Posted on 09/01/2004 11:45:51 PM PDT by neverdem
An Anne Arundel County judge yesterday rejected a challenge to the state's touch-screen voting machines, saying they are more accurate than the paper ballots plaintiffs are seeking to make optional for the November elections.
Circuit Court Judge Joseph P. Manck called the concern that the electronic machines might be vulnerable to tampering "a very real fear," but he found that Maryland officials had "taken all reasonable steps to protect the integrity of the voting process."
The ruling was a victory for the state's embattled elections administrator, Linda H. Lamone, who has championed electronic voting and was a defendant in the lawsuit. "I'm gratified that the court has ratified our confidence in the voting system," Lamone said. "As the court said, with all the protections we've put in place, my firm belief is that the voters can have confidence in the integrity of the elections process."
Lead plaintiff Linda Schade said the citizens group she co-founded, TrueVoteMD.org, would use the ruling to galvanize Maryland voters to closely monitor the November elections, which she predicted would not go smoothly. "I am very disappointed that Maryland voters will be forced to vote on machines that we believe are illegal under Maryland law and that are clearly very insecure," Schade said.
Ryan P. Phair, who represented Schade and the other plaintiffs, said he would file an appeal today with the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals.
Maryland's machines, manufactured by Diebold Election Systems, were used in four counties in 2002, including Prince George's and Montgomery, and in most jurisdictions across the state in the March primary. Lamone and Schade's group have disagreed over the extent of problems that surfaced during the primary.
In November, the machines are slated to be used in every jurisdiction but Baltimore, which will be allowed to continue using...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
ping
Can we clone that judge and send her twin to Florida?
Diebold GEMS central tabulator contains a stunning security hole
Ah, I hadn't read that thread. Things are looking kind of strange.....
I just read that CA ban 12,000 Diebold machines.............(can't find the link)
County pays $415,000 to get out of e-voting contract
But in May, California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley banned the type of machines used in Solano and three other counties after discovering uncertified software and other problems that potentially "jeopardized" the outcomes of the March presidential primary and other elections. Computer scientists had alerted state officials of serious security breaches with the paperless system, which does not include printers and does not produce paper records suitable for a recount in case of a contested election.
Diebold Learns What Edison Knew: Voting Machine Sales Are Tough
Long but alot of info.
It's always some damn thing!
Is the Maryland system Diebold GEMS?
There will be fraud like you have never seen in this election. And since it is all electronic ballots, there will be virtually no way to challenge it.
Translation: the RATS have not found a way to "stuff" a touch screen unit.
I'm all for using automation to make elections cleaner, but these Diebold machines are the work of the devil. Bad security to the point that fraud looks to be designed in. This is very very very bad stuff. This is the stuff of the end of the Republic and the rise of dictatorship.
What party affiliation do these officials hold? If they are RATS and they are for the new technology, then they've found a way to beat it; if they're PUBS then they must believe that it's secure enough.
It was probably just a leftover 'feature' from the Venezuelan contract...
There was, I think, a thread about the Diebold machines over on TheHighRoad.org, and it had been link from DU. Bev Harris had started a thread over there, and the DU'ers were trashing Jim March for being a firearms advocate. I don't remember all the in's and out's of what's going on with the voting machines, but it's no good. Fraud and corruption in our courts, legislatures, and elections are rampant. I don't know what to do about it at this point.
Have you read some of the allegations about "ghost voting" in the California legislature? Just appalling. Makes me want to grab a pitchfork and torch and storm the capitol.
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