Bradblog: Diebold certified in NC after all by former Diebold rep!

[Amaryllis]

'IMMACULATE CERTIFICATION'! DIEBOLD ALLOWED IN NORTH CAROLINA AFTER ALL!
Voting Company Apparently Just Kidding About Pulling Out of State!
Former Diebold Rep, Now on NC Election Advisory Board Certifies Diebold, Despite Apparent Failure to Comply with State Law Requiring Source Code Escrow!

Surprise! Diebold got certified in North Carolina today. In what the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is calling the "Immaculate Certification" the North Carolina State Board of Elections has decided to certify Diebold. This is the same Diebold that three days ago said that they would have to pull out of consideration in the state because they were not willing to put their buggy software source code from their flawed Voting Machines into escrow claiming they had third-party software that could not be submitted to the state. This is the same Diebold that, as BRAD BLOG correctly surmised, were apparently making faux claims about their need to pull out of NC due to a court's refusal to allow them exemption from that state law. But what else is new for a company like Diebold?

And who made the decision to go ahead and ignore the code and certify Diebold? A gentleman by the name of Keith Long was hired to be in charge of the process for the state. And what are Mr. Long's credentials to handle this job? Mr. Long was one of the Diebold representatives responsible for previously selling the Diebold voting system to the state of Georgia.

URL: http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002105.htm

[FighttheFuture]

1. Yup... CA is also bringing this evil back... so much for 2006, 2008...

or the future of this Democracy.

[newscott]

2. Fuckin' A. Another blow against Democracy!!!! Huzzah!

[grannylib]

3. Oh God help us. If this continues, then this country is truly lost. They

have the ability to change as many votes as they want, and the way the public, the media, and even the "losing" candidates, rolled over and let the lies about the exit polls being "wrong" just pass....
The last two elections were so fraudulent it'd be hilarious if the consequences weren't so profoundly tragic for our nation.

[peekaloo]

4. I heard Clint Curtis on a Tampa radio show today say that NC

would also be implementing mandatory recounts in all their upcoming elections. He also stated the machines would be required by law to provide paper audit trails.


:shrug:

[newscott]

5. I still think that's completely useless.

Of course the paper will match the computer! How could it not?

[peekaloo]

8. Not just a copy for the voter but an internal audit.

Damn it I was driving at the time but he explained that this would catch any fraud on the programmers part.


I'll check to see if the station posts their interviews.
WMNF a non-commercial, community sponsored station.

[newscott]

9. He knows more about programming than I do but it would

seem you'd need an independent piece of software to detect the fraud. Or at least software that can be trusted to begin with.

[Canuckistanian]

6. That's it? No court fight? No months long negociations?

Democracy gone with a whimper, not a bang.

[newscott]

10. Puff of smoke and a backroom deal. It's called the American Way.

[Canuckistanian]

16. My first post on DU 2 years ago was on this very same subject

I wondered aloud why people are so complacent about this.

As a Canadian, I see our election system as pretty good. Paper ballots, hand counted by tens of thousands of volunteers. All polls are returned before midnight and Poof! it's done. Contested elections? Sure there are some, but very rare. But they're settled very quickly and without involving the judiciary.

Your system is so complicated and intertwined with politcal machines and big money interests, I'm surprised it's functional at all.

/rant off

[MelissaB]

7. AAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!

Big scream from Alabama.

:banghead:

[Wilms]

11. Can the BoE be sued for violating the law? n/t

:shrug:

Calling...

[MelissaB]

12. Diebold among winning bidders for N.C. voting equipment sales

Diebold among winning bidders for N.C. voting equipment sales

GARY D. ROBERTSON

Associated Press


RALEIGH, N.C. - The State Board of Elections approved three companies Thursday to sell voting machines to all 100 counties in time for next year's elections, including a firm that complained earlier it couldn't comply with all the rules for computer software.

Diebold Election Systems, Election Systems & Software and Sequoia Voting Systems all met minimum technical and administrative standards to sell in North Carolina, as determined by a panel of computer and election experts.

...snip

Keith Long, who is advising the elections board with the voting equipment changes, said after talking this week with the three winning bidders that "none of them have the source code for all of their software they use."

Computer experts still will be able to review any changes the machine manufacturer has made to the outside software to check if those revisions may have caused the problem, Long said.

Diebold Election, based in Allen, Texas, threatened to pull out of the bidding because of its courtroom defeat this week. It decided to stay involved but still has questions, spokesman Brian Bear said. The company now provides voting machines to about 20 North Carolina counties.

More: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/13304893.htm

[MelissaB]

13. Keith Long

This is not good!!!!!!!!!

2006 will be our most vulnerable year for elections, with most or all counties
buying new voting machines, and with lots of voting machine company "technicians" setting up equipment and having very close access to the new equiptment. In Gaston County it was the Diebold tech working in the county office
around the Central Tabulator. Results were sent electronically to Diebold Technicians
to "fix".

