Black Box Voting - Roll up your sleeves, We ain't done yet!

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Fri, 30 Dec 2005 21:13:09 -0800 (PST)

New Info may Take Out Diebold Touchscreens - Roll up your

sleeves, We ain't done yet!

 

 

http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/15696.html

 

 

 

12-30-05: Roll up your sleeves, we ai...

 

Black Box Voting Forums » Latest Consumer Reports from Black Box

Voting » 12-30-05: Roll up your sleeves, we ain't done yet!

 

 

You might be the one to help us crack this case

 

At issue: Do Diebold touch-screens have a problem similar to that

identified in the Black Box Voting project in Leon County, Florida --

the devastating hack of the Diebold optical scan system. Just a YES-NO

question.

 

Black Box Voting has now obtained certain NEW specific information

indicating that the answer with the touch-screens will be " YES. "

 

Please immediately make contact with those you know to see if you can

facilitate a quick YES-NO examination of an official Diebold

touch-screen voting system anywhere in the United States or Canada. We

know what we're looking for. We know where it is. We simply need to

confirm that it is ALSO in one of the systems delivered to public

officials.

 

One of our researchers says he has identified an " interpreter " , which

appears to be specifically prohibited by 2002 FEC standards, inside a

Diebold touch-screen system.

 

What is needed now is to confirm this finding with a " pedigreed "

Diebold touch-screen system – ie., one to which we are given

legitimate access with one of our publicly known experts. We will have

to show that what our protected source has found is also present in a

system delivered by Diebold for use in actual elections. This cannot

be a stolen system, a specially souped-up system i.e. one that Diebold

chooses), or a system used without authorization of its custodians.

 

Note that in July, Diebold sent " threat " letters to its customers,

warning them not to allow examination of their systems. However, in

December Black Box Voting was shown to be correct when we alleged that

there was executable code and an interpreter in the optical scan

machines/memory cards. Diebold lied, in writing, to secretaries of

state and purchasing officials about this. Now, the entire Diebold

product line has been called into question, and we believe our

findings will soon spill over into other vendors' products as well.

 

Following our demonstration in Leon County, Florida, California

refused to certify Diebold. Pennsylvania has now refused to certify

Diebold. Diebold has now been dropped from counties in Florida and

Missouri. Diebold has had to pull out of North Carolina, refusing to

give its source code to North Carolina (most likely due to the NC

requirement that allows POLITICAL PARTIES to examine the source code,

which would risk revealing the problems exposed by the Black Box

Voting projects conducted with Harri Hursti and others).

 

If you may be able to help with this project, please call Bev at (206)

335-7747 or Kathleen at 206-354-5723 or the main office at (425)

793-1030. Telephone or send an overnight letter (sent by Fed X but not

U.S. Post Office, to 330 SW 43rd St Suite K PMB 547 Renton WA 98055)

The contents of our e-mail was penetrated by an outsider in late

November in connection with confidential plans for upcoming testing,

so we do not recommend that you contact us by e-mail for this

particular endeavor.

 

The sooner the better. It is important to roll back use of ANY

MACHINES WITH PROHIBITED CODE well in advance of the 2006 elections,

in order to allow local jurisdictions to make other plans.

 

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More updates

 

* * * * *

 

The formal Volusia County report, which led directly to Black Box

Voting producing the Herbert Thompson and Harri Hursti studies, will

be released in January 2006. New Volusia County documents are

appearing in the Black Box Voting document archives this week and for

the next two weeks.

 

* * * * *

 

Black Box Voting has now uncovered over 137 sources within ES & S,

Sequoia and Hart Intercivic. We are beginning to release some of the

technical and procedural information we are learning about these

vendors. We are doing small informal releases of information on

various vendors' voting products in our forums every few days.

 

We are becoming increasingly interested in finding out more about the

Eagle Op-Tech machines used by ES & S and Sequoia. Your tips,

suggestions, donations and contacts are much appreciated as we

continue this important work.

 

* * * * *

 

In 2006, among other projects, Black Box Voting is publishing a new

book, focusing on the infrastructure that made this happen. We will

delve into 21st Century bribery techniques, and fill you in on the

people and procedures that produced the current boondoggle.

 

The title: BLACK BOX AMERICA

 

We thank all of you who continued to place your confidence in the work

of Black Box Voting in 2005. Have an excellent New Year's Holiday!

 

Now let's roll up our sleeves for 2006!

 

PERMISSION TO REPRINT GRANTED, WITH LINK TO http://www.blackboxvoting.org

 

* * * * *

 

Black Box Voting is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501c(3) elections

watchdog group. This organization is not affiliated in any way with

any political party or any vendor.

 

The direct costs for the research in Leon County required very heavy

international legal and travel expenditures. Without your important

support, these achievements could not have taken place. We're at the

tipping point, but we don't think it's a great idea to stop now.

Right? Keep the momentum going.

 

To donate:

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/donate.html or mail to:

Black Box Voting

330 SW 43rd St. Suite K

PMB 547

Renton WA 98055