BBV: Fairfax County, Virginia

[ramblin_dave]

A Democrat was elected chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last Tuesday. But Republicans are challenging the results because a small number of touchscreen machines that failed were removed from the polling places for repairs. Here's the story:

http://www.news8.net/news/stories/1103/109093.html

But the video link on that page is even more interesting - click "Watch the eVideo". In the video, reporter Doug McKelway reassures Fairfax Countians that their machines are "standalone" so they "can't be hacked", and that they have a paper trail. He contrasts the Fairfax County system, the WinVote system made by Advanced Voting Solutions, to the Diebold system and explains some of the controversy about Diebold voting systems.

But look at the WinVote system in the video and at Fairfax County's web site:

http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/gov/eb/winvote_equip.htm

It's obvious that this system is no different than Diebold. There is no paper trail that the voter can see, just a cash register style paper printout of totals just like Diebold. As for being standalone, that in no way would make it so it can't be hacked. Even the Fairfax County web site says "this system has the capability to transmit election returns electronically to the office of the Electoral Board and on the internet should we choose to do so". This system is just as standalone as Diebold is.

If you live in Fairfax County, VA then please contact WJLA reporter Doug McKelway (ABC 7 in D.C.) and Fairfax elections manager Judy Flaig to voice your concerns and clear up the mistakes in McKelway's report. The WinVote system is very similar to Diebold, it has no "voter verified" paper trail and I'm sure someone with design information could hack it just like the Diebold machines.

More info on WinVote here:

http://clients.enfocom.com/avs/products_winvote.html

[shirlden]

1. Kick for Virginia folks

:kick:

[gristy]

2. That's some great research, ramblin.

Ah, the duplicity.

[ramblin_dave]

3. Another problem in Fairfax County

Fairfax Judge Orders Logs Of Voting Machines Inspected

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6291-2003Nov5.html

It took more than 21 hours from the time polls closed Tuesday night for Fairfax County, the putative high-tech capital of the region, to get final election results from its new, computerized vote machines.

Widespread problems in the system, which the county paid $3.5 million to install, also opened the door to possible election challenges by party leaders and candidates.

School Board member Rita S. Thompson (R), who lost a close race to retain her at-large seat, said yesterday that the new computers might have taken votes from her. Voters in three precincts reported that when they attempted to vote for her, the machines initially displayed an "x" next to her name but then, after a few seconds, the "x" disappeared.

[Atman]

4. Anyone ever heard of Bluetooth?

You can bet you bippy that the old coots at the local polling station haven't. Nor have many of the main-stream talking head reporters.

They keep looking for the "technology" they know...wires, a piece of paper.

My son has his bedroom rigged up so that the stereo pauses if he leaves his room, or the volume mutes when his cell phone rings.

These things don't need wires to be hacked. Your everage teenager with a pda could shoot some instructions to one of these computers (I have no idea if they are bluetooth enabled, or if Diebold would even admit it if they were). from 10 feet away, and no one would be the wiser.

[lysergik]

5. Which is why HR2239 needs to get more co-sponsors and pass! n/t

[Eloriel]

6. Good grief. Unbelievable.

How the hell do these election officials think hacking works? Do they believe that you have to have a phone line or something?

Do they not understand that if there's wireless capability the communications can go both ways -- IOW, from tamperers on the inside INTO their systems?

You're right, they brag about it on the County website:

This system has the capability to transmit election returns electronically to the office of the Electoral Board and on the internet should we choose to do so.


And the WINVote website is quite explicit:
http://clients.enfocom.com/avs/products_winvote.html
The functionality linchpin of the WINvoteTM system is its wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b) system - called the Wireless Information Network (WIN) -- that enables the user to communicate remotely with the major components of the voting system.

And look at this:

http://clients.enfocom.com/avs/products_winstage.html
Preparing for an election with WINstage
With WINstage, users can simultaneously populate voting stations with new databases; charge internal batteries; run diagnostics and pre-election logic and accuracy tests remotely through the wireless network. There is no longer need to laboriously insert individual floppy disks, cassettes or cartridges.

