OMG! The Diebold machines! How can we stop this?

[mrgorth]

I got this from Dean's chat with the Washington Post:

Melbourne, Australia: Governor Dean,

I am an American living in Australia and am a supporter of your candidacy. I have been very disturbed to read the various stories about the security concerns surrounding the makers of electronic voting machines being used increasingly in our elections. Most alarming have been the allegations surrounding Diebold Election Systems and their attacks on those who have questioned their products and their behavior. Could you please discuss your feelings on this matter, the implications you think it has on our democracy, and what you would propose be done to address it?

Thank you and good luck.

Howard Dean: The chairman of Diebold has sent a letter saying that he will do everything he can to get Bush reelected. This does not engender confidence in the American electoral system. If I become the Democratic nominee we will have teams, particularly in jurisdictions like Florida, who will be conducting poll watching activities to prevent the kind of Republican abuses that took place in the last election. We will do more work on the voting machine issue as the campaign moves along.

How the hell can such an individual say this regarding an american election?!?! He just told Dean that he plans to help Bush steal the damn election. What can we do? What can we seriously do? AAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

[1songbird]

1. Do you know the source for the chairman's statements?

This is an absolute major conflict of interest for Diebold.

[Resistance Is Futile]

2. Source

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/6646063.htm

It's been all over DU for ages.

[1songbird]

9. I live in Cincinnati but I have never seen one

freakin article on this! This is too much. Gov. Taft just announced that Ohio will have the electronic machines by the next major election. Why the heck aren't Senators and more Presidential candidates talking about this.

Dean's idea of using monitoring teams sounds great but that will not help. Human monitors can do nothing against embedded computer code.

[mrdmk]

14. H.R. 2239 does address these issues

There is a bill in congress at this point of time addressing this issue.

http://holt.house.gov/display2.cfm?id=6282&type=Home

Here is part of the web site

Requires all voting systems to produce a voter-verified paper record for use in manual audits. For those using the increasingly popular ATM-like “DRE” machines, this requirement means the DRE would print a receipt that each voter would verify as accurate and deposit into a lockbox for later use in a recount. States would have until November 2003 to request additional funds to meet this requirement.

· Bans the use of undisclosed software and wireless communications devices in voting systems, and limits electronic communication to outgoing reports of vote totals only.

· Requires all voting systems to meet these requirements in time for the general election in November 2004. Jurisdictions that feel their new computer systems may not be able to do meet this deadline may use a paper system as an interim measure (at federal expense) in the November 2004 election.

· Requires that electronic voting system be provided for persons with disabilities by January 1, 2006 -- one year earlier than currently required by HAVA. Like the voting machines for non-disabled voters, those used by disabled voters must also provide a mechanism for voter-verification, though not necessarily a paper trail. Jurisdictions unable to meet this requirement by the deadline must give disabled voters the option to use the interim paper system with the assistance of an aide of their choosing.

People, we need to get this bill moving. Please contact your Representatives!

[cosmicdot]

15. Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell

Published on Thursday, August 28, 2003 by the Cleveland Plain Dealer
Voting Machine Controversy
by Julie Carr Smyth

COLUMBUS - The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."

The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.

O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.

The letter went out the day before Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, also a Republican, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election.

~snip~

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0828-08.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0904-10.htm

[maggrwaggr]

3. mrgorth is still here?

i'm surprised.

[mrgorth]

28. Because why?

.

[farmbo]

4. Wally O'Dell (Diebold's CEO) made the statement in a fundraising ltr

...to Ohio Republicans which was picked up by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Every word of what Dean said was true...and he mentioned it again on his CNN interview this morning.

[shance]

5. Im confused.

Primarily on how can poll watchers effectively do anything other than watch as the incorrect data as it flows merrily through cyberland naming one more Republican victory.

The problem is inside the machines, not on the exterior. Is there something I am missing regarding this particular issue?

