BBV: Strategy Discussion Proposal... Looking At The Maps

[althecat]

The above map from:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1103/p11s02-uspo.html

Got me thinking. As many people have pointed out there is insufficient time to mobilise everywhere in advance of the 2004 election...

However thanks to the electoral college system, mobilising everywhere is not completely necessary to prevent the stealing of at least the Presidential election result.

Those states that regularly break left and right, the close ones are the ones that matter presidential poll wise. Someone posted some red and blue maps here a while back and they should give a good readout of where the battle lines in the vote-rigging wars will be fought.

In congressional and senatorial races there are again a minority of races which I understand are competitive... 39 in the house I think... and I am not sure what the parameters are in the Senate.

The above map provides a bit of a clue as to where the frontlines lie for the other races. DRE dominated districts and states are a big problem... no paper trail... but optical scan states and counties utilising Gems are also a potential risk. Though one that is easier to mitigate through information campaigns.

Of course the information in the above map (and the red and blue maps - which I will see if I can find) needs to be supplemented with information about where DREs are about to be introduced. And there are lots of places where that is happening...

Finally, given the incestuous nature of the election voting system industry it is now reasonable to conclude that Diebold ES counties alone are a threat. Places using ES&S are just as suspect.

So here's the question. Where are the frontlines come 2004 so we can concentrate the value of our efforts where they will achieve the greatest benefit... (phase two of this discussion might perhaps look at what we should then do in the places we identify as critical.)

Al

P.S. The energy intensity in the discussion of these issues here has dropped markedly. To some extent that is because it has shifted elsewhere... and perhaps it is also a bit because people are fairly tired. That said we need to pick it up again... there is work to do.

P.P.S. I really think we need DemActivist and Bev back in here... It is of course up to Skinner. A few polite PMs may help there. I suspect Skinner will not appreciate a large public discussion of this issue though so lets be constructive...

[althecat]

1. Some red and blue (and purple) maps...

A Democratic Underground article with maps..



From:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/08/27_map.html



From:
http://www.makethemaccountable.com/misc/Maps.htm

And two more maps...

[althecat]

2. Kinda illustrates the point in the P.S.

... this thread was headed rapidly for page 4. Maybe it is just too damn boring :)

[seemslikeadream]

3. It's late Sundy night

lets see if we can keep this up for Monday morning. Kia manawanui, al

[althecat]

7. Good point dreamlike one....

Would be good if someone could kick this for the morning crew...

[camero]

4. The real battleground

All the threads I have seen are drawn up on a state by state basis. There is a sound argument for this because of the Electoral College.

But I think we all should be looking at the rural vs. urban vote. In 2000 Gore got mostly the urban vote and Bush got mostly the rural vote.

I don't think this will change but we should use growth issues and environmental issues against Bush in the next election. I believe we can make these issues go against them because developers are making what were rural areas urban and the rollback in environmental regulations will soon make these areas unsafe to live in.

They aren't the main issues nationally but can work with grass roots campaigning in rural areas.

[Zhade]

5. What? They got banned...?

I am unaware of what happened after the...unpleasantness.

Yikes.

[Adjoran]

6. judgingfrom the map

the prime areas of concern would be Kentucky, New Mexico and Florida, states that will likely be close in 2004. Iowa doesn't have many counties with electronic machines, but the state was very close in '00, so it bears watching, too.

The Carolinas and Georgia can be written off. Clark or Edwards might make NC more competitive, if they receive the nomination, though.

The biggest problem will be watching the almost statewide use in KY and NM, both states likely to be close. Florida will come under scrutiny after last time, but how do you check up on so many locations in the others?

[althecat]

8. Tennesee Ohio Connetticut Massachusetts could also be worth watching..

Interesting thing about Kentucky is that it hasn't come up at all in any of our discussions thus far, that I know of anyway - and nore as. The yellow states - currently punchcards are the ones most likely to go green by 2004.... so those are the ones to target about conversion - and Ohio is obviously the most significant of these.

Georgia probably has the biggest and most active activist community at present. And Maryland - given their Diebold contract is also a natural sparring state.

[althecat]

9. The lever states.... Louisiana and NY...

Also ripe for conversion...

