Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.Org
“In Friday’s Democracy at Risk segment Lou and Kitty look into the story from New York state where counties are beginning to question whether their voters should be forced to vote on electronic voting machines. Why should they not be able to keep the machines that have served them well for decades?
The text-transcript of Friday’s segment on Lou Dobbs Tonight follows in full…
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT, LOU DOBBS TONIGHT: The crank of a voting machine lever has a solid sound, and Suffolk County officials don’t want to give them up. They are asking the courts to rule counties have the right to use lever machines that have worked perfectly, and ignore state rules that call for them to be replaced.
The Help America Vote Act called for new election equipment across the country after the disastrous election in 2000.
STEVE LEVY, SUFFOLK COUNTY EXECUTIVE: We do not believe that because a couple of counties in Florida had problems with hanging chads that we should have to spend tens of millions of dollars in new systems that are susceptible to fraud and are intimidating to many in our voting public.
PILGRIM: It would cost the county $14 million to buy machines that have not proved reliable. Neighboring Nassau County also wants to keep the old system in place, saying Nassau County doesn’t have the space to store the electronic machines properly, in proper climate- controlled conditions.
Clinging to the old technology, only about 6 percent of the country will still use lever machines in this November election, mostly in New York and Connecticut. And with the recent electronic voting mess, many counties are printing and storing paper ballots, just in case the new electronic touch-screen systems fail.
LISANNE ALTMANN, NASSAU COUNTY LEGISLATOR: There’s experience all across the country that these DRE machines have been a complete disaster, with some counties actually having spent a lot of money and then returning them and going over to the optical scanning machines.
PILGRIM: For that reason, 48 percent of voters across the country will use optically scanned paper ballots in November. That way if there is a recount, the paper record still exists.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now, in recent Suffolk county polls, 96 percent of the residents say they want to continue to use the lever machines, and there really is no reason to switch. It doesn’t make sense.
DOBBS: You know, the country has done very well with paper ballots for a very long time. What kind of idiot would proceed with these e-voting machines when there’s no paper trail, no plausible way to count these votes? What’s happening in the state of Maryland, for example, is just — it’s absurd.
PILGRIM: It’s really resisting the facts to continue to insist on technology without a voter verification trail.
DOBBS: And we’re just about a month away from a very important midterm election. Thank you very much, Kitty Pilgrim.
Ooh, did he really say “no plausible way to *count* these votes?” Not *recount*?
Way cool.
See videos from the We Count conference at http://www.wecount2006.org. Pass it on.
The pregnant chads could have been solved by “tipping the thing over and emptying the slots out ” And it’s free ! The hanging chads.. after 2000 everyone voting with us were beating the pin down. Holding the card up, looking front, back, and sideways. Paranoia ? You betcha !! ****** Still blocked from Brads, day 5 . Google gets me in. And Robin Williams “Man of the year” is about e-vote rigged elections. (Oct 13th)
Donna,.. Comment # 3,..
****** Still blocked from Brads, day 5 . Google gets me in.
*************
I had the same problem,.. it is frustrating not being able to log in.
Agent 99 gave the solution,.. it works nicely.
EMPTY YOUR “TEMPORARY FILES” – “BROWSER CACHE”.
THIS CAN BE DONE VIA “TOOLS” THEN “INTERNET OPTIONS”
OR
“DISK CLEAN UP”
“CONTROL PANEL” THEN “PERFORMANCE AND MAINTENANCE” THEN “FREE UP SPACE ON YOUR HARD DISK.
This will allow you to log on to BradBlog directly.
Dobbs: What kind of idiot would proceed with these e-voting machines when there’s no paper trail, no plausible way to count these votes?
Hey Lou!
Don’t talk about Lt. Governor Gary Herbert, of the great state of Utah that way!
Just kidding. LET HIM HAVE IT!
Governor Huntsman? Do you still think we’re “where we need to be” with regards to these soon-to-be-extinct machines!
The great people of Utah and the soldiers who are fighting for our freedom need to know that you care about their right to know their votes are being cast and counted correctly!
Time is quickly running out!
Brad, last night I was surprised that on Bill Maher last night, electronic voting machinies came up in the final few minutes. There were negative comments about them by Richard Clarke, Bill Maher, and Robin Williams. Can you post that clip somehow? Chris Matthers said, “Elections have been stolen for years”, kind of condoning it? I didn’t understand Chris Matthews comments…at least his panel discussed e-vote machines, and they really slammed them. Richard Clarke said they are made by a company that donates to one party, the Republicans.
big dan #7
The reason Chris Matthews didn’t make sense is because he was still trying to say that paper ballots cause more problems then voting machines can. His greatest talent is to make nonsensical arguments look as good as common sense arguments, but this pig won’t fly.
Maher’s show last night was BY FAR the best of this season. I was starting to wonder what happened.
I kept wanting someone to shoot that congresswoman with a tranqilizer dart, although even that wouldn’t have stopped her. She exemplifies the “state of denial” America is in right now. Thank God Clark wasn’t afraid to embarrass her. The time for politeness has passed. This country is in the gravest of danger!
I think Robyn Williams is one of the comedy greats and love to see him on live shows, but I’m a bit worried about this one on voting machine fraud. His movies are usually not that good.
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION-Do NOT settle for a “paper trail” solution. Op-scan machines are proven to be easily hacked. Demand paper ballots hand-counted only!
There is typically no time nor money for candidates to sue for the right of a re-count. Any solution involving machines at all will not work as these machines have the capability of printing a ballot “receipt” that the machine can record and tally your vote differently than the “receipt” that you viewed that supposedly reflects your intended vote! Go to http://www.hackedelections.com for more details.
Yes, rigging elections are bad regardless of which side does the rigging. However, you can’t possibly compare some votes in the 60’s or 70’s to hundreds of thousands of votes or millions by manipulating tabulators now. No comparison!!!