KY Election Officials Arrested, Charged With 'Changing Votes at E-Voting Machines'

[BradBlog]

Source: BRAD BLOG; LEX18



KY Election Officials Arrested, Charged With 'Changing Votes at E-Voting Machines'
Circuit court judge, county clerk and election officials among eight indicted for gaming elections in 2002, 2004, 2006
County uses popular, unverifiable ES&S touch-screen voting systems...

Over the years, we've detailed the arrests and other unsavory behavior of many of the not-so-good election officials who, we were told, should simply have been trusted (our "favorite" has always been the case of Monterey CA's Tony Anchundo, who told us on air we should "trust" him, just a month or two before being arrested on 43 counts).

Well, now we've got a whole passel of still more crooked officials to add to the list. Moreover: The Kentucky officials arrested and indicted today, "including the circuit court judge, the county clerk, and election officers" of Clay County, have been charged with "changing votes at the voting machine" and showing others how to do it!...

FULL STORY: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7001


Read more: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7001

[Wapsie B]

1. Send them to the gallows.

Let's see if capital punishment really is a deterrent.

[loudsue]

46. I'm with you. The death penalty should be reserved for these assholes.

This is the kind of person who gave us 14 years of complete republican control of the federal government, starting with the Gingrich revolution in 1994.

[47of74]

51. The government should make tampering with a voting machine a capital crime

This sort of stuff stabs at the very heart of our representative democracy, and brings us one step closer to tyranny. It's becoming clear that the only way to safeguard our own democracy is for our government to make tampering with voting machines in order to erase votes or prevent some votes from being counted a capital crime. I'm debating whether the government should make it life in prison or execution.

[BreweryYardRat]

124. Agreed.

So very much agreed.

[btwhiteh]

126. Overhaul the Entire Voting System

Look at a well regulated system like Switzerland. Although small they have a great system.
1 month to vote.
You show up in person.
You are verified over the course of the month for eligibility and issued a single photo id voting card.
You present that card to vote and it records your vote for validation.
Can we please have a system we all can rely on? Why does this have to be done in 1 day?

[jordanray]

134. Who cares?

I think people should let them change the votes. Who cares? They were probably helping the person that should have won anyway.

rifle scopes

[DesertDiamond]

60. I'm not for the death penalty, but if I were, these folks are responsible for many deaths...

For instance, all of the deaths in Iraq, which wouldn't have happened without all the criminal minds who conspired to get Bushco instated in office after he lost the 2000 election, and then the 2004 election.

[Wapsie B]

62. Very good point.

The helped install * which is reason enough for me.

[AlbertCat]

63. Are you kidding? 9/11 wouldn't have happened!

[disndat]

72. I think the Bush

administration had credible warnings about 9/11, even on 9/10.

[lark]

115. They knew before 9/10

In July of 2001 Ashcroft "had" to quit flying commercial planes because of the threat of terrorists bringing down planes - most people have forgotten that. Also when shrub was in England in the spring of 2001, they cordonned of many streets and brought in anti-aircraft missles because of the threat of planes being used as terrorist tools. Yet another - Cheney told the Taliban in I think it was late Aug. of 2001 that if they didn't sign the Unocal contract allowing a pipeline thru their country, they would be carpeted in blood. Hmm, funny, how could he know that prior to 9/11 unless he was complicit in it? Also, how did the terrorist know that all US military planes would be grounded that day? These are just a small samplling of the many items that cast strong doubt on the official story and makes it look like shrub and darth either planned or allowed 9/11 to happen.

:rant: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[KansDem]

130. Don't forget Genoa...

Bush, Rice and the Genoa Warning
Documenting a demonstrable falsehood

"I don't think anybody could have predicted that these people would take an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center, take another one and slam it into the Pentagon, that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile." Condoleezza Rice, May 16, 2002"

Late 1980s, throughout the 1990s:

The idea of using hijacked planes as weapons against buildings becomes common. There are attempted kamikaze attacks involving hijacked planes in Israel (1986), Turkey (1993) and France (1994). A suicide Cessna pilot hits the White House on Sept. 12, 1994. Tom Clancy publishes a novel in which the villain crashes an airliner into the Capitol (1994). Pentagon scenario planners bring up the possibility of a kamikaze-hijacking in a variety of reports (twice in 1993; 1999; 2000).


Mid-1990s:

News reports and trial cases reveal that Ramzi Yussef (convicted mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) devised "Project Bojinka," a plot including the idea of crashing hijacked airliners into American targets. Foreign and U.S. intelligence and defense agencies issue warnings and devise defense scenarios relating to the possibility that something like "Project Bojinka" can be attempted anywhere, at any time.

October 2000:

The Department of Defense responds competently to these developments, by rehearsing a MASCAL (mass casualty) exercise based on the scenario of a plane crashing into the Pentagon. The live exercise of Oct. 24, 2000 involves rescue crews directed from a command center. A paper plane is set aflame within a scale model of the building. A military news-site later publishes an article about it. NOTE: The Pentagon is known to be ringed with anti-aircraft batteries.

