Bill banning BBV machines to be reintroduced in Wisconsin legislature

[sybylla]

From their press release available at the Wheeler Report
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/Nov04/Nov17/1117pocanvotingmach.pdf


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2004
For More Information, Contact:
Rep. Mark Pocan, 608/266-8570
Sen. Jeff Plale, 608/266-7505
BILL TO BAN ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES IN WISCONSIN
TO BE REINTRODUCED
Pocan and Plale say problems with machines nationwide not needed in a clean election state like Wisconsin

MADISON - State Representative Mark Pocan (D-Madison) and State Senator Jeff Plale (DSouth Milwaukee) said today that they will reintroduce their bill to ban the use of electronic voting machines without a paper ballot in Wisconsin. The legislators pointed to hundreds of problems nationwide caused by touch screen machines making disputed election results in many areas without a verifiable way to recount for accuracy.

“Once again, touch screen voting machines have failed to provide the public with protections against fraud and a verifiable paper trail to ensure accuracy in hundreds of cases across the country. In a state like Wisconsin, where we had the second highest voter turnout in the nation with virtually no problems, we do not want to go the path of Ohio or Florida and soil our reputation,” said Pocan.

Plale and Pocan noted that hundreds of problems occurred across the country in areas using touch screen voting machines. In Nebraska, a computer problem doubled the votes in half of Sawyer County’s precincts, adding 3,000 phantom votes to the totals. In North Carolina, vote totals were so large that the tabulation computer threw numbers away; re-tallying changed two outcomes and awarded an additional 22,000 votes to John Kerry. And in Florida, at least 21 voting machines malfunctioned and were replaced. Most of those machines had already been used by voters on election day. (Check www.votersunite.org )

“People in Wisconsin have a strong trust in our voting systems. We need to make sure we keep their trust. The best way to do that is to ensure that the problems we witnessed across the nation do not happen in our state,” Plale said.

Pocan and Plale noted that while some legislators argue that immediate action is needed for photo ID’s in Wisconsin, no problems occurred due to our current law. Real problems did occur, however, in many states with electronic voting systems. That problem needs the most immediate
attention they contend.

The bill last session, AB 680, had bipartisan support and passed unanimously in the State Assembly in the form of a committee bill. It did not, however, make it through the State Senate.
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Time to give these guys a hand and bombard our state representatives. If you don't know how to contact your legislator, go to http://www.thewheelerreport.com and click on the legislative links at the top to find your representatives. And don't forget to write or call Pocan and Plale and let them know you're behind them all the way.

[AllyCat]

1. Yes, but the problem is the GEMS tabulator!!

We have to ask them to ban that as well. It's too easy to hack the central tabulator, making a fair voting process at the polls a sham in the final hour. Please, if you write these representatives, ask them to include the central tabulator in their ban!!!

[sybylla]

3. Oh, I agree that is a problem too.

But we at least have ballots for a recount. If we don't stop DRE machines from coming into the state now, what do you think they'll replace those hinky GEMS tabulators with?

[ewagner]

2. I'll be seeing

My Assembly lady and State Senator tonight....will ask them to co-sponsor..

[Chimpanzee]

4. It will be interesting to see how the pukes vote on this!

[BrainRants]

5. We need to stay on top of this!

I'm a software developer and this stuff scares the crap out of me.

I downloaded the GEMS software and sample database from BBV www.blackboxvoting.organd played with it a little. If this is what was used to tabulate votes in FL & OH people in my profession should be ashamed.

Paper trail, paper trail, paper trail!

[ewagner]

6. Hi everybody

had a great meeting last night and I gave printouts of the post to our Assembly-person and State Senator...as a bonus, the Assembly-person from the contiguous district was there too....

Hopefully, they will sign on as co-sponsors...

[sybylla]

7. Way to go!

Thanks for your efforts. I hope they will be resoundingly rewarded.