BBV: Report on California Voting Systems Panel Meeting (updated)

OK, the aticle I posted in LBM got locked, so here it is again - 2 posts combined, and the following update. And I still see nothing about the assertions about ASHCROFT FRAUD CHARGES that KPFA reported on last night (first item in the audio archive linked below) - is this story simply not coming up?

It's interesting how each percieves (reads between the lines, misinterprets, or whatever) the decisions that are announced at the meetings.

In my article below, when I listened to KPFA Evening News (our story is about 20-minutes into the show), Kim Alexander of Calvoter.org announces that the new TSX systems will get used in the upcoming election. But then Jim March, who everyone knows has been on this issue for ages, has his own view here on a "gun nut" message board. He also gives a great slant on the audience (although I had someone do a count, and I think Jim's figure is off), how we were treated by the VSP on "public comment" in the past - and how that changed, and more thoughts about Avante.



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Bittersweet day gang, not all bad, but not very good.

Before I get into the report, the KPFA Evening News (link below) reported an interesting story. Even if you don't want to wait for the VSP Meeting news report (which is 20-minutes into the show), this lead story is a "MUST HEAR" for everyone that loves and adores our US Attorney General! I popped around LBN and am disappointed that it is not being discussed. Had anyone seen this report in print or anywhere else?
Also in the audience (which numbered 116 at what seemed to be the peak) were half a dozen county elections officials, who largely opposed a VVPB.


OK, on to the meeting in Sacramento...

The good news is we got around 100 rowdy, seething, well-informed and bloodthirsty members of the public to attend the meeting. The air was buzzing when we "regulars" walked in, looked around and found ourselves surrounded by mucho support. Very cool indeed.

However, the Diebold audit report is STILL not complete, the VSP didn't want to act in a "rash manner", and won't take action until the audit is final. They are auditing all counties, and need to figure out if ALL the vendors are behaving like this, or if Diebold is the only one to feel like rules are for anyone but them - and only then will some sort of decision be made about what to do about them. Really frustrating...

So, California marches steadily forward toward the March Primary, and according to the news story that was broadcast on the The KPFA Evening News, 14,000 spanking new Diebold TSX systems (which are not yet Federally certified) are heading into the Golden State.

I received a chart revealing the software versions that were discovered during the audit, and will have it posted to www.verifiedvoting.org in the next few days. Diebold has been provided a list of several questions - very pointed questions indeed - and will be required to comply fully or be considered to not be cooperating with the audit. The questions include "What have you done with Windows CE, and why didn't it get submitted for certification?"

Kim Zetter, the lovely and distinguished journalist that has covered this story for months, will have a story sometime tomorrow.

MARSHA A. WHARFF the Registrar of Voters from Mendocino was the exception, who thrilled all of us when she demanded that no DRE would appear in her county that didn't have a VVPB.

OTOH, CONNY B. McCORMACK had the nerve to stand before the audience and wave one of the CA Recall ballots (the one with 130+ candidates and 2 propositions, printed on both sides of a scanner ballot the size of a typical restaurant placemat) at us. She stood there and informed an astonished crowd that she just could not imagine how any vendor was supposed to print a VVPB which could meet "these" dimensions! I could't flipping believe she was saying this! What garbage...

The sales rep from Avante who has for 14 months tried to get their VVPB-ready DRE approved for use in California was turned away, refused certification for yet another month, with the explanation "no harm done since none of these systems are installed in California". In public testimony, he read a letter from the who has declared admiration of their systems. He further mentioned, on the record, that members of a panel (including county elections officials from around the state) are witholding approval of his equipment. He reported that members of that panel have taken vocal public positions against VVPB, and that these individuals therefore had a conflict of interest.

After the meeting, the guy from Avante handed out examples of their VVPB, roughly the size of an ATM receipt - each of which are individually sliced and randomly dropped into the clear plastic hopper that is pictured in the photo above. (CONNY had left by then, otherwise I would have been in her face showing her whata VVPB looks like!) He also made a statement that his source could be made available for scrutiny, though we didn't explore that too far.

I'm not taking a position on Avante, but it seems a real pity that the one vendor that has stepped forward with a solution that is ready to go, can't get certfied. Diebold is able to get contracts in the absence of a VVPB, in the absence of Federal certification, and in the absence of any credibility after everything that has happened in the past year. Logic simply does not explain this, and something simply STINKS!

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Given the number of folks in attendance, you can imagine the number of public comments that were presented. The meeting started at 10, and concluded about 4. No lunch break, just 10 minutes after the Diebold item. Long day...

Jim March tried to get the VSP to subject a Diebold geek to some Q&A, but they wouldn't buy it. He wanted one of the Diebold staff, whoever was the most technical, to come on down and have a chit chat... So he gave them (the panel) a copy of a letter, and asked to have the CIRCLED questions put to them. Given that much of what Jim and others have now formed the questions that Diebold has been presented, they just might see Jim's questions - it is not outside possibility.

Many (at least 40-50) well-informed and passionate members of the public spoke, some multiple times.

On repeated instances, one of my team (and others) challenged the VSP as to the implementation of wireless capability in the TSX. None of the VSP or their staff could answer the question - they simply do not seem to know if there are comms cards installed.

My finale:
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At the end, I told the story of Broward County. I framed it somewhat in the form of "HAVA started because of Broward 2000, and here we are with Broward 2004. The source of HAVA has led us to yet another meltdown"

"Their elections officials rejected the idea of a VVPB, and as we speak here today, they are all sitting in their offices - dazed and confused - wondering how to wrap up another screwed up election."

Then I turned and faced the audience: glaring coldly at the 6 county elections officials I stated "This is a peoples movement. People across the nation DEMAND a VVPB. AND WE ARE GOING TO WIN, BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE CITIZENS THAN THERE ARE ELECTIONS OFFICIALS."

To say the least, I was extremely charged up... Deeply intense...

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People: this is going to take EVERYONE getting pumped up and vocal in your areas. It is not going to get fixed by sitting around talking about it - please become active with www.verifiedvoting.org and www.blackboxvoting.org ASAP. Whether it is a few calls, meetings with legislators, whatever - please get involved!