Diebold attack on BBV gives us all we need...

[Gordon25]

...to personally file criminal consumer fraud complaints with county attorneys and state attorney generals. You don't need a lawyer. You don't need to wait for some official to initiate an investigation. You can personally file the complaints and in most jurisdiction they are required to investigate. The letter attacking blackboxvoting.org is all you need. As DemActivist points out in other posts, they confirm by their letter that the emails are real, and are Diebold's. By doing so they take ownership of and responsibility for the contents of the emails. The contents of the emails prove Diebold intentionally misrepresented their product in their sales presentation and broke the law numerous times by installing uncertified software on Diebold machines during elections.

So all you activists who care about your vote get a chance to get real active in this fight now and strike your own blow at Diebold. If Diebold systems, either touchscreen of optical scan are used in your jurisdiction, file your own personal complaints at the county and state level and then follow up at regular intervals to be sure your complaints are being investigated. Your loss, which you should highlight in your complaints, is priceless; i.e., the integrity of your vote. This is compounded by the tax money spent to purchase the misrepresented system. Make Diebold defend themselves on a hundred different fronts. The sheer number of the investigations will trigger press coverage.

Anyone familiar with this issue who watched the PBS News Hour segment last night, knows that even when the press investigates and reports it is at least two months and several layers of data behind the curve. Activists who attempt to educate public officials find them in a similar state. Way behind the curve.

Well, it is time to remember these officials work for us and if they aren't doing their job, or paying attention to the right things, it is up to us as their seniors and supervisors to step in and educate them and provide direction as to what they should investigate and why. You can get as thorough as you want with the complaint, from a one paragraph description of why you feel Diebold defrauded you, to a compilation of all the research on this issue done to date by citizen-patriot-activists. The more complaints, the more evidence that arrives with those complaints, the more likely the investigation.

Those emails prove Diebold intentionally defrauded you by selling your agents (sec of state or election director at state or county level) a product they knew to be flawed, they knew to be insecure and subject to tampering and erasure of the evidence of any such tampering, and a product they knew had been used repeatedly to actually tamper with election vote counts.

If you are offended, get off your duff and do somethiing about it, because we either stop them here and now, with the evidence we have, or millions of outraged people in the streets will be necessary to take back our democracy from those the rigged machines install in power.

Gordon25

[Robbien]

1. My state, Illinois, didn't go with diebold

So this is something we cannot do, right?

[hedda_foil]

5. Cook County uses Diebold RIGHT NOW!

those punch cards are fed into Diebold counters and from there into the GEMS system.

[Robbien]

13. I just went to the Illinois election site

and it said the punch cards are being counted by the other baddie, ES&S. About eight counties bought new ES&S optical scanners and six counties went with GBS Accu-vote optical scanners. Also found out that Gov. Rod Blagojevich just signed on to HAVA for the touch screens. Yikes!

edit: Just saw this blurb on Rense: Cook County, Chicago and its suburbs, also uses ES&S machines, which have been rejected by the authorities who conduct elections in Illinois. Cook County spent $25 million to buy ES&S precinct ballot counters although the Illinois State Board of Elections rejected the machines, which is says are not able to count votes correctly. The machines have been used in Cook County since 2000 on a court order that overruled the board of elections decision.

[gristy]

2. OK, Gordon

file criminal consumer fraud complaints with county attorneys and state attorney generals

This is a good idea. Though you say we don't need a lawyer, I am going to try to get one to help me on this (in MN). I've spoken to her before about BBV and activism in general.

I think states often have a consumer fraud division. Should we send the complaint to them and cc: the state AG? The idea here is to follow some semblance of the state's desired procedure while still not having to wait for the consumer fraud division to follow through (or not). And how do individual county attorneys fit in here? There are lots of counties in each state. Would they be interested?

Also, if your state does not plan on using Diebold would you agree that these emails really aren't useful in filing a complaint? They just don't seem to be relevant.

[Gordon25]

3. If your jurisdiction does not use Diebold...

...systems then you are correct that these Diebold internal memos are not relevant. However it would be worth checking, because Diebold is only one of the "bad guys" in this. Even more scary is ES&S. They provided the ballotless touch screen systems that Florida bought before the 2002 elections, and every one of those machines, during the election and vote tabulation, was connected by two way modem to ES&S company headquarters. This is the company run by Indiana Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel's campaign manager. Hagel used to be CEO of ES&S, and was elected senator after selling his machines to the jurisdiction he ran in. Won by a landslide in all districts, even those with a majority of black voters who had never voted republican before. Got 80% of the vote in 2002 on those same machines. He retained a $1-5 million interest in ES&S after his elections but didn't disclose it on his financial disclosure forms. When the data got out, the head of the Senate ethics panel called Hagel in to question him about the possible conflict of interest. In less than 48 hours the head of the ethics panel was fired and a new head appointed who gave Hagel a clean bill of health less than 24 hours after taking over. Nothing to see here. Move along. There is plenty more about ES&S.

