Roger Hedgecock Flashfax: Computerized Voting Nightmares II (Mar 3, 2004)

ROV TO VOTERS: SCREW YOU!!

(get over it!!)

YESTERDAYS VOTE SNAFU with Black Box Voting never happened. It's not even yesterdays news. The screw up got a little bit of air play but then came the vote count and today we'll be doing the vote results and analysis and we ain't got no airtime (nor print space) for silly complaints about not being able to vote in America. Hey, stuff happens. Get over it, okay? And who said voting was a right anyway?

USTA BE when folks of color had problems voting or were turned away from polling places that all heck broke out. U.S. Justice Department filed civil and criminal cases. Jesse Jackson would fly in with an entourage and fire up the rally crowd. Liberal media would get foam faced. Sometimes we'd have folks in military garb with guns making sure folks got to vote.

AS ROGER REPORTED YESTERDAY the Justice Department does have election monitors in California to ensure a valid vote. We talked with the department folks and they seemed real non-plussed about folks not getting to vote because of machine screw ups. Now we suspect that if we had told the person we spoke with in D.C. that a dozen Somalian refugees had not been allowed to vote then the national guard would have been called out.

IN FLORIDA folks actually got to vote.but were too stupid to do the vote right and they stopped the universe. We had weeks of live TV coverage of folks in rooms turning paper ballots sideways and upside down to "guess," the vote intent of folks who thought Al Gore was Pat Buchanan.

THE SECRET FOLKS is the absentee ballot. Don't never vote otherwise. Given the total lack of concern about the recent Black Box Vote (disenfranchisement) outrage were not even sure that is a guarantee that our vote will count nor go unmanipulated.but at least there is a hard copy of our vote record.

AND KUDOS BY THE WAY.to the thousands of folks who were turned away from the polls yesterday and persisted. Some folks returned to polling places two and three times before they could vote. Others went to other polling places (some directed to different districts which meant they could not vote for state assembly or senate or even municipal offices.this alone should disqualify the election) and re-arranged their entire day schedule.TO VOTE!! We do not know how many thousands did not persist.we expect a lot of folks couldn't find time for a second attempt to vote or left town on business or whatever.

AND NOTE PLEASE.we post several items on ROGER'S Homework page today about Black Box Voting (the few that there were). San Bernardino County had trouble "counting," it's Black Box Vote. We haven't heard of problems up in LA County.there they adopted a new vote system.but their's allows you to "ink" a spot on a piece of paper to cast your ballot. Didn't Sally McCormack usta to be our Registrar of Voters? She never did like the Black Box.

AND ONE MORE.ONE MORE!! Was it not our county board of supervisors that opted to use the Diebold Black Boxes when other avenues were available. Supervisor Bill Horn wants a probe.of what the Board of Supervisors? And you all paid 31 million bucks for yesterdays vote fraud. Take it in the shorts and write the check too..

Roger Hedgecock Flashfax: Computerized Voting Nightmares (Mar 2, 2004)

KOGO/AM 600 - 3P - 6P (Pacific)

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

THE RADIO MAYOR OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

TUESDAY, MARCH 2ND , 2004

TODAY ON THE RADIO: Vote Day California…The Primary. Want to bet there’s a bunch of chat on vote screw ups today? We’ve been predicting doom in this space for months. Doom has arrived. (team coverage coming up?). Call and tell ROGER about your vote experience. Are they gonna toss this election. And tune in as ROGER’S puts the vote folks on the griddle. Local, state and federal. Your calls welcome all three hours today. You are the guest. Our polling place opens at 3:07 on the nose.

HELP AMERICA VOTE??

(can you spell disenfranchisement boys and girls?)

THIS FLASH IS GONNA TELL IT’S OWN STORY…ROGER got a ton of first person email this morning detailing troubles with Black Box Vote. Many of the writers left the polling place without being able to vote. Many will not take the time (nor have the time in many cases) to return a second time and attempt to vote. Based on the sampling of e-mail we have to assume that thousands were either deprived of their right to vote this morning or may have cast ballots that they had not intended.

THIS IS NOT A SURPRISE…for months in this space we have posted nearly a hundred or more articles and scores of websites and several studies and plenty of testimony from experts that Black Box voting would deprive us of our sacred right to cast the ballot. Mainmedia even got somewhat involved (San Jose Mercury News foremost amongst the newspapers) as we drew closer to today. We knew this was going to happen. The California Secretary of State knew this was going to happen. We are even voting on machines in many CA counties that have not been certified for security much less whether they will actually record a vote.

AND FOR AS MANY MONTHS we’ve argued that punch card voting works. The entire federal project called Help America Vote is ridiculous, unnecessary and extremely expensive. But worse we have been robbed of our right to determine the course of our nation.

THIS ELECTION MUST NOT STAND!! We must vote again and with a sheaf of paper that I can hold in my hand and make my mark upon.

BELOW WE POST FAR TOO MANY (but a mere sampling) of the first person vote stories in ROGER’S email this morning. A sampling is what the statisticians like to call a reflection of the whole. Based solely upon the emails below this election must not stand.

ROGER INVITES YOU TO CALL THE RADIO PROGRAMME TODAY AND TELL YOUR VOTE STORY.

SORRY ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THIS FLASH BUT WE THINK YOU’LL FIND EACH TESTIMONY BELOW TO BE COMPELLING AND SCARY AS HELL!! (where’s the 7 second delay?)

THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY VOTE…MARCH 2ND, 2004

I tried to vote this morning in Downtown San Diego, and couldn't since the machines didn't work. I waited for 40 minutes, but the staff couldn't even get through to anyone because the phone lines were all tied up with other problems. I have a job, and attend school tonight, so it looks like I will not be able to vote. What a joke, they don't even have a backup plan for these types of problems.

Why do we spend so much time and effort in our society to cater to stupid people who can't figure out how to vote? It's a dog eat dog world and the strong should survive IMHO. This has just reached the point of absurdity.

*****

Just thought I would tell you about my voting experience today. I arrived at my assigned polling place at 7:30 this morning. I was greeted by several smiling poll workers who informed me that the computers for the touch screen voting were not working. They could not tell me when they would be fixed, because they did not know when a technician would be arriving to fix the problem.

They did tell me that I could vote in Kearny Mesa or any other polling place. They mentioned that Lakeview Elementary was also a polling place but they could not tell me if the computers were working there. I got in my car and called the Registrar to find the next nearest WORKING polling place, but the lines were busy. My only opportunity for voting is in the morning, due to my schedule I would not be able to vote late or drive to Kearny Mesa to vote.

The computers at the elementary school were working and as I was standing in line a worker from yet another polling place came by to find out if they could send their voters on over. I was handed a provisional application and read down the 6 reasons for voting at a poll that was different from the one that I was assigned. There were no check boxes for "Computer screw-up at assigned poll." The closest was something like "I choose not to vote at my assigned location".

I checked this box since I had to check something. This is the first time I have ever had to LIE in order to vote!

When I filled out the application I asked the poll worker if it was filled out correctly and they replied: "It looks good enough, if it isn't then it's our fault". They were in the process of doing about 10 of these provisional applications at once and looked completely overwhelmed.

I did get to vote, but I wonder how may people were left out today. There are thousands of people that cannot just get in a car and go somewhere else to vote, I can only hope they are all democrats.

*****

I arrived at my polling place in Lakeside at 6:45AM. I was first in line. I left at 7:15 when there was 8 people in line. The card encoding computer still was not operating. The man behind me in line was a fireman on his way to work. He said if he couldn't vote now he would not be able to vote. The poll workers were trying to call the help line but it was always busy.

comments: As of last Wednesday our family had not received our absentee ballots, I called the Registrar of Voters and was told our ballots were mailed out that Monday. We did not receive them until late Friday afternoon. Being that that don't accept Post Marks we had to drive down Saturday and deliver them to the Registrar of Voters. My question is how many people received theirs late, mailed them and they won't be counted? It is something to check on.

*****

comments: As of last Wednesday our family had not received our absentee ballots, I called the Registrar of Voters and was told our ballots were mailed out that Monday. We did not receive them until late Friday afternoon. Being that that don't accept Post Marks we had to drive down Saturday and deliver them to the Registrar of Voters. My question is how many people received theirs late, mailed them and they won't be counted? It is something to check on.

*****

They couldn't get the computer to start this morning and when they called for support, they received nothing but busy signals. I, along with dozens more, walked away without voting. How is this better than the punch cards? I can't remember ever being turned away due to a malfunction of that equipment!

*****

comments: Went to vote this morning in Carlsbad - voting systems are down! They had me sign in, then I waited for 15 minutes... and finally had to walk away (~7:20am) to go to work. I heard on 760AM that this was happening all over the county! I am loosing my chance to vote because of this mess. Please make this a major issue - no excuse cuts it in my book...

Brad

*****

Hi Roger,

Well, guess what. I went to vote this morning and at my polling place in Poway, the computers were down!!!!!! Can't vote!!!!!!!!!!! I want my punch card back!!!!!!!!!!! I know enough to make sure there are no hanging chads.

They told me to come back later, but gee, I have a job to go to, kids to take to orthodontist and girl scouts this afternoon, and a family to feed tonight. When am I going to find time to go back?

I am quite upset as I purposely got up early this morning to go vote before work. Now I feel like my rights are being infringed on because I may not get to vote today.

(But I will. Somewhere in my busy schedule I will find the time to get over to the polls this afternoon.)

*****

I don't know what your position was on these new voting machines, but I was against them for a variety of reasons not the least of which was the cost and of course the concern that they may not work or can be tampered with.

I went to my polling place this morning and you and I could have guessed it, the machines aren't working, and the folks are having problems finding someone who can fix them.

