BREAKING: Virginia Board of Elections Votes Unamimously to Remove All Paperless Voting Machines

[Amaryllis]

Virginia Is Getting Rid of Its Vulnerable Voting Machines | Gizmodo
Sep 8 2017


Virginia’s Board of Elections voted unanimously to decertify all of the state’s touchscreen voting machines, which are considered by cybersecurity experts to be vulnerable to manipulation by hackers. The race is now on to replace the machines, which are used in 22 counties, before Virginia’s elections in November. Industry experts and and the state’s elections department have recommended that the touchscreen machines be replaced with ones that record votes on paper instead of only electronically, so the votes can be audited and verified.

“The Department of Elections believes that the risks presented by using this equipment in the November General Election are sufficiently significant to warrant immediate decertification to ensure the continued integrity of Virginia elections,” commissioner Edgardo Cortes wrote in a letter to the Board of Elections recommending the change.

“Virginia’s move to decertify all of its paperless voting machines is a critical step toward securing its elections and acknowledging that post-2016, we’re living in a brave new world where election interference from hostile foreign attackers is no longer theoretical,” Barbara Simons, the president of the election security nonprofit Verified Voting, said in a statement. “We all need to step up our game to secure our elections and restore voter faith that their votes will be counted as cast.”

Touchscreen machines are still in use in several states, including New Jersey, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

https://thevotingnews.com/virginia-is-getting-rid-of-its-vulnerable-voting-machines-gizmodo/

And it was UNANIMOUS!! How cool is that? Hopefully this is a precedent for other states with paperless machines! It seems with all the news on Russian hacking, the public is finally waking up to the risks. Now if they can just bring Dem leadership along. Next we need mandatory audits in every state.

edited to add: Go to the link which will take you to Verified Voting. Get on their email list. They have been fighting tirelessly since 2000 for paper and audits. They have lots of cyber security people working with them.

[liberal N proud]

1. Yes!

[MoonRiver]

2. YAAAAY!

[Snackshack]

3. This should be done...

Across the country.

[Jarqui]

85. +1

[phylny]

4. This is great news in our very gerrymandered state, with Republican control of most local government

My own polling place here in one of the "Redneckistan" areas of Virginia at least uses paper ballots which are fed into a machine that'll read them. When I inquired, the woman at the local board of elections said that there are mandatory, random recounts during each election.

[calimary]

24. LOVE that "Redneckistan" term, phylny!

I may have to steal it!

Besides, it's a bit tidier than "Dumbfuckistan"!

[drray23]

74. yeap same here (southampton county). We have paper ballots that are read by a scanning machine.

[phylny]

80. Ha! I couldn't remember the term "optical scanner"! :) n/t

[sheshe2]

5. Hell yes!!!!!

[ms liberty]

6. Good. K&R. n/t

[TheFrenchRazor]

7. no more machines. period. all paper, all the time. nt

[TheFrenchRazor]

64. kicking my own post, because i think it's worth repeating... nt

[red dog 1]

84. K&R - I think it's worth repeating too!

States like Wisconsin, Michigan & Pennsylvania would not have gone for Trump with all paper ballots, because you can't "flip" paper ballots.

[BigmanPigman]

8. The whole country should go paperless for future security.

Last edited Fri Sep 8, 2017, 09:49 PM - Edit history (1)

Of course 45 would gladly endorse that idea since he is doing SOOO much to deter foreign "meddling" into our elections.

[diva77]

20. don't forget to include the "sarcasm" emoticon!!

[BigmanPigman]

27. I do not know how to do that. I even googled it a few hours ago and got

help. I tried to tap it, tap twice, hold it, etc and gave up after an hour. I spent over two hours teaching myself how to cut and paste yesterday and I am so frustrated! I even bought a star hoping that might allow me to use the "smiles". I do not text and do not know very simple and basic computer stuff. Also, I am a visual learner and none of the You Tube videos help me with my touch screen tablet. Forget "linking" anything completely. Unless my dog can show me how to do it I have no tech help.

[murielm99]

32. When you post, were is a series of little boxes above the big space

where the message text goes. One is labeled "smilies." The very last smilie is three dots. Click on that. There are more smilies, and one is the sarcasm emoticon. Click on the sarcasm box, and you have it.

[BigmanPigman]

36. OK, here goes

Hey, it worked! It says the word like this though
Why don't you see the picture before you post it? That is odd.
Now even when I type "sarcasm" I get the picture...huh?

[murielm99]

37. Yay!

[BigmanPigman]

39. Thank you!

[diva77]

41. and now, if you're logged in, you can edit your post -- click on post #8 and you'll see a menu

beneath it; click on "edit post" (there is an orange dot next to it); then place the cursor where you want the emoticon, and click on the "sarcasm" thingy. Then post the edited version...

