Florida ballot terminals favor Republicans

[sugapablo]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/31/florida_terminals_dont_cooperate/

Florida voters using electronic ballot machines are having persistent problems choosing Democrats in early elections, the Miami Herald reports.

The touch-screen gizmos seem strangely attracted to Republican candidates. One voter needed assistance from an election official, and even then, needed three tries to convince the machine that he wanted to vote for Democrat Jim Davis in the gubernatorial race, not his Republican opponent Charlie Crist.

Another voter who went Democrat across the board kept finding Republicans listed in the summary screen. He made repeated attempts until, finally, the machine registered his votes correctly, and he cast his ballot.

Yet another frustrated voter who complained of difficulties selecting a Democrat was told that the machine she was using had been troublesome. Poll workers fiddled with it for a bit, and then it seemed to work properly.

Here we go! This election will be stolen too, and we'll do NOTHING about it but WBM (whine, bitch, and moan).

[TAPat]

1. Thanks for your input.

I, for one, will not just WBM.

[sugapablo]

3. I dunno....

The fact that * is still in office (and not behind bars) tells me the American people are simply more willing to bend over and take it like goatse than to actually do anything about it.

I'd love to be proven wrong, however.

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. Go to the source

Read the Herald Story (don't trust 2nd or 3rd hand reporting.)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/15889697.htm

Test run for voting

OUR OPINION: COOPERATION REQUIRED TO REDUCE ELECTION MISTAKES

After more than a week of early voting, one of the lessons for success has become clear. If mistakes are to be avoided, voters, equipment and election officials must be in sync.

Several apparent miscues described to Miami Herald reporters last week by early voters show why this is important. In each instance -- in Miami, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale -- a vote cast for a Democratic candidate was recorded as a vote for a Republican.

In two instances, votes cast for Jim Davis for governor were shown as votes for Charlie Crist. In the third instance, a straight-Democratic ticket was shown as votes for Republicans.

Sounds like a conspiracy? Yes . . . but there is an explanation and, more important, procedures to follow. Specifically, voters should notify an election official when there is a problem. First, if an incorrect vote is registered, the voter can correct the mistake when the ''Review'' prompt appears. If that fails, notify an election official.

As for a conspiracy, election officials say that the machines can get out of sync if a particular spot is overused -- as happens, for example, when someone constantly picks at a sore. Election officials in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are trained to ''recalibrate'' the machine so, again, telling an official about the problem is key.

Election supervisors say they have procedures in place that alert them to problems and collect information about miscues that allow them to take corrective actions. In Miami-Dade, incidents are logged daily and recorded in a central database. Broward relies on daily reports, site managers and sending data via cell phones and laptop computers to top elections officials.

Both systems, however, depend on voters, machines and officials working together for the most accurate vote possible.

[Lindacooks]

9. Then why is it only votes for Democrats that switch to repukes?

I've never heard of a repuke vote switching to the Democrat.

THAT equals conspiracy.

[0rganism]

11. "when someone constantly picks at a sore"

what an apt metaphor for democracy in Florida...

[Rebellious Republican]

14. Can you explain why the vote always favors the Republicans ?

[Rebellious Republican]

18. Just as I thought, cat got your tongue.

:shrug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Of course they will steal it again

[nashville_brook]

4. 2000, 2002, 2004 and now 2006.

first we were called Tin Foil Hatters.
then, Conspiracy Theorists.
next... Sore Losers.

now we are being called just plain Bad Democrats for having the gall to talk about the theft before it happens.

that's what happens when the voters... the average Joe (you and me)... are left to TWIST IN THE WIND with no official leadership on this. it's why i will never trust John Kerry ever again. 2004 wasn't about him! it was about us losing control of the vote. he backed down and here we are in 2006 having to fight the same FUCKING battle... with the same faces across the US (Diebold, etc) and in Ohio in particular (Blackwell).

[dbt]

13. Fuckin' *A,* nashville_brook!!!

:bounce:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

[KT2000]

17. You nailed it!!

Your post needs to be read by everyone but especially the Democratic leadership.


A most excellent post :yourock:

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. Someone needs to get picture and/or video of this

This is ridiculous.

[buddysmellgood]

6. If the cash machine did this too people, they would raise hell. The police

would be involved and an investigation underway. Votes are the currency of democracy and all we get is a shrug and an article.

[robinlynne]

8. Hell, my computer knows what I am clicking on. It does have to be

recalibrated. I click. It knows what I click on. And it did not cost millions of dollars.

[AndyTiedye]

12. Slot Machines in Las Vegas Are More Strictly Regulated than Voting Machinez

Gambling on Voting

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/13/opinion/13SUN1.html

June 13, 2004

If election officials want to convince voters that electronic voting
can be trusted, they should be willing to make it at least as secure
as slot machines. To appreciate how poor the oversight on voting
systems is, it's useful to look at the way Nevada systematically
ensures that electronic gambling machines in Las Vegas operate
honestly and accurately. Electronic voting, by comparison, is rife
with lax procedures, security risks and conflicts of interest.

On a trip last week to the Nevada Gaming Control Board laboratory, in
a state office building off the Las Vegas Strip, we found testing and
enforcement mechanisms that go far beyond what is required for
electronic voting. Among the ways gamblers are more protected than
voters:

1. The state has access to all gambling software. The Gaming Control
Board has copies on file of every piece of gambling device software
currently being used, and an archive going back years. It is illegal
for casinos to use software not on file. Electronic voting machine
makers, by contrast, say their software is a trade secret, and have
resisted sharing it with the states that buy their machines.

2. The software on gambling machines is constantly being spot-checked.
Board inspectors show up unannounced at casinos with devices that let
them compare the computer chip in a slot machine to the one on file.
If there is a discrepancy, the machine is shut down, and investigated.
This sort of spot-checking is not required for electronic voting. A
surreptitious software change on a voting machine would be far less
likely to be detected.
…

[davidinalameda]

15. casinos are more important than elections

:sarcasm:

[Supersedeas]

10. Nothing to see here: Whorah Paula and Candi have a Dem to embarrass

[twaddler01]

16. THIS IS GETTING OLD!

:mad: