The local League of Women Voters is calling for random audits of Sedgwick County’s new electronic voting machines. “They are not even as accurate as slot machines or ATM machines,” league co-president Ernestine Krehbiel told The Eagle editorial board, saying that “there have been foul-ups all over the country with these machines.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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43 Comments
What is the deal with these “league of women voters”??? Are they questioning our voting methods??? How dare they do that?!
We need to have the Kansas Secretary of State publish a list of voting precincts with the number of voters in each precinct. The last known published list of precincts is from Oct 2004: http://www.kssos.org/elections/04elec/2004_October_Voter_Registration_by_precinct.xls
Just this year there have been many precinct changes, especially in Sedgwick, Wyandotte, Cowley, and other counties.
There should be a simple way to compare the number of voters by precinct before and after an election. Obviously, there should never be more voting than registered, yet there is not an easy way to verify this.
In recent years the precinct codes used to identify registered voters have not matched the precinct codes used to report results, making “before” and “after” comparison quite tedious, if not impossible without contacting each of the 105 counties to understand their precinct codes and names.
Campaign finance reports on file with the Federal Elections Commission, and reports from the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, show that on Dec. 29, 2005, just before the end-of-year campaign finance reporting deadline, Merilee K. Martin, a right-wing Republican, reached into her desk drawer and took out four checkbooks.
Martin wrote a total of 15 checks that day which, when all was said and done, ended up putting a cool $6 grand — $2,000 each — into the campaign coffers of three creationist school board candidates: Connie Morris, John Bacon, and Ken Willard.
Kansas election laws limit contributions made to state school board candidates from political action committees (PACs), such as those for which Martin serves as treasurer, to a total of $500 in period leading up to the primary election, and $500 prior to the general election — $1,000 in total.
Despite those limits, Morris, Bacon, and Willard ended up pocketing contributions of $2,000 each from the checks written by Martin that day – twice what the law allows for the entire election and four times what’s allowed during the primary election cycle.
Martin is listed on documents filed with the FEC and the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission as treasurer of four PACs: the Free Academic Inquiry and Research (FAIR) Federal PAC, the Free Academic Inquiry and Research (FAIR) State PAC, the Kansas Republican Victory Fund (KRVF) Federal PAC, and the Kansas Republican Victory Fund (KRVF) State PAC.
In addition to listing Martin as treasurer, all four PACs share the same post office box – P.O. Box 626 in Topeka – with the ultra-right Kansas Republican Assembly. Martin is also listed as treasurer of the KRA. All five PACs solicit contributions on a single website maintained by the KRA.
The quadrupling of the allowable limits on campaign contributions to the three right-wing school board members, all of whom are up for election this year, is accomplished by funneling the money through this network of PACs.
On Dec. 29, when Martin wrote out those 15 checks, the KRVF Federal PAC, had an embarrassingly small amount of money remaining in its campaign war chest. The PAC reported just $638.60 in cash at the beginning of the reporting period, and it raised only two contributions totaling $130 during that six-month period.
That was no problem for Martin, who needed to max out Morris, Bacon and Willard – who also had trouble raising money during the period – in order to get their re-election campaigns rolling with a quick infusion of cash.
Martin simply wrote a check for $1,500 from the FAIR Federal PAC to cover the contributions she planned to make on behalf of KRVF Federal PAC.
In similar fashion, Martin wrote checks out of the FAIR Federal PAC fund to cover shortfalls in the other PACs. One check for $1,500 went to the KRVF State PAC, another $500 went to the FAIR State PAC.
The three checks Martin wrote that day to the other PACs under her control were turned immediately into contributions to Morris, Bacon, and Willard.
In effect the PACs run out of the Kansas Republican Assembly by Martin are slush funds designed to evade the Kansas election law limitations on campaign contributions to state school board candidates.
Right-wing activists may feel they can thumb their noses at the state’s election laws because, in the past, reporting of contributions has been difficult to obtain in the state.
Although the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission recently took steps to improve it’s campaign finance disclosure reporting, the state was ranked 39th out of the 50 states, and received a grade of F, in a 2003 study of candidate campaign finance disclosure laws conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
The Primamry Election is coming up and this is the first election year I haven’t recieved a notice by the Election office of where the voting place will be.
Since they have closed a lot of them, I would suspect they would notify the registar voters were to go? I had to look it up online, but that doesn’t help people.
I may be speaking to early, but its getting darn close to election time and I thought the precient notices would be sent out much eariler.
