PA Primary: E-Voting, Registration, Polling Place Problem Report Wire...

[BradBlog]

Pennsylvania Primary: E-Voting, Registration, Polling Place Problem Report Wire...

Yesterday (and this morning) we tracked problem reports with voting machines and registration issues across the Keystone State.

The mass of reported issues resulted, as one consortium of observers in Pennsylvania described it, in "problems with voting machines and inaccurate voter registration rolls caused countless eligible voters to be needlessly refused the right to vote."

The problems were so wide-spread, that even Fox "News" was forced to report on them (video included at link below), even as the reaction from officials -- or lack thereof -- may have been even more remarkable.

If you didn't check in during yesterday's election, or this morning, you may wish to click the link below to get some idea of what actually happened...

ELECTION PROB WIRE: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5918

[LakeSamish706]

1. I tell ya, one would think that the Democrats would want to see these issues fixed...

before we get to November, but sure doesn't seem like they are in any hurry.

[BradBlog]

3. Nope they don't...

See this:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5924

Sigh...

[dana_b]

2. thank you bradblog.

all i heard on the radio yesterday was one line about a judge denying a precinct the opportuniy to stay open later because of malfunctioning machines. this is b.s. but for some reason both parties don't seem to care about it. i wonder why?

[Wilms]

4. One little failure...lots of disenfranchisment.

Current VVSG guidelines for Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) requirements of voting systems are "woefully inadequate."

DRE Reliability: Failure by Design?
By Howard Stanislevic

snip

We show herein that the VVSG Reliability standard for e-voting systems, expressed as a Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of only 163 hours, is woefully inadequate, resulting in voting systems of lower reliability than mechanical lever voting machines in use for over 40 years. This standard allows 9.2% of all e-voting systems to fail in any 15-hour Election Day, and a much higher failure rate during the extended “Early Voting” periods now being implemented in many states.

snip

http://votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1057&Itemid=26

And most of the machine don't even manage that!

"Voting Systems Batch Test Results – Reliability"
By John Gideon and Howard Stanislevic

snip

These results are stunning. Even the best of the DRE systems tested is only 30% as
reliable as an incandescent light bulb and this is the only machine to meet the federal
Reliability standard. Also stunning is that all of these systems except the Diebold TSx
tested in July, 2005 and the Hart eScan were recommended for certification by the Staff
of the Secretary of State Office of Voting Systems Technology Assessment. Problems
with the Diebold TSx were corrected, according to Diebold and the still unacceptable
MTBF of 60 hours is a result of that correction.

snip

pdf: http://www.votetrustusa.org/pdfs/BatchTestReliability.pdf

Meanwhile, paper ballots and a box of markers have an MTBF of like what? x(

[BradBlog]

5. You da man, Wilms...

Keep an eye out for my post about the NEW VVSG tomorrow at BRAD BLOG (I was invited by the EAC to come to DC to speak with them about it, see here if you haven't already: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5919

What must they have been thinking? ;-)