Vote machine problems discovered in NY recount

[TorchTheWitch]

This article was posted by Kineta, a new DU member who doesn't have enough posts yet to start a new thread. Kineta asked that someone start a new thread about it as it seems important. I think it's important, too, so here it is.

Brief summary... Senate race. Dem - Stewart-Cousins. Rep - Spano. Spano won the election. A recount is being done and as there were more Dem votes in the machines then were recorded during the election, the Dem is now winning in the recount. We may get a Senate seat to flip to a Dem.

http://www.wnbc.com/politics/3902820/detail.html

<snip>

"The two sides have traded allegations about irregularities in the voting, with Republicans claiming voters were imported from New York City and Democrats claiming voters were harassed and voting machines were tampered with. All machines and records were impounded by judges.

The county Board of Elections disclosed Friday that seals on 22 machines were damaged or missing.

As the recount progressed on Monday, election workers, closely watched by representatives of the campaigns, compared vote totals recorded on machines with the tallies reported by poll workers on Election Night.

Jonathan Rosen, director of the state Democrats' campaign committee, said Berger told him that nearly every machine had a higher count for Stewart-Cousins than was recorded. However, Spano also gained votes, including 80 from one machine, Rosen said."

...

Even if the Dem doesn't end up winning in the recount, this is still good news as it sets a precedent... the machines are either fucked up or the RePukes have been fondling them!

On Edit: dispicable spelling

[Clinton Crusader]

1. wow! Im in NY and didnt even know about this! Thanks! n/t

[bearfan454]

2. Precedent can be set here.

Very good point TorchTheWitch. We probably took the senate back too except for the vote fraud with the machines.

[mzmolly]

3. This seemingly small issue could become the catalyst for greater

things?

[TorchTheWitch]

5. That's just what I was thinking

This seemingly small issue could become the catalyst for greater things?

Especially since vote tampering (read: fraud) is the reason for the recount. Having the race flip to the Dem in the end would be the icing on the cake. Disgusting that the mainstream media isn't all over this... it's BIG. In fact, Keith Olbermann needs to know about this.

Thanks, Kineta, for finding this article!

[kristndem]

36. My thoughts Exactly

Is this thing just growing and growing and growing........
kinda like the energizer bunny

[Junkdrawer]

4. If the machines were Mechanical and GEMS was the tabulating software...

this story could be HUGE...

[magellan]

8. I think NY State uses old lever machines

exclusively. But I could be wrong.

[Junkdrawer]

13. Next question is what was the tabulating software...

????????????????????????

[Liberalynn]

40. Upstate Does

Upstate does but they said on a local newscast that this maybe the last year for the lever machine.

[Matariki]

6. news blackout?

I found that article searching google news. I keep waiting for an explosion of news stories about the voting 'irregularities' and, well, nada. I'm really starting to believe there is a coordinated news blackout.

When I search for more news on the NY senate story, there is no longer an explanation of how the votes were wrong in the first place or about problems with the machines. The county officials and others HAVE to be looking into the issue of tampering. One earlier article mentioned that the democrats were accusing fraud from the start since there were votes for the republican BEFORE THE ELECTION STARTED. The republican's reaction to this accusation was to call the state police and accuse the democrats of busing in fraudulent voters.

I'm hoping the news blackout is in some way a positive sign, but I worry.

[TorchTheWitch]

9. according to Bev at blackboxvoting.org

there is a media blackout. Sure as hell looks that way to me, too. Keith Olbermann is so far the only one I've seen to mention anything at all about it.

GOOD CRAP! BEV! Bev needs to know about this! Who has her email addy??? ANYONE???

[LisaL]

11. Sure looks like our media is completely worthless.

I stopped watching these losers, all they want to talk about is Scott Peterson and his trial.
How in the world can votes reported from every freaking machine be wrong without FRAUD being involved? And our so-called journalists won't make a peep, or worse, they laugh about silly conspiracy theories. May they be ashamed!!!

[Matariki]

18. gag order?

This is going to court on the 17th, maybe there's a gag order. But when did that ever stop the media from speculating? Maybe some reporter type can call the Yonker's county election board and ask about what type of machines they used and if there's a gag order.

[bear425]

21. Bev's email addy:

[e-mail]

[TorchTheWitch]

29. Bless you

I thought it was an AOL addy, but anything that gets to her will do nicely. Thanks much.

[AmyCrat]

38. Never assuming anything, I forwarded the link to Keith Olberman n/t

[nikraye]

7. They should be looking at the Pres votes, too

These machines are the same used to vote for president, too. They should be looking at Bush/Kerry votes reported in this county and comparing the numbers against the vote totals recorded on the machine.

I'd also like to know what kind of machines (e.g., touch screen, optical scan, etc.) and the machines' manufacturer (e.g., Diebold, ES&S, Sequoia) that this county used.

[leftynyc]

45. Can't speak for the rest of the state but

I know the city and Westchester County both use the old fashion lever machines.

[jsamuel]

10. HARD PROOF HERE!

As the recount progressed on Monday, election workers, closely watched by representatives of the campaigns, compared vote totals recorded on machines with the tallies reported by poll workers on Election Night.

Jonathan Rosen, director of the state Democrats' campaign committee, said Berger told him that nearly every machine had a higher count for Stewart-Cousins than was recorded. However, Spano also gained votes, including 80 from one machine, Rosen said.

[jsamuel]

27. I can't bump this enough...

[StephanieMarie]

12. Great story.

I just sent it to Olbermann asking him to cover it and ask for a presidential recount while they're at it.

[jsamuel]

14. YES SENT IT TO KEITH O'

Send it!

