Computer error at voting machine gives Bush 3,893 extra votes

[gldstwmn]

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjourna...e/10103910.htm

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A computer error with a voting machine cartridge gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in a Gahanna precinct.

Franklin County's unofficial results gave Bush 4,258 votes to Democratic challenger John Kerry's 260 votes in Precinct 1B. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct.

Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, said Bush received 365 votes there. The other 13 voters who cast ballots either voted for other candidates or did not vote for president.

Damschroder said he received some calls Thursday from people who saw the error when reading the list of poll results on the election board's Web site.

He said the error would have been discovered when the official canvass for the election is performed later this month.

Damschroder said after Precinct 1B closed, a cartridge from one of three voting machines at the polling place generated a faulty number at a computerized reading station.

The reader also recorded zero votes in a county commissioner race.

Damschroder said the cartridge was retested Thursday and there were no problems. He couldn't explain why the computer reader malfunctioned.

Workers checked the cartridge against memory banks in the voting machine Thursday and each showed that 115 people voted for Bush on that machine. With the other machines, the total for Bush in the precinct added up to 365 votes.

Information from: The Columbus Dispatch

[dissention]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjourna...e/10103910.htm

Franklin County's unofficial results gave Bush 4,258 votes to Democratic challenger John Kerry's 260 votes in Precinct 1B. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct.

They've stolen it from us. And quite masterfully, might I say.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by dissention

They've stolen it from us.

You forgot the "again"

Originally Posted by dissention

And quite masterfully, might I say.

Yeah, for MONTHS the fear of voter-fraud via electronic voting machines was the focus, and yet they STILL rigged it without opposition contesting it. That's really, really sad.

[dissention]

From Bev Harris:

It's OK. You can say the "F" word: Fraud. Documents begin tonight!

Unless we are hacked out again, we will begin releasing documents this evening. It will be drip drip drip, not a knockout punch.

Very small drips, not because we are trying to stall, but because many of the problem documents beget FOIAs for additional, related documents to rule out the bull**** excuses. In many cases we need to avoid calling attention to what we are looking at until we close the exit doors entirely.

But you can expect interesting reading, though the parts we can release at this time without jeopardizing other stuff will appear nonconclusive.

Heh.

Heh heh.

Bev Harris
Black Box Voting (.ORG)
http://www.blackboxvoting.org

P.S. emergency situation in Nevada, certification at 2 p.m. while enough provisionals are uncounted that it may be able to flip the race.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

They've stolen it from us. And quite masterfully, might I say.

While I would like to agree, I just do not see how that is so. I freely admit there were errors, as I suggest there were throughout the country and errors are inherent in the process. But, W's margin in Ohio is something like 136,000+ votes and this article is talking about is a fractional percentage of that number. Moreover, no other article i have seen suggests that that gap can be closed no matter what the mistake made. So, I think W won it based on what I have seen and you know how much I hate admitting that

[dissention]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

While I would like to agree, I just do not see how that is so. I freely admit there were errors, as I suggest there were throughout the country and errors are inherent in the process. But, W's margin in Ohio is something like 136,000+ votes and this article is talking about is a fractional percentage of that number. Moreover, no other article i have seen suggests that that gap can be closed no matter what the mistake made. So, I think W won it based on what I have seen and you know how much I hate admitting that

You don't find it odd that the only exit polls that didn't match up were the ones in Ohio and Florida, and that those two states just happened to vote with electronic boxes? C'mon, Jason, I know you're a smart guy. It doesn't help that the head of Diebold told Bush that he would "deliver Ohio" to him back in the summer.

Just wait, I hear that stuff will surface very soon.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

You don't find it odd that the only exit polls that didn't match up were the ones in Ohio and Florida, and that those two states just happened to vote with electronic boxes? C'mon, Jason, I know you're a smart guy. It doesn't help that the head of Diebold told Bush that he would "deliver Ohio" to him back in the summer.

Just wait, I hear that stuff will surface very soon.

I do not trust exit polls. I think they are fundamentally flawed. I know many who refuse to participate in them so the sampling class is flawed. Plus, they are a statistical sampling which has a margin of error.

