E-Vote Machine Certification Criticized

[Zorra]

(Please rate this story a fat 5.)

E-Vote Machine Certification Criticized
By BILL POOVEY, Associated Press Writer

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The three companies that certify the nation's voting technologies operate in secrecy, and refuse to discuss flaws in the ATM-like machines to be used by nearly one in three voters in November.

Despite concerns over whether the so-called touchscreen machines can be trusted, the testing companies won't say publicly if they have encountered shoddy workmanship.

They say they are committed to secrecy in their contracts with the voting machines' makers — even though tax money ultimately buys or leases the machines.

"I find it grotesque that an organization charged with such a heavy responsibility feels no obligation to explain to anyone what it is doing," Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon computer scientist and electronic voting expert, told lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&e=2&u=/ap/20040822/ap_on_hi_te/e_voting_labs
:thumbsup:
The hits just keep on coming. Let's keep the pressure on, folks, and maybe we'll get an honest election.

What voters should do with evoting machines:
:argh:

[NMDemDist2]

1. done n/t

[wildeyed]

2. What is this secrecy bs?

The public has a right to know how voting is conducted. Period. It is the only way any of us can have faith in the system. And after the 2000 election, some concern is healthy, not paranoid.

[Zorra]

3. Exactly. Here is the DU Electronic Voting Links Library

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=106&topic_id=3390

"The public has a right to know how voting is conducted. Period. It is the only way any of us can have faith in the system."

[AndyTiedye]

5. They Are In On It

> What is this secrecy bs?

It's know as a "fix", as in "the fix is in", and they are in on the fix!

The election is still close enough to steal.

Now if we can get those Diebold machines replaced by the ones they
used in Venezuela -- they were made by a Florida company, after all,
and they generate nice paper ballots for later recounts and verification.
They could probably help out their home state and get them ready in time.
They have obviously passed a more real-use extensive test than the
touch-screen machines we have (and under very high-profile scrutiny).
Since Diebold and ES&S "can't" deliver a paper trail in time, call in
someone who can.

[PATRICK]

4. The giant stories ignored behind the article

First of all, the secrecy HAS been pierced big time, enough to prove that Diebold at least is incredibly shoddy. Public recertification showed hundreds of software flaws and other mechanical problems. Second, this story sounds like it stems from the secret lawsuits breathing down their necks. This story then is disingenuous in the extreme and whenever a public case is prosecuted against these crooks, this duh! analysis will slog along ten purposeful steps, eyes downcast, face burkaed, behind the poor little e-voting companies.

[Zorra]

6. kick for democracy