Ramona Kitzinger, the Democratic member of the county board of canvass, defended the process.

[midnight]

She agreed with Nickolaus that the board “went over everything and made sure that all the numbers jived up, and they did.”

“I’m the Democratic vice chair of Waukesha County, so I’m not going to stand here and tell you something that’s not true,” Kitzinger said.http://news.firedoglake.com/


Anyone attend these meetings held by this Waukesha group? Who is this person....

[eyesroll]

1. I worked with the party with her a few years back, when I lived out there.

She's older but quite sharp, and VERY dedicated. I take her at her word that the canvassers did their job properly. It sounds like Brookfield did its job properly, too, and had the ballots counted and reported with acceptable accuracy Tuesday night.

This falls squarely at the feet of the clerk.

[midnight]

2. Thank you.... I have been trying to confirm a comment that

was conveyed to me about two years ago... An elderly women who took money out of the dues to bake and other issues.. This might be her.. I'm concerned about this women not being concerned about the Clerks lack of compliance with the audit.


Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus’ response to audit recommendations aimed at improving election security in her office was not a hit with the County Board leaders Monday.

Nickolaus had said she would take the recommendations “into consideration” – sparking concern from members of the Executive Committee and, at one point, a scolding from County Board Chairman Jim Dwyer over what he later categorized as “smirks” during the discussion.

“This is the only audit in my 17 years where there’s no compliance before (the audit reaches) the Executive Committee,” he said at the start of Monday’s audit review.

An audit of last fall’s elections prompted Internal Audit Manager Lori Schubert to conclude that while the clerk’s system generally complies with state and federal guidelines and accuracy of election totals was not at issue, Nickolaus should improve security and backup procedures.

For example, Schubert recommended that Nickolaus stop using the same ID and password for three employees, assigning individual ones instead, as required by county policy, so that an audit trail of each employee’s work exists.Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus’ response to audit recommendations aimed at improving election security in her office was not a hit with the County Board leaders Monday.

Nickolaus had said she would take the recommendations “into consideration” – sparking concern from members of the Executive Committee and, at one point, a scolding from County Board Chairman Jim Dwyer over what he later categorized as “smirks” during the discussion.

“This is the only audit in my 17 years where there’s no compliance before (the audit reaches) the Executive Committee,” he said at the start of Monday’s audit review.

An audit of last fall’s elections prompted Internal Audit Manager Lori Schubert to conclude that while the clerk’s system generally complies with state and federal guidelines and accuracy of election totals was not at issue, Nickolaus should improve security and backup procedures.

For example, Schubert recommended that Nickolaus stop using the same ID and password for three employees, assigning individual ones instead, as required by county policy, so that an audit trail of each employee’s work exists.http://www.forwardlookout.com/2011/04/compiling-informa...

[eyesroll]

6. I left Waukesha in 2004, so I can't confirm or refute anything about dues money...

And there are a lot of elderly people in the Waukesha democratic party--when I left, the party was by far more elderly than not.

Ramona's got a reputation of being trustworthy.

[lutefisk]

3. Kitzinger may believe the numbers Nickolaus showed her "jived up"

But Nickolaus had the data all to herself for an extended period of time. And Nickolaus is the "expert" in (manipulating) databases, not Kitzinger. While Kitzinger is very likely an honest, ethical, intelligent person, hearing her say "I’m the Democratic vice chair of Waukesha County, so I’m not going to stand here and tell you something that’s not true" and "all the numbers jived up" doesn't really mean much. There needs to be an expert, comprehensive investigation conducted by a team from outside Waukesha County.

Maybe Nickolaus can work out an immunity deal for herself this time, too.

[tcaudilllg]

5. This only option for her is prison. Agreed?

Because what she has done must be illegal in some context.

[lutefisk]

7. I just want a full, legitimate investigation.

There has been no real accountability for people involved in manipulating voting and election results in this country since Jeb, Katherine Harris, and the SCOTUS put Junior Bush in office in 2001. If we can't address this in Wisconsin, now, we're all screwed in 2012 and beyond.