So check to see what company supplies the machines used locally and then do a quick Google search on them and you might find yourself with a real job on your hands even if your jurisdiction doesn't use Diebold.

Gordon25

[hedda_foil]

6. Say WHAT????? ES&S machines connected by moden to HQ?

Hang on Gordon! Please, please, please provide links for Eloriel and me or PM or email the info if need be. This is the first time I've heard this. Did I overlook it in your report?

[Gordon25]

12. Hedda ...

...off to an important meeting in a few minutes. Will try to find the link when I get back. I'll PM you. It may have been on Lynn Landis' site I saw it. I quit pursuing data on ES&S after I decided to try to focus on what we had locally; i.e., Diebold. But yeah, my jaw dropped on the floor when I read about it. Katherine Harris was also responsible for ordering those machines, from what I understand.

Gordon25

[hedda_foil]

14. Thanks, Gordon.

I have to go to a meeting too. Please PM me if you find the link. That's HUGE.

[Robbien]

18. Hedda, when I plug the words

ES&S and modem into google, there are over 400 hits. The majority of them talk about how great it is that ES&S has a two way modem that can send in its vote count. It also says there are several articles on the BBV site concerning this issue.

Since it looks like ES&S has a lock on Illinois, it looks like we are screwed.

[central scrutinizer]

7. Nebraska, not Indiana

Chuck Hagel is Senator from Nebraska

[gristy]

8. ah hah! MN does use Diebold

http://www.sos.state.mn.us/election/votesys.html

But they use ES&S too. Ok, I'll get on this.

This is the company (ES&S) run by Indiana Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel's campaign manager. Hagel used to be CEO of ES&S, and was elected senator after selling his machines to the jurisdiction he ran in. Won by a landslide in all districts, even those with a majority of black voters who had never voted republican before. Got 80% of the vote in 2002 on those same machines.

So is the "80% of the vote in 2002" a different election than the one where he "was elected senator after selling his machines to the jurisdiction he ran in"?

Also: Numbers. Need numbers. How did each precinct in that district vote in prior elections and how did each vote in the one where Hagel ran (again, are we talking 1 or 2 elections here)? We really need those numbers, and I fear they may be VERY hard to get.

[Gordon25]

10. You're right, Nebraska...

...not Indiana. Brain fade. Yes, two elections. Landslide the first time, 80% the second.

Gordon25

[Vadem]

38. Those Diebold emails may be very relevant to ES&S...

Remember, the two brothers Bob and Todd Urosevich?

"Bob Urosevich, together with his brother Todd, founded ES&S. Bob then went to run Diebold, while Todd still is a Vice President at ES&S. Diebold and ES&S, together, count about 80 percent of the votes in the United States."

If we can find in those emails Bob and Todd Urosevich's names as authors or even recipients, we'll have the connection.


The following email was sent out to the world wide web by votefraud crusader Ernest Hancock. We believe this email is based on research done by Bev Harris at www.blackboxvoting.com --

From: Ernest Hancock
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2003 11:09 AM


WHO RUNS DIEBOLD ELECTION SYSTEMS? WHO WROTE THE PROGRAMS?

Bob Urosevich is the CEO of Diebold Election Systems. Urosevich created the original software architecture for Diebold Election Systems, and his original company, called I-Mark Systems, can be found in the source code signatures.

Prior to programming for and taking over Diebold Election Systems, Urosevich programmed for and was CEO of Election Systems & Software (ES&S), which counts 56 percent of the votes in the United States. When Urosevich left ES&S, Chuck Hagel took his position. (Hagel then ran for the U.S. Senate, with ES&S machines counting his own votes, but failed to disclose that he had been both CEO and Chairman of ES&S on his disclosure documents).

Bob Urosevich, together with his brother Todd, founded ES&S. Bob then went to run Diebold, while Todd still is a Vice President at ES&S. Diebold and ES&S, together, count about 80 percent of the votes in the United States.