Keith Long advises that he will be helping counties install their new systems.
Like he did in Georgia?

Notice that the estimated cost of developing the RFP was $400,000 to $600,000; how much of that went to Keith Long, formerly of Diebold in Georgia, Maryland, and Ohio?
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~justin/voting/index.html


11/04/05 sealed bids on RFP for voting machines due Friday, Nov 4, at 2:00 PM.

11/04/05 Diebold obtains temporary re-straining order on Friday, Nov 4 at 1:45 PM,
giving them until Monday, Nov 7 at 12:30 PM to turn in their bid.

11/04/05 bids on for voting machines (except Diebold's) opened by IT dept Friday, Nov 4, at 2:00 PM.

11/07/05 Diebold turns their bid in, three days after all other bids opened.

Link: http://triadblogs.com/jmcclough/1281/

[MelissaB]

14. From the above link

http://pmpplus.com/

It looks like this asshole lives in Nashville

[MelissaB]

15. I'm looking at other links, and maybe he doesn't. n/t

[feelthebreeze]

17. Perhaps the tried and true paths of Democratic intervention...

have been thwarted. Perhaps they do not work anymore. Perhaps the cynical and uninformed and lethargic public will get what they deserve. Thomas Jefferson knew that Democracy could only work with the constant battle against consolidated power. Constant. Not sometimes. Not when you feel like it, but with the acts of "Constant Vigilance".
Technology of this kind, the kind that is represented by Diebold, ES&S, etc... is vulnerable from all sides.
The term "Sabotage" comes from the act of workers throwing their shoes or sabos into the machinery to break it. Is it criminal to stop a crime?
Bad and unjust laws are a perversity to the ideal of justice. Is it time for a tea party? Or is the citizenry just not scared enough yet. To risk the act of rebellion against this major crime against Democracy calls for a collected effort by the "We".
However, given the fragile nature of this fragile technology, surely the individual can also take substantial action and in so doing, bring about the actions that are demanded by and for a Representational government. Time is growing shorter and shorter and the public still sleeps, our leaders either in denial, or complicit with this monster. The paths of Democracy are being closed by corrupt and uncaring individuals and corporations who do not respect this glorious ideal of freedom. If there is no collective from us that is recognized nor given voice by these powers then it is our responsibility as keepers of this Democracy to act, as individuals. It is pointless to organize within a system that does not recognize your collective voice. This Democracy began with rebellion and the horrific cost that it claimed from those willing to fight for an ideal. These events transpiring before those of us who are aware are pushing this eventuality closer and closer. These machines and the ones who control and reap unjust gains from them are an abomination to my country. Goddammit people, wake up and fight.

[emlev]

20. Ploughshares actions with hammers and voting machines?

Sometimes I think all it would take is a few teenagers hacking into a county and throwing the election, then "getting caught," for people to realize how easy it is to throw elections.

Thoughts similar to yours went through my head as I read this thread, before I got to your post. Another thing that went through my head is that John Edwards is a North Carolinian. He really, really didn't want Kerry to concede, from what I've heard. Maybe it's time to wake him from his nap?

If only candidates have standing to challenge elections, maybe *all of us* should run for office, all over the country.

Thinking out loud here, none of these ideas developed at all...

As Malvina Reynolds sang,
"It isn't nice to block the doorway
It isn't nice to go to jail
There are nicer ways to do it
But the nice ways always fail
It isn't nice, it isn't nice
Well, thanks for your advice
But if that is freedom's price
I don't mind."

[diva77]

25. How do you find out the cost of developing the RFP? What are the rules

for developing RFP's?

[mmonk]

18. What about a suit on conflict of interest grounds?

[kansasblue]

19. I'm really bummed! Diebold and others seem to have............

so much power.

That means things are moving ahead to set up 2006 Republican victories. Look for an exit poll melt down (like 2002).

Somebody cheer me up. I need it bad.

:-((((

[Amaryllis]

21. The good news is that more and more citizens are becoming aware

of Diebold and their ways...

[garybeck]

22. This makes me want to cry.

OK, I'm sure I'm going to be harrassed for being negative. But I just gotta say this is depressing. Every time it seems we make some progress we get trumped. The events in NC and CA in the last few days are very disturbing.

:cry:

[IndyOp]

23. I am joining you...

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

I was just telling a friend yesterday about Diebold pulling out of NC because they refused to release their code to the state -- and now, by the hand of a crony -- THEY'RE BAAAAAAACK...

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[loudsue]

24. I'm with you. There are some MIGHTY, slimey hands moving behind our

elections. And these bastards have BLOOD of American soldiers on their hands.

Just watch: after 2006 fails to provide a congress that can impeach the president, the spin will once again be that "the churches" have the power, and ALL of America wants God to be the president.

This is VERY disheartening. We need a revolution.

:kick::kick::kick: