Write a letter to the Washington Post re Touchscreeen voting

[Eric J in MN]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29461-2004Nov5.html

Thoughts on Paper

Saturday, November 6, 2004; Page A22

PREDICTIONS THAT touch-screen voting machines would enable massive fraud on Election Day seem to have gone the way of Y2K. Still, watchdog groups are continuing to report machine failures, including screen malfunctions that voters said hindered attempts to record their choices accurately. That is the haunting question still not addressed in most states using touch-screens: Without any paper records of how votes were cast, who will ever know how accurate the machine tallies were?

In Bernalillo County, N.M., for example, a number of voters reported that when they attempted to select John F. Kerry, the electronic machine selected the Libertarian presidential candidate, according to the Election Protection coalition, a nonpartisan group of civil rights organizations. After making several attempts and then notifying poll workers, the voters were able to record their choices correctly -- or so it appeared on their screens.
...
r the most part, voters said that using the machines was not difficult, that the problems they encountered were the classic variety: slow lines, poll workers who were not well-versed on procedures and insufficient equipment to accommodate heavy turnout. But a relatively smooth Election Day nationwide is no argument for states to continue using machines that do not produce paper trails of votes cast. Machines will crash, hackers may find ways to sabotage the counts and, without a way to audit the tallies, elections may be tainted. This year, states said they did not have enough time to add paper-trail capability to their machines. Now it's time. The integrity of the voting process demands action.

----------------------------

Their email address is:
[e-mail]


Refer to the above editorial at the end of your first sentence:

Your first sentence ("Thoughts on Paper," November 6, 2004.)


and put your full name, address, and phone number in the closing.

[LisaL]

1. I would like to know how this guy is so sure there was no

massive voter fraud? Did anybody check the machines? The guy himself says that without paper trail, there is no way to verify the results, yet assumes there was no massive voter fraud. Maybe we all should ask him how does he know that?

[Eric J in MN]

3. OK, go and ask (nt)

nt

[LisaL]

4. I will.

[glitch]

7. He's a psychic genius angel from GOD. Or he's full of shit like typical WP

do they even have editors there any more? Just asking, with disgust.

[Eric J in MN]

9. This is an editorial. The editors wrote it (nt)

nt

[glitch]

10. That's my point. I know, gotta have that /sarcasm tag. nt

[alittlelark]

2. I sent one.

[aquart]

5. Me, too.

[mountainvue]

6. Done.

[Eric J in MN]

11. thanks (nt)

nt

[Eloriel]

8. Here's some data and other info you can use --

I've just been pulling this together for the last hour or so (you'll have to do some digging, but there's a goldmine here):

Kerry Margins: Paper-ballot and Non-paper ballot states... (by TrutIsAll)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2612492

Take a look at these interesting numbers...... (FL)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2623514
Chart Links:


Graph of Florida by County by Voting Machine - Change from 2000 to 2004
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2615219&mesg_id=2615219

Denial, Anger, Action
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2619207&mesg_id=2619207

Calling all DUers - My husband is a Ph.D. statistician and
(see esp. post #17)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=26421#
DU Home Page (w/Graphs mentioned in opening post of thread): http://www.democraticunderground.com/ or see this thread:

The Exit Polls vs. the Actuals: Who do you believe-CNN or your lying eyes?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2617461

Exit polls analysis versus reported vote count (by Faun Otter)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=11874&mesg_id=11874

In this thread we post all the evidence of vote fraud.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1333866

New tabulation of voting methods, vendors by population in state.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2617492

[GettysbergII]

12. I just emailed them my letter. Its time to go to the sound of battle.

In Thoughts on Paper," November 6, 2004 contends that there was not massive voting fraud in the 2004 elections. Has a nationwide audit been run on the touch-screen voting machines to verify that it was not the many state exit polls that showed different election results that were correct rather than the easily hackable e-voting machines provided by rightwing companies with connections to that Dominionist and CNP stalwart, Howard Ahmanson Jr.? The answer to that oddly enough is 'yes'.

At 8:30 p.m. Election Night Black Box Voting (www.blackboxvoting.org) conducted the largest Freedom of Information action in historywhen it "blanketed the U.S. with the first in a series of public records requests, to obtain internal computer logs and other documents from 3,000 individual counties and townships. Networks called the election before anyone bothered to perform even the most rudimentary audit."

"Based on hard evidence, documents obtained in public records requests, inside information, and other data indicative of manipulation of electronic voting systems" BBV contends that fraud has indeed taken place and they are "working now to compile the proof, based not on soft evidence -- red flags, exit polls -- but core documents obtained by Black Box Voting in the most massive Freedom of Information action in history".

While you and the American media in general didn't have the wherwithal or spine to do any digging into the rather bizarre election night results, I think in respect for, or at least a pretension of respect for, our American democracy you should wait until the results of the Black Box Voting audit is completed before declaring there was no significant fraud involving the touch screen voting machines. Or as Yogi might say, "It ain't over until its over."

[dougkess]

13. Done deal

I just sent them a letter expressing my belief that all e-voting must have a paper trail. With Prez election results so close, how could we move into Nov. 2, 2004 without this?

I also told them it would be responsible to go to blackboxvoting.org and follow Bev's quest for truth in voting totals.

[goclark]

14. Let's keep kicked and let's keep fighting!