Vote count at mercy of clandestine testing (CNN)

[Nambe]

Cable News Network LP

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (AP) -- The three companies that certify the nation's voting technologies operate in secrecy, and refuse to discuss flaws in the ATM-like machines to be used by nearly one in three voters in November. ..

"I find it grotesque that an organization charged with such a heavy responsibility feels no obligation to explain to anyone what it is doing," Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon computer scientist and electronic voting expert, told lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

The system for "testing and certifying voting equipment in this country is not only broken, but is virtually nonexistent," Shamos added.

Although up to 50 million Americans are expected to vote on touchscreen machines on November 2, federal regulators have virtually no oversight over testing of the technology. The certification process, in part because the voting machine companies pay for it, is described as obsolete by those charged with overseeing it. ..

But critics led by Stanford University computer science professor David Dill say it's an outrage that the world's most powerful democracy doesn't already have an election system so transparent its citizens know it can be trusted.

"Suppose you had a situation where ballots were handed to a private company that counted them behind a closed door and burned the results," said Dill, founder of VerifiedVoting.org. "Nobody but an idiot would accept a system like that. We've got something that is almost as bad with electronic voting."

[cybildisobedience]

1. great quote from Dill

Even idiots can understand it.

[July]

2. Shouldn't we all be voting absentee at this point?

At least we would then have a countable paper ballot, which we could make a copy of before we mail it in. How are we to have any idea that an e-vote will count?

[bearfan454]

4. The repukes want it that way.

They know that with a countable paper ballot backup they cannot cheat again. That is why they are dragging their feet.

[faithnotgreed]

5. you would think so but andy (with bev) has pointed out that no

that actually if the system is set up to read votes by one of the machines, that its no better than voting in person...

you would have to know what system/machine is being used to read the absentee ballots

[leftchick]

3. there you have it......

we are a nation of idiots because nothing is going to stop the DRE debacle in November. gwb* is counting on it...

:grr:

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Am I right that none of this is addressed on CNN TV --

except by Lou Dobbs?

[Nordic]

7. Democracy is dead and 99% of the people don't even know it

it's all a big dog-and-pony show.

[aquart]

8. "Clandestine"? Nice choice.

Reeks of sneaky, underhanded, not good doings.

[Supersedeas]

9. Best Democracy that M-O-N-E-Y can buy.

Public access is a charade...it would be like having politicians open up their appointment book and/or telephone records to allow the public to see who has direct access to influence policy decisions.

Until Americans make it perfectly clear that they will accept nothing else but open and honest government, clandestine voting is about $par$ for the course.

[BadGimp]

10. You have to hand it to the GOP's ingenius plan to steal the elections

They have managed to make is such that we do not even have the right to know how our votes are being counted nor how the machines that count them are even certified. It's all fucking secret.

So shut the fuck up people and watch them work.

Mark my words...Bush WILL be our next President.

[leftchick]

11. LAWSUITS.......

It will be the only thing to save this election....

[Zorra]

12. Earlier thread on this, and DU Electronic Voting Links Library:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x769042

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=106&topic_id=3390