Steal This Vote: Andrew Gumbel on Controvery over E-Voting Machines

[babylonsister]

Steal This Vote: Andrew Gumbel on the Growing Controversy Over Electronic Voting Machines

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/25/131...

As the governor of Maryland calls for the state to scrap its electronic voting system and revert to paper ballots, we talk to the Los Angeles-based reporter Andew Gumbel on voting scandals and his book “Steal this Vote: Dirty Elections and the Rotten History of Democracy in America” We turn now to look at the continuing controversy surrounding electronic voting machines. Last week, the governor of Maryland called for the state to scrap its electronic voting system and revert to paper ballots for the upcoming November elections. Governor Robert Ehrlich said such a move was needed because of technical glitches that occurred during the state’s primary election earlier this month. In that election, electronic voting machines built by Diebold repeatedly crashed.

* Andrew Gumbel, journalist with the London Independent and the author of “Steal this Vote: Dirty Elections and the Rotten History of Democracy in America” His latest article about electronic voting will be published in the Nation magazine next month.

[karencr]

1. The use of the term "paper ballots"

I'm sure this has been written many times before, but it bears repeating:
I think it is a serious disservice to American voters when articles about election voting systems loosely use the term "paper ballots" when what they are really describing is PAPER BALLOTS COUNTED WITH OPTICAL SCANNERS.
Optical scanners are still electronic voting machines that use programs very similar to those used in the DRE (Direct Record Electronic) voting machines - a.k.a. "touch screens, although the Hart Intercivic e-Slates are DRE's but the screen isn't actually touched; a selector wheel selects your choice and then the voter hits the Enter button.
Optical scanners are not any safer than the DRE's. Yes, I know, there are paper ballots for supposed audits and recounts, BUT with the multitude of hurdles (high costs, for one)that must be jumped to be able to conduct a meaningful audit or a recount, with Congress now swearing in suspect winners before audits or recounts can happen which then permits Congress to actually protect the newly sworn in member (re: the Busby race in CA) from any contesting of the results, with states passing laws that declare recounts illegal for some races and with the audits being totally unreliable because the machines are rigged to pull results from their "good" side of voting counts when an audit or recount is done...WHAT GOOD IS RELYING ON AN AUDIT OR A RECOUNT?

So, please, stop misleading people (whether unknowingly or not) by using the term PAPER BALLOTS when it's really PAPER BALLOTS COUNTED BY SECRETLY PROGRAMMED ELECTRONIC OPTICAL SCANNERS.

Thank you.

[Wilms]

9. Well said.

Welcome

[emlev]

2. Bad link. EOM

[babylonsister]

4. Thanks. I have no idea what happened to that story. It was there

this morning. I couldn't make this stuff up, and did watch it on Democracy Now! :shrug:

[emlev]

5. Yeah, I heard it, too. Is there no better link available? EOM

[babylonsister]

6. No, it's been scrubbed from DN's website saying no such

story exists. I wonder what happened; I've never seen DN do that.

[emlev]

3. Story mentions the great work being done in Nashville

Go, FlyByNight and colleagues!

[Fly by night]

7. Try this link -- it worked for me

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/25/1318243

I went to the home page for Democracy Now and got to the story.

We were very honored to have Andrew Gumbel in the Orange State recently, and were doubly honored to have him mention our efforts as part of this story. Now if we can just get rid of our State Election Coordinator, an inside salesman for Diebold in Tennessee. It may take another Battle of Athens (TN) to get it done, but that's beginning to be fine with me.

Read about the Battle of Athens here (and keep your powder dry): http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=A043

[babylonsister]

8. Thanks, Fly. Very strange. I also went to the home page,

and this story isn't showing up on my 'puter, but your link takes me there.