I wonder how many people will be turned away this morning who will not have the time to get to the polls later today.

I wonder how many polling places are having similar problems.

I can remember a time recently when the power was out, but we could still vote because we didn't need electricity to use the punch cards.

As I thought, and many others predicted, this is a mess before it gets started.

*****

Well Roger, it looks as though for the first time in 26 years I will not be able to vote in an election. I went to my polling place here in Lakeside. After waiting in line for 30 minutes or so I was told the computer was down and they had no idea when it would be back up. Around 25 people or so in line all turned and left for one reason for another. Most looked as though they had to head for work. I was in the same predicament. I called the Registrar Of Voters and they told me they were working on the problem and had no idea when the computer would be up. The only solution they gave was to go to the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa and vote there. I work a 12 hour shift and was given a window of opportunity by my employer to vote. That window closed fast once I waited and found out I was out of luck at the poling place I go to. So it looks as though it was not a hanging chad that caused me grief but a hang up in a system that should have been tried before the 7:00 hour to see if it indeed worked. I am not sure how many of the 25 or so others will be able to make it back. Not to mention the many who have arrived since only to be turned away. Thanks for listening. I enjoy the show.

*****

voted this a.m. (in Escondido on El Camino Dr.- near the country club) and the following occurred, which may or may not be a problem.

After completed all my votes, the Voting Summary appeared and as I reviewed my votes, I noted that the summary did not include my vote for George Bush (which would not be problem since he was the only choice), and my NO vote on Proposition 56 did not appear on the summary. I went back to the previous screens and confirmed that I had voted on 56. I called one of the precinct workers and went over the problem with her. She made a note of my name and my vote, as well as another NO vote by one of my neighbors. She did not, however, call the Registrar, which I did when I got home. They didn't know what caused the problem or how to correct it. I told them that my concern was that the vote was not recorded.

This is probable nothing - but wouldn't it be a disaster if all the YES votes were properly recorded and all or part of the NO votes were not??!!

*****

Hi Roger,

I just go through voting and the problem that I had that I wanted to let you know about is that when I hit the "no"key on the screen, the "yes" key got the "X". Also, when I selected a candidate, the candidate above the one I selected got the "X". This happened more than once. I had to fight with the stupid machine to get it to put my "X" where I wanted it.

I did eventually vote and correctly, but I had to fight with the machines so often, it was a real problem. I notfied the workers at my polling station that this was happening and they said they would mark the machine as not working properly. I don't know if they did because I had to leave.

The old system worked just fine. This new system will cause many problems. So much for progress.

*****

Good Morning Guys,

I've had a very interesting time trying to vote this AM. Below is my story:

Went to vote at 7:03 AM and was 9th in line. The first 2 in line voted and then the "computer" locked up The poll workers were panicked and didn't know what to do - they couldn't get thru to anyone on the # they had 6 people ahead of me gave up I was upset with the lack of action and went back to my car, using my cell phone called the registrar of voters office listed on the front of my voter pamphlet, got thru to a live body, gave him my precinct # and walked back to the polling place, handed my phone over to the precinct captain who inadvertently hit a key on the phone disconnecting the call. The captain tried to call the number he had on his instructions and got a busy signal.

I stepped outside and redialed the registrar of voters, got thru again and handed the phone off once more. They were able to walk the captain thru the computer reset and eventually got the precinct back up and running. All this took about 20 minutes from start to finish.

I voted and left for work with very little assurances that my vote would be saved and counted.

Several things I noticed, however should be mentioned:

The computer was running "Microsoft CE" - not a very robust/secure system in my humble opinion

The precinct had no written step by step instructions on what to do if the computer locked up or had a power failure

The computer was plugged into a power strip under the sign-in table where anyone could tap the "on-off" switch inadvertently (or on purpose?) with their foot

There was no UPS (uninterruptible power supply - battery) connected to the computer - strange on a rainy day when we could have power outages

I hope my experience was an isolated one, however listening to the LA news on the way into Orange County (where I work) I wonder? - time for some more "Pink Liquid" instead of my usual morning coffee!

Best Regards

A concerned voter ? In Carlsbad

*****

Talk about disenfranchising a voter:

I went to my local polling place (Wesleyan Church of Lakeside, 9455 Los Coches Rd.) at 7am this morning.

The computers "would not work" and I was told I could either wait (they were trying to reach the "help line" or go to another poll and vote "provisionally"..... But, they had no provision for me to cast a paper ballot.

Now, I was already late for work and un-able to vote. Fortunately, I will be able to vote later... but only by skipping a previous commitment.

The bigger problem was a firefighter standing in front of me in line. He was late for his 24hour shift and now was not going to be able to vote at all!!!

Why is there no provision for: faulty computers, lack of power, etc......

Seems like VERY bad planning... based on the fact that some people are not held accountable for

Casting a "proper" ballot.

YIKES!!!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA

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