Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News TUESDAY, 12/13/05

Will he call Wally?

”You can corrupt some of the government some of the time but you cannot corrupt all of the government all of the time.”

Never forget the pursuit of Truth.

Only the deluded & complicit accept election results on blind faith.

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News TUESDAY, 12/13/05

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

If you can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233

3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.

If you want to know how post "News Banners" or other images, go here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=371233#371391



All previous daily threads are available here:
http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_2004erd_el_ref_fr_thr_calenders.htm

Please

"Recommend"

for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

Along with BradBlog, Raw has done the heaviest lifting on this story. Good for you, take a bow.


http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Diebold_CEO_resigns_after_reports_of_1212.html

Diebold CEO resigns after reports of fraud litigation, internal woes

12/12/2005 @ 5:26 pm
Filed by John Byrne

The chief executive officer of electronic voting company Diebold who once famously declared that he would "deliver" Ohio for President Bush has resigned effective immediately, RAW STORY has learned.

<snip>

O'Dell's resignation comes just days after reports from BradBlog.com that the company was facing imminent securities fraud litigation surrounding charges of insider trading. It also comes on the heels of a RAW STORY interview with a Diebold insider, who raised new allegations of technical woes inside the company, as well as concerns that Diebold may have mishandled elections in Georgia and Ohio.

<snip>

In a story last week, RAW STORY recounted allegations made by a Diebold insider who said he/she had become disillusioned after witnessing repeated efforts by the firm to evade meeting legal requirements or implementing appropriate security measures, and who alleged that Diebold had put corporate interests ahead of the interests of voters.

"Diebold insider...alleged Diebold had put corporate interests ahead of the interests of voters"

Hooray to rawstory for reporting this!!!!!

That’s what Wally said. You see, there are resignations and “being resigned” departures in corporate America. Maybe Wally was pushed, maybe not. But if he was, “I wish Diebold well” means just the opposite. “Eat #$#! And die” is one of the alternative meanings. We don’t know yet but we’ll see.


http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/13391372.htm

Diebold chief resigns

Associated Press Posted on Mon, Dec. 12, 2005

NORTH CANTON, Ohio - <snip>

The company, which has come under fire for its electronic voting business, said in a statement that the resignation of 60-year-old Walden W. O'Dell is effective immediately.

"The board of directors and Wally mutually agreed that his decision to resign at this time for personal reasons was in the best interest of all parties," said John Lauer, Diebold's nonexecutive chairman of the board.

The announcement was made after the stock market closed. Diebold stock fell nearly 2 percent, or 73 cents, to $37 in after-hours trading. The stock has traded between $33.10 and $57.81 in the past year.

Quick and to the point. I like them. No real coverage yet, just AP and a viscious quip, thanks CorpWatch. We’re waiting for more and I’m sure that will happen.


http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12873

US: Bush Pal O'Dell Resigns As Diebold CEO, Chairman

Associated Press
December 12th, 2005

Diebold Inc., a maker of automatic teller machines, said Monday that Chairman and Chief Executive Walden W. O'Dell has resigned "for personal reasons."

The company named President and Chief Operating Officer Thomas W. Swidarski to the additional role of chief executive and named him a member of the board. In addition, the board elected John N. Lauer, who has been a director since 1992, as non-executive chairman.

Diebold reiterated its outlook for the fourth quarter for earnings between 50 cents and 60 cents per share, including restructuring charges of 13 cents. Full-year earnings are still expected to range from $1.70 to $1.80 per share, including 30 cents in restructuring charges, 8 cents in manufacturing start-up costs and a one-time gain of 18 cents.

You can bet the “gentlemen’s clubs” in Cleveland are buzzing tonight, not those clubs, the type where you smoke a cigar in a nice leather chair and read the paper in peace. Somebody knows the deal and we’ll find out soon.


http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051212/FREE/51212010/1005&Profile=1005

Diebold CEO O'Dell resigns

By BRANDON GLENN

4:45 pm, December 12, 2005

Citing "personal reasons," Diebold Inc. (NYSE: DBD) CEO Walden O’Dell has resigned from the company - a move that comes just 12 weeks after Mr. O'Dell assumed what he called "direct responsibility" for the company's global operations in a management shakeup.

