Effort to address Allegheny County voting machine vulnerabilities faces hurdles

[FakeNoose]

By Chris Potter
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 10/20/17
[e-mail]

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-local/2017/10/20/allegheny-county-voting-machines-replace-common-pleas-petition-lawsuit/stories/201710200193

A grassroots effort to examine — and likely replace — Allegheny County’s voting machines has itself been struggling for lack of a vote. Its latest challenge came Friday morning in the courtroom of Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Joseph James.

At issue is a 16-page proposal to establish a “voting process review commission,” which would study the county’s electronic voting machines and recommend replacements. Under the measure, supported by the League of Women Voters and VoteAllegheny, voters would have to approve a referendum to pay for any new equipment.

Activists fear that electronic touch-screen machines like those used in Allegheny County are susceptible to hacking — and that because those machines do not produce a hard copy of votes cast, there may be no way to get a reliable tally of votes.

- snip -

Attorney Ron Hicks offered a different reading on state law and observed that, as with any legislation, council could either amend the proposal or simply vote it down. “At this point,” he said, “all we’re asking is that this be considered by council.”

It’s not clear when Judge James will rule. The judge, who joked about the length of legal briefs already filed in the case, urged both sides, “Please, no more.”

But activist David Tessitor, who helped lead the fight for the petition, said long delays could be dangerous.

[DK504]

1. They want to hold off to the 2018 elections so the Rethugs

stay in power.

[FakeNoose]

2. Maybe, but not in PA or in Pittsburgh

We're a blue county and we have a Dem. Governor - Tom Wolfe.

Also we're looking ahead to the 2020 census and redrawing of the PA congressional districts. We're on the way to ending gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It couldn't happen soon eough!

[ATL Ebony]

3. K&R

[Mc Mike]

4. I have been very much involved with county elections and election integrity, FN.

For quite a few years. And I've always liked Chris Potter's political writing.

It's an important issue. I don't know the activist Dave T, and haven't been contacted by anyone from any of the many groups I volunteered with or talked to about elections in this county for over 10 years, though I've always shown myself to be informed, and available to discuss and work on such matters. I never got a whiff of this, until your o post gave me the info.

I did recently get a non-local request from ACLU's people power to make phone calls to other interested activists, in conjunction with the LWV of PA, in order to push back against Kobach/dRumpf's attempts to make it harder to vote, nationwide.

A few years back, in '08, I had a run in with Onorato and Walosik's county elections dept underlings Flynn and O'Brien. Manager Flynn sent County head of voting machine ops O'Brien a directive to have an election day audit of all machines done by county techs in '07, including the polls I worked in ward 19. Completely bypassed Walosik. I expressed some concern during poll worker training the next year, and O'Brien got really unhappy, and had to tell me about how he felt (by phone, immediately after the training by Ms. Freed. Blistered my ear.)

Sue B, the head of our LWV at the time, came down on their side pretty firmly. She got onto me via Ms. A. G. from voteallegheny, and delivered me a crushing rebuke. It still smarts, when I think of it. After reading the e-mail she sent me, I looked her up on the LWV website and saw her report advocating for election day audits of the machines.

There are dozens of activist groups and advocacy groups and dem groups all over Pgh. and the County. It's a blue area, I could rattle off interactions with dozens of 'important' named activists. Most of the American population in the area and the country wants the same things we want.

Do you ever wonder why we don't seem to be getting a lot done?

[FakeNoose]

5. Thanks for staying involved

We all need to get involved and stay informed on this important issue.

Besides Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh region, we really need to address it at the state level.

This is my favorite go-to site for info on the state activities to undo the Pennsylvania gerrymandering.:
https://www.fairdistrictspa.com/

The voter suppression activities are not under the Fair Districts PA umbrella, however gerrymandering and voter suppression are equally important and urgent issues.

[Mc Mike]

6. Thanks for the organizational link FN.

I don't have the numbers for the '14 and '16 election, but remember the split in '12, where we got 5 federal rep seats, they got 13, though we had won 2.74 million votes to their 2.67.