(After Note from votefraud.org: while it is not at hand, we believe researchers will find that Star Bank and US Bank were run also by two brothers -- and finally these two banks merged and became US Bank. The Big Newsmedia keeps the American people completely in the dark about these agressive moves towards financial dictatorship by a very few people. Of course, we say "aggressive moves" because such rapid consolidation would not be possible without the backing of the international banksters running the Federal Reserve System -- which grants unlimited credit to their appointed operatives so that one industry after another can be gobbled up by this power-mad Ruling Elite.)

[Andy_Stephenson]

39. Here it is

Wyle Lab ITA qualification of AccuVote TS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
Subject: Wyle Lab ITA qualification of AccuVote TS
From: "Larry Dix" <[e-mail]>
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 09:02:01 -0500
Cc: "Bob Urosevich" <[e-mail]>, "Brian OConnor" <[e-mail]>, "Jeff Dean" <[e-mail]>, "Barry Herron" <[e-mail]>
Importance: Normal

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have received notification from Wyle Labs that we have successfully completed testing on firmware release 4.0.11 for the AccuVote TS. I have attached a faxed copy of the letter in PDF format for your records.







Larry J. Dix

Vice President of Operations

Global Election Systems




Attachment: Wyle AVTS 4-0-11 Cert letter.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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200110.zip\200110\msg00070

[E_Zapata]

4. i hope at some point I run across a thread about whatever these emails

are. So I can make sense of what you are trying to say in this thread.

[Gordon25]

9. Here you go

This is a good place to get your feet wet on this issue.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=347389

Gordon25

[papau]

11. We need sample filled out complaint including any exhibits such as

We need sample filled out complaint including any exhibits such as


the letter, the emails to include, etc. so that the average non-lawyer can file.

Also need to know what the form is we would file and how does one typically get such - from what type office.

And Lastly, do we need a plan by our area to use Diebold - or can we file with no contract in our state with Diebold?

To put it another way -

who has bought these touch screen no audit machines?

[alfredo]

15. Louisville Ky uses Diebold machines. Anyone there willing to fight?

[Andy_Stephenson]

16. How about Washington State?

We use DieBold right? Show me exactly what I need to take and I will start right here in my own back yard tomorrow.

[gristy]

17. Right now WA state uses both optical scan and punch cards

http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/votingsystems.aspx

But they are looking at DRE (touch-screen) from 4 different vendors:

Diebold DRE System
Election Systems & Software DRE system
Hart InterCivic DRE System
Sequoia Voting Systems DRE System

They have an 8-page rah-rah on DRE.

So the battle is to a) get them to commit to a voting procedure in which a paper backup is printed of every ballot cast on any new DRE equipment (while also ensuring that the voter has an opportunity to verify that paper backup) AND to make sure they have no laws in place that might PREVENT the counting of those paper votes in the event of a re-count.

[creativelcro]

21. GEMS?

Does the data still go through GEMS ? That is the other easily hackable part of the DieBold system... -CV

[RedEagle]

33. Washington State

Washington State uses Diebold optical scan in Chelan, Klickitat, San Juan, and KING counties. (King is huge) May be on record as Global.

State legislators begin meeting tomorrow re: committees.

We need sponsors for a bill that deals with the requirements listed below. Call/email/fax your legislators.

Last year, the SOS and Election office tried to eliminate the sepatate ballot requirement and wanted to make the "cast vote record" the vote of record. They were also going to increase the discretionary powers of the SOS in accepting system modifications or changes.

Most of the legislators seemed to follow what the SOS office wanted and accepted their "need to clean up the language" excuse. Most of these people don't have the time to come up to speed on this stuff. You need to get a one-on-one with these people and then attend the hearings when they are held.

Reed wants Internet voting and his office has kept out a voter-verified ballot Touch Screen system that is qualified to get certified. Also need to drop that prior use requirement, it keep good systems out of the state.

Talk to your auditor!





Require all voting systems in Washington State to produce a voter-verified paper ballot, to be read and verified by the voter at time of voting, and placed in a ballot box either by the voter or voting machine, to be used as the official ballot in recounts and election audits. (RCW 29.01.200/RCW 29.04.200)

(A) 3% to 5% of elections must be audited in each polling place.
Such an audit must be conducted by hand.

(B) All ballots must be tallied and the totals recorded at the polling
place and posted there before ballots are transported to a
central counting location.

(C) All polling place totals must be reconciled with the totals
received at the central counting location. Each counting
location must reconcile totals with county or state counting
records.

