This one's for Andy. He would have been bouncing all over DU...

[Generic Other]

I think Andy would have been celebrating today. Some interesting developments concerning voting in Snohomish County, Washington, where Andy took on the auditor, Mr. Terwillager, more than once during his run for secretary of state. This was Andy's legacy. This one's for you, old friend.

From 12/30/05:
<SNIP>

"Starting Sunday, all electronic voting machines used in Washington must have voter-verifiable paper audit trails - mini printers that allow voters to review the accuracy of their votes before formally casting a ballot."

<SNIP>
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/12/30/100loc_b1voting001.cfm

From 1/4/06:
Dems in control; all-mail voting back

"The switch to mail-only elections would also save Snohomish County from purchasing required paper backup machines for its electronic voting machines. The backup machines would cost the county nearly $1.3 million to purchase them and about $650,000 annually in maintenance."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2002718415_council04n.html

on edit: typo

[The Straight Story]

1. In a way my friend, he still is (nt)

[Wonk]

39. bounce

[LittleClarkie]

2. He'd love the news out of Wisconsin as well

just passed a law in a Republican controlled legislature calling for an open source requirement in electronic voting. Even though it was sponsored by a Dem, it passed overwhelmingly.

[bpilgrim]

4. wooHoo!

i love these stories but i sure miss andy :cry:

peace

[Kelvin Mace]

18. Do you have a new link?

I'd like to post it.

[LittleClarkie]

34. Here is a link to my thread

where I have a couple of links.

Good news!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=54185&mesg_id=54185

[The Straight Story]

3. Old posters never die, they just....

Haunt the living hell out of the damn rethugs and help us bring em down from the other side.

[txindy]

8. Oo, I like the way you phrased that!

Too true! :toast:

[AmBlue]

23. Maybe Andy knew somehow....

...he could have more impact on this effort from the other side. I actually thought of him last night as I gave a speech on election integrity to our local DFA group. So weird to see this thread last night. I guess Andy was a little bit of everywhere yesterday!!

[mom cat]

25. Andy would have liked that. Maybe he still does.

[bleever]

30. Andy, here's to you, my friend:

:toast:


Your work continues to bear fruit, and inspire others.

[babylonsister]

5. Wasn't there a hint of voter reform in CT today?

Mail only sounds wonderful and way ahead of other states, but it seems like lightbulbs are going off all around the country, about what the fight is about.

Edit to add: I never met Andy but I will never forget him or the outpouring of love the man got.
It did his heart good, but my heart was lighter as well. And for such a good cause all around.

[Wilms]

6. This story may be dear to his heart.

CT Scraps RFP for DRE Voting Machines!

SOS Susan Bysiewicz has decided not to make an award to any of the three finalists that issued proposals to replace CT's lever machines with DREs. The final 3 companies were Diebold, Avante and Danaher.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x407694

[Kelvin Mace]

21. Who was the company they chose

that did not have federal certification?

[truckin]

27. Danaher

[fooj]

7. I really believe he is out there watching out for us all...

:loveya:

Peace.

[Rainscents]

11. Yes he is! Andy is our angle now!

O8)

[Rainscents]

9. This is great news!!!

[flyarm]

10. ohhh thank you for letting us know this...yesterday i was listening to

a song and all i could think of was our sweet Andy...

ahhh i miss my friend...but he is shining down on washington and wisconsin today!

Song: One Sweet Day (feat. Boyz II Men) Lyrics


Sorry, I never told you, all I wanted to say.
Now it's too late to hold you. '
Cause you've flown away, so far away.

Never, Had I imagined, yeah, living without your smile.
Feelin' and knowing you hear me.
It keeps me alive. Alive!

And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven,
Like so many friends we've lost along the way,
And I know eventually we'll be together.
One sweet day.

Picture a little scene from Heaven.

Darling, I never showed you.
Assumed you'd always be there.
I took your presence for granted.
But I always cared
And I miss the love we shared.

And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven.
Like so many friends we've lost along the way.
And I know eventually we'll be together.
One sweet day.

Picture a little scene from Heaven.

Although, the sun will never shine the same, I'll
always look to a brighter day.

Yeah, Lord, I know, when I lay me down to sleep,
You'll always listen, as I pray!

And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven,
Like so many friends we've lost along the way,
And I know eventually we'll be together.
One sweet day.

And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven,
Like so many friends we've lost along the way,
And I know eventually we'll be together.
One sweet day.

Sorry, I Never told you, all I wanted to say

fly

[woodsprite]

12. This is the first article I read tonight and now

I have tears streaming down my face! Thanks for posting.

[TechBear_Seattle]

13. Very good news, but....

Is there any way of verifying that the reported tally is actually correct? A paper receipt that the voter keeps does not provide any kind of assurance in that regard. And with the switch to all-mailin ballots: what is the assurance that the ballot will be delivered to the proper authorities?

