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Bad Week For E-Voting Machines; Florida Follows California In Issuing Report About Security Holes

from the anyone-else? dept

Thu, Aug 2nd 2007 1:53pm — Mike Masnick

E-voting firms aren't having a particularly good week. Just days after research commissioned by the state of California showed vulnerabilities in many e-voting systems, a study commissioned by the state of Florida found serious security issues with Diebold's optical scan technology. While the article suggests that this is one of the first times the security has been questioned on optical