Inside the Shocking HBO Film That Rocks the Voting Process

[TexasLawyer]

Thursday, November 2, 2006
Inside the Shocking HBO Film That Rocks the Voting Process
by Matt Webb Mitovich


HBO's Hacking Democracy (premiering tonight at 9 pm/ET) tells the story of Bev Harris, a grandmother and writer who started investigating the subject of electronic voting in 2002 after questioning her county's switch to electronic touch-screen voting machines. Unsatisfied with their explanation, Harris set out to learn about electronic voting systems on her own, and in doing so stumbled upon shocking revelations about the vulnerability of the software and hardware. Harris, who went on to form the watchdog group BlackBoxVoting.org, recently spoke with TVGuide.com about her illuminating, though unsettling, journey.

TVGuide.com: Have you read any of this week's news stories, about Diebold {a leading manufacturer of voting systems} asking HBO to slap a disclaimer on the documentary?
Bev Harris: They haven’t seen the real film at all.

TVGuide.com: Apparently they are taking issue with, among other things, the hacking demonstration which shows how central tabulators can be tampered with by modifying a single memory card {on which a single machine's votes are recorded}.

Harris: It's interesting they would bring that up because the State of California commissioned its own independent study, Diebold was ordered to cooperate with the study, and all of the scientists said, "The hack is real, and it is dangerous." And they found 16 additional vulnerabilities. You have to sort of decide who it is that has more credibility — a manufacturer that wants to sell a system, or six independent scientists commissioned by the State of California.

<snip>

http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting=%7B2ACA466C-E81E-4888-B8D3-F23CC3F35200%7D

[Lorien]

1. "The View" on NBC was just promoting "Hacking Democracy"

even the bimbo Bushbot called it a "frightening and important film" and a MUST WATCH. Hopefully millions of eyes will be opened tonight.

[enfield collector]

2. we need to insure votes are properly counted and those casting votes

are eligible to vote. there is too much at stake to allow fraud of any kind.

[montanacowboy]

3. Too bad this film is not carried on

Corporate Pravda Media - a lot of folks can't afford HBO so only a small segment will even see this - that is a shame of it; it might just be preaching to the choir

Will any of the talking heads promote it on their shows besides our dear Keith?

[elehhhhna]

4. Great. HBO wil get the voters worked up then BH will be revealed to be

the opportunistic nut-kook she is and there will be percieved credibility issue, bigtime.

Wait for it.

[acmavm]

5. Oh shit, how can somebody turn one of the most important

films in decades into a slam Bev Harris post?

And even though I know what happened and why people here hate her, she's been pushing the problems with the voting machines like mad. I haven't seen anyone else do that.

[elehhhhna]

6. "like mad", alright.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

7. "I know what happened and why people here hate her". I DON'T.

Please explain for those like me who haven't a clue what you're talking about.

[elehhhhna]

8. Good idea! Go here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2552254

[dad]

17. Jesus fucking christ.

That link was a wild goose chase to nowhere. Could someone just post two or three goddam sentences which explain why y'all hate her so much? Thanks.

[truedelphi]

10. Bev is a marvel in terms of work she has done

on the voting issue

But she is a snake in the grass when it comes to dealing with people who work with her.

She often takes credit for work other people do and did. Flagrantly lies about how she basically does everything such as how she personally investigates every machine out there.

In Dec 2004, she slammed her right hand man, Andy Stephenson, by firing him from Black Box Voting -even though Andy had become as important as Bev.

She then helped organize a huge freeper campaign against Andy stating that he wasn't sick with pancreatic cancer (though he was.)

She would tell one and all that she had seen him at a conference and he looked fine (Pancreatic cancer doesn't necessarally make you look bad until the last few weeks.)

She led freepers into making Andy believe that he would be arrested and jailed for MediCal or Medicare fraud. He had applied for services before he knew that we at DU - thanks to work of B Ferrara - would put together $ 50K in donations. During his final weeks he was not able to answer his own phone because so often one of Bev's buddies would be calling and harassing him.

She put up a website with information that only she would know and used that to continue her persecution of Andy. After he died, this website claimed that he did not die and that he made off with money.

More recent concerns center around what is happening with $650,000 dollars (most all of it donated to Black Box Voting) that she has not reported as income to a non-profit.

Her excuse: Andy Stephenson had been told to file the paperwork - another lie - and he was fired before the final tally of donations had even been made.

Again her work on the election machinery and voting issue is great - just do not get friendly with the woman unless you want to be seriously hurt.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. I get it! Thank you. It's like that old jingle for Mounds Bars candy--

"Sometimes she acts like a nut, sometimes she ..."

What a snake! Behavior like that never can be forgiven or forgotten.

[truedelphi]

16. Another film on the voting machinery and the dark cloud over

our democracy - www.stealingamerica.org

A film by Dorothy Fadiman

[troubleinwinter]

12. Right.

That is the problem with Bev being the so-called "face" of the movement. When the facts about her are widely exposed, it will likely smear the entire movement. Her antics have caused her (and hence the movement) to be regarded as a 'loon' among many BOE officials who MIGHT have become our allies in this battle.

And of course along the way, she has done her damndest to smear many good and great activists and organizations.

She IS a "credibility issue". "Wait for it." I have seriously worried about this for quite some time.

There are WAY too many of our (election reform) eggs in this very tattered, thin, hole-ridden, glittered low-quality (but expensive) basket.

I think it best to give a hand and support to other reliable, functional, quality, sturdy baskets.

[lala_rawraw]

9. and i filed my story on it, which should go up soon as well

[elehhhhna]

11. thanks, lala

:patriot:

[babsbunny]

13. Oh I wish I could see it!

[symbolman]

15. Anybody of any intelligence

KNOWS where THIS is going to go.

Let me be the first, and speaking as someone who has spent a year interviewing everyone in the field, I TOLD YOU SO.

There are many that should be in the spotlight, not her. This will be the destruction of the movement. Like someone else said, JUST WAIT AND SEE.