Omaha firm's machines will help in recall-ES&S to "help" California

[RedEagle]

http://www.omaha.com/toolbox/story_printer.php?u_id=827372&u_brow=Internet+Explorer&u_ver=6

"Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha is renting 26 ballot-counting machines to three California counties to help them cope with the Oct. 7 recall election."

Great, now Chuck Hagel's company will 'help' the vote in California. How many ways can you say, "desparate" to win California?

[Stephanie]

1. Actually, isn't that a good thing?

It's like a placebo study. If those 26 machines yield aberrant patterns of any kind, you have even more ammunition against EV.

[shance]

2. Aberrant patterns arent hard evidence

and how do these machines count the ballots?

If they are computerized there will be NO hard evidence whatsoever and thus no tangible way to recount votes if there is any potential to manipulate the overall tally.

In addition, ES&S has Republican ties which also creates a conflict of interest.

[Kat 333]

5. "ES&S has Republican ties"... Interesting

The Omaha World Herald, whose staff writer reported this story, is one of the most biased, Republican newspapers I've ever read. Not surprising the quote in that article "The Omaha World-Herald Co. has a minority interest in ES&S."

[newyawker99]

6. Hi Kat 333!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

8. Repub Sen. Hagel has more than just ties to ES&S he OWNS the company

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0301/S00166.htm

BREAKING NEWS: Senate Ethics Director Resigns; Senator Hagel Admits Owning Voting Machine Company By Bev Harris

hagel

[peacetalksforall]

3. Isn't the vote the property of the CA voter

Cannot they demand to prove the software?

[Eloriel]

4. Okay, who can answer this

ES&S will provide 16 machines to Contra Costa County, eight to Stanislaus County and two to Colusa County.

Are these enough machines to cover all the voters in those counties? Optical scan, remember.

Are these counties Dem, Repug, some combination?

What else do we know -- is ES&S currently lobbying these counties?

Stanislaus is way up north, isn't it? Redwood country? Russian River area? (I drove thru there once -- beautiful. But I may not be remembering it right.)

Eloriel

[Eloriel]

10. Anybody?

:kick:

Eloriel

[Robbien]

11. The California Sec. of State site doesn't have the 2000 election

results up online. Would the 1996 count help?

Contra Costa Total voters 353,000; 55.7% Democratic; 7% Independent

Stanislaus County Total voters 117,000; 45.9% Democratic; 7% Indepen

Colusa County Total voters 5,000; 37.6% Democratic; 6% Independent

[ElsewheresDaughter]

7. oh crap here we go! another stolen election for sure!!

ES&S
ES&S
ES&S

[RedEagle]

9. Optical Scan- but related to Diebold

Even optical scan is no assurance unless the votes are recounted by hand. Remember, Diebold and ES&S are cut from the same cloth, run by the Urosovich (sp?) brothers.

The Diebold systems, including optical scan, had several sets of books and reported on while local officials looked at another.

Can they import machines without the SOS consent?

Heck, are these machines certified in CA?

This just smells like rotten fish.

If California wants help, why not ask Accupoll? They're based in Irvine. They produce a voter-verified machine. They'd just need to get certified in CA, if they aren't already.

I'll have to check to see if they have their national certification number yet. That was all that was left. (And they were in certification a LONG time, beginning to wonder if that wasn't intentional and not just because no one had experience with Linux)