Thomas Swidarski, chief operating officer, will take over as CEO, according to a statement from the Green-based maker of automatic teller machines, security systems and voting equipment.

t was just three months ago that Eric Evans resigned suddenly as the company's president and chief operating officer. In a Sept. 21 announcement about a corporate restructuring that was "designed to improve profitability and improve the company's competitiveness in key areas," Diebold said Mr. O'Dell was assuming Mr. Evans' role in addition to his duties as CEO and that he was "taking direct responsibility for the company's global operations."

...O'Dell, a Republican, was plagued by political fallout from a quote in a fund-raising letter in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes" to George W. Bush in the 2004 election.

O'Dell said later that the statement was one of the worst missteps of his career.

A Diebold spokesman declined to elaborate on his abrupt departure except to say that it was unrelated to a report last week that Diebold executives contributed to Republican campaigns in August, just two months after the company banned political giving by its top executives. The policy did not bar these executives from donating, but a company spokesman expressed regret over the contributions...

http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business/1134466373254750.xml&coll=2

”About” did a nice job on the NC story. Diebold says it’s leaving the state rather than excrow it’s software as per state requirement. Then the former Diebold employee appointed as elections head in NC by the Democratic governor approves Diebold. Wow, you tell me on this one. WTFF


http://uspolitics.about.com/b/a/207508.htm

From Kathy Gill

Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events.
code review. Last week, InfoWorld's Robert X. Cringely reported:

NC Approves Diebold Despite Refusal to Submit Source Code

North Carolina's State Elections Board has approved Diebold Election Systems, Election Systems & Software and Sequoia Voting Systems for purchase by the state's 100 counties. All three are touchscreen systems and all, reportedly, provide a paper trail. However, a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday on Diebold's refusal to comply with state requirements for independent code review. Last week, InfoWorld's Robert X. Cringely reported

After electronic voting booths in North Carolina misplaced 4,500 votes in last year’s elections, the state passed rules requiring voting machine software to be independently tested before approving it for sale. Although Diebold refused to turn over the source code for its Windows-based product, NC’s state elections board -- which employs a consultant who happens to be a former Diebold employee -- approved the software anyway. I’m not sure what’s scarier: that election boards can be so easily co-opted, or that we elect people by using machines running Windows CE.

On Thursday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina Board of Elections and the North Carolina Office of Information Technology Services for failure to comply with state law requiring review of all system code "prior to certification."

1. The new (recently elected, 2002) CA Dem Sec of State, Kevin Shelley, sues Diebold for lying about the security and certification status of their worst election theft machines (touchscreens), bans their use in Calif. for the 2004 election, and in the course of the lawsuit demands to see their source code. He also withholds HAVA funds from the counties for purchase of Diebold's crappy, insecure, hackable machines.

2. DEMOCRATIC head of Los Angeles elections, Connie McCormack, pro-Diebold, and best friends (wines, dines and vacations) with Diebold's chief salesperson in Calif, Deborah Seiler, leads a group of county election officials (mostly Republican) in a campaign to destroy Kevin Shelley. She says she wants to "drive a bulldozer" into the Sec of State's office to spring loose that boondoggle money for her buds at Diebold. Shelley is really mucking things up.

3. The SF Chronicle prints some murky allegations against Shelly, among them, "misuse of HAVA funds." (--turns out later to be nothing but his withholding funds for purchase of Diebold's uncertified lemons.)

4. Election 2004 comes and goes. John Kerry takes a 10% hit (compared to Boxer margin) in Republican counties only (very strange stats), but wins the state anyway, absent Diebold touchscreens.