March 2001:

In the pilot episode of a short-lived TV series, "The Lone Gunmen," the heroes narrowly avert the crashing of a remote-hijacked passenger plane into the WTC North Tower. This shows that even TV writers are speculating that someone could crash a hijacked plane into the Twin Towers.

April 2001:

According to news stories of 4/13/04, the Defense Department considers holding yet another live exercise to rehearse for the contingency of a hijacked plane crashing into the Pentagon.

June 2001:

The mass media warn that Osama Bin Laden is preparing to strike again. Sources report he has new and outlandish "Hollywood" ideas, like crashing a plane loaded with explosives into George W. Bush's hotel at the July 2001 Summit of G-8 nations in Genoa, Italy. TIME Magazine: "According to German intelligence sources, the plot involved Bin Laden paying German neo-Nazis to fly remote controlled model aircraft packed with Semtex into the conference hall and blow the leaders of the industrialized world to smithereens. (Paging Jerry Bruckheimer)" TIME also writes, "If Bin Laden didnít exist, weíd have to invent him."

July 3, 2001:

Bush biographer Jim Hatfield picks up on the "Genoa Warning." In an article for Online Journal, he jokes: "Why would Osama want to kill his business partner?" He exposes a few facts about the Bush-Bin Ladin family business connections (The Carlyle Group) and about the CIA's historic relationship with Al-Qaeda. Hatfield guesses that the CIA itself is spreading the Genoa rumor, in an effort to pump up Bush's sagging popularity. (July 18, 2001: Jim Hatfieldís death in Arkansas ruled a suicide.)

July 20, 2001:

G-8 Summit opens. Italy, citing the air-attack warnings, closes Genoa International Airport and installs anti-aircraft batteries around the G- 8 Summit locations. The U.S. Secret Service is apparently not satisfied. For safety, Bush and his entourage spend at least one night on a U.S. aircraft carrier. On the same night, Putin, Schroeder and Chirac carouse with Blair on an Adriatic cruise ship.

Meanwhile, Genoa is under martial law. Italian federal stormtroops in Darth Vader costumes enclose entire neighborhoods with milelong, barbed-wire fences. Hooded undercover agents roam in the guise of "black-bloc" protesters. They start riots and then retreat behind federal Italian police lines. This is filmed from helicopters by the local police of Genoa, who object to the extreme measures. One protester is shot dead. (ARD-TV, Germany)

August 6, 2001:

Bush receives a memorandum from CIA Director George Tenet entitled, "BIN LADEN DETERMINED TO STRIKE IN U.S." This "Presidential Daily Briefing" or PDB warns of potential terrorist hijackings in U.S. airspace. The PDB later becomes the object of a tug of war between the White House and the Kean Commission.

September 11, 2001:
--more--
911 Truth

Yeah, they knew. And they let it happen in order to advance their neo-con "wargasm."

Just look at "Operation Northwoods" and substitute "Bush" for "Kennedy" and "Iraq" for "Cuba."

They knew...

[KansDem]

129. Of course they did!

Just look at the video of Bush being told by Card the US was under attack! He does nothing!...NOTHING!!!

What the f*ck kind of Commander in Chief sits and does nothing when told his country is under attack!



You're damn right they knew...

[47of74]

125. Over one million have died due to stolen elections

Tampering with the 2000 and 2004 elections caused the unnecessary deaths of so many Iraqis and Americans that it's not even funny. It is responsible for the deaths of over one million people. So while I'd prefer that those who tamper with elections be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole, I wouldn't have a problem with our government mandating the death penalty for people who tamper with elections.

[AlbertCat]

64. Seriously. Take away their US citizenship...perminately.

[Wapsie B]

65. Sounds like a good place to start.

Then send them to the Hague for helping to instigate the carnage and bloodshed in Iraq.

[Chorophyll]

73. Hell yes. They're traitors! nt

[kestrel91316]

68. Gallows, hell! THIS device was invented for the likes of these people,

who endanger our lives and livelihoods and futures in a way no murderer ever could:

[Mnemosyne]

88. Nice guillotine, yours?

:hi:

Is there still consciousness after the head drops?

That could bring some vindication/justice for all of the suffering caused by these lying pos criminals.

A small bit anyway.

[KakistocracyHater]

119. there is, I saw it on Discovery science channel

A man who was maybe a scientist was sentenced to the guillotine, he told his friends that he would blink his eyes if he could after his head had been chopped off. Since it was public then, they went & saw his head & his eyes did blink. Pretty nasty, they even killed 1 of the King's mistresses who was on their (independence/equality)side, she would give them all the leftovers from their meals, while idiot Marie didn't say that bread line it was certainly her attitude.

[Mnemosyne]

127. It makes sense that some consciousness would exist for a few moments.

Weird though, kind of like chickens running around after being axed. :)

[MUAD_DIB]

83. That is too kind...

[whopis01]

100. The last public hanging in the US was in Kentucky

I'm not an advocate of the death penalty, but as per current federal law, it is applicable in this case.

