Okay Voting Experts... Tell Me How

If you could, in detail, tell how would you go about stealing an election? Or, how do you think the last one was stolen?

I will stay out of this... I really don't have a coherent idea of how to go about such a thing.

I just want to hear how you think it can or will be done. There must be a hundred different ways to steal an election, eh?

I just took a class today to be an election poll worker cause diebold has just come to town. When I asked about paper jamming etc., I was told there would be 20 diebold techs in and around my area. You figure out the rest...

Part of the work is not just the actual engineering of the vote fraud, but some expertly-arranged psy-ops to convince as many people as possible that the numbers are valid and there is no need to suspect foul play.

I have yet to figure out how they will create the fraud in exit polling, especially as there is no monopoly on this process yet. That's one weak link in the chain for them, so maybe they are preferring to ignore or downplay exit polling as much as possible.

Just the opposite, ngant. Just the opposite.

Think New York Times. Think "Swiftboat." Think Dan Rather.

The idea, which they've already been quite successful at, is to undermine the credibility of the polling so much that it cannot and will not be believed anyway. Undermine the press. Undermine the truth-tellers. Condition the people to the point where they don't trust ANYTHING, and then it doesn't matter whether or not the fraud is blatant and obvious. They'll just send out their talking head shills to read Karl's morning Blast Fax about the unreliable polls and the passion of the voters and blah blah blah. Prove 'em wrong.

If they want to know how something can be done, or why it can't, or whatever. The internet is an enormous resource. Read articles, forums. Do a few searches. Watch a few relevant videos made by people who are involved. It's all out there and available (at least for now).

Challenging others to do your research for you--when others already have done that research and posted it over and over again but you don't appear to have bothered to read--is something that might be called being "intellectually lazy". I'm not in favor of laziness and suggest that if you're interested; simply pay better attention and read the relevant postings.

That's Ok, But you didn't have to take a bite out of me to say so... gee.

"Where have you been?" is what I think the op is trying to say.

Unlike you (apparently), I have indeed spent many hours on the subject and have formed a number of relatively firm conclusions on this and related subjects. However, in order to do the subject any justice would require a substantial effort--which, considering how much has already been offered by members of DU already, it seems somewhat inappropriate to put forth in response to someone who, again "apparently", hasn't bothered to even make an effort at becoming informed. Once you've made an effort of your own you would never just stand back and drop such a one-sided request on people and we can spend our time more efficiently in discussing relevant details.

As to taking a "bite" out of you, it's my considered opinion that I was quite gentle in my remarks... in case you weren't aware your post wasn't well considered. However, since we're on the topic of pointing out spoken or unspoken shortages of civility, your assumption that I have no coherent idea either, is rather presumptive and insulting. Probably what left your post with the appearance of being 'lazy' was the remark that you were just going to post a comment that you didn't see much to the idea of electoral fraud and stand back and watch (watch the rest of us work to provide information). As an exchange, such an approach certainly appears one-sided. However, were I to encounter another posting from you inquiring about some particular component of the many items of evidence or methods of disenfranchisement or ballot tampering or the like, I'd be happy to share any relevant information I've found. At this time, alas, I don't feel much motivation (and I'm a bit tired as well) to provide answers for you that you could just as easily find for yourself.

At this point, I should just wish you good luck in your research and any future efforts towards enhancing your skills at diplomacy that you might make. If I've misjudged you, I apologize--such things just happen (especially when communication is limited to text), and you can assume my remarks only apply to people who have acted as described. Peace.

Yeah most of us are too lazy, eh?

GOP dirty tricks: 10 STEPS TO SECURING A WIN FOR YOUR PARTY (right out of Ken Blackwell's playbook)

1. Above all other things put in place a fully trained sympathetic Secretary of State-a position more important than the governor because those who count the votes are more important than the actual voters and how they vote. Make him a multi-millionaire while in office.
2. Misallocate machines to suburban area (esp mega churches who have received faith based $) and away from high dem precincts.
3. Send the oldest most unreliable machines to those high dem (frequently inner city) precincts
4. Forbid election protection or oversea observers anywhere near polling places.
5. Change precinct locations in inner city, African American, Native American , and Hispanic neighborhoods shortly before elections.
6. Have the state GOP send out certifed letters to high Dem precincts, when they are not signed for then assume the voters hav emoved and inform the SOS to remove them (purge) from their voter registrations lists.
7. Distribute false information about previous parking tickets, or other such misinfo to low income inner city neighborhoods causing confusion on date and location of vote..
8. Have this SOS institute directives that must be challenged in court (which of course takes time + money. ex: paper weight for registrations.) While it is being challenged have GOP operatives discard registrations from certain zipcodes (high dem)
9. SOS should issue poor placed signs to poorly trained poll workers, especially in high Dem areas. This will allow for confusion if more than one precinct is in poll location. If voters go to wrong line issue them a provisional ballot (mandated under HAVA with the intention of placating the disenfranchised all while discarding their votes.)
10. Add similar sounding names of certain ethnicities to be added to the purged list (can't be too careful-Choicepoint taught us that in 2,000)