5. Jan. '05. The murky charges against Shelley surface again. He is without fault, personally. The matter is nevertheless trumpeted throughout the war profiteering corporate news monopolies; hearings are held; the new DEMOCRATIC legislative leadership abandons Shelley for no good reason, and strongarms other Dems who want to support him (some hide out in their offices and refuse to participate). The Election Assistance Commission-EAC (Bush-appointed Feds whose job it is to be underfunded and NOT enforce already meager HAVA controls on electronic voting) floats some threats against Shelley (pending investigation). Shelly, who has no personal money and no legal fund to defend himself with (tells you something about Shelley), and whose mother has just died, resigns.

6. With the acquiescence of the DEMOCRATIC leadership (2 to 1 majority in both CA houses), Schwarzenegger APPOINTS a REPUBLICAN Sec of State, Bruce McPherson, who immediately begins procedures to re-certify Diebold touchscreens, and, after hundreds show up to testify against Diebold at a June '05 hearing, disbands his Voting Systems and Procedures Panel, and FAILS TO ATTEND the next hearing on Diebold. Sends a secretary and a tape recorder.

7. Dec. 05. I get a letter from MY Dem representative in the CA legislature telling me that everything is hunky-dorey in the Sec of State's office, and she is ever vigilant over my right to vote.

Now you tell me:

1. Is the Democratic leadership in California INSANE?

2. Or what?


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

Meanwhile, at the Beverly Hilton (Aug. '05), Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia (whom the former Repub Sec of State Bill Jones and his chief aide Alfie Charles now work for) sponsor a week of fun, sun and high end shopping for election officials from around the country. Featured speaker: DEMOCRAT Connie McCormack.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x380340

Of course, he’d still be governor if a magistrate in Baldwin County hadn’t pulled himself out of bed in the 2-4 am timeline after the election and discovered several thousand uncounted ballots for his opponent. These ballots, nobody knows where they are, are now nowhere to be found. The tally from the ephemeral ballots did, however, make Siegelman’s opponent governor. Now this. It’s probably a bunch of garbage but who knows. Siegelman should be governor. Phantom ballots, who ever heard of such a thing.


http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/13392096.htm

New indictment issued against Siegelman, Scrushy

PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. <snip>

The new indictment adds conspiracy and mail fraud charges involving payments of $3,000 and $8,000 to a member of a state health regulatory board. Siegelman and Scrushy are accused of providing HealthSouth with membership on and influence over the board by using hidden payments and financial relationships.

Siegelman called the latest grand jury action another attempt to destroy his Democratic campaign for governor.

"They are going to try to pull every trick in the book to manipulate the 2006 election," the former governor said Monday.

Glad it’s happening. They deserve a shot at something like self determination. Hope we get that shot soon.


http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/article_1068515.php/Ukraine%60s_political_math

Ukraine`s political math

By Peter Lavelle Dec 12, 2005, 23:20 GMT

MOSCOW, Russia (UPI) -- Ukraine`s March 2006 parliamentary election campaign is underway with the orange camp divided and the political party leading in the polls, headed by ex-prime minister and former presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych, positioned to become the country`s political powerbroker.

Polls report that Yanukovych`s Party of Regions enjoys the support of around 25 percent of the electorate, which would translate into 165 mandates in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada (federal parliament). The pro-presidential Our Ukraine People`s Union (NSNU) is in the process of creating an election coalition called the Our Ukraine Yushchenko Bloc with five other parties. NSNU`s current standing in the polls has the support of 13 percent of voters -- possibly winning 93 parliamentary mandates. The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, headed by the former prime minister and Yushchenko`s orange revolutionary-in-arms, has 12 percent support and could win 88 seats.

Watching the poll numbers has never been as important in Ukrainian politics. As part of the compromise to resolve the political upheaval after repeated vote fraud in the 2004 presidential election, then candidate Viktor Yushchenko agreed to political reforms -- to come into effect at the start of next year -- that will transform Ukraine from a presidential republic to parliamentary republic. At the time, this compromise did not foresee that the leading personalities of the Orange Revolution would soon become political rivals. This same compromise could possibly see Yanukovych become prime minister with powers, in many ways, greater than the president`s.

