While you blinked...

[GuvWurld]

http://guvwurld.blogspot.com/2005/12/while-you-blinked.html

While you blinked...

Walden O'Dell, paragon of non-partisan virtue ("I am committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president"), has resigned as CEO of election machine manufacturer Diebold.

BradBlog.com was quick to post that story yesterday, along with an accurate prediction of its scoop today: shareholders have brought a securities fraud class action suit against Diebold. Here is a press release from the legal team representing the class. Reuters also published http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=governmentFilingsNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20051214:MTFH44437_2005-12-14_01-35-57_N13181340:1">this brief.

Late Tuesday afternoon, BlackBoxVoting.org announced even more bad news for Diebold:

Due to security design issues and contractual non-performance, Leon County (Florida) supervisor of elections Ion Sancho told Black Box Voting that he will never use Diebold in an election again. He has requested funds to replace the Diebold system from the county. He will issue a formal announcement to this effect shortly.

Leon County, FL has been on election reformers' radars since the BBV crew performed a successful test hack there last summer. The promised forthcoming announcement is not yet on the County's website though it does include this special report attesting to the successful hacking.

Amid all of this, the Eureka Times-Standard joins the Humboldt Advocate and the Humboldt Sentinel in breaking the silence about the GAO report. Here is the brilliant conclusion to the T-S piece:

The GAO report covers concerns for the worst that could happen in U.S. elections, and provides evidence of the discrepancies that have happened. It goes on to say: "Nevertheless, there is evidence that some of these concerns -- including weak controls and inadequate testing -- have caused problems with recent elections, resulting in the loss and miscount of votes."

So, with government-verified facts like this, how are voters like you and I supposed to believe in the official results announced each election day? Do we put blind faith in our existing voting technology, go on about our daily lives and hope for the best in a so-called "democracy" with unverifiably elected leaders? Or, shall we care enough about ensuring the foundations of our democracy, by looking deeper into our broken voting system, asking our officials to ensure conclusive election outcomes, and working to establish an accountable government that genuinely represents us?

To learn more about Diebold and GEMS software, other voting technology discrepancies and possible solutions, please visit: www.voterconfidencecommittee.org, guvwurld.blogspot.com, or www.blackboxvoting.org

And all of this is simply superbly timed to coincide with the GuvWurld campaign launched Monday night, aimed at bringing pressure on and possibly producing resignations from elections officials in the 17 counties where Diebold admitted (p.3) to installing uncertified software in voting machines. Discussion site Democratic Underground has taken notice of the campaign and various election reform groups and coalitions are expected to be on board shortly.

[bleever]

1. Oh my goodness. Will the free market save us from corporate elections?

History is not devoid of such irony.

Rec'd.

[No Exit]

2. Let the market work!

We wouldn't want to gum up the works, now, would we?

Live by capitalism, die by capitalism. Let's give Wally and his company a big ol' syringe full of capitalism!

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Ah yes, the contry might be very well be awakening

from its slumber

[texpatriot2004]

4. Thanks Guvwurld. Question: How many other states have "17

counties" (or more, or less) that used "uncertified software in voting machines"? Seriously, are we to believe that FL is the only place that took place? That is HIGHLY UNLIKELY IMHO. What do you think?

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I think, but I would have to check

OH

and you may want to look into california, not that it made any bloody difference

[GuvWurld]

6. Actually this campaign is for 17 California counties

How many other states is a good question. I would bet the answer is every single state where Diebold has client counties. And so by the same logic that expands this project from Humboldt to other CA counties, so too can fun be had by muckrakers of all ages across the land. The more we coordinate our efforts, whether on this campaign or otherwise, the better off we will be.

[texpatriot2004]

7. I see. I read the part about Leon Co.in FL and got confused. n.t

[GuvWurld]

9. hey, my bad

I could see how you got confused. This post doesn't explicitly say 17 CA counties though I live in CA and for the most part just write about our local CA/Humboldt actions in the GuvWurld blog. The OP is a re-post from the blog. You would have to click the link saying "campaign" in order to get to the original announcement that was clear about CA. Sorry for the confusion.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. correct

on this you have to think local but also act nationally

[GuvWurld]

10. Kick (eom)