The Danger Of Voting Machines
Are voting machines safe? Are they reliable? Can they be trusted? With 87 percent of votes counted by the electronic contraptions, those are some very important questions that need to be answered. Hacking Democracy is a documentary from 2007 by Simon Ardizzone and Russell Michael and it attempts to answer those questions and the concerns over their operations and vote tampering.
It all started in 2000, when a voting machine in Volusia County, Florida registered minus 16,022 for Al Gore. For machines that are supposed to be tamper-proof and foolproof, that was a really big fault in the supposedly perfect system. Enter Bev Harris, grandmother and writer. In 2002 in Seattle, her voting machines acquired electronic touch screens and she didn’t understand why. Her curiosity then drove her to discover everything she could about the electronic voting system.
Harris started doing her own research to figure out the real story to the voting machines. What she unearthed shocked her and it is chronicled in the documentary. She started with the Diebold Corporation – the company who makes the software of the voting systems. To not give too much information away, here is one thing she discovered: hundreds of reports of incidents of mishandled voting information.
The documentary is really about the high stakes these voting machines play in our society and how fallible they really are. Now, you can learn about how these machines tick at Hallwalls this Friday, October 17th at 8 PM. Hallwalls is located in the basement of Babeville at 341 Delaware Avenue and they will be screening the Emmy nominated documentary. Tickets are $7, $5 for students and seniors, and $4 for members. For more information, call Carolyn Tennant, the Hallwalls’ media arts director, at 854-1694 or visit the documentary’s website.
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pegger
If ever there was a time when tampering were possible or even likely, it would be now.
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LightoftheMoon
...and there's only ONE comment on this?? The passivity of the general public astounds me.
regardless of who you're supporting, what you believe, what party you're registered as... this is our democracy. Taking away our votes robs us of the very core of our nation's greatness, and indifference to this very real threat epitomizes being unpatriotic. My candidate may lose, but he d@mn well better do it in a fair fight. DEMAND PAPER BALLOTS!
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LittleSis
When I voted last month, someone there told me this was the last year for the lever model in Erie County- next year will be computer. Does anyone know if this is true?
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CaptVonTrapp
For the past eight years, I have complained about the voting machines used and the volunteers serving at my local polling place. Niagara 10. In 2001, the year after GBush's first presidential victory... and I use the term loosely... I attempted to flip a toggle for a candidate running on all party lines... the toggle would not move on the party of my choice.... I tried a toggle for another party. Nothing.... None of the toggles worked... I called over a polling volunteer, I explained the situation, and I was told, "Aw, it doesn't matter... that one's gonna get elected no matter what."
!!!!!
Two years later, the line up of candidates forced a handwritten ballot. The completed ballots were being kept in a manila envelope behind the sign in desk. I explained my reluctance to vote this way (and silently wondered about the security and privacy of this practice). I was told, "Oh, don't worry. We won't look at these... we work here."
!!! !!! !!!
These same volunteers (mostly elderly, many seemingly hard of hearing, none effectively trained) routinely shout out personal information.... name, address, party.... as voters sign in.... I'd rather not have my party anounced to my neighbors.... or the fact that I am not at home to a roomful of strangers.
On these occassions and others, I have phone County Board Of Elections (not much help on Election Day.... they are all working)... HQs for the concerned candidates (ditto).... and afterwards to these offices as well... There must be some place to report dubious practices (even if not malicious, sloppy habits impact vote counts) as tjhey are happening on the first Tuesday in November.
Surely someone besides me has to care as much about this...
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wingking
I read somewhere that NY State was required to have electronic voting machine in place by this presidential election . But election officials were not satisfied with the machines and refused - and were hit with something like $100,000 in fines as a result. My question: Why the rush? Get it right. And if my ATM can give me a receipt 10 times a month, why can't Diebold machines give me one once every 4 years !!! I WANT A PAPER TRAIL !!!!
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LightoftheMoon
CaptVon Trapp, check out www.votefraud.org. Other links & lots of info are on there too.
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CaptVonTrapp
merci beaucoup, clair de lune....
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LightoftheMoon
This is a great site too: www.stealbackyourvote.org/
voter fraud comic books for only $1 (or donate more if you want), includes 800 numbers to volunteer election protection attorneys.
I ordered extras to hand out.
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