How To Spot E-Vote Tampering?

[Matt Collins]

Someone writes:

"I am one of the Republican Party Precinct Chairs in Harris County, Texas. Since in 2006 Republican Rick Perry won the Governor's race in my precinct I will be the head election judge at my polling station this November. (My Democratic counterpart will be assistant election judge.) I have read with interest the stories about voting machine hacking, and I want advice from those of you who are experts on what to watch for to make sure there is no fraudulent activity at my precinct during the election. What activities should I look for? Keep in mind my restrictions: I will be at a table in the front of the room with the voter rolls signing people in, I can only approach the voting machines if a voter asks a question or if I have strong reason to believe there is fraudulent activity, the last thing I need is for someone to say the Republicans are trying to keep people from voting! And finally, although each station and voter will be visible from my seat each machine has 'blinders' around it so I will most likely not be able to see the hands of each voter while they are at the station. Thank you in advance for all suggestions."



Read the fascinating responses to this question here:
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/05/1848216






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[IPSecure]

Matt,

Not sure what to look for in particular, but received this from BlackBox Voting...


HOW TO RECOMMEND AN AREA FOR THE WATCH LIST:

Provide specifics from 2007 or later, with credible links, news articles, or documents for any of the CRITERIA below. Send your recommendation for Watch List location by e-mail to: crew@blackboxvoting.org. Or you can post what you have online here:
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/73/77633.html (if you aren't registered to post, use above link)

We will add Watch List locations throughout the fall. The earlier you submit your recommendations, the better.

CRITERIA FOR BLACK BOX VOTING ELECTION PROTECTION WATCH LIST:

Counties and municipalities are assigned to the 2008 Black Box Voting election protection "Watch List" when we get reasonably recent specifics demonstrating any of the following:

- History of significant anomaly in election results
- History of ignoring election law
- History of election official lying to the public
- Impossible numbers or ballot/results reconciliations missing or significantly incorrect
- Significant obstruction of freedom of information requests
- History of corruption/indictments. Think it doesn't happen? Think again. Two of the Watch List election officials have been indicted for embezzlement in the past 90 days.

- This year, any place still using ES&S iVotronics. These voting machines are so demonstrably flawed and in most locations, so entirely vendor-dependent that any election using them should be repudiated as "void" by the public. Click the Texas Watch List map on the home page if you want to know more.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY IS PUT ON THE WATCH LIST?

1. Customized citizen watchdog assignments for volunteers

2. See Web site - Watch List locations displayed on colored maps on home page: http://www.blackboxvoting.org (http://www.blackboxvoting.org/) for media and the public to see

3. Press releases to local media at Watch List locations

4. Increased Freedom of Information requests to Watch List locations

5. Stepped-up daily monitoring by Black Box Voting

6. Sharing of Watch List locations with other election integrity groups. public interest groups, and whatever political group cares to know

If you want to get our Watch List bulletins, and you haven't already done this, you can get the latest bulletins sent by joining the list here: http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-profile.cgi?action=register

FYI -- NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE TODAY: FEDS ADMIT THAT VOTING MACHINES ARE CRAP (paraphrased). Article currently linked on home page of BlackBoxVoting.org. We have been exposing this for SIX YEARS. The problem isn't, as the New York Times says, that "no one knew" there were problems. The problem is that the elections industry has been involved in a coverup. See Tool Kit, Section 5, for the truth about Election 2008:

- Your right to sovereignty over your government will not be honored.
- 99 percent of the votes will be counted in secret on computers controlled by government insiders and vendors.
- Your right to Freedom of Information will not be honored.
- You will be unable to ascertain that chain of custody is intact.
- It's too late to resolve these problems for 2008.
- It's not too late for partial solutions.
- It's not too late to collect important circumstantial evidence to assess the accuracy of the election.

Most places are going to refuse to make any improvements of any kind before November, even though there are meaningful things election officials can do, which are described in Tool Kit 2008.

We've been telling you the straight story for six years. This is the hand America has been dealt for November. Tool Kit 2008 will help you and your group work with the hand we've been dealt.

It's time to get off the defense and come out swinging. Black Box Voting analyzed trends from over 20,000 incident reports and news articles to develop the free TOOL KIT 2008, to let you know what to look for in 2008. Quite a bit of it is new, different than 2004. Tool Kit 2008 is available in free, hard copy "pocket guide" form - e-mail crew@blackboxvoting.org with your name and mailing address if you'd like one sent to you. You can also download at http://www.blackboxvoting.org/toolkit2008.pdf

* * * * *

You know what? In 2004, even though Black Box Voting proved voting machine tamperability, and got it covered twice in major spreads in the New York Times and on television with Howard Dean, (Aug. & Sept. 2004) no one took this seriously until AFTER the election. Then they wanted us to fix the barn door after the horses got out!

Black Box Voting proved undeniably, in 2005 and 2006 with our groundbreaking "Hursti Hack" projects, that these machines are OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Our work was featured in an Emmy-Nominated HBO Documentary, "Hacking Democracy". Request this DVD with a $50 donation, which will help us cover costs for election protection work. It's powerful, it will open eyes for people you show it to.

The #1 most critical thing we can get RIGHT NOW is Freedom of Information documents. They cost money. We can buy copies or we can arrange for inspections -- cheaper! Therefore you can donate to buy copies of the Freedom of Information documents we need, or you can volunteer to do an inspection for us. It's like the race car and the driver, you can't get far without BOTH.

Just pick one thing and do it. Just do something. Do enough.

START WITH THIS: If you know of problems in a location, report specifics and recommend it for the Watch List. If you can volunteer to inspect records, e-mail crew@blackboxvoting.org.

If you can donate, hit the link: http://www.blackboxvoting.org/donate.html
Or mail check:
Black Box Voting
330 SW 43rd St Suite K
PMB 547
Renton WA 98057

[Matt Collins]

BlackBox Voting...I've heard of that before. Are they posted on Slashdot much?