Posted on Mon, Dec. 12, 2005


GOP bill changes how we vote

Ohioans would have to show ID at polls. Critics say it will suppress turnout

By Dennis J. Willard and Doug Oplinger

Beacon Journal staff writers


COLUMBUS - For years, voters in Ohio arrived at their polling place on Election Day, signed their names into a book and waited for a poll worker to verify the signatures. Then they received the green light to cast their ballots.

Next year, that could change.

On Tuesday, the Ohio Senate is expected to approve a bill that would require showing photo identification, like a driver's license, to vote. The House is expected to concur and send the proposal to Gov. Bob Taft for his signature by the end of the week.

No photo ID? No problem, say the bill's backers, like state Sen. Kevin Coughlin, R-Cuyahoga Falls.
more-

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/13387808.htm

Pennsylvania's Second Largest City and County Support Voter Verified Paper Records and HB 2000/SB 97

By Matybeth Kuznik, VotePA
December 12, 2005

Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County joined the City of Pittsburgh this week in support of voter verified paper records on voting machines with routine random manual audits of all elections, and of the bills pending in the state legislature to require them.

By unanimous vote taken Tuesday evening December 6, Allegheny County Council passed motion 2246-05, “urging the Allegheny County Chief Executive to select new voting machines in accordance with the requirements of the Help America Vote Act, that allow for the creation of voter verified paper records (VVPRs) for each voter, and supporting House Bill 2000 and Senate Bill 977, each of which is currently pending in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.”

With this motion, the county joined the City of Pittsburgh which passed a Proclamation on November 14 acknowledging the importance of voter verified paper records, routine audits, and the pending state legislation. The City Council resolution went on to recommend that “Allegheny County select new voting machines that use voter-verified paper ballots.”

Western Pennsylvania activists recently worked with Allegheny County officials to implement a Voting Machine Evaluation Process at the county’s public Voting Machine Fair, and many addressed the City of Pittsburgh Council and Allegheny County Council to request these resolutions of support for voter verified paper records.

snip

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=491&Itemid=113


Pennsylvania Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x404479

Many ballots are redone before they're counted

By Eric Pryne

Seattle Times staff reporter

King County election workers filled out new ballots for 1 of every 12 votes cast in last month's election, mostly because voters didn't fill out the originals right.

In all, county workers redid more than 45,000 ballots so that voters' choices would register on tabulating machines. Statewide, well over 100,000 ballots were duplicated.

It's nothing new. Election workers have been fixing voters' mistakes for years without attracting much attention. But now, in the aftermath of the record-close, contentious 2004 race for governor, the state Republican Party chairman says the Legislature should consider banning the practice.

"This whole process makes us very nervous," Chris Vance says.

snip

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002678584_duplicate12m.html


Additional Article

Election UpDates Blog

Ballot remarking --- how much remarking occurs and what does it imply for studies of voter error?

December 12, 2005

Ballot remarking --- how much remarking occurs and what does it imply for studies of voter error?
As attention has focused on election administration, and many outside observers have begun to routinely monitor the election process in the United States, one practice that has begun to receive some attention has been the "remarking" or "enhancement" of ballots by election workers. In some jurisdictions, this is a common practice; depending on the exact voting technology being employed, in some jurisdictions election workers will somehow act to try to insure that the voter's intention is easily read by a tabulation device.

One jurisdiction that has been proactive with this practice is the Los Angeles City Clerk's office, and their "remaking" of InkaVote ballots in 2005 raised a minor controversy during the Los Angeles mayoral election. In early observation of election-night activities back in the days the City Clerk was still using prescored punchcards, we observed election workers actively removing chads from the prescored punchcard ballots right after they were coming out of the sealed ballot boxes in their initial examination of the ballots.

