What's wrong with this picture?

[GuvWurld]

Source: Voter Confidence Committee - Report on Election Conditions in Humboldt County, California

[GuvWurld]

1. kicking for the morning (eom)

[JTG of the PRB]

2. Hmmm... Oh! I know what it is! I know!

It's that we're questioning the government's assuredly good-natured attempts to bring us into the 21st century by conjecturing that the people in charge of the voting machines might, for some un known and unfathomable reason, want to rig an election to put their candidate of choice into the White House!

The government knows what's best, doesn't it?

[GuvWurld]

5. Look again

There is nothing so esoteric or snarky about this image.

[Benhurst]

3. Recommended #2 A good one to keep on hand when the issue comes up,

which it will until we get rid of the damned computers used for voting and counting the vote.

:kick: :bounce:

[Richard Steele]

4. Why is there a "paper ballot" image in that top row? That makes no sense.

Given the progression they have there, it seems like that's
where a "touchscreen" image should be.

I think someone goofed when assembling the series.

[GuvWurld]

6. Actually, no, this image accurately depicts optical scan voting counting

In Humboldt County, CA (where this image was created for a citizen watchdog group's Report on Election Conditions) and wherever optical scanners are used, it is a paper ballot that will be scanned. Touch screen machines, aka DREs (Direct Record Electronic), are the paperless systems. This image makes perfect sense. However, there is a nuance of it all that I'm hoping someone will notice. Thousands of people have seen this now and I'm astounded nobody has announced that they picked up on it yet. Thanks for looking!

[Richard Steele]

7. OK, then maybe it's time to let us in on the answer?

I've looked again, and I'm still not seeing it.

[WinkyDink]

8. That the Top Row says "Vote in Public"? Because the vote is still private.

[GuvWurld]

9. In Humboldt County, voting booths no longer have curtains

or any other privacy protection for the voter casting his or her vote. We have also seen the optical scanners reject many ballots, which then tends to produce a situation where pollworkers examine the ballot to determine why it is not being accepted. Voters do not have to give up this secrecy of their ballot, but many often do.

So, sorry, this isn't the nuance I'm hoping you'll catch.

Here's a hint: it is a visual cue, not wording.

[GuvWurld]

10. Flip

see it?

[malaise]

26. In the second column of the top one

the tick is at #3. At the end it is #2.
What have I won? :D

[GuvWurld]

46. MALAISE HAD IT TOO AND I MISSED ACKNOWLEDGING IT

Nice going Malaise. I'm sorry I didn't see sooner that you were the first to post the correct answer.

:toast:

[malaise]

49. LOL

I spotted it early but like Dicksteele thought since the process was flawed that's how it would turn out.

Sp.

[davepdx]

11. I don't see "Vote in Public, Count in Public" n/t

[GuvWurld]

14. No, of course not. On the bottom it says Vote in Secret, Count in Public

This is what we want! You vote on a secret ballot that can be counted in public with all the other anonymous ballots.

[davepdx]

35. I confused secret with secret (semantics)

In Oregon we vote by mail where your ballot can be truly marked in secret. When you mark your ballot at a polling place, you are in public but you do mark it in secret. I thought that your question might be a trick question and read too much into the row titles.

[rosesaylavee]

12. The machine takes up too much room on the bed?

It would be hard to sleep with it?

:shrug:

[GuvWurld]

15. Now that people are guessing, this is a lot more fun.

Thank you, please try again.

[rosesaylavee]

17. Another hint?

'Flip' doesn't do it for me.

You know you were supposed to be frustrated at my initial lame post and just tell us... you know that, right? :)

[GuvWurld]

18. Looks like I made a new friend on DU today!

:hi:

I apologize but I don't know what better hint I can give than post 10 above.

[rosesaylavee]

19. Oh! I think I get it.

If it were a snake, I'd be dead.

Should I say it out loud?

[GuvWurld]

20. Dazzle us

[malaise]

13. DHS has labeled GEMS

as a threat to National Security?

[GuvWurld]

16. Indeed it has.

From page four of the Voter Confidence Committee report:

August 2004 – On CNBC television, BlackBoxVoting.org Founder Bev Harris instructs
Howard Dean how to hack the Diebold GEMS Central Tabulator in 90 seconds and
change election results without leaving a trace of evidence. GEMS is used in Humboldt
County to aggregate precinct results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhMUtzOxjJY

September 2004 – The Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency
Readiness Team lists Diebold’s GEMS Central Tabulator as a threat to national security
(Cyber Security Bulletin SB04-52). The program remains in use in Humboldt County
and around the country.

http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/bulletins/SB04-252.html

[Richard Steele]

21. Ok, I still don't "get it", even with your hints. And I'm rapidly losing interest.

Please just tell us what "problem" you see.

[GuvWurld]

25. Please don't hate me

for doing a little education for the DU community about how closely we have to watch the way elections are run. If it is irritating or uninteresting, please don't feel like you have to check this thread every time a new post gets added. Maybe just bookmark it and check back tomorrow? Or perhaps PM me later tonight? Whatever you do, don't let this little bit of fun bug you.

:toast:

[Richard Steele]

30. Too late- I'm annoyed.

I may tolerate these sorts of "guessing games" when I'm
dealing with an 8-year-old, but in this context it just
strikes me as some seriously annoying bullshit.

If you have ANYTHING worthwhile to show us, pretend we're all
adults and just do it.

You've taken up as much of my time as you're gonna get today.
I'm gonna come back in about ten minutes and, if you're still
playing games, I'll "hide" this thread and forget it.

[GuvWurld]

31. Bye.

:nopity:

The OP is what's worthwhile and I showed it first.

