Time Sensitive Apr 4 Virginia Verified Voting Alert

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

sorry for the last minute posting, I got this late. I have posted it in Va forum, but
that forum is fairly inactive, and this is urgent.

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED ONE LAST TIME THIS SESSION:

Dear VA Voter,

After years of study and endless delay, the General Assembly finally stepped in to do something about our vulnerable election machines. Although VA was late in stepping up to the plate, Lawmakers overwhelmingly passed SB840 and HB2707 that bans the future purchase of all paperless DRE or touchscreen voting machines. Localities can continue to use the paperless DREs despite the near unanimous consensus of the computer security industry that these machines are subject to tampering, malfunction, and catastrophic failure that could alter and disrupt our election system.

After years of doing nothing, the General Assembly settled on this compromise which would provide for a phased transition to paper-ballot based optical scan (like an SAT test).

However, there is a small group of election officials which never want to have to worry about counting a ballot, who would sacrifice security for complacency, and who refuse to admit they wasted tax-payer money on expensive and unreliable equipment. This group finally found someone to do their bidding: The Governor.

The Governor refused to sign this important legislation, instead choosing to delay the ban yet another year, thus allowing more money to be thrown down the drain on machines that have been proven to be unreliable and are in fact becoming illegal in other states. Your voice is needed one last time this session:

Tell your Senator and Delegate, "Enough with the delays. Respect the compromise that was reached during the session and REJECT the Governor's political power play."

Tell you Senator and Delegate in this important election year that you expect them to stand up for our Democracy and REJECT the political games of the Governor. The session is Wednesday the 4th, so you need to call/email your legislators and let the voice of the voters be heard.

TELL YOUR SENATOR/DELEGATE TO REJECT THE AMENDMENTS TO SB840/HB2707:

General Assembly Website: http://legis.state.va.us/
Senators: http://sov.state.va.us/SenatorDB.nsf/$$Viewtemplate+for+WMembershipHome?OpenForm
Delegates:
http://dela.state.va.us/dela/MemBios.nsf/MWebsiteTL?

[Virginian]

1. Who wrote this? Gov. Tim Kaine is a Dem! Look at this language!

I'm not calling. This language sounds like it has origins from a Kaine-hating Republican. I don't trust it just based on how it talks about our DEMOCRATIC Governor. Too bad, if the language hadn't aroused my suspicions, I would have followed through. Now, I want to see more facts before I would participate. This could have a Rovian trick to make you call to reject the scanner rule instead of supporting it.

Language like this:

However, there is a small group of election officials which never want to have to worry about counting a ballot, who would sacrifice security for complacency, and who refuse to admit they wasted tax-payer money on expensive and unreliable equipment. This group finally found someone to do their bidding: The Governor.

"...REJECT the Governor's political power play."

Tell you Senator and Delegate in this important election year that you expect them to stand up for our Democracy and REJECT the political games of the Governor.

[DCKit]

2. Isn't there any info out on the nets? You should be able to find something reliable

to tell you where he actually stands.

I thought Kaine was pretty progressive too, so I'm a bit dubious.

Hope you get paper in '08!

[davidwparker]

5. some more info

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=470153&mesg_id=470157

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. "mandate ...could be delayed a year...unless ...can override a gubernatorial amendment.."

The person who wrote the action alert has been very active with the lawmakers in VA.
Friend advises: the dems can't vote against the Governor, so only a few brave Dems will
vote FOR the bill.

Groups Push for Paper Backup in Va. Elections

Apr 3rd - 7:29am

RICHMOND, Va. - A proposal to mandate a paper backup to Virginia's touch-screen voting machines could be delayed a year, unless Virginia lawmakers can override a gubernatorial amendment during Wednesday's one-day session.

The original bill would have mandated a paper backup to the touch-screen machines by July 2007, but Gov. Tim Kaine changed the date to July 2008 after hearing from dozens of elections officials who were worried compliance. http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=600&sid=1105414

[davidwparker]

3. we should call tomorrow to find out what it says. I'm saving the URLs

so that I can call. You should state that you don't want unverifiable machines in VA and the person who answers the phone can formulate the correct message.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

6. if you are happy with paperless wireless WINVOTE

the problem is the dem lawmakers were on board, but the anti paper election officials
managed to sway the Governor.

So, the Governor is messing up a good bill that prevents any further purchase of
paperless DRES in Virginia.

The state is predominently paperless and WIRELESS NETWORKING WINVOTES.
This is the worst DRE, and you can hack into them by sitting in a parking lot across
from the polling place with a laptop pc that has a good antennae.

I spoke with a registrar who was testing WINVOTE (been a year or two), he said he
accidentally discovered that he could access the voting machines with his laptop,
without really trying.

Turns out that the wireless access was on when it supposedly was NOT on.

SO, just like in Maryland, where the democratic senate killed the verified voting bill
for the second year in a row, we have a democratic leader screwing things up.

If Virginia had Diebold, I would call the gov a Diebold Dem, but instead, hes just a paperless supporting Dem.

[davidwparker]

8. but, if the amendment passes, this is part of the bill:

Prohibits future purchases of direct recording electronic (DRE) devices; and provides for the phase out of DRE devices as the devices now in operation wear out. Prohibits any form of wireless communication to or from voting or counting devices while polls are open on election day.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. op/ed in Roanoke Times, New ERA: Ban should go into effect immediately

THE VOTE IS TOMORROW, SO CALL YOUR LAWMAKERS EARLY IN THE AM.