There is an interesting story in the Seattle Times about this practice in recent Washington State elections. The story goes into great detail as to the problems that election workers are trying to fix, expecially with paper ballots:

snip

But one of the more interesting aspects of this particular story is the data provided about the extent to which ballot remarking goes on in Washington State. In a graphic associated with the story, the following counties are listed, with their respective rates of ballot remarking (County, number remarked, percent of ballots):

snip

http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/2005/12/ballot-remarking-how-much-remarking.html


Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x404763

A Brief Illustrated History of Voting

ES&S 150 Central Count Scanner


The ballot scanner shown here, made by Election Systems and Software is typical of central-count optical mark sense systems. The model 150 and 550 differ in speed; the 150 is slower, suitable for small counties and for processing absentee ballots that have been folded for mailing, while the 550 is much faster, more appropriate for large counties but not as good at processing folded ballots.

In use, ballots to be counted are loaded on the tray to the right (shown with a few ballots in place) and then they are automatically fed through the reader mechanism and ejected into the output tray on the left. The scanner includes, within its body, a complete computer system, and it sits on a wheeled cart that also holds a printer and supplies.




Optech Eagle (ES&S)


The Optech IIIP Eagle made by Election Systems and Software (formerly Business Records Corporation) is typical of modern precinct-count optical mark-sense ballot scanning systems. The machine in the photo consists of two major parts, the ballot box (blue) and the head (white). The box is just that, a secure container for the ballots the machine has counted, while the head contains the scanner and electronics.
The ballot box on the Eagle and most other precinct-count ballot tabulating machines contains three compartments. One compartment holds ballots that were not scanned by the machine. This compartment is considered an emergency feature; it is intended that it be used only if the scanner does not work, and in normal use, it is sealed shut. After the polls are closed, any ballots deposited in this compartment are typically fed through a working scanner by the precinct election workers.

Ballots are diverted into one or the other of the two remaining compartments inside the ballot box by a software controlled diverter mechanism. One compartment is for ballots that do not require human inspection, while the other is for ballots that must be hand inspected, for example, those containing write-in votes.

http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/voting/pictures/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2308512&mesg_id=2308512

thank you.

12/13/2005 04:28:34 AM

Does your vote really count?

The Times-Standard Tech Beat by Rene Agredano

In November, you and I voted using an electronic voting system that, according to many election reform advocates, runs questionable software made by a company with a questionable reputation. This past Election Day, did your vote really count? We all know about the nationwide discrepancies and uncertainties surrounding voting processes in the last presidential election. Since then, has anything changed?

The answer is no, according to election reform advocates, such as the Voter Confidence Committee of Humboldt County (VCC). Reform advocates like the VCC believe that our elections are held under conditions that ensure inconclusive outcomes. These conditions are the result of Humboldt's ballot tabulation software called GEMS, manufactured by Diebold Systems. The Diebold GEMS ballot counting software contains trade-secret (”proprietary”) programming kept private from election officials and the public at large. While nobody but GEMS programmers can explain precisely how the software works, it is known that GEMS operates on Microsoft's Access platform that has been proven unsecure by industry experts.

In July 2003, one of the first organizations to scrutinize and expose the first GEMS defect was the non-profit group Black Box Voting (www.BlackBoxVoting.org). In August 2004, founder Bev Harris taught Vermont Gov. Howard Dean how to hack the Diebold GEMS central tabulator on CNBC television (see it on the Black Box website). In September 2004, Dr. Herbert Thompson demonstrated using a Trojan horse-like script to hack the GEMS central tabulator. At the same time, Black Box Voting videotaped a chimpanzee hacking the GEMS audit log.

California law requires that after an election, counties conduct a hand count spot check to ensure voting machine accuracy. But, can the 1 percent required catch any manipulation? This hand count spot check isn't even required for mail-in votes.

snip

http://www.times-standard.com/business/ci_3304877

Thanks to GuvWorld for the Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x404804