Posted on 11/04/2006 2:21:06 PM PST by calcowgirl
But, assuming physical security, there is a tangible object which can be read by both sides.
When you bring electronic machines into it, the result is whatever the machine operator says it is.
What if the poll workers are the ones pushing the button?
I'm not worried about fraud during the actual polling time. I'm worried more about fraud before and after. If I'm the organized Party of Vote Fraud, I rig the voting before or after, not during the voting.
OH, it's going to be ugly...no doubt about it.
No kidding! This stupid company should be sued and then sued some more.
Perhaps a moderator could update the subject line to indicate this machine is made by the HUGO CHAVEZ owned company??
"These voting machines are the most accurate way to count the votes in the history of mankind."
Perhaps. But only if everyone involved has the best of intentions.
If you think anyone is capable of foul play, these machines are far more vulnerable than traditional mechanical or paper based systems.
This is simply because your typical poll worker is not capable of recognizing fraud on an electronic machine that would be obvious to anyone with older techniques of voting.
I have programmed computers professionally for 30 years. I have no faith in these machines. You will find that the faith in these machines is inversely proportional to the amount someone knows about computers, computer security and the validation of software.
Try it yourself. Find someone with even ten years experience in programming computers (not in voting machines) and ask them what they think about the machines we have today.
This is a case where "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." does not apply. Just because Dems suspect it should not make you reflexively support it.
Elections require even more transparency than criminal trials. Yet we tolerate proprietary and secret software on our voting machines. People should rightly be skeptical of such an arrangement even without the numerous exploits that have already been discovered and documented.
Current systems do not even use code signing for the executables (allowing the software to be changed without notice to anyone, compare that to installing a driver on Windows) nor do they encrypt and protect the data that is transferred as well as the browser you are using right now when you pay for a pizza on the web.
Don't take a politician's (of any stripe) word for it. Ask someone who might know.
How come we dont hear Republicans crying and moaning about the machines.
The democrats are getting ready to launch a massive fraud suit everywhere they lose. The lawyers are already counting their money.
For a party which understands national defense so well, the GOP seems to be incredibly naive about political battles sometimes.
It sometimes seems the philosophy of the GOP is "it's better to lose with dignity, than to win".
In Florida, it looked at early voting that it would be easy to pocket the voter card. Nobody was attending the table where the cards are turned in. It was self service.
ping
Just to throw a little light - RE: Chavez owns
Smartmatic International Group is owned primarily by foundations controlled by three Venezuelans -- Mugica, Roger Pinate and Alfredo Anzola. It was a small company until it beat out Nebraska-based Election Systems & Software in 2004 for a contract to provide voting technology in Venezuela. With millions in profits from that contract, Smartmatic bought Sequoia last year from a British company for about $16 million. Sequoia supplies electronic voting machines to at least a dozen states and the District.
Smartmatic representatives yesterday said that the Venezuelan government does not own and has never owned any part of the company. "No foreign government from any country has ever held a stake in Smartmatic," said the company's chief executive, Antonio Mugica.
Bizta, a start-up technology company in Venezuela with some of the same owners as Smartmatic, received a $150,000 grant from a financing arm of Venezuela's government before the 2004 recall. In exchange, Bizta pledged nearly 30 percent of the company shares and a seat on the board to the government. Bizta has been folded into Smartmatic, and Mugica said the grant, which he characterized as a loan, has been repaid. He added that a government representative never showed up at board meetings.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR2006103001224.html
WTF? Who designs these things? School kids?
I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can only get away with this kind of stuff if you're a poll worker or in cahoots with a poll worker.
At the end of the day (*), the poll workers have to reconcile the number of votes the machine says it registered with the number of signatures in the roster, plus absentee ballots handed in, etc. If those don't match, somebody down at election HQ will get involved and have to either resolve it or throw them out or something.
It's impossible that the machine will show 1000 votes and the precinct roster will have 500 signatures and that precinct's 1000 votes will be accepted.
(*) One of the few times this phrase is appropriate to a discussion, if I may say so myself.
p.s.: Standard procedure in Santa Clara county is indeed to set up the voting machines directly opposite of the table where the precinct workers (4 or more) sit. And far enough away that the workers can't see you voting but certainly within range that they would see you reaching around or walking in back of it.
A piece of cardboard, some duct tape and problem is solved on election day.
I have only one question: Does this help or hurt Republicans?
Then apply for the job. We need you in the trenches.
I don't trust all of the machines. Here in Harris County, TX we use an electronic voting machine that records each vote in 3 separate computers with sealed memories. In order to mess with the votes, you would have to break the seals on 3 computers and change all 3 in identical ways. In addition, our county is now run by Republicans. But in dim territory, I EXPECT MASSIVE FRAUD IN EVERY ELECTION. Note my posts where I have witnessed and documented successful fraud.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.