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diva77

(7,643 posts) Sat Jan 25, 2020, 08:51 PM Jan 2020

Election Security In Georgia

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/19/797722002/election-security-in-georgia
January 19, 2020 8:02 AM ET
Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Marilyn Marks of the Coalition for Good Governance about the reasons behind the lawsuit seeking to bar Georgia from using its paperless voting machines.

There are new developments in a legal fight over the security of Georgia's election server. This past week, an election security expert said he found evidence the server was tampered with in 2014. The allegation was contained in an affidavit filed as part of a lawsuit brought by election integrity activists seeking to bar Georgia from using its paperless voting machines.
SNIP
MARILYN MARKS: The reason this is so concerning is because while it appears that the malicious attacker got in in 2014, they could have clearly stayed in quite a long time. This server was not shut down until the end of 2017. But the records that were on that server - and these would be millions of records. This would have been the hub for all of Georgia's elections. Those millions of records could have been, certainly, infiltrated. And then as copies of those records were removed from the server to put on new applications, they could have carried with them malicious code. There is still quite a lot we don't know. But there is no reason to believe that anything that an attacker did in 2014 and beyond is not still present in the system.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Could these malicious actors have actually changed people's votes?

MARKS: Unfortunately, yes. The reason is that on this central server, it was the mothership. It was the hub of all things elections in Georgia. And every single one of the 30,000 voting machines that are used in Georgia was programmed from that central server.
SNIP
The secretary of state has chosen a new system. They've spent over a hundred million dollars on it. It is absolutely as vulnerable, if not more vulnerable, according to many experts, than the old system that we're talking about. So not only could the old malware have been transferred into the new system in various places, but the fact that it cannot be audited is really troublesome. SNIP (bold added for emphasis)

15 replies

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Election Security In Georgia (Original Post) diva77 Jan 2020 OP

Why don't they wipe the server clean and start out with new software? Would it be a PIA? YES! But napi21 Jan 2020 #1

As a Georgia resident I find this most disturbing. We should demand paper ballots this election. YOHABLO Jan 2020 #2

Actually have faith in Georgia's system. There is no way GOPers would have allowed Lucy McBath to Hoyt Jan 2020 #3

There is no room to have "faith" in these systems. They're either transparent or they're not. diva77 Jan 2020 #5

When we vote, we win. It's really that simple. Polls and servers have observers, including Democrats Hoyt Jan 2020 #7

sorry, but assuming that polls & servers having observers is going to create a secure election is diva77 Jan 2020 #8

Fine, stay home and tell all everyone their vote is wasted/compromised because GOPers will win. Hoyt Jan 2020 #9

That's not what I said -- I agreed we need to GOTV in landslide proportions. I'll leave it at that diva77 Jan 2020 #10

"in the old days" they didn't have the attention focused not_the_one Jan 2020 #15

Too many eyes were focused on Ga elections by 2018 delisen Jan 2020 #13

No reason focus can't be same in 2020. Plus, Georgia has a new system. Hoyt Jan 2020 #14

For Kemp and his Posse leftieNanner Jan 2020 #4

Absolutely! Well put. I bristle at the use of terms such as "glitches" or "errors" diva77 Jan 2020 #6

just want to clarify that we need to demand HAND MARKED paper ballots -- the latest scam is the diva77 Jan 2020 #11

I hate paperless voting machines. bearsfootball516 Jan 2020 #12

napi21

(45,806 posts)

1. Why don't they wipe the server clean and start out with new software? Would it be a PIA? YES! But

Reply to diva77 (Original post)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:00 PM

Jan 2020

sometimes a job is a PIA buy has to be done.

YOHABLO

(7,358 posts)

2. As a Georgia resident I find this most disturbing. We should demand paper ballots this election.

Reply to diva77 (Original post)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:00 PM

Jan 2020

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)

3. Actually have faith in Georgia's system. There is no way GOPers would have allowed Lucy McBath to

Reply to diva77 (Original post)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:03 PM

Jan 2020

take Newt Gingrich's and Tom Price's old seat in 2018 if they had any way to change the vote.

