Lou Dobbs comes out against electronic voting machines:

[originalpckelly]

"Well, coming up next here, your ballot may not be counted if you're voting on electronic voting machines. You'll never know. Perhaps neither will we. But some states are awakening to the dangers of those e-voting machines and trying to determine whether they are jeopardizing our democracy.

We'll have that special report tonight.

Congressman Mike Pence will join us. He's introducing his own illegal immigration and border security legislation. He says it is an amnesty. Others disagree. Congressman Pence will join us next.

And three popular radio talk show hosts, they'll be here. We'll be talking about the death of Zarqawi, illegal immigration, border security, such as it is, and the issues that will shape our upcoming midterm elections.

Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Nationwide, as many as a third of all voters are expected to cast their ballots in the midterm elections on electronic voting machines. But serious questions about those machines' reliability and their vulnerability to fraud are rising. Some election officials in some states are returning to paper ballots in order to assure competence in the election process.

Kitty Pilgrim reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Newark, they are using lever voting machines for a special city council run-off election Tuesday. The local election officials say they went back to the old system for this specific election because voters felt more comfortable and confident in using the old equipment. But last week, for the primary elections, they used electronic voting machines.

The New Jersey State Attorney General's Office says there were no reported problems with the primary last week, but they admit they are discussing moving to a statewide verified paper trail system in the future.

WARREN STEWART, VOTETRUST USA: The real difference with an electronic voting machine like a touch-screen machine or any of the direct record electronic machines is that the votes are counted with software. In the case of a paper ballot that's run through an optical scanner, yes, it is counted by software initially, but there's the possibility of hand counting it. PILGRIM: New Mexico has decided to move to an all-paper ballot system in the future to increase voter confidence, even though they stand by their previous results on electronic voting systems.

REBECCA VIGIL-GIRON, NEW MEXICO SECRETARY OF STATE: We were trying to accomplish uniformity more than anything in the state of New Mexico because we had all these different types of voting machine systems in the state. We decided that uniformity was the best way for us to go.

PILGRIM: According to verifiedvoting.org, a watchdog group, 26 states have legislation or regulations requiring paper ballots. And 13 more have proposed legislation but have not yet enacted it.

Eight counties in Arkansas are not using touch-screen voting in Tuesday's run-off because there was not enough time to reprogram the machines after last month's primary. But officials say they are looking into tabulation problems with their electronic machines in the May 23rd primary.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Now, some in Congress are calling for a bill that would set federal standards for voter-verified paper records and legislation that would also call for election officials to conduct random audits of the systems. And those are audits done by election officials and not the companies that make the machines -- Lou.

DOBBS: Well, I'll tell you, frankly, I'm no more reassured by the fact that some election official is doing an audit of a machine with proprietary software for which there is not a paper record of that vote cast and for which we have the ability to conduct a recount reliably and accurately. After all, that is the purpose of the recount.

This e-voting machine wave that has taken over about a third of the country I think desperately needs to be re-examined and re- examined with care.

PILGRIM: And many officials are doing that just now.

DOBBS: As you have just recorded. As always, thank you, Kitty. "

Interesting, if some dork like Dobbs can understand this, normal everyday reactionary Americans will too.

[msongs]

1. this says it all: "..not enough time to reprogram the machines.."

machines are totally reprogrammable at will by anyone with the knowhow or intent to cheat. if it is possible, it will be done.

Msongs
www.msongs.com
batik & digital art
get your pics on a shirt!

[GregD]

2. He's known about this since 2003 -

He had David Dill, Rush Holt, Bev Harris, Avi Rubin and others on his program in Summer/Fall 2003. They all told him this was a problem. It didn't make a difference then, and I'm not convinced it will matter much now. At least I'm not counting on it...

[hedda_foil]

12. You can count on it this time, Greg.

We're in daily contact with them and they'll be covering the story every night this week again, and into the foreseeable future. VTUSA gave this thing legs for them and they're deeply into the story now.

[napi21]

3. I'm glad Lou is taking this on. He DOES have a lot of moderate

viewers, and from some almost instant responses from the WH in the past, they pay attention to his prorgam.

This is the kind of attention we have needed ever since we've started questioning the validity of these machines. Lou CAN'T be considered a LW nut, so when he brings this subject to the forefront, he gives credibility to our arguments!

[dogday]

4. I could not believe it when I saw it

but he was actually making the case against these machines....

[librechik]

5. Wouldn't it be great if Lou got on this bone

like he has the distasteful immigration issue. Seems to me it appeals to a lot more people and doesn't make him look like a racist clown.

[RufusEarl]

6. Say what you want about Dobbs,

but he's the only MSM guy thats talking about this problem. So for that reason alone i'll give Mr. Dobbs a shout out.

I do wish that KO would take this on, i believe in the past he's reported on this subject but it would be helpful if several reporters would keep a constant drum beat going until voters realize the importance of this problem.

[mod mom]

7. Lou Dobbs should have Greg Palast on to talk about NM w Vigil-Giron

Maybe she can explain the machine tapes (shown in Armed Madhouse) that fail to list John Kerry.

[Jeanette in FL]

8. He only got on board when he heard that Venezuela bought the company

That is when he became so irate about our voting machines when he heard that foreign interest had a financial stake in our electronic voting machines. I am glad that he is bringing this to everyone's attention though.

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. Exactly! A U.S. company doing dirty deeds is A-OK!

Even if it is a multi-national corporation. But a foreign country run by an extreme Left-wing dictator! OMG!!! Secure the borders NOW!

[NNN0LHI]

9. Perhaps he is going to have Bev Harris on again?

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0405/06/ldt.00.html

President Bush Stands By Donald Rumsfeld; E-Voting Threat to Democracy?

Aired May 6, 2004 - 18:00 ET

<snip> DOBBS: Coming up next, a threat to democracy. Electronic voting could undermine our system of law. She's are guest next.

"Exporting America," a small businessman in Maine. He says outsourcing was never even a consideration. We'll have his story. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: California State Senate Committee has approved a ban against all electronic voting in the November election. A vote by the full state Senate could come as early as next week.

My next guest says the use of electronic voting machines could hurt our democracy.

Bev Harris, the author of "Black Box Voting," joining us tonight from Seattle, Washington.

Bev good to have you here. How important is the Senate -- California Senate decision next week.

BEV HARRIS, AUTHOR, "BLACK BOX VOTING: VOTE TAMPERING IN THE 21st CENTURY": Very important. Basicly what will happen with that is it will make the counties able to fight against it and the secretary of state's ruling to do the same thing.

[Norquist Nemesis]

10. Yeah...it came onto his radar when he got wind that Chavez

might be involved. Before that, pffft!