Election Judges--What They're Being Told & Not Told

[orleans]

My daughter signed up to be an election judge

she had to go to a 2 hour meeting (i thought they would be talking about election laws, electioneering, what to do or who to call if someone's name isn't on the roll, etc. but i was wrong)

instead it was a two hour meeting all about how to set up, turn on and run the single diebold machine each precinct is supposed to have.

unfreakingreal

here's the kicker about the "paper trail" bullshit we're supposed to have:
(this is pretty close to how our conversation went after her "meeting")

her: it has a paper trail
me: really? so if i vote on the machine i get a paper receipt and hand it to one of the judges so you can lock it away?
her: no. the receipt is printed in the machine.
me: it stays in the machine?
her: yes
me: i never get to see it or touch it?
her: no.
me: how do i know it even bothers to print a receipt?
her: we did a test printing and you can hear that grinding print/paper sound.
me: how do i know it's printing what i voted?
her: you don't
me: so basically these machines could be programed to print a bullshit receipt for every twenty votes or whatever?
her: probably

how comforting is that? here's the double kicker:
me: did they tell you or show you how to change the roll if it runs out of paper?
her: no
me: what? why not?
her: they said it's just a primary and the paper roll probably won't run out.
me: but what if it does? what if it runs out and fifty more people vote? there won't be a receipt?
her: i guess not.

now, my daughter is a student judge--but at this training meeting there were only one or two other people who looked like they might be students--everyone else there was at least thirty years old. and no one was told how to change the paper (do you have to turn off the machine to change it? do you have to save or reset anything in order to open it up and change the paper? no one was told how to do that.)

i talked to a man who was there--who has been working with the county and the early voting. he thinks that come november we won't have any paper ballots in the county--that we'll only be voting on the machines.

so i guess my republican county is about to get a whole lot more republican. ARGGGHHHHHH!

also, my daughter got a paper in the mail that "encourages" them to attend one more meeting before our primary, so maybe they'll talk about various voting rules/laws then--but attendance at that meeting is not required.

[Wilms]

1. Sounds like your state needs a VVPAT law with Auditing, for a start.

It is disturbing.

[orleans]

2. please tell me what that

stands for

voter verified paper ... trail


i could call my senators about it, but i couldn't call my house republican or my state rep

[Wilms]

4. voter verified paper audit trail

Which is an over simplification.

VVPAT could be a roll of paper, similar to what you describe though visable to the voter.

What is more desirable is a separate ballot produced that can be hand-counted for auditing (which should be mandatory) and recounts.

Are you aware of the Election Reform Forum?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203

It would be interesting to hear more about the DRE, er, I mean, election judge training.

(Oh! DRE. That's Direct Recording Electronic, loosely called Touch Screen)

[orleans]

5. my daughter is fully aware of how i feel about these machines

she has heard me talking about it for the past number of years. she knows i think the kerry gore elections were rigged. she knows she knows she knows

and yet, after that meeting, she sounded rather impressed with this machine. they were really talking them up as to how great they are: there is an audio component, there is screen enlargement, etc.

i said to her that it sounds as if these machines are so damn smart they can do everything including taking you out to lunch. then who's to say they can't switch a vote when they print on the paper the voter never sees.

[LizMoonstar]

3. I've been thinking about being an election judge. should I?

after hearing this i begin to think it's pointless.

(although i must admit, i mainly want to do it so i can show myself to be 'involved in the community' -- our area is pretty uncontested.)

[orleans]

6. i'm wishing i had signed up

so i would be in on what was going on first hand

as it is now, i'm going it by playing 20 questions with my kid

[orleans]

7. i called durbin's office today

in d.c. and the person i spoke to told me that this sort of thing is really a state and county matter--i should contact my reps in state and county. i said, well, they're republican and somehow i don't think this matter would bother them very much. the person in durbin's office said: "Well, this is a bipartisian issue" and i just laughed. Oh, yeah, sure it is.

and she had no statement she could give me on durbin supporting feingold. i said i want him to support this censure business.