Howard Dean DOES NOT GET IT. This is a problem! [View All]

We all know about the problems with the electronic voting machines. Most people here at DU, I think realize that every other problem is secondary.

We all know the Democratic Party is in denial about the problem and only a few people are even willing to recognize the issue.

In my opinion, there was hope when Howard Dean was put in charge. For those who don't know, he went on TV in 2004 and demonstrated how easy it is to hack into the machines and change the election results. (the demo was on a Diebold central tabulator. I have a copy of the video if anyone wants to see it).

Unfortunately, the hope was unfounded. Not only has the Democratic Party done little more about this problem under his leadership, today there was a development that shows we're in trouble.
Deep trouble.

I was listening to the Tom Hartmann show and a caller called in and explained that Dean was at an event where they live, and was asked about the voting machine problem. he replied that the Touchscreen machines are a very real problem - you can't trust them, they are hackable, etc... But here's the rub.... he also commented that (paraphrasing) "the only machines we can trust are the optical scan machines."

now, are people here savvy enough for me to just stop here? Is it obvious why this remark reveals a huge problem?

OK, allow me to elaborate briefly.

For anyone watching this situation at all, WE CAN'T TRUST THE OPTICAL SCAN MACHINES ANY MORE THAN THE TOUCHSCREEN MACHINES. They are just as hackable. They are just as untrustworthy. Recent tests in california proved beyond all doubt that they have interpreted code on the memory cards, which is ILLEGAL and leaves the system wide open to fraud. A computer security expert pre-programmed a memory card to change the eleciton results without any passwords and he did it in 5 minutes. If you haven't heard about this, read here:

The Harri Hursti Hack and its Importance to our Nation
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=798&Itemid=51


In other words, Diebold could use opscan machines to change the election results very easily and we have no way to know that they did it (short of conducting a recount using the paper ballots, which we know will not happen).

So,,,,

With all due respect to Howard Dean (and I am from Vermont) he has gone from being a hope in resolving a problem, to being part of the problem itself.

I am trying to consider how and why Howard Dean could today think the Opscan machines are trustworthy. Is he just burying his head in the sand? He would have to bury it pretty deep because it's actually making the headlines in some places. With the CA Secretary of State being sued for approving the machines illegally, and the Ion Sancho story in Florida, Pennsylvania decertifying the opscans, I would think he would have at least HEARD OF THIS situation somewhat. But evidently he's still living in 2004, when it was plausible for even the real election reformers to think that the opscans were safe(r).

But what bothers me even more is that when he went on TV and demostrated the hack, it was on a central tabulator, which affects all systems - touchscreens, opscans, you name it. He should know that the security problems are literally everywhere you look in the systems - from the voting machines to the tabulators, and the answer is CERTAINLY NOT to use more opscans.

The recent headlines about the illegal code are a direct result of the investigation into the opscan machines that Dean is saying are OK.

The caller on the Hartmann show continued, that Dean outlined the "6-point" agenda for the Democratic Party - jobs, education, health care, Iraq, blah blah blah.... that's all find and dandy but you can have the best agenda, the best candidates, the best campaign, and everything lined up perfectly; but if your opponent owns the voting machines and (as we know is the case) they are set up to make fraud easy and undetectable, none of that stuff really matters, does it?

As leader of the Democratic Party, he owes it to the people to be more aware of this problem and to try to do something about it. I am very disappointed that he is completely ignorant on this issue and seemingly not interested in doing anything about it.