Math professor finds odd patterns in voting machine returns: Republicans block her investigation.

[southerncrone]

Billionaires buying our elections are a huge problem, but rigged voting machines are just as big.
I contend this is how so many inept & crazy Republican Congressmen have been elected in the past decade plus. Some defy belief, (I'm sure you have more than a few in mind who fit that category). So many Republican governors, too. The odds that our country turned so red, so quickly, always seemed very unlikely to me, especially given the distaste for the Iraqi War during the last few elections. This sea of red coinciding exactly w/the advent of these machines has always been troubling, if not down right suspicious. The intended result of the hanging-chad coup.

At least now, perhaps, it will get the attention it deserves if this Math professor keeps pushing. But, Republicans are obstructing, again. Gee, wonder why?

http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article27951310.html

[immoderate]

1. Beth Clarkson

Remember her name.

--imm

[shadowmayor]

33. Indeed

I hope her journeys are safe and uneventful. I seriously wonder if she is in some kind of danger?

There's absolutely no reason to have electronic voting machines - period! The average precinct has fewer than 1000 voters. How hard is it for a dozen folks to count a thousand ballots? How long would it take? All this convenience is for our TV idiots to point to some map and declare "early results". Remember when Rove gagged over the votes in southern Ohio? Wonder why? Perhaps his machines weren't counting votes the way he paid for them to do so. Give us paper ballots, groups of nice old men and ladies to count them and wait a few hours. Nobody will die or get hurt, and the people who get the most votes will actually win elections.

Why haven't the Dems raised holy hell about this bullshit?? Watching Gore lay down during the Florida debacle was shameful. Having an AG be in charge of voting in any state should raise alarm bells. Would love to see Hillary and Bernie join hands in demanding an end to the electronic nightmare that is our election process. Debbie WS should be kicking the Repukes in the teeth constantly over the damage this causes to our democracy.

Give us paper and pens and we'll all have honest elections with actual paper trails. Votes can be stored and recorded so easily and I'm guessing the cost would actually be less?

Again, I hope dear Beth stays safe. There are powerful people with giant sums of money who do not want this issue to see the light of day.

[southerncrone]

50. Agree with all of your post.

[billhicks76]

36. Hello Hillary? Anybody Home?

She had irregularities herself in NY. Anyone that intimate a friend of the Bush family probably benefits from the same corruption. Enjoying the perks of selling out the Anerican People on behalf of Bush Se and his buddies?

[Lunabell]

2. K&R

I am soooo tired of rethuglicans stealing the elections!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. The big question is, "Will there be a challenge to it?"

[NBachers]

4. As the Republican Crime Syndicate protects it's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations

[delrem]

5. Why can't US Americans figure out that the solution is

to go back to putting an 'X' on a piece of paper, and have it counted by scrutineers?

Are you that fucking backward that you can't grasp the most basic thing?

[Enthusiast]

7. US Americans aren't too bright.

[PatrickforO]

8. Boy, not much between that girl's ears, is there?

Uh, uh, most US Americans don't have maps????

[delrem]

10. I wish that vid would stop being pushed.

I don't see any purpose in further humiliating that young woman.

[Enthusiast]

14. You're right, of course. I just couldn't resist. I imagine she has made an effort to learn some

geography since then. Geographical knowledge has become a thing of the past.

[librechik]

19. snicker--yes she went on to major in geography at MIT n/t

not in a million years

[BlueJazz]

29. You know the people that post the icon for "Laughing my ass off" "

I was going to do that but it wouldn't be enough.
A big thumbs up to you! Cracked me up!

[tblue37]

41. She is not dumb. Dummies don't make it in those big name pageants. I have had a few

Last edited Sun Nov 1, 2015, 10:49 AM - Edit history (1)

students in my college classes who used beauty pageants as a way to finance their education.

It is quite common for someone to just freeze and draw a blank under pressure--even when they normally handle such situations smoothly. Since those pageant questions basically demand that a young girl "solve" major social or political issues within about 30-60 seconds, with no prior knowledge of which big issue they are going to be asked to address, the contestants probably memorize whole pages of buzz words and talking points of the sort known to please pageant judges. My guess us that this time the poor child simply buckled under the pressure and began to babble bits and pieces from her memorized lists.

BTW, they aren't just under pressure. They are also usually pretty much sleep deprived by the time the pageant reaches its semifinalist and finalist stage. Anyone can sound stupid when sufficiently sleep deprived.

I have always been prejudiced against beauty pageants (especially since most pageant girls start as young children), so the first time I learned that I had a student who regularly competed and often placed in pageants, I asked her questions and she told me a lot about her experiences. I was surprised to learn that she enjoyed her pageant time, that she often encountered the same competitors, and that many of them become good friends with each other and are genuinely happy when one of their competitor-friends succeeds, even though they are disapponted at not winning themselves.