[BigmanPigman]

42. It worked! With a touch screen and no mouse everything is difficult

since I do not know how to right and left click, etc. I have been encouraged by you and am grateful!

Now I fear that you have created a monster!

[rogue emissary]

9. Surprised that 22 counties were still using them. Glad they're going away.

[spooky3]

51. Several years ago the legislature phased in

The adoption--I think they said counties that were ready to replace equipment had to buy verifiable systems. This was to lower the cost impact compared to requiring everyone to ditch current systems. Sounds as if they grew tired of waiting for everyone to update.

[democrank]

10. The entire nation should do the same

and pronto!

[blueinredohio]

11. That's what all states should do

[dottie66]

77. Yes,Yes, and Yes!

[sammythecat]

79. Some things, like

flyswatters, spoons, and nails are pretty much beyond improvement. Paper ballots are included on any such list. The integrity of our elections are, and always will be in question as long as they are done electronically. Using paper ballots is as close to hack proof as we can get. I can't think of a good argument against this other than money. Somebody with lots of lobbying money has a lot to lose if we go to paper ballots.

This always seems to be the reason for the resistance of good and sensible ideas. Somebody wants to keep making a lot of money doing something the wrong way.

[dottie66]

86. Do you think the media might dislike paper ballots

because election results would be slower?

[ancianita]

12. A really Big Deal. SO glad. May the rest of the states follow. nt

[trueblue2007]

56. ALL STATES SHOULD VOTE BY MAIL LIKE OREGON !!!!

[red dog 1]

82. + 1

[stevepal]

13. Wow! This is good news BUT

unless the vote is routinely verified everywhere in every election, there's still no way to know for sure if the results are accurate.

But why not take another step and just require HAND-COUNTED PAPER BALLOTS? They are cheaper in the long run and their results are as close to hack proof as it's possible to get. Unless every election is verified in some way, there's no way to know if hacking took place, but unless you have paper you can't possibly verify the vote so this is a step forward.

[Amaryllis]

14. Routinely verified - yes; that's why I said in OP now we need audits in every state.

[fierywoman]

16. Paper and hand counted, YES!

[diva77]

17. +1000 This. Hand counted paper ballots with public oversight at the precinct level

has built in 100% audit (more than 1 person counts each vote).

[TheFrenchRazor]

62. agreed; a lot of people have way too much faith in machines. audits can be defeated, if they are eve

even done in the first place. why not just hand count all the ballots in the first place? after all, the hand count is what is used during an audit to verify the accuracy of the machines, so clearly it is the highest standard of accuracy. NO, hand-counting is not perfect, but it is the closest that humans beings can come to perfect accuracy.

[CottonBear]

68. Hand counted paper ballots are the only secure way forward IMHO.

France uses this election method in addition to having limits on campaign length and a short time between the general election and runoffs.

[CrispyQ]

69. Those magic tabulators that turn dem votes to repub, but hardly ever turn repub votes to dem.

Interesting how that works, huh?

[Akacia]

15. Awesome! Nt

[shenmue]

18. Yes

[TheDebbieDee]

19. But, does Virginia use a wifi-accessible vote tabulating system! If so, any hacker

can change the vote totals...

[Amaryllis]

22. Don't know about wifi, and yes, there is still a a long way to go and yes, we absolutely

must have audits; however, without paper, you can't even start on next steps. This is a big first step.

[spooky3]

53. In my county the touch screens were replaced with scanners of paper ballots.

These can be verified in audits.

[red dog 1]

21. K&R...Thanks for posting...(It's UNANIMOUSLY)

Oregon's voting is done 100 percent by mail.
https://www.vote.org/state/oregon/

Bev Harris' website:
http://blackboxvoting.org/

About voting equipment in the USA
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/resources/voting-equipment/

[Amaryllis]

23. HTML or text shouldn't matter even on dial up.

[red dog 1]

38. Thanks

I chose text

[Permanut]

25. Huge news..

Thanks Amaryllis. Odd that it seems to be a problem getting a piece of paper out of a voting machine, when we do it every day with ATMs.

[Amaryllis]

26. Very odd indeed, especially since some ofthe same companies who make voting machines also make ATMs.

[spike jones]

28. Mandatory voting

I have always though we should have mandatory voting. There could be a “none of the above” box for people who do not want to vote, but everyone must show up at the voting booths. The fine for not showing up should be a twenty percent tax on gross income.

[L. Coyote]

29. This is a good start in the right direction.

[Tiggeroshii]

30. Would this make VA the first state to get rid of them?

[clu]

31. nice thinking

make some noise about this and maybe people will pay attention. i'm trying to think of an MSM outlet that would cover this but I feel comfortable that's it's KERA/NPR territory. gizmodo linked it in this case but fortunately they follow privacy concerns and are therefore ahead of the pack.

