Votes Flipping from Repub to Dem in TN - Take Them Out of Service NOW!

[BradBlog]

Source: BRAD BLOG



Votes Flipping from Repub to Dem in TN!
So NOW Can We Impound These Machines, Take Them Out of Service and Give Every Voter a PAPER BALLOT, Please?!

Yesterday we reported the problems experienced at the Davidson County (Nashville), TN polls by Election Integrity filmmakers David and Patricia Earnhardt. Patricia, like so many others before, in so many elections past, saw her vote flip before her eyes on the ES&S iVotronic touch-screen system away from her intended candidate, Barrack Obama.

Last week, we noted voter reports from two different WV counties, Putnam and Jackson, both counties where the same ES&S iVotronic touch-screen machines (which are notorious for flipping and losing thousands of votes and costing at least one Democratic U.S. House nominee her rightful seat) similarly flipped votes away from Democratic candidates.

Earlier today, John Gideon reported on ES&S iVotronics in SC which fail to include a number of races on the final review screen. In at least one county in that state, during the Republican Primary earlier this year, the machines had failed to even turn on at all, leading voters to scramble to find scraps of paper to vote on. ES&S is the nation's largest supplier of voting machines.

Now, finally --- and thankfully --- we have a report of voters experiencing votes flipping from the Republican candidate John McCain, to the Democratic candidate Barack Obama in a second TN county. Does this mean someone can actually take some action to get these machines the hell out of service now?!...

FULL REPORT: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6547

RELATED FROM TODAY, YESTERDAY, LAST WEEK...

ES&S Touch-Screens in SC Omit Candidates, Races on Final Voter Review Screen
Voters on Hilton Head Island (Beaufort County), South Carolina discovered that some races were missing on the final review screen of the ES&S iVotronic touch-screen voting machines, at the end of the voting process, after voters completed their selections...
FULL REPORT: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6546
---------------------------------------
Election Integrity Filmmaker Sees Own Vote Flipped on ESS Touch-Screens in TN
David and Patricia Earnhardt Report Their Problems During Early Voting in Nashville
Obama Vote Won't Register, Flips to Other Candidate, as Similarly Reported Recently in WV...
FULL STORY: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6540
---------------------------------------
It Begins Again: Touch-Screen Votes Flipping From Dem to Rep in WV
Votes for Obama Switching to McCain in Early Voting in Jackson & Putnam Counties...
FULL STORY: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6528

Read more: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6547

[DeadManInc]

1. Switching from a repub to a dem is a first.

[last_texas_dem]

29. That's what I was thinking

Perhaps I've missed something in the past, but, of all of the vote-flipping stories I can remember, there have been at least a dozen where votes were flipped from D to R. This is the first story I have seen where they were flipped from D to R.

[bluestateguy]

2. I agree

But the fact that this is happening might convince some of these conservatives to finally take the voting machine issues seriously for a change.

[BradBlog]

4. Read the full story, GOP *has* called for the Impounding of machines when votes flipped against them

See the full link. Santorum and the GOP called for the impounding of machines when votes flipped on them during PA Senate race in '06.

They get it (apparently), while Dems seem to need some help. PLEASE help them to get it!

While you're at it, you may as well call on Barack Obama (and every other candidate!) to sign the "Standing for Voters" pledge that they will not concede any election until all voters are counted, counted accurately, and all election challenges adequately resolved:
http://StandingForVoters.org

Unless you wish to see another Kerry '04. These people are NOT going to do it on their own. DEMAND your democracy back!!!

[elleng]

8. Takes more than 'conservatives,' apparently.

How many Dems have we seen taking this 'seriously?'

I just sent to [e-mail], as should everyone.

[Ian David]

3. This is just cover to make it look "accidental." n/t

[redqueen]

5. Seems that way to me, too.

Cover.

[cyberpj]

7. Agreed. nt

[Mme. Defarge]

11. Yup.

Heads I win, tails you lose. Don't remove the machines and McCain steals votes. Remove the machines and get long lines leading to chaos and/or disenfranchisement.

[BradBlog]

16. No...Not even close...

Remove the machines and the lines go DOWN not UP!

Remember, as many people who want to vote on paper can do so at the same time. No limit. They can vote on the floor, on their knee on a clipboard, etc.

But only X people can vote at a time when using touch-screen machines (X = the number of touch-screens in the precinct).

Don't be fooled, people.

[Mme. Defarge]

22. That makes sense!

Can you tell I am just a little skittish?

[EFerrari]

18. No, Mme. The lines depend on manipulating the number of machines. n/t

[IsItJustMe]

6. If anyone real gave a damn about our vote being resitered correctly, It would be easier than hell to

take one of these machines and test the hell out of it. All you would need to do is have someone repeatedly vote on it a couple of hundred times and see if this could be repeated.

It's not rocket science.

[clear eye]

15. Actually in a Calif. BOE-commissioned video up on the Velvet Revolution site

it's been shown that a corrupted "key" can be substituted that distinguishes between test mode and election mode and tests fine, but still flips votes. According to banking IT specialist Spoonamore, even a rocket scientist couldn't make these things work right. They need to be banned. From everything we've learned, these problems are inevitable and disastrous.

[bagrman]

9. The Dem to Repub flips will make the news but not the other way. VOTE BY MAIL

[clear eye]

21. RFK and Palast say vote in person, on paper, but not on provisional ballot

if at all possible. In the Rolling Stone article "Block the Vote" http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23638322/block_the_vote , RFK and Palast are concerned with disqualification of many absentee ballots. Some states with the machines allow voters to vote on paper if they demand it, but a provisional ballot is the worst of all, since those are often not counted. "'provisional' ballots, which can be reviewed and discarded by election officials without explanation."

[babsbunny]

10. I said last week Obama HAS to stop this election!!!!!!!!!

NOW! everyone said I should get a life!

[stillcool]

28. Obama? The Senator from Illinois..

is going to stop the election? Who has the responsibility for providing us, in our own state, with accurate secure elections..Obama? Are 'we the people' helpless in demanding our State Government run a legitimate election?

[clear eye]

12. No, it means they'll say, "Move along folks. Just random glitches...

Happening equally for both candidates. Nothing to see here. It'll all come out in the wash."

I'm feeling a little ill. If TN looks stolen, will Obama have the fortitude to call for a state-wide revote on paper ballots? His campaign has been ominously quiet about the voting machine problems and not called for impounding the faulty machines.

[Fly by night]

13. I'll try to get to the bottom of this tomorrow (I'm here in TN)

In the meantime, here's what I posted at Bradblog:

Brad,

We will follow up on this tomorrow here in Tennessee. If the voters spoke up at the polling place, there should be a record of it there. If there isn't, we'll contact the paper which published the story.

Given the ACORN nonsense and Bob Koehler's recent column citing the "moral equivalence" mind-set of the Rethugs these days (i.e., our ACORN = their multi-state voter suppression and continued influence over the computerized "mechanics" of voting), I would take any statement by Rethugs that they saw their votes flip in Tennessee with a HUGH grain of salt.

Why oh why could they not have seen (and said) that last year or the year before or four years before that, when their "experiences" (sic until proven otherwise) could have helped us here with our legislature to mandate paper ballots by THIS election? But NO, it has to happen now when their "glitches" cannot measurably impact the conduct of this election.

I smell a fish. And it ain't been fresh-caught.

[BradBlog]

19. Thank you...and PLEASE NOTE!...

Given the ACORN nonsense and Bob Koehler's recent column citing the "moral equivalence" mind-set of the Rethugs these days (i.e., our ACORN = their multi-state voter suppression and continued influence over the computerized "mechanics" of voting), I would take any statement by Rethugs that they saw their votes flip in Tennessee with a HUGH grain of salt.

Fair enough. And certainly worth investigating out there. That said, it doesn't actually matter, as far as I'm concerned. We've seen these machines flipping from D to R more than enough to impound and remove the machines immediately.

But *that's* not even the biggest problem with them! The problem is that it is, literally, impossible to verify that even a SINGLE vote has been recorded on them accurately, as per the voter intent, in any election, at any time. That's with or without a so-called "paper trail" (which, as I recall, they don't use in TN, anyway, but it makes no diff, in truth).

These machines must go, there should be paper ballots for EVERY voter. Period. Obama and the Dems should be (and should have been) raising holy hell about this LONG ago. But they continue to be asleep at the switch. (See Steve Rosenfeld's recent AlterNet report on this if you question my reporting on it: http://www.alternet.org/democracy/101823/democratic_election_protection_strategy's_missing_link:_electronic_vote_counts/?page=entire)

Why oh why could they not have seen (and said) that last year or the year before or four years before that, when their "experiences" (sic until proven otherwise) could have helped us here with our legislature to mandate paper ballots by THIS election? But NO, it has to happen now when their "glitches" cannot measurably impact the conduct of this election.