*an added bonus will be if you can convince the state legislature to implement a VOTER ID (with strict limitations-photo, state issued with correct address) thus institution a poll tax on those who are low income, elderly, college students (we don't need any free thinkers votin') and least able to afford the extra cost of ID, and might not have qualifying IDs. This will also aid in confusion on elelction day in precincts where these folks live, adding a bottleneck (read: more long lines) where these voters vote.

Thanks, mod mom. I guess since you are the real deal you'd know. You've been working the Ohio case since day on, and unlike most of the rest of us, you've seen it first hand.

Damn, they had it all figured out. And they made it happen. Well, thanks for posting, now at least we will know what to look for in our back yards.

They lobbied against Federal Law that would require voter verified paper ballots in all 50 states:
“Dear Colleague,” Rep. Robert Ney, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D), Sen. Mitch McConnell,
Sen. Chris Dodd (D), March 3, 2004.
They warned that amending HAVA to require VVPB would cause
"numerous adverse unintended consequences. Most importantly, the proposals requiring a voter-verified paper record
would force voters with disabilities to go back to using ballots that provide neither
privacy nor independence, thereby subverting a hallmark of the HAVA legislation.”
www.house.gov/cha/dearcolleaguemarch3-04.htm

Georgia's Secretary of State, Cathy Cox, (Democrat) could easily be considered the official Poster Girl for Diebold Election Systems, Inc. ...
www.countthevote.org/cathy_diebold.htm


Maryland's Elections Administrator , Linda Lamone (Democrat) is a staunch defender of Diebold:
Maryland is of national interest because Lamone is the President of the National Association of
State Election Directors (NASED) and the most vociferous advocate for paperless voting in the United States.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=5932

Jean Jensen, Virginian, Secretary Virginia Board of Elections (appointed)

"The delay of HB 1243 marks a victory for those who have been fighting verifiable elections in Virginia, lead most visibly by Jean Jensen, executive secretary of the Virginia State Board of Elections (pictured at far right together with another ardent proponent of paperless elections, Linda Lamone, state election director for neighboring Maryland). Jensen has fought the enactment of election safeguards for the past two years as a joint legislative subcommittee held hearings on the security and vulnerability of electronic voting." Jensen said ""people consistently blame the machines, but the problems that they often talk about are really human . . . error," she said. "I understand the concerns about electronic voting, but I haven't seen a system that adds to the efficiency of the voting process." from VoteTrustUSA
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1099&Itemid=847

Joe Andrew, former head of Democratic National Committee became a PR person for Diebold
in August of 2005.
http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=714249

Joe Andrew is a lawyer, former election official and former National Chair of the
Democratic National Committee. He advises Diebold Election Systems on voting industry standards.
http://tinyurl.com/zy6ys (cache of Oakland Tribune )

Joseph J. Andrew, who was head of the Democratic National Committee from 1999 through 2001,
is now lobbying for Diebold, where he is demonstrating that he is even more mendacious than
the veracity-challenged Mark Radke, the PSI (damage control) firm's David Bear,
the protective Marvin Singleton, and the script-reading Joe Richardson.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Andrew

08/20/2005
Diebold hires top Dem for PR blitz
Former party chairman make the case for voting to California
With a phone call and a retainer, Diebold CEO Walden O'Dell has launched former Democratic National Committee
chairman Joe Andrew on a 50-state ambassadorship for electronic voting."
http://www.wheresthepaper.org/InsideBayArea08_20DieboldHiresTopDemForPRBlitz.htm

Diebold needs California - which is why they've hired Andrews to get it for them. "
California, the nation's largest market for voting machines and the place where
Diebold's fortunes as the largest supplier of e-voting machines in the nation could be made or broken".