Joe, I am not trying to gig you here. This is sincere. There is a movement to supress turnout. A lower turnout is always good for incumbents. Keeping people in the dark about where to vote, and making voting increasingly more difficult is one easy way to surpress turnout.
People died so you could go to the polls. If you love america, support the troops and want to maintain your freedoms, forget the slogans and yellow ribbons and
VOTE, DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joe (and others)If you’re having trouble w/ finding voting places – contact your local gov’t, city halls (including neighborhood city halls) should have a list of places. At Maize city hall it’s on the front counter and is a blue sheet of paper.
“They are not even as accurate as slot machines or ATM machines,”
and
“there have been foul-ups all over the country with these machines.”
Well, I highly doubt that. These machines are computers, simple.
Most of the issues people have with them are the same issues people have with the “chad” issue in Florida. Its user error.
What do people what? ballets like Iraq has? a 8 x 10 piece of paper with every-ones pictures on it where they circle the guy they want to win with a Crayola marker?
That’s not feasible and we know it. I personally think they have gone far enough to “connect” each of these voting machines into a much larger private network so that all votes can be tallied in real time and also analyzed to determine fraud.
Joe, FYI, i don’t think i have gotten my voter card, if i have, it was so long ago, i cant remember. Its just fortunate i know where my polling place is, but it doesn’t matter, i plan on voting early.
Joe,It seems the Election office is happy to tell the voters of Sedgwick County where to go, especially if they are minorities who are more likely to vote against incumbents.I think that was the real idea behind changing the voting places.
Joe,Here ya go:
http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/elections/
Cutting the number of voting places 70 percent is part of the “Help America Vote” Act.
It’s like allowing more air pollution and calling it the “Clear Air Inititive.”
It’s like selling our ports to a Mideastern monarchy while “Fighting a War on Terror.” It’s like cutting taxes on the rich and calling it a “Middle Class Tax Cut.” It’s like standing on an aircraft carrier under a banner “Mission Accomplished” and since then the war has dragged on for two years with 2000 more American deaths.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice . . . . . won’t get fooled again.” GW Bush
How dare those liberals demand accountability of our voting machines!
Just because I get a paper receipt when I buy an ice cream cone or a gallon of gas is no reason I should get one for voting.
Besides, the Republicans always ALWAYS! win the close ones.
As long as that keeps happening, there’s no problem, right?
Hey Tony – you writing the program to count the votes?
Sorry, Tony, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. There are some huge PDFs by academics out there (David Dill wrote a good paper), but here’s a small taste for ya:http://havenworks.com/election/voting-machine-risks/
And what about the Diebold memos? Check out the Johnson county one.
http://cscott.net/Activism/Diebold/FairUse/
The people who are most up in arms are often computer scientists.
Rage,
I find it interesting that these articles are on voting machines not being used in Kansas. These articles are published on Diebold voting machines, Kansas is using AutoMARK and iVotronic machines. All of which seem to have a good track record (just did a quick Google search, not super in-depth).
Point well-taken, but the same concerns remain.
i agree… Some concerns, but I would have more concerns with paper “chad” type ballets than the computer.
Like i said earlier, i think all voting machines across the country should be connected into one centralized system.
Random audits are a good idea.
Here is another.
When I was a kid, whenver our folks would give my and my little brother a candy bar to split there was of course the debate over whose half was bigger. Mom solved this problem by letting one of us cut the candy bar and the other choose his half.
SO….
Maybe let one party set up the voting system and the other tabulate the results?
My approach: Use paper “fill-in-the-circles” ballots that are scanned into the computer on the spot. A verification is performed for errors (e.g. 2 votes for one office; no vote for office; etc) and either a red or green light illuminates. If green the vote is tabulated on disk. If it is red the poll worker will see the problem – for example if double vote kick the ballot back. If there is a ‘non-vote’ the voter is asked “do you want to submit with dogcatcher blank?” and he can either submit of reject for correction. The paper ballots will be stored with the machine “just in case”. The computers would then communicate to County and a vote count could be tabulated almost immediately upon vote closure.
hum…
i could still see ways around that one JR…
;-)
The “hanging chad” issue was a distraction in Florida.
It was a way for the RW to slow down a recount so that justice delayed would indeed be justice denied.
There’s no real problem with a punch card system when the officials are honest and care about democracy.
What we had in Florida were officials (the President’s BROTHER and the Chair of his election campaign Kathleen Harris) who weren’t honest and who told democracy to drop dead.
When a full recount was done by the media consortium, it showed that Gore had won just as everybody knew from the exit polls.
