Urgent: Action Alert: Stop Diebold in CA TODAY!

Partial repost of garybeck's OP :http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x402043

THEY'RE TRYING TO TURN CA. HELP US STOP THEM TODAY! THEY ARE HAVING A SHAM HEARNING AND ARE COUNTING ON US HAVING NO TIME TO OBJECT.

Let's disappoint the Thugs:

Call or write TODAY
Secretary Bruce A. McPherson
1500 11th Street 5th floor
Sacramento, CA95814
elections@ss.ca.gov
916-653-6814 (main menu, press 6, then 3 - starting at 8:00 am Monday)
916-653-3214 (the FAX is on tis weekend)

Tell McPherson we demand an extension of the HAVA Deadlines. The California Election Law says:

19205. The Secretary of State shall establish the specifications for and the regulations governing voting machines, voting devices, vote tabulating devices, and any software used for each, including the programs and procedures for vote tabulating and testing. The criteria for establishing the specifications and regulations shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) The machine or device and its software shall be suitable for the purpose for which it is intended.
(b) The system shall preserve the secrecy of the ballot.
(c) The system shall be safe from fraud or manipulation.

PLEASE HELP CA TODAY! CALL MCPHERSON! EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT IN CA, WE NEED YOU TO CALL AND TELL HIM YOU SUPPORT CLEAN ELECTIONS IN CA!

:kick:

Keep calling, DUers!

Thank you!

Recommended

:kick:

Peace.

:kick:

:kick:

:bounce:

Damn, I can't believe (well, yes I can) that they are doing this!

:grr:

PS: Call and email all your friends DUers! We need to flood them with emails and calls!

through!

We need more callers here!

:kick:

Like we're supposed to trust them to count!

:rofl:

Feel a little concerned about how easily we're getting through.

Maybe we'll pick up steam this afternoon (it's 12:10 CA time now). :hi:

unfortunately.

pol buddies. Thinking . . . .

The repugs are like an aggressive cancer-- they're deadly.

:toast:

Just tried a third time. Got through. Told the lady I am
"100% AGAINST" the Diebold machines.

:hi:

:)

Thank you for your recent email expressing your comments regarding the upcoming public hearing.

Pursuant to Section 19204 of the California Election Code, a public hearing will be held, today, November 21, 2005 at 10:00 am, at the Secretary of State's Office, 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, to hear public comment regarding the proposed certification of a Diebold voting system for use in California.

Secretary of State Bruce McPherson believes that there is no right more fundamental and vital than the right to vote. Democracy depends on it.
He is committed to making certain that only the most reliable, secure, and accessible voting systems are sold for use in California. He is also committed to maintaining voter confidence in the voting systems used in California.

As Secretary of State he is the only official given the responsibility by law of approving or rejecting voting systems for use in California.

All voting systems seeking approval will be required to meet current standards and procedures and the new more rigorous standards announced in August 2005. These standards will be put into regulation in 2006, which includes public comment.

All voting systems seeking approval will do so through a public hearing conducted by staff from the Secretary of State's Office. The public hearing will be like all other public hearings required for voting system approval and will, additionally, permit one week of public comment following the hearing. The purpose of the public hearing is to present staff reports regarding the voting system application and to take comments from the public that will be reviewed before preparing the final recommendations about approval or denial of the applications that are submitted to the Secretary of State.

The public hearings will be chaired by the Acting Director of the new Office of Voting System Technology Assessment. A member of the legal staff of the Secretary of State's Elections Division will be present along with the consultant on voting systems employed by the Secretary of State.

Sincerely,
Elections Web Mail Representative

As Land Shark has pointed out, we HAVE NO REASON to have confidence in these systems.

You can keep it short and sweet -- One sentence is enough: I have no confidence that these voting systems will count my vote: I have no reason to have confidence in them.

Sincerely
& etc.

Let's go!

A rousing cheer to those who were able to travel to Sacto to protest! You are our heroes! THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!

What's the matter with the Dems? Are they nuts? Corrupt? What? How can they put up with Bushite corporations owning and controlling the vote tabulation, with SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code? Corporate Rule at its worst!

Get on your Dem representatives! American is arising! We will not put up with this any more!

Throw Diebold and ES&S election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW!

and said they had been fielding calls all day about this matter!

Hoorah!

