Some web references are:
and a related story, a detailed expose by RFK Jr. and Greg Palast: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23638322/block_the_vote
Here's a description of the straight-ticket problem (the following was forwarded to me, but I've verified the information).
I'm sending this message to everyone I know -- even those of you not registered to vote in this election, or who are international students, or who are presently out of the country -- in hopes you'll continue forwarding the message to all of your contacts & ask them to do the same.... PLEASE take the following seriously ... and take action in every way you're able.
Thank you!
I have checked it out on the site: http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ an organization devoted to fixing flaws in voting machines.
This information applies to machines used in PENNSYLVANIA & 14 other states.
Black Box Voting is an excellent organization that's trying to keep integrity in our elections. The message below is worth reading, but if you're really busy ...
... the ESSENCE is this: VOTE FOR EACH CANDIDATE -- and do not cast a straight party vote. There is evidence that machines in multiple states have been programmed incorrectly, so that the straight party button may result in the Presidential vote not being counted, or in the Presidential vote being counted on the wrong party ticket .
Please follow the link below, if you want to investigate this and read the following message from its SOURCE. Then, please pass this email on to others!!
keystone article
WE CAN'T HAVE ANOTHER ELECTION STOLEN FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE !!
FORWARD EMAIL:
An email to supporters of the organization Black Box Voting (http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ ) an organization devoted to fixing flaws in voting machines, informed supporters of votes being miscounted or not counted at all when the straight party option was chosen. The text of the email follows, along with a YouTube video:
THE PROBLEM: "Straight party voting" on voting machines is revealing a bad pattern of miscounting and omitting your vote, especially if you are a Democrat. Most recently (Oct. 2008), a firm called Automated Election Services was found to have mis-coded the system in heavily Democratic Santa Fe County, New Mexico such that straight party voters would not have the presidential vote counted.
STRAIGHT PARTY VOTING is allowed in 15 states. Basically, it means that you can take a shortcut to actually looking at who you are voting for and instead just select a party preference. Then the voting machine makes your candidate choices, supposedly for the party you requested.
HOW TO PROTECT THE COUNT against Straight Party Trap:
1) NEVER CHOOSE THE STRAIGHT PARTY VOTE OPTION, because it alerts the computer as to your party preference and allows software code to trigger whatever function the programmer has designed.
2) SEND THIS INFORMATION OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN, blog it, root n' toot it out there to get the word out.
3) ESPECIALLY GET THE WORD OUT TO PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING > STATES, which have straight party voting options: Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin
4) DEMAND COMPLETE AND CAREFUL TESTING OF THE STRAIGHT PARTY OPTION IN LOGIC AND ACCURACY TESTS.
5) LOOK FOR UNDERVOTES (high profile races with lower-than-average number of votes cast) and flag them, post them, bring them to the attention of others for additional scrutiny. Details, links to documents, news stories, more specifics can be found here: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/78367.htmlVoting machine miscounts of straight party votes were proven by California researcher Judy Alter in the 2004 New Mexico presidential election; in Alabama Democrat straight party votes were caught going to a Republican; and in Wisconsin a whole slew of straight party votes disappeared altogether. Both DRE and optical scan machines are vulnerable. Private contractors are involved; private firms like LHS Associates, Automated Election Services, Harp Enterprises, Casto & Harris and others will program almost all systems in the USA this November. ES&S scanners were involved in examples cited, but Diebold has also issued a cryptic Product Advisory Notice in 2006 about unexpected results from certain Straight Party option programming practices.
PERSPECTIVE:
These enormous cases of "Ooops" need a more serious frame of reference.
For example: You are counting the cash for a fund raiser. It's discovered that $500 didn't make it into the count, and it turns up in a someone's possession instead. They say, "Ooops, sorry!" and claim it was a mistake. Really?! Will you let them count the cash next time? Probably not.
What are the consequences for Automated Election Services, for ES&S, or for Diebold? What SHOULD they be?!!
1 comment:
Great post! Thanks for spreading the word!
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