BBV: Feh, I tried.....

[Occulus]

I just spoke to our regional newspaper's political editor, and he simply wasn't interested in my request to "show him or one of the reporters under him how to tamper with votes cast on a Diebold touchscreen voting machine." He said he didn't see how that relates to us in Michigan, since we don't use these machines.

Hmmm, let's see.... federal elections.... national offices..... nope, can't possibly affect us in Michigan... /sarcasm

Clueless, apathetic, whatever.... I just lost some faith in the Fourth Estate (not that I ever had all that much to begin with)....

GRR! I feel so... ineffectual.... :mad:

[donsu]

1. at least now we know about that political editor

name some names. Make them accountable.

[Occulus]

3. Tom something.

Harrelman? Politics editor at the Kalamazoo Gazette.

[Andy_Stephenson]

2. I am not so smart with the computer...a basic user...

But when shown how to do something and it is explained to me...I can do it. Perhaps I need to set this test up on my laptop and do some in person calls...

How do I make it work...where is the software and who wants to help me?

[Occulus]

4. You need GEMS and MS Access.

There *may* be an open-source method, described at http://www.unixodbc.org/doc/OOoMySQL.pdf but I can't seem to get it to work properly. THAT method uses OpenOffice.org, which is free.

You can get the Diebold files and instructions on what to do with them at Jim March's website, at

http://www.equalccw.com/dieboldtestnotes.html

The instructions are fairly easy to follow, especially if you've ever used any kind of spreadsheet application. But you really should use MS Access, as that's what GEMS exports its tables as (.mdb files).

edit: Acce$$ is part of M$ Office.

If anyone reading this can think of an open source method, please let us know!

edit again: for a BBV primer, take a look at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=294958

[shirlden]

10. I have it all on my laptop

Downloaded from the Jim Marsh site this weekend....all but one file that I understand is available now. I am far from a "Geek" so had someone else do it for me.
Very interesting set of files. I have read every word in the 632 page Gems manual(pdf file).
As I was reading it....I could see hole after hole in the system, that any idiot (that's me) could use to fraud an election.

[dmr]

5. His critical thinking is blind

He said he didn't see how that relates to us in Michigan, since we don't use these machines.

When the votes from the other states get skewered, will he then understand that the Michigan votes will have lost their meaning?

We all have a vested interest in how every state processes their presidential votes.

[Occulus]

6. You caught that too, huh?

Maybe he's been listening to his goldfish wax philosophical.... :eyes:

[RedEagle]

7. What system do they use?

Remember, Diebold is connected to ES&S and .....

[BevHarris]

9. More indications that Diebold and ES&S are similar

According to one of the Diebold techs, there was a patent infringement suit by ES&S against Global Election Systems (former incarnation of Diebold) alleging that Global took ES&S's proprietary system.

I'd say that indicates the systems are at least similar, if this source was accurate. I think the suit was still active in 1998 or 1999; don't know if it was actually filed, going to be filed, or what the resolution was. If someone could find that such a lawsuit was filed, it would be extremely important.

Bev

[John_H]

8. Until someone hacks a system

or mockup there won't be many stories in the mainstream press. Right now it's "he said-she said"--the technical issues are so complex (at least to lay people like reportrs and their readers) and the layers of alleged conspiracy so convoluted that the pro-voting machine forces can simply hide behind the "tangled web" and technical jargon.

Reporters like easy stories, suchas "Voting Machine CEO promises to deliver Ohio for Bush." They hate stories that make them think and/or work like "GEMS Audit-Log can be altered to hide unauthorized configuration changes of said software"

"GA Touchstream voting system hacked" is the story that will get the big play. But apparently for all the hype, this isn't going to happen.