Harris Miller, running for US Senate as Virginia Democrat,
As head of the ITAA, Miller specifically lobbied Congress against verified voting, on behalf of the
interests of Diebold and other manufacturers of paperless e-voting machines -- members of ITAA.

The ITAA PAC, of which Miller was President, Treasurer, and Top Donor, donated 89% of its PAC Income to Republicans between 1997 and 2000.
http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=268428

The vendor community doesn't like it. "We oppose the idea of a voter-verified paper trail," says Harris Miller, president of the trade group Information Technology Association of America. Introducing paper into the mix, he says, defeats the improved efficiency and reliability e-voting promises. "There was never a golden age when paper ballots were accurately counted," Miller says. Adding paper to e-voting will only make the process of administering elections more costly and time-consuming without improving accuracy, opponents assert. http://www.cio.com.au/index.php/id;558873322;fp;4;fpid;21
More about Harris and Diebold, as well as other things not so positive here:
http://www.sctnominationwatch.tpmcafe.com/story/2006/1/6/23532/17147


Steve Metcalf, former democratic NC state senator turned Diebold lobbyist.
Diebold Election Systems, Inc. http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/lobbyists/Lobbyist.aspx?PId=5080

George Nixon Gilbert, democrat and Director of Guilford County NC Elections:
12/24/2005 High Point Enterprise. Company Root of Controversy- by David Nivens, staff writer.
Gilbert calls the Diebold critics “fanatical.”
“These machines are used in states from Georgia to California,” Gilbert said.
“Diebolds are just as reliable as other machines. They all use the same software and they all have software errors.”

**Thankfully, we see that citizens are revolting - i.e Cathy Cox
will have to go to work for Diebold now, since she lost the contest for
Governor. **

Also, didnt Jim Webb beat Harris Miller in the VA Dem primary?

Thats it citizens, get the word out on these Diebold Dems.

Ohio was NOT mostly DREs in 2004. It will be in the future though.

If you want to know over a hundred ways Ohio was stolen, check out the executive summary version.

Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman:
How the GOP Stole America’s 2004 Election and Is Rigging 2008
2006
CICJ Books
A special investigative report revealing massive voter theft, fraud and illegalities in Ohio’s presidential balloting. The theft of the 2004 election has been catalogued, footnoted and thoroughly documented in this special digest, more than 180 bullet points, compiled by these two Ohio-based investigative reporters. http://freepress.org/store.php#donate

However, the election stealers have SO MANY ways to steal elections, they barely have to repeat themselves. So, if we close the barn door from the last one, not a problem - they have lots of other barn doors at their disposal.

There are hundreds of ways to mess with machine allocation, voter registration, redistricting, etc. And, with paperless DREs, potentially limitless ways to rig those, and leave nary a fingerprint.

Elections in this country right now closely resemble Swiss cheese in terms of security holes -- patch one, there are plenty more.

They need to be redesigned from the ground up.

1. Paper ballots, hand counted, in the precinct.

2. Independent oversight of election officials, just as we have independent auditors of corporations, independent auditors of banks, and the GAO to inspect the government. Right now, election officials are in charge of inspecting themselves, and electing themselves. Not a good combo.

there's "a little man in the ballot box".



But I don't buy that explanation. Maybe she was trying to break it down for pre-schoolers. :shrug:


Well, I'm not a voting expert, either. But I would consider intentionally (or accidentally) messing with the ballot definition file would be a means of stealing some votes.

A lot of the recent election screw-ups, as John Gideon has reported, have been of this general variety.

-on edit-

Re: Recent Screw-ups...

It's a .pdf http://www.votersunite.org/info/mapVoteSwitch.pdf

for the opscans, use the interpreted code on the memory cards to change election results. all the memory cards go back to Diebold (or whatever company) before each election, so they have an easy opportunity to rig it right then.

for DREs I'm a little less familar but the same concept exists. The machines have to be reprogrammed before each election, so the machine knows who / what is on the ballot. When that info is being programmed, the same people doing it have an opportunity to mess with the vote counting code.

AS I've said all along, it's not the "driveby geeks" who would use their wireless computers to mess with the results, or the town clerks who have physical access to the machines that we have to worry about. These are legitimate security holes that need to be fixed, but the most likely and easiest way to rig an election involves the in-house employees of the voting machine companies, who have unfettered access to the secret vote counting software, and an opportunity to reprogram it all before each election. It would, in fact, be easy.