Reflection from today's certification of a touch screen system in NY State

[feelthebreeze]

I am confused and scared tonight. Confused because the fraud that took place with touch screen voting was real in 2004, and yet there seems to be no mass push to end this from ever occurring again. Confused because this should be the number one thing in people’s minds as far as the upcoming election and yet there seems to be a mass denial about it. Confused that touch screen voting is being implemented in NC. Certification is happening in NY and California and scared because no one seems to be in a hurry to stop it before the 2006 elections. This includes many on this marvelous site. As priorities go, this supercedes all others. Fix this on an all the others problems will get solved in a Democracy.

If any of us have followed the rising storm of fear about DREs, computerised voting systems with no traceable code and no way of verifying the real results in the end with a separate paper ballot, then why are we not all united in the hue and cry for immediate reform? This should be the number one issue for all Americans, yet I am seeing no mass action to address it, let alone, stop it.

Today it was announced that a touch screen system with no paper ballot trail, and no way of testing it as a reliable voting system; was certified by my State board, in spite of good people with excellent testimony and arguments struggling these last months to defeat it.
These good patriots have been given; at best, cursory attention from the officials who are decision makers in this and at worst: complete blockage; completely shut out of a process that should be set up to help destroy any doubt as to the veracity of your vote. If you have been aware, you see this is happening in California as well. It has happened in North Carolina.

Do people not understand that their vote is being taken away from them? Do we not understand that soon we might as well poke our finger in mid air and claim "there, I have voted" only to see the wind carry your action away? If I walked up to each and every one of you and said " Today, I am taking away your power to vote, and you will never have it again. Does this bother or deeply concern you?" Would the answer be a silent shrug, as I am seeing happen right now in this country, even from those who care deeply about political issues and believe they still can make change occur?

I am scared. From my current perspective it seems as if the corrupt nature of our system is beyond fixing and is brazenly putting these contemptible machines into place for 2006, in spite of a very strong voice given against it. It seems as if we are going to let them do it, without a rise of outrage and demand. It seems as if we feel rhetoric is enough to spout as we curl up into a ball and protect our soft underbelly.

Here is my real fear folks: I fear that Democracy is already dead and I am just fooling myself in fighting with the handful of others who care about its continuance. I am open to insight. Am I missing something? Am I being too histrionic and over dramatizing this situation? From the silence of my own party and the dull grunts of my fellow voters, I feel as if this must not be an important issue. Although, I am hard pressed to come up with an acceptance of a Democracy without a representational voice from We the People.

Is it apathy, ignorance, or cynicism at the acceptance of a corrupt system that stops us all from gathering and demanding back our Nation? Are we not explaining the real events thouroughly enough. Is it just too big and overwhelming for many who feel as if they cannot make a difference? Or is it, as I fear, a mass acceptance that Democracy is slowly dying before our eyes.
If I am wrong, then please let me know tonight. Tell me of your own struggles, and your own fears. Tell me how to battle and stop this from continuing. I need more than just the passionate writings on this site. As well intentioned as they are. Tonight I need to hear about real actions that have proved effective. I have read, I have watched and I have become too involved to not understand that this is a very real and very present threat. I am asking for support and explanations tonight to end this fear and confusion within me.

[Bill Bored]

1. Where did you read that anything was "certified?" nt

[feelthebreeze]

2. Here it is Bill B...

New Yorkers for Verified Voting
NYS League of Women Voters
NYPIRG
Common Cause / NY
NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Monday, December 5, 2005

Civic Groups Outraged at NYS Board of Elections Action
Certification Testing of Incomplete Voting Systems
a Betrayal of the Public Trust
Groups call for the Legislature to convene oversight hearings on Board actions


A coalition of civic groups today condemned the State Board of
Election's decision to begin preliminary certification testing of the
Liberty DRE computerized voting machine this week, even though the
prototype still has no voter verified paper ballot or full
accessibility features as required by law. The groups found out
about the move through a letter received on Friday by members of the
HAVA Citizens Advisory Committee.