Edit: I guess Im becoming pretty used to reading about the allegations towards Diebold***

[GregD]

6. If you think that is bad

you ought to be reading the Diebold e-mails that are circulating around the web. Go to http://www.why-war.com/features/2003/10/diebold.html and grab a copy. It's quite an interesting read. Then go to www.verifiedvoting.org and www.blackboxvoting.org and have a look around.

[goforit]

7. What the hell was the 1776 American Revolution was about?

Time to stand up against a tyrranny!!!!

Are we just gonna lay down and hand it over to them?

[lysergik]

8. For starters..

..you can start your search here.

http://www.blackboxvoting.com and download the chapters of Bev Harris' new book on this subject. If you think this quote is shocking, you ain't seen nothin yet!

http://www.verifiedvoting.org Read about HR2239 and volunteer to make phone calls to legislators

*THIS* is THE most critical issue, if voting is unfair for the 2004 elections we may just get another 4 horrible years of Shrubs disregard for democracy.

[niceypoo]

10. WRITE IN

Dont use the damn Machines

[GregD]

11. sorry, that may not help...

In many locations, the absentee ballots are counted by optical scan systems. If these are Diebold scanners, that spells GEMS. And that spells the same old problem - that's the program with all the security problems.

[shance]

12. I repeat the question. How VALID are poll watchers? Are they any help?

I dont think they aid in any monitoring of manipulating data.

In other words, unless Im missing something, we need to inform candidates that poll watcher do nothing to protect our votes in being fairly tabulated.

[Pastiche423]

20. Is there a place on the net

that reveals which states have Diebold optical scanners? Or must we ask each county?

[grasswire]

13. it is time for Dem candidates...

...en masse, to hold a press conference about touch screen voting and Diebold in particular. All of them. Before there is just one nominee facing Bush.

[seemslikeadream]

16. God's will on Earth

No matter how hard they tried, there seemed to be one serious impediment to enacting God's will on Earth: democracy. Those godless heathens kept on insisting on their right to vote. What would Jesus do in a situation like that?

According to the Theonomic Reconstructionists, Jesus would do what Howard Ahmanson did. Admanson inherited his money from his father, owner of Home Savings & Loan (during the S&L scandal of the Reagan years, Home's investors, mostly small family investments, lost over $150 million dollars. No one went to jail. In addition to funding PACs and think tanks, Howard Jr. parlayed his fortune into the majority stock of a business called American Information Systems(AIS) started by two enterprising brothers, Todd and Bob Urosevich. AIS later merged with Business Records Corporation (BRC) and became Election Systems & Solutions(ES&S). ES&S is the number one provider of touch-screen voting machines. Their website claims that their products were used in collecting 56% of the national vote in the last presidental elections.

Todd Urosevich is now the Vice President of ES&S. Strangely enough, brother Bob moved on to head the second largest computerized vote-counting business. Global Election Systems, recently purchased by ATM and security giant Diebold.(They now have both the Ohio and Georgia contracts.) In a round table swap of incestuous patronage the previous executives of Global moved on to head the third largest vote-counting company in the nation, Advanced Voting Systems. Combined, these corporations will process nearly 80% of the nest nation wide elections.

Theonomic Reconstructionism is a belief that the only true authority is God's, that allegiance to bibical law trumps that of civic law and the Kingdom of Heaven needs to be built on Earth before Jesus will come again. In addition to that, homosexuals should be put to death, women should be banned from civic office, apostates and heretics should be stoned to death and there is a great need for more Christian politicians.

"My purpose is total intergration of bibical law into our lives."
Howard Ahmanson
http://www.tablenewspaper.com/politics/73_tfgk.html

[aeon flux]

17. What do you think of this?

'A bill is fine and all but it would have a much better chance if it had greater media attention. Remember the Republicans still control the House and the Senate so the bill still has to go through them. I wouldn't trust our 'reps' to do it alone.

You would think there would be people out organizing protests against the presence of these Diebold voting machines. But sad to say there isn't. That's the only way to get the media's attention and raise public awareness. Diebold and their Repuke sponsors can get away with anything they want as long as they avoid media and public scrutiny.