[lumberjack_jeff]

109. In general, I'm against the death penalty.

But given the magnitude of the crime, and the harm it can cause, I seriously would consider an exception for election fraud.

[Lint Head]

2. You mean, you mean votes can be changed?

Who would of known.
:dem:

[Igel]

7. Yeah, but it's none of the ways you probably think.

The indictment makes clear that in some cases they bought votes and filed fraudulent election returns. Hardly the technological machiavellis that black-box voting envisions.

However, the "changing votes at the machine" is only slightly more technologically savvy: the conspirators would offer assistance to voters unfamiliar with the machines and accompany them to the voting booth. There the voters would choose who/what they wanted to vote for and be taken to a preview screen. That's routine--that way you can verify your votes. But instead of then directing the voters to cast their votes by selecting the "cast vote" button, the election officials would tell them their vote had already been cast. Then, when the voter had walked away, the conspirators would alter the votes and cast the altered votes.

Crucial in this was falsifying records: When you assist a voter in that jurisdication you have to complete some paperwork. They destroyed the paperwork.

Bradblog doesn't lie but it also doesn't tell the full truth. In other words, knowing its audience it says precisely enough to have them draw an invalid inference. That's termed "misleading" where I come from. Since Bradblog says "changing the votes at the machine" many of its readers, many of whom are aware that you can alter votes *that have already been cast*, will jump to the conclusion that that's precisely what was done. It's how I interpreted what Bradblog said, except that I found "changing the votes *at* the machine" to have the wrong preposition, or at least one that's more weaselly than I'd have liked.

The only way to disabuse yourself of the invalid inference Bradblog leads you to is to read the indictment until you find the description of the acts on page 16. Most won't read that far.

[Laelth]

10. Good for you.

I prefer that DU remain the home of reality-based discourse, even if that discourse does not reflect my particular biases.

I have touch-screen voting machines here in GA, and I don't trust them one bit, but I am glad you posted what you did for our collective edification.

:toast:

:dem:

-Laelth

[BradBlog]

11. NONSENSE, Igel...

The article has now been updated to include stuff from the indictment. The original coverage was based on the local NBC's affiliate.

After having read the indictment (details now included at the end of the originally linked article), this is the end of the e-vote apologists being able to say that "no election has ever been manipulated electronically".

Why you seem interested in suggesting otherwise is beyond me.

The indictment is linked there now in full, along with my coverage of the notable points, and how they used the e-voting systems to accomplish their scheme. I believe that information will speak for itself, despite your suggestion that I was trying to get away with something insidious and/or misleading. That is full and utter nonsense.

[Laelth]

12. Let me equally thank you for offering a counter-perspective.

Seems we have a genuine difference of opinion, here. Interesting.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Joanne98]

48. Thank you for all your hard work Brad.

:hi:

[mod mom]

53. Thank you Brad!

[lumberjack_jeff]

111. I jumped to a flawed conclusion from reading the headline too.

A flawed interpretation that was not cured by reading "election has ever been manipulated electronically".

The poll workers lured the voter from the machine prior to voting so the poll workers could cast their preferred vote on the voters behalf.

The reality is bad enough, but it is not consistent with the impressions I got from the title and discussions on the topic here. The election fraud in this case has an incidental relationship to the black boxes on which the votes were cast.

Election fraud? Absolutely. "manipulated electronically"? YMMV. Not by my definition.

In fact, given how vulnerable I perceive voting machines to be, I'm surprised that election officials had to resort to such Flintstone-ish tactics.

If there are additional details in the indictment which are not reflected in your article, or which I missed, please correct me.

[file83]

120. Brad, you rock bro.

Now, can we have a follow up to the Raymond Lemme case? :hi:

[BradBlog]

133. Thanks, and...

...when (and if) there is one, you shall have it! :-)

[BradBlog]

24. And on closer read, Igel...

...Now that I have a bit more time (I had originally come back to update folks with the info from the indictment after having gotten to give it a read), I'm further offended by this reference:

"Bradblog doesn't lie but it also doesn't tell the full truth. In other words, knowing its audience it says precisely enough to have them draw an invalid inference. That's termed "misleading" where I come from.

Um, pardon me? "Knowing it's audience it says precisely enough...to draw invalid inference?" "Misleading"?

What exactly is either misleading or invalid in the original report? It quotes heavily from the original article where the story broke, is linked to it, is linked to other supporting material.

What the hell are you talking about, and what's behind your inaccurate, unsubstantiated smear? I have no problem with criticism (which is just one of the reasons we have an open comment system), but I do have a problem with unsubstantiated attacks. I'll hope you simply got ahead of yourself in your critique, and I welcome you to go back and draw samples of what you feel is either "invalid" or "misleading". Short of that, I do not appreciate the invalid and misleading inferences you seem to be helping people to draw.

Thanks in advance for correcting or retracting your critique, in lieu of actual evidence to support it.

[Peace Patriot]

41. Thanks, Brad, for all of your amazing work, including helping us chase the goblins

and ghouls away at DU. You're doing double duty. I was too tired to do it. You did it beautifully, rationally, and fairly. I salute you!

:patriot: :applause: :patriot:

And I hope this case in KY is the beginning of the end of this bullshit that has been going on with our election system and ES&S's and Diebold's and the other rat bastards' 'TRADE SECRET' code voting machines!

[Joe Chi Minh]

47. It's kind of disturbing to think that characters like Igel can reach 1000+ posts

on here, Brad, particularly in view of the origin of this forum. Though I suppose we'd all be preaching to choir without them. Then again, the intensively-researched, very technical stuff that you and the other mavens on here post make a unique contribution.

[HughMoran]

37. Interesting

One of the most informative posts of the day on DU - thanks. (granted, DU is all about pissing and moaning about nothing lately)

[fascisthunter]

61. really?

Do you also agree with this?:

"Bradblog doesn't lie but it also doesn't tell the full truth."

Interesting and informative post.

[HughMoran]

71. I didn't say I agreed with it

I said it was interesting and gave a different perspective. All viewpoints are acceptable, I certainly don't take the argument at face value, but it's interesting when a dispute occurs - it takes some guts to take on a more established poster as he/she did.

[pnwmom]

38. I think Brad Blog explained it well enough. Because this was new technology,

voters were tricked into thinking that pushing the VOTE button was all they needed to do to vote. Then, when the voter stepped away, the election official electronically changed their vote and pushed "Cast ballot."

I don't think it's stretching the facts to say that this was changing the vote at the machine.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

54. IOW, the fraud is not within the machines, but in the "help" to voters

who were bribed or conned.

[marions ghost]

84. OK but can't

voting machine designers figure out how to make a machine that even the dimmest wits can't game so easily? A little beta-testing and such.

It's game over for these DREs. :thumbsdown:

[BradBlog]

101. ...whose fraud couldn't have been accomplished without gaming the machines...sigh...

Would have been a helluva lot harder to con those voters with use of a paper ballot, no?

Of course it would have. It would have required them to know about it, be part of the conspiracy, thus greatly broadening the chance for exposing the scam.

The touch-screens made it a breeze, and untrackable (still don't know who blew the whistle on this one, btw, though they were able to carry it out during election after election after election before finally getting caught.)

[adamuu]

79. thank you for explaining that. ^^^^^^ MUST READ ^^^^^ n/t

[burning rain]

25. "[W]ould have," please.

Please excuse the prickishness; that's a pet peeve of mine.

[napi21]

3. Ahhh yes. And in that ruby red KY! Can you imagine?? n/a

[L. Coyote]

16. Charged: "Clay County Democratic Party Chairman Charles Wayne Jones"

KY might be Red, but these guys are blue, it seems!!!

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/41529232.html

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

26. KY is Limbaugh country, hence the need to cheat

sadly, thats probably the only way to get Dem votes.

:{

[L. Coyote]

31. "precinct workers for both major parties persons who were in the conspiracy"

from BradBlog update: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7001

[Robbien]

4. How about that, this has actually hit local papers -- Officials Indicted On Racketeering Charges

http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/41514752.html

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- The U.S. Attorney's office says a judge, the school superintendent and the county clerk in Clay County have been indicted for alleged racketeering and other charges related to voter fraud.

A statement from the federal prosecutor's office says an indictment unsealed Thursday claims the officials in the eastern Kentucky county tried to sway the outcomes of federal, state and local elections in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

The indictment names Clay County Circuit Court Judge Russell Cletus Maricle, school superintendent Douglas C. Adams and Clay County Clerk Freddy Thompson, among others.

[Melissa G]

27. It's Election Fraud. More media calling it Voter Fraud again. Sheesh!!! n/t

[L. Coyote]

5. Why do I suddenly favor waterboarding?

To find out who is their boss!

[valerief]

13. LOL!!!! Yay!!!!! I'm for it, too. These Benedict Arnolds have earned it. nt

[scytherius]

6. Can't say I am surprised but holy shit

And why isn't this the centerpiece of reform at the Federal level by the Dems?

[vanboggie]

15. Dems had better make election fraud a priority

This period of time may be their last chance. Poppy Bush still wants Jebbie to be Prez, and we know what happened in 2000 and 2004.

[bleever]

8. I'm shocked, I tell you!

Compare this to the outrage on Fixed Noise about Acorn.

[No Elephants]

9. Wow. What a lookin' bunch. I want to know the voter registration of each and every perp.

[AlbertCat]

96. I want to know the voter registration of each and every perp.

Why? You can register as you please. Doesn't mean you are what you registered as. Look at the Republicrats.

[Fire1]

14. Good show, Ky.!! That's what I'm talkin bout!!

[NBachers]

17. They're coming to take you away, ha ha, they're coming to take you away

Looks like the Ma Barker Klan.

[ladywnch]

18. by all means, let's keep those electronic voting machines....they're the best! n/t

[sap_and_impurify]

40. people were pretty good at committing election fraud with the old paper system too ya know =)

[EstimatedProphet]

56. Nowhere near as easily.

[Dinger]

19. Let's Hear About This In The MSM?

Pretty please? I'm asking nicely now.

