Video of Irregular Voting Machine Goes Viral After Being Posted On Reddit

[trailmonkee]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by muriel_volestrangler (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Mediaite

Many people have expressed some concern over potential voting irregularities, and already someone has captured video of one such potential irregularity. YouTube user centralpavote uploaded a video earlier today of a voting machine that appears to misdetect a touch-screen vote for President Obama as a vote for Mitt Romney. The video went viral after being posted on Reddit, and as of now is currently on the site’s front page.

After the video was posted on Reddit, the user who uploaded it to YouTube commented on the thread to claim he tried to vote for Obama, but when he pushed the touch-screen button for the president, Romney’s name was selected instead.

Being a software developer, I immediately went into troubleshoot mode. I first thought the calibration was off and tried selecting Jill Stein to actually highlight Obama. Nope. Jill Stein was selected just fine. Next I deselected her and started at the top of Romney’s name and started tapping very closely together to find the ‘active areas’. From the top of Romney’s button down to the bottom of the black checkbox beside Obama’s name was all active for Romney. From the bottom of that same checkbox to the bottom of the Obama button (basically a small white sliver) is what let me choose Obama. Stein’s button was fine. All other buttons worked fine.

Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/online/video-of-irregular-voting-machine-goes-viral-after-being-posted-on-reddit/

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Notes from the guy who posted the video on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/12q6wu/2012_voting_machine_altering_votes/c6x8sbi

I'm the guy who shot the video, hopefully this doesn't get burried. You guys have questions, I have answers.
My wife and I went to the voting booths this morning before work. There were 4 older ladies running the show and 3 voting booths that are similar to a science fair project in how they fold up. They had an oval VOTE logo on top center and a cartridge slot on the left that the volunteers used to start your ballot.

I initially selected Obama but Romney was highlighted. I assumed it was being picky so I deselected Romney and tried Obama again, this time more carefully, and still got Romney. Being a software developer, I immediately went into troubleshoot mode. I first thought the calibration was off and tried selecting Jill Stein to actually highlight Obama. Nope. Jill Stein was selected just fine. Next I deselected her and started at the top of Romney's name and started tapping very closely together to find the 'active areas'. From the top of Romney's button down to the bottom of the black checkbox beside Obama's name was all active for Romney. From the bottom of that same checkbox to the bottom of the Obama button (basically a small white sliver) is what let me choose Obama. Stein's button was fine. All other buttons worked fine.

I asked the voters on either side of me if they had any problems and they reported they did not. I then called over a volunteer to have a look at it. She him hawed for a bit then calmly said "It's nothing to worry about, everything will be OK." and went back to what she was doing. I then recorded this video.

EDIT: There is a lot of speculation that the footage is edited. I'm not a video guy, but if it's possible to prove whether a video has been altered or not, I will GLADLY provide the raw footage to anyone who is willing to do so. The jumping frames are a result of the shitty camera app on my Android phone, nothing more.

EDIT2: I have been contacted by NBC Universal and BBC News.

EDIT3: A lot of news agencies are now messaging me here. Please email [e-mail] instead.

[Roland99]

1. HAND-COUNTED PAPER BALLOTS!!!!

[redqueen]

9. +1

When will election officials stop screwing around with our right to vote?

[cprise]

19. Agreed. As long as ballots get hand-marked.

The hand-marking of paper is important: It turns the process of vote fraud into a physically laborious process that is certain to get noticed or leave a trail of evidence.

My initial reaction to the OP was actually 'So what?' That's because this person was lucky to encounter a computer that showed its misdeed. But a compromised computer is under no particular compunction to show the same information that it records.

I'm positive there is much worse out there than what this video shows.

[MAD Dave]

31. We use them in Canada!

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

32. +2

[patrice]

35. + Voters' Guides like the ones used in Oregon, delivered to people's homes 1 month

prior to the vote ...

+ Authentic transparent campaign finance reform ...

+ Paper ballots, with instant run-off voting and providing each voter an encrypted receipt of their vote ...

+ Ballots counted in public on ...

+ A wildly patriotic and happy National Voting Holiday that starts on a Friday morning, runs through the weekend, including Sunday, and ends the followingTuesday morning.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

39. Agreed! Desire for instant results is a disease. Get rid of ALL voting machines. Count paper ballots

[Estevan]

2. where is this?

[Flipper999]

3. It is apparently from PA.

[Supersedeas]

37. Now, do we know why the Repigs and the MSM think PA will be close?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. Why do every single one of these "coincidences" favor 'Pukes? (he asked rhetorically) nt

[slackmaster]

7. Because this is DU. If someone had one of an apparent glitch favoring the President...

...it wouldn't be posted here.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

12. How many "glitches" have you read about which helped Gore or Kerry anywhere in

the media?