The big media isn't doing its job. Some organized protest is needed to give it a swift kick in the pants to move on this most urgent and important story.'

[shance]

18. I think you are right.

It needs massive citizen involvement.

[aeon flux]

19. In space no one can hear you scream

That's basically all we're doing by coming here to DU and venting our frustration. But what the head of Diebold said about handing the next election to Bush makes me want to do more than sit on nmy ass and whine.

I won't be satisfied until I see large groups of protestors on CNN. Picketing Diebold and the lawmakers responsible for the presence of these machines. I'm mad as hell right now.

[shance]

21. Lets get it on then Aeon***

What do you propose?

Election Reform meetups are coming up I believe.

Lets get things rolling.

[aeon flux]

22. I don't want to make excuses but

I live out here in Orange County, hardcore Repuke territory, so it'd be hell trying to organzie anything out here. I can't even speak my mind out here for fear of getting lynched so DU is my only outlet.

I'm moving out of this hell hole as soon as I get the chance.

[mrdmk]

25. This is not a one party issue

Dear Neighbor,

If you are from Orange County California, you may have not noticed all of the people South Coast Plaza (that is a shopping center in Costa Mesa in the middle of Orange County), protesting the war before its on set. I am sure not all those people were democrats. The Orange Country Register (a right wing newspaper) was adamantly against the war. Your concern will not fall onto deaf ears.

In addition, this is not a one party issue. This concern is for all of the parties. The reason for this statement is that it is a power issue. An issue that is not dealt with a big “no”, it is right our right to vote and our right to have our vote counted. People have died for this right and people are dying at this moment for this right. Do not give it up.

The next fight is going to be more difficult. That is to get corporations out of political contributions. That is the next fight.


Note: The Orange County Register also did away with Bill O’Reily’s column, (Paraphrasing) ‘He was just saying how great he was and we got tried of that’.

[aeon flux]

26. You're right

There's still plenty of time before the 2004 elections for the media to pick this up. Hopefully the OC Register et al gives the Diebold controversy more than a passing mention buried on the back page somewhere. I think I'll write them (the paper) a letter.

[aeon flux]

24. Election Reform meetups?

I'm not an activist or anything more of a casual observer so I don't keep up with these poltiical events. But I'd still like to know more about the meetups and how they can help. Is there a website you can direct me to?

I wonder how effective they might be in drawing media attention to the Diebold issue. If they involve any kind of organized street protest. There is power in numbers. They can't lynch all of us.

[mrdmk]

23. We need to help ourselves

This is where you and everybody else comes in. One can say somebody or some group needs to do something. There are many people out there making noise about our voting rights and getting press. There needs to be more and us folks adding to the fray. All of us that are using a computer at this point of time know how easy it is to fire off an e-mail to our government, the media, even our friends. Enough people adding a voice of concern will be heard.

We can take an example, which is the F.C.C. I know the fat lady is not signing yet, but the powers that be found out the hard way a small number of people cannot control the public airwaves. Common, day-to-day people also know about this issue with little or no media coverage. Two million people contacted congress saying what the hell is going on, this is not right, fix it. This is something else we need to be active with.

Let’s also say this, if we do get another administration in the White House, we need to be very active in to pushing our progressive issues. This did not happen though the Clinton years and we wound up with Newt “the bomb” Gingrich pushing the Neocon agenda. Lets not let this happen again. This is how people of power stay in power, they do not let up.

[rman]

27. how we are stopping this: blackboxvoting.com blackboxvoting.org

check it out

[mrgorth]

29. FIGHT THE POWER!!!

Today, I plan on contacting my senators and reps (all are repugs I think), a wealthy Dean supporter from LA LA land, all my Philly area TV stations, moveon.org, a local south Jersey Dem power broker, Rob Andrews, Jim McGreevey (my dad is involved in south jersey politics) and any-f'ing-body else that will listen. This needs to be stopped today. HELP ME!