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Related: About this forumInvoices prove Romney-related voting company Hart InterCivic does maintenance on Cincinnati voting m
From: http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2012/4782
Invoices prove Romney-related voting company Hart InterCivic does maintenance on Cincinnati voting machines
by Gerry Bello and Bob Fitrakis
November 5, 2012
Why did Amy Searcy, Hamilton County Board of Elections director of elections, tell the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Washington Post that Hart InterCivic is not involved with operations or maintenance of their voting machines in Hamilton County when her signature is on a quote from Hart InterCivic for voting machine repairs?
Through a public records request, the Free Press has obtained two invoices confirming that Hart InterCivic does, in fact, still maintain electronic election equipment in Hamilton County. Since the Free Press first broke the story of Hart InterCivic being owned by HIG Capital, a private equity firm founded by Bain alumni and closely tied to the Romney campaign, Searcy began a full frontal media counter offensive.
A look at these invoices reveals that the Hamilton County Board of Elections received two recent invoices from Hart InterCivic, one for $134,125.00 worth of ballots and one for $15,386.40 worth of maintenance services. Although Searcy previously claimed that We own our equipment, we own the software, we have a bi-partisan team on staff that does all the pre-testing, all the diagnostic maintenance, ballot preparation and vote tabulation, the countys ballot printing is clearly still done by Hart InterCivic, as evidenced by the invoice produced by Searcy's office.
More importantly, the documents include an invoice for the replacement of hardware, including motherboards and memory. The affected machines include three JBC electronic ballot box machines, two of which had motherboards replaced. The work was performed in late August and was billed on August 31.
These motherboards contain on-board memory and programing instructions which could be used to tamper with votes on Election Day. The replacement of motherboards on JBC models is especially troubling as malicious firmware could tamper with the results of an entire precinct.
The mainstream media did not report on Searcy's ties to the Tea Party in their parroting of Searcy's statements without corroborating evidence. Media sources also failed to note that Ms. Searcy is Vice-Chair of the Hamilton County Republican Party.
The Free Press will continue to examine this issue as more records are forthcoming. We will report on this and any other seeming electronic election fraud before, during and after this election.
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Gerry Bello is the chief researcher at the Columbus Free Press. He holds a degree in computer security from Antioch College. Bob Fitrakis is the Editor of the Free Press. He holds Ph.D. in Political Science and a J.D. from the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University.
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)that is suspicious enough without the "experimental patches" put in 30 days ago, illegally, and without inspection.
questionseverything
(9,658 posts)and es&s is the voting company that are having patches installed...after everything husted has openly done to suppress the vote how can we not be worried about the "blackboxes"
questionseverything
(9,658 posts)woolldog
(8,791 posts)or are you just trying to scare people?
questionseverything
(9,658 posts)election integrity peops are just trying to inform voters
questionseverything
(9,658 posts)Virtually the entire national vote count is now being conducted on electronic voting machines, which include optical scanning computers. There is one overriding reality that defines their use: the courts have ruled that their software is proprietary, and therefore in essence immune from public scrutiny. In practical terms, this means the vote counts for tens of millions of American citizens is opaque and beyond investigative or legal monitoring or recall.
As we saw in Volusia County, Florida, in 2000, and in Ohio 2004, as well as in numerous Congressional and other races, control of the electronic vote count can decide an election, and there is nothing the public can do to prove it, or to challenge the outcome through the legal system.
That a firm with deep ties to the Romney family and campaign has a major interest in a company that owns, programs, manages and tallies votes in at least four swing states that could decide the election must be a matter of concern.
Beyond Hart Intercivic, nearly all the nation's electronic voting machines are also owned, programmed, managed and tallied by firms with deep Republican ties. Among them are ES&S, Sequoia, Dominion, Triad and more. They are spread throughout the United States, and will surely control the decisive votes in many if not all key swing states.
Columbus Free Press
(141 posts)This afternoon.
The notice isnt up on the wbesite yet.
Case is Fitrakis V. Husted
Docket No 2:12 1015CV
woolldog
(8,791 posts)Columbus Free Press
(141 posts)Which is against ES&S and Husted,
Removal of the software.
If there is not time or money, Hand Count the Votes in those counties. All of them.
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)They can probably develop theories based on what is known already
Columbus Free Press
(141 posts)One of us used to write Anti-Virus Software
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)to get the injunction done in time?
If you get it will it hold up voting in some areas? Can they revert to paper ballots?
Columbus Free Press
(141 posts)10. Is there a reliable paper trail if you aren't able to get the injunction done in time?
Yes
If you get it will it hold up voting in some areas?
No. The worst that can happen is a 100% hand count of paper ballots
Can they revert to paper ballots?
All Ballots in Ohio have a paper component. These machines scan and tabulate paper.
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)that we'll win Ohio, at least eventually.
I'm sure there's probably something else problematic here -- as the paper trail being obliterated.