Now, the issue of Diebold. Yes, that is alarming and I think it wrong that no paper trail exists. So, there is an issue there. But, 136,000 votes in Ohio and about 377,000 votes in Florida is a little hard to swallow without more concrete proof. Plus, the rest of the nation as a whole seemingly agrees with those results. But, I anxiously await the day when we can prove the electronic voting issue.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

While I would like to agree, I just do not see how that is so. I freely admit there were errors, as I suggest there were throughout the country and errors are inherent in the process. But, W's margin in Ohio is something like 136,000+ votes and this article is talking about is a fractional percentage of that number. Moreover, no other article i have seen suggests that that gap can be closed no matter what the mistake made. So, I think W won it based on what I have seen and you know how much I hate admitting that

Just wait. There will be more.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

Just wait. There will be more.

I hope so!!!!!!!!!

For the record, I am not poo pooing this theory. I am basing my opinion of what I see are the current facts. Now and as we have discussed, the conspiracy theorist in me, of course, agrees 100% with y'all

[gldstwmn]

http://www.newbernsj.com/SiteProcess...&Section=Local

Election problems due to a software glitch
November 05,2004
Sue Book
Sun Journal

A systems software glitch in Craven County's electronic voting equipment is being blamed for a vote miscount that, when corrected, changed the outcome of at least one race in Tuesday's election.

Then, in the rush to make right the miscalculation that swelled the number of votes for president here by 11,283 more votes than the total number cast, a human mistake further delayed accurate totals for the 40,534 who voted.

The glitch occurred Tuesday night as absentee ballot totals for one-stop early voting at three Craven County locations and ballots mailed-in were being entered, said Tiffiney Miller, Craven County Board of Elections director.

The Elections Systems and Software equipment had downloaded voting information from nine of the county's 26 precincts and as the absentee ballots were added, the precinct totals were added a second time. Precincts affected were Havelock East, Havelock West, River Bend, Cove City, Ernul, Fort Totten, Grover C. Fields, Glenburnie and West New Bern.

An override, like those occurring when one attempts to save a computer file that already exists, is supposed to prevent double counting, but did not function correctly, Miller said.

"I have redone every (personal electronic ballot) completely and am adding the absentees," she said early Thursday. "Every precinct was redone."

The second set of incorrect numbers came when the total for one of the batches of absentee ballots was not included in the first manual recount.

"That's why we have a week before the votes are official, so if we do find problems we can get them straight before the votes are certified," said Miller, who was in her office before 8 a.m. Thursday, hand-crunching the numbers retrieved from the voting machines.

New numbers put incumbent Commissioner Leon Staton in front of Republican challenger Tony Michalek for the Craven County Board of Commissioners District 5 seat. It does not appear that any other local races will be affected as a result of the malfunction, even with the results of about 1,000 provisional votes still to be entered Nov. 9.

Joined by her staff when the Craven County Administration Building opened, Miller already had been discussing the problem and remedies with Craven County Board of Elections Chairman Gloria Stanley, Electronic Systems and Software local representative Owen Andrews and North Carolina State Board of Elections Director Gary Bartlett.

Other than the cranking sound of numbers adding and an occasional ring of the phone, the office was dead quiet as they scrutinized the emerging tapes and hand-posted them on notebooks to be added by hand.

Craven County Commissioner Renee Sisk, a Republican who would be in the new majority on the board with Michalek's election, came by to assess the situation, followed by Craven County Manager Harold Blizzard, then Craven County Republican Party Chairman Steve Tyson, who both came in to inquire about the problem and possible solution. Then a national Republican political consultant who had watched the returns and had some concern that other precincts were involved in the problem entered the office.

Andrews arrived and made contact with the ESS home office in Omaha, Neb.

"What she is dong now is the failsafe way to make sure we get it right," said Andrews, of Owen G. Dunn in New Bern.

"When a voter casts the vote, it stays in the memory of the machine, which has redundancy as a safeguard," he said.