Actually, if you read the story, you'll see that Santorum/GOP *did* say something about it (when it affected them in '06 in PA). But neither the Dems nor the Reps did a damned thing at the federal level to get rid of these machines in the ensuing years.

[Fly by night]

30. Brad, just so you know ... this is Bernie here.

I understand the value of being able to demonstrate that all sides can get harmed (are being harmed) with these $3,000 abacuses that use invisible beads. However, I am also seeing a large number of psy-ops taking place everywhere, including here. Regardless, it will be good to get to the bottom of this. If we indeed find that the Decatur voters are being straight-forward and after we talk to the local election officials down there -- we will work hard to maximize the attention to this story here in the Orange State.

And as far as who "they" is that I refer to in your second highlighted quote of mine, that "they" are Tennessee Republicans -- who fought us tooth and nail to prevent the TN Voter Confidence Act from taking effect for this election.

Remember, Brad -- Orange State Rethugs are a particularly greasy sub-species of that doomed moral vacuum of personal expedience that parades as a political philosophy -- that evolutionary dead-end in the growth of our democracy.

[EFerrari]

20. If you need anything to get info or to get it out there, you must let us know.

Good luck!

[Blue State Bandit]

14. SET UP!!!!

[krkaufman]

17. Why do we never hear Republicans yelling about their vote flipping from R to D? n/t

[BradBlog]

23. You do, but...

...You have to pay close attention. See the full story linked above, please.

[JNelson6563]

24. Now we will hear them scream bloody murder

:toast:

[Rocknrule]

25. I'll bet only now does the MSM pay attention to this shit

[palmertracker]

26. I smell a Rovian Rat... Tenn is a RED STATE. To create perception that vote flipping is across the

board you have a few votes flip from R to D. The great majority of vote flipping has been of D to R. This way we can't blame the Republicans for voter fraud. This is a ruse. The GOP invented federally mandated voter fraud.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

27. I asked our Election Supervisor here in Tucson if there were formal,

established procedures if aberrant behavior (by the machines) was observed in my polling station. He asked me to repeat the question -- apparently he was somewhat stunned that a poll worker would be so "concerned" about such an event.

He iterated that the machines were tested 4 different times by all the political parties before being certified. He then stated that a worker from each party (D) and (R) should accompany the voter and observe the casting of the vote should the problem persist. If the issue persisted, we were to call the "hotline" to receive further instructions.

My problem here is that after 8 years and 3 previous elections, we STILL do not have formalized procedures to handle rogue machines. The instructions I was given were provided on-the-fly by one of our most senior officials. What are the odds that we will be able to contact this person come election day through our "hotline"?

I thank you Brad for all your efforts on behalf of this country's citizens... we have much more work to do yet. These g'damn machines are the bane of Democracy.

[paparush]

31. Citizens need to take a stand now. March in there and throw those machines out into the street.

Congress has had YEARS to reign this in.

Time for We, The People, to take back our elections.

Demand paper ballots now!

[politicasista]

32. Voted in TN today

Here in red state TN (actually Blue Davidson County).

Didn't experience vote flipping from D to R (not surprising this is happening. :()

However, the ballot was only 2 pages, but the font size is really, really small. So small that one needs glasses (I had some) to read the ballot. The candidates' names are too close together and McCain/Palin's names are slightly bigger than Obama/Biden's (which was listed first on the ballot). I had to proofread (or re-read) the ballot three times before touching VOTE. That's how small it is.

Turnout was steady (this was the after-work crowd) and didn't have to wait in a long line. In fact, it only took 15-17 minutes.

Other than that, it was a good experience. Lots of diverse people coming out. Not bad for a conservative area of Nashville. :)

[Canuckistanian]

33. Good. I don't know what's happening here

Whether it's a real failure or a scheme of some kind, but if it gets the machines off the floor, then good.

And if it's a scheme, it will fail. Badly.

[lonestarnot]

34. Oh what someone hacked in who was pissed at the unfair flipping and trying to save a few?

This just sucks ass!

[scytherius]

35. I don't care which way they flip. Take them out of service. n/t

n/t

[peoli]

36. Brad, I really appreciate what you do. Please keep it up!