WaPo Page 1: Paperless Voting Machines 'Cannot be Made Secure'; Brad on TV on Election Meltdown 2006

WaPo covers the NIST recommendations (though misses their call to end "paper trails" as we know them) and I cover everything else in a recent TV appearance (video linked below). -- Brad

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Page One Washington Post: 'Paperless Electronic Voting Machines Cannot Be Made Secure'
While We're Grateful for the WaPo Coverage of the New NIST Recommendations for Voting Systems, They Overlook — as Have Others — the Call to Also Scrap DRE/Touch-Screen Systems Even With So-Called 'Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails'…

WaPo page one today:

Paperless electronic voting machines used throughout the Washington region and much of the country "cannot be made secure," according to draft recommendations issued this week by a federal agency that advises the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

The assessment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, one of the government's premier research centers, is the most sweeping condemnation of such voting systems by a federal agency.

...And this:

The report repeats the contention of the computer security community that "a single programmer could 'rig' a major election."

...And then there's this -- also of much note -- from Wall Street Journal (yes, Wall Street Journal) yesterday...

A paper-trail law probably wouldn't have prevented the Sarasota mishap, where about 18,000 voters apparently didn't notice that they hadn't voted in the House race, even though a summary page at the end of the ballot flagged their oversight. A paper record would have carried the same information and could also have been ignored.

FULL COVERAGE: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3867

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VIDEO - Brad's Appearance on 'Week in Review'
On Election Meltdown 2006…

I appeared on the "Week in Review" program, hosted by Bob Jimenez, a week or two ago out here in Los Angeles to discuss fallout from the 2006 Election Meltdown. The show was taped on November 17th and aired the following week. Thanks to Alan Breslauer, the video is now finally available below here at The BRAD BLOG.

Discussion included problems in California from Riverside to Monterey, Sequoia's yellow button, Diebold's sleepovers in San Diego, lack of paper ballots and voters turned away without being allowed to vote by the thousands around the country, Sarasota's mess, the failures of Bruce McPherson, Michael Haas and other lousy elections officials, the need for reform, the mainstream corporate media's dismal failure and more...

FULL STORY, VIDEO: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3865

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VIDEO - Neil Cavuto's Interesting Take on Democracy
...And Mexico's Presidential Melee...

VIDEO: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3862

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---
Brad Friedman
THE BRAD BLOG - The uprising continues...
http://www.BradBlog.com
VELVET REVOLUTION's Election Protection Strike Force!
Of the people, by the people, for the people...
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us/ElectionStrikeForce

It just struck me how goodlooking you are. Geez - it takes me awhile to look at anything past the issues. Heheh.

Lucky you! blm is hot for you, now THAT'S something get excited about!

Seriously, dude, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Par for the course for the WP to skip the most important points in certain things.

Replying to this comment if ONLY to underscore the subject line yet again.

We ALL now need to keep repeating that over and over! As often as possible, to Congress and everyone else that you know!

America needs a paper BALLOT for every vote cast!

(Not a paper "trail", not a paper "record", but a paper BALLOT)

Your tenacity proves that we're not the "sore losers" we've been painted-- we win, and still keep hounding the truth!

Good on ya! :applause:

.

andy would be proud.

...It was Andy Stephenson, in fact -- who was one of VelvetRevolution.us' first expert consultant's back in early 2005 -- who first explained to me the difference between paper trails and paper BALLOTS.

He was, of course, right on the money.

I think about him virtually every day when I repeat that (hopefully soon-familiar) refrain:

America needs a paper BALLOT for every vote cast.

check the sig:

...how it talked about there not being a legal definition of the term "paper trail."

For Immediate Release: 11/28/2006
Contact: Nick Berning
People For the American Way Foundation
email: media@pfaw.org
phone: 202-467-2369

Revote Rally in Sarasota

2 PM Sunday, December 3, 2006
Bayfront Park, Sarasota, Florida
Concerned citizens of Sarasota County and voters from all over Florida will gather at a REVOTE RALLY Sunday, December 3, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. in Bayfront (Island) Park, Sarasota. The entrance to the park is from the parking lot south of Marina Jack’s Restaurant, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota, FL 34236.

Guest speakers will explain Sarasota’s nearly 15% "undervote" on the touchscreen voting machines, the experts' scorecard on electronic voting systems, and the need to call upon local and state officials to honor democracy through a paper ballot revote in Sarasota County of the 13th District Congressional race. Other information and entertainment will be on hand.

On November 7, 2006, voters from all political parties were disenfranchised in a massive 18,000+ undervote on touch screen Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting machines in Sarasota County. For two weeks leading up to Election Day, the Supervisor of Elections failed to respond dutifully to scores of machine malfunction complaints. The automatic "recounts" were nothing more than a reprint, a restatement of tallies from the machines themselves, without any investigation into whether votes were properly recorded. Computer scientists have found the spectacular undervote – in one county, one race – aberrant and statistically baffling. Despite this, local and state officials have ignored voters and refused to acknowledge the possibility of machine malfunction as a cause.

On November 21, 2006, 11 Sarasota County voters, represented by VoterAction, the ACLU of Florida, People for the American Way Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, filed a lawsuit contesting the election and demanding a revote on paper ballots. One of the lawyers will give an update on the progress of the lawsuit at the rally.

Our vote is the voice in which democracies speak. The likely failure of Sarasota County’s touch screen machines silences that voice. The persistent failure of elected officials to address a likely cause of the undervote suggests at best, disinterest and, at worst, intent to deprive and silence voters. All voters must know our election processes work, and that our votes will be accurately counted.

Common Cause, Voter Action, People for the American Way Foundation, and the ACLU of Florida are sponsoring this event, together with VoteTrustUSA, the Electric Frontier Foundation, the Sarasota County NAACP, the Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections and other nonpartisan Florida election reform groups, including the Florida Fair Elections Coalition, the Voting Integrity Alliance of Tampa Bay, the Broward Election Reform Coalition, and the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition.

JOIN US ON DECEMBER 3RD, STAND AND
DEFEND DEMOCRACY, FOR SARASOTA AND ALL AMERICANS

:kick: