CA: 'Every Voting System Found Hackable'; Holt Bill/PFAW Undead; PBS Covers Vote Caging; MORE...

[BradBlog]

As you might have expected, the bulk of BRAD BLOG's 'ink' over the last several days has been devoted to CA SoS Debra Bowen's remarkable "Top-to-Bottom Review" of electronic votings systems, and the findings which revealed that every system tested had both it's physical and software secure easily violated by the testers.

We'll have much more in the days ahead, from various folks, but here are a few of the notable related items from the past day or three. (For the other non-voting related items, be sure to stop by www.BradBlog.com and scroll down the front page) -- Brad

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California Finds DRE Touch-Screen Voting Systems Easily Hackable, as House Dems and PFAW Strike Deal to Use Them in American Elections Anyway
PLUS: Following up with Bowen on the ES&S LA County InkaVote Issue, and the Bizarre Comments from Steve Weir, President of CA Election Officials Association

We'll certainly have more, from various voices, in the days ahead concerning CA SoS Debra Bowen's landmark independent "Top-to-Bottom Review" of electronic voting systems. The reports from the teams at University of California are now available online.

But even while the results, as Bowen described them on a media phone call just prior to their release, found that "the independent teams of analysts were able to bypass both physical and software security measures in every system tested," and as the report on accessibility for disabled voters found that none of the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE, usually touch-screen) voting systems met federal disability standards, Democrats and People for the America Way (PFAW) in the U.S. House were busy hammering out a deal to institutionalize the continued use of such disastrous voting systems into federal law.

Out of touch much? Which part of a transparent, counted, paper ballot (not a "trail" or a "record") for every vote cast in America do these guys not understand?...

FULL REPORT: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4888

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Hoyer-Holt HR811 'Compromise' Pushed Forward - Secretly - in House
With People for the American Way (PFAW) Serving as Broker, Press Agent...
-- Guest Blogged by Bob Bancroft of VotersUnite

Rep. Rush Holt's HR 811 Election Reform bill has become an enigma. After years of healthy dialogue with the election integrity community, Congressman Holt’s office now seems unresponsive. Just last week, rumors began to circulate that the Holt bill was adrift, its future uncertain. We later learned that the bill had entered into a series of secret negotiations, involving Majority Leader Hoyer, Speaker Pelosi, and other undisclosed parties.

Now, we receive our first glimpse of the newly compromised Holt. We learn of the bill not from its author, nor Leader Hoyer, nor any elected, public official. Instead, it would seem that communications surrounding the bill flow through People For the American Way (PFAW)...

FULL REPORT:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4889

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CA 'Post-Election Audit Workgroup' Recommends Improving Standards, Procedures to Ensure Accurate Election Results
Larger Samples, Escalation of Audit Sizes When Problems Found, Among Suggestions to Raise Confidence Level That Election Results Correctly Declared After Electronic Tabulation...

"Publicly observable post-election audits are the single most important safeguard we can have for the integrity of elections in this era of computer-assisted voting," according to Livermore National Labs computer scientist, David Jefferson.

"They allow everyone, winners and losers alike, to be satisfied that the races are correctly called, but without the need to trust any computers or software," he added in a press release from the California Sec. of State's office released just moments ago (posted in full at the link below) on the study he led for the SoS Debra Bowen, which examined the effectiveness of --- and made recommendations to improve --- the state's 40-year old 1% manual audit law...

FULL REPORT, PRESS RELEASE:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4892

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VIDEO: PBS (Finally) Exposes Criminal GOP Conspiracy to Steal the 2004 Election via Illegal 'Vote Caging' Scam
3-Year Overdue NOW Report Links Scheme to Top Republican Operatives and White House
Former US Attorney David Iglesias Believes Withheld WH Emails May Show Criminal Involvement in '04 Election Theft...

FULL REPORT, VIDEO: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4884

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---
Brad Friedman
Publisher/Editor, The BRAD BLOG
http://www.BradBlog.com

[LaPera]

1. As always great work Brad! I've been a member of PFTAW forever.....

(since 1981 when Reagan took office) I've written them a few times that the do nothing Holt Bill, will not stop voting manipulation, but it will give people a false sense that something has been done, when nothing could be further from the truth...However, PFTAW ignores all pleas! (Feinstein's bill is even worse, she might as well just hand all elections over to the republicans and their voting machines).

[eagler]

2. I believe the dems tabled the idea of voting reform until 2012

[BradBlog]

4. Nope...

...See the stories linked above for details!

[robinlynne]

3. perfect headline: house dems and pfaw strike deal to use them anyway. nt

[tom_paine]

5. K & R for WE ALL KNEW IT, but it's nice to start seeing the proof

[BradBlog]

6. Proof that can no longer be denied...so K&Ring again!