The electronic voting problem however is systemic and goes beyond just corrupt officials. There is no check on the official tally and no way to recount it.
For years, exit polls were used as a check of the official results, but in the last two national elections in which exit polls were strongly for Gore and Kerry, those have been ditched by the Republican authoritarian regime.
Yeah, you’re right, Tony. In Ohio, they have the optical scan systems in some precincts.
Eyewitnesses have gone on record that they saw oval “white outs” on recounted ballots.
But at least with the optical scan cards, there’s physical evidence. If a court would rule it, they could be inspected by a disinterested third party for tampering.
Hopefully, this will be the result of RFK, Jr’s lawsuit.
I like DarthCheney’s idea of privatization of voting, so that we can get paper receipts like we do at the grocery store.
It’s already BEEN privatized, are you kidding me?
Now, why don’t we get the receipts?
Maybe it’s because it’s easier to cheat that way . . .
U know… It would be so easy to make a nationally connected election network in which the machines are all connected to a central mainframe that than tabulated the votes in real time with analysis of the voting pattern, machines, etc… to check for road and also provide a paper receipt at the polling place.
It would be hard, you would only need the corporation of 2 or 3 companies.
IBM or HP and AT&T.
(yes, im waiting for the sarcastic remarks about AT&T and line tapping)
Tony – how about parallel processing by more than one company – a sort on internal check.
I would suggest that any centralized system is highly subject to attack as there is only one system to compromise.
The current distributed system, in the hands of many local governmental bodies controlled by both parties, using many different types of technologies, would be much more difficult to compromise.
Three things that can be done to ensure reliable electronic voting: two non-political affiliated companies/individuals to check the software/hardware for abnormalities; real-time reporting of each ballot to each company for comparison purposes, with the master keyed for post election scanning; hard copy, bar-coded receipts, given to the voter, that could be rescanned in case of voter questions or suspected fraud. The receipt would also show, in english, who the voter voted for.
It would be up to the voters to save the receipts, and have them available if needed. Cost money? Hell yes, but what is freedom worth?
On the right track J M. And a better description of the more simple one I made above.
Only problem is, how do you find two unbiased, not political affiliated companies or individuals and how do THEY prove their neutrality?
Or much easier to hack on a local level, SD.
That’s what the electoral college backers always bring up, “how would you like Florida on the national level?” (Cue scarey music.)
Thing is, if we had elections by popular vote, Florida wouldn’t have even mattered.
Gore won by over half a million votes nationwide, even with the theft of Florida.
The fact that the Bush mafia only needed to throw only one state was a lot easier than the entire country . . .
Same for Ohio in 2004.
I guess my writing came out different than my thinking… When i mean single system, i mean distributed across the country.
But i like the idea of having multiple companies involved to ensure checks and balances between them…
But like someone said, how do u determine if a company is independent of political influence… i guess we would have to outsource that to china…
;-)
Some good ideas here. Push for them, please.
Julie, following up on your advice, here’s where to find where to vote:https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/
Report irregularities earlier and often!
Sheesh, can you believe it? The typepad form doesn’t activate secure HTTP links. . .
hey guys, i was just thinking… (shutup Ben)…
I kept wondering what the “Real” reason the number of polling places were cut down… There has to be a dollars and cents answer to everything…
Well, i started thinking about it. With these new voting machines, comes new expenses. The new machines are computers and have to be setup by techs. They have to be maintained by techs, they have to be fixed by techs and they have to be dismantled and packed up by techs. this is no longer the, fold it up and throw it in the back of the truck.
So, say each polling place will probably cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-4k just in the techs time to maintain those units. Than you have the costs associated with the people who man the polls, what do they pay them, like 15 bucks an hr or something?
than on top of all of that, you have say 2 or 3 grand per voting booth.
so, your looking at a normal polling station with 4 units an average of 10k each. some place like Goddard doesn’t really need 4 polling stations (i think we are down to 1). Plus with the number of people voting early (like i will in the general) the demand may not be that high.
Just some ideas to kick around to get this blog moving again… and that’s also what happens when i start thinking…
Longer thought out then I give it Tony.
I call it voter suppression.
Appreciate the tentative tone, Tony, not because you’re somehow required, but it indicates a mind thinking on the fly. As I’m doing as I type this.
I don’t think Bill Gale necessarily takes his marching orders from Karl Rove, but the confluence of mandates and budget do not appear to be Helping America Vote. I see it as self-evident that the Bush regime doesn’t want to help America vote. The evidence of subterfuge and thuggery may not be dispositive, but is very strong nonetheless.