[AllyCat]

33. Every state in the nation should do this!!

[Pepsidog]

34. Time for New Jersey to do the same!

[Major Nikon]

35. ...

[red dog 1]

40. Perhaps other states should do what Oregon does - "All Vote By Mail"

Last edited Sat Sep 9, 2017, 04:01 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.vote.org/state/oregon/

[Amaryllis]

49. Oregon has all vote by mail; not the same as all absentee ballots. Very different. It

has vastly more safeguards than absentee ballots.

[red dog 1]

81. I didn't know that

Thanks for that info.

What do you think about "all vote by mail"?

[TheFrenchRazor]

63. ok, but how are these ballots tabulated? serious question; i wonder. nt

[red dog 1]

83. Since they're all paper ballots, my guess is that they are hand counted (and easy to recount)

You can click on the link provided in Reply # 40 to learn more about it.
(I don't live in Oregon)

[BlancheSplanchnik]

43. WOW!!!!!!! I wouldn't have expected Virginia to make a sudden sweeping change.

But I haven't been keeping up to date on them, either.

[clu]

44. an alt-right trollbot

replied to me with this link when I shared this OP on my gaming forum. how blue is Virginia state legislature?

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/22/491000431/virginia-governor-restores-voting-rights-to-felons-again

[spooky3]

54. The sweeping change was made years previously

And phased in.

[MrPurple]

45. Democrats should have made this federal law when they had the super majority

[dalton99a]

48. Yep.

[Catch2.2]

46. Hallelujah!

Hopefully other states will follow suit

[dalton99a]

47. Paperless voting should be made illegal

[colsohlibgal]

50. +1000!

It can and should be done and with strict monitoring and custody, Hell hire Switzerland as neutral observers, and video tape everything you can.

And make registering like registering for a driver's license.

[MrPurple]

60. Just don't hire the guy that handled the Best Picture envelopes at the Oscars

[defacto7]

52. I hope this is the start of something all states must do

It's a beginning.

[LenaBaby61]

55. BREAKING: Virginia Board of Elections Votes Unanimously to Remove All Paperless Voting Machines.

[Honeycombe8]

57. Well, duh! It was always perplexing why some districts didn't have paper backup. nt

[Upthevibe]

58. K & R................. n/t

[tclambert]

59. Because they didn't want to be able to do recounts, . . . or even auditing

to make sure the machines worked right.

[AgadorSparticus]

61. Did I read that right? VA...a red state, just eliminated paperless voting machines?

wow!!!

Every state needs to do the same.

[BannonsLiver]

71. Va is not a red state

Dems have carried it in the last 3 presidential elections, both their senators are Dems and so is the governor and 4 Dem congressman. It's at worst a purple state.

[drray23]

73. absolutely correct. However we still have issues with the gerrymandering. The GOP controls

virginia senate and house. This is despite the fact that as you pointed out, we have carried governor, lt governor ,senators, etc.. for many years.

[AgadorSparticus]

88. you're right. I don't know why i thought it was red. I knew it was a bluish purple

From the election too.

[UCmeNdc]

65. It is about time election boards wake up and correct the problems.

Now they need to standardize voting machine throughout the US and make sure all of them are secure both at the initial voting machines and at the central counting areas.

[madokie]

66. Before we had electronic vote counting machines

many elections around Oklahoma were decided at the Democratic Primary. Many of the local offices wouldn't even draw a 'CON candidate because everyone knew they'd never get elected anyway so why bother. Somewhere along the line we started to use electronic vote counting machine and slowly the 'CONs started filing and some actually started winning to the point now its all 'CONs all offices and our state is a mess. We had our first 'CON governor elected in '61, prior to that since statehood we only had Democratic Governors for an example. We have many good great office holders back through the years but none and I mean NONE since the electronic vote counting machines.

The last time I did a search I was told that the cost for hand counting our paper ballots was in the 4 to 5 thousand bucks a precinct. Way too costly for us to use auditing to confirm our paper ballot totals. There isn't but about 2 thousand voters in my precinct.

I'm old, I'm 69 YO and remember all this so well. My trip to Vietnam woke me up to the underhanded shenanigans of our elected office holders, most of which you can't trust as far as you can throw them.

[susanna]

67. Let such rationality spread widely. n/t

[smirkymonkey]

70. Bravo Virginia!

Time to make this a national priority before the next election cycle.

[Hekate]

72. Excellent news

[Thrill]

75. Republicans will never win shit in Virginia again

[samnsara]

76. thats great! now everyone needs to go to all mail in...

...you can drop them off but we also have about 3 weeks to vote. NO LINES EVER.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

78. Way to go Virginia!!! NT

[napi21]

87. HOORAY!!!! Now how do we get the rest of the States to do the same??? nt