Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Elimination Bill Passes House Committee

[JunkYardDogg]

The House Committee on House Administration, today, on a partisan vote of 6 to 3, voted to eliminate the Election Assistance Commission, (EAC), the ONLY Federal agency responsible for establishing and enforcing standards, rules, and regulations for voting, especially electronic voting machines in the United States of America. I mean, what the fuck, we all know that there is absolutely no need whatsoever for monitoring and regulating voting machines and procedures in America. After all, who ever heard of electronic hacking occurring in 2017? As ineffective as the EAC is, at the bare minimum, there was a foundation of rules and regulations for voting machines. I know, because years ago, I read the 300 page manual of regs by the EAC and every other doc that they issued. Basically, their testing and compliance program was a joke.

In a report on this in:
https://www.thenation.com/article/house-republicans-just-voted-to-eliminate-the-only-federal-agency-that-makes-sure-voting-machines-cant-be-hacked/

“It is my firm belief that the EAC has outlived its usefulness and purpose,” said Committee chair Gregg Harper (R-MS), explaining why his bill transfers the EAC’s authority to the Federal Election Commission


Thirty-eight pro-democracy groups, including the NAACP and Common Cause, denounced the vote. “The EAC is the only federal agency which has as its central mission the improvement of election administration, and it undertakes essential activities that no other institution is equipped to address,” says the Brennan Center for Justice”
This move is particularly worrisome given reports that suspected Russian hackers attempted to access voter-registration systems in more than 20 states during the 2016 election. Moreover, the Presidential Commission on Election Administration set up by President Obama in 2014 outlined an “impending crisis” in voting technology and the Brennan Center found that 42 states used voting machines in 2016 that were at least a decade-old and at risk of failing. The EAC was the agency tasked with making sure these voting systems were both modernized and secure.

By eliminating any and all oversight and regulatory agencies on voting and voting machines, the GOP have created a comprehensive program of guaranteeing complete Republican election victories and control of American governance for decades to come. Combined with their gerrymandering, voter ID laws, and Kris Kobach’s Interstate Cross Check voter rolls purging program, they have destroyed the very historical foundation of American Democracy, that of free, democratic, one citizen, one vote elections. This has reduced the American concept of democratic elections to a façade. What this really amounts to, is Demographic Cleansing. They do not have to engage in mass genocide of selected, targeted groups, they merely eliminate them from any sort of governance and destroy any form of participatory democracy.
Eliminating the EAC has and will create a Cyber Crime based voting system. At present, there has been a serious effort underway to replace aging voting machines with new equipment. With EAC and all rules and regs wiped out, they are assured of no compliance to software and hardware standards. In racing, we call this “Run What You Brung”. Anything goes. “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t racin ‘ ”. Shit, NASCAR has higher standards and rules for racin’ than America has for our election process.

As an example, during the aborted Jill Stein recount effort, Bob Fitrakis reported this :

Chief WEC administrator Michael Haas offered shocking testimony confirming that some of Wisconsin’s voting machines can connect to the internet: “Some of the newer equipment does have modems that operate using wireless internet. And so after the polls close, then when those unofficial results are transmitted, in some cases, they could be transmitted. The instantaneous transaction would be conducted over the internet.”
Election integrity activist John Brakey who was on the ground in Wisconsin confirmed the use of modems and SIM cards in ES&S Optiscan voting machines. ES&S never tried to hide this and included it in their marketing materials for the DS200 model. ..

To ensure the establishment of full and total control of America’s “election process”, Trump has appointed Jeff Sessions to be the Attorney General, who has vehemently supported voter ID laws and vigorously attacked any and all civil rights and voting rights laws and enforcement. The Trump Administration has immediately, since day one, announced a severe reduction in the civil rights division of the DoJ. Adding to this, Trump appointed Attorney John Gore, who specializes in defending voter suppression laws, as head of the DoJ Civil Rights Division.

Combine all of this with Trump’s vociferous fraudulent allegations of massive imaginary voter fraud ( but no mention of election fraud) it is easy to predict that very, very soon the Republicans will enact a nationwide voter ID law. Thus guaranteeing them complete and total domination of governance of America for decades.

This my friends is how Fascism in America has become a Fait accompli, done deed, the end of Democracy in America. Democracy, oh, it was a noble and honorable idea. But, alas, it was created for and by honorable people. Today, in America, honorable ideas have been destroyed by corrupt and power crazed tyrants, religious zealots, and uncontrolled greed. Make absolutely no mistake, the America which we and history has known for the last 241 years no longer exists. Exit Democracy, enter Fascism.
And the description of a “leader” of a Fascist country with this form of governance can only be known as a political Despot. World, meet Despot Don, the despotic Ruler of the New Amerika.

Some additional info:
Members of the House Committee on House Administration
Majority:
Gregg Harper, Mississippi, Chairman Rodney Davis, Illinois Barbara Comstock, Virginia Mark Walker, North Carolina Adrian Smith, Nebraska Barry Loudermilk, Georgia

Minority:
Bob Brady Pennsylvania, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren, California Jamie Raskin, Maryland

Also, I came across this Politico article on Voting Machines, which I highly recommend reading:

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/2016-elections-russia-hack-how-to-hack-an-election-in-seven-minutes-214144

[klook]

1. Disgusting.

House Republicans Just Voted to Eliminate the Only Federal Agency That Makes Sure Voting Machines Can’t Be Hacked
Republicans want to rig every election.