[L. Coyote]

20. DEMs charged. Here is the video link:

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/41529232.html

[emlev]

22. NO MENTION in that link about changing votes/e-voting n/t

[jazzjunkysue]

105. Clay Co is GOP. Those "dems" are really just there to help the GOP.

The easiest way to undermine the Dems is to masquerade as dems and control both parties.

I'd like to hear from someone who knows how the votes lined up after the rigging.

[Hoopla Phil]

21. If found guilty they should get the Max available and be made as example of.

We CANNOT have this sort of thing anywhere in our society. When elections are no longer fair and accurate then our system will break down.

[Hekate]

23. I do believe the ES&S/Diebold/Sequoia conspiracy might be unravelling for real...

Though I sure would appreciate it if the major media would take note. It would make it seem more real, somehow.

Still: this is joyous news.

Hekate

[L. Coyote]

28. Here's the explanation of how they did this on Election Day, according to the indictment:

BradBlog has an update: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7001

..... they tricked voters into leaving the 'booth' after pressing the "Vote" button on the ES&S iVotronic. That button, does not actually cast the vote, as one might think (and as these voters were told), but instead, it brings up a review screen of the voter's "ballot".

Instructing the voters that they were done, the conspirators then, after the voter had left, would change the voter's votes as they saw fit, before finally pressing the "Cast Ballot" button.

.............

The indictment: http://media.kentucky.com/smedia/2009/03/19/17/clayindict.source.prod_affiliate.79.pdf

[truthisfreedom]

29. READ the whole story. It's amazing. This particular fraud is so easily proven that it's laughable!

Ask any of the voters who were given instructions. If they say they were told to press the vote button and then leave the polling place, they prove that the fraud was going on. In order to complete voting on these machines, the "cast ballot" button must be pushed!

[bertman]

30. Igel disappeared. Where are you Igel? Thanks for the attempted hit and run smear.

Recommend this thread. Thank you Brad.

[BradBlog]

102. Thanks, Bertman...Funny how that sort of thing always seems to "happen" on these threads, eh? (n/t)

[L. Coyote]

32. "deputy sheriff ambushed by his two first cousins in an argument over election results."

Read the comments:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7001

[Mr. Hyde]

33. I'm not sure there has ever been a perfectly honest Presidential election in America

that is in no way an apology for anyone who violates the public trust like this but, rather, the disturbing reality of American Democracy. I think maybe George Washington's elections were honest but, after that, never again.

[varkam]

34. I live in KY, and just so you know...

many people here are registered Democrats who do not actually vote Democratic. IIRC, Democrats actually outnumber Republicans here, but yet Repubs carry the state every single damn time. It's because a lot of people want to vote for the weakest candidate in the KY primary and so they register Democrat.

[Judi Lynn]

43. Thanks for some insight on what constitutes some of the "Democratic" population there.

It certainly adds helpful perspective for those of us who wouldn't know otherwise.

[jazzjunkysue]

106. I assumed as much.

[alfredo]

35. It's an uphill battle here in Kentucky. That probably took place in

London Ky. That's the more civilized part of the county. You should head east up to Manchester and beyond.

[PuppyBismark]

36. This is NOT related to the electronic voting machines, but

it is related to how people vote on them and the poll workers at the polling location. There is no mention of votes being changed once they were cast and confirmed by the voter. Had there been a paper trail audit, these votes would still look valid. It is not the smoking gun we have been looking for to discredit the voting machine software or hardware, but rather a failure of process at the polls and dishonest poll workers. It brings one back to the days when party bosses and regulars entered the voting booth with the voter.

For this to have worked, it seems the whole set of voting judges at the polling place would have to have participated in the fraud. As an election judge, had I seen a machine judge at a machine for the time it would have taken to change the votes after the voter left, I would have investigated and reported the problem.

As the article indicated, there is still the large risk of insider manipulation and this is an blatant insider event.

[GreenTea]

39. Brad you are too cool, always on top of the republicans voting bullshit...and.

the stories....

DIEBOLD ADMITS ALL SYSTEMS FAIL TO NOTE BALLOT DELETIONS bradblog.com

Even the audit log system on current versions of Premier Election Solutions' (formerly Diebold's) electronic voting and tabulating systems --- used in some 34 states across the nation --- fail to record the wholesale deletion of ballots. Even when ballots are deleted on the same day as an election. That's the shocking admission heard today from Justin Bales, Premier's Western Region manager, at a State of California public hearing on the possible decertification of Diebold/Premier's tabulator system, GEMS v. 1.18.19.

An election system's audit logs are meant to record all activity during the system's actual counting of ballots, so that later examiners may determine, with certainty, whether any fraudulent or mistaken activity had occurred during the count. Diebold's software fails to do that, as has recently been discovered by Election Integrity advocates in Humboldt County, CA, and then confirmed by the CA Secretary of State. The flaws, built into the system for more than a decade, are in serious violation of federal voting system certification standards.

