Commerce report from 1988--concerning computerized voting problems

[Carolab]

http://www.itl.nist.gov/lab/specpubs/500-158.htm

This actually mentions a GAO investigation from 1975! Robert Boram of Shoup and Tod Rapp of Triad participated along with Kim Brace of EDS. There is an interesting article from the NYT, as well.

[Bill of Rights]

1. The link is empty

Did you download, by chance?

[roseBudd]

2. Ballots that cannot be counted by machine should be counted by hand

Ohio had 93,000 of these.

1.7.3 Counting of Rejected Ballots

If a ballot cannot be read by machine, administrative controls should be in place to permit such ballots to be counted manually. A voter's choices should not be lost because of machine failure.

[roseBudd]

3. Computer illiterate BoE officials...

2.9.3 Election Administrators' Lack of Knowledge and Resources

Some election administrators have a lack of knowledge about computers, and they lack the necessary knowledge and resources to effectively negotiate with vendors. The effect of these deficiencies are:

(a) administrative errors in conducting elections, with increased potential for fraud or, at minimum, loss of public confidence;

(b) abdication of control over elections to vendors and county data processors, with the resultant inability to impose the necessary internal controls;

(c) inability to require vendors to provide computer programs, election equipment and supplies that include adequate safeguards against fraud and inaccurate reporting;

(d) increased risk to vendors in entering a market fraught with the potential for negative publicity, resulting in reduced competition and reduced investment in improved products;

(e) slower than adequate introduction of more effective technology.

Computers count the votes so no one can see. They claim Bush won I say prove it to me.

[roseBudd]

4. And punch cards (71 out of 88 counties in OH...

3.4.4 Vulnerabilities of the "Votomatic" System

Some vulnerabilities that are special to the "votomatic" system include the following: the lack of candidate information on the card itself, the need of the voter to turn over all the pages of the booklet to get all available voting information, possible misalignment of the candidate information on the page with the appropriate voting location on the card, the possibility of malicious alteration in the voting instructions on the pages, and the problem of chad in pre-scored cards.

snip

(f) the dimensions of the punch card may not be within tolerances, or (g) the process of pre-scoring the card might have been done poorly.

The propensity for undervotes in minority precincts could certainly be "facilitated" by defective punch cards. Creating a batch of punch cards prepunched with the required precinct codes is quite easy. See http://cardamation.com for equipment AND supplies.