This is a very dumb question but I am curious

[Horse with no Name]

If during the elections when exit polls were looking a little grim for the weedwhacker--is it possible they could insert a "jump drive" into the machines with preloaded info to change it on the spot and that it wasn't done from secret schools and office buildings?
This is merely speculation and asking if it was possible...not a working theory.
Thanks.

[shraby]

1. With the machines they used,

there are several ways they could have jiggered the numbers. Everything from having an internal code to hacking the things.

Before the election Bush was outsourcing his internal polls to India (read it someplace) Those may be the very people who did the hacking. With computers, you can be anyplace in the world and screw with the machines.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. They could have had a snippet of code that "may" have deleted

itself after the fact. Someone needs to get the drives and "resurrect" everything that was on them the day of the election. I think this would be a good excercise in computer forensics... we could make a game of it... the winner gets to choose the president... oh wait, the SC already played that game.... nevermind.

[eomer]

3. Anything is possible at this point

You didn't clarify whether you meant a touchscreen voting machine or a central tabulation machine.

For a touchscreen machine I would assume that they don't have any USB port. So maybe instead the question should be whether they could plug in a special memory card with preloaded info.

For a central tabulation machine your suggestion sounds like a definite possibility.