Debra Bowen on DKos: Can the Diebold takeover of CA elections be stopped?

[freedomfries]

On Tue Feb 21, 2006 CA Senator and Secretary of State Candidate Debra Bowens writes:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/21/164416/289
As many of you know and have already blogged about this weekend, last Friday afternoon, as millions of Californians were preparing for their Presidents' Day holiday weekend, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson quietly re-certified Diebold electronic voting machines for the 2006 elections.
<...>
Why is Secretary McPherson so intent to rush through this Diebold certification?

Where are the results of tests conducted by the federal "Independent Testing Authorities?" McPherson told us last December that he wouldn't even consider Diebold's application until those tests were done.

And why didn't McPherson allow experts and the general public to review and comment on this latest report BEFORE he decided to flip-flop on the issue and re-certify these Diebold machines?

This report determined that "there are serious vulnerabilities" with the Diebold machines "that go beyond what was previously known."

Don't you think that Californians deserve voting systems without "serious vulnerabilities?"

Join me in urging the Secretary of State to reverse his decision to re-certify the Diebold machines -- and schedule a public hearing to independently review new and damaging information about Diebold's machines!
http://ga3.org/campaign/diebold?qp_source=kos%5fdiebold%5fcert

So, just to recap the facts here:

The Secretary of State's own rushed secret study points out "serious vulnerabilities... that go beyond what was previously known," yet the Secretary decided to re-certify the machines.

There has been absolutely no opportunity for public comment or review on these latest findings.

The Secretary of State told us he would wait for test results from the federal "Independent Testing Authorities" before acting on Diebold's request to re-certify its machines. He didn't do that.

The Secretary of State said any voting machine in California would have to meet all federal laws, rules, and regulations. These Diebold machines fail that test -- especially by using "interpreted code" that is banned by the Election Assistance Commission.

The Secretary of State said any voting machine in California would have to meet state law. These Diebold machines violate state law because they don't provide an audible "read-back" of the machines' auditable paper trail for blind and visually-impaired voters.

What could Secretary of State McPherson possibly be thinking?

Join me in calling on Secretary of State McPherson to put his decision to re-certify the Diebold machines on hold now!

Thanks so much for your help on this critical issue. The integrity of California's state elections system is at stake. Working together over the coming weeks and months, we have a chance to set things right in California -- and set an example for the rest of the country.

-- Debra

P.S. As Chair of the Senate Elections Committee, I'm pursuing many other actions as well, including compelling voting machine vendors and the Secretary of State to appear before the State Senate. But right now it's important for Secretary of State McPherson to hear from all of us directly, since it was his decision on Friday to certify Diebold's machines -- and it is his responsibility to hear the facts and comply with the law.
http://ga3.org/campaign/diebold?qp_source=kos%5fdiebold%5fcert


http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/21/164416/289

[freedomfries]

1. join debra - click & e-mail ca sos mcpherson

http://ga3.org/campaign/diebold?qp_source=kos%5fdiebold%5fcert

[nicknameless]

2. K&R

[Mister Ed]

3. Kicked. Recommended. Important.

[autorank]

4. Rate this up...Diebold must be stopped. Great post freedomfries!!

[niallmac]

5. Send the SOB er SOS an email at the link everyone. K and R!

[Wilms]

6. Bowen's Bullets

Bowen's Bullets

snip

So, just to recap the facts here:

* The Secretary of State's own rushed secret study points out "serious vulnerabilities... that go beyond what was previously known," yet the Secretary decided to re-certify the machines.

* There has been absolutely no opportunity for public comment or review on these latest findings.

* The Secretary of State told us he would wait for test results from the federal "Independent Testing Authorities" before acting on Diebold's request to re-certify its machines. He didn't do that.

* The Secretary of State said any voting machine in California would have to meet all federal laws, rules, and regulations. These Diebold machines fail that test -- especially by using "interpreted code" that is banned by the Election Assistance Commission.

* The Secretary of State said any voting machine in California would have to meet state law. These Diebold machines violate state law because they don't provide an audible "read-back" of the machines' auditable paper trail for blind and visually-impaired voters.

snip

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/21/164416/289

[caligirl]

7. I just completed listening to a conference call with Senator Bowen

The righties must be very worried, the call was constantly hijacked by a recording of what at first sounds like kids, then to something like phone sex. It was astonishing that anyone would be so depraved. They used a free conferencing service, apparently not a good idea.

At best, it does look like people are making plans to stop McPhearson from getting Deibold into Cali illegally. There is much that can be done. But most importantly she wants people to call the SOS and voice you objections.

[caligirl]

8. Voting absentee with Diebold is just as bad as voting with the

e-voting machines: from the dkos thread linked above,

Guys, absentee is especially dangerous w. Diebold (

Diebold stripped out the key protection that would detect GEMS tampering. Your 12 year old sister can own the absentee votes without leaving a trace, short of counting the absentee ballots.

When a candidate in Marin County noticed that he won on polling place votes but lost hugely on absentees, he asked to do a recount. They told him it would be $13,000 just to sort the ballots, which they jumbled together.

You vote absentee, anyone with access to the central tabulator for 60 seconds, even years before the election, can own your vote.

And by the way, even aside from GEMS and the stripped-out Diebold absentee security, guess who wrote the mail-sorting software AND the signature authentication software for Diebold ?

That's right, Jeffrey Dean, whose testimony on this matter in a 2004 trial is posted on our Web site. Read and weep, he was convicted on 23 counts of computer fraud and his software counts your absentee votes.

[Wilms]

9. .

[freedomfries]

10. kick

come on CA, don't make it easy on the SoS to steal your votes. Make your voices heard and your votes count!