Registrars plan to purchase additional equipment now, with the extra time available.

April 2, 2006

Shed light on voting in Virginia

Ivy Main

Main, of McLean, is policy director of the New Electoral Reform Alliance for Virginia (New Era), a member of the Verifiable Voting Coalition of Virginia....

The law as written and if it goes into effect now, would mean the only new equipment purchased has to be optical scan and ballot markers or other non DRE systems.


The ban on buying touch-screen voting machines should go into effect immediately, as both the House and Senate intended.
When they meet this week, delegates and senators should act decisively to reject any delay.

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/wb/xp-111369

[davidwparker]

13. Thanks for the link.

Rather than accept the new light bulb, the registrars and boards of elections have persuaded Gov. Tim Kaine to sign the legislation with a postponement of the effective date until July 1, 2008.

So, it does look like Kaine made a mistake. And, that we should REJECT the amendment.

Thanks for the clarification and I'll call.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

15. some good counties

New Hanover is a good county, the registrar there is a retired techie.

He purchased the optical scan and ballot markers AGAINST the opposition of
the higher officials.

The state of Virginia encouraged the purchase of DRES by giving counties that
chose optical scan far less funding.

Seems the larger funding made paperless seem better to some.

[Virginian]

14. We use WinVote.

When we first started using it, the official from the electorial board said that if we changed machines, the WinVotes could be donated to the schools.

I believe that a few of my elderly voters are too afraid of the computers to vote, and too afraid of holding up the long lines to ask for help. Consequently, they end up "undervoting" -- casting an empty ballot.

I also believe they would be less intimidated by an optical scan sheet.

That is really interesting about the wireless access from the parking lot.

We have had two different precincts in the same location. One precinct has to wait until the other is finished booting before it can start because the machines all know the numbers of the other machines they are booted with.
We can't have a machine from one precinct tallying with the precinct in the next room. That would really throw the count out of whack.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

16. This is how bad WINVote is

It would be worse, but its a small country and seems like Virginia is now its main customer.
I don't think the machines ever got 2002 certification.

Mississippi:

Hinds County, Mississippi.

Voting computers at some polling places in District 29 failed to start
up. Others overheated and broke down during the election, and not enough paper ballots were
available to allow all voters to vote.

The Mississippi Senate decided it was impossible to determine the will of the voters. So it declared the election invalid, and a new election was held on February 10, 2004.

The discussion primarily focused on whether a revote should be held in the whole 22-precinct
district or be limited to the one precinct where most of the problems occurred.
... It was not fair, however, for Democrats to push to throw out votes in one precinct when there were
reports of irregularities at eight other precincts, she said.

Fairfax Virginia

November 2003
WINVote Fairfax County, Virginia. A post-election report by the Fairfax GOP committee called the election a "technological and procedural failure."

The report further states:
The WINvote machines failed. The software failed (machines crashed throughout, voters reported
difficulty in getting their choices to record), the hardware failed (some machines required new
batteries, some needed to be “jiggled” back into operation, modems failed to transmit data) ... the
sheer volume of problems and unresolved questions after Election Day, 2003 is mind-boggling;
especially in a community where, in the past, such problems were few and far between.5

http://www.votersunite.org/info/WINvoteinthenews.pdf

[davidwparker]

7. Virginian, I put the text in the tread. I'm not sure why the original

poster wants us to call to have that amendment rejected. What it prohibits is what we want: no more DRE machines, no ability to wireless connect to the voting machines (it says during voting hours, but I don't want wireless connections at all).

This is HIGHLY skeptical indeed.

[Virginian]

10. Communications from my Delegate.

This is what was in my email from my Republican Delegate. Do you see any of the spin that was in the OP?

Committee - Reconvened session – NOW WHAT?

The General Assembly returns to the newly renovated State Capitol on April 4 to review Governor Tim Kaine’s ten vetoes and 113 amendments. Here’s a summary of what can happen next:

http://www.dhusch.com/LBS/Legislative%20Bulletin%2029%20March%202007.htm

.
.
.

Electronic voting equipment changes deferred
Gov. Kaine proposes amending HB 2707 (Hugo) and SB 840 (Davis) to make the bills apply to voting equipment purchased after July 1, 2008. The bills as passed by the General Assembly prohibited the purchase of direct recording equipment voting machines (touch screens) after July 1, 2007; the amendment postpones the prohibition for a year.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. the election officials want to load up on extra paperless DRES

thats why they asked the gov to delay.

The moratorium on purchasing more DRES would mean that counties needing
additional equipment would have to purchase optical scan.

Because this BANS DRES.

[davidwparker]

4. Senate bill text says:

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=071&typ=bil&val=SB840&Submit=Go

Election procedures; voting equipment requirements; recounts. Prohibits future purchases of direct recording electronic (DRE) devices; and provides for the phase out of DRE devices as the devices now in operation wear out. Prohibits any form of wireless communication to or from voting or counting devices while polls are open on election day. Requires localities to provide accessible equipment for disabled voters. The bill deletes obsolete references to mechanical voting equipment and punchcard devices. This bill is identical to HB 2707 as passed and incorporates SB 878.