Bush in Wisconsin
Today George W. Bush visited Concordia University in Mequon, WI. Click here for images from today's not-so-welcoming committee.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Attack of the Killer Voting Machines
Things You Should Know (and Some Things You're Not Allowed to Know) About Virtual Voting
By J.R. Engeriser, Milwaukee Urban Star
Six months from now Americans will cast their votes in what some are calling the most important election of their lifetime. With all of the critical issues involved this time around, and with all of the questions the 2000 presidential election left in our minds, you may be thinking, “someone had better darn well make sure that the right people end up in office this time”. A new breed of machines manufactured by a private company called Diebold, Inc. is on the job.
You may be acquainted with Diebold machines from other things they do for you from day to day, such as spitting out cash from your checking account, or transporting that amazing plastic tube back and forth between you and the drive-thru pharmacist at Walgreens. In November of this year, computerized Diebold machines and others like them will take over the collection and tallying of the votes of 50 million Americans. The age of virtual voting is here.
Recently we had the opportunity to interview DRE, a Diebold voting machine.
STAR: Please tell us a little about how electronic voting machines will benefit voters.
DRE: One of the benefits the machines will provide Americans is to rid them of obsolete voting systems. Who can forget the debacle of hanging chads in the Florida 2000 recount? Diebold machines will not cause such problems because we do not work like punch-card systems. In fact, beyond our on-screen interface, users are not allowed to know how we work. It is a trade secret.
STAR: What would you say to people who feel the system of tallying votes in America should be an open book to us and that election officials should definitely have complete access?
DRE: That’s a good question. In reality, humans are no longer needed in connection with auditing and recounting because the machines are automatically executing these tasks as they operate! I would invite the critics to just sit back, relax, and let us do our job. Computers don’t make mistakes, humans do.
STAR: Haven't there been more than 20 documented problems with electronic voting in 12 states over the last two years, in some cases resulting in the wrong candidate being picked by the machine as the winner?
DRE: Whether or not the wrong candidate was picked is a matter of opinion. I happen to like the candidates that were picked! (smiles)
STAR: That brings up my next question. In an invitation to a Republican fund-raiser last year, Walden O'Dell, the CEO of Diebold said he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes for the president next year." Do you think it is a disservice to American voters that the CEO of a company that makes voting machines has such close ties to the campaign to re-elect George W. Bush? (more on this)
DRE: Not anymore a disservice than when Katherine Harris acted as both Florida's Secretary of State in charge of elections and as chairperson of Bush's 2000 campaign in Florida. (more on this)
STAR: Why is it that an ATM can issue a paper receipt for a banking transaction, but an electronic voting machine cannot create any type of printed verification or paper trail? (more on this)
DRE: We can. We just don’t want to.
STAR: It would seem that, unless we start speaking out about what we want from electronic voting, the American people are stuck with you the way you are.
DRE: Bingo.
For more information on electronic voting and fraud visit Bev Haris's site, Black Box Voting.
By J.R. Engeriser, Milwaukee Urban Star
Six months from now Americans will cast their votes in what some are calling the most important election of their lifetime. With all of the critical issues involved this time around, and with all of the questions the 2000 presidential election left in our minds, you may be thinking, “someone had better darn well make sure that the right people end up in office this time”. A new breed of machines manufactured by a private company called Diebold, Inc. is on the job.
You may be acquainted with Diebold machines from other things they do for you from day to day, such as spitting out cash from your checking account, or transporting that amazing plastic tube back and forth between you and the drive-thru pharmacist at Walgreens. In November of this year, computerized Diebold machines and others like them will take over the collection and tallying of the votes of 50 million Americans. The age of virtual voting is here.
Recently we had the opportunity to interview DRE, a Diebold voting machine.
STAR: Please tell us a little about how electronic voting machines will benefit voters.
DRE: One of the benefits the machines will provide Americans is to rid them of obsolete voting systems. Who can forget the debacle of hanging chads in the Florida 2000 recount? Diebold machines will not cause such problems because we do not work like punch-card systems. In fact, beyond our on-screen interface, users are not allowed to know how we work. It is a trade secret.STAR: What would you say to people who feel the system of tallying votes in America should be an open book to us and that election officials should definitely have complete access?
DRE: That’s a good question. In reality, humans are no longer needed in connection with auditing and recounting because the machines are automatically executing these tasks as they operate! I would invite the critics to just sit back, relax, and let us do our job. Computers don’t make mistakes, humans do.
STAR: Haven't there been more than 20 documented problems with electronic voting in 12 states over the last two years, in some cases resulting in the wrong candidate being picked by the machine as the winner?
DRE: Whether or not the wrong candidate was picked is a matter of opinion. I happen to like the candidates that were picked! (smiles)
STAR: That brings up my next question. In an invitation to a Republican fund-raiser last year, Walden O'Dell, the CEO of Diebold said he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes for the president next year." Do you think it is a disservice to American voters that the CEO of a company that makes voting machines has such close ties to the campaign to re-elect George W. Bush? (more on this)
DRE: Not anymore a disservice than when Katherine Harris acted as both Florida's Secretary of State in charge of elections and as chairperson of Bush's 2000 campaign in Florida. (more on this)
STAR: Why is it that an ATM can issue a paper receipt for a banking transaction, but an electronic voting machine cannot create any type of printed verification or paper trail? (more on this)
DRE: We can. We just don’t want to.
STAR: It would seem that, unless we start speaking out about what we want from electronic voting, the American people are stuck with you the way you are.
DRE: Bingo.
For more information on electronic voting and fraud visit Bev Haris's site, Black Box Voting.
