Voting Machines are Anti-American

Started by Adam_Fulford, Nov 02 06 12:39

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Adam_Fulford

[h2]The Case vs. Diebold (or any other Electronic Voting Machine Vendor, for that matter)[/h2] [!-- begin content --]     Source: [a href="http://www.democracyfornewhampshire.com/%20http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_charles__061029_the_case_vs__diebold.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"]OpEdNews.com, [/a]October 29, 2006, By Charles Corry,  President of the [a href="http://www.ejfi.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"]Equal     Justice Foundation.[/a] [/p]Let me see if I understand the current situation with regard to using Diebold   electronic voting machines and central tabulators in the November 7, 2006, election:[/p] [ul][li] Many of the hard drives and apparently all of the motherboards of the voting   machines are Made in China. China is known to be attacking Department of Defense,   Commerce Department, and other government computers. Since the motherboard   controls the voting machine, and hiding a malicious program in the boot sector   of a hard drive isn't much of a trick, one has to assume that some or all of   the Diebold voting machines are potentially, even probably controlled by China   (Security 101). The only remaining question is whether they have exercised   that control yet? Personally, if the option were mine, I'd wait until the 2008   elections.[/li] more below the fold
 -------------------   [li] Diebold voting machines are all based on one variant or another of the Microsoft   Windows operating system. No other computer operating system in the world is   subject to so many viruses, trojan horses, hack tools, worms, rootkits, or   other attacks as Windows.[/li][li] The voting machine does not have to be connected to the Internet to become   infected with these agents. For one example see Tom Clancy's novel The Bear   and the Dragon.[/li][li] Diebold programming is primarily done in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,   by individuals of unknown allegiance who are certainly not citizens of the   United States or loyal to it.[/li][li] Diebold has established a reputation for selling election "vaporware."[/li][li] Diebold treats all software and hardware as proprietary so that it is impossible   to determine what is actually used in an election to tabulate votes.[/li][li] Logic and Accuracy Testing (LAT) is done in "Test" mode, not "Election" mode.   [/li][li] Central tabulation software, GEMS, is widely available on the Internet and   step-by-step instructions on hacking the vote are posted. Whether this is the   actual software used in a given election is impossible to determine as Diebold   requires a non-disclosure contract and regards their software and hardware   as proprietary.[/li][li] Diebold uses Microsoft Access database to store election results with basically   no security on the database.[/li][li] There are no meaningful standards in place and the so-called "Independent   Testing Authority" that "certifies" the voting machines is paid   by Diebold and only tests what Diebold wants tested. And, if problems are found,   they may or not be corrected.[/li][li] What standards do exist permit wireless communication with the voting machines   and Diebold is known to have implemented such methods in their voting machines   in the past. A wireless link would be easy to include in the motherboard when   Made in China.[/li][li] Diebold has repeatedly used uncertified and untested software and hardware   in elections, making a mockery of even the weak certification and testing procedures   in place.[/li][li] Diebold voting machines do not meet HAVA requirements for handicap access.   The only handicapped they even try to assist are the visually impaired. Diebold   paid one association of the blind $1 million to promote their voting machines.   But when blind voters have used them in elections they haven't been real happy   and to hell with any other handicapped voters.[/li][li] Diebold voting machines have failed every independent security test ever   undertaken by a number of nationally-recognized authorities.[/li][li] Diebold has repeatedly failed to correct known security flaws and software   bugs.[/li][li] Attacks by a variety of experts have shown Diebold voting machines are easily   hacked.[/li][li] Standards for security of these machines has been demonstrated to be completely   inadequate and unaffordable even if required by court order. So the argument   that election processes and procedures "protect" them is fallacious.   For example, every vote counting machine used in a precinct is sent home with   an election judge from one day to a week before the election (known as "sleepovers").[/li][li] Diebold hires technicians to support local elections off the street, does   no background check, provides minimal training, and gives them unlimited access   to the voting machines in most jurisdictions.[/li][li] In many election jurisdictions Diebold personnel actually run the election.[/li][li] Diebold TSx DREs with paper ballots must have the paper roll changed by a   technician, not an election judge, every time 60-75 ballots are cast. The ballots   are on a continuous roll and make a potential hand recount very tedious and   time consuming.[/li][li] "Programming" and machine errors have been exposed in every election   cycle Diebold voting machines have been used in for the past ten years. Note   that it is virtually impossible to distinguish "programming" errors   from deliberate fraud or sabotage.[/li][li] It has become easy to determine that a Diebold representative is dissembling.   His, or her lips are moving.[/li][/ul] With the exception of the motherboard, the other issues listed above are documented   in the EJF book on Vote Fraud and Election Issues. Pictures of the Diebold motherboard and details on the Hursti hack can be found at [a href="http://www.openvoting.us/tsx/all-files.php." target="_blank" rel="nofollow"]http://www.openvoting.us/tsx/all-files.php.[/a][/p] Additional examples of problems with Diebold voting machines are documented on VotersUnite, Vote Trust USA, Brad Blog, Black Box Voting, and by many others.[/p] The     truly frightening thing is that Diebold may not even be the worst of the   electronic voting machines in use. While I have painted China as the villain     in the above synopsis, Sequoia Voting Systems is owned by a government-controlled     Venezuelan company. Venezuela hasn't been notably friendly to the U.S. lately,     either.[/p]   Our forbearers developed a working solution for elections. Voters go to   a local precinct, hand mark a paper ballot and put it in a locked ballot       box. At the       end of the day the ballots are counted in public view by at least two election       judges of opposing parties before the ballots ever leave the polling place.       That is as safe, secure, and accurate a method as has been devised for       voting. It is also considerably cheaper than electronic voting. Why don't       we use       it?[/p] Before you dismiss the above as the paranoid ranting of one more radical,         consider the following listings from my curriculum vitae:[/p] Who's Who in the World, 16th through 24th Editions, 1999-2007.
   Who's Who in America, 53rd through 61st Editions, 1999-2007.
 Who's Who in Science and Engineering, 4th through 9th Editions, 1998-2007.[/p] I began working with electronics in 1957 and with computers in 1960 on flight   control and guidance systems for Atlas and Centaur missiles. In 1976 I earned   a Ph.D. in geophysics that was largely supported by the aerospace engineering   department at Texas A&M. Much of my career was spent in such institutions   as Scripps and Woods Hole. I also served on the IEEE Voting Equipment Standards committee for virtually its entire duration from 2001 to 2006.[/p] So when some     election official claims problems with electronic voting machines don't exist,     ask them for their credentials and educational background. Pay particular attention to their computer experience (most don't have any).[/p] As     a Marine, I took an oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign     and domestic. I still take that oath seriously.
   Semper Fi,
   Chuck Corry

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