“More evidence tonight that many of this nation’s elected officials remain somewhat out of step or just completely in the dark as far as their constituents are concerned. At least half the states in this country are now requiring a paper trail for electronic voting machine ballots. But in Maryland, that kind of common sense and concern about our democracy has hit a roadblock.”
Video in Streaming Flash format…
Video in Windows Media format…
A written transcript follows…
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 2002, Maryland switched to all electronic voting machines. But this year the governor became worried about voting security and decided the state needed to move to a voter verified paper system for the upcoming midterm election. The House voted to switch from the Diebold all electronic touch screen system to a system with a paper trail. The governor set aside $20 million to switch. But the measure was killed by the state Senate.
ANDREW HARRIS, MARYLAND STATE SENATE: The governor put money in the budget. Everything was lined up to go, and it just failed in the last few days of the session because I think the Senate leadership and the committee leadership didn’t want it to pass.
PILGRIM: Many Maryland officials are outraged at Linda Lamone, the state administrator of elections. She gave a litany of excuses for not making the switch. Some voters would find it too difficult to use the paper ballots and using paper ballot technology would stop innovation on a new system in the future.
LINDA LAMONE, STATE ADMINISTRATOR OF ELECTIONS: It’s going to stifle and it has already to some extent, the development of any other kind of independent verification technologies.
PILGRIM: The director of policy for the governor charges that Diebold had undue influence of election administrators.
JOSEPH GETTY, MD GOVERNOR’S DIRECTOR OF POLICY: There are two states that started very early with Diebold, Georgia and Maryland, and those are the marquee states for the Diebold system. Both election administrators, Linda Lamone in Maryland, have a national reputation based upon their quick advancement of e-voting in Maryland.
PILGRIM: He adds…
GETTY: … In Maryland politics, strange thing happen all the time. Obviously, the vendor had lobbyists working the issue.
PILGRIM: So Diebold’s electronic voting machines will be used for all 24 voting districts in Maryland in November.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now, Maryland election officials defend their decision. They say we take machines from Diebold, we run additional tests and as a result we have a high level of confidence in the system. But the rest of the country is more concerned. And 27 states around the country have introduced legislation to require a voter-verified paper trail because of security concerns, Lou.
DOBBS: The House wants it, the governor wants it, the Senate leadership and the committee leadership along with the Lamone, who apparently is very enthusiastic about Diebold voting machines, fighting it. Is this a Republican/Democrat issue?
PILGRIM: They say that politics are involved, but they say really it’s more that they’re very beholden to the system that’s in place.
DOBBS: Is the Senate Democrat or Republican?
PILGRIM: Democrat.
DOBBS: Democrat. Thank you very much. Appreciate it, Kitty Pilgrim. This is incredible, this story on e-voting machines and the impact around this country.
Thanks for posting this John. I think all Brad’s (and friends’) efforts are paying off with reports like these continuing to make the mainstream media. Today’s WP also had an interesting article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/w...501355_pf.html
Tech Trouble in the Voting Booth
Jurisdictions May Not Be Ready for New Gear, Analysis Says
By Zachary A. Goldfarb
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, July 26, 2006; A15
Last year, a report called “Asking the Right Questions About Electronic Voting” took a look at the issues surrounding the move by most of the country’s election jurisdictions to electronic voting machines. The report’s theoretical approach contrasted with the often bitter dispute about the security of the technology between activists and voting-machine vendors.
The report’s authors — a committee of National Research Council experts, including prominent computer scientists and two former governors — then turned their attention to this year’s elections. What they found, according to a council analysis released yesterday, is not reassuring:
“Some jurisdictions — and possibly many — may not be well prepared for the arrival of the November 2006 elections with respect to the deployment and use of electronic voting equipment and related technology, and anxiety about this state of affairs among election officials is evident in a number of jurisdictions.”
More than a third of all of the nation’s 8,000 voting jurisdictions will use new voting technology for the first time this year, according to Election Data Services.
“This is a moment of truth for electronic voting,” said panel co-chairman Richard L. Thornburgh, a former Republican governor of Pennsylvania and U.S. attorney general. “You’ve got a lot of people who are working for the first time with the new technology. It should impart a greater note of caution than what you might normally attend to a regular election.”