The new system that will be used in 2020 produces a paper receipt. Fact is, in the old days -- I remember -- white wingers always won with paper ballots because of "lost" ballot boxes, stuffed ballot boxes, or intentional miscounts.

Just get out the vote, and we win.

diva77

(7,643 posts)

5. There is no room to have "faith" in these systems. They're either transparent or they're not.

Reply to Hoyt (Reply #3)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:06 PM

Jan 2020

And they're not.

I agree, however, GOTV -- it has to be a landslide to win by a thin margin.

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)

7. When we vote, we win. It's really that simple. Polls and servers have observers, including Democrats

Reply to diva77 (Reply #5)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:11 PM

Jan 2020

who can detect problems.

In any event, we'll have the paper receipts in 2020, so anyone who doesn't vote because of some concern about the voting system being compromised, is just playing into GOPers' plan.

diva77

(7,643 posts)

8. sorry, but assuming that polls & servers having observers is going to create a secure election is

Reply to Hoyt (Reply #7)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:15 PM

Jan 2020

a faith-based fantasy. But, again, you're correct about needing to GOTV.

Also, there is no such thing as a paper receipt. You can have a paper ballot of record, but not a paper receipt.

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)

9. Fine, stay home and tell all everyone their vote is wasted/compromised because GOPers will win.

Reply to diva77 (Reply #8)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:16 PM

Jan 2020

diva77

(7,643 posts)

10. That's not what I said -- I agreed we need to GOTV in landslide proportions. I'll leave it at that

Reply to Hoyt (Reply #9)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:20 PM

Jan 2020

for now.

not_the_one

(2,227 posts)

15. "in the old days" they didn't have the attention focused

Reply to Hoyt (Reply #9)

Sun Jan 26, 2020, 12:49 AM

Jan 2020

on chain of possession as they will now.

PAPER BALLOTS is the only safe answer. A printed receipt means nothing.

ANYTHING digital is suspect.

delisen

(6,044 posts)

13. Too many eyes were focused on Ga elections by 2018

Reply to Hoyt (Reply #3)

Sun Jan 26, 2020, 12:23 AM

Jan 2020

It was a good year to not tamper or to prioritize tampering.

2020 is the prize. Russia is already involved. Facebook is engaged to help Trump.

It is also a redistricting and presidential year. High stakes for many states. Great temptation.

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)

14. No reason focus can't be same in 2020. Plus, Georgia has a new system.

Reply to delisen (Reply #13)

Sun Jan 26, 2020, 12:34 AM

Jan 2020

Facebook, etc., are another matter. However, I believe voters are smarter than 2016 and Democrats have learned something about resonding to lies, the next Comey, vindictive supporters of candidates who did not win Democratic primaries, or whatever new occurs. At least I hope so.

The best thing we can do is make sure we and others check their registration, contribute to Democrats, and vote. In Georgia, there is no excuse not to vote. We have extended voting, online registration, voting by mail. No excuse.

leftieNanner

(15,124 posts)

4. For Kemp and his Posse

Reply to diva77 (Original post)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:03 PM

Jan 2020

This is a feature, not a bug.

But yes, they should demand paper ballots. Every state should have them. That's something we can change when we get control next January. Require paper ballots for all federal elections.

diva77

(7,643 posts)

6. Absolutely! Well put. I bristle at the use of terms such as "glitches" or "errors"

Reply to leftieNanner (Reply #4)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:07 PM

Jan 2020

diva77

(7,643 posts)

11. just want to clarify that we need to demand HAND MARKED paper ballots -- the latest scam is the

Reply to leftieNanner (Reply #4)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:24 PM

Jan 2020

ballot marking devices (BMDs) selling like hotcakes in counties nationwide. Lots of info. about the problem with these at coalitionforgoodgovernance.org

bearsfootball516

(6,377 posts)

12. I hate paperless voting machines.

Reply to diva77 (Original post)

Sat Jan 25, 2020, 09:55 PM

Jan 2020

But with the amount of money Georgia has spent on their new voting machines, they’re not going anywhere. Energy should be spent on voter registration and turnout.

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