Minutes ago, on CNN, they reported that “mechanical problems” are their quickest growing category of problems coming in to their hotline. “They hadn’t even registered on our ticker previously,” said the host. Perhaps because the Obama/DNC campaigns didn’t tell them about all of the problems they’ve been finding?
A press release issued from 866-MYVOTE1 and CNN…at 9:30am PT reports on an alarming number of calls coming from “key states, like Pennsylvania, Virgian and Florida,” And yes, as predicted, problems in Philadelphia where “there are extensive reports of machines simply not working.” A perfectly predictable issue, that this horrifying chief of Philly elections didn’t seem to care about just days ago.
Details from the CNN/VoterAction.org press release follow…
Voter Action is concerned about several states, including VA, PA, and FL.
“Ensuring that voters have access to the ballot box in a timely manner, and that their votes are counted is our number one goal today,” said John Bonifaz, legal director, Voter Action. “We are really concerned about the number and kinds of calls coming in from key states, like Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida.”
Virginia is reporting extensive machine malfunction, specifically with voting machine books, causing long lines of people standing in the rain. The Voter Action legal team has contacted the Governor’s office.
Florida is reporting a wider variety of challenges, including registration issues where individuals do not appear to be registered; machines at poll sites appear to not be functioning, or are insufficient; and, optical scanners are breaking down, aggravating the already long lines. The Voter Action legal team was unable to reach local officials by phone, but has faxed alerts to both local and state officials, including the Secretary of State.
Pennsylvania is primarily reporting mechanical problems, especially in Philadelphia where there are extensive reports of machines simply not working. Voter Action is especially concerned about emergency paper ballots being improperly treated as provisional ballots. In light of the recent federal court order, Voter Action is particularly concerned about Philadelphia County officials stating that emergency paper ballots will not be counted until Friday, which does not comply with the Secretary of State directive that these be treated as regular ballots to be counted on Election Day.
Iraqis, in the middle of a war, walked around with purple ink on their fingers and it was GREAT. We can run those elections with no problems. Here…not so much.
Something is wrong with this picture.
Business as usual and as expected!
Georgia has been having serious problems with machiens in the Metro Atlanta area … as expected in the largely African-American communities.
College Park, Hapeville — Don’t have numbers yet, just saw a bit of reporting on local news earlier.
Karen Handel Republican GA SoS has been harping on phony voter fraud issues. 200 she says are registered in 2 states. Well excuuuuse me Miss Scandel … isn’t that an issue for YOUR department, not the voter?
Jebus … I’m so sick of her.
Can intentional programming be considered a malfunction?
ES&S Machines can be hacked through the infrared port!
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke...-magnet-a.html
. . . serious security vulnerabilities involving the magnetically switched bidirectional infrared (IrDA) port on the front of the machines and the memory devices that are used to communicate with the machine through the port. With nothing more than a magnet and an infrared-enabled Palm Pilot or cell phone they could easily read and alter a memory device that is used to perform important functions on the ES&S iVotronic touch-screen machine — such as loading the ballot definition file and programming the machine to allow a voter to cast a ballot. They could also use a Palm Pilot to emulate the memory device and hack a voting machine through the infrared port. . .
No need to pull chips here!
. . .They found that a voter or poll worker with a Palm Pilot and no more than a minute’s access to a voting machine could surreptitiously re-calibrate the touch-screen so that it would prevent voters from voting for specific candidates or cause the machine to secretly record a voter’s vote for a different candidate than the one the voter chose. Access to the screen calibration function requires no password, and the attacker’s actions, the researchers say, would be indistinguishable from the normal behavior of a voter in front of a machine or of a pollworker starting up a machine in the morning.”
Re: Paul McCarthy’s link…
Simply amazing this crap is still being passed off as secure and everyone is buying it!
What a load of BS!
the actual report seems to have been taken off the State of Ohio’s website, but it is referenced in other articles.
It’s an old report (Dec. 2007).
Voteaware saved the original report — here’s the link.
http://www.voteaware.com/14-Aca...RESTReport.pdf
study done by people from Penn State and University of Pennsylvania. excerpts available at
http://www.voteaware.com/
Current Wired article:
Report: ES&S Voting Machines Can Be Maliciously Calibrated to Favor Specific Candidates
and
Vote Flipping and Touchscreens ““ Matt Blaze
No EVM is even remotely secure. These machines are designed to be as cheap as possible (about $200-400 worth of components) so that the company makes a huge profit when they sell them to states for $8000. This is more corporate welfare not unlike what Halliburton and Blackwell have been getting.
I doubt that any of the EVM manufacturers has anyone on staff that knows anything at all about security, let alone computer security. All indications are that EVMs are as insecure as is possible to make them. IMNSHO this is intentional.
EVMs: Unfit for purpose. Garbage. Crap.
See xkcd for a humorous take on EVM tabulation security:
http://www.xkcd.com/463/
I hope and pray Obama/DNC know whats up and have a plan. I can’t imagine there not aware and sitting on their hands without a strong response. I am offically nervous.