Other Benefits
When fully implemented with WINstage, the election department staff can simultaneously populate all of the touch-screen ballot stations with the election database. This is accomplished through WIN - the Wireless Information Network feature - without having to phyically open each ballot station and insert any type of electronic media to transfer the data. WINstage utilizes "Wake On LAN" technology that automatically powers up the unit for staging and powers it down upon completion. It allows the election department staff to simultaneously load the new election database, charge the internal battery, run diagnostics and run an automated logic and accuracy test, all without having to physically handle each voting seperately. It is estimated that this feature reduces election preparation time by as much as 50 percent.


Un-frickin-believable. THat's all I can say.

Eloriel

[Gin]

7. thanks for all the info...just sent these 2 sites to Gov Warner...

gin

[donsu]

8. kick

nt

[RedEagle]

9. I believe the Advanced Voting Solutions machine...

...is VERY heavy on the use of WiFi.

Kick!

[ramblin_dave]

10. More from The Winchester Star

Touch-Screen Voting Devices a Hit in City

While Fairfax County’s experiment in touch-screen voting on Election Day has brought on threats of lawsuits and court-ordered probes, Winchester election officials are much happier with their experience.

The local Electoral Board will meet Monday to discuss whether the city should purchase the machines, valued at $3,300, from the vendor Election Systems & Software, and permanently replace its lever voting machines.

http://www.winchesterstar.com/TheWinchesterStar/031108/Area_TOuch.asp

This is in Frederick County.

[Bushfire]

11. More from the *Washington Times* (mooney rag)

Meanwhile, Fairfax election officials spent yesterday taking apart the 10 machines that malfunctioned at the polls. They are trying to recover about 200 votes that were recorded at the nine precincts, which are scattered throughout the county.
Fairfax County Circuit Judge Dennis J. Smith on Wednesday ordered county Republican and election board officials to watch as poll workers and AVS officials extract logs from the impounded machines.
Republicans filed a lawsuit Tuesday night asking to delay the final election results after they learned that poll workers removed the machines from the polling places to repair them, a move that party officials said violated election law.
Fairfax County Attorney David Bobzien said he expects that logs inside the machines will show votes were recorded after poll workers repaired the machines and returned them to their original precincts later that day.

http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20031106-115229-8918r.htm

also mentions JHU study, Rebecca Mercuri's concerns, cease & desist lawsuit, and the leaked emails. if the Mooney Times is printing this story, you have to think Sec of States must take our concerns seriously.

[Bushfire]

12. more articles from PC World, IT World, and ZDNet

Digital Ballots: Where's the Backup?

Off-year election is a test of touchscreen voting machines in some states.

Tom Krazit, IDG News Service
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
It's Election Day in the U.S., although in an odd-numbered year, many contests are local city council affairs that don't capture national attention. But some localities are experimenting with electronic voting machines for the first time, hoping to roll out the technology in time for next year's highly anticipated presidential election.

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,113284,00.asp

Vote early, and often, but save a copy
IDG News Service 11/4/03

Tom Krazit, IDG News Service, Boston Bureau
Tuesday is Election Day in the U.S., although in an odd-numbered year, most of the contests are local city council affairs that don't capture national attention. But some U.S. localities are experimenting with electronic voting machines for the first time, in hopes of rolling the technology out in time for next year's highly anticipated presidential election.

http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/031104vote/

E-voting is too important to leave to politicians Rupert Goodwins
ZDNet UK
November 05, 2003, 14:55 GMT

Talking about elections when none are due is like watching a Christmas TV advert in August. Yet things are stirring in the dust-dry world of political ballots, and the outcome will affect us all.

In the US, electronic voting machine company Diebold is at the heart of a growing controversy. A large cache of documents and code, apparently covering the development of its voting systems, has found its way onto various Web sites. Diebold is trying to get them removed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In turn, the Electronic Freedom Foundation is supporting a move to protect the publication of the documents, saying that as the files apparently show irregularities in both process and programming, it's in the public interest that they be openly debated

http://comment.zdnet.co.uk/rupertgoodwins/0,39020691,39117632,00.htm