E-Voting Machine Test Lab Shut Down by Feds

[garybeck]

According to Raw Story, this is front page New York Times on Thursday.

U.S. Bars Lab From Testing Electronic Voting

A laboratory that has tested most of the nation's electronic voting systems has been temporarily barred from approving new machines after federal officials found that it was not following its quality-control procedures and could not document that it was conducting all the required tests.

The company, Ciber Inc. of Greenwood Village, Colo., has also come under fire from analysts hired by the state of New York over its plans to test new voting machines for the state. New York could eventually spend $200 million to replace its aging lever devices.

Experts on voting systems say the Ciber problems underscore long-standing worries about lax inspections in the secretive world of voting-machine testing. The action by the federal Election Assistance Commission seems certain to fan growing concerns about the reliability and security of the devices.

The commission acted last summer, but the problem was not disclosed then. Officials at the commission and Ciber confirmed the action in recent interviews.

the rest of the story:

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Lab_that_tests_voting_machines_barred_0103.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/washington/04voting.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1167886800&en=363e471aee8b4edc&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin

[Old and In the Way]

1. Maybe not such a bad thing....

Seems that Ciber is a big Republican Party contributor. Why isn't an independent testing lab doing these tests? Like UL? Here's a link from dkos that was on Raw Story's comment thread-

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/18/152925/437

(fixed the link)

[kster]

2. The big smoke screen, coming to a theater near you

shut down a bad vote counting machine testing facility, this bad testing facility is the cause of all the e-voting problems, won't work, but atleast they are trying to come up with a make believe reason, Lets watch the goofs try and work their way out of their little jam.

Thank You Gary.........K&R

[Mind_your_head]

3. Not sure what to think about the "Election Assistance Commission"

cited in the article. Ala "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid": "Who are those guys?"

"Seriously, who are they?" :shrug:

M_Y_H

[garybeck]

4. EAC

there is something strange about the EAC... everyone who is retired from there is on "our side" and they don't like the machines. but for the most part those who currently serve are less outspoken and basically do nothing. former chairman Soaries says it was lack of funding. I think there is more going on.

[Peace Patriot]

5. UNFRIGGING BELIEVABLE!!! "The Commission acted last summer, but the

problem was not disclosed then."

The problem--that the chief secret electronic voting industry "testing" facility was unreliable and was SHUT DOWN--occurred last summer BEFORE THE MOST IMPORTANT CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS IN OUR HISTORY, and BUSH-APPOINTED federal election commissioners KEPT IT SECRET THROUGHOUT THE ELECTIONS and only now "confirmed" the action in "recent interviews" ?!

Really, I can barely believe my eyes and my brain this evening. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY?!

:wtf: :mad: :nuke: :mad: :argh: :banghead: :wow: :wow: :wow: :banghead: :argh: :mad: :nuke: :mad: :wtf:

[emlev]

8. did you say unRIGGING believable? eom

[Bill Bored]

6. NY has a lot of experience with CIBER problems:

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x459663>

And we don't sweep it under the rug like the EAC does!

[emlev]

7. oops (removed)

posted in wrong place