nightmare reading - Diebold was worse than you can possibly imagine...

[acroyear]

Granted, there's still no actual evidence that any actual election-fixing happened in '02 or '04 with the Diebold and other "paperless" machines, but there's certainly FAR more funny business going on.  Separately, each of the Diebold stories doesn't seem like much, but as RFK Jr's article in Rolling Stone points out, all together, it adds up to a HUGE amount of uncertainty, and as Dispatches comments, uncertainty is the last thing we need in an election.

I remain convinced the machines are an abomination.  The fact that the same companies will make machines that can account for every single $20 bill in the country refuse to make a machine that's as reliable for votes as it is for a $20 says way too much about how little our government really cares about democracy...

A vote should be worth more to a person than a $20 bill.

Comments

[kiltboy]

http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/billfile/hb0479.htm

Synopsis:

Requiring the State Administrator of Elections to study, review, and evaluate independent verification systems, including at least one system that includes a voter-verified paper audit trail, for the voting system currently used in the State; requiring the study to be conducted during specified municipal elections; authorizing the State Administrator to seek assistance from specified individuals in conducting the study; establishing an advisory committee to assist and advise the State Administrator in a specified review; etc.

Passed both house and senate with a combined vote of 177-1. Then the Gov. veto'd it because it "fails to provide a role for the Administration in this evaluation." http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/veto_letters/hb0479.htm

If he can't play, then he's taking his ball and going home?

Or am I not reading that right?

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

mostly write. however, by normal "separation of powers", at least in the u.s. constitution, the legislation makes the laws, the executive enforces it, keeping (theoretically) a check and balance.

thus, anything that has the State Administrator having a role without oversight by the state administrator's boss, is questionable. something as simple as having the executive having the ability to add people to the advisery committee would have been enough.

however, "Bobby Smooth" would have vetoed it anyway, just coming up with a different excuse. its well known how deep in the pockets of Diebold lobbyists he is.

[rsteachout.livejournal.com]

There is also politics involved here (such a surprise, right?). Ehrlich has tried to fire the state administrator for elections for years (She was appointed by former Gov. Glendenning (D) and the the administrator has been a top-level job controlled by the Dems for eons). Naturally, he wanted someone from his own party and of his own choice in the position. Besides wanting his own appointee in the office, he and Lemone (the State Administrator of Elections) have butted heads over numerous issues including her pushing for the Diebold system and her support of a multi-day early voting system for certain precincts (strangely enough, only ones that have failed to vote Democrat in recent elections) without any form of voter identification verification procedure. He finally had the seats on the board to do have her removed and the Legislature passed laws (overriding his veto) to prevent her firing and giveing her extra job protections.

Frankly, I can't imagine any Governor of any party doing otherwise than vetoing the bill kiltboy described, given the circumstances.

[ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com]

Guess what? Maryland uses Diebold machines for all our elections! There's even a write-up on the state website about how wonderful they are.

Grrr. Guess it's time to go complain. (Christ, I hate politicians!)

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

Do we start making the jokes *now* about how a vote is only worth $19.99?