ES&S quote: "touch screens...can be easily manipulated"

[dzika]

Election commission hears last pitch on vote machines



Saline County Clerk Freddy Burton and Election Systems & Software
representative Mike Devereaux discuss the options available for
polling places in the upcoming elections. (Courier photo by Richard
Duke)


Wednesday, December 22, 2004 1:53 PM CST
By Richard Duke, Courier Staff

-snip-
The Saline County Election Commission, faced with having to revamp the county voting system by 2005, listened to the final presentation by independent companies about new and technologically advanced voting machines.

Representatives from Election Systems & Software spoke to officials Thursday morning...

-snip-
Mike Devereaux, who gave the presentation, said that touch screens, which many once thought would be the wave of the future, will never replace a paper ballot. The technology of touch screens, however, can greatly help those needing assistance in marking their ballot.

"The problem with touch screens as vote counters is that they can be easily manipulated," Devereaux said. "If someone were to go to a polling place that had a large turnout for John Kerry, that person could vote for John Kerry falsely, and when they got their receipt for John Kerry, they could report to an official that their vote was counted wrong. The entire machine would then have to be shut down with all of those votes still inside."


Link:
http://www.bentoncourier.com/articles/2004/12/24/news/46tnews.txt


Notice that the ES&S Rep. admits that "The problem with touch screens as vote counters is that they can be easily manipulated"

Then is goes on to show his real allegiance by saying "that person could vote for John Kerry falsely..."

I wonder why he uses Kerry as an example instead of B*?

Oh, it's ES&S... They would never allow a false vote for B*!

Fuckers.

[Vinca]

1. But . . . if there are no paper receipts . . .

""The problem with touch screens as vote counters is that they can be easily manipulated," Devereaux said. "If someone were to go to a polling place that had a large turnout for John Kerry, that person could vote for John Kerry falsely, and when they got their receipt for John Kerry, they could report to an official that their vote was counted wrong. The entire machine would then have to be shut down with all of those votes still inside.""

STEALING THIS ELECTION WAS WAY TOO EASY!:mad:

[suziedemocrat]

2. That is so bogus - voters disputing their receipts? (What receipts)

Sounds like an excuse to not gve receipts.

[KaliTracy]

4. i agree, it does sound like an argument against

receipts -- but they shouldn't even be called "receipts" -- they are simply paper ballots. The voter might get a printout, with vote information (and time stamp if appropriate) -- and, then MUST turn it into a sealed ballot box. I know some just "spit" the paper into a sealed box at the e-station, that would work too, if it spit down 1/2 way, the voter could observe the entire vote he/she did, and then had to push one last button to "release" the vote into the sealed box....(Question, though - I've read somewhere that the sealed box is clear, is this correct? If so, couldn't the next voter see what the last few votes had been?)

Besides that -- did they "freeze" the machines that were voting for * when People Chose Kerry??? NO! Those who did catch it and complained got their original vote "cleared" (as far as the poll person told us, and what we know), and the voter got to vote again. They did not stop those machines from being active! And at least one poll person (either in Broward or Youngstown) said that "This has been happening all day." So, what gives?

[Higans]

8. How can we even be sure the origional vote ws cleared?

More like "Oh I'm sory did this computer steal your voice? Why don't I just reset it so you can try screaming into it again. Have a nice day."

[marcologico]

3. right, blame it on voters

funny how he forgot to mention all the easy ways machines can be manipulated by election officials (hint: wireless modems) or anybody else with a cell phone but maybe that's what they discuss at lunch.

[IndyPriest]

5. This presentation was done on WEDNESDAY!?

Is ES&S admitting AFTER the election that its machine is a piece of shit?

[zimba]

6. WTF

"The entire machine would then have to be shut down with all of those votes still inside."

Why didnt they shut down the machines that kept switching votes from Kerry to another candidate then.

[KaliTracy]

14. exactly... they didn't do it during this election

what would be appropriate procedure? Merely turning off the machine would lead to more gridlock, and we've already seen what they do with machine allocation....

[Al-CIAda]

7. POS

At least he's honest about it. He can use whatever example he likes, the fact remains, what he states is that the machine is JUNK as far as I'm concerned.

Machines registering Bush when a Kerry vote was intended: "Thats been happening all day"

[59sunburst]

9. ES&S Tabulation

Does anybody have any info on ES&S tabulation systems?

We've heard a lot about Triad. How similar or different is ES&S?

[Higans]

10. They can't shut the machines down, the Hackers won't give us

any other machines to loose our votes to.

[Higans]

11. Don't you get it?

The only way we will ever have peace is if we fix this stupid machine problem. If you think the Iraqis are going to have more faith in the touch screens then we do your nuts! What ever result the Jan election yields they won't believe the election was fair and this stupid war will continue with the January election being a meaningless Historic turning point for American and the results of the election there and every where will be questioned by the rest of the world.

If you ever wanted peace fix these damn machines.

[LisaL]

12. If those touch screen machines can be easily manipulated-

well, why are they selling this junk? Seem to me their product is no good, and they know it.
:eyes:

[lostnfound]

13. Just an FYI, the example he's giving would FAVOR Bush

I read it like this:
He said it's a pro-Kerry district where a machine would be shut down with votes inside -- i.e., not counted.

A Bush supporter would 'vote for Kerry falsely' i.e., in order to claim it registered wrong, in order to throw out all votes on that machine.

It's a ridiculous assertion, anyway. But I don't think the example he states is showing 'allegiance' to the other side.

[dzika]

15. Ah...

Thanks for clarifying that.