[creativelcro]

30. Boston just went Diebold

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031003/clf014_1.html

[althecat]

34. Obviously they don't read Wired in Boston.

They have a decentish newspaper don't they. And they have Will Pitt!!!

[dusty64]

10. Interesting.

Looking at this made me think "no wonder New Mexico was that close in 2000", "No wonder Georgia had its "historic" rethug landslide", "Looks like Kentucky is definitely going to "elect" a rethug governor tomorrow".

[althecat]

15. Kentucky...

Well we should keep an eye on that race then.... getting a compilation of local polls together would be a good start.

[leftchick]

11. Kick...

I don't have time now but I will be back this afternoon and check this out better.... please keep this kicked! :)

:kick:

[dusty64]

12. Kick.

x

[creativelcro]

13. yeah, me too

[leftchick]

14. kick

:kick:

[althecat]

16. Here comes the cavalry.... - Diebold Documents Spark Intl.Campaign

This is good news....


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 3, 2003

Diebold Documents Spark International Campaign

Swarthmore, Pa. -- When American citizens step into the voting booth tomorrow, will their votes be counted? Today, with Diebold Elections Systems operating electronic voting in 37 states, the answer is a resounding "maybe." As a result of widespread security flaws and the lack of any verifiable check on their systems, Diebold cannot guarantee the accuracy of any election in which their machines are present.

An electronic campaign initiated two weeks ago by Why War? has sparked students from fifty universities nationwide to host copies of internal Diebold memoranda which demonstrate the insecurity and unreliability of their voting machines.

Why War's website has been innundated with e-mails and visitors from individuals worldwide pledging their support and offering to defy Diebold's attempts at suppression by hosting mirrors of the provocative documents.

"We've been receiving more hits than ever before," said Why War? member Micah White, who originally found and posted the memos in October. "Our goal when we started this campaign was to provide public access to this information, and we've been so successful that Why War? recently had to purchase higher bandwith to accommodate the sheer number of people who wanted to read the memos."

Why War? has built a coalition of concerned citizens across the nation who will soon be taking charge of the campaign against Diebold. "This is not a partisan issue," said Ivan Boothe, another member. "The people who have taken the initiative to host these documents come from all parts of the political spectrum."

In response to growing national interest, the coalition will soon be moving its center of operations from Why War's website, why-war.com, to a new location devoted specifically to voting issues and resisting Diebold's attempts to keep this information a secret.

Why War? believes that the Diebold documents are akin to the Pentagon Papers in their potential to reveal systemic corruption within the American election process. The task now at hand is to analyze the content of these documents.

More information about the campaign: http://why-war.com/

List of municipalities that use Diebold machines: http://why-war.com/features/diebold-campaign.pdf


###

[althecat]

17. PLUS: EFF goes to court tomorrow...

EFF: Electronic Frontier Foundation and Stanford Law Clinic
Sue Electronic Voting Company


PRESS CONFERENCE:

EFF invites media professionals in the San Francisco Bay
Area to attend a press conference immediately following the
ruling of the judge at the federal courthouse on the motion
for a temporary restraining order to prevent Diebold from
sending further specious cease-and-desist notices (see media
release below for more details).

Date: Tuesday, November 4, 2003 (Election Day)

Location: Federal Courthouse, 450 Golden Gate Ave, San
Francisco, on the south side of building even if that
entrance is closed for renovations.

-------

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Monday, November 3, 2003



Electronic Frontier Foundation and Stanford Law Clinic Sue
Electronic Voting Company

Student Publishers and ISP Aim to Stop Diebold's Abusive
Copyright Claims

San Francisco - A nonprofit Internet Service Provider (ISP)
and two Swarthmore College students are seeking a court
order on Election Day tomorrow to stop electronic voting
machine manufacturer Diebold Systems, Inc., from issuing
specious legal threats. The Electronic Frontier Foundation
(EFF) and the Center for Internet and Society Cyberlaw
Clinic at Stanford Law School are providing legal
representation in this important case to prevent abusive
copyright claims from silencing public debate about voting,
the very foundation of our democratic process.

Diebold has delivered dozens of cease-and-desist notices to
website publishers and ISPs demanding that they take down
corporate documents revealing flaws in the company's
electronic voting systems as well as difficulties with
certifying the systems for actual elections.

