repeated.
Read More >>
By Bob Mahlburg
Tallahassee Bureau
Posted June 8 2004
TALLAHASSEE · The head of Florida's elections division resigned Monday amid reports he was feeling political heat over a push to purge thousands of suspected felons from the state's voter rolls.
Ed Kast, who has worked for the state elections division for more than a decade, said only that he was resigning to "pursue other opportunities."
But Kast has told a handful of associates that he was uncomfortable with growing pressure to trim felons from voter rolls in time for the fall election, friends say.
[...]
Hours earlier, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson joined a lawsuit to force state election officials to reveal the names of 47,000 suspected felons who could be dropped from voting lists, saying he wanted to be sure mistakes in 2000 are not repeated.
Read More >>
Kast Resignation Prompts New Concerns on Florida Voting Purge, Fall Election
People for the American Way
Press Release
6/7/2004
Tallahassee, Florida – In the wake of the resignation of the Florida state director of Elections, Ed Kast, People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF) called for renewed efforts to restore voters wrongly purged from the voting rolls in 1999 and 2000, and called on Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood to delay implementation of a new purge list for the 2004 elections.
“When the key election official for the state resigns with just five months to go, it’s a sign of serious disarray and instability,” said Sharon Lettman, PFAWF’s state director for the Election Protection voter education and advocacy program. “Just when county supervisors are looking for clear leadership, here comes another curve ball. We call on the Secretary of State to withdraw her demand for immediate implementation of the new voter purge list, and to make the restoration of voters’ rights the state’s highest priority.”
People For the American Way Foundation has offered to help county supervisors contact people on the 2004 list who are at risk of being wrongfully purged, but the state has instructed supervisors not to release the lists. PFAWF has also protested the Secretary of State’s instruction to county supervisors to develop a quick, “required” implementation plan for the new 2004 list, when thousands of voters wrongfully purged in the infamous 2000 election have not been restored to the rolls.
Read More >>
People for the American Way
Press Release
6/7/2004
Tallahassee, Florida – In the wake of the resignation of the Florida state director of Elections, Ed Kast, People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF) called for renewed efforts to restore voters wrongly purged from the voting rolls in 1999 and 2000, and called on Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood to delay implementation of a new purge list for the 2004 elections.
“When the key election official for the state resigns with just five months to go, it’s a sign of serious disarray and instability,” said Sharon Lettman, PFAWF’s state director for the Election Protection voter education and advocacy program. “Just when county supervisors are looking for clear leadership, here comes another curve ball. We call on the Secretary of State to withdraw her demand for immediate implementation of the new voter purge list, and to make the restoration of voters’ rights the state’s highest priority.”
People For the American Way Foundation has offered to help county supervisors contact people on the 2004 list who are at risk of being wrongfully purged, but the state has instructed supervisors not to release the lists. PFAWF has also protested the Secretary of State’s instruction to county supervisors to develop a quick, “required” implementation plan for the new 2004 list, when thousands of voters wrongfully purged in the infamous 2000 election have not been restored to the rolls.
Read More >>
Delays, Purge Hit Voter Rolls
By WILLIAM MARCH
June 7, 2004
TAMPA - For the second straight presidential election, Florida's law against former felons voting, a law grounded in Old South racism, may prevent thousands of people from voting.
Some of those people may be legally entitled to vote. Others won't be able to navigate the bureaucratic hurdles of the state's clemency process to get their rights restored in time for the election.
But the state government is concentrating on removing as many former felons from voting rolls as possible, even though critics charge that it risks disenfranchising some who are legally entitled to vote. Meanwhile, those critics charge, the state is dragging its feet on restoring those wrongly removed from voter rolls in 2000.
Florida is one of only seven states with laws that prevent former felons from voting unless they go through a long and sometimes difficult process of having their rights restored.
That law, which wasn't enforced by the state before the controversial 2000 presidential race, caused hundreds or possibly thousands of voters - no one knows for sure - to be turned away from the polls in 2000, some wrongly, because of errors in a state ``purge list'' of former felons.
Read More >>
By WILLIAM MARCH
June 7, 2004
TAMPA - For the second straight presidential election, Florida's law against former felons voting, a law grounded in Old South racism, may prevent thousands of people from voting.
Some of those people may be legally entitled to vote. Others won't be able to navigate the bureaucratic hurdles of the state's clemency process to get their rights restored in time for the election.
But the state government is concentrating on removing as many former felons from voting rolls as possible, even though critics charge that it risks disenfranchising some who are legally entitled to vote. Meanwhile, those critics charge, the state is dragging its feet on restoring those wrongly removed from voter rolls in 2000.
Florida is one of only seven states with laws that prevent former felons from voting unless they go through a long and sometimes difficult process of having their rights restored.
