As Diebold implodes on the latest news that all of their touch-screen voting machines contain a perhaps-uncorrectable flaw being described as a “major national security threat,” the largest of the country’s Electronic Voting Machine Companies, ES&S continue to meltdown all across the nation.
On the heels of similar failures in Indiana, Oregon, Texas, West Virginia, Arkansas and elsewhere, Missouri now joins the crowd as the latest state to report failures by ES&S to deliver ballots, machines and software programming in time for elections this year.
Five counties in Missouri have announced they are going to “Plan B” (creating their own paper ballots, or returning to their old lever systems) in preparation for early voting which is to begin Monday in the Show Me state.
Problems are being reported in Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton and Searcy Counties. Here’s a sample of refrains that are starting to sound incredibly familiar:
“We’re in hell with that,” he said. “That wasn’t a step forward. That’s a step back.”
The Election Commission voted unanimously Tuesday morning to order paper ballots for early voting.
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Searcy County plans to drag its old lever voting machines out for early voting and they will be used on Election Day May 23 if the fancy new touch-screen computer voting machines aren’t ready.
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“Searcy County is very upset and let down with ES&S,” Smith said this morning. He said he and four retired school teachers who “burned their own gas” took the new touch screen voting machines all around the county training poll workers and demonstrating for voters and “now they say you’ve got to do something else.” He noted that the lever machine invented in the 1800s was proving more reliable than the state-of-the-art computer machines.
Dear Washington D.C. and the National Mainstream Media: Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
(Thanks to BRAD BLOG reader Mark M. for the tip from my home state!)
Just further proof that our mainstream media is dead. Dead, meaning they don’t report extremely important news that affects all Americans. Absolutely unbelievable.
The problem is, we need a MSM outlet to do a story on how the MSM is failing America!!! That’s a catch-22!!!!!!!
If this e-vote meltdown isn’t getting in as the top stories everyday on TV, newspapers, & radio, then they will go under, and the internet will continue to flourish. And donor news channels like LINK-TV & FSTV will flourish.
These daily e-vote meltdown stories are not being covered, let alone front page. What’s more important than this? Our votes being counted???
Elections brought to you by those who bring you the best results money can buy!!
dunno about others, but I’d rather have Chad, hanging or otherwise, than a system that votes for the Republican regardless of who is voting.
Your Stalin quote is proving WAY, WAY too prescient, Brad!!
Delighted that you’re carrying this story. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does. . . Now we can add Missouri to the list of meltdowns. Maybe soon people will wake up to the fact that ES&S has been every bit as bad as Diebold. When is enough enough?!
If you can bear any more–and maybe you can’t right now–there’s yet more breaking news here relating to
* previously undisclosed Diebold and Emery County shenanigans directed at Bruce Funk
* update on Bruce Funk’s legal situation
* organized anti-election-reform smear campaigns involving Diebold and others
* and more
The extent of the incompetence, lies and unethical behavior in the voting machine industry is simply unbelievable. Unfortunately it’s all true.
My brain is on overload!
100 locomotives heading for the river. The bridge is out!
ES&S meltdown is coming to Clinton County, Iowa, as well as much of the rest of the state.
In fact, thanks to HAVA and some state legislative action, Diebold and ES&S were the only qualified vendors in Iowa, and all of 99 counties are hooked on systems with a combination of machines from those two wonderful companies.
Local officials have not responded to reports I have forwarded detailing problems elsewhere in the country.
Until we deprogram the American sheeple of the absurd notion that counting ballots is some kind of "race" unto itself, the problem won’t go away, even if ESS, Sequoia, and Diebold do.
Brad, please tell me there is at least one newspaper, TV network or magazine following up on this. I have written letters to my congress Reps with NO REPLY.
I know we have been reporting this all along since 2000. Do you think that everybody is just too embarrased to report anything now that they’ve realized we all aren’t nuts.
Brad your voice was coming out of my stereo speakers Saturday morning 5/06/06.
Heard you on the Air America Radio,… Thom
Hartmann segment,… you gave the issues of
our election systems nightmare wide exposure.
Your very articulate at connecting the dots –
good job in the race to save our Democracy.
You have a meat grinder schedule,… do you ever sleep ?
Brad your voice was coming out of my stereo speakers Saturday morning 5/06/06.
Heard you on the Air America Radio,… Thom
Hartmann segment,… you gave the issues of
our election systems nightmare wide exposure.
Your very articulate at connecting the dots –
good job in the race to save our Democracy.
You have a meat grinder schedule,… do you ever sleep ?
GlennMcGahee #8
"Do you think that everybody is just too embarrased to report anything now that they’ve realized we all aren’t nuts."
I think that’s probably part of the story. If they didn’t bother keeping up with the developments they’re now facing a steep learning curve, which could add to the resistance.
They will need spoon-feeding to help them feel comfortable addressing the various technical issues.
It may be easier for media and election officials to "hear" us if the focus is on proven security vulnerabilities and proven malfunctions,without any presumption of motive. Former election director Kurt Bellman’s feedback in relation to this has been helpful.
Catherine A –
Your link at #3 goes to "Post Not Found." Has the item been moved? I’d like to read it, and I’m pretty sure others would too. Thanks!
Conspiracy Theory Debunker – Please pick a name and stick with it. You’ve posted as 911Blimp elsewhere, and, I believe, other names.
We dont’ have too many rules here, but one of them is NOT to post under the different names. If you can do that, it’d be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Brad, can you and Bev Harris go on Democracy NOW! as a duo interview???
Peg C Re: my link at #3
This link works. Thanks for pointing out the problem, Peg C.
It’s an amazing article. The implications are staggering.
I was particularly interested to learn more about Bruce Funk’s legal case which BBV is helping fund, the depth and seriousness of the security risks, the extent to which Diebold flat-out lied about the risks but eventually admitted it had known about them, and the final paragraph about Diebold employee involvement in the vicious campaign to attempt to smear BBV and Bev Harris using the internet.
GlenMcGahee – Re: "Do you think that everybody is just too embarrased to report anything now that they’ve realized we all aren’t nuts." — I would associate myself with Catherine A’s reply at #11. I believe she’s got it just about right.
The Old Turk – Re: "You have a meat grinder schedule,… do you ever sleep ?" Not much these days. 🙁
Big Dan – re: "Brad, can you and Bev Harris go on Democracy NOW! as a duo interview???" I will go on any which way they’d like to have me. Neither Amy Goodman nor Democracy NOW has ever contacted me at all for anything. I will generally talk to whoever wants to talk to *me*, no matter where they come from. As you may have noticed 🙂
Catherine A
You said:
"It may be easier for media and election officials to "hear" us if the focus is on proven security vulnerabilities and proven malfunctions"
I’m not trying to be a wise guy here, but I don’t think they’ve seen the GAO report yet!
OK, You’re right, we’re going to have to help them save face. But we don’t have to like it.