Write to this journalist in Ohio

[OKthatsIT]

This journalist seems to think Optical Scanners are fail proof. He doesn't know it's the TABULATOR PATCHES>WINDOWS PROGRAM>MODEM HACKING>3 possible avenues of FRAUD.

AND, there is no open source code. Which means we can't get inside of the machines patches.


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http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050113/NEWS09/501130455/-1/NEWS

Contact Jim Provance at:
[e-mail]
or 614-221-0496.
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Article published Thursday, January 13, 2005

Blackwell orders counties to use optical scanning
Touch-screen voting out in Ohio

By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU


COLUMBUS - Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell took the option of computerized touch-screen voting machines off the table yesterday and ordered all counties to deploy optical-scan devices using paper ballots by the November election.
"We have a tight election reform deployment schedule, too few allocated federal and state dollars, and not one electronic voting device certified under Ohio's standards and rules," he said.

It's the same position he threatened to take a year ago when lawmakers first assailed his decision to set a deadline for counties to select from a menu of voting machines. Eventually, the General Assembly mandated that any electronic device be equipped with a paper backup system for recount purposes.

Although optical-scan devices, which use paper ballots read electronically, meet her paper-backup requirement, Sen. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo) questioned Mr. Blackwell's rush to judgment.

The federal Help America Vote Act does not require full compliance until 2006.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[KaliTracy]

1. kick

[Moderator]

2. OKthatsIT

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.

DU Moderator

[Bill Bored]

3. Tabulators, shmabulators

Yes of course tabulators can be hacked, but OpScan provides a voter-verified paper ballot. This is light years ahead of DREs with no paper trail at all.

Ohio has a recount law on the books that said to hand count 3% of precincts randomly in every county. The law was broken by many of the BOEs, with Blackwell's blessing. So why wasn't this law enforced? Now, presumably you want these same BOEs to do full hand counts of every issue on every ballot of every election? Good luck.

It's a difficult problem, but most of the computer professionals involved in the reform movement are in favor of OpScans.

[TexasLawyer]

4. Absolutely

Fraud can be perpetrated through the tabulators, but then that fraud can be covered up by a Secretary of State with an unquestionable and proudly self-declared conflict of interest. That is what happened in Ohio. The so-called Ohio "recount" was a sham.