Use Electronic Voting From Overseas As 'Last Resort,' Official Says

[Snazzy]

Use Electronic Voting From Overseas As 'Last Resort,' Official Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2004 – Some overseas servicemembers have another way to vote in the upcoming Nov. 2 elections, but they should use it as a last resort, a senior Defense Department official said here today.

The alternative electronic voting method would apply only to troops whose local voting laws allow it, Charles Abell, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, noted during an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.

Servicemembers stationed overseas who want to vote in stateside elections, Abell pointed out, normally should still employ the traditional absentee paper ballots sent by mail.

The electronic transmission service, Abell explained, calls for servicemembers to first scan their marked paper ballot onto a computer primary data file. The file is attached to an e-mail message that's sent stateside to Pentagon contractors. The e-mailed ballot is printed out by the contractors and is then faxed to local voting officials for tallying.

....

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2004/n09012004_2004090106.html

[aquart]

1. "Printed out by the contractors"???????????????????????

WTF do they have to do with our ballots????????????????????

[kayell]

6. Halliburton? Who are these mystery contractors who are handling

the votes?

Support the troops indeed. :eyes:

[ParanoidPat]

2. "only to troops whose local voting laws allow it"..........

......Would someone please show me what local voting laws allow votes to be sent via e-mail to an out of state private contractor who in turn will send the votes on to the local officials by FAX!

You can find most State Election Code at either of these links. :evilgrin:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/state_statutes2.html (Scroll down)

http://www.lawresearch.com/v2/statute/statstate.htm#elections

[Democat]

3. "Last resort" if Kerry is leading - this is an attack on U.S. soldiers!

Do you want to trust Halliburton, a right wing politically active corporation, with the votes of U.S. men and women serving over seas?

Also, if this is a good enough option for soldiers, why not for everyone living outside the U.S.? Why do they just want to do it for military?

[Snazzy]

4. According to this DoD August pdf--six million voters eligible

1.4 million military
1.3 million military dependents of voting age.
1 million Federal civilian employees overseas
3.7 million overseas civilians, not affiliated with the Government

It also says 23 States will accept a faxed ballot.

http://www.defense.gov/news/Aug2004/040806-D-6570C-001.pdf

And recall that most people think evoting has been shut down on directions from Wolfy in Feb. after a review by security experts and general outcry.

Obviously, this can be tampered with in so many ways it boggles the imagination.

Retouching of scanned ballots at the point of scanning, or when they are assembled to email.

Email is not secure.

Faxes are not secure.

And most obviously, who the hell is this "contractor."

Found the website for the program--digging:

http://www.fvap.gov/

This PDF shows what the State's said about faxing in answer to DoD's survey, by state:

http://www.nass.org/Survey%20Military%20and%20Overseas%20Voters.pdf

Also recall that as of July they eliminated witness requirements for ALL OF THESE VOTERS.

[Snazzy]

5. You can also fax your ballot to a central number in any country

http://www.fvap.gov/services/faxing.html

So there's two stages of faxing--one by the voter, one by DoD contractor.

No need to show up anywhere in person at all. All six million!

They have a handy list of fax numbers at that website, if anyone in say the Virgin Islands or Israel wants to start faxing early and often.

[Snazzy]

7. More states trying to allow: Bill would allow overseas... to vote by fax

Posted on Wed, Sep. 01, 2004





Bill would allow overseas soldiers to vote by fax machine

BOB JOHNSON

Associated Press


MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A state senator says he will introduce a bill in the Alabama Legislature that would make it easier for military personnel deployed overseas to vote, including allowing them to cast votes by fax machine.

Sen. Gerald Dial, D-Lineville, a retired National Guard general, said Wednesday his bill would allow Alabama soldiers overseas to participate in a federal program that allows military personnel to apply to vote and cast ballots by fax.

Dial said the current system of mailing applications and ballots does not always give soldiers in places like Iraq or Afghanistan time to vote by election day. He said many soldiers will be unable to vote in upcoming municipal runoff elections because there is not enough time between the general elections and the runoffs.

"It's terrible to tell the guys and gals trying to defend our right to vote that we don't have a system to let them vote," Dial said.

....

