Florida Voters Challenge Judge's Shutdown of Election Investigation

[kster]

Ruling Impedes Search for Answers in Sarasota County Congressional Race

Tallahassee, Fla - infoZine - A bipartisan group of Florida voters today challenged a court ruling that is preventing a thorough, independent investigation into alleged voting machine failures in the state's 13th congressional district race.

The appeal asks for a reversal of last week's ruling that allowed electronic voting machine vendor Election Systems & Software (ES&S) to keep its software, hardware, and related documentation hidden from the voters -- even though experts from both sides agree that something went seriously awry during November's election.

"The court wrongly decided that the voters' legitimate demand to determine who won their election was less important than the remote possibility that an independent investigation by nationally-recognized experts would harm the trade secrets of the vendor," said Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Staff Attorney Matt Zimmerman. "The court could easily have addressed the vendor's concerns the same way trade secret concerns are usually handled in litigation -- by simply issuing a protective order that set limited use of the information to the litigation. The judge had the power to protect the interests of all parties. Unfortunately, in this case, he decided not to use it."

According to the electronic voting machines used during the November general election, more than 18,000 people in Sarasota County -- approximately 15% of the voter turnout -- did not cast a vote for any congressional candidate for the hotly contested seat. Instead of performing a robust analysis of the county's voting machines and software, the Florida Elections Canvassing Commission certified Vern Buchanan as the winner by 363 votes.



http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/20081/

[bleever]

1. Electronic Frontier Foundation, doing more good work.

They are also involved in the NSA/AT&T case.

[Peace Patriot]

2. The new chair woman of the House Administration Committee sent a letter

a few days ago--was it to the judge? to the appellate court? to FLA election officials?--basically apprising them that, if they didn't do the right thing--open the "trade secret" vote counting software to inspection--Congress would. I think I picked up from an interview that she said that she would prefer Florida officials to take care of the matter, but that Congress would intervene if they didn't.

Isn't it great to see honest elected officials--into good government, into open government--back in power? It's been so long!

[formercia]

3. Non Disclosure agreements

Companies are entitled to trade secret protection but 18,000 voters were disenfranchised and that makes it a serious issue.

This makes a good test of corporate rights. Is one corporation more valuable than 18,000 people?

[galloglas]

5. Secrets and Rights... Oppressors of the People ???

Companies are entitled to trade secret protection but 18,000 voters were disenfranchised and that makes it a serious issue.

18,000 disenfranchised in indeed serious. But I question "Companies... trade secret protection", in general. An LLC, or a sole proprietor, I would never quibble with. That is like unto a patent.

This makes a good test of corporate rights. Is one corporation more valuable than 18,000 people?

The rights of corporations need to be tested! On many fronts.

But how can we ask if any corporation is more valuable than even one single person?

Corporations lapse, go dormant, merge, go bankrupt everyday. Nothing lost other than a piece of paper and a state's loss of a potential franchise fee.

But what human life is without value??

IMHO, we must first (within the mind of mankind) eliminate the erroneous notion that "corporations" are "persons", in the sense that people are persons.

[galloglas]

4. K'n'R This is at the heart of the Voting Reform Issue.

Consititutional Right of the voters to pick their representative to the "People's House".

[Kurovski]

6. "...bipartisan..."

That's very good to see.

[texpatriot2004]

7. Glad this is being challanged nm

[EFerrari]

8. K&R

[WHAT]

9. ...

kick