Swarthmore students Nelson Pavlosky and Luke Smith have
published an email archive of the Diebold documents, which
contain descriptions of these flaws written by the company's
own employees.

"Diebold's blanket cease-and-desist notices are a blatant
abuse of copyright law," said EFF Staff Attorney Wendy
Seltzer. "Publication of the Diebold documents is clear fair
use because of their importance to the public debate over
the accuracy of electronic voting machines."

Diebold threatened not only the ISPs of direct publishers of
the corporate documents, but also the ISPs of those who
merely publish links to the documents. In one such instance,
the ISP Online Policy Group (OPG) refused to comply with
Diebold's demand that it prohibit Independent Media Network
(IndyMedia) from linking to Diebold documents. Neither
IndyMedia nor any other publisher hosted by OPG has yet
published the Diebold documents directly.

"As an ISP committed to free speech, we are defending our
users' right to link to information that's critical to the
debate on the reliability of electronic voting machines,"
said OPG's Colocation Director David Weekly. "This case is
an important step in defending free speech by helping
protect small publishers and ISPs from frivolous legal
threats by large corporations."

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), passed by
Congress in 1998, provides a "safe harbor" provision as an
incentive for ISPs to take down user-posted content when
they receive cease-and-desist letters such as the ones sent
by Diebold. By removing the content, or forcing the user to
do so, for a minimum of 10 days, an ISP can take itself out
of the middle of any copyright claim. As a result, few ISPs
have tested whether they would face liability for such user
activity in a court of law. EFF has been exposing some of
the ways that the safe harbor provision can be used to
silence legitimate online speech through the Chilling
Effects Clearinghouse.

"Instead of paying lawyers to threaten its critics, Diebold
should invest in creating electronic voting machines that
include voter-verified paper ballots and other security
protections," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn.

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/Legal/ISP_liability/OPG_v_Diebold/20031103_eff_pr.php

Online Policy Group v. Diebold case archive:
http://www.eff.org/Legal/ISP_liability/OPG_v_Diebold/

Cease-and-desist letter Diebold sent to OPG:
http://www.eff.org/Legal/ISP_liability/cease_desist_letter.php

IndyMedia Web page subject to Diebold cease-and-desist
letter:
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/09/1649419_comment.php

Security researchers discover huge flaws in e-voting system:
http://www.eff.org/Activism/E-voting/20030723_eff_pr.php

Link to Chilling Effects on DMCA safe harbor provisions:
http://www.chillingeffects.org/dmca512/

Media coverage of Diebold threats:
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,60927,00.html


About EFF:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at
http://www.eff.org/


About Center for Internet and Society Cyberlaw Clinic at
Stanford Law School:

The Center for Internet and Society (CIS) is a public
interest technology law and policy program at Stanford Law
School and a part of Law, Science and Technology Program at
Stanford Law School. The CIS brings together scholars,
academics, legislators, students, programmers, security
researchers, and scientists to study the interaction of new
technologies and the law and to examine how the synergy
between the two can either promote or harm public goods like
free speech, privacy, public commons, diversity, and
scientific inquiry. The CIS Cyberlaw Clinic gives Stanford
Law School students an opportunity to work with clients on
cases and legal projects that involve questions of
technology, law and the public interest.


About OPG:

The Online Policy Group (OPG) is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to online policy research, outreach, and action on
issues such as access, privacy, the digital divide, and
digital defamation. The organization fulfills its motto of
"One Internet With Equal Access for All" through programs
such as donation-based email, email list hosting, website
hosting, domain registrations, colocation services,
technical consulting, educational training, and refurbished
computer donations. The California Community Colocation
Project (CCCP) and QueerNet are OPG projects. OPG focuses on
Internet participants' civil liberties and human rights,
like access, privacy, safety, and serving schools,
libraries, disabled, elderly, youth, women, and sexual,
gender, and ethnic minorities. Find out more at
http://www.onlinepolicy.org/


About IndyMedia:

IndyMedia is an international network working to build a
decentralized, non-commercial media infrastructure to
counter an increasingly consolidated corporate media.
IndyMedia collectives have spread rapidly since the WTO
protests in Seattle 1999, with IMC groups now working
throughout North & South America, the Middle East, Europe,
Africa, Asia and Oceania, accessible through
http://www.indymedia.org/


-end-

[althecat]

18. PLUS - New slashdot thread and Wired article... E-voting done properly...

Seems there is lots of BBV stuff going on still... just not in this hood :)

New slashdot thread and Wired article by Kim Zetter...

http://www.wired.com/news/ebiz/0,1272,61045,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

While critics in the United States grow more concerned each day about the insecurity of electronic voting machines, Australians designed a system two years ago that addressed and eased most of those concerns: They chose to make the software running their system completely open to public scrutiny.