"The Board has consistently misrepresented the machine selection
process to the public, and continues to operate in near secrecy
despite a need for full visibility and transparency in the machine
selection and certification process" said Aimee Allaud,
Elections/Government Specialist of the League of Women Voters of New
York State. "The pre-emption of the public review process of the
proposed Draft Voting System Standards is a slap in the public's
face. It is a subversion of the process which the public comment
period is designed to accomplish."

"Computer engineers know that it is technically naïve to believe that
a partial system can be adequately tested." said Bo Lipari, Executive
Director of New Yorkers for Verified Voting. "Testing a voting system
when some of its parts do not yet exist is fundamentally an exercise
in futility. A voting system includes hardware and software with many
interdependent parts. In particular, a voter verified paper ballot
printer and accessibility interfaces are not simple add-ons."

"In their decision to start the certification process for a voting
machine that isn't fully built yet, the Board of Elections is acting
like nincompoops. They're not only putting the cart before the
horse, they're putting political expediency before a public and
thorough testing of one of the foundations of our electoral system."
said Neal Rosenstein, Government Reform Coordinator of the New York
Public Interest Research Group.

"This adds insult to injury to New York voters. Revamping our voting
systems has to happen, but the process has been mishandled since day
one by our leaders and the NYS Board of Elections. Now as we run out
of time, the real threat is we will approve systems that are not
completed and have voters serving as guinea pigs in the next
election. Voters deserve a thorough and deliberative process as we
decide how New Yorkers will vote for years to come. It is
indefensible to cut corners and be secretive and unaccountable when
our democracy is at stake," stated Rachel Leon, Executive Director,
Common Cause/NY.

The groups called on the Board of Elections to stop the certification
process of any incomplete machines and for the New York State
Legislature to swiftly convene oversight hearings on the Board's
actions to date.

For more information contact:
Bo Lipari, NYVV: 607-387-9308 phone
607-351-2314 cell

Neal Rosenstein, NYPIRG: 212-349-6460 phone
917 -575-4317 cell

Rachel Leon, Common Cause: 917-847-3625

Aimee Allaud, LWV: 518-482-2617






Allegra Dengler
60 Judson Avenue
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
914-693-8023
http://citizensforvotingintegrity.org/
http://www.nyvv.org/

"... touch-screen machines are highly vulnerable to being hacked or
maliciously programmed to change votes. And they cost far more than
voting machines should." New York Times editorial, March 9, 2005

[feelthebreeze]

3. P.S. notice Neal Rosenstein's comments Bill Bored...

It seems he is taking a rather hard line against this.

[Bill Bored]

7. I know, I posted this last night when it first came out. It's a dupe.

And it doesn't say anything was actually certified.

And I asked you once where you heard that NYPIRG was in favor of paper ballots/optical scan and you didn't answer. However, my understanding is that they have still not taken a position on DREs vs. PB/OS and this is part of the problem.

Anyway, try not to despair. There are still many possibilities. NY has clearly resisted HAVA for years now, more than any other state, and I don't think we are about to go rushing into any unverifiable systems. Read what's in the election law and you'll see that legal action would be forthcoming if anyone tried anything that stupid. This is just a preliminary test and there are other vendors including at least one op scan in the mix.

And expect to vote on a lever machine in 2006 too, unless you're out in the country where there's only one machine per polling place.

[nofurylike]

4. i stopped by to say, you're right. and i feel for you. it is agonizing to

see it and realize what you are seeing.

i know that.

i'm sorry.

just please know you are not alone in seeing it. the enormity.

i can not stay on this thread now, but will check back to see how you're doing.

:hug:

peace and solidarity

[feelthebreeze]

5. Thanks for you post nofurylike...

If only there were more of us going to action.

[nofurylike]

6. we are in a state of extreme overwhelm, all of us. this state knew exactly

how to pile it all on.

which issue would you choose to ignore?

while election integrity is at the very bottom line of ALL issues, there are so many crises that are URGENT...

i know you know.

i am so sorry.

just had to hug you because i fear as you do, know the anguish, and can not offer anything more substantial to help.

hang in there.

more when can...

peace...

peace and solidarity