[osubucks30]

15. This IS HUGE!

After reading the LINK this is HUGE even if the race is not flipped! We are talking about a total of 106,566 votes here. The unofficial vote total, with 99 percent of the precincts reporting, gave Spano a lead of 1,674 votes. He had 54,120 votes, or 51 percent, to Stewart-Cousins' 52,446 votes, or 49 percent.

After the first hours of a two-week vote recount, Democrats claimed Monday that their candidate for the state Senate from Yonkers had wiped out almost all of her unofficial deficit and moved within 288 votes of the powerful Republican incumbent, Nicholas Spano.

After a few hours the Democratic candidate has gained a net of 1386 votes. The recount isn't even over yet!! That means at least 2.5% of the Dems vote ether was not counted or manipulated. 1386/52466 = 2.6% If the trend continues this WILL GET THE BALL ROLLING! I wonder why I can't find any other updates to the story?

[jsamuel]

17. National Attention is needed on this!

GET THIS INFORMATION OUT!

"As the recount progressed on Monday, election workers, closely watched by representatives of the campaigns, compared vote totals recorded on machines with the tallies reported by poll workers on Election Night.

Jonathan Rosen, director of the state Democrats' campaign committee, said Berger told him that nearly every machine had a higher count for Stewart-Cousins than was recorded. However, Spano also gained votes, including 80 from one machine, Rosen said."

[TorchTheWitch]

19. Good grief!

I'd be happy right now with a bit more DU attention!

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Senate race flip!
Recount for vote tampering happening right now!

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I guess I should have put a forest of exclamation points and asterisks in the subject line, huh?

[jsamuel]

20. It was the title,

Should have named it "HARD PROOF OF VOTER FRAUD DISCOVERED" :P

[TorchTheWitch]

22. I think you're right

Would it be terribly rude of me to repost this with a more eye-catching title? Probably... but what does when care about rudeness when one's democracy is at stake, hmmm? :evilgrin:

[Matariki]

23. can you change it? n/t

[TorchTheWitch]

24. Too late to edit the title

But that doesn't mean I can't be rude and draw undo attention to myself by posting it again with an eye-catching subject line including lots of bells and whistles. :evilgrin:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

16. Diebold machines are used in Boston and some suburbs

I'm curious if there were any problems.

[bleever]

25. Tiny little hole in the dam here, just a few cracks speading,

but folks downstream might want to make sure there's gas in the car! Big kick for this one.

[The Flaming Red Head]

26. I love new yorkers they don't put up with any shit

southerners are just here for the slaughter.

[Matariki]

28. More links - including NYTimes article

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/nyregion/06spano.html

http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/110604/a01p0635senate.html

http://www.nyjournalnews.com/newsroom/110504/a010535senate.html

[RuleofLaw]

30. Interesting!

I found this passage interesting from the article at http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/110604/a01p0635senate.html.

"A Democratic attorney said the problem could be a sign of tampering with the count recorded on the machines, but a Republican attorney said the trouble with the seals was not uncommon and is usually an innocent oversight."

I have always wondered how come its always the democrat that are suspicious of the voting machines, while the republicans always seems to defend them.

You would think that if there was evidence of tampering with the machines, both sides would be equally worried. How come the republicans are never worried about machine tampering or fraud?

Just curious!

[wiggs]

31. kick, with question

This story is a couple of days old. Seems to me this is proof, not suspicion, of fraud.

Why are all parties interested in election integrity descending on this story with vigor? Is the FBI involved? Where are the articles? Where is the Kerry campaign on this? Does BBV.org have this up on website?

This is is Clinton's state. Is she calling for investigations, holding press conferences on possible election fraud?

Isn't this EXACTLY what everyone is looking for?

[TorchTheWitch]

32. Indeed

Isn't this EXACTLY what everyone is looking for?

I would think so. All this talk about getting a recount in NH to expose the fraud, when it appears that there's already a recount going on that seems to be doing just that. The only difference I can see is that this is a senate race recount and not pres... but so what? It shows that a race may be flipped due to machine vote tampering!

I'm having a hard time understanding why it's not getting more interest right on this forum much less the mainstream press.

Anyone having any luck finding out what type of machines are involved here? It has to be some kind of e-voting thingamawhatsit as in the article they talk about votes in the machine that didn't get recorded.

[Matariki]

33. I called the Westchester election board

To ask that question. Didn't get anywhere. I posted about it on the *other* thread about this. damn.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=37127&mesg_id=37127

[mirandapriestly]

34. I have read several places that they used Sequoia

touch screen and that they were new.

[jsamuel]

35. That is the thing. It doesn't matter which machine they used, what does

matter is that they all had central tabulators that were exposed and unsecure. The votes where changed there, not at the originating machine.

[TorchTheWitch]

37. Ahhhh!

The votes where changed there, not at the originating machine.

Good point. Which is why during the recount they were finding all these "unrecorded" votes from the machines. It had to have been the central tabulator where the fraud occurred then, right?... the article says that when doing the recount with the votes from each machine, they found all these votes that didn't get counted.

I just realized we need to send this information off to the Reps Conyers, Wexler, Holt and (I can't remember the other people at the moment) who are calling for an investigation on this.

Here's a thread on who to contact and how:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x33322

We need to get cracking on this! Send those letters!

[CAcyclist]

41. kick

[TorchTheWitch]

39. shameless kick

:kick:

[Options Remain]

42. the cracks are starting to show :)

a little here and there but very encouraging.

[MelissaB]

43. Here is another shameless

kick from a teacher who came home during her planning period to read this damn board because the internet at school is down.

:kick:

I've said I was "Hopeless in Alabama" instead of "Sleepless in Seattle". I have more hope everyday!!

[leftynyc]

44. I've been following this very closely

as I voted for Cousins. Spano is corrupt right to his eyeballs.