If there is an investigation, and Nickolaus is implicated in a crime- charged with a crime- then the justice system will deal with her. I don't really care what happens to her- I just want confirmation that we still live in a state and a country with legitimate elections and fair laws that apply to all.

[mojowork_n]

10. The ONLY option?

The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said, without even looking round.

Lewis Carroll

[mojowork_n]

12. WAIT, I just got it

You're not the Red Queen...

• Wrong Century
  
  
• Wrong Style
  
  
• Wrong Motivation

More like one of those dudes all in black, with the bandanna
pulled up to your nose, that shows up at a protest in order
to throw something at the police.

Rocks, a chunk of old asphalt, whatever gets your dirty job done.

To "provoke" 5-Oh into calling out the SWAT teams and
tactical squads.

Seattle, 1999 (the Anti-Globalization "Riots")

....Was that one of yours?

Now that you're too old to lace up the Chuck Taylor's, anymore,
this is how you spend your time?

[PeaceNikki]

4. My CD chair said this of her:

"Let me first state that in 2009 & 2010, I was the Wauk County Dem Chair and Ramona was my Vice Chair. She is a great Democrat and a retired union member. She also is the most honest person I know. (Which is why we selected her.) The board of canvass can only operate with the information they are given. If Nickolaus did something improper, we likely can catch her with technology and proper accounting. (Not to mention that Kloppenburg has the best lawyer on the planet.)"

[midnight]

8. Thanks PeaceNikki... have a link to that quote?

"The board of canvass can only operate with the information they are given." So last summer when the audit said there is a problem with the way that info. was being handled and recommend changes... they were ignored.. So I'm wondering how Romona can be so sure that all is ok when the method has was called into question?

[PeaceNikki]

9. No, it was a Facebook comment.

[Discover1]

11. midnight

I believe what Ramona is referring to, and PeaceNikki please tell if I'm wrong here, is that the vote totals that the canvasing board discovered are in fact true and accurate, and those are the official totals, not the ones which were given to the press on election night and stored on this screwed up womans office computer. This is exactly why we have been pushing for paper backups to the electronic voting machines, so that when somebody screws up like this at least there is a paper trail to fall back on.

I think where some people are getting confused is that they are treating what the Repub woman gave to the press as "official" results that would be turned over to the state as an official total of votes from the county, I don't believe that is the case, I believe that the official totals only come after the canvassing, could be wrong on this, and that those totals are not in fact stored on the computer in question, if I am wrong, then this woman should be fried for her ineptness if nothing else.

We at least know in thus case that she is inept, and that that ineptness caused great controversy and a loss of faith in the electoral process at the very least, and had the potential to defraud an entire town out of their votes.

I don't believe that this is case of vote fixing, appearently she screwed up and the paper backups that each area had were able to catch the efup, this time what we have been asking for all along worked, just not in our favor, if we keep pressing for these paper backups I believe in the future it will do us more help than not and certainly will add credibility to the system.

[midnight]

17. Discover. I'm getting the impression via the canvassers limited access to the

County data because of Kathy's private interprise on her computer, that all seemed fine...

My question is based on the assumption that those canvas numbers, not any reflection of the work Romana did, based on warnings of independent auditors needed greater safety measures. Romana's confidence that the numbers jive... Is a leap of faith that is just to wide a jump for me at this time..

This story is from the Sigeleman Election night... It is an interesting article on an election that had some computer data problems that were never reported...

