Daily Kos: John Edwards: No More Stolen Elections. Ban Touch Screen Voting

[Catchawave]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/28/11584/4198

by TomP
Sat Jul 28, 2007 at 12:53:01 PM EDT

A report today confirmed that John Edwards was right when he was the first Presidential Candidate to announce his support for a growing movement calling for a ban on the use of all Direct Recording Electronic (DRE, usually touch-screen) voting systems in American elections back in March 2007.

Today, it was shown by the California Secretary of State's Office that these machines are NOT SECURE.

State-sanctioned teams of computer hackers were able to break through the security of virtually every model of California's voting machines and change results or take control of some of the systems' electronic functions, according to a University of California study released Friday.

Looks to me like Bush never won the presidency and that John Edwards was right to urge Kerry not to concede.

More : http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/28/11584/4198

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Looks like he was ahead of the pack on that one...

So...

What do we do now?

How do we get rid of these pernicious machines?

I agree with you about the results with bush...Too bad we can't act on it.

K&R

[emlev]

11. Public hearing at CA SOS office Monday--can you make it? Either way, please read

Those against the bold moves by our great SOS, Debra Bowen, are expected to be out in force. They include the California Association of County Election Officers CACEO), a non-governmental organization of these officials that has been campaigning hard against Bowen's top-to-bottom review. Next Friday Bowen will announce her decision about what to do about the findings of this ground-breaking study. Monday is the public's opportunity to support her taking the necessary action, banning the use of these systems in California. Such a ban could lead to similiar bans in other states. So this is crucial.

If you can't be there Monday, you can submit written testimony.

Info about the hearing itself, including time, place and agenda, as well as info about how to submit written testimony, and also the actual findings of the top-to-bottom review, are all available at the California Secretary of State's website.

And thanks for asking what we can do!

[kster]

12. Well actually

Video
http://blip.tv/file/82767


October 1, 2006
Kucinich introduces HR 6200 “hand counted, paper ballots, counted and posted at the precinct level”

ANNOUNCEMENT: “Introduced, 20 co-sponsors HR 6200 -paper ballots, hand counted, results posted at precinct. This bill came from this movement.

This weekend in Cleveland Ohio, the “We Count Conference” have been hearing from great speakers about election fraud and the movement to return accountability and integrity to US elections. Speakers included State Sen. Marc Dan, Greg Coleridge, Paul Lehto, , Ron Baiman PhD, Jonathan Simon, Richard Hayes Phillips PhD , Bob Koehler, Bob Fitrakis, Harvey Wasserman, & Mark Crispin Miller. The highlight of the event was Congressmen Dennis Kucinich and his announcement of new legislation as reported by DUers Autorank and LandShark…

I’m at the We Count 2006 Conference in Cleveland. After a break for dinner, we resumed with an address by Dennis Kucinich, D, OH. He made the remarks below and then announced that he’s introduced H.R. 6200, a bill to guarantee that the 2006 election will be conducted on “hand counted, paper ballots, counted and posted at the precinct level” with the process open to all to observe. This was a real stunner. There is some legislation out there on stop gap measures but this is the whole 9 yards, the ultimate in election intgrity - Machines are Gone under this legislation…GONE.

H.R. 6200

http://benfrank.net/blog/2006/10/01/kucinich_introduces_hr_6200_hand_counted_paper_ballots_counted_and_posted_at_the_precinct_level/

[unc70]

28. Edwards spoke against touch screens in 2003 as he began his campaign

I have a link in a post "later" in this thread to a USA Today article. I suspect that there are earlier examples of him speaking out on this issue, the risk posed by electronic voting machines and his call for no more stolen elections.

[Cybergata]

27. Start pressing your state legislature

Since this is a local question, go to your state legislature and start pressuring them to make the change. We did this in New Mexico, and now we have paper ballots. Of course it helped that we have Richardson as governor who was very vocal about his support for this.

[Mass]

2. When did he do such a thing? Once again, Edwards's supporters want us to believe him on his word,

but Edwards never claimed such a thing before 2006. Another late revelation that is more than suspect.

[IndyOp]

3. Clicking on the link in the OP, I found that the DailyKos post says...

Back in March of this year, John Edwards was asked about these machines, and his answer was unequivocal:

Kennedy, an activist and actress well known for her role as Dharma's mother on ABC's Dharma and Greg, told The BRAD BLOG that during a Q & A period following his address last night, she asked Edwards whether he would join PDA in their campaign calling for "the complete removal of all Touch-Screen Direct Record Electronic voting machines from U.S. elections, with or without a paper trail."

Drawing an "X" in the air as the question was being asked, Edwards --- who was reportedly upset at Sen. John Kerry's decision not to contest the 2004 Presidential Election count, or lack thereof, in Ohio --- answered with a definitive "Yes!"

"Yes!" echoed Kennedy in response as the audience reportedly cheered and applauded.

=======

Before you argue that "Edwards' supporters want us to believe him on his word..." take the time to click on the link at least skim the piece?

