In 2008, Election Integrity of Velvet Revolution’s Election Protection Strike Force experts put these bullet points together after reports began coming in of voters having problems on voting machines (e.g., votes flipping from one candidate to another, etc.) I believe they may be helpful again today.
Of course, as we’ve been urging (even with cartoons!), do all you can to vote on a paper ballot and not on an electronic touch-screen voting system! Check with your state and/or county before you go in to vote today to see if you have the right to request a hand-marked paper ballot at the polls.
But if you must vote on a Direct Recording Electronic (DRE, usually touch-screen) system, and have problems in the process, here is…
What to do if it happens to you:
- Call poll supervisors to observe the problem.
- Fill out a problem report.
- Refuse to vote on that machine.
- Request that the machine be taken out of service.
- Get the serial number of the machine if possible (may be difficult in many cases).
- Tell other voters in line which machine it was and that they should NOT vote on that machine!
- Report it to county/town election office.
- Report it to the Secretary of State.
- Call local reporters and tell them the story.
- Call voter problem hotlines (eg. 866-OUR-VOTE) and report it.
- Contact bloggers and Election Integrity websites.
- Raise holy hell.
REMINDER: Please bring a video camera/cell phone camera when you go to vote so you can document these problems on video tape.
Here in NYC our mechanical accurate voting machines were replaced with optical scanners – the ballot disappears with no indication of who you actually voted for, so there’s no way of knowing if the machines are accurate or better put they can be tampered with easily from the outside. Clint, please come rescue New York.
Brad, I tried tweeting you with this, but Twitter keeps saying “Whoops – we’re doing something wrong! Please try again in a couple of minutes.”
Here’s what’s up:
1) I’m going to vote using the assisted machine in my precinct – ES&S AutoMARK A100. – in Contra Costa County, California – and report how it went.
2) Anything in particular I should pay attention to that you know of?
3) I’ve been unable to find anything online in CA or Federal law that I can use to insist on using that machine, even though I’m not disabled. Do you have a reference?
Thanks,
Steve — Footsoldier in Brad’s E-Voting Army
NB: For your reply, feel free to post it here, but: Please email me – far easier to read on my smartphone when I’m at the polls than to browse to a reply comment.
Steven Dorst –
1) Thanks. Will look forward to your report!
2) Of course, most important part is to make sure it printed your selections as per your intent as you’ll have to enter on the touch-screen portion of the machine. The print you’ll get (to be op-scanned later) should be checked carefully on that system. Unfortunately, even if it’s correct, there will be no way for auditors after the election to know that’s how you intended to vote. But for purposes of your testing the system, to see if it worked, it’s certainly good to give it a try and let us know if all is well. (Also, try to note if the machine would be wheelchair accessible — both high enough and low enough.)
3) You don’t need any excuse to vote on that machine. If you want to, you are allowed to. Just tell them you’d like to vote on the AutoMark and you should be allowed to do so.
When I voted today I was #372. I voted using the Optical Scan (paper ballot) and was #334 on that!
Glad to see most in my precinct disillusioned with the DRE, maybe my sign in the yard did open eye’s. I also used a write in Candidate(myself)on one race that was unopposed. In the final posted tabulations it should show at least one for my precinct eh?
http://www.jsonline.com, Milwauke Journal Sentinal. Many comments about polling stations. Heavily conservative Waukesha, many comments about machines comments not working properly. hmm https://bradblog.com/?p=7988
Thanks, Beau. Looking into it (the database, which can be sorted by city, showing the several probs at several locations in Waukesha can be found specifically here.)
And thanks for reposting the link to the recent story of Waukesha’s County Clerk who keeps the results ONLY on the personal computer in her office!!!
Hello Brad,
In Nassau County we use the same ES&S DS200 Ballot Scanner machine as Albany County, Erie County, New York City, Rockland County and Schenectady County. If the ballot has a mistake you can get it back and if possible fix it or get a new ballot. The first time I used it today I made a mistake by not voting for an office and when I corrected it I made another error which caused my ballot to be an over-vote which I got it back and went to get a new ballot. The procedure was to fold the ballot in half, stamp the ballot as spoiled and put it into the spoiled ballot bag. The next ballot I marked correctly and it was accepted but I did not get a chance to verify what the scanning voting machine registered. Even if I saw it on the screen it still does not mean that what was marked on my ballot was registered by the machine.
PS While voting I met a man who claimed that ACORN and others were involved in voter fraud (what a conspiracy against him and his like minded fellows). I explained that ACORN did not engage in voter fraud and no one there was charged but he knew better. Rather than continue talking to a know-it-all regarding voter fraud which would have raised my blood pressure I just walked away. Never argue with a fool people may confuse you with him.
COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
… Marzi said on 11/2/2010 @ 4:55 am PT…
Here in NYC our mechanical accurate voting machines were replaced with optical scanners – the ballot disappears with no indication of who you actually voted for, so there’s no way of knowing if the machines are accurate or better put they can be tampered with easily from the outside. Clint, please come rescue New York.