"When the polls were open, voters marked papers ballots that were slid through optical scanning machines. The machines converted the paper ballot votes into digital data, which was recorded on individual data packs from each precinct throughout the county.
Then when the polls closed, the data packs were picked up at the precincts by Sheriff's deputies, who delivered them to their office — a standard procedure.
Once all the packs were received, election officials inserted them into a tabulating computer which processed the results, producing a document called the "unofficial summary report."
"It's unofficial because it hasn't been certified but (the results) are supposed to be the same numbers that will be certified. The only change that should happen from these numbers and the final numbers (is) if there are some votes that haven't arrived yet" such as absentee votes, Pfeifer said.
But, the first report delivered at 10:45 p.m. to Pfeifer and other representatives from the Republican and Democratic parties in the break room revealed a glaring error: Libertarian candidate John Sophocleus somehow attained 13,190 votes, nearly 24 percent of the county gubernatorial total, beating Siegelman's count of 11,820, while Riley held about 54 percent of the vote at 30,142."

http://www.tulanelink.com/tulanelink/siegelman4_box.htm

[ewagner]

13. Isn't there another way of checking?

Did the Brookfield City Clerk report the results Tuesday night?

Weren't there local races in Brookfield itself where the numbers can be verified?

'

[PeaceNikki]

14. I am sure there is.

Brookfield released its numbers to press Tuesday night after sending to county. County reported to media Tuesday night, but claims to have not included Brookfield in total. When canvassing started Wed, they caught it around noon and reported to GAB. They checked #'s and confirmed that Brookfield's were missing from county totals that the press had. So, Brookfield is the innocent party here.

The omission of Brookfield's #'s from county total seems to only have been on that race.

The numbers Brookfield released to press Tuesday night match the numbers that the county added in after release to press and confirmation.

That's all we know now, I think.

As was stated elsewhere on DU: If this asshole wanted to throw the election to Prosser, this is about the stupidest way she could have done it. Anyone with access to city and county vote totals and a calculator would discover it in 5 minutes once the error was announced.

[FeelingBlue]

22. Really?? Kloppenburg has a great lawyer??

That makes my day to read that!!! That really cheers my heart. I am so tired of discouraging news. I am actually encouraged to know that she has a brilliant lawyer. Thank you.

[PeaceNikki]

23. Yes. She's retained the attorney that Franken used for his election mess.

[Bushfire]

15. Kevin Kennedy said Waukesha Cnty uses touch screen AND optical scan machines

So if she has access to touch screen database that can be manipulated behind closed doors, she should never be trusted.

[PeaceNikki]

16. We use DRE for handicapped and Delafield used for a few dozen at end of day when they ran out of

ballots.

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/lakecountryreporter/119294804.html

Those machines print paper, as required by law and any shenanigans would be caught in a recount which is sure to happen after certification.

[eyesroll]

20. Yeah--I think the touch-screen machines actually print a paper ballot, identical

to the regular ones, that the voter (or their aide or friend) can verify (and request a new one if there was an error) before putting it in the scanner.

[PeaceNikki]

21. Yup. GAB Director Kevin Kennedy described it on air on WPR

He was on Ben Meren's show Thursday about an hour before the press conference. The entire program is about this race and they talk about the Brookfield votes. It's an interesting program and will clear up a lot of misinformation being spread about Wisconsin elections and this race in particular.

http://www.wpr.org/wcast/download-mp3-request.cfm?mp3file=bme110407l.mp3&iNoteID=96721

It should be required listening for anyone commenting on DU making claims about electronic voting, certification and recounts in Wisconsin. :)

[midnight]

18. GAB put together new software for the November election?

I wonder how it interfaces with the data that is collected... I know that the data can be manipulated at the voting site, and then after that anything is possible... But I wonder about this new software and besides Wisconsin were has it been used? O boy I don't feel confident about the info. that I'm reading.... I hope the public records request will expose some of these human/software conflicts? Anyone know long the clerk has to respond to Open Records-30 days?

[RBInMaine]

19. BUT, the irregularity should NEVER have happened in the first place. THAT is the point. This is an

IDIOT of a clerk whose equipment and practices SUCK. She needs to be fired, and the system needs there needs to be reformed.

[midnight]

24. I'm not computer savvy... I can turn this thing on, and type, but

I'm at a loss for how anything else can happen... So when people like you say this should never of happened, it verifies what I.T. specialist have been saying. I hope this irregularity that she was warned about via the audit, stops her once and for all...