BBV: Really good overview article

[Eloriel]

Or at least I think it is. Good maybe to share with people who aren't up to speed. Good work at USC, IMO.

I have to thank dmr for this -- I was hoping she would post it, but I probably should have specifically suggested it.

Eloriel


Electronic voting poses dangers
Craig Stern

http://www.dailytrojan.com/article.do?issue=/V150/N31&id=03-elec.31v.html

In the past few California elections, you or someone you know may have noticed the use of new DRE ("Directly-Recorded Electronic") voting systems. They're slick. They're easy to use. And as currently implemented, they pose a serious threat to the transparency of our voting system.

Many such machines have been adopted recently by counties looking to comply with the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which requires every polling place to have at least one voting machine that is accessible to the visually impaired.

However, there are big problems with DRE machines. For one thing, they are easily tampered with, both by hackers and by the companies that make them. Diebold Inc. is one of roughly four manufacturers of DRE voting machines currently competing for state endorsements. In the wake of a devastating Johns Hopkins report released in July, Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich demanded an independent review of Diebold's DRE voting machines.

The Johns Hopkins report claimed that Diebold's machines fell "far below even the most minimal security standards applicable in other contexts."

Science Applications International Corp. conducted the requested follow-up review and validated the Johns Hopkins' position. SAIC released a report stating that "the system, as implemented in policy, procedure, and technology, is at high risk of compromise."


more

[Cha]

1. Kick

:kick:

[shance]

2. This is good.

Thanks Eloriel.

[creativelcro]

3. from the article

"Given this state of affairs, Diebold executives could easily rig an election if they so desired."

??... How??... -CV

[IkeWarnedUs]

4. Thanks - it is a good overview

I spotted a short article in my local paper that said:

Cook County Clerk David Orr is planning a two day exhibition and demonstration of every type of election system on the market - from optical scans to electronic voting devices to touch-screen voting stations. It will be October 23 & 24 in the Grand Ballroom of McCormic Place South, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Drive. It is open to the public, civic organizations, elected officials and the media. Election jurisdictions across the state will also be able to send representatives to test the equipment.

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

I plan to go and want to have something I can hand out to people there. Not in any official sense, just have a bunch of copies of something (1 - 4 pages) that I can hand out to anyone who will take it.

I was just going to post a thread asking if anyone could help me put this together and here is your thread with this article. I am still open to suggestions, and would love to have another page to add, but I think this article would work.

[4dog]

5. Dill's site has a good 5-page summary in PDF form.

http://www.verifiedvoting.org/resources/documents/Brief_and_Talking_Points.pdf

The whole site is worth visiting if you are not familiar with it.

[creativelcro]

6. Sorry but I disagree...

This is the type of article that makes Republicans NOT want to join inititiatives like the Holt's bill (which is in desperate need of Republican support or it's toast), in my opinion... It's completely partisan, Republicans are evil, and Diebold = Satan. There is NO evidence whatsoever that Diebold rigged any election. There is evidence they were/are incompetent and many employees lied to save their ass or keep the company afloat. But this is a very different story. I'm not defending Diebold here, I'm just saying that this out of control type of articles are bad news. They are inflammatory, polarizing, do not take into account the evidence... Let's face it damnit, the Republicans control Congress and the White House. We have to work with them. We don't need more partisan crap, especially on this issue, because of baseless accusations.
-CV

[Spazito]

7. Kick

:kick:

[RedEagle]

8. HAVA Facts Wrong in Story

"There is presently no way to tell if fraud is ever perpetrated on these machines. HAVA requires polling places merely to have the capability to provide a paper audit trail, but does not require them to actually provide one"

HAVA requires AUDIT CAPACITY and a PERMANENT PAPER RECORD. I don't think that paper record is just the vote totals at the end of the day. And audit capacity means just what it says, and for a touch screen machine, that can only be a voter-verified paper ballot. Now, you can't just claim that it "can" print that voter-verified paper ballot, and call it capacity, because if you don't produce the voter-verified paper ballot, you don't HAVE any audit capacity. If you run an election and say, Ooops, I need to audit, if you don't do a voter-verified paper ballot, you have NO audit capacity. So you're going to have to do the paper ballot to satisfy the HAVA requirement for audit capacity.

You have to be able to audit the election to have audit capacity. Therefore, you have to have the voter verified paper ballot. It's not a "feature" turned on or off.