Thornburgh said the analysis is a “caution sign, not a stop sign, but not a clean bill of health for a technology that everyone recognizes there may be problems with.”
The new voting technology includes optical-scan and touch-screen machines. In 2004, only 10 to 15 percent of jurisdictions had replaced old voting machines. Widespread efforts to replace outdated voting machines came after passage of the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which set new standards and procedures.
Concerns about the new technology — largely about alleged vulnerabilities to manipulation — were raised nearly as soon as the machines were rolled out.
So far, in this year’s primaries, the problems have been related to the machines breaking down or being used incorrectly by election officials. For example, optical-scan machines used in a May primary in Cuyahoga County in Ohio could not read the ballots because the black lines separating sections were thicker than on ballots elsewhere in the state, and the fill-in ovals were in a different place, a review recently found. The result was a long delay in ballot counting.
Numerous other localities have experienced problems, most notably the delay in results of a March primary in Cook County, Ill.
The National Research Council analysis notes several potentially problematic areas. Some states may be unable to comply with the 2002 law’s deadlines for upgrading technology, meaning it is not yet clear whether they will use old or new technology this year. There are questions about whether voters will be able to use the new equipment without confusion, and whether there is enough time to train poll workers.
“When organizations roll out technology, they do it in a small way. They do a lot of testing and prototyping. We’re doing it in one fell swoop and that creates certain kinds of risks,” said Herbert S. Lin, a senior research scientist who served on the staff of the committee.
Among the report’s recommendations is that jurisdictions run tests on Election Day on randomly selected machines.
Dana DeBeauvoir, clerk of Travis County, Tex., home to Austin, is credited with implementing one of the most comprehensive plans for Election Day. She’ll do no fewer than three tests on her voting machines to ensure they are giving accurate results.
“You’re always looking for the latest threat. That’s not paranoid,” she said. “That’s good scientific method. We’re dealing with voting systems that are scientific instruments.”
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
Thanks to John and David for posting this excellent clip, and to Lou and Kitty and their colleagues too. Well done!
for PPP re: #1 and the article you quoted from the WP: they’re under pressure at the WP now, did you know? … they have to get something right once in a while or else I might stop letting them use my initials! 😉
ABOVE
(funny boy)
Unfckingbelievable! We cannot allow these RUSTERS to steal our U.S. DEMOCRACY. Anyone who reads my rants knows that i believe the Bushit administration are lying criminal murderers who need to be impeached and jailed. In reality they are racing to DESTROY the environment in crisis (reversed over 200 environmental laws and selling off our Western wildlands) or DESTROYING the world with their guns in their private Armegedon oil WAR) with their propaganda control and power grab of lies.
I do not suscribe to a political party. I am American. Everyday Americans are dying in the Bushit war of IRAQ as well as perpetuating the lie that 9/11 was a terrorist attack. http://www.loosechange911.com – the movie LOUDER THAN WORDS 2ND ED. shows who was running Norad and war games on 9/11 and every citizen of the world must see. Especially Americans since so many cannot put the puzzle pieces together.
But what is the root of Bushit lie in IRAQ? It’s that Dubby’s gonna give them our form of DEMOCRACY. Now a U.S. state is choosing to run a U.S. election on these proven riggable machines counted by felons which helped Bush steal the 2004 Election (Robert Kennedy Rolling Stone features the only mass media article) without verifyable evidence of the outcome.
This must lead to either peacefully reversing this Fascist decision of a few or revolution must be started in MARYLAND. “We the People” must never accept the unverified theft of our votes or any more BUSHIT STYLE ELECTIONS. All Americans must take this as an insult to them and our children fighting the George Bushit War.
Whoa! Who knew!!
Maryland is the perfect state to blame the Democrats in and make it a national issue. Our Senate leadership, in particular Mike Miller and Paula Hollinger acted in their own interests even though they received massive pressure from citizens all over the state.
These democrats make good the reason to “go republican” in our state. Perhaps that is their intent because they are the most filthy, corrupt NON democratic people I have ever seen. You can bet big money changed hands here. And Hollinger is running for US congress (as a democrat). She is no democrat. She is an oligarchal fascist.