NY Times

In last year's presidential election, as many as three million registered voters were not allowed to cast ballots and millions more chose not to because of extremely long lines and other frustrating obstacles. Ever since the 2000 election in Florida, the serious flaws in the voting system have been abundantly clear. More than eight years later, Congress must finally deliver on its promise of electoral reform.

At a hearing last week, the Senate Rules Committee released a report sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the sorry state of voting. It said that administrative barriers, such as error-filled voting lists or wrongful purges of voter rolls prevented as many as three million registered voters from casting ballots. Another two million to four million registered voters were discouraged from even trying to vote because of difficulty obtaining an absentee ballot, voter ID issues and other problems.

The bad news didn't end there. According to the report, another nine million eligible voters tried to register but failed to because of a variety of hurdles, including missed deadlines or changes in residence.

[formercia]

42. Boss Hogg is alive and well in KY n/t

[droidamus2]

44. Let me get this right...

The electronic voting companies and their apologists claim that 'it has never been proven that votes have been changed electronically after they have been cast' or something like that. So what they are saying is it isn't illegal unless you can catch us. To take that one step further (obviously I am taking for granted that it has happened) they are saying we will continue use our machines to effect elections until somebody catches us. Proprietary software/hardware and elections should never happen.

[BradBlog]

103. You've got it exactly right, Droid...

...and to add to that, they've reduced the opportunity to find such evidence, to nearly impossible, by claiming that their systems and results cannot be examined, because it's proprietary trade secret information.

It's an extraordinary scam. Sadly, Rush Holt (D-NJ)'s election bill moving through Congress, will help keep that hardware and software an unattainable "trade secret" to all but those who get special permission to look at it, and then only if they sign a Non-Disclosure Form.

Your corporatized American Elections, soon to be Federally institutionalized trade secrets.

[Optical.Catalyst]

45. Redneck home schoolers teaching each other how to use a voting machine

Fine Republican values at work here. "Help your neighbor, help your neighbor vote correctly by changing their vote to the 'right' one."

Leave it the the party of the rich to tell the common voter how to cast their votes.

[Vinca]

49. Just switched to Morning Joe to hear full coverage about this.

I'm sure it will be on.:sarcasm:

[Joanne98]

50. A democrat and a republican worked together to steal election judge seats?

Now that's bi-partisan!

4. It was part of the conspiracy that WW serve as the Democrat election judge in the Manchester Precinct. It was further part of the conspiracy that CW serve as the Republican election judge in the Manchester Precinct. Both WW and CW were instructed by Defendants Freddy W. Thompson and Charles Wayne Jones to tell voters that when they had pushed a button labeled “Vote” that their votes had been cast, when, in fact, that function merely provided a review screen of the voter’s selections in each race, and that the further step of pushing the “Cast Ballot” button was required. This review screen gave the voter the opportunity to change any candidate selections prior to casting the ballot.

[Tyler Generation]

52. My state is so embarrassing

I still love it though! Sorry about Mitch, we truly are. And Bunning, and this story in the OP. We have beautiful horses, though!

[mod mom]

55. It's not just KY. Think OH in 2004.

:hi:

[L. Coyote]

57. Ohio ballot switching in 2004 was soooo much easier than this conspiracy.

To switch an Ohio punch card vote from Kerry to Bush,
all they needed to do was move ballots from one precinct
to the next one, or to send a voter to the wrong precinct machine.

[mod mom]

69. Um Ohio was more complicated.....

It was a mixture of disenfranchisement through long lines, voter purges, registrations that never were registered, punchcard tampering, non-counting of provisional ballots and of course machine manipulation.

[L. Coyote]

121. I just said switchng the votes was easier!!

[CherokeeDem]

Live in Kentucky but Use to Live In Florida...

Trust me...I was in Miami-Dade County and very active in the Party during the 2000 election and beyond there...I know all about vote stealing. It should come as no surprise that people will do these things but it is an embarrassment regardless of where it happens. Tyler Generation: I, too, wish there was no Mitch and maybe more so, no Bunning..what a jackass...but all we do is try to beat them next time. What KY Democrats need are some viable candidates...we don't have many.

[Tyler Generation]

122. Yeah, that's always been the problem here

All's we get is DINOs.

[CherokeeDem]

98. Live in Kentucky but Use to Live In Florida...

Trust me...I was in Miami-Dade County and very active in the Party during the 2000 election and beyond there...I know all about vote stealing. It should come as no surprise that people will do these things but it is an embarrassment regardless of where it happens. Tyler Generation: I, too, wish there was no Mitch and maybe more so, no Bunning..what a jackass...but all we do is try to beat them next time. What KY Democrats need are some viable candidates...we don't have many.

[KurtNYC]

132. at least they were busted

would be far worse if it was allowed to continue.

[peacetalksforall]

58. Time to look at Tennessee. The R's delighted in being able to say that Gore could

not even carry his home state. What a campaign angle. Perhaps TN has more R's than KY, but it would be high on the list of potential theft.