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/9556642.htm

[Snazzy]

8. Missouri: Soldier Email Ballot Plan Criticized

Soldier Email Ballot Plan Criticized

Date: 8/31/2004

An election security expert has questioned Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt's plan to allow soldiers at remote duty stations or in combat areas to scan their absentee ballots into email messages that would be sent to the Department of Defence, which would then be faxed to the soldier's local election official. Bruce Schneier, a board member of the National Committee for Voting Integrity, said Blunt's plan could lead to potential problems, citing that the plan would prevent the soldier from casting a confidential ballot.

Missouri law states that soldiers in combat zones can request absentee ballots by mail and fax their completed ballots to local election officials. However, according to state Rep. Jim Avery, R-Crestwood, who is a National Guard soldier currently on active duty in Iraq, only a few units have access to fax machines, where as most had access to computers that could scan and email documents to the US.

(snip 2)

http://www.thewhir.com/find/articlecentral/story.asp?recordid=951&page=1

-----

E-Mail Voting Prompts Security Concerns

Missouri will allow members of the military stationed overseas to return absentee ballots via e-mail, raising concerns from Internet security experts about fraud and ballot secrecy.

by Kelly Wiese

Though state and federal officials insist safeguards are in place to protect the ballots from tampering, duplication or other forms of fraud, critics warn that e-mail is fundamentally insecure.

"E-mail is subject to all kinds of tampering," said Bruce Schneier, co-founder of Mountain View, Calif.-based Counterpane Internet Security Inc. "One of the problems with security is even the appearance of problems is bad."

With a close election, Schneier said Friday, "if the election hinges on these ballots, there will be people that will never be satisfied this was fair."

Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt announced this week that military members serving in combat areas overseas can complete their absentee ballots, then scan and e-mail them to the Department of Defense, which will forward the ballots via fax to the appropriate local election officials.

....

http://www.bizreport.com/news/7893/

[Snazzy]

15. Noren ready for absentee troops’ vote

Noren ready for absentee troops’ vote
Faxed ballots potentially less secret.


By MIGLENA STERNADORI of the Tribune’s staff
Published Sunday, September 5, 2004
Boone County residents serving in the military overseas will have the option of voting in the Nov. 2 election by electronically scanning their absentee ballots and having them e-mailed to Pentagon contractors.

Boone County Clerk Wendy Noren said she will accept the ballots that will be faxed by the Department of Defense to local election officials.

...

To solve the fax problem, the defense department came up with the idea of having the ballots scanned in portable document format, or PDF, and then e-mailed to the United States.

Secretary of State Matt Blunt has authorized Missouri election officials to accept faxed ballots from overseas, as well as scanned ballots via fax from the defense department.

Noren said the scan-and-e-mail method should be distinguished from Internet voting, which has been criticized for lack of security. "People are equating this with the Internet voting project, and it’s nowhere close to this," Noren said.

....

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2004/Sep/20040905News001.asp

[Snazzy]

9. North Dakota: Soldiers urged to vote early

Soldiers urged to vote early
By Janell Cole, The Forum
Published Tuesday, August 31, 2004

BISMARCK -- North Dakota soldiers stationed outside the United States should start applying for absentee ballots now, Secretary of State Al Jaeger said Monday.

He and Maj. Gen. Michael Haugen, North Dakota Guard commander, Monday encouraged service men and women to use the Department of Defense's Electronic Transmission Service to receive their ballots and send their votes back to their local county auditors.

North Dakota law allows state voters outside the country to receive and return absentee ballots by fax.

....

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=68436§ion=News

[Snazzy]

10. Bill to let soldiers fax ballots from front clears California Senate panel

Bill to let soldiers fax ballots from front clears California Senate panel


By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer

With a little more than two months left before the general election, a state Senate committee voted Thursday to move forward with a bill to help California service members who are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan cast their votes on time.

The legislation, which was proposed by Assemblywoman Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, would allow deployed service members from California to receive and cast their absentee ballots by fax ---- a method that was temporarily approved for the California special election that tossed out Gov. Gray Davis in 2003.

If the bill becomes law, it would make it possible for designated voters who are unable to mail in their absentee ballots on time to fax them to their county registrar.

...

The fax ballot provision would also apply to family members and Americans working or living abroad.

....

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/08/20/military/18_11_118_19_04.txt

Sneaky, huh? Makes it seem like it is just for soldiers in battle, but actually for everybody.

(second article I've seen that also says it's 32 states, not the dod's 23).

