Wake up call: Verifiable, transparent voting systems must be the law

Alvin Greene's mysterious candidacy and win in the Democratic primary in South Carolina, and his apparent mental problems are becoming the main story, when in fact, the real story here is the obvious vote tampering.

The fact DeMint would slaughter the Democratic nominee no matter who it was, seems to be obscuring the irregularities in the Premier Election Solutions electronic voting system (a Diebold-owned company, which in turn is owned by avowed Republicans) -- people seem to be thinking it just doesn't matter. But the loser, Vic Rawl, who has challenged the results, is correct in stating this is about the system.

We're lucky, in a way, that the tampering is so obvious. It should be a huge red flag. There is plenty of evidence to warrant a thorough investigation. And that investigation should result in a conviction of officials at Diebold, and the barring of the company from any further participation in vote-counting.

Further, the fallout from this scandal needs to spark changes in the law. Citizens must demand an open, fully transparent system, with a verifiable paper trail and regular, random audits.

Diebold and other companies have a sordid history when it comes to counting votes. There have been other equally suspicious results in the past. So far, we as a society have let them slide. We do so at the peril of our own democracy.

Now's not the time to relax -- we must ban touchscreen voting

Now's the time to push this, while the Dems are in control... most of the so-called "anomalies" that have happened with electronic voting have hurt Democrats and helped Republicans, like the election Max Cleland lost in 2002.

Check out this petition... "Ban Touchscreen Voting"

It supports Rep. Rush Holt's Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act. This bill requires verifiable and accessible voting systems in federal elections with paper ballots marked by voters by hand or through the use of non-tabulating ballot marking devices. It will ensure that voters in every precinct across the United States are guaranteed the right in a federal election to cast their votes using paper ballots. It will require election audits for every federal election where the winning candidate receives less than 80 percent of
the vote.

The past several election cycles have demonstrated that electronic voting systems present a serious threat to the integrity of our elections. Touchscreen machines (DRE's) have proven to be unreliable and insecure for the counting and recording of votes. Further, touchscreens repeatedly malfunction during elections, causing long lines and disenfranchising thousands of voters.

And touchscreens provide no opportunity to conduct a meaningful recount or audit of an election. As a result, voters throughout the country have lost confidence in the accuracy of reported electoral outcomes in jurisdictions using touchscreens. More than a century ago, the United States Supreme Court stated in the case of Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356, 370 (1886), that the right to vote is "a fundamental political right" which is "preservative of all rights." The Holt Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act is a critical measure for helping to protect this most basic right.

http://www.democrats.com/ban-touchscreen-voting?source=cpn%40cwo.com

Vote! Or forfeit any right to complain!

Sure, you're tired of hearing it, but until we get up near the percentile of eligible people voting that other democracies have, we need to keep prodding each other. Please vote, no matter how much you think it won't matter. Because it does matter.

And after election day, let's put the pressure on our government to finally do all the things it's been neglecting: health care for all, rebuilding our infrastructure, alternative energy, etc., and last but NOT least: REFORMING THE ELECTION SYSTEM ITSELF!

It's incredibly embarrassing to hear from people in other countries who can't believe what a mess our election system is! We need a uniform system, completely transparent and verifiable. Fire the incompetent/dishonest electronic election machine companies, put their CEOs in jail where they belong for election tampering, and legislate proper election procedure - right away! Let's not wait until the next election!

Here's hoping that 'change we need' is more than just a slogan...

How the Ohio vote was stolen - as told by a Republican

Extremely important stuff! Please read this article and forward it to everyone you know!

How the GOP Wired Ohio's 2004 Vote Count for Bush to Win
By Steven Rosenfeld
A Republican computer data security expert tells how cyber-partisans could have stolen the 2004 election. Read more...

Finally, an honest Republican computer expert agrees, the technology cannot be trusted

Here is a very interesting video interview with a man named Stephen Spoonamore, one of the world's leading experts in cyber crime and a self-described "life-long Republican."

Although this interview is from October, 2006, it has only recently seen the light of day. It is just one more bit of testimony from yet another computer security expert, warning us that these machines are incredibly insecure.

Mr. Spoonamore is an extremely experienced computer security expert. As he says, we need to have paper ballots, marked by the voter. They can then be scanned and tabulated by computers, but the initial record of the vote must be made on paper by the voter, so that recounts can be trusted. Also, random audits must be a regular part of the process.

Please forward this interview link far and wide, and demand the following from your secretary of state, House representative, and Senators:

Ban the use of electronic voting machines!
Furthermore, demand that all elections in the United States be conducted:
1) with a hand-marked paper ballot for every vote;
2) the ballots counted publicly and transparently at each precinct;
3) citizens allowed by law to observe the ballots being counted;
4) precinct results posted publicly before being sent to the central tabulator.

Fresh evidence Diebold is tampering with our elections

Why we need open-source software, paper trails and automatic audits on electronic voting machines, if we must use them at all:

In the 2002 Georgia race, incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who was five percentage points ahead of Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss in polls taken a week before the vote, lost 53% to 46%. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Barnes, who led challenger Sonny Perdue in the polls by eleven points, lost 51% to 46%.

Here's why: The election was stolen by good ol' Diebold.

Check it out: http://rawstory.com//news/2008/Cybersecurity_expert_raises_allegations_of_2004_0717.html