BBV: California Voting Systems Panel Meeting April 21 - April 22, 2004

[GregD]

Please schedule April 21 - April 22 and come to Sacramento for a party that the Secretary of State is holding for our dear friends at Diebold. Things are getting toasty!

Last time we had a meeting, in January, we got about 100 snarling and grouchy voters in that room, and the place was electric. Registrars of voters were later reported to have said that they had to outnumber the activists next time. Well, I'd like to double or triple the activists, so that there are NO SEATS left for the ROVs.



We start out with a report from a friend that attended a meeting in the Oakland area this week. Someone that works for Alameda County Registrar of Voters Bradley J. Clark was at this meeting and hinted that their County is considering a move to optical scan. This is apparently not someone that would make such noises unless her boss wanted her to do so - this was done for a reason...

Then we have this story with the same Brad Clark

The oldest West Coast customer of Diebold Election Systems is calling company exec-utives on the carpet today, citing "disappointment and dissatisfaction" with Diebold voting equipment.

Alameda County, the first and, until recently, largest user of Diebold touchscreen voting machines in California, warned the McKinney, Texas, firm this week that it is "not adequately performing its obligations."

~ snip ~

He demanded Diebold deliver within 10 days a written plan to correct multiple problems, foremost of which was forcing the county to use poorly tested, uncertified voter-card encoders that broke down in 200 polling places March 2.


(The background on the encoders is that the registrars of voters demanded that Kevin Shelly certify these machines on short notice, after Diebold submitted them past the deadline for certification. The machines failed miserably all over the state.)



Plus we have the Secretary of State scheduling a 2-day Voting Systems Panel public hearing for April 21-22, which is unusual since the other recent VSP meetings.

1. Diebold Investigation
2. Reports on the March 2, 2004 Primary Election
3. Voting Systems for Use in November 2004 General Election
4. Other Business
5. Public Comment

Now when you figure that presently, any certified equipment is eligible for use in the Nov election, and they are going to discuss changes, I smell someting. I smell Diebold smoldering, and about to go up in flames...

Come prepared to help roast them...

[NYC]

1. I hope California DUers will be able to attend.

Please let us know the outcome.

[Zinfandel]

2. Number one issue facing all Democrats, because these Bush fascist

plan on stealing the election (again) through electronic voting machines (BBV). This is their ace in the hole and believe they plan on using it.

[Hekate]

3. Thanks for posting this!

This is very encouraging news!
I'll be passing it along in hopes someone from the Central Coast will be able to show up.

Hekate

[GregD]

4. It's a while before this happens, but

for you who need to book vacation time, this could be better than a trip to Wally World!

[Wonk]

5. kick

[Wonk]

6. kick