[Snazzy]

13. KICK and GD link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2296959&mesg_id=2296959

What I just said there:

I hope the BBV peeple, hell everybody, takes note of this.

It may well be shenanigans with overseas absentee votes that is the 2004 vote theft plan.

Many of the states that take them via fax/email are swing states.

The ploy here will be the same as with Gore--you can't question military ballots or we will question your patriotism.

Yet the military (and unknown contractor) is now responsible for including all overseas citizens with it's ballots.

How easy to do fake, twice faxed ballots for certain jurisdictions where they know they won't check the integrity properly? Way easy.

How hard is it to track down and verify if even a sample of overseas citizens actually voted for who they are credited with voting for? Next to impossible.

This is a giant low-tech fiasco of a new vote theft waiting to happen, brought to you this time not by the Supremes, but by Rummy and Wolfy and the rest of your pals at DoD.

[Snazzy]

19. Iowa: Proxy requests ease voting for troops

Proxy requests ease voting for troops

TIM ROHWER , Staff Writer 09/01/2004


The Iowa's Secretary of State's office has announced a method that would allow Iowans serving in the regular military, National Guard or Reserve an easier way to vote in this year's election.

It's called the Proxy Absentee Ballot Request Form that will cut their voting process time "in half," said Secretary of State Chet Culver.

Basically, this process allows family members here to quickly make the formal request for a ballot for their loved ones elsewhere, instead of them making the request on their own, he said.

...

Now, certain family members can fill out the ballot request form at their County Auditor's office, he said. They can also clip out the form in their newspaper or print it out on the specified Web site and bring it in or mail it to the auditor's office, he said.

This process also applies to men and women in the National Guard units that have been called up for active service in other part of the United States, as well as for U.S. citizens overseas.

....

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12823804&BRD=2554&PAG=461&dept_id=507134&rfi=6

I haven't checked to see where Iowa is on Fax votes, but if you wanted a fraud to happen, would be kind of handy to have the ability to clip something out of a newspaper, put someone's name you knew was overseas on it (someone who wouldn't be voting), and, eukreka! a ballot is issued. Now just fax or email that sucker back.

[LiberalFighter]

11. Require all military personnel to be home on election day

[Snazzy]

12. Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness

This guy runs the show (under Wolfy):



Charles S. Abell was appointed by the President as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on November 15, 2002. A Presidential appointee confirmed by the Senate, he is the primary Assistant of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness providing staff advice to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of the Defense for total force management as it relates to manpower; force structure; program integration; readiness; reserve component affairs; health affairs; training; and personnel requirements and management, including equal opportunity, morale, welfare, recreation, and quality of life matters.

-----

Remember the story about diploma mills:

Public Paid for Bogus Degrees
Some Federal Workers Used Diploma Mills, GAO Finds
By Christopher Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 12, 2004; Page A21

...

Charles S. Abell, a deputy undersecretary of defense, lists on his department biography a master's degree from Columbus University, a Louisiana institution that appears on a list of diploma mills monitored by Oregon. In a statement yesterday, the Pentagon said Abell "has always been forthcoming about his credentials and has clearly demonstrated his commitment and ability to serve in federal government."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18845-2004May11.html?referrer=email


Still on his bio. Fake degree paid for by DoD.

-------

Also a Bush(*) donor:

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=abell%2C+charles&txtState=%28all+states%29&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2004=Y&txt2002=Y&txt2000=Y&Order=N

--------

Checking a little google, he's also the guy responsible for vetting contractors to Iraq, not sending lawyers to Abu Ghraib, and had something to do with military coffin coverup:

Charles Abell, a deputy undersecretary of Defense, said that although the Pentagon does not encourage families to visit Dover, it has never barred them.

A spokeswoman for the Dover base, however, said that before the memo, families were prohibited from watching the transfers.

(LAT via Billmon http://billmon.org/archives/001576.html)

Champion of cutting vet benefits too:

http://www.ausa.org/www/legislation.nsf/0/6133e508961c84eb85256e63007235ee?OpenDocument&AutoFramed

Also see: http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/001799.html

In other words, Sec. Charles Abell loves that BFEE koolaid.

[Snazzy]

14. kick--NYT editorial gets at some of this

Names contractor: Omega.

