20 Amazing Facts About Voting in *'s America

[goclark]

This has probably been around a long time but I though it worth repeating.
Note: This is the first time that I have posted to this forum at DU.
If we don't get rid of the machines we can forget about "sweet land of liberty." There will be nothing to sing about, nothing at all.


_____________Just received by email from a friend ________________

> 20 Amazing Facts About Voting in the USA
> by Angry Girl
> Nightweed.com
>
> Did you know....
>
> 1. 80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies:
> Diebold and ES&S.
> http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html<http://www.o
> nlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold>
>
> 2. There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight
> of the U.S. voting machine industry.
> http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0916-04.htm<http://www.commondreams.org/view
> s02/0916-04.htm>
> http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html<http://www.o
> nlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html>
>
> 3. The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are
> brothers.
> http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/private_company.html<http://www.americanfr
> eepress.net/html/private_company.html>
> http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html<http://www.o
> nlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html>
>
> 4. The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer
> and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio
> deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml<http://www.cbs
> news.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml>
> http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1647886<http://www.wishtv.com/Global/st
> ory.asp?S=1647886>
>
> 5. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES&S. He
> became Senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.
> http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html<http://www.mot
> herjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html>
> http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/031004Fitrakis/031004fitrakis.html<http://w
> ww.onlinejournal.com/evoting/031004Fitrakis/031004fitrakis.html>
>
> 6. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, long-connected with the Bush
> family, was recently caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the
> Senate Ethics Committee.
> http://www.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2<http://ww
> w.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2>
> 6
> http://www.hillnews.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx<http://www.hillnews.com/news/0129
> 03/hagel.aspx>
> http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/000896.php<http://www.onlisareinsradar.
> com/archives/000896.php>
>
> 7. Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush's
> vice-presidential candidates.
> http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_28/b3689130.htm<http://www.businessweek.com/
> 2000/00_28/b3689130.htm>
> http://theindependent.com/stories/052700/new_hagel27.html<http://theindependent.
> com/stories/052700/new_hagel27.html>
>
> 8. ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the U.S. and
> counts almost 60% of all U.S. votes.
> http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/about.html<http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/a
> bout.html>
> http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html<http://www.o
> nlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html>
>
> 9. Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of
> any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data
> coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in
> by voters.
> http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm<http://www.commondreams.org/view
> s04/0225-05.htm>
> http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/041020evotestates/pfindex.html<http://www.itwor
> ld.com/Tech/2987/041020evotestates/pfindex.html>
>
> 10. Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines,
> all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.
> http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm<http://www.commondreams.org/view
> s04/0225-05.htm>
> http://www.diebold.com/solutions/default.htm<http://www.diebold.com/solutions/de
> fault.htm>
>
> 11. Diebold is based in Ohio.
> http://www.diebold.com/aboutus/ataglance/default.htm<http://www.diebold.com/abou
> tus/ataglance/default.htm>
>
> 12. Diebold employed 5 convicted felons as consultants and developers
> to help write the central compiler computer code that counted 50% of
> the votes in 30 states.
> http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html<http://www.wired.com/news/e
> vote/0,2645,61640,00.html>
> http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/301469.shtml<http://portland.indymedia.
> org/en/2004/10/301469.shtml>
>
> 13. Jeff Dean was Senior Vice-President of Global Election Systems
> when it was bought by Diebold. Even though he had been convicted of 23
> counts of felony theft in the first degree, Jeff Dean was retained as a
> consultant by Diebold and was largely responsible for programming the
> optical scanning software now used in most of the United States.
> http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00191.htm<http://www.scoop.co.nz/ma
> son/stories/HL0312/S00191.htm>
> http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how<http://www.chuckherrin.com/Hac
> kthevoteFAQ.htm#how>
> http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf<http://www.blackboxvotingorg/bbv
> _chapter-8.pdf>
>
> 14. Diebold consultant Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors
> in his software and using a "high degree of sophistication" to evade
> detection over a period of 2 years.
> http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how<http://www.chuckherrin.com/Hac
> kthevoteFAQ.htm#how>
> http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf<http://www.blackboxvotingorg/bbv
> _chapter-8.pdf>
>
> 15. None of the international election observers were allowed in the
> polls in Ohio.
> http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2638.html<http://www.globalexchange.o
> rg/update/press/2638.html>
> http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/26/loc_elexoh.html<http://www.enquirer.
> com/editions/2004/10/26/loc_elexoh.html>
>
> 16. EDIT on 9/20/05:16. California banned the use of Diebold machines because the"
Posted by Der Blaue Engel
security was so bad."

And then the RW railroaded the Secretary of State who had opposed Diebold machines out of town and Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced him with a "Democratic" appointee who didn't mind Diebold at all. And now it's back.
California banned the use of Diebold machines because the
> security was so bad. Despite Diebold's claims that the audit logs
> could not be hacked, a chimpanzee was able to do it!