[InkAddict]

22. It fails to show the authorized role of the numbered

registry logs that voters must sign, on presenting their approved photo IDs (at least in my state)before any method of voting, private or public, can occur?

[GuvWurld]

28. True it doesn't show that, but

that's not it. Here's another hint: it is something visual in the image and it has nothing to do with where I vote or where you vote.

[rosesaylavee]

23. DING DING DING

In the 'Unverifiable Vote' count, why do the ballots go for a sleepover prior to the election? Perchance that is also part of the problem in addition to the hackable machine issue later after the "voters" cast their ballot?

What do I win?

:bounce:

[Richard Steele]

24. Those aren't the ballots- that's the scanner that counts them at the precinct level. nm

[rosesaylavee]

27. In our county, they arrive at the voter site

the day of or the evening before. They do not go home with the polling crew. Why would the tabulator be in teh possession of the polling crew PRIOR to election day?

edited to add:

Couldn't the software (the election outcome) be adjusted at this time?

[GuvWurld]

29. Sleepovers do seem counterintuitive, don't they?

Yet they happen in many places. Certainly this is part of the overall problem that is the obvious part of what this diagram shows. See above for a few hints on the more nuanced, less obvious problem I'm really hoping you'll see.

Thanks for looking!

[WinkyDink]

32. Once more into the breach: On the GEMS Tabulator picture, the second name is checked, as opposed to

#3 on the paper ballot.

Other than that, the flag doesn't have 13 stripes! HA!

Heh. I was posting at the same time as malaise!

[malaise]

37. LOL

:D

[GuvWurld]

41. THIS IS IT >> WINKYDINK HAS IT CORRECT

On the top row, the voter's choice is flipped from the third box on the paper ballot in frame two, to the second choice on the screen in the fifth frame.

Vote flipping is not just a phenomenon associated with paperless DREs.

This image is used as a diagram in a report, as I've said above, but it was originally conceived of as a poster or flier. If you think it could be effective, please feel free to use it wherever you are working for fair elections.

Congratulations WinkyDink :yourock:

[Richard Steele]

I should have known it would be some crap like this. What's your point?

The entire PURPOSE of that upper row is to show that
votes aren't reliable on those machines. So how is
showing a vote-flip a MISTAKE?

[malaise]

48. I said that at 4.41

not fair.

[emlev]

33. Central tabulator shows a ballot image instead of just totals

I don't think they really do that.

I do appreciate that the screen shows the vote being counted in a way other than what the voter marked, however.

[GuvWurld]

34. You are so close

Actually, that could have been part of the answer if it had ever occurred to me before. Nice job. What else do you see in that monitor?

[emlev]

36. What else do I see in that image?

No modem in the slot?
Not enough hands in the back of the machine?
Keyhold on the CPU is too big for a hotel mini-bar key? ;-)

I think I'm not seeing it.

[WinkyDink]

38. Look, there are 4 lines, 4 boxes, and a checkmark in box #2. WHAT are you getting at?

And it's only a CARTOON, so not exactly reality.

[Richard Steele]

39. Please tell me you are NOT talking about the checkmark being in a different place. nm

[GuvWurld]

43. See #41 above.

Did you know it before and not say it?

[Richard Steele]

45. OF COURSE I saw that. You were asking for a "mistake", and that isn't one. nm

[GuvWurld]

51. You know, dicksteele, when you're right you're right

and when you're not, you're not. I searched the entire page and you are the only person who used the word "mistake." The OP title says what's wrong with this picture. There are many things, as others have pointed out. And we eventually got to the one I was thinking of. And now we move on to the next thread. No hard feelings, eh? :smoke:

[Richard Steele]

52. Well, if I misunderstood the question, it's not the first time.

Probably not even the first time today, knowhutImean? :silly:

(For the record, I noticed that right away, but it did
not occur to me that it was what you were asking about.)

[emlev]

53. I also saw it and assumed it to be intentional

[GuvWurld]

56. Intentional, yes.

But still wrong.

[emlev]

57. Well, if that's where you're going...

...and you ask "what's wrong with this picture,"
The whole top half of it's wrong! (Except the paper ballots, of course.)

[InkAddict]

44. An actually scanned image of what was shown as a paper ballot?

Not a scan-tron dot card? or some type of bar showing the percentage of ballots cast as being counted? Also, there no keyboard and/or no USB hub for jump/flash drive access? Look Ma - no wires>WiFi?

[InkAddict]

47. It's 2-D, so impossible to detect hanging chads.

[rosesaylavee]

40. Many systems don't allow the paper ballots

esp those that are "preserved for potential readouts". Our system spits a receipt at you but that is the only paper copy of my ballot. Presumably, I could call the week later and ask them to look up my vote to see if it matches.

But paper ballots are NOT collected with any electronic system that I know of. Not an expert but I think this is it, right?

on edit: It's ok if I am wrong... this is an interesting distraction and if we are missing an important element, I don't mind learning something new today.

[GuvWurld]

42. See #6 above (eom)

[rosesaylavee]

50. Here are few more observations...

Won't assert I have the answer again... maybe. :7

Monitor could be a touch screen as I see no keyboard or mouse. Could also be the graphic designer was going for the clean and simple look.

Another observation - the top row has no human touch apparently as it is all about machines doing the work. The bottom row has the 'human touch' with the hand and actual county courthouse shown. Love the assumption that white guys in suits do the counting, btw.

[rosesaylavee]

54. So when's the next test?

:hi:

[sakabatou]

55. Vote flip

[MLFerrell]

58. "What's wrong with this picture?"

Someone kidnapped all the colors! I hear they're ransoming yellow for $10k! Red has already been killed! Blue tried to sneak away, but the kidnappers beat her ass with cold cuts!

MADNESS!