See Sharby's GD:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2308202

[Snazzy]

16. Trying to keep this stuff together--link to that NYT ed.

A breach of voting secrecy
~~article_author~~ NYT
Monday, September 06, 2004


Members of the U.S. military will be allowed to vote this year by faxing or e-mailing their ballots - after waiving their right to a secret ballot. Beyond this fundamentally undemocratic requirement, the Electronic Transmission Service, as it's known, has far too many problems to make it reliable, starting with the political partisanship of the contractor running it. The Defense Department is making matters worse by withholding basic information about the service, and should suspend it immediately.

The Defense Department is encouraging soldiers to use absentee ballots or to fax votes directly to local officials, when possible. But it also provides an alternative: Omega Technologies, a private contractor, will accept soldiers' faxed and e-mailed ballots on a toll-free line, and then send them to the appropriate local elections office. Handling ballots is always sensitive, but especially so when, as in this program, they are not secret. An obvious concern is that votes for a particular disfavored candidate could be reported lost in transit, or altered.

Omega Technologies is not an acceptable choice to run the program. Its chief executive, Patricia Williams, has donated $6,600 in this election cycle to the National Republican Congressional Committee, and serves on the committee's Business Advisory Council. And while everything about the conduct of elections should be open to public scrutiny, Omega is far too secretive.

....

http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?file=537342.html

[Snazzy]

18. There was an earlier editorial too

The Pentagon's Troubling Role

Published: August 31, 2004

Barely two months before the presidential vote, Missouri's secretary of state has suddenly announced that he will allow military voters from his state - one of the most pivotal in the election - to e-mail ballots from combat zones to the Defense Department. E-mail is far too insecure to be used for voting. Missouri and North Dakota, which announced a similar rule yesterday, should rescind these orders right away. Missouri's action also sheds light on the Defense Department's role in administering federal elections, a troubling situation that needs far more scrutiny.

...

There is more cause for concern after the ballots arrive at the Pentagon. E-mail voters will be required to sign a release acknowledging that their votes may not be kept secret. When the people handling ballots know who they are cast for, it is not hard to imagine that ballots for disfavored candidates could accidentally be "lost." And because the e-mailed ballots arrive as computer documents, it is possible to cut off the voter's digitized signature, attach it to a ballot supporting another candidate, and send that ballot on to the state to be counted.

It is unclear how good the protections are to guard against tampering. The e-mailed ballots will be handled by a contractor, Omega Technologies, hired for this purpose, at the company's offices and without the election observers who are present at normal polling places.

...

The Missouri and North Dakota announcements call attention to the larger issue of why the Pentagon is directly handling so many presidential ballots. The Federal Voting Assistance Program, a unit of the Defense Department, is charged with helping not only military voters, but all eligible voters overseas, a total of about six million people. But it is a fundamental aspect of the American election system that handling and counting of votes is supposed to occur at the local level. The Defense Department should stop handling actual ballots, and instead help military and other overseas voters send them directly to local elections officials.

....

http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/31/opinion/31tues1.html

Omega's Website: http://www.omega-its.com/

Contract:

August 28, 2000

Omega Consulting Inc.*, Alexandria, Va., is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, firm-fixed-price, loaded-labor-hours contract, with a cumulative total of $10,140,585. An appropriation number and dollar value will be issued with each delivery order. The contractor with provide for the defining, reengineering and managing of activities that directly support Installation Information Technology (IT) users at the garrison or installation level. The services will support and provide IT technical support assistance for the Office of the Director for Information Systems for Command, Control, Communications and Computers. Work will be performed in Alexandria, Va., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 27, 2005. There were 148 bids solicited on May 12, 2000, and 11 bids were received. The Defense Supply Service-Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (DASW01-00-D-3040).

http://www.defenselink.mil/contracts/2000/c08282000_ct525-00.html

[Snazzy]

17. Military voting a question to shrub--AP story

Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 12:00 AM |

Bush confident in voting system for elections

Scott Lindlaw THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio

...

The president's remarks were in response to a question about counting military ballots, a major point of contention in the 2000 recount. Election officials rejected hundreds of military absentee ballots, many because they lacked postmarks or signatures.

"I'm confident that there will be a greater awareness when it comes to counting these ballots," Bush said.

With thousands more troops overseas because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, military voting could be an even bigger issue this year, and Bush has courted this constituency aggressively.

