Diebold e-mail discusses price gouging Maryland (12/03)

[garybeck]

this is sort of old news but for some of those who haven't been watching this since '03, it paints a picture of what Diebold is all about.

http://www.gazette.net/200350/princegeorgescty/state/192070%2D1.html

Dec. 15, 2003

ANNAPOLIS -- An e-mail found in a collection of files stolen from Diebold Elections Systems' internal database recommends charging Maryland "out the yin-yang," if the state requires Diebold to add paper printouts to the $73 million voting system it purchased.

The e-mail from "Ken," dated Jan. 3, 2003, discusses a (Baltimore) Sun article about a University of Maryland study of the Diebold system:

"There is an important point that seems to be missed by all these articles: they already bought the system. At this point they are just closing the barn door. Let's just hope that as a company we are smart enough to charge out the yin if they try to change the rules now and legislate voter receipts."

http://www.gazette.net/200350/princegeorgescty/state/192070%2D1.html

[Nothing Without Hope]

1. Sweet. "Ken" sounds like a Free Republic poster...

...and is probably unfaithfully married to Barbie.

I hope these emails and the other evidence do help to push the fight for fully documented paper trails.

[Andy_Stephenson]

4. STOP SAYING PAPER TRAIL!!!!

the term is VOTER VERIFIED PAPER BALLOTS!

PLEASE!


When no statutory definition for a term exists, the first fallback in all courts is to consult the definition in Blacks Law Dictionary. a compelling case can be made for the fact that ballot is defined in Blacks Law Dictionary...Paper is defined in Blacks Law Dictionary but "Trail" is completely absent. Collectively the definition for ballot and the definition for paper generate a clear and easily understood legal definition of the paper ballot needed to ensure the integrity of our vote. Paper trail produces no such record.

[Nothing Without Hope]

5. Wow! I'm honored - you would be the expert on this

And you're right, the distinction from the standard cliche "paper trail" is very important. Have you written an article to emphasize ths? I doubt I'm all that unusual in not having really grasped this point clearly before. Also, is there a term easier to write than "voter verified paper ballots"? Or do people just say VVPB (which looks like WPB to me by the way)?

And thanks both for your explanation and for all the work you have done.

[Andy_Stephenson]

9. No your not unsusal...there needs to be more

education on this point. I am sorry I yelled but that is the one thing that really sets me off. I am going to write an article at your suggestion and perhaps my friend Will Pitt will publish it for me at Truthout.

Don't give the politicians wriggle room on this issue...Without a ballot...we are truly lost.

Andy

[Nothing Without Hope]

10. Yelling is GOOD on this point. And I have another thing for Will

I have to leave 5 min ago to go to a meeting, but there is something I REALLY REALLY think Will should consider writing. No time to discuss it right now, but will you please check back tonight? I'll reply to your post here again then when Ihave time to explain. I have been despairing of how to reach Will this this idea - he must be overwhelmed with emails and PMs and just tune out the ones from people he doesn't recognize.

But I do believe this is very, very important and Will seems to be either the right person for it or could have ideas of who else would be.

So please check back tonight, OK?

And I'm glad you're going to ask him to write the article about clarifying the goals in voting technology. We can't win if we don't know what we're fighting for and have good talking points based on solid data ready to convince the public.

[Nothing Without Hope]

11. I would like for Will to think about a book about another subject

And that is explained somewhat in a post I left in another thread earlier today:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2970623&mesg_id=2970828

I'd be willing to help with the book but I'm not right person to be the primary author. I'm very good at gathering and organizing information (decades of experience as a practicing --and writing--scientist and also a certain talent), but this is not my field. Nor have I previously published a book, just lots of scientific papers and technical book chapters. I feel strongly that such a book could do a great deal of good to spread and speed the development of internet-based political activism and that this may well be the key to saving democracy in this country. But I need to figure out how to start the process of putting such a book together and who to start it with (or give it to if they don't want my help).

I'd appreciate your comments on this book idea and also, if you think it's a good one, whether/how/if I should approach Will Pitt about it. You know him, I don't.

Thank you!

[garybeck]

6. and beyond the legalese, the issue is

that a paper trail or ballot ensures nothing.

we saw that in Ohio.

we need more than a paper ballot. there needs to be a mandatory minimum random spot check by hand to make sure the counting machines are working right.

If we just get a paper ballot, we lose again.

[understandinglife]

7. Computers are fine for many things, but....

....when it comes to voting, I am a paper-freak.

My view is simple.

Paper registration. Paper poll books. Paper ballots. Humans look at the paper ballots and record on paper the votes. All votes are tabulated, on paper, by each County and then by each State. All paper records for any "National" position -- executive or legislative -- are archived by the National Library of Congress.

The cost is trivial. How much does a 500 lb. 'smart bomb' that kills an entire family in Iraq compare to whatever it costs to print ballots; hire nonpartisan vote counters; pay room and board for independent, international observers; and, pay the lease expense for a Library of Congress supervised storage facility that maintains, indefinitely, the full record of how each citizen participated in the American franchise of democracy.

Paper all the way. People at every stage. Multiple, independent observers. Whatever the cost, it is the most important investment of any tax dollar; it's the cost of knowing, unambiguously, that the government we elect is the government that we will hold accountable.

Anything less means "We The People" most definitely did not meet OUR responsibility for ensuring "A More Perfect Union."

Peace.

BE THE BUSH OPPOSITION; 24/7

[Amaryllis]

2. kick.

[Hugin]

3. Yep.

Corrupt as heck.

[genieroze]

8. Diebold=Scumbags. eom