E-voting security flaws? - Election officials say fears overblown

E-voting security flaws?
Election officials say fears overblown


By Greg Kane
Record Staff Writer
November 03, 2006 6:00 AM
STOCKTON - The machines on which San Joaquin County voters are likely to vote during Tuesday's election are vulnerable to hackers and other security problems, according to a steady chorus of critics across the country.

But state and San Joaquin County elections officials remain confident in the Diebold TSx, a PC-size machine that has been used in two other elections in San Joaquin County since 2004. Deborah Hench, the county elections official who agreed to purchase more than 1,600 Diebold machines for $5.7 million four years ago, said Thursday that reports of security flaws are overblown and that votes entered into the touchscreen are just as safe as those cast on a paper ballot.

A familiar group of critics, including Manteca resident and election activist Jody Holder and the Washington state-based organization Black Box Voting, has campaigned against the use of electronic voting for years, saying the equipment is ripe for voter fraud and other mishaps.

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Hench said claims that the equipment can be hacked have been taken out of proportion. The machines are not connected to the Internet or any kind of network, so a hacker would need access to individual machines in order to manipulate votes.

The memory card slots in which the new programs can be inserted aren't easily accessed - one is located behind a plate in the machine's rear, and the other requires tilting the equipment on a 45-degree angle - so it couldn't be done inconspicuously at a polling place. The poll workers who store the machines at home the night before the election would have both privacy and access, but Hench said those workers are trusted and interested only in running a smooth election.


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http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061103/A_NEWS/611030338

In 2000 it was, "Get Over It!". In 2004 it was, "You can't prove it".

I worry 2006 is shaping up to be "The Democrats stole it!" for any election showing 5-point or less win.

My hope is Karl's Math overestimates the margin needed and it's obvious criminal wrongdoing.