Also - money to pay off voters and officials: We still don't know where all the stolen money was spent - the operation Cheney-Bush had going cost plenty - I believe they bought coalition partners, Iraqis, prisons, and votes. Perhaps votes were the cheapest to buy.

Where is former Senator Hagel and will the five corporations be calling on him to speak on their programs. Will it be Wolf or King, will it be Matthews or Scarborough ... or will all the corporate networks be discussing how America really works and worked it?

Who is it that still says the the U.S. of America is superior? It's obvious that those who say it are bigoted and think they personally are superior - because we blew advantages - we sold, traded, gave, allowed to be stolen, and used for bribery all our technology. Out-sourcing had two benefits - profit and distribution of technology.

At least it can't be said that these County officials out-sourced the tally work.

Everything is for sale in this Banana Republic under R's and too many Dems.

"The hate us for our freedom." Dick, Don, George.

I grew up believing my vote was my precious possession. We lie to our children. We are the world's largest number of hypocrites.

Theft was the only way they could rule.

[BeFree]

59. C'mon, People

Just how did Obama win? He stole millions of votes.

These folks in Ky are just a small sample of how it was done. And proof that they know not what they do, because if they did, they'd have just altered the electronic record via the Diebold program that leaves no trace and they'd never have been caught!

You know it can be done, you know it has been done, and you know it will be done, on earth as well as Heaven, Ky. Thank heavens Obama won!

And now that we Dems have mastered the machines, you want to get rid of them?

[nichomachus]

66. Just a couple of bad apples. It doesn't mean the system is flawed. The system works.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[road2000]

67. We're making a little headway in the bluegrass.

Kentucky is not as lockstep red as it was even a few years ago.

In '02:
McConnell 65%
Weinberg 35%

In '08:
McConnell 53%
Lunsford 47%

Bunning -- rumored to be losing his seat as well as his mind -- barely squeaked by last time ('04):
Bunning 50.66%
Mongiardo 49.34%

In '07, we elected a Democratic governor, Steve Beshear.

I doubt if Kentucky will ever deliver for Obama, but we're working on it, and the hillbilly broad-brush comments grow so tiresome. It's the same brush some of you use for Alabama, the redneck state that managed to elect Don Siegelman.

Please lay off; we're trying.

[mr_smith007]

78. I am with you

on the hillbilly comments. I had to apologize for Indiana for a loooong time and defend against the hillbilly comments. But I had hope and we did some amazing grass roots things in the Hoosier state starting in 2006 and they finally paid off in 08. Seeing Indiana as blue on all the news shows' electoral maps the night of the election damn near brought me to tears. We finally did it.

Hang in there Kentucky, it will come.

[navarth]

86. Kentucky gave us Johnny Depp, Muhammad Ali

it can't be all bad.

Not everybody is down on you bro.

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Union Yes]

74. BRING BACK HAND COUNTED PAPER FUCKING BALLOTS

No more E voting.

[PuppyBismark]

91. Sorry, does not address this problem

The fact that voting machines are involved is not the key issue, but rather that the election officials at the polling place are the problem.

[Greyskye]

112. It addresses the methods used to carry out THIS fraud.

The method used to commit election fraud in this case is dependent not only upon electronic voting machines, but upon a design flaw found in these particular voting machines. Sure, you can attempt to commit election fraud in numerous ways, including paper ballots. But these particular machines made it easy, and virtually undetectable.

Have you actually read the linked article on BradBlog? :shrug:

[PuppyBismark]

116. My point is the issue is not voting machines per se in this case

Yes, I read the article. And yes I would like to see major changes or elimination of the current voting machines.

My point is that in this particular case this would not be able to happen unless the most of the crew were in on it, or they were just plain stupid. I disagree with the notion that this was virtually undetectable by the rest of the voting poll workers at the poll. It would be very obvious to me that the machine judge was making the changes and was up to no good and would have been detected. Likewise, if these machines had auditing printers like the ones at our location, those not in the wrong would notice the lack of final printing at the end of each voter session. In fact, it is just that sound that we use to start to send the next voter to the machine. Had a poll worker been at the voting machine and that final printing sound occurred, he would spotted right away. We are trained to make sure that a vote is recorded before the voter leaves.

As the article in BradBolg stated, it usually takes a few people to commit this kind of fraud independent upon the voting media.

This event is not significant enough to alter the current trends in machine voting which is too bad.

[Greyskye]

117. And if they were using paper ballots THIS METHOD of fraud WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED

The issue really should be the voting machines. They could have had this same grand conspiracy going, but if they were using paper ballots instead of e-voting machines with NO PAPER TRAILS or other means of accountability, they wouldn't have had the success they evidently enjoyed for so many years.

Yes, as you say above, this could possibly have been caught if they had paper printouts. But these machines didn't.

The machines used ENABLED the crooks. I doubt they had the brainpower between them to come up with a different fraud method themselves. All they had to do was utilize the big gaping security hole that ES&S provided.

[BradBlog]

114. Actually, yes it does...

Voting machines here meant that votes could be changed without voters knowing.

