Posted on 12/17/2007 10:53:25 AM PST by ShadowAce
Earlier this year, California found all sorts of problems with e-voting machines used in the state. Now, Ohio, home to some of the more controversial stories surrounding presidential elections, has also found serious flaws in every e-voting machine used in the state. It's the usual stuff that has been pointed out for years: it was easy to pick locks on the machines, introduce fake votes, and load up dangerous unauthorized software onto the machines. Not much new there -- just another confirmation. What's much more interesting is the reaction of the firms involved.
First up is "Premier Election Solution," who you probably would recognize better under its old name: Diebold. The company changed its name a few months ago, hoping people would no longer associate Premier with all of the ridiculously bad history associated with Diebold. A Premier official said that all of the problems noted in the report have been fixed in its new machines. While that's a better response than Diebold's typical response of trashing any researcher who points out a flaw or cracking jokes about the flaws, it's one of the few times we've ever seen Diebold/Premier admit that older machines actually did have significant flaws. Of course, the few times that's happened in the past, it's always come with the same sort of "but everything is fixed now!" clause. And... every time a Diebold/Premier representative says something along those lines, it's only a matter of months until new flaws are announced. So, given Diebold's history, it's pretty difficult to take the company's word that all the flaws have now been fixed.
Even worse, though, is the response of ES&S, who has become even more Diebold-like in its responses to various problems found in its machines. On the Ohio report, ES&S responded: "We can also tell you that our 35 years in the field of elections has demonstrated that Election Systems and Software voting technology is accurate, reliable and secure." Note that this doesn't actually respond to any of the specific criticisms in the report. As for that history, let's take you back to a few of ES&S's greatest hits: this is the company that was caught providing uncertified software to California, while also failing to disclose foreign manufacturing partners (as required by federal law). It's also the company responsible for the well-known case in Florida where thousands of votes went missing and the election in Texas where votes were counted three times. And, of course, let's not forget the internal memos at ES&S which showed the company knew about problems with its software, while publicly stating that the machines were perfectly fine. So, sorry, ES&S, you can try to pretend those things didn't happen, but the history you point to hardly shows that your machines are "accurate, reliable and secure." It shows a company that will say anything to avoid admitting that its machines have problems.
That must explain why Republicans lost statewide elections there in 2006.
heh
I can hear Dummies’ heads exploding at this very moment. Diebold, Bush, Rove, arrggghhhhhhh.......
Why don’t we just go back to buttefly ballots.....oh ya I remember. People couldn’t figure them out.....
“I can hear Dummies’ heads exploding at this very moment. Diebold, Bush, Rove, arrggghhhhhhh.......”
“Why don’t we just go back to buttefly ballots.....oh ya I remember. People couldn’t figure them out.....”
I remember. It was DEMS who pushed the electronic nonsense on us because low-tech voting methods are so questionable!
(NEVER let them forget that inconvenient truth!)
I heard from a source I trust, that the California study was deeply flawed AND did not subject the optical scan machines to the same scrutiny they did to the touch screen machines.
It’s getting almost too easy to bash these companies producing electronic voting machines. They keep giving us more and more.
The thing to remember about these situations is, machine error is traceable, correctable and, repairable.
OTOH, human error...
We replaced our reliable, fraud proof, punch cards, FOR THIS???
No, we lost because RINO Bob Taft and his 16% approval rating killed Ken Blackwell’s chances.
Never blame on a conspiracy that which can be explained by stupidity, and don’t let Bob Taft off the hook...
We replaced our reliable, fraud proof, punch cards, because Broward County Florida couldn't run an election and old people there, apparently couldn't punch thru the tab....
With all these flaws in the voting machine market, it sounds like a prime business business opportunity for a respected company, like Halliburton, to pursue
Perhaps... if the company will permit its software to be open to inspection by knowledgeable and trustworthy parties. I don't trust them.
I still prefer plain old paper ballots, marked with indelible ink... then let them be counted by teams of people comprised from both parties. I don't care if it takes two days to count everything.
There have been too many studies done to be able to say the machines are any good. Plus the underhanded actions of the companies don't exactly inspire confidence. They prefer denial, cover-up and legal action to actually fixing anything.
These machines could be done well. That's the sad part. It would just take a conscientious company using standard hardware, software and network security practices. Every report I've seen so far leaves this programmer saying "What the hell were you thinking?"
ping
Halliburton would be a good choice. Halliburton employees are competent, smart, hard working, profitable, and when blamed for everything wrong in Iraq, they just smile and say “isn’t freedom of speech great” and go on about their business of helping Iraquis gain freedom.
I am all for Halliburton designing something to get the votes counted. I just don’t think the liberal left is ready for it.
See you think of this in programmer terms.
I’m thinking along the lines of “deranged moonbat secretary of state who hates Diebold so she’s trying to throw out the current machines, and replace them with others”.
Especially when this particular moonbat Sec of State posted on Daily Kos back in 2006.
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