While there is no paper ballot, Andrews said "(Miller) has a paper trail. She can print as many paper vote tallies out of the machine as she'd like."

That information remains in the voting machine until the election is decided and it is deliberately removed.

Andrews will work with the manufacturer, Miller and the elections board to correct the problem to ensure it will not happen again, but said "it really has nothing to do with the integrity of the vote as cast or counted."

"We will produce an honest outcome by the time we canvass Tuesday," said Craven County Board of Elections member Walter Leake, who was one of the last to stop by the elections office Thursday. "The poll books will match the machine."

Election difficulties also were reported in a number of other North Carolina counties, including nearby Carteret, where 4,530 early votes were irretrievably lost.

[ontheEdgeof17]

I don't see why we can't stay with a good 'ole pen and paper. X marks the spot with those. My state still uses them and every vote is counted properly and we have had no problems.....except for the Bush winning the state part.

[gldstwmn]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/sto...83.htm&sc=1110

Voting Group Finds Irregularities in South

By DOUG GROSS

ATLANTA (AP) - A national voting rights group says it documented hundreds of voting irregularities affecting poor and minority voters in seven Southern states - from long lines and faulty equipment to deliberate voter intimidation.

``While the United States of America is a strong democracy, it is also a flawed democracy,'' said Keith Jennings, director of Count Every Vote 2004, formed after the 2000 election to assure voting rights for ``underrepresented and marginalized sectors of the population.''

The group sent monitors on Tuesday to 700 precincts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. Their goal was to observe such issues as the timely opening of polls, the presence of correct ballots and functioning machines, and the impartiality of elections officials.

Among their preliminary findings, the group listed a shortage of early voting locations in Duval County, Fla., one of the nation's largest counties in area and voting-age population, the failure of electronic voting machines in three South Carolina counties, and the loss of votes at a North Carolina precinct when too much information was stored on a computer unit.

The group plans to issue its more detailed, final report in about two weeks.

[gldstwmn]

Broward Ballot Blunder Changes Amendment Result

Fri Nov 5, 8:13 AM ET Local - WPLG Click10.com

The Broward County Elections Department has egg on its face after a computer glitch misreported a key amendment race, according to Local 10 political reporter Michael Putney.

Amendment 4, which would allow Miami-Dade and Broward counties to hold a future election to decide if slot machines should be allowed at racetracks, was thought to be tied. But now that a computer glitch for machines counting absentee ballots has been exposed, it turns out the amendment passed.

"The software is not geared to count more than 32,000 votes in a precinct. So what happens when it gets to 32,000 is the software starts counting backward," said Broward County Mayor Ilene Lieberman.

That means that Amendment 4 passed in Broward County by more than 240,000 votes rather than the 166,000-vote margin reported Wednesday night. That increase changes the overall statewide results in what had been a neck-and-neck race, one for which recounts had been going on today. But with news of Broward's error, it's clear Amendment 4 passed.

The glitch did not affect the outcome of any other races. The vote-counting error did affect totals for amendments 4 through 8. But amendment 4 was the only race for which the corrected numbers changed the result.

Lieberman admits that the error is an embarrassing mistake.

"I think the people have a right to expect that when the numbers come up on screen that those numbers in fact the actual total numbers at each step of the process and not just after the final vote has been certified," Lieberman said.

Putney said there is a lot of finger-pointing going on in the elections department. Lieberman blames ES&S Systems, which manufactures the software in question. She says they've known about the problem for at least two years because there was a Broward County mayoral race in which the same thing happened. She said nothing was done about it.

Miami-Dade County also uses ES&S Systems. That county did not have the same problem Broward did because it uses different software, according to Putney.

[SuzeQuze]

Do these systems get tested before they are used? This is rediculous. I'm really upset that states did not fix their voting machine issues before this election. I'm proud of MA for using the reliable paper ballot that gets scanned, the whole state has them as I understand it. All states should have reliable machines. It seems so common sense and elementary. Unless you're trying to steal an election.

~Susan

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

Broward Ballot Blunder Changes Amendment Result

Fri Nov 5, 8:13 AM ET Local - WPLG Click10.com

The Broward County Elections Department has egg on its face after a computer glitch misreported a key amendment race, according to Local 10 political reporter Michael Putney.