*************** ********** RECALL ARNOLD **************************
(See the movie
> here:
> http://blackboxvoting.org/baxter/baxterVPR.mov<http://blackboxvoting.org/baxter/
> baxterVPR.mov>.)
> http://wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63298,00.html<http://wired.com/news/evote/0,2
> 645,63298,00.html>
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4874190<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4874190>
>
> 17. 30% of all U.S. votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen
> voting machines with no paper trail.
> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml<http://www.cbs
> news.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml>
>
> 18. All -- not some -- but all the voting machine errors detected and
> reported in Florida went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.
> http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65757,00.html<http://www.wired.com/news/e
> vote/0,2645,65757,00.html>
> http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/<http://www.yuricareport.com/Ele
> ctionAftermath04/>
> ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm
> http://www.rise4news.net/extravotes.html<http://www.rise4news.net/extravotes.htm
> l>
> http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php<http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php>?
> op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=950
> http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00227.htm<http://www.scoop.co.nz/ma
> son/stories/HL0411/S00227.htm>
>
> 19. The governor of the state of Florida, Jeb Bush, is the President's
> brother.
> http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/7628725.htm<http://www.tal
> lahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/7628725.htm>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10544-2004Oct29.html<http://www.w
> ashingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10544-2004Oct29.html>
>
> 20. Serious voting anomalies in Florida -- again always favoring Bush
> -- have been mathematically demonstrated and experts are recommending
> further investigation.
> http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/<http://www.yuricareport.com/Ele
> ctionAftermath04/>
> ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm
> http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/<http://ww
> w.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/>
> 0,10801,97614,00.html
> http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/tens_of_thousands.html<http://www.american
> freepress.net/html/tens_of_thousands.html>
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-30.htm<http://www.commondreams.org/
> headlines04/1106-30.htm>
> http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/110904.html<http://www.consortiumnews.com/200
> 4/110904.html>
> http://uscountvotes.org/<http://uscountvotes.org/>
>
> NOTE: Please copy the above list and distribute freely!
>
> LET THE FACTS BE KNOWN! Thank you!

[bonito]

1. Great work! Thank you!

[goclark]

3. I wish I did it bonito but I didn't

Someone sent it to me.

I can't remember seeing it before and I'm always at DU but not this forum.

I like it because it is easy to understand and send to folks that don't have a clue about DIEBOLD.

[Der Blaue Engel]

2. "16. California banned the use of Diebold machines because the

security was so bad."

And then the RW railroaded the Secretary of State who had opposed Diebold machines out of town and Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced him with a "Democratic" appointee who didn't mind Diebold at all. And now it's back.

[goclark]

4. Thanks for that update - this CA girl HATES Arrnold

and these are the kinds of things that he has quietly done for Bush.

I'll try to amend my first post but it may be too late.

[Up2Late]

5. Yes, that is an old gem, and "Angry Girl" is a DU member, just saw...

...one of her replies in the science forum.

[goclark]

7. Fantastic! I'm bookmarking it right away

Is there a thread that has the updates on these Amazing Points?

I want to hope that the situation has improved since angry girl did the post.

thanks

[Up2Late]

13. Not sure about updates, so I sent a PM to Angry Girl and I see...

...she checked in below.

Sometimes, if you Google the headlines of the missing articles, it will find the original sites. Then, if those are gone too, try clicking the "Cached - Similar pages" links near the bottom of each hit.

The "Cached" link will sometimes take you to a back-up copy.

Also, the website "Axis of Logic" has a huge archive of articles:

<http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/>

[goclark]

14. Thanks a bunch up2late! I love her link nt

[eglide]

6. I'm having trouble with the links.

Most of them return Page not found or the article is no longer
online. Is it just me or have others had the same problem?

[goclark]

8. I had trouble with some too... : (

I was so happy about the fact sheet that the links were not explored, please forgive me.

Maybe someone can help with the backup links.

If not....
Are there any statements that are not currently correct to your knowledge?

I may be able to cut and paste the statments.

Sorry

[Angry Girl]

9. Try it again here... :-)

http://www.nightweed.com/usavotefacts.html

:hi:

[goclark]

10. Wow! Angry Girl - thanks for checking in

I'll send your link by email to everyone I know.

It's the best!

[DarkTirade]

16. Ah, much better. Easier to read that way. :)

[Up2Late]

18. Thanks, and hey, get this, The local NPR News here in Georgia just...

...reported that one of the Georgia Legislators just proposed a bill to require a Paper trail back-up of some sort.

But if passed, it won't take effect until the 2008 election.

A lot of good that will do.

[SlipperySlope]

11. There are NO national elections...

Sometimes we forget that.

There is no such thing as a national election in the United States. There are only State elections. Everything you vote for, is for your State. Your State's congressman, your State's senator, and your State's presidential electors.

Plain and simple, that is why the Federal government has no say over the standards of State run elections. Separation of power and all that jazz.

[goclark]

12. So how can Carter and Baker work that commission

are they having all the states to agree to do it.

Thanks for reminding me, very important point.

[stubertmcfly]

15. Great work!

For more... check out this article from Harper's:

http://www.harpers.org/ExcerptNoneDare.html

[Minnesota_Lib]

17. More interestng factoids about Hagel...

Hagel was the first Republican in 24 years to win a Senate seat in Nebraska. Hagel won virtually every demographic group, including many largely Black communities that had never before voted Republican. Hagel was re-elected to his second term in the United States Senate on November 5, 2002 with 83% of the vote. That represents the biggest political victory in the history of Nebraska.

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0131-01.htm

[FogerRox]

19. This list has been around since last spring-- it was in need of editing

from the start
Hagel was never with ES&S, he was with AIS.
Diebold TSX DRE has a VVPB printer