I told her I oppose certification of the Diebold touchscreens at issue today, and all Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia electronic voting machines, because all contain secret, proprietary programming code. Voters should be able to review how votes are tabulated. I said the Diebold touchscreens are the shoddiest of their products. Don't certify them!

I forgot to say how pissed off I am that McPherson disbanded the public oversight panel (the Voting Systems and Procedures Panel)--which I think is a direct result of the public having gotten onto this electronic voting scam back in June, attending the VSPP meeting in big numbers and speaking out strongly. But I'll call them back later about that.

my state Reps -- Leland Yee and Jackie Spiers. I always ask to be put through to the staffer who works on voting issues. :eyes:

When they tell me there isn't one, my comeback is: "That's a big mistake. They got rid of Davis, they got rid of Shelley. How do you know X isn't next?"

I told them McPherson tried to have a public hearing w/out the public today. And that that is completely unacceptable. :evilgrin:

Onto Boxer and DiFi(gag)

That McSlimeball said all the false stupid things about wanting public input. That the activists were going to give him hell.

Thank you, to everyone who made it there today to confront this THIEF.

I have no confidence in the use of Diebold, Sequoia and ES&S election systems.

1) How can you assure that all poll workers are trained to identify known and unknown software or hardware problems without having to call in non-election technicians such as the vendors?

2) How are you going to assure that election officials are trained enough to identify known and unknown software or hardware problems before during and after tallying, without having to call in non-election technicians such as the vendors?

3) Will each and one of the workers and officials be knowledgeable enough to scrutinize and certify that any problems that arise is being resolved without errors or tampering?

4) How are you going to keep track of any and all system problems and who serviced the problem on all units and systems at all times?

5) How are you going to assure that transmissions from the central office are absolutely secure?

How can I, as a citizen verify that my vote is in fact counted in the tally?

How are you addressing the fact that vendors required counties to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement?

The software is supposed to be deposited into an escrow at the SOS, does the public have the right to review the source code or is the SOS going to enter a Non-Disclosure Agreement with the depositing vendor?
:hi:

:hi:

Who else do you know?

Whose list are you on?

If you didn't get through, PLEASE TRY AGAIN.

If you did, FOLLOW UP with an email or a fax.

TAKE IT TO THEM.

This is not just about California or Californians! CALL McPherson from whereEVER you live and tell him we demand CLEAN ELECTIONS in California and Diebold won't give us that.

:kick: for a blue California

AND TAKES DOWN YOUR POINTS.

(916) 653-6814

Just say: Don't certify the Diebold touchscreens that are at issue today. They are the worst of the electronic voting machines.

And whatever else you want to say: partisan ownership of the voting system--proprietary software for vote tabulation; lack of a real paper ballot backup; inadequate auditing/recounts; lack of democracy--McPherson's disbanding of the public oversight panel (the Voting Systems and Procedures Panel-VSPP); electronic voting should be put to a statewide vote--a profound change like this should NOT have been done, and should not continue, without full public disclosure, discussion and vote! Threaten to do an initiative if they don't shape up and start protecting the public interest!

will NOT shape up.

And I fully expect to hear that, like Blackwell, McPherson gives lectures on ETHICS on the side! :mad:

I have to go in a few minutes. Will check back later.

Thank you, everyone! :loveya:

Beth

I hope lots of others are calling. I sent out emails to everyone I know who is concerned about this.

Ya know, this really, really sucks that we have to worry about this kind of Bull***!!!!! I'm so angry. :mad:

we cannot lose.

Lots of others ARE calling, emailing, faxing. We had a good turnout today from what I've heard so far -- although, that was only 1 report.

Thanks for doing this. If we work hard, maybe it will matter who is put up to run in 2008.

:nuke:

On behalf of our newspaper.

Emailed last night and called this afternoon.

I'm anxious to hear!

what can be dug up.

:)

Remember, this is how the Thuggery does things.

Last minute to catch us off guard.

So, our advocates have been up early and late and in between, have been giving McPherson HELL.

:toast:

Look for something solid in the morning, unless one of these troopers posts tonight.

Thank you, DU. We did very well today on this end. Thank you.

Beth

:kick:

Greg Kane
Record Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, Nov 22, 2005

SACRAMENTO -- Touchscreen voting machines that San Joaquin County officials hope to use in June's primary election drew heavy criticism during a 41/21/2-hour hearing Monday near the state Capitol.