The way HAVA has worked out is disturbing and predictable. Having seen the devious tricks these fuckers use in other legislation (in 20+ years of watching C-SPAN), I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a purposeful intent to sell us shit in a Gucci bag.
Will we see people in wheelchairs and others waiting in huge lines in Wichita? Doodah ain’t Goddard. And plenty will not find their polling places in the first place.
No fire in Kansas (as opposed to Ohio), but plenty o’ smoke.
Not a single, documented case of vote tampering or voter fraud contributed to W. getting elected.On the other hand, Nixon is arguably a better man than Gore, since Nixon definately had proof in Cook County, Illinois and in Texas, that the results had been rigged.Nixon conceded that election to JFK, saying it would tear the nation apart to put us through a recount.In our last presidential election, Democrats were recently convicted of slashing the tires on a whole car-pool of cars ready to take mostly-Repuplican senior citizens to the polls. These Democrats were well connected relatives of elected officials.—-Tracy, the limits on contributions do NOT mean that you can add all the different PACs together that one person controls. Each PAC is a seperate contributor under the law.—-I have another take on what is happening in Sedgwick County.First, Bill Gale is doing a great job promoting Advanced Voting.Next, I think the more crowded a voting location is (within reason) the less likely anyone is going to try to blatantly cheat, claim to be someone else, or vote for someone they know is out of town. Observation promotes honesty.Gale had to follow Federal mandates folks. He came up with a reasonable compromise. Lets see how well it works before we judge.
thinking huh? Explains the smoke plume I saw over Goddard …
Cost is clearly a major issue – I think Gale is doing the best he can with his limited resources.
Voter suppression pure and simple. And meant to favor those whose schedule and means better accomodates voting, namely Republicans. The fact that proll Paul is for it is very telling.
By the way proll Paul? I’m not gonna address the fraud that got bush into the White House beyond reaffirming it and noting that the evidence is ample. I will note that while proll Paul calls Gore a lesser man for not conceding immediately an election that was stolen, and while Paul makes mentions of Democrat “skullduggery”, Paul does NOT mention the busloads of GOP thugs bused in to disrupt and shut down the recount in 2000.
Paul? Them Rovesters need to be REAL glad I wasn’t there! Some of ‘em might smile a little less pretty now….or walk with a limp!
The fact is that the nation is BITTERLY divided. Republicans will cheat in any way they can. The elimination of 2/3 of the polling places in Wichita I call just the latest example.
“In our last presidential election, Democrats were recently convicted of slashing the tires on a whole car-pool of cars ready to take mostly-Repuplican senior citizens to the polls.”
Well, that’s close to the truth, Paul. They copped no-contest pleas after the jury became deadlocked.
Also, the vans were to help POLL WATCHERS get to the polls. Republican poll watchers are notorious for harassing minority voters on their way to the polls.
IF this allegation is true, then it was wrong and the LOCAL democrats involved should be warned by the national party to cease and desist from anything like this.
I wonder though if the national Republican party will do the same for their complicity in the phone jamming scandal of which real convictions have been handed down.
From the Boston Globe–
“A former telemarketer charged in a scheme to jam Democratic phone lines may argue that he believed his actions were authorized by the government or the national Republican Party.
“Shaun Hansen, of Spokane, Wash., is accused of paying $2,500 to have employees at Idaho-based Mylo Enterprises place hundreds of hang-up calls to phone lines offering voters rides to the polls on Nov. 5, 2002. Among the contests decided that day was the close U.S. Senate race in which Republican Rep. John Sununu beat outgoing Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
“Three others have been convicted for their roles in the scheme, including James Tobin of Bangor, Maine, President Bush’s former campaign chairman for New England. That, along with phone records showing key figures in the phone jamming had regular contact with the White House as the scheme unfolded, has prompted Democrats to suggest the administration was involved.”
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/07/07/gop_jamming_defendant_may_say_he_believed_govt_authorized_it/
*****
Unlike the situation you cite of locals acting on their own (which was bad enough), you must be OUTRAGED that the national Republican party helped throw the close election of Jean Shaheen.
WOW, lots of conspiracy theorists…
Tony -We could make a lot of money selling tinfoil hats right now :)I’ll fold ‘em you market ‘em :)
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/states/wicharge012405.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1559746/posts
You got your facts wrong! They were taking people to the polls, the 25 vehicles were parked at GOP Hdqtrs, and the Democrats slashed their tires. Wisconsin was a close race and went for Kerry.These Dems that were convicted were highly connnected, and did claim as part of their defense that they were working on behalf of higher ups in the Party.