Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Diebold voting machines should be recalled immediatedly

The Open Voting Foundtation sent out a new report yesterday on Diebold touchscreen voting machines. Here is the money quote:
"“This may be the worst security flaw we have seen in touch screen voting machines,” says Open Voting Foundation president, Alan Dechert. Upon examining the inner workings of one of the most popular paperless touch screen voting machines used in public elections in the United States, it has been determined that with the flip of a single switch inside, the machine can behave in a completely different manner compared to the tested and certified version.

“Diebold has made the testing and certification process practically irrelevant,”
according to Dechert. “If you have access to these machines and you want to rig an election, anything is possible with the Diebold TS -- and it could be done without leaving a trace. All you need is a screwdriver.”

...in the TS, a completely legal and certified set of files can be instantly overridden and illegal uncertified code be made dominant in the system, and then this situation can be reversed leaving the legal code dominant again in a matter of minutes.

“These findings underscore the need for open testing and certification. There is no way such a security vulnerability should be allowed. These systems should be recalled” "
Steven D at Booman Trubune discusses this system. So does DocGonzo at dKos.

Let me remind everyone that the Republicans were losing the Presidential election of 1876 but still had control of South Carolina and Louisiana during Reconstruction, so they had those two states report that Republican Rutherford B. Hayes had gotten their electoral votes (when actually the Democrats had.) Rutherford B. Hayes was appointed President by one electoral vote. (Wikipedia) Republicans have been stealing Presidential elections ever since. Diebold machines are just one more tool they use in a long series of crookedness.

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