One of the legal fights during the 2000 recount was about overseas votes.

"Certainly we intend to make sure we have the appropriate lawyers and others to make sure that all eligible voters can vote," Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman said.

....

http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=33539&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

[Snazzy]

20. WSJ: Cast a Ballot From the Couch: Absentee Voting Gets Easier

Cast a Ballot
From the Couch:
Absentee Voting Gets Easier

Rule Changes Mean Millions
Of Americans Are Eligible;
Web Sites Pave the Way
By RON LIEBER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 2, 2004; Page D1

The long lines. The confusion over whether the polling place has moved again. It is no wonder that many people dread voting on Election Day.

Increasingly, states are making it remarkably easy to vote without ever setting foot in a crowded school lunchroom or community center. A spate of regulatory changes around the country is relaxing the rules on absentee voting so much that tens of millions of Americans are now eligible, even if they plan to be in town on the day of the vote. In addition, a host of new online services have popped up to help people who want to vote early.

At least 24 states allow anyone to mail in an absentee ballot, for any reason. These include most of the states west of the Mississippi River as well as North Carolina and the battleground state of Florida, whose absentee ballots became part of the litigation over the 2000 election. At least 16 states also open the doors to actual polling places for several days before Election Day, to anyone who wants to vote in person but dreads the Nov. 2 rush. This year, for the first time, Georgia, North Dakota and West Virginia will be trying this in a presidential election.

...

In many cases, political partisans are actively encouraging absentee voting. Recently, Florida's Republican party sent out a mailer questioning the reliability of new electronic machines being used in some parts of the state. "Make sure your vote counts," it said. "Order your absentee ballot today."

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB109407427870207237,00.html?mod=todays_free_feature

---------

Also:

September 3, 2004
Armed Forces Voters Week


by 2nd Lt. Shanelle A. Porter
Special to HH News


With the November 2004 General Election almost upon us, and registration deadlines even sooner, time is running out for citizens who want to participate in the elections this year. This is why the Secretary of Defense has decreed the week of September 3 - 11, 2004 as Armed Forces Voters Week (AFVW). This week is the last week to submit a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), SF-76. These forms can be obtained on the Web site at www.fvap.gov.

....

http://www.dcmilitary.com/marines/hendersonhall/9_34/national_news/30970-1.html

Yep, Armed Forces Voters Week kicked off right after the RNC. But worry not, they assure you it's non-partisan, even if your commander gets to see your vote first. Also read somewhere else that all military pay stubs currently remind you to vote.

[Snazzy]

21. Absentee-ballot push raises eyebrows

Absentee-ballot push raises eyebrows

Bob Von Sternberg, Star Tribune
September 1, 2004

Well, that was bizarre, Paul Bartlett thought when he listened to his answering machine after work Monday: a recording of President Bush asking for his support in November.

After all, Bartlett's front yard in Eagan is filled with campaign signs for Democrats, including one he produced himself, proclaiming his property a "Bush-Free Zone."Yup, I'm the perfect person to support the president in Eagan," he said.

But even odder, Bartlett thought, was the fact that the message from Bush asked him -- twice, no less -- to mail back the absentee ballot application that will be mailed to him.

"What does he know about the voting system that is so rigged that I'm being asked to use an old-fashioned paper ballot instead of this wonderful new expensive software?" Bartlett asked.

....

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4958388.html

-------------------------

Wish this thread had a sexier headline--but you can see where I'm headed--where we may all be headed with this.

Spell it out a bit: DoD runs all overseas voting, not just military. And no longer do you need a witness on your ballot as military (and the regs are fairly weak in most states for non). Shurb campaign is doing a major push for absentee votes, as is the military, and as are us (Kerry, dems) and people worried about BBV.

States weaken requirements for getting and casting absentee ballots. In half the States a fax is now ok, and there is pending legislation to allow that in more, and email in some.

A DoD contractor (Omega Consulting, private company, GOP donor CEO)will collect and fax all the votes, but hardly anybody knows about it yet.

Civilian overseas votes, which far out number military, are processed by the military (literally responsible for the 6.5+ mil possible votes is Rumsfeld)--but this info is just a side note in every story so far.

Question military votes and 'we' will question your patriotism. Count on it.

And what exactly was LePore up to?

That's it for tonight! CIAO.