One of my most intelligent and charming students became Miss Illinois USA in the Miss Universe pageant a couple of years after she was in my class. (We are still FB friends.)

I actually saw the girl in the video on a couple of shows after that debacle of a response. She came across as a bright young woman with a good sense of humor, and perfectly willing to laugh at herself.

My biggest problem with these pageants now (besides the exploitation of the little ones in the pageants for too-young children) is that so many of the contestants are from RW/fundie backgrounds and thus are politically backward.

After all, Gretchen Carlson was Miss America.

But many of the contestants are just looking for money for college. One girl I knew back in the 1970s used to compete every year in our city's feeder pageant for the Miss America pageant. Penny, who was a talented gymnast, was very short and had the figure of a 12-year-old girl. She wasn't even pretty--quite plain, actually. But since there were never many contestants, and since her gymnastic skills always beat out the others in the talent competition, she always placed in the top 5--sometimes in the top 3--so she won a few hundred dollars each time. She started competing in pageants at about age 13, focusing on small ones with talent competitions and few competitors, so she often managed to place high enough to win a bit of money. She treated it as a part-time job and used it to earn money for college.

In this country, kids have to pay way too much for colllege, usually going deeply into debt, and merit scholarships for bright students are not widely available. The main way to get a college scholarship is either by being a talented athlete or by competing in beauty pageants. Yeah, that's pretty damned ridiculous, but it is very American. Women get rewarded for being pretty and for obediently conforming to certain standards of speech, appearance, and behavior, and men get rewarded for being successful in sports. Just being a smart, hard-working student is, for the most part, considered irrelevant in the quest for money for college.

[renate]

55. That was really interesting and really illuminating. Thank you!

Apart from all the background stuff, you're right--how ridiculous is it that young people are supposed to solve complicated problems that a bigger and older world has created?

[delrem]

9. I wonder if it's more a matter of being victim of one's own success?

For example, I can imagine a southern plantation owner congratulating himself on the success of his business, on his high position in society, and his success in philanthropy, the last because he has such excess to give.
Such a person wouldn't likely be seen soul searching for ethical lapses.

Not nearly so much as any average homeless person would be.

[southerncrone]

51. The run of the mill "Americans" didn't have a say in this.

It was decided by election commissions in the shadow of the hanging chad fiasco.

[delrem]

52. Well come on! You didn't have a say because

in the end you didn't give a shit.

Y'all just went back and sat in front of your TVs and watched the MSM, complaining about this or that.

[southerncrone]

54. Not on the commission.

In my county it was at the discretion of the commission which has 3 republicans & 2 democrats. So there you have it.
I do give a shit, otherwise I wouldn't have posted this. But I also know how the bread is buttered in my small town politics.

[Enthusiast]

6. What does this say about the "greatest country on earth" theory?

[Stevepol]

11. A thousand Recs!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fumesucker]

12. Not to worry, the Democratic party will fight to see this gets all the exposure it deserves

[delrem]

13. Uh, I think you forgot to append a certain tag.

[librechik]

20. lol n/t

[cantbeserious]

34. Too Sad - Not Holding My Breath For That To Happen

eom

[postulater]

15. Is this the math that TruthIsAll was using? Nt

[questionseverything]

21. different approach

richard charnin wrote,

But the “Smoking Gun” was the Final National Exit Poll, which indicated that there were four million more returning Bush 2000 voters than were alive in 2004. This “phantom voter” anomaly has never been discussed by pundits in the media or political scientists in academia, even though similar anomalies occurred in 1988, 1992 and 2008. The media pundits still claim that the recorded vote is correct (and the exit polls wrong) despite millions of uncounted votes in every election.

http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000364168/Proving-Election-Fraud.aspx

i think this op's math is more like the large number theory first presented by
:
Amazing Statistical Anomalies
Francois Choquette, James Johnson

http://electiondefensealliance.org/files/PrimaryElectionResultsAmazingStatisticalAnomalies_V2.1.pdf

both show election fraud but come at it from different angles

[lonestarnot]

16. 9 counties replacing old machines with new machines in AZ.

[questionseverything]

22. az has the best documented case of election theft in the country

http://www.sweetremedy.tv/fatallyflawed/media/RTA_Fraud_Flyer_3_7_12.pdf

[Dustlawyer]

17. "American Democracy," what a joke!

To read more about how easy to hack voting machines, look up William Spoonamore, a Republican! He demonstrates how easy to hack, discusses Karl Rove's hack in TN, how the two RW Christian Fundie brothers started the voting machine craze and who control most voting machine software.

[marym625]

18. I'm truly perplexed at how they continually get away with blocking so much

This and the CDC keeping track of fun violence. How is it they get away with that?

Thank goodness for Anonymous or we would have President Romney

[Utopian Leftist]

23. America needs the UN

Voting Commission to come and monitor our elections.

Or we could look at how Europe and Canada vote and choose a simple method. Of course, that will never happen because CONS hate ANY good idea that has the chance of helping people form Democracy!

[sketchy]

24. Link to a thread about recent development in this story

Link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1052642

Title of thread is:
Judge Sets March Bench Trial in Lawsuit Over Voting Machines

[SusanCalvin]

25. "The intended result of the hanging-chad coup."

I have always thought so.

[Blue Owl]

26. K&R

If everything is on the level the GOP should have nothing to fear...

[Ferd Berfel]

27. THIS is how the REich is planning on "winning" in 2016.

DWS ARE YOU EVEN FUCKING AWAKE?!

[BlueJazz]

30. Yep. Good post. !

[rhett o rick]

28. Has the Democratic Party shown any interest in assuring that our voting machines

are fair?

[blackspade]

31. This should be a primary focus of the Democratic Party....

But there is too much campaign cash rolling in I guess....

[brooklynite]

35. Would it surprise you to know...

...that not ONE of the Democratic candidates, elected officials, campaign managers or Party Chairs says this has happened?

[blackspade]

38. No, not surprised at all.

Just disheartened by the dismissal of potential problems with one of the fundamental ingredients of the democratic process by the PTB and the M$M.

[brooklynite]

39. Maybe it's dismissed because it didn't happen?

Maybe we lost because 1) our turnout model in 2004 wasn't effective (as the Ohio Party Chair told me)? 2) the Republicans put a wedge issue referendum on the ballot to gin up their turnout model? 3) Kerry wasn't a terribly inspiring candidate?

[blackspade]

42. You do realize this OP is about Kansas, right?

And conflating this story with an election over a decade ago with 2012 is nonsensical.
If the math doesn't add up, shouldn't it be looked into?
Or are you like a climate change denier that doesn't understand science?

[brooklynite]

44. I bring up Ohio because that's the "go-to" example of rigged voting machines...

...but if it makes you feel better, no candidate, Elected Official, campaign Manager or Party leader claims it happened in Kansas either.

[blackspade]

45. I guess it will take a private citizen to wake them up then.

They would likely ignore it even if she proved it in court though..

[brooklynite]

46. If Republicans can steal elections through rigged voting machines...

...why do they keep trying to steal them the old fashioned way?

[blackspade]

47. Because they use as many modes of attack as possible to subvert the democratic process.

The methodology may vary but the end result is what matters.
Voter suppression comes in many forms, some old, some new.
Rigged voting machines is just a newer one in their arsenal.

[southerncrone]

53. Exactly.

[Uncle Joe]

32. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, southerncrone.

[Thespian2]

37. The main reason voting is very easy here in my province

in Canada is quite simple...Each Riding (similar to a congress critter's district) has a very large number of polling places...your voter ticket, which is very easy to obtain, gets you a paper ballot and a pencil. Mark the ballot, hand it in...ballots are counted by a member of each party at the polling place...Every vote in Canada is counted in a very short period of time...in our area, we have two polling places...our village and surrounding area has perhaps 500 voters...The vote was over a week and included a holiday...voter turnout for Canada...over 65%...voter turnout for our Province...over 77%...

Quite easy to make simple things work effectively...

[thesquanderer]

40. No presidential candidate can make an issue of voting machine integrity

because to some people, it makes them sound like a conspiracy theorist. And can almost come across like "if I lose, we ought to check the machines!"

But that would be the kind of issue I imagine Sanders might be concerned about, and we can hope that he looks into it if by some chance he is elected.

There is no need for proprietary software in voting machine. The code in the machines should all be third-party/publically verifiable.

"If someone presses here, increment counter X by 1" is not exactly "trade secret" material.

[zinnisking]

43. Rank-and-file Republicans dont trust electronic voting machines either especially in areas with

elected Democrats. I encourage it!

Standing in the line to vote in 2012, a teabagger and his wife were convinced the liberals are already hacking the electronic voting machines.

Teabaggers don't want common cause with us, so we shouldn't be agreeable, we should feed their outrage. Tie Democrats and electronic voting machines to each other. The next time a rank-and-file Republican expresses distrust, tell them the electronic voting machines were put in their state by a Democrat Board of Elections and the fix is in.

Everyone knows Progressives are better hackers. It was a 4-channer who broke into Sarah Palins email account.

I don't pretend to be an intellectual especially at progressive forums but this is how we encourage widespread distrust of paperless electronic voting machines.

[Octafish]

48. Kick for Justice.

Remember how democracy works, America?

[sorechasm]

49. Kick again.

We have a long way to go for justice.

[Hekate]

56. Some DU old timer can dig into our files regarding black box voting. There's a treasure trove...

...of info from Dubya's first term.

Live free or Diebold, as we used to say. Very glad this is resurfacing.