Anyone in Maryland, don’t kid yourself that we have real “Democrats” in leadership. These people are not just politicians, they are criminals.
If anyone votes for Paula Hollinger for Congress, they are stupid and blind sheep. Hollinger is a liar and selfish for her own interests.
You hear that Paula? NO one should trust their vote to you for destroying democracy in Maryland. You and that crook Mike Miller. I will never vote for DINO’s such as these again. I will watch their every move.
Don’t vote for DINOS like Hollinger. She lies and I am sure has taken lots of money for this.
Nice touch at the end for Lou to make a national issue about the criminals calling themselves democrats in the state of Maryland.
Just WATCH how Bush Inc and the Neo nazi machine use this one to their advantage. Rove is a genious. No one will remember 2004 on CNN.
Dont forget Linda La-Money! Watching that crooked election rigger lady on tv made me want to puke and go to bed or something.
I’m telling you, there’s something funny about the Democrats, too, in all this e-vote stuff. I’m starting to side with the people who say that both parties are becoming the same, and we need a 3rd party. The Dems are NOT standing up for us, on many matters.
But to Maryland Independent: You believe that you should “go Repulblican”? They are even BIGGER liars. (see Bushco) That’s a JOKE…”go Republican”… You’d be in worse shape (again…see Bush)
Maryland Independent: I feel for you, but if you think “going Republican” is going to turn things around, that’s ludicrous. You think Republicans are on the “up and up”??? Come on!!! If you hate the Democrats, you should vote 3rd party. I’m trying not to laugh, that voting Republican will get some “honest” people in there. Most of the states run by Republicans (Ohio/Florida) have the MOST corruption. How can you even say that??? Use Ohio & Florida as an example of “going Republican”…
This has to be the lamest excuse EVER!
I thought that the law of supply and demand dictates what gets “developed”. If the consumers of voting machines make it clear that the demand is for paper trails, then that is what will be developed.
By NOT insisting on machines with paper trails, the suppliers will have no incentives to develop them.
Isn’t this Econ101?
The midterms are national in scope. The only way to stop the most criminal regime in history is to think national in November.
Don’t confuse state local politics with the national politics that are critical for changing the wrong direction and changing the wrong course.
It is more difficult for blogs, which have a national audience, to deal with state issues. State issues are all over the board, and the national distinctions between parties evaporate when northern states are compared with southern states.
Rove wants the November elections to be local, but they need to stay focused on national issues.
Mike Miller was visited by Diebold contractors right before the e-voting issue was to be voted on by the Maryland State legislature. It was known that Diebold was going to lose as it didn’t have the votes so they persuaded Mike Miller as president of the Senate to set aside the bill so no vote could occur. Not all of Maryland is corrupt, just as not all of the US congress is corrupt, just KEY people and you got it all tied up, so to speak. How can any REAL candidate hope to win when there is so much corruption in Maryland?
The spin meisters on Lou Dobbs are just telling the zombies what to think instead of thinking for themselves. Marylanders no longer have representation just a bought and paid for corptocracy.
The U.S. Vote which dictates who is elected by American voters belongs to?
A. Elected officials in office.
B. Private voting machine companies known to be run by convicted felons.
C. The American people . Citizens who exercise their right to vote.
D. All the above.
The answer is C. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. We are responsible to be able to verify with evidence beyond a reasonable doubt who is elected by our legitimate vote.
The electronic voting machines are a terminal CANCER to our U.S. DEMOCRACY and no Founding Father could have anticipated this theft. The people who introduced this way of voting and demand that the U.S. Votes are counted on these machines without any paper verification which are proven to be corrupted are perpetuating THEIR CRIMES AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND OUR LEGITIMATE SYSTEM OF VOTING.
Evidence supports one person can control the outcome of an electronic voting election. We must never allow incombant people in power to allow anymore stolen elections without evidence of who received the legitimate votes.
We had the technology to put a man on the moon. We have the wisdom and the time (OVER 4 MONTHS) to secure paper ballot trails for ALL U.S. ELECTIONS THIS FALL. “We the people” must do whatever we have to do to ensure our votes elect the people who we choose to represent us in these times of Bush’s war, environmental meltdown, and the many other important issues facing Americans and our world.
