Black Box Voting: Is this hard to understand?

On March 19, 2003 we asked for the following information:

2. A copy of the actual certification letter from the lab (certifying the version of the software which was used on election day) as well as any related memos, letters, etc.

To which, they replied:

Clifford D. Tatum
Assistant Director of Legal Affairs
Election Division

In response to your second category, we have determined that no records exist in the Secretary of State's office regarding a certification letter from the lab certifying the version of software used on Election Day. Please be advised that any records of this type may have been submitted to the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) in response to the Request for Proposal that was issued by GTA. Accordingly, a request for this type of information should be submitted to Gary Powell with GTA for response. By copy of this letter, I am advising Mr. Powell of your potential request.

So on, August 6, 2003, we asked for the following of Mr. Powell:

Please provide written certification documents, pertaining to all of the above questions (the Windows Operating System, as used on voting machines certified for use in the 2002 Georgia general election). Please include the precise names and version numbers of the software involved.

To which, Gary Powell replied:

While I am not sure what you mean by the words "please provide written certification documents," GTA does have the official procurement file for the procurement which is the subject of your request.

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Are we speaking in tongues? a foreign language? Is it so hard to understand that we'd like to see the certification letter for Georgia?

I mean, after all....Georgia law requires it of the Secretary of State AND the vendor:

590-8-1-.01 Certification of Voting Equipment. Vote Recorders and Tabulating Machines

(d) Procedure. The qualification testing and certification of a voting system for use in the State of Georgia will proceed in the following steps:

6. Certification. Based on the information contained in the report from the qualification tests and any other information in his possession, the Secretary of State will determine whether the proposed voting system will be certified for use in the State of Georgia.

(f) Audit and Validation of Certification.

1. It shall be the responsibility of the manufacturer and vendor to ensure that any voting system or component of a voting system that it supplies for use in the State of Georgia has been certified by the Secretary of State. It is also the responsibility of the manufacturer and vendor to submit any modifications to a previously certified system or component to the Secretary of State for recertification and to maintain the Technical Data Package on file in the Office of the Secretary of State.

2. If any question arises involving the certification of a voting system or a component of a voting system in use in the State, the Technical Data Package on file in the Office of the Secretary of State will be used to verify that the system or component in question is identical to the system or component that was submitted for certification.

http://www.state.ga.us/rules/index.cgi?base=590/8/1/01

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the "Technical Data Package" ?

Georgia exempted "The Technical Data Package" from the Open Records Act. It's a "trade secret" doncha know?

Convenient, huh?

That is classic. Perfect.

Can you ask for a redacted version? All you are really looking for are the version numbers. or at least that's the main thing.

Next, I would say, is there an oversight committee responsible for this in the legislature? You may have to get someone there to request the info. But they aren't in session are they. Hmmm.

But no written certification is required. They must have received an oral certification; or perhpaps a sign language certification; or maybe a smoke signal certification; or maybe it was certified by ESP.

The buck has to stop somewhere. Cathy Cox? Sonny Perdue? (HAHAHA!)

More to follow soon, are we having fun yet?

Bev

Those F**%&% a**holes! Not a REAL American among them.

Don't they get it that this is AMERICA???? And our votes are being stolen by a bunch of hardware and the funky programs harbored there? This is such an outrage I can't even find the words....

Please accept my deepest gratitude for all the work you guys are doing on this! STAY OUT OF SMALL (or large, for that matter) AIRCRAFT!!!!

:kick::kick::kick: