BBV:Group seeks upgrades to voting machines

[Andy_Stephenson]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Two weeks before California's March 2 primary, a group alleging widespread security holes in electronic voting machines is asking a judge to make counties install new safeguards.

Citizens from four counties requested a temporary restraining order Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court. They asked that up to 18 counties using machines made by Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems add more safeguards to protect them against hackers.

Court officials scheduled a hearing for Wednesday afternoon on that issue and an accompanying lawsuit seeking to stop the state and Diebold from using "insecure" voting machinery. California counties are using three versions of Diebold systems to register votes and using the company's software to tally them.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/aptech_story.asp?category=1700&slug=Voting%20Machines&searchdiff=1&searchpagefrom=1

[AngryYoungMan]

1. This is the most important issue this year, bar none.

eom

[Andy_Stephenson]

2. Amen Brother

AMEN!

And our own Bev Harris is leading the charge!

She is one brave and bold Lady!

Bev...I adore you!

You are a goddess!

Your name will go down in history as the one who saved democracy in America.

[anarchy1999]

6. Agree 100% -

Does anyone remember hearing Kerry in a campaign speech say, he already had a legal team in place and ready to go to work to ensure that a November 2000 would not happen again if he were the candidate?

I'm quite certain I saw it on C-Span and I believe it was before the Iowa primary. Anyone else know details or remember?

[SaddenedDem]

8. John Kerry on BBV - way too little, way too late

VIGIL-GIRON: Well, actually, these are directed to two people, if you don't mind, because this is very crucial, Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry. On the Help America Vote Act, Congress last year passed the Help America Vote Act, a bill designed to address the electoral problems that arose from the 2000 presidential election. While the states have the responsibility of implementing many of the provisions of the bill, the federal government has a key oversight and financial role to play in 2005 and beyond.

Secretaries of states, state legislators and elections officials across the country have already complained that many of the provisions of HAVA are unfunded mandates.

What will you do as president to assure elections officials that the federal government is committed to making the Help America Vote Act work as Congress intended?

Senator Edwards and then Senator Kerry.

EDWARDS: What I'll do as president is, first of all, fund the legislation, and second, make sure that every single person in America gets a chance to be on a voter registration roll and that they get a chance to vote no matter what the level of the community that they live in because we know what's happening here: President Bush has figured out -- you know, he had to go along with election reform, he didn't have any choice about that because he got dragged kicking and screaming to that. But he knows if this bill is funded, we're going to have people, particularly in poor areas, poor voting districts all over America who actually get a chance to exercise their right in this democracy. And I think he's got a pretty good idea of who they are going to vote for, don't you?

So it is critically important that we make the changes that need to be made to make sure everybody gets an opportunity to both register and vote and we don't have happen what happened in Florida in 2000.

HOLT: Senator Kerry, your response to that question?

KERRY: Thank you.

Madam Secretary, I should thank you for letting me get back in the debate, I appreciate it.

(LAUGHTER)

I will not only do what John has said, but I am not going to wait until I'm president.

KERRY: When I'm the nominee of the party, I intend to put together a legal team across this country. And we are going to prechallenge some of these automatic machines -- the Diebold machines -- where there have already been problems. And we're going to prechallenge and have a team across this country who are focused on those particular areas of the country where they are notorious about switching addresses, telling people they're not registered, intimidating people, and we will have the strongest democracy poll- watching effort in the history of this country so that every vote is counted so I can become president of the United States.

http://www.bbpresforum.org/2004forumtranscript.html

[dusty64]

3. Kick!

:kick:

[gristy]

4. What is a "safe" voting system?

Diebold has maintained that its voting systems are effective and safe and has accused critics of a "multitude of false conclusions."

The pro-BBV people are always saying this. They like to use adjectives that when you look more closely, have no positive meaning whatsoever. "Effective" at what? Stealing your vote? "Safe"? You mean, no voters have yet been injured by a touch screen? You never see them use the word "secure".

Harrumph.

Andy, Bev, Jim: Good luck in your suit, and thank you. I am watching closely.

[Andy_Stephenson]

5. Safe as in

Paper.

[anarchy1999]

7. And Pen.

n/t

Absentee or mail in. Only sure way to go at this point.

Opti-scan is only one degree better than touch screen.

Without enough poll watchers and volunteer exit pollers I'm not sure what will be enough to stop the theft of this election.

[SaddenedDem]

10. Poll watchers are useless

You can't SEE THESE MACHINES STEAL YOUR VOTE.

[greatauntoftriplets]

9. Great news.

I hope the hearing goes well.

:hi:

[JohnGideon]

11. Have You Gotten Any WA. Certification Documents??

Andy, if you haven't give me a call. I may have them coming to us.

[Andy_Stephenson]

12. I have Video and a

"Complete List" Per David Elliott.

Thanks