Bitchatorial by sqb
If you were like most breathing Americans, you went out and voted last November 2 and expected your vote to be counted, regardless of whether your candidates and policies won or not. What you may not fully realize this election is that your vote MAY or MAY NOT count, because of something called Electronic Tabulation, or 'Black Box Voting'.
For years citizens relied on a honest election officials and systems and a paper trail for backup counts on elections. With electronic databases used with some of the newer voting machines, manipulation is much easier to accomplish and a huge temptation for corrupt politicians, as poll numbers can be changed en masse in microseconds and there is no real paper trail to fall back on.
You see, the operating code for these things is known to all who want it. Blackboxvoting.org is offering the 20mb client application online with a link to their example Diebold server. Google it if you don't believe me. Search for the file "GEMSIS-1-18-15.zip".
The idiots at Diebold left not only all the executable code, but the source code, default passwords, documentation AND the remote FTP server names, usernames and passwords to access all the Diebold regional servers holding tabulation data on their own FTP site, for all to see.
Remember that Diebold makes most of the ATM machines in this country.
I used to be a subscriber to the RISKS DIGEST, an email list devoted to uncovering the stupidity designed into vital systems - and the most important warning by all the topics covered was the concept of single point of failure. That's what these voting systems offer.
In the independent film listed below, VOTERGATE, you'll find out how easy it was for www.blackbox.com founder Bev Harris to log into a running election server and change the number of votes, how election commission workers in several states doubt the accuracy of these machines, and techs slam the security on these machines by saying [and I am paraphrasing] "Suppose you built a house, put locks on all the doors, then put the key under a mat , and put a note on the front door telling you where it was. This essentially reflects the effectivness of the security on these [Diebold] machines "
Below are several links relating to this topic. David Crosby, CPR and Crosbycpr.com take no responsibility for anything at the other end of these links, except to say that there needs to be reform of voting machines and procedures. I'll second that. I'd rather trust the Nevada Gaming Commission than Diebold.
sqb