Require any changes to voting systems, including updates, patches, etc., to be tested and certified by federal testing authorities, before being applied to any voting system in Washington State. Rescind the Secretary of State or his representative any authority to authorize such system changes unless the changes have been tested and certified as outlined above. (RCW 29.04.210 ?/
RCW29.33.041/RCW 29.33.081)

Repeal Washington State’s prior use in another election requirement for voting systems. (RCW 29.04.200/RCW 29.33.320 (6)/RCW 29.33.300)

Require open source code on all systems. Such code is to be available for outside review by a panel chosen by members of all parties represented in the legislature. The Secretary of State or the Elections Office, due to potential conflicts of interest may not submit panel members.

Require financial disclosure statements of all members of Washington State’s Elections Department, not just the Secretary of State with specific considerations to any compensation or gratuity expressed or implied by vendors of voting software or their representatives or affiliated companies. Officials must keep current a public disclosure statement of the above items. This inclusion is warranted given the high responsibility these individuals have for the votes of state citizens.

Voting systems must be tested in their entirety in public prior to certification.

Immediately upon passage of this bill, no voting system may be certified or purchased in Washington State unless it meets or exceeds the 2002 FEC Guidelines which will be required by 2006, and as they may be amended by the FEC or any successor, official federal certifying authority, from time to time.

FEC 2002 Guidelines require voting systems to meet certain standards by 2006. Since machines purchased under prior guidelines (1990) will be required to be retrofitted and recertified; and since the waiver allows punch cards systems to be used until 2006; requiring equipment purchases to meet 2002 standards will save time and money.



Needed:

Delay new equipment purchases as long as possible, to ensure such purchases have the most up to date features possible.

Decertify all Diebold elections systems in Washington State. Recent revelations show that these systems are without security and contain features conducive to fraud.

[Gordon25]

29. You might try...

...this email exchange: "In the memos, dated Oct. 2001, Diebold's own principal engineer Ken Clark concedes that it is a simple matter to do an "end run" around the Diebold "GEMS" voting software, used for both touch screens and the lower tech optical scan machines, and goes on to say that people have used this "back door" in elections.

CLARK: "Right now you can open GEMS' .mdb file with MS-Access, and alter its contents. That includes the audit log. This isn't anything new."
Diebold admits that the memos are authentic, and claims copyright protection.
CLARK: "Being able to end-run the database has admittedly got people out of a bind though. Jane (I think it was Jane) did some fancy footwork on the .mdb file in Gaston recently. I know our dealers do it. King County is famous for it. That's why we've never put a password on the file before."

Available here: http://www.blackboxvoting.org/

Lived in Portland, Oregon for a while. I seem to remember there being a King County in Washington. Quick check of the Director of Elections website would tell you whether or not they use Diebold's system. If so, I would bet that Director of Elections is real unhappy to see this email out on the web.

And I would be certain to include it as one of the emails in my complaint.

Hope this helps.

Gordon25

[Andy_Stephenson]

35. Here is the page...

But I cannot find anything about the type of voting machine used.

[Andy_Stephenson]

36. Seattle PI Story

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/56949_election04.shtml

[ret5hd]

19. Does anyone know what systems are in place in Texas...

Tarrant County (ft. worth) uses sequoia optical scan machines. what info is available on this companies equipment? what about other comp[anies? If diebold is in use in other counties, can i still file?

[creativelcro]

20. Sequoia

Sequoia Voting Systems Inc.
Ownership: Eighty-five percent De La Rue, 15 percent Jefferson Smurfit Group; Smurfs are in the process of selling to Madison Dearborn Partners of Chicago.

* = Sequoia bought Business Records Corporation's optical scan vote tabulation business as part of a 1997 Dept. of Justice anti-trust action with ES&S — under a licensing agreement, both companies used the same equipment and software.-CV

http://www.talion.com/election-machines.html

[ret5hd]

22. according to the tarrant county elections commissioner...

(at a training session for poll workers that i attended) the equipment that tarrant county has is about 15 yrs old. The boxes at the polling places are called "eagles". With the information that i have, can you tell if this is the same equipment that is referred to above as connecting to ES&S HQ's throughout the florida election and vote tally process?

[Bushfire]

25. Could be "Optech 3P Eagle" optical scan machines by ES&S

which is what my district has been using for at least 10 yrs. having ES&S running a modem from the precint to it's company HQ's is something I would like an expert confirm before I face my local election people. if I can fax them concerns about the GEMS software on ES&S Optech 3P Eagle's, all the better.

