WA SOS candidate Jason Osgood (D) has funny ads coming up (video link)

[2 Much Tribulation]

Check these out see what you think.

Would be best to mention the secret vote counting on technology destroys election legitimacy, but I suppose challengers can't say that, because the only way to unseat incumbents is through VALID elections.... (!)

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6426

(be sure to try video link within the above post)

[Land Shark]

1. Definitely worth watching the ad. WA Residents: Support this campaign!

I used to live there but can't vote there any more. But I do know Jason Osgood and he'd be 1000% better than Sam Reed even if he weren't on the Democratic ticket. Jason knows the secrecy in vote counting's gotta go. That's what the #1 elections official needs to know, but Reed's clueless on it (or corrupt, I dunno).K&R

[Land Shark]

2. still worth watching, looks like another dup post in ER so there's building interest nt

[eridani]

3. Election integrity interviews

Listen to Elizabeth Walter, Jason Osgood, and Tim White 's interviews on KBCS at One World Report. The interview begins approximately 9 minutes into the show-Thursday October 2, 2008

http://kbcs.fm/site/PageServer?pagename=OneWorldReport

Jason Osgood for Secretary of State
The Time for Change Is Now!

“Why should we trust the results of elections? It's not good enough that election results be accurate. We have to know they are accurate—and we don't.” –David Dill, prominent computer security expert.

The Secretary of State is the state's chief elections officer, chief corporations officer, and supervisor of the State Archives, and is responsible for supervising state and local elections, certifying the results of state primaries and general elections, filing and verifying initiatives and referendums, and the production and distribution of the state voters’ pamphlet and election-notice legal advertising. In that capacity, s/he has final responsibility for deciding what systems can be used.

The current incumbent has shown bad judgment in the matter of evaluating vote counting systems. In 2002 he certified paperless touch screens. In 2004 these machines were used in Snohomish and Yakima counties. Poll voters using touch screens frequently reported that they would select a Democrat and the Republican’s name would light up. Poll workers suggested that the problem might be screen misalignment (e.g. candidate order = Gregoire, Rossi, Bennett), but oddly enough no Republican voters ever complained about the Libertarian’s name lighting up. Republican Dino Rossi won the poll vote in Snohomish County, a result which was dramatically different from the absentee results with recountable ballots that favored Gregoire. During the recount of the gubernatorial race, more than 100,000 votes could not be verified or recounted because there was nothing to verify or recount. Though a 2004 law requires paper trails for touch screen machines, there are still no audit requirements for optically scanned votes. The incumbent flatly opposes further auditing requirements.

In contrast, secretaries of state from California and Ohio have responded to computer scientist and citizen concerns and data showing electronic voting software on touch screens and op-scans are insecure and often full of bugs. California’s Debra Bowen’s conducted a complete top-to-bottom review of all voting machines sued Election Systems & Software, seeking fines and reimbursements of nearly $15 million from the firm for selling nearly 1,000 uncertified machines in the state.

Ohio’s Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner found that the Diebold touch screen voting machines used in half of Ohio's 88 counties don't work properly and sued Diebold for restitution after they admitted that the system may cause dropped votes.

Minnesota successfully implemented a statewide audit system in 2006. "We have a really good system in place in Minnesota. We have a 100 percent paper-ballot system. But even with these devices the only way to be confident in their security and reliability is to check them out," State Representative Bill Hilty stated.

The incumbent has steadfastly ignored computer experts who have shown time and time again that voting systems, regardless of being certified, and in spite of logic and accuracy tests, have significant security issues. The very term “logic and accuracy testing” is an obscurantist replacement for the usual term “function testing,” used by software professionals to define similar testing for just about every other kind of software system. It was invented to obfuscate the fact that these tests do NOT include security testing.

The incumbent supports unique identifiers on ballots that can link voters to their choices, even though it is against state law to put unique identifiers on ballots. (Barcodes that specify only ballot styles for particular precincts are an entirely different matter.) He has said that this is acceptable because encryption would be needed to decipher the identifiers. Candidate Jason Osgood, playing a critical role in a successful campaign to stop the practice in King County, pointed out that King and other counties already have mail ballot tracking without the use of the unique identifying bar code, which would have added nothing of value to voters while taking away voter privacy.


Jason Osgood’s Three Point Plan for Private Voting and Public Counting

1. Undertake a top to bottom review of all voting systems similar to that completed in California

2. Eliminate unique barcode ballot identifiers to preserve privacy

3. Create more transparency in the Secretary of State’s office and promote election oversight with public auditing

ELECT JASON OSGOOD (D) AS SECRETARY OF STATE

[Truth2Tell]

4. Next ad in the series is out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwARKozsVK4

[eridani]

5. Letter from WA State Dems

Today, we are writing you to urge you to support the Democratic candidate for Washington State Secretary of State, Jason Osgood.

Jason is co-founder of the election integrity watchdog group Washington Citizens for Fair Elections. He is a software engineer who has watched with dismay the increasing complexity of elections and the increased use of insecure computer technology owned and controlled by private companies. These companies are not required to answer to citizens. Jason believes this must end.

See Jason's video, which highlights some of the real problems that exist with electronic voting machines:

http://www.jasonosgood.com/lost-votes.html

Jason understands the risks posed by the equipment and software currently used in this state and around the nation. The incumbent ignores experts from respected organizations at MIT, John Hopkins, and the Government Accountability Office and reports by other Secretaries of State.

The incumbent will tell you that there is nothing to worry about, but the experts say otherwise. Jason intends to follow the example of other Secretaries of State and conduct a top-to-bottom review of the machines used in our state to make sure they are secure and reliable.

Jason is deeply concerned about the incumbent's disregard of voter privacy. Sam Reed has eliminated the secret ballot. He has approved the use of unique barcodes on ballots that enable the government to determine how individual voters vote.

Jason's knowledge and expertise on this subject caused the King County Council members to pass an ordinance banning these barcodes in King County. As Secretary of State, Jason plans to ban such barcodes in all counties in our state.

Jason is concerned about the lack of transparency in the maintenance of the voter registration database. The incumbent boasts of removing more than 400,000 registrations. Nationally, these database purges have been used in a partisan way to influence election outcomes. In this state, this process is not transparent so it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for citizens to verify the accuracy of this process.

Jason will create processes that will eliminate the ongoing questions that arise each election cycle over voter purges and possible unlawful registrations. He will advocate for Universal Voter Registration, the norm for Western democracies. This method allows all citizens to automatically qualify to vote upon turning 18 years of age.

Listen to Jason's interview on "Inside Olympia": http://www.jasonosgood.com/2008/10/inside-olympia.html

Jason Osgood needs your help to make sure that every citizen in this state has the right to vote and that all votes are counted and counted accurately.

This is why we must elect Jason Osgood this November. Go to www.jasonosgood.com to support him TODAY.

This is the year of change. The Republicans have held the Washington State Secretary of State's office for more than four decades. When we see the effects of such control in other states, we know that we need to end this cycle and elect a Democratic Secretary of State. We need Jason Osgood, a candidate who is willing to take the necessary steps to protect our elections so that they are transparent and secure. The Republican incumbent has failed to do that.

Washington State Democrats