Marzi,
The great myth promoted by lever nachine advocates is that miscounting on the Levers is impossible since they are mechanical devices. Totally untrue/
Let’s assume the levers worked perfectly (they don’t). They break down, disillusioned voters leave the polling place, gears can be shaved, faulty machines are placed in Democratic districts, etc., etc.).
But let’s ignore these events which occurr in many precincts in every election/ Let’s assume the levers worked perfect.
Keep in mind: Votes are only CAST on levers.
Votes are are COUNTED on central tabulators.
Lever voting results are manually input on personal computers and tabulated for multiple districts on central computers.
a) input data can be manipulated onDATA ENTRY and/or
b) the central tabulator can be PROGRAMMED to alter the vote counts.
So let’s see:
1) levers break down
2) gears can be shaved
3) faulty levers placed in Democratic districts
4) input voting data is vulnerable to manipulation
5) central tabulators can be programmed to miscount the votes.
And finally, to add insult to injury, there WERE NO PAPER BALLOTS TO RECOUNT THE VOTES.
At least with Optical scanners, there IS a paper ballot to check the machine count. Of course that assumes
a) they ARE counted and
b) there IS a strong chain of custody
Do you feel better now?
I asked to vote on a paper ballot, and they said they didn’t have paper ballots. Is it required that they have them? Or is it a local call?
Big Dan asked:
Unfortunately, it’s a local call. Even provisional “ballots” are done on touch-screens in many cases where that’s the only way they let voters vote on election day. What state/county are you in, Dan?
Of course, if they have no paper ballots, that may well mean that they have no “emergency paper ballots” if the power goes out or any other probs with the machines. Brilliant, eh?
Brad,
Promised post is posted. Just click on the link under my name above!
Steve
Well, apparently the army of invisible ninjas and their magic voting machines that changed bazillions of votes from Democratic to Republican in 2004, then mysteriously vanished in 2006 and 2008, are back.
I’m just curious about something. Sharron Angle led in all the polls, yet Dirty Harry won, exceeding several polls’ margin of error. Imagine if the Repubs had managed to pull off a turnabout of such magnitude against a member of the party of peace and diversity. Wow! It would make you think, if you could think.
Ronald Wieck, @#12, I think you may be unclear on the concept here. Let’s start simply: Electronic voting machines are computers, and as any honest software or hardware programmer will tell you, all computers can be hacked, all computers can be maliciously coded with no trace left behind. That alone should be enough to disqualify them from use.
Add to that the fact that citizens cannot see inside computers, and therefore cannot meaningfully oversee their elections. Add to that the fact that the vast majority of citizens and elections officials don’t have the expertise to verify the coding of the voting computers, even if they were allowed to see it (which they are not, since it’s proprietary).
Add to that the fact that many studies have proven that both DRE and optical scan machines make recording, scanning and counting errors, lots of them, with no malfeasance required. Add to that the fact that meaningful recounts cannot be conducted if there is nothing physical to recount.
These facts alone should be enough to disqualify them from being used in elections (there are many more, fyi).
Lastly, Brad has worked tirelessly to document problems with our elections systems that affect BOTH Republicans and Democrats, and all the other parties and write-ins, too.
If even ONE vote legitimately cast gets lost or flipped, or goes uncounted as the voter intended, or even ONE legitimate voter is prevented from casting their vote — regardless of the cause — well, that’s one too many.
Put down the partisan blinders for a sec and try to understand the concepts. He’s fighting for your vote, too.
Ronald Wieck –
In addition to the points that Des makes above, allow me to add a couple more.
+ I speak to the concerns you mention in re: NV in reply to another commenter here. The reasons you have to be concerned about NV, as I mention in that comment, and in great detail in the article that is linked within that comment, also apply to the voting systems in use in much of CO, where the former Republican SoS actually studied the e-voting systems used there, found they could be easily manipulated, but then allowed his County Clerks to continue using the machines, rather than disallowing them from doing so. So please see that link!
+ If you don’t understand the threat of the systems used in Massachusetts it’s because you’re likely unfamiliar with the facts surround the matter, including the specific, very hackable machines, and the company with the criminal background that sells, services, programs and maintains them (for MA and for virtually all of New England). I’d suggest watching HBO’s Emmy-nominated documentary Hacking Democracy to find out what’s wrong with those specific machines, and searching The BRAD BLOG “LHS” to find out what’s wrong with the company who maintains them in New England.
+ Finally, be sure see the link to the other comment I mentioned above, but when it comes to the polls, you are referring to pre-election polls, as opposed to the far more meaningful Exit Polls that showed, for example, John Kerry winning in almost all of the swing states that were eventually awarded to George W. Bush in 2004. Still, there is certainly reason to be concerned about the reported results in both NV and CO for reasons outlined in the comment linked above.
Hope that helps.