Thanks!

[Robbien]

23. Diebold & ES&S are trying to squeeze sequoia out

but that doesn't make sequoia a good guy. Found this

Not surprisingly, the purchasing process in some areas has been fraught with controversy. County commissioners in Pinellas, Palm Beach and Indian River counties are squirming about contracts signed with California-based Sequoia Voting Systems.

A vice president and top Southeast salesman for the company was indicted last January on conspiracy charges in an elections kickback scandal stemming from the conviction last year of Louisiana state Elections Commissioner Jerry Fowler and an elections equipment dealer.

Investigators alleged that the scheme involved the sale of machine parts at inflated prices and kickbacks of almost $600,000 over three years. Sequoia officials said the parts were not Sequoia products. No charges have been brought against the company or its parent, Jefferson Smurfit Group, but Pinellas commissioners have tabled their $15.5 million contract with the company while the commission investigates the issue.

[ret5hd]

24. uh oh...just read on another thread that sequoia...

stock is held by carlyle group.

[Robbien]

26. There is probably not a voting machine out there that is safe

This stuff is so overwhelming. Bev and her team are true heros.

[Eloriel]

28. LINK, please?

(And here I thought "that damned report" of mine -- the official new title -- was DONE. DAMN.)

Thanks!

Eloriel

[Robbien]

30. I was mistaken, couldn't find ES&S phoning home, only Diebold does

Gorden25 may have the link you need for ES&S. I only have the Scoop link about Diebold phoning home with election pre-results.

[Eloriel]

32. I'm asking for the Sequia - Carlyle connection

Thanks anyway.

Eloriel

[creativelcro]

41. http://www.ecotalk.org/VotingMachineCompanies.htm

Hi, this is a link with a TON of information about ownership and history of all of them (including Sequoia). -CV

http://www.ecotalk.org/VotingMachineCompanies.htm

[Eloriel]

42. Umm

Well, shoot. I have that link and pass it around quite regularly. (Blushing)

However, I'm looking at the section on Sequoia, and I'm not seeing it. 85% DeLaRue and 15% Jefferson Smurfit> What am I missing?

Eloriel

[sybylla]

44. I did a "find in page" search and Carlyle

only shows up in the Northrup Grummond and TRW sections of that page. No mention of Carlyle re: Sequoia.

[cosmicdot]

48. did the Blackstone Group, Carlyle's mirror

buy-out Jefferson Smurfit?

this is from 2002

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2002/06/17/daily40.html

Equity firms line up for Jefferson Smurfit

The Blackstone Group and Texas Pacific Group are reportedly interested in joining Madison Dearborn Partners' proposed buyout of Jefferson Smurfit Group PLC.

[ret5hd]

43. re:sequoia--carlyle link...

I found the thread that prompted my posting last nite. The allegation was made by Capn Sunshine. The link is:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=350409

I hope my hasty posting did not send you on a wild goose chase. I know you are too busy for that.

A.J. Reilly

[RedEagle]

47. Eloriel...

Check your PM.

[bearfan454]

46. There are 3 or 4 counties in West Texas that do use Diebold.

That would be sufficient in my opinion to sue the SOS of Tx for the State, not just the County I live in.

[4dog]

27. kick

Apparently multiple purchases by county in NJ, have little info...

[Eloriel]

31. Gordon, I absolutely love you

:loveya:

Eloriel

[TacticalPeek]

34. Kick Night. Sequoia Carlyle?

Should be a seamy expose on national tv:

"A vice president and top Southeast salesman for the company was indicted last January on conspiracy charges in an elections kickback scandal stemming from the conviction last year of Louisiana state Elections Commissioner Jerry Fowler and an elections equipment dealer."
#23

Where is your vote tonight?

[Robbien]

37. Lightweight here

but there is a connection between Carlyle and a new improved Illinois voting system.

Populex is developing a voting process for the Illinois voting system and if you go to the bottom of this Populex page explaining the new Illinois propaganda

http://www.populex.com/dfb.htm

you see as the top member of the advisory board: Frank C. Carlucci
Chairman Emeritus, The Carlyle Group
former Secretary of Defense and Advisor to the President for National Security Affairs

So there is that.

[dusty64]

40. Interesting idea.

:kick:

[Mari333]

45. OY looks like the propoganda has started in Michigan too

http://www.nctimes.net/news/2001/20011118/64904.html