That law, which wasn't enforced by the state before the controversial 2000 presidential race, caused hundreds or possibly thousands of voters - no one knows for sure - to be turned away from the polls in 2000, some wrongly, because of errors in a state ``purge list'' of former felons.
Read More >>
CNN sues for access to Florida's voter rolls
CNN filed a lawsuit against Florida's elections office last week for access to a list of possible felons whose names may be deleted from state voter rolls.
June 4, 2004 -- CNN filed a lawsuit against Florida's elections division last Friday for access to a list of almost 48,000 possible felons who may be deleted from voter rolls. The state forwards the list to county elections officials who determine which individuals are ineligible to vote.
"In the last general election, it is estimated that thousands of voters were turned away from the polls after the [Florida] Division of Elections sent counties an inaccurate list of 173,142 suspected felons and other persons not eligible to vote," CNN said in its May 28 complaint.
President Bush defeated Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election after being declared the winner in Florida by 537 votes, following weeks of recounts and legal challenges that ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Nearly all of the people wrongfully purged from Florida's voter list in 2000 were Democrats and more than half were African-Americans, according to an investigative series by BBC reporter Greg Palast.
"With only six months remaining until the next election, the issue of potential voter disenfranchisement is of critical importance," the CNN complaint said, noting this is particularly so when it could affect the outcome of a presidential election.
On May 24, the state denied CNN's Public Records Act request for copies of the list, citing a statutory exemption to the open records law.
The exemption states that copies of voter registration records can only be made for government agencies, political candidates, committees, parties and incumbent elected officials.
Read More >>
CNN filed a lawsuit against Florida's elections office last week for access to a list of possible felons whose names may be deleted from state voter rolls.
June 4, 2004 -- CNN filed a lawsuit against Florida's elections division last Friday for access to a list of almost 48,000 possible felons who may be deleted from voter rolls. The state forwards the list to county elections officials who determine which individuals are ineligible to vote.
"In the last general election, it is estimated that thousands of voters were turned away from the polls after the [Florida] Division of Elections sent counties an inaccurate list of 173,142 suspected felons and other persons not eligible to vote," CNN said in its May 28 complaint.
President Bush defeated Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election after being declared the winner in Florida by 537 votes, following weeks of recounts and legal challenges that ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Nearly all of the people wrongfully purged from Florida's voter list in 2000 were Democrats and more than half were African-Americans, according to an investigative series by BBC reporter Greg Palast.
"With only six months remaining until the next election, the issue of potential voter disenfranchisement is of critical importance," the CNN complaint said, noting this is particularly so when it could affect the outcome of a presidential election.
On May 24, the state denied CNN's Public Records Act request for copies of the list, citing a statutory exemption to the open records law.
The exemption states that copies of voter registration records can only be made for government agencies, political candidates, committees, parties and incumbent elected officials.
Read More >>
Hold Up on E-voting - by Howard Dean
June 3, 2004
The Daily Camera / Boulder, Colorado
In December 2000, five Supreme Court justices concluded that a recount in the state of Florida's presidential election was unwarranted. This, despite the desire of the Florida Supreme Court to order a statewide recount in an election that was decided by only 537 votes. In the face of well-documented voting irregularities throughout the state, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision created enormous cynicism about whether the votes of every American would actually be counted. Although we cannot change what happened in Florida, we have a responsibility to our democracy to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
[...]
There is nothing partisan about the survival of our democracy or its legitimacy. We cannot and must not put the success of one party or another above the good of our entire country and all our people. To the governments of the 50 states, Republican or Democrat, I ask you to put paperless e-voting machines on the shelf until 2006 or until they are reliable and will allow recounts. In a democracy you always count the votes no matter who wins. To abandon that principle is to abandon America.
Read More >>
Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, is the founder of Democracy for America, a grassroots organization that supports socially progressive and fiscally responsible political candidates.
June 3, 2004
The Daily Camera / Boulder, Colorado
In December 2000, five Supreme Court justices concluded that a recount in the state of Florida's presidential election was unwarranted. This, despite the desire of the Florida Supreme Court to order a statewide recount in an election that was decided by only 537 votes. In the face of well-documented voting irregularities throughout the state, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision created enormous cynicism about whether the votes of every American would actually be counted. Although we cannot change what happened in Florida, we have a responsibility to our democracy to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
[...]
There is nothing partisan about the survival of our democracy or its legitimacy. We cannot and must not put the success of one party or another above the good of our entire country and all our people. To the governments of the 50 states, Republican or Democrat, I ask you to put paperless e-voting machines on the shelf until 2006 or until they are reliable and will allow recounts. In a democracy you always count the votes no matter who wins. To abandon that principle is to abandon America.
Read More >>
Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, is the founder of Democracy for America, a grassroots organization that supports socially progressive and fiscally responsible political candidates.
07 June 2004
It's an Auditing Problem
By Bev Harris, author of Black Box Voting
E-voting: Let's simplify. It's not a computer problem, it's an auditing problem.