Although a private Australian company designed the system, it was based on specifications set by independent election officials, who posted the code on the Internet for all to see and evaluate. What's more, it was accomplished from concept to product in six months. It went through a trial run in a state election in 2001.


http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/11/03/182226&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=172

tehanu writes "After all the furor over e-voting in America, Wired News has an article about e-voting done right in Australia. An important factor is that all of the software is open-source. The company responsible actually seems to have given consideration to the integrity of the democratic process, too - from the lead engineer: 'Why on earth should (voters) have to trust me -- someone with a vested interest in the project's success? A voter-verified audit trail is the only way to 'prove' the system's integrity to the vast majority of electors, who after all, own the democracy.' They also have scathing words for Diebold: 'The only possible motive I can see for disabling some of the security mechanisms and features in their system is to be able to rig elections. It is, at best, bad programming; at worst, the system has been designed to rig an election.' In general they are 'gob-smacked' by the whole situation with electronic voting machines in the US right now."

[hunter]

35. BBV in the DU 'hood...

Does anyone here want to volunteer as the next DU BBV lightening rod???

I don't, but it's pretty clear the issue has taken off. There are a couple of BBV posts here every day by althecat, David Allen, GregD, and so on.

Watch what happens in California. Things are getting hot here. If you live in other states, point out to your local election officials how badly they might get burned.

Make them worry about the possibility of "decertification" and the resulting piles of junk machines.

[lysergik]

19. Kick!

[Stephanie]

20. New York - BushCO has already announced

that they expect to take NY, and Pataki has already gotten the EV machines approved. Now all of the lobbyists are in Albany fighting for the contract.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/20/nyregion/20VOTE.html

Replacement Near, Old Vote Machines Are New York Issue
By ERIC LIPTON
Published: October 20, 2003

<snip>When Governor Pataki set up a task force to draft a plan detailing how New York would spend its cut of the expected $3.7 billion in federal funds, he passed over Thomas R. Wilkey, the executive director of the State Board of Elections, a Democrat, and instead named the deputy director, Peter S. Kosinski, a Republican, as the task force's chairman. Mr. Kosinski then filled most of the task force's other 19 seats with members of the Pataki administration or other Republicans. Mr. Wilkey has since retired from the agency.

<snip>

To pitch to Republican lawmakers in Albany, Sequoia has hired Mr. Buley, a legal consultant to the New York State Republican Committee and a counsel to Governor Pataki's 2002 campaign, at $7,500 a month. Mr. Buley said he has met with staff members from the offices of Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader, and Senator Morahan, the Elections Committee chairman, among others.

Sequoia also has a Democratic lobbying firm, the law firm O'Dwyer & Bernstien, which is earning $10,000 a month. When that firm learned that Assemblyman Farrell had concerns about whether elderly voters would be able to adjust to computerized voting machines, a Sequoia machine was brought in and a demonstration was organized for Mr. Farrell's staff at a Washington Heights restaurant in northern Manhattan.

<snip>

But Sequoia is not the only firm going the lobbying route. Diebold Election Systems, based in McKinney, Tex., and known mostly for its A.T.M.'s, is spending $12,500 a month to retain Greenberg Traurig, a Manhattan law firm. Greenberg's lobbyists are Robert Harding, former deputy mayor under Rudolph W. Giuliani, and John Mascialino,
a lawyer and former first deputy commissioner of a city agency charged with buying equipment and supplies under Mr. Giuliani.

Election Systems & Software pays Davidoff & Malito, one of the state's biggest lobbying firms, $10,000 a month. Its senior partners, Sid Davidoff and Robert Malito, are former aides to Mayor John V. Lindsay.

<more - this is a very long article>

[lysergik]

21. This is appalling!

Goodbye Democracy, it was nice knowing you!

[althecat]

22. Yeah.. there's a thread on that somewhere... NY is definitely front line..

Up there with GA and Ohio...

