Votergate - Video of SD pollworker told to take voting machines home!!

[IndyOp]

If you haven't seen "Votergate: The Movie" -- please take a look. It is a GOOD introduction to a bunch of issues.

The video includes Bev Harris interviewing a woman - Jennifer Hamilton - who volunteered to be a pollworker in San Diego, CA in March 2004 (for the primaries). ((The interview with Jennifer is about

Jennifer was astonished to be sent home with 6+ voting machines on the day that pollworkers were trained. Election officials did not ask the pollworkers for any kind of identification, proof of registration to vote, nothing - before they sent the machines home with them. They loaded machines into her car and she drove them home. Her parents helped her move the machines into their home and they took video.

Jennifer says that 1,600 people were sent home with voting machines - some for almost a month.

At Jennifer's precinct, at the end of election day, there were two machines where total number of votes on screen was more than the total number of votes on the printout -- she called and reported the difference -- and was told "Don't worry about it."

Mark Radke (Marketing Director, Diebold) reassuringly reports that after a machine has been through it's logic and accuracy testing, and the test goes fine, they are closed and there's a "protective tamper seal that's placed on every one of the units and it also has a serial number on it. If those ship to the location and that seal is broken or that number does not match, that unit is not used in that election. So, if that has been tampered with in any way, it's pulled."

Jennifer shows Bev one of the seals - it is stuck to a piece of paper. The seals could be produced on a Xerox machine. The seals are the kind you can pull off and stick back on again.

http://www.votergate.tv/

[Stanchetalarooni]

1. Super Glue

[IndyOp]

3. I've heard Super Glue somewhere before...

:eyes:

[Poll_Blind]

2. Deeply concerning. K&R. n/t

PB

[xxqqqzme]

4. OMG - there's Andy!

breakin' my heart right now!

[IndyOp]

5. Please vote this up so people will see it -

If not, I could cross-post in GD.

[garybeck]

6. the full length film should be out very soon

I have the impression that they are holding production because of all the latest developments.

[IndyOp]

7. Hey Gary! I've distributed 40 Election Justice CDs so far --

I've been leaving them at the local leftie bookstore, restaurant, and coffee shop. I've also distributed a dozen or so when I talked to the local Democracy for America group this past week, and will take some with me to the MoveOn meetup tomorrow night. I am also taking 50 copies of RFK's article tomorrow night.

When "Votergate" releases the full length film - how will it be distributed?

:hi:

[garybeck]

13. They are hoping to have some theatre showings but mainly DVD distribution

I think there will be a big push for house party showings and other grassroots things like that.

as far as the CDROM goes, sounds like you are doing what everyone should be doing with that thing! by the way it's going to be updated again... there's so much new stuff, with RFK's article, and the hursti hacks and all... but it's going to take some time so keep spreading the current one! by the way i think you've earned a "It's the voting machines, stupid" t-shirt if you want one. I have a few with slight blemishes or imperfections I can send you one for free, if you want it, pm (or email) me your mailing address.

gb

[IndyOp]

8. Calipendence's response to Votergate from another thread:

Edited on Tue Jun-13-06 01:18 PM by calipendence

Yes, we shouldn't be *shocked* it happened here in San Diego...

with an all Republican Board of Supervisors for the last decade that arguably fraudulently faked Democratic endorsements for Republican Ron Roberts over Democratic candidate Richard Barrera in this primary too. They also have an all Republican controlled Voter's Registrar too.

Black Box Voting documented this problem happening earlier here in San Diego.

And in the April election, I received the following note from someone I know here that worked as a pollworker then too. This is "situation normal" here.

Hello:

I'll be a poll worker in the 50th District Congressional Elections
and have already received a manual and such. What struck me as particularly
tone-deaf of the registrar's office is that I'm going to be taking the
voting equipment and ballots home with me on Friday 4/7 for the election of
Tuesday, 4/11. All of this will be sitting in either my home office or my
garage until I deliver them my precinct and set them up. Does this sound
familiar to you? Remember Black Box Voting's movie where San Diego Country
was ridiculed for doing this? We do have to have the polls open by 0700 and
I guess the logistics of delivering the equipment direct to the polling
place seem a little overwhelming to the Registrar but, I'd be willing to put
it down to just being cheap and not truly valuing voting.

Thanks

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1409972&mesg_id=1416778

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. Its called Sleepovers for voting machines

And it isn't new.

I am told that my state discontinued the practice, but I have to verify it.

It was a big shock to me.

Sleepovers were one reason that election workers preferred DRES - they
are or used to be smaller and easier to haul around in your car.

Now, with the VVPAT on the DREs, you have a bigger machine and the stand,
and counties end up buying these racks to store and haul them with, and
you need a truck to haul DRES.

Now it is easier to haul around optical scanners!

Does the doo doo get any deeper?

[emlev]

10. Can someone tell me which part of CA law this violates?

Looking for the right part of the election code or other law. Need the info quickly. Thanks.

[Votergater]

14. Sending the machines home violates the official state security standards

which were imposed by Kevin Shelley when he was Secretary of State of California. Mr. Shelley told me (in Sept 2005) that most of the counties signed in agreement that they would follow his 23 point security ruling which, I believe, makes them legally binding, and Shelley assured me (on film) that if any county sends voting machines home with pollworkers then they are in violation of those rules.

I don't know if current Secretary of State McPherson has officially cancelled Kevin Shelley's security rulings or imposed new ones which would cancel them out. Perhaps someone here knows?

[Votergater]

11. The Diebold optical scan memory cards can be re-programmed

without even having to remove them from the machines. This can be easily done because there is a port in the side of the machine which anyone can connect into. This makes San Diego's regular practice of sending the op scan machines home with pollworkers insanely dangerous. San Diego sending the TSx touchscreens home after Harri Hursti's recent security revelations leaves me speechless (almost).

[Wilms]

12. Kick