All Americans must come together and purge the system of these FASCIST Rusters stealing our DEMOCRACY with their LIES AND ABUSE OF POWER FOR THEIR GREEDY SELF INTERESTS ABOVE THE CONCERNS OF THIS GREAT NATION.
No I would NEVER go republican. Unfortunately, sheep will. I am no sheep. At least we have a good independent running for US Senate.
The Maryland Democrats DO push those in our state to go republican though. The roles are reversed for our state government where democrats own both house and senate. Any democrat that does not vote along with them is punished and not allowed to speak or be recognized. In the whole senate there is only ONE democrat that is not a DINO.
They vote for each other . and not the people they are supposed to represent. They are filth.
Ehrlich is no better. He’s only playing this card as it is an election year for him.
I am surprised that it is a Democratic Senate that is holding out for Diebold. It appears to be a shot in the foot for them seeing as how most of the aberations from votes taken on Diebold favor Republicans.
The more I am aware of this the more I favor NM’s paper ballot, or OR’s vote by mail.
I know exactly what you’re saying, MI, but the Republicans are the ones that got these machines in there in the first place. I can’t explain the Dems, here, or the Dems overall silence on e-vote fraud. That is unexplainably suspicious to me.. very suspicious… I think everyone here is against government corruption, period. We don’t care about “party”… I would speak out against a crooked Democrat, or a crooked ANYBODY…
Me too Big Dan. I’ve been part of the fight here in Maryland, and have spoken with several Senators and Delegates. I had convinced them, and they all went along with Hollinger and Miller anyway.
These people are not democrats, but something truly criminal. After all the work that MANY people did, they ignored all the computer science professionals and security agencies that warned against the vulnerabilities. They had reports redacted.
Its not about party, its about criminal people who crave power. Linda Lamone and her cronies purposefully ignored and disregarded the will of the people who have been fighting this since 2002. That’s FOUR years they have refused to give us voter verified paper ballots and ignored all advice that would have given us transparent, fair, auditable and accurate elections.
It really makes you wonder. The same kind of stuff has gone on in Georgia too.
And in Tenessee, the Democrats obliterated many needy people’s chance for healthcare. That is part of the reason Tenessee is a “red state”. They are not happy with Frist either.
The Founding Fathers wanted a fair way to elect individuals running for office. So how the hell can a governing body force a vote of “the American people” on machines that DO NOT PRODUCE A VERIFYABLE PAPER TRAIL? The inability to verify the outcome of a U.S. election in light of the massive evidence of votes flip flopping is UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
“We the people” must file a law suit in a court of law immediately if it has not been done already because “We the people” are entitled to evidence the legitimate victor in a political race. Like our Revolutionary Forfathers who would not put up with their rights being violated, WE must not sit idle and accept this vulgar display of Fascist style power by a corrupt few who stand self serving to their own personal interests.
Americans have given their lives and are fighting Bush’s war in IRAQ to support the ideals of truth, justice, and the American way of life. While i do not agree with this war and believe the Bush administration should be tried as war criminals, our kids giving their life for their country over there WILL BE REPRESENTED.
The governor of Maryland, the people of Maryland, and all Americans must come together on this non partisan issue. These electronic voting machines were put in place to keep these same Fascist politicians in office who are gunning to have these machines forced on the American voter. They do not listen to constructive critism or conventional wisdom but they do know the power of the almighty dollar be it from Diebold, Sequoia, or E&S electronic voting machines companies counting OUR VOTES.
American voters will have voting machines which produce a verifyable record before the next election.
From now on: The voting machines are the property of the American people and we will prevail.
So interesting that these Diebold pushers call themselves Democrats. To me U.S. politics is not the ass vs. the elephant anyway. For the mostpart, it’s become one party. A combination of the 2 called Dubby’d the Republidem party. It’s a group of dumbo elephants watching the asses RUN the new American agenda show. The robot majority must be purged, flushed, and or investigated by a group of dream team prosecutors who want to help make America great again and fast.
Putting that aside i would still be very interested in how John Conyers Jr. Robert Kennedy Jr., or Al Gore are weighing in on this one? What about Brad Friedman?