[TalkingDog]

22. This is from 08.... Gives straight ticket Dem vote to McCain.

[TalkingDog]

23. 08 Problems nationwide where the votes would switch to Bush

[TalkingDog]

25. Romney switching to Obama and Obama switching to Romney in CO

http://news.linktv.org/videos/voters-machine-glitches-switching-votes-dem

[TalkingDog]

28. No video, but OH complaints about EV Obama votes switching to Romney

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2012/10/31/early_voting_machine_in_ohio_switching_romney_vote_to_obama

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

29. You don't have to tell me. Tell the guy i was replying to. I'm still waiting for him to answer

my question.

[TalkingDog]

30. This guy has researched it and says he has a solution!

[slackmaster]

47. I don't remember any. But I don't remember very many that favored Bush either.

It was a long time ago.

[TalkingDog]

21. If I find one, I'll post it.

n/t

[BouzoukiKing]

26. So will I.

I could actually see the machines being programmed to flip to Obama, as a way to strengthen a legal challenge to the votes.

And anyway, honest is as does.

[Bozita]

5. K&R ... Bigtime!

[Gregorian]

6. America has some disgraceful methods of voting. 12 years, and we're still idiots.

Why are people so slow to respond. Same with global warming.

[Evasporque]

8. Its fake...

Look close at the finger it never really presses the screen...and actually jumps form one place to another...this was a clever on phone edit...

I hate touch screens for voting but I think this is a hoax...

[jenw2]

10. Works just like the touchscreen registers at work

This is why we need voting machines like the new Microsoft tablets that have capacitive touchscreens. They don't have the constant calibration problems that all of the older other technologies have.

[InsultComicDog]

11. my impression

is that this is not likely to be a deliberate hack, since what is happening is so obvious to the voter using the machine. A far superior hack would change the vote without the voter ever being able to detect it.

However, that machine should have been immediately shut down.

[randome]

13. This is at least the 3rd thread on this. It sounds like bullshit to me.

Notice his primary points to make are that he is in contact with news agencies. Why did he not report this to election officials?

[kelliekat44]

14. To me, this means that a legal action should be filed right now in PA and the votes should be placed

under Federal marshalls. If Mitt wins or even comes close in PA shit should hit the voter fraud fan!!

[Megahurtz]

15. Republicans Can NOT Be Trusted.

[Liberal In Red State]

16. So how did you complete your vote? Did you request that the machine be shut down? Is that machine

still being used?

[joy2u2]

36. instead of 911 call...

Huffington Post blogger posted these phone numbers for reporting voting irregularities:
report all voter irregularities...

The phone numbers are 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767 and the number for those who are deaf or hard of hearing is 1-877-267-8971. The fax number is 202-307-3961.

[kelliekat44]

17. When did this voting take place? the date indicated January. Must confirm.

[boingboinh]

18. It MUST BE A FAKE! Because if u're going to steal a vote why would you need to

visually show it to the voter..just log it internally as a vote for the other guy and no one is the wiser.
If this did hapepn it seems like a faulty touch screen. If not then these are the worst theives ever.

[LadyHawkAZ]

20. MSNBC saying the machine has been pulled from service

http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/11/06/machine-turns-vote-for-obama-into-one-for-romney/

A Pennsylvania electronic voting machine has been taken out of service after being captured on video changing a vote for President Obama into one for Mitt Romney, NBC News has confirmed.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

24. And of course YouTube locked the view count at 309.

[NoOtherMedicineNovel]

27. So glad this was recorded, that it's going viral, and being picked up by MSM. But now what??

will happen to make this unbelievably-illegal stunt fixed before it's too late?

[SoapBox]

33. Just now on Tamron Hall, MSNBC...

teaser for the story coming up.

[Sophiegirl]

38. MSNBC

Commercial break. Story up next!

[TinCup]

34. MSNBC

Just featured on MSNBC they kinda glossed over the part where the poll worker did nothing.

[allan01]

40. re:Video of Irregular Voting Machine Goes Viral After Being Posted On Reddit

when people decide to collectily sue these folks . thanks i voted this is nonsense .

[riderinthestorm]

41. Hopefully this issue will now be brought into some serious discussion.

Whatever happens to this machine in this area - the story has legs for the entire country. K&R for more exposure!

[StarryNite]

42. How many people voted for Obama on that same machine before him

and didn't realize their vote went to Mittney?

[sevenseas]

43. If true, they need to shut down the machine, but

I have to agree with the blogger who said you can tell his finger is not punching the button- looks like his finger is just hovering over the button to give the optical effect of pushing it.

see- Why would you punch a button with the side of your finger?

[Dont call me Shirley]

45. Sorry, he IS touching the Obama button and not even ever gets close to romney

Theory blown!

[Dont call me Shirley]

44. Thanks for exposing the evil gop machine!

[toby jo]

46. Can't get the vid, but it seems unlikely

Too obvious - our machine has a paper printout you can view - don't know how they'd hack that, except maybe assume alot of people wouldn't check the printout - it seemed pretty secure - Ohio

[Coyotl]

48. Hopefully, people don't stay home because of this video

maybe it is real, who knows, but the story is filling out more.

[muriel_volestrangler]

49. Locking - duplicate thread

of http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014292825 . Please continue discussion there.