County Registrar of Voters Deborah Hench was the only person to support Diebold's TSx equipment out of more than 50 who spoke to a panel of Secretary of State Bruce McPherson's staff. More than 1,600 of the controversial machines are sitting in a Stockton warehouse because the state decertified them last year after the vote-counters experienced problems in other counties.

(more)



http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051122/NEWS01/511220337/1001

and the publication. It hits all the important points. (My God! McPherson didn't even show up at his so-called hearing?!)

The Record (a central valley paper, in the 209-area code; that would be Stockton, Fresno, Merced):

Editorials/Opinion
Letters to the Editor

209-546-8264
Fax
209-547-8186

Editor

209-546-8250
Fax
209-547-8186

---------------------

Also, Deborah Hench (San Joaquin Country registrar) needs to be investigated. Total Diebold shill. Was she present at the Beverly Hilton hogfest (a week of fun, sun and high end shopping for election officials from around the country, sponorsed by Diebold, E&S and Sequoia, this August)? Did she spend taxpayers' money on this or other junkets?

See Amarylis' post on the Beverly Hilton bash:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x380340

____________________

Here are some excerpts from The Record:

"Voting machines draw fire at hearing

"Greg Kane
Record Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, Nov 22, 2005



"SACRAMENTO -- Touchscreen voting machines that San Joaquin County officials hope to use in June's primary election drew heavy criticism during a 41/21/2-hour hearing Monday near the state Capitol.

"County Registrar of Voters Deborah Hench was the only person to support Diebold's TSx equipment out of more than 50 who spoke to a panel of Secretary of State Bruce McPherson's staff. More than 1,600 of the controversial machines are sitting in a Stockton warehouse because the state decertified them last year after the vote-counters experienced problems in other counties.

"Critics believe the touchscreen equipment is vulnerable to freezes, paper jams and hacking, and encourages voter fraud. They also say Diebold -- which former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley accused of lying about the TSx's certification for the March 2004 primary -- has too spotty a record to be responsible for ballots.

(snip)

"The hearing is the final step in the process to recertify the TSx and other Diebold equipment for next year's June primary. McPherson...has said he would make the final decision by the end of the year.

"McPherson was not at Monday's hearing. Public comment will accepted until next week, Secretary of State spokeswoman Nghia Nguyen Demovic said.

(snip)

"Critics of the equipment took turns asking that the state remain using paper ballots, which they believe are less vulnerable to tampering. Jim March, a Sacramento-based activist, called Diebold "ethically challenged" and said the company plans to keep the public from viewing election results because of trade secrets involved with the system's software.

"March also said state and county elections officials should expect to draw criticism as long as they try to promote touchscreen machines.

"'If you don't want to be accused of cheating at cards, don't let aces fall out of your sleeves at every step,' March said."

Contact reporter Greg Kane at 209 546-8276 or gkane@recordnet.com

------------------

(Note: The reporter makes the mistake of using the phrase "voter fraud" instead of "election fraud." Should perhaps be mentioned in LTEs. Otherwise a great article. Fine reporting, of the old-fashioned kind! (--informative; true). It would be nice to see such reporting on Diebold & brethren on the front page of the NYT--or the Washington post. They all could use some old-fashioned reporters, who write informative and true things. And where was the L.A. Times? Is there any matter of more importance than how our votes are counted, and by whom?)

Mike Klocke, Editor
mklocke@recordnet.com

Donald W. Blount, Managing Editor
dblount@recordnet.com

Kevin Parrish, Opinion Page Editor
editor@recordnet.com

Greg Kane (who wrote the article)
209 546-8276, gkane@recordnet.com

Altogether (for your convenience):
mklocke@recordnet.com, dblount@recordnet.com, editor@recordnet.com, gkane@recordnet.com

And, that's good advice about the LTTE. :)

Diebold has lost the right to be trusted.

I just wish the GAO report would get mentioned more.

downloads (only getting partial downloads--title page and little else). I want to get that link around to others.

The best stuff seems to be in the conclusion of the full report.
http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-05-956

we're going to be able to start our own book club. :silly:

See

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2270127

We should ask for time extension, for public to review BBV test results, and provide further comment. Public comment deadline is same day as the testing.