On today’s BradCast: Election Day for the California Gubernatorial Recall is tomorrow, though many have already voted across the nation’s most populous state with Vote-by-Mail ballots. And we also share some thoughts on 9/11 that may be very different from the coverage of its 20th anniversary over the weekend.
Today would have been the last chance for CA Sec. of State Dr. Shirley Weber to mandate a statewide post-election Risk-Limiting Audit (RLA), as the nation’s top cybersecurity and voting system experts have urgently asked her [PDF] to do on an “emergency” basis. That, following a recent voting system security breach that effects election management systems and tabulators made by Dominion, as used in 60% of the state’s counties. Despite their pleading, Weber declined to call for such an audit.
Instead, she sent a letter [PDF] in reply to the security experts who contacted her with “urgent” concerns, after she held a meeting with them last week (which we reported on in detail on Friday). She sung the praises of California’s election security process in the letter, and dismissed their concerns, as AP’s coverage highlighted, as “inaccurate,” noting that, in any event, there was no time to mandate such an audit because it would require “significant preparation, training and testing.”
“Further,” she wrote the group of top voting and cybersecurity scientists in the nation (and perhaps the world), “the implication that California’s elections cannot be conducted safely and securely without [a more rigorous audit] is inaccurate, as California has the strictest voting system testing, procedures for use and security requirements in the nation.”
Suffice to say, as we’ve been reporting in detail over the past month (as succinctly summarized by longtime listener/reader Sheila Bernard in an L.A. Times Letter to the Editor today) — ever since a Republican County Clerk in CO made illicit copies of the Dominion Election Management System (EMS) software in her county before it was later released to the Internet for wide download, to the shock and horror of the voting system scientists whose warnings Weber has now ignored — what happens next is anyone’s guess. In its latest coverage, AP cites local election officials in the state, such as Santa Barbara County Clerk Joe Holland claiming it would be “near impossible” for anyone to manipulate results. “It’s not even a concern,” he said.
That disregard for the scientists warning of the need for “emergency actions” brings to mind a comment from one of those scientists, University of South Carolina’s Duncan Buell, who told us on The BradCast last week: “I have seen well meaning election officials with too little skepticism and too much hubris. And I think that’s a problem.” It certainly might be. We’ll find out, perhaps, in a day or two.
At the same time, we report on a few other problems that polling place voters have reportedly had trying to cast their ballot in Los Angeles County over the weekend, thanks to yet another failure of the County’s new electronic pollbook system. The same system failed repeatedly during its maiden use in the 2020 election cycle and, over the weekend, the new computer systems incorrectly informed both Democratic and Republican voters that they had voted already…when they had not, in at least two different voting locations. Those voters were given provisional ballots and the e-pollbooks in question were said to have eventually been removed from operation, according to a statement from the L.A. County Registrar’s office.
Both California and the nation are now on pins and needles. There are disturbing implications if Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is removed from office in California and replaced in the Recall by rightwing talk show host Larry Elder, particularly with the state’s 88-year old U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in office with the barest of majorities for Democrats in the Senate.
Next, there were 20th anniversary commemorations over the weekend to mark the horrific terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Along with it, there was more repetition of the false claim that “America came together, united as one after the attacks”. That has always been a myth, as we discuss today.
To underscore that myth, I share a part of my 20-year old, never before shared publicly (I think), “My Speech to the Nation After 9/11 (Were I President, Which I am Not.)” which I wrote and shared with family members on September 14th, 2001, just days after the attacks. The speech, as written (but, obviously, never delivered) was, to say the least, a very different one — with a very different call to action — than the one delivered at that same time by George W. Bush. And, had I been President at the time (which I wasn’t), it likely would have resulted in a very different America and world today. Whether it would be a better one? Well, you can decide and let me know.
Finally, we open up the phone lines today to callers on all of the above, many of whom are focused on questions and concerns about the CA Recall…
In addition to solving some of the problems Brad pointed out in his post, I would like to see the recall of “the mass-production-of-animals-for-food industry” which is ugly strong there (On The Origin Of The Home Of COVID-19 – 23).
Hello Brad,
I listen to your informative show whenever I can. I do have a question regarding the recall. Yesterday I dropped off my hand signed paper ballot at a vote center into one of the black boxes. When I got there a young man told me to put my address on the outer envelope where I signed it. I thought later, was that a republican trick to disqualify my ballot for some reason, as it only instructs a person to sign and date. Thanks for your feedback, for if this is a trick, I feel others should be warned. Thank You for all you do.
Thank you for sharing your 9/11 comments. Glad you got them off your chest and know your thoughts, while better stated than mine certainly, matched so many of ours.
Tree @2:
Apologies for the delayed reply! We had trouble with the site yesterday, and I was unable to post in response.
After your comment, and a very similar one received from another BRAD BLOG Commenter about a week ago, I checked with the Los Angeles County County Clerk/Registrar-Recorders office on this. They told me this in response:
So, this might explain why I didn’t recall putting the address on my own VBM ballot. It must have already been printed on it. In any event, between the comment above and a call Desi made several days before the election to LA County (basically receiving the same answer, the it’s not critical to fill in the address line), I’m not overly worried about it.
You didn’t specify which county you are in, so hopefully the same somewhat vague rules apply. But I don’t think you should be overly concerned about it being some sort of a trick…at least I don’t think so anyway! 🙂
Mary @3
Thanks for the kind comments, and I’ve been very gratified to hear from others like you feeling the same about my remarks. The full “speech” is now posted permanently here BradBlog.com/911Speech, in case its useful to read in full or to share.