Andrew Gumbel calls McPherson Diebold recertification "borderline insane"

[Amaryllis]

Electoral Dysfunction
One Florida official exposes a gaping flaw in the electoral system – and is ignored by everyone, including California

~ By ANDREW GUMBEL ~

Ion Sancho is a rare, if not unique, figure in America’s blasted electoral landscape, a county election supervisor who actually cares about the reliability, transparency, and public accountability of his voting systems. Since his bailiwick is Leon County, the area in and around Florida’s state capital, Tallahassee, he also has a unique vantage point on what arguably remains the most electorally dysfunctional state in the union, and he provides regular, withering commentary on the anti-democratic skullduggery of the other Bush administration, the state government led by George W.’s brother, Jeb.

<snip>

It’s a chilling scenario. A public official takes steps to defend the integrity of elections in his county, and he is promptly identified as a threat who needs to be removed. It would be bad enough if the Sancho affair were limited to Florida, but really it has implications all over the country. The more we find out about the expensive computerized systems being installed in county after county, and state after state, the more it becomes apparent that the processes to inspect and certify them are wholly inadequate and may well be opening the door to election-stealing on a scale this country has never seen before.

<snip>

McPherson’s attitude has undergone a dismayingly sudden change in the last month, however. First, he decided not to invite Hursti after all. Then he responded in extraordinary fashion to the published findings of the VSTAAB, which not only corroborated Hursti’s findings but suggested the flaws might actually be quite a bit worse. The panel found 16 different software problems that could permit hackers to “change vote totals, modify reports, change the names of candidates, change the races being voted” and even crash the machines altogether without so much as the need for a password. Three days after that report was issued, though, McPherson decided to allow the TSx to be used in this year’s mid-terms, rationalizing the problems as “manageable”.

This is not only nonsensical. It is borderline insane. As Ion Sancho told me, public authorities are supposed to be “the gatekeepers and protectors of the citizen” but instead they appear interested only in protecting the interests of the voting machine companies. We need to generate the broadest possible outrage about this travesty of our democratic rights. And we need to do it fast.

More:
http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=3474&IssueNum=146

[kster]

1. Yet another article about the "Make Believe Democracy" machines

Keep em coming..........K-N-R

[MasonJar]

2. I'm ready. What can we do?

[Stanchetalarooni]

5. Super Glue on election day.

[nicknameless]

3. So Ion is being "Shelley-ed"?

Gumbel's articles on this topic are outstanding.

Off to Greatest

[Amaryllis]

7. the difference is that public awareness is so much higher now. Just

think if we had the kind of awareness a year and a half ago when it was hitting the fan with Shelley that we do now with Ion and could have mobilized the kind of support that Ion has had.

[garybeck]

12. the other difference is

Ion Sancho is here to stay. he will not back down. I don't mean to criticize Shelley, but I've heard a couple interviews with Sancho and I'm convinced he's going to take this as far as it needs to go. they can sue him, try to fire him, whatever, but he's staying. he knows exactly what is at stake, and he knows we're all watching him.

[Amaryllis]

13. "HE knows we are all watching him"...major difference. Shelley did

not have the kind of support Ion is getting. Shelley hung in there for many months after the attacks started before finally resigning - I don't know exactly how long but it was well over nine months. When Shelley decertified Diebold, he came under tremendous criticism and several of the registrars even filed lawsuits against him-- Riverside County, and Conny McCormack in LA county. They said he was "irresponsible" for decertifying Diebold.
This even though Diebold repeatedly lied...

I was just looking at the April 2003 staff report on the investigation of Diebold election systems that led to Kevin Shelley’s decertification. One lie after another…

http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/ks_dre_papers/diebold_report_april20_final.pdf

[Votergater]

16. Ion is winning.

...The massive public support has made Ion a national figure, proven scientifically and morally right. The Florida Division of Elections/Secretary of State is now backing way down and has quietly ordered Diebold to provide Ion with the software they withheld from him.

What a great demonstration of the power this movement has! :thumbsup:

[Amaryllis]

4. Does anyone have any ideas why McP would do this? Is he being

threatened? It's the inconsistent behavior that really makes me wonder. If he was brought on board to do this, then why the back and forth behavior?

[kster]

9. Probably in the past they would

be able to get away with pretending to do what the people want wait a few weeks, let the issue die down and move forward when everyone wasn't looking. Thats not the case anymore.

My two cents.

[glitch]

10. You could be right about what they are attempting. You're definitely right

it won't work anymore.

[Amaryllis]

11. See post number 7. It would have been a whole lot harder for them

to do what they did to Shelley now than it was then.
Except that as long as they control the voting, they dont have to be responsive to constituents. Speaking of which, Arnold was elected on all those uncertified Diebold machines before Shelley found out all the problems with the TSx and decertified them...was Arnold really elected?

[glitch]

14. I don't trust any elections - especially those placing far right stooges

in key power positions.

[Amaryllis]

15. My thoughts exactly!

[FogerRox]

6. KNR

[Kurovski]

8. K&R(nt)