BBV- Early voting problems surfacing -- Tarrant County, TX

[antigop]

There is an article in the print version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but I couldn't find a link on the website.

>>
At least two Tarrant County voters have been unable to cast ballots and 23 voters have received provisional paper ballots because of problems with electronic voting machines that critics content are proof of the unreliability of electronic bhalloting.

Tarrant county Elections Administrator Robert Parten stood by the reliability of the county's voting system, Wednesday, saying that the state and federal governments certified the machines and this his poll workers are trained to deal with almost any problem.
>>

[meg]

1. link to 'Voting problems are surfacing'

But in at least two instances, the Star-Telegram found ballots that were not counted after voters encountered problems. In one case, a machine in southwest Fort Worth would not accept a voter's access code, and in another case, a ballot cast in the Como neighborhood was not counted when a voter didn't push a button to complete the voting process.

link

free registration is required

[antigop]

2. Thanks

I couldn't find the link on their website.

I guess I need to get my eyes checked. :-)

[Bandit]

3. Gee the person doesn't press the button to cast their ballot and

then complains the machine doesn't work.:crazy: I am no fan of these touch screen machines without paper backups but come-on...this is ridiculous. I really hope this is a republican doing the complaining in this instance.

[librechik]

6. self delete

wrong thread

[librechik]

4. wasn't Tarant one of those mysterious "18001" glitch counties

last time? You know, where 6 or 7 counties around the country got that exact number of votes or something?

[Andy_Stephenson]

5. Comal County Texas...

18181...3 candidates. But the County Clerk told me "There was nothing wrong in that election. It was just one of those things".

[pmbryant]

7. That Comal County thing was a fluke

Totals from individual precincts for the candidates were different, but they all added up to the same number. Simple coincidence. Given the huge number of precincts, counties, and candidates across the country, it is not too surprising that this happened somewhere.

I am very suspicious of the GOP and new vote-counting machines, but this incident was nothing underhanded.

--Peter

[yella_dawg]

8. Fluke??

Coincidence?


18181 is a prime number. It occurred three times in Texas. Prime numbers are used in encryption algorithms to avoid harmonic patterns that might be detectable to crackers. The fact that a large prime occurred three times in the same state in the same election cycle is a coincidence of incredible proportions. More likely, in my opinion, (MS Computer Science) a poorly designed algorithm to shift votes used a prime as a limit key, and kept bouncing off the limiter.

[pmbryant]

9. Three times is not a large number of times

The individual totals from precincts showed up as different numbers. Only after summing up all the individual precincts did the number 18181 show up (3 times). I don't see any realistic way this could happen via nefarious means.

--Peter

[ParanoidPat]

10. Do you know anything about software?

What about statistical analysis or the laws of probability? The use of cryptographic algorithms? Have you spent any time analyzing the Diebold system and source code? Did you participate in any of the extensive discussions or analysis of this phenomenon either here, at /. or anywhere else for that matter?

You mention that, "Only after summing up all the individual precincts did the number 18181 show up." Funny how that happened after the individual precinct totals were tabulated with the GEMS software that has so many security problems isn't it? :shrug:

Just because you can't 'see' how this could have happened "via nefarious means" doesn't mean that it couldn't have. :evilgrin:

It's theoretically possible that Baxter could write a play worthy of Shakespeare, but not very probable. :)

It's more than just the fact that a particular number showed up in a total of five counties using Diebold equipment in 2000. That particular prime number is significant if one is using a hidden program to shave votes at the county level.

I am still amused by the number of highly educated engineers and teachers I run across who believe that astronauts 'float' in the Space Shuttle because there's "no gravity" in space! That is, until I ask them, "What would happen if the Shuttle stood still?" I get a lot of puzzled expressions followed by, "Oh, I see".

If I get a chance I'll try to dig up a few links to some of the analysis threads I've encountered. They're very educational.

[yella_dawg]

11. You may not see a way...

but as a software engineer with long experience in military systems, I can see it very clearly. I did extensive analysis of the mid-term election results in Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia, and the numbers stunk. The recurrance of prime vote totals at the county level (global limits on individual systems) is in itself reason to trigger an offical investigation (it didn't, of course).

What grounds are you using to dispute this, "gut instinct"?