More VoterAction.org lawsuits and complaints are now being filed to stop the use and/or purchase of electronic voting systems around the country. On Wednesday, two more. One in California, another in Wisconsin.
In Alameda County, CA a suit was filed to stop of the use of Sequoia Voting Systems touch-screen DRE’s, alleging the county “has not performed independent, expert security vulnerability testing on its new Sequoia voting equipment. The group claims such testing was a prerequisite stipulated by county supervisors before the county would issue payment for the system.” …
You’ll note that Alamada was originally named in VoterAction’s suit against the use of Diebold touch-screen systems in 18 counties across California, but was removed from the suit after they agreed to stop using them. Instead, they decided to use Sequoia.
Also note, the report we linked from Contra Costa Times would seem to have an error in stating that the original Diebold/California suit has “been dismissed.”
In fact, as we understand it, only the plaintiff’s request for a temporary injunction to stop the use of hackable Diebold touch-screen machines this November was recently denied when the Judge decided there would not be enough time for counties to implement alternative systems prior to this year’s general election. The suit itself, we’re told by the good folks at VoterAction, calling for those shitty machines to be decertified in California altogether, goes forward and will be heard after the election.
The Courage Campaign has additional thoughts and details. For lack of time ourselves right now, we’re happy to associate ourselves with their thoughts on the suit.
Meanwhile, in the state of Wisconsin today, a complaint was brought to State Regulators by VoterAction activists asking that voting systems by four companies be discontinued prior to the November election because they are said to be “inherently unreliable, open to tampering and susceptible to human error.”
The companies named in Wisconsin are Diebold Election Systems, Inc., Sequoia Voting Systems, Inc., ES&S, and Voting Technologies International.
VoterAction.org recently won their suit in the state of Colorado to decertify touch-screen systems made by four different manufacturers when it was revealed the state had few or no standards for use of such machines and did little or no testing to determine if they were secure. Power to the people.
(Hat-tip John Gideon)
Well, today is it.
http://www.worldcantwait.org
I’m leaving now for what will hopefully be only a three-hour personal time off and not the rest of my life in Gitmo as an “Enemy Combatant” for using my 1st Ammendment rights.
See you all there (or wherever YOUR town is protesting).
Charlie L
Portland, OR
See you there, Charlie? I’m walking across the Hawthorne bridge in a minute.
Wow. That was fun. I can report about 700-1000 (sorry, the DHS doesn’t pay me to estimate crowds) peaceful and energized activists who are going to go out there in November and “vote so big they can’t steal it.”
At the end of our 2.5 hour rally and march there were a few dozen hyper-enthusiastic young people who don’t want to “wait,” and they were getting into a little confrontation with the “men in blue” (and riot gear with those big riot guns out) when I left, so the story might not be over. We stopped at our local propaganda piece THE OREGONIAN to remind them to “print the truth” but that was a waste of time.
Probably word from around the country will be pouring in. There were apparently over 250 separate events planned for today in the USA.
Probably saw you there Sandy, though I don’t know how I’d know. I was the one with the broken sign that had an R with a circle and cross-out and “vote so big they can’t steal it” on the back.
It was nice to get away from the keyboard and do some real activism. It’s not that blogging doesn’t matter (we ARE the media) but the streets are where we prove ourselves and our movement. Without feet in the streets (and, unfortunately, probably some blood spilled eventually) we will never win against a corporate fascist state that will NOT give up their power without a fight.
Take care all.
We’re going to take back our Democratic Republic this November — OR DIE TRYING!!!
Charlie L
Portland, OR