[Mass]

5. I read the link and it confirms what I said. He did not say anything before 2006.

[Catchawave]

9. Well, somebody wanted to fight

Mr Bush was prevented from claiming the prize of a second term when Senator Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, appeared at 2.30am in Boston to tell supporters the party would not give up on Ohio until every vote had been counted.

"It's been a long night but we've waited four years for this victory, we can wait one more night," an exhausted Senator Edwards told the cheering crowd in Copley Square.

"John Kerry and I made a promise to the American people, that in this election every vote would count and every vote would be counted.

"We will keep our word. Tonight we are keeping our word and we will fight for every vote. You deserve no less."

The dispute over Ohio threatened to raise the ghost of the divisive 2000 election, which Mr Bush won after the intervention of the Supreme Court.

The Ohio Secretary of State warned that outstanding provisional ballots might not be counted for 11 days.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/11/03/1099362222470.html

[Mass]

10. So did Kerry at this point... No proof, but who cares.

I clicked on the thread to see if Edwards had actually said "No more stolen election". I cannot find the quote.

[spooky3]

23. You keep changing your argument. Hmmmm.

Later in this thread, you say, "And the diary agrees with me - There is NO trace of Edwards wanting to context (sic) the election before 2006. I am not saying anything else." Yet above you seem to argue that people are claiming things that no one is claiming, then you denigrate these claims as offering "no proof" of something they did not claim. So which ARE you saying?

No one, not the OP nor Dkos in the link, claimed that Edwards "had actually said 'no more stolen election (sic)'." Those were the words of the poster at Dkos, not attributed to Edwards.

As for contesting the election, the Dkos article and the link, and the link Catchawave posted, stated very clearly that Edwards wanted to fight for every vote in Ohio and not to conceded. I recall other articles to the same effect in 2004. As a running mate, Edwards obviously could not say anything more forceful, that would contradict Kerry at the time, and subsequently -- anyone who knows anything about real world politics knows good politicians are careful about what they say at all times about allies and colleagues.

[Inspired]

4. What attack on this subject? Because it came from Edwards?

However, from this supporter, the answer is yes. I do believe him on his word. You might choose to be cynical, I choose to be inspired.

[hootinholler]

22. December 2004 might have been more timely...

There is only 1 candidate that has had that element of timeliness on issues and therefore deserves my support.

It's left as an exercise to figure out of whom I speak.

-Hoot

[Catchawave]

7. Read the diary

I think I provided the link :eyes:

[Mass]

8. And the diary agrees with me - There is NO trace of Edwards wanting to context the election

before 2006. I am not saying anything else.

[Catchawave]

13. I'm sorry, you're wrong....

Have a great weekend...:toast:

[Mass]

14. I disagree - Saying I am wrong does not make it so.

Good weekend. :toast:

[Catchawave]

15. Then prove you're right about my proving you're wrong....

...sometimes I miss the Lounge :rofl:

[Pyrzqxgl]

16. This Mass guy sure comes on like someone whos wrong and doesn't want to admit it.

OK, you don't like Edwards, we got that. You think the timing of a statement he made
is a big deal. Well I don't agree with you and a couple of other guys here don't either.
So I think we've all wasted enough space. We need to get rid of the damn machines
& we need as many of the Democratic candidates as will to say so. OK? OK!

[unc70]

25. Edwards voiced concerns with electronic voting in 2003 as he entered that race

I did a trivial google search and found news articles reporting Edward's voicing of his concerns about voting machines at least as early as 2003 as reflected in this USA Today article:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-12-05-diebold-money-to-bush_x.htm

Is this a good-enough example that Edwards has been opposed to paperless voting and has voiced that opposition from the beginning? After all, this was from his first major campaign speech in the 2004 cycle!

[eridani]

6. Glad he's on board

Kucinich, of course, has been there for years.

[Jillian]

17. After what happened in 2004 - he should be the leader on this.

He should talk about this everyday.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

18. Edwards is right. I hope other major Dems come out for this too, including HRC and BO nt

[snowbear]

19. I'm glad he's speaking out on this issue!!

I wish that all of our candidates would! ~~~~~~

[JNelson6563]

20. All our candidates should stand together on this

:toast:

[NoFederales]

21. Stealing elections negates the choice of American voters, the LAST and ONLY

vestige of politics in which the "common" citizen believes. Neat trick, if it can be pulled off, to allow the voter to believe in choice all the while invalidating such a cornerstone of democratic practice.

Who should care whose candidate is best if the decision has already been made?

NoFederales

[Duncan]

24. My support for Edwards has only been growing. nt

[MrSlayer]

26. Edwards has been scoring more and more points with me as of late.

I will reiterate that if Clark or Gore do not enter the race Edwards is going to be my guy.

[LWolf]

29. So he supports Dennis Kucinich on this issue?

Does he endorse HR 6200, "Hand counted paper ballots" that DK introduced into Congress last October?

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.06200:

It's nice to know he's behind Dennis on this one.

[benny05]

30. The man is a fighter

I'm happy to support this candidate.