Many people are frustrated by the e-voting issue. But we have been trying to debate an auditing problem by discussing computer programming issues. Some software will have more security holes and other bugs than other software, and corporations have too many reasons to try and bias the vote. But we will never be able to build a bug-free system that is not subject to miscounts, whether intentional or accidental. Even with publicly-owned, open-source software, we must audit every election to ensure that our computerized vote-counters totaled the votes correctly.
Counting votes is just bookkeeping. When you frame the debate that way, most objections to voter verified paper ballots simply go away."
Read More >>
By Bev Harris, author of Black Box Voting
E-voting: Let's simplify. It's not a computer problem, it's an auditing problem.
Many people are frustrated by the e-voting issue. But we have been trying to debate an auditing problem by discussing computer programming issues. Some software will have more security holes and other bugs than other software, and corporations have too many reasons to try and bias the vote. But we will never be able to build a bug-free system that is not subject to miscounts, whether intentional or accidental. Even with publicly-owned, open-source software, we must audit every election to ensure that our computerized vote-counters totaled the votes correctly.
Counting votes is just bookkeeping. When you frame the debate that way, most objections to voter verified paper ballots simply go away."
Read More >>
06 June 2004
US Citizens Revolting Against Paperless Voting
by Marty Logan
June 5, 2004
[...] Across the United States, "the land of the free" and long a shining example of democracy to people worldwide, groups and movements have sprung up in recent months fighting to ensure that everyone who is entitled is able to vote on Nov. 3 and that those ballots are fairly counted.
And their demand for paper backups to electronically-cast votes is an important part of that effort.
US Citizens Revolting Against Paperless Voting
by Marty Logan
June 5, 2004
[...] Across the United States, "the land of the free" and long a shining example of democracy to people worldwide, groups and movements have sprung up in recent months fighting to ensure that everyone who is entitled is able to vote on Nov. 3 and that those ballots are fairly counted.
And their demand for paper backups to electronically-cast votes is an important part of that effort.
US Citizens Revolting Against Paperless Voting
02 June 2004
People For the American Way Foundation Protests New Voter Purge
Offers Help in Restoring Voters Wrongly Purged in 2000
People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF) is protesting Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood’s order for rapid implementation of a new purge list with the names of 47,000 Floridians, while thousands of voters remain wrongly disenfranchised from the purge lists implemented in the 2000 and 1999 elections. Foundation President Ralph G. Neas said voters wrongly stripped from the rolls in past elections should be restored before the same mistakes are made again, and he offered the foundation’s help.
Read More >>
Only 6 Months To Go! - Election Protection 2004 Launched
In 2000, Florida brought to the forefront of public consciousness a nationwide epidemic of voting problems that had gone unaddressed for decades. In response, Election Protection was launched the very next year to encourage civic participation and prevent widespread disenfranchisement in the electoral process. Now a mighty coalition, Election Protection has rolled out its efforts to ensure that every person casts a ballot that counts on Election Day.
People for the American Way - Election Protection 2004
Offers Help in Restoring Voters Wrongly Purged in 2000
People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF) is protesting Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood’s order for rapid implementation of a new purge list with the names of 47,000 Floridians, while thousands of voters remain wrongly disenfranchised from the purge lists implemented in the 2000 and 1999 elections. Foundation President Ralph G. Neas said voters wrongly stripped from the rolls in past elections should be restored before the same mistakes are made again, and he offered the foundation’s help.
Read More >>
Only 6 Months To Go! - Election Protection 2004 Launched
In 2000, Florida brought to the forefront of public consciousness a nationwide epidemic of voting problems that had gone unaddressed for decades. In response, Election Protection was launched the very next year to encourage civic participation and prevent widespread disenfranchisement in the electoral process. Now a mighty coalition, Election Protection has rolled out its efforts to ensure that every person casts a ballot that counts on Election Day.
People for the American Way - Election Protection 2004
Lax controls over e-voting testing labs
ELECTION OFFICIALS RELY ON PRIVATE FIRMS
By Elise Ackerman
Mercury News
May. 30, 2004
California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley had a simple question: Had a new electronic voting machine been approved by an independent testing lab?
State law requires such approval before the device could be used by California voters. It guaranteed the machines counted votes accurately and would work reliably during an election. As the state's top election official, Shelley figured he could get a quick answer.
He figured wrong.
Read Article >>
ELECTION OFFICIALS RELY ON PRIVATE FIRMS
By Elise Ackerman
Mercury News
May. 30, 2004
California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley had a simple question: Had a new electronic voting machine been approved by an independent testing lab?
State law requires such approval before the device could be used by California voters. It guaranteed the machines counted votes accurately and would work reliably during an election. As the state's top election official, Shelley figured he could get a quick answer.
He figured wrong.
Read Article >>
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