It would have been very very difficult (if not impossible) to pull off a similar scheme using paper ballots, publicly hand-counted at the polling place. I'm trying to think how it could be done, but I've been unable to. So please tell us.

Two options, both easily discovered, could be used: 1) Stuff the ballot box using blank ballots (would require someone to sign the names of a bunch of people who didn't vote in the pollbook, all with the same hand, so likely to be caught) or 2) Figure out how to trick folks into NOT putting their paper ballot in the box, and instead, replacing it with ballots marked from the pile of blanks (in which case, there would not be enough blank ballots at the end of the day -- just another reason why blank, unvoted ballots need to be reconciled at the end of elections, even though they are often are not!)

The other option would have been to simply miscount ballots at the end of the night, though it would have to be done in full public, in front of everyone, from all parties, including video cameras, and it'd have to be done at a whole bunch of polling places before it had much of an effect on election, besides.

Yes, e-voting makes fraud much easier to accomplish, and much more difficult to detect. Period.

[rolltideroll]

75. Apologies

To everyone I have ever called a nut because they were worrying about vote machine fraud. I am an ass.

[Mnemosyne]

92. Bless you for that, RTR! I have been harassed as a tinfoiler more than I care to

remember over this. Thank you. :hug:

And there is so much more than this type fraud. :hi:

[Patsy Stone]

76. Eight down

How many more to go?

[Fireweed247]

77. K&R

:applause:

MORE please!

[AllyCat]

80. Let me guess...the fraud benefitted Republicans, right?

[L. Coyote]

123. Sounds more like the have clans instead of parties. For your clan to get all the jobs

in local gov't, you have to have someone corrupt in both parties.

[hedgehog]

81. Anybody have any idea if this is how Mitch McConnell was "elected"?

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/kentucky.html

[vinylsolution]

82. This rich white minority....

... good ol' boys club runs Kentucky like a f***ing slave plantation.

It's time to send Mitch's bitches out on a chain gang.

[Mnemosyne]

85. Here is to hoping there will be many, many more to follow. KnR! Thanks Brad.n/t

:hi:

[Mnemosyne]

87. Treason. n/t

[mwb970]

95. That's what I was thinking.

Cheating on an election is a direct attack on our democracy and system of government. I would not mind at all if this bunch was charged with treason and put away for good as an example. We seem to have trouble in this country taking anything seriously, but surely this is the real thing?

[Mnemosyne]

128. Most of their actions have been treasonous, imo. Why does nothing

seem to stop these creeps? Argh...

[derby378]

89. Send this story to EVERY election official in Texas

We use optical scan ballots in Dallas County, so at least there's a paper ballot, but we use ES&S touchscreens for early voting. :mad:

[JohnWxy]

90. Praise local authorities for investigating and arresting perps. Perhaps others will be enboldened.

"ES&S is the largest distributor of voting systems in America and its iVotronic system --- which is well-documented to have lost and flipped votes on many occasions --- is likely the most widely-used DRE system in the nation. It's currently in use in some 419 jurisdictions in 18 states including Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia."



RECOMMENDED!

[benld74]

93. Difference between slot machines and voting machines - Once Again

[galloglas]

94. The KC STAR had it like this. An intentional twisted meme??

I had sent an email to Brad this AM but it bounced, so anyone who can might alert him. But the email should be food for thought for any one posting here.



Brad,

The KCStar carried an article on Clay County, Ky. today. The snippet in the paper paper makes it seems as if voters were being paid, as in "buying votes". (see copied text below).

"ELECTION RIGGING SCHEME ALLEGED"

Frankfort, Ky... A judge, school superintendent and county clerk in southeastern Kentucky have been indicted on charges they extorted money from political candidates so they could bribe voters in a scheme to rig several elections."

the online paper carried a more extensive article but still had this. (see link below)

"Thompson, the county clerk, allegedly provided money for election officers to buy votes. Thompson also told election officers how to change votes at the machines, according to the indictment.Some voters were bribed at the voting booths. Some officials told voters to use booths incorrectly, so that they could go back and change the tallies, the indictment says."

http://www.kansascity.com/811/story/1096255.html

This news seems to have been tortured into a different meme. Ya think?

[BradBlog]

104. Good old KCStar. Still one of the nation's chief apologists for all things Republicanist (n/t)

[Auggie]

97. Anyone know what the criminal penalties are?

[wryter2000]

99. But...

AIG BONUSES. What about the bonuses? I'm outraged!

[ezdidit]

107. exile?

[Lance31]

108. We are at war this is treason: Firing squad or..

My favorite, garroting with piano wire, that makes a real statement to these b@stards.

[marions ghost]

110. I wonder if they could tell generally

what votes were being changed. I mean I would think that would have come out in the case and so could have been reported.

Don't they even have any idea of the rough percentage changed and what way they went? Did the overall totals seemed skewed or point to the fraud in any way?

[Uncle Joe]

113. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread and your work, Brad.:thumbsup:

[BumRushDaShow]

118. On Mike Malloy right now (XM's America Left)!

:kick:

[Echo In Light]

131. Thanks for posting. More "conspiracy theories" bite the dust