Amendment 4, which would allow Miami-Dade and Broward counties to hold a future election to decide if slot machines should be allowed at racetracks, was thought to be tied. But now that a computer glitch for machines counting absentee ballots has been exposed, it turns out the amendment passed.

"The software is not geared to count more than 32,000 votes in a precinct. So what happens when it gets to 32,000 is the software starts counting backward," said Broward County Mayor Ilene Lieberman.

That means that Amendment 4 passed in Broward County by more than 240,000 votes rather than the 166,000-vote margin reported Wednesday night. That increase changes the overall statewide results in what had been a neck-and-neck race, one for which recounts had been going on today. But with news of Broward's error, it's clear Amendment 4 passed.

The glitch did not affect the outcome of any other races. The vote-counting error did affect totals for amendments 4 through 8. But amendment 4 was the only race for which the corrected numbers changed the result.

Lieberman admits that the error is an embarrassing mistake.

"I think the people have a right to expect that when the numbers come up on screen that those numbers in fact the actual total numbers at each step of the process and not just after the final vote has been certified," Lieberman said.

Putney said there is a lot of finger-pointing going on in the elections department. Lieberman blames ES&S Systems, which manufactures the software in question. She says they've known about the problem for at least two years because there was a Broward County mayoral race in which the same thing happened. She said nothing was done about it.

Miami-Dade County also uses ES&S Systems. That county did not have the same problem Broward did because it uses different software, according to Putney.

[gldstwmn]

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/200...renvote05.html

Warren's vote tally walled off


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alone in Ohio, officials cited homeland security

By Erica Solvig
Enquirer staff writer


LEBANON - Citing concerns about potential terrorism, Warren County officials locked down the county administration building on election night and blocked anyone from observing the vote count as the nation awaited Ohio's returns.

County officials say they took the action Tuesday night for homeland security, although state elections officials said they didn't know of any other Ohio county that closed off its elections board. Media organizations protested, saying it violated the law and the public's rights. The Warren results, delayed for hours because of long lines that extended voting past the scheduled close of polls, were part of the last tallies that helped clinch President Bush's re-election.

"The media should have been permitted into the area where there was counting," Enquirer attorney Jack Greiner said. "This is a process that should be done in complete transparency and it wasn't."

Warren County Emergency Services Director Frank Young said he had recommended increased security based on information received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in recent weeks.

Commissioners made the security decisions in a closed-door meeting last week, but didn't publicize the restrictions that were made until after polls closed.

"If we were going to make a judgment, we wanted to err on the side of caution," Commissioner Pat South said Thursday. "... Hindsight is 20-20. There was never any intent to exclude the press.

"We were trying to protect security."

WCPO-TV (Channel 9) News Director Bob Morford said he's "never seen anything like it." When he first heard about Warren County's building restrictions, he said he understood concerns that too many people could make the counting process "a circus." But he said it's never been a problem in the past, and that the county could have set up a security checkpoint and had people show identification.

"Frankly, we consider that a red herring," Morford said of the county's "homeland security" reason. "That's something that's put up when you don't know what else to put up to keep us out."

James Lee, spokesman with the Ohio Secretary of State's Office in Columbus, said Thursday he hasn't heard of any situations similar to Warren County's building restrictions. He said general security concerns are decided at the local levels.

Other counties, such as Butler County, let people watch ballot checkers through a window.

Typically, the Warren County commissioners' room is set up as a gathering place for people to watch the votes come in. But that wasn't done this year.

And despite being told that there would be an area with telephones set up for the media, those who tried to get into the building on Justice Drive were stopped by a county employee who stood guard outside. After journalists challenged the restriction, reporters were allowed into the building's lobby - two floors below the elections office.

A representative of The Associated Press, which had stringers at every Ohio board of elections site, said no such election-night access problems were reported outside of Warren County.

County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said commissioners "were within their rights" to restrict building access.

Having reporters and photographers around could have interfered with the count, she said.