[Generic Other]

14. Still problems, but with mail-in there is paper and supposedly

ability to recount, etc. Nothing's perfect, but the electronic machines were worse. They got some very funny numbers in Snohomish County during the Gregoire count with no way to verify.

I feel much more confident sending in a paper ballot that it will be counted and subject to re-count if there are any problems.

[nicknameless]

38. Do they provide places to drop off completed ballots?

That could help to prevent "lost in the mail" BS.

Regardless, YAY FOR PAPER BALLOTS!!!
Thanks for posting this!


O8) Andy O8)

[hedda_foil]

15. The voter does NOT keep a receipt.

The term receipt is completely inaccurate. Although I'm no fan of the toilet paper roll VVPAT, it's securely stored inside the machine and can (with difficulty) be used in an audit. The voter never touches it because it's behind a clear lucite panel and rolls out of view when he/she finalizes his/her vote.

[TechBear_Seattle]

17. I sit corrected, then.

As long as there is some way for the printed record to be available for validation, I feel better.

[Blue Diadem]

19. We were supposed to have those on our machines

I could hear the printing and kept looking for the panel over the paper but couldn't find anything to view..other than what was on the screen. I came home and looked at the pamphlet I'd received from our county Dem office and realized something was different but I'm not sure what. The printer was to be at the side..something was but there was nothing there to view. I asked 4 others and they hadn't found any paper to view either. We used the machines the first time in the fall for council seats and school issues.

[BeFree]

20. Any way of verifying?

There is but one way to verify the count. It will require teams of regular people doing a hand count of the Voter Verified Paper Ballots - VVPBs.

I am thinking of asking an attorney to file a suit in my state requiring the state to allow access to the VVPBs so that a team of people can hand count the ballots as soon as possible after the election.

[mopinko]

26. they are worthless without audits.

it is a piece of cake to make the machine print one thing and count another.

[Kelvin Mace]

22. 1) It's not a receipt, it's a ballot

2) You don't get to keep your ballot.

3) In NC the new law requires a random hand recount of precincts in every county and a comparison of the digital to the paper count. If the digital count differs fropm the paper count, the paper count is used.

[Just Me]

16. Well,...Andy IS bouncing all over DU.

Doncha' know. O8) b

[meganmonkey]

24. *bump*

I think I just felt him bounce off my shoulder...hee hee...

(I miss you Andy! :hug: )

O8)

[troubleinwinter]

28. For Andy!

[BamaBecky]

29. It's really good to hear about this, and

once again Andy>>>>Thank You for all your hard work that helped to make this happen.
Bama

[hunter]

31. I'm not entirely satisfied with these "paper trails."

They are too easy to forge, all you need is a printer identical to the printers in the voting machines, and they are useless if they are not backed up by very strictly enforced auditing procedures.

Most of these paper trails will eventually make their way to the incinerators and landfills unseen and uncounted.

Andy was for paper ballots not paper trails.

But better than nothing I guess... alas, my state and local election officials thought so.

:shrug:

[Zan_of_Texas]

32. I thought Andy was probably pretty happy when ole Wally resigned too.

Diebold officials had called him up, way back when, and told him "If you don't back off, you're gonna get a visit." Andy, of course, refused to back off.

I am not in favor of mail-in balloting as a solution. Too easy to put in someone unscrupulous in the stream of incoming mailed ballots, who can junk returns from certain zip codes.

[Generic Other]

35. The mail-in ballots are paper

While it is true they must be counted accurately, Washington state has a procedure in place for automatic machine and/or hand re-counts. I think the fact that Snohomish dumped the electronic machines entirely is a very positive step. No more funny numbers with NOTHING to back them up. A mail-in ballot is paper and it can be recounted. While it's not perfect, it's better than machines that only record one number with no possibility of a re-count. Auditing random counties to ensure accuracy sounds like a good idea as well.

Getting rid of the machines is a BIG step forward though.

[hunter]

37. I was commenting on electronic machines with printers in general...

...from <snip> one, not future mail-in ballots. That they are importing 400 electronic voting machines with printers from Nevada "to keep Snohomish County's upcoming elections legal" is what caught my eye.

Mail ballots have had problems in various places, but that's not what I was posting about.

These electronic voting machines were a wonderful invention, weren't they? :sarcasm:

[Marnieworld]

33. He still lives on in his impact

We miss you Andy. We will never forget. :cry:

[AuntiBush]

36. This is the Only & Best News All Day!

Now, if we could do this in all counties throughout our entire nation, we'd know for certain our votes were truly counted.

[Ellipsis]

40. ...

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:



:patriot:

[stickdog]

41. Taking back democracy, one county at a time ...