So far there are few signs of any NY BBV movement getting going unfortunately. Though Indymedia - who are based there - have shown some interest.

[Stephanie]

23. Well, we're here

How are they getting it going in other states? I write Spitzer about this ALL the time.

[althecat]

24. Any response? Would be nice if someone like Spitzer took this up.

Excellent stuff.

Perhaps we should put out a roll call here for more NYC BBVers... or interested DUers..

[Stephanie]

25. I've gotten very brief responses, but enough to indicate that

someone over there is reading the articles. They said, "thanks, this will be of interest to our staff." NOT an autoresponder.

[RedEagle]

26. Common New York!

Flood legislators, auditors, all the decision makers, with email, letters, faxes, phone calls... see if you can get media attention.

I'd point out the California investigation into Diebold.

Purchasing a defective system with fraud potential isn't going to look good for political careers.

And what happened to defending our vote? We have a right to insurance- a voter-verified paper ballot.

[althecat]

27. Well that sounds really good..

Somehow we have to get it into the local media's conciousness... given the recent successes of the Swarthmore crowd the universities maybe of some assistance.

al

[Stephanie]

28. I sent a ton of info - mainstream articles - to Brian Lehrer of local NPR

He's the best radio talk show host in NYC by far. I had met him in person and told him I would send the info, so he was expecting it. So far, no response and he hasn't covered it AFAIK. BUT, this issue is extremely relevant to his show right now considering the NYT story about the EV corps. lobbying efforts.

[creativelcro]

32. HOW ABOUT

Helping SNL to come up with a really sharp sklt on EVMs ?? Serious... Those things, if well done, stick with people... -C

[Stephanie]

37. These are the articles I'm sending out THIS week

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/20/nyregion/20VOTE.html

Replacement Near, Old Vote Machines Are New York Issue
By ERIC LIPTON
Published: October 20, 2003

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?siteid=mktw&guid=%7B85551DA6%2DD390%2D4B7A%2DA2F4%2D179310DE8FF9%7D&

Voting machines face two tests
As voters try new systems, experts call for a paper trail
By William Spain, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 9:33 AM ET Nov. 4, 2003

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.wired.com/news/ebiz/0,1272,61045,00.html?tw=newsletter_topstories_html

Aussies Do It Right: E-Voting
By Kim Zetter

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/102003A.shtml

Electronic Voting: What You Need To Know
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Interview
Monday 20 October 2003

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/03/business/media/03secure.html

File Sharing Pits Copyright Against Free Speech
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: November 3, 2003

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/oct02/evot.html

A Better Ballot Box?
New electronic voting systems pose risks as well as solutions
By Rebecca Mercuri, Bryn Mawr College

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[althecat]

38. This one just in may be worth adding..

Great list. I hadn't seen the rebecca mercuri one...

This one just in may be worth adding..

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,61068,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_6

Calif. Halts E-Vote Certification
05:49 PM Nov. 03, 2003 PT
By Kim Zetter

SACRAMENTO, California -- Uncertified software may have been installed on electronic voting machines used in one California county, according to the secretary of state's office.

Marc Carrel, assistant secretary of state for policy and planning, told attendees Thursday at a panel on voting systems that California was halting the certification process for new voting machines manufactured by Diebold Election Systems

[Stephanie]

39. Thanks

The Mercuri article is old, but I like to include the Danciu lawsuit. It really illustrates the problem. Especially when you see that it involves Teresa LePore.

[leftchick]

31. This makes me sick...

my mother-in-law, 74 yr old NYer, life long repuke just informed my husband she would never vote for chimpass* again! She and all of her lady friends are Pissed at him and the regime! This CAN NOT Happen!!

[ParanoidPat]

29. Great maps and a great strategy.....

.....worth a kick for better exposure! :evilgrin:

[SharonAnn]

33. Glad to see all these maps. I'm saving them for strategy work.

This is absolutely the best place to get information!

[hedda_foil]

36. Get up there, you!

[Stephanie]

40. I'm collecting articles here

Please post yours:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=106&topic_id=3390&mesg_id=3390

[althecat]

41. Just bookmarked that.... I'm collecting too... here...

http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=usacoup

Excellent resource Stephanie... If I spot any you miss I will add em..

:)