Money, influence and the fate of democracy in New York

[Bill Bored]

Money, influence and the fate of democracy in New York

Sunday, March 1st 2009, 4:00 AM

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New York, one of the last states to comply with federal laws and court orders requiring an upgrade of voting machines, is holding public hearings - the next is Wednesday night - on the pros and cons of different computerized voting systems.

But the public hearings may be window-dressing for a rigged process.

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As watchdogs have warned for years, the private corporations that manufacture and service voting machines are salivating over the prospect of supplying New York with voting machines.

One company, Nebraska-based Election Software & Systems, has paid $500,000 since 2005 to Davidoff, Malito and Hutcher to lobby the City Council, the mayor's office, the Board of Elections and other bodies.

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The other leading firm, Sequoia Voting Systems, Inc., paid about $172,000 to lobbyists between 1999 and 2005.

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But insiders at the Board of Elections, including several eyewitnesses, say the choice is being influenced by two political fixers, Queens Republican John Haggerty Jr. and Bronx Democrat Stanley Schlein.

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Actually, the whistleblowers are people who are disgusted by the prospect of our democracy being hijacked and distorted by paid mercenaries and political cronyism - disgusted and ready to fight back.

As we all should be.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/louis/index.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. Just say 'No!'

ER: Did I say that?

[Wilms]

2. Haggerty and Schlein may be in for notoriety. n/t

[defendandprotect]

3. Only paper ballots and pens --- !!! Looks like we've had stolen elections since

at least the late 1960's . . . by computer, that is.

Computers provide for huge steals from greater distances!

They used to fix the lever machines by shaving the plastic counting wheel with a razor . . .

would make the wheel skip 200-300 votes at a time!

[Bill Bored]

4. Here's the permalink for this piece, which not in the orginal post:

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/03/01/2009-03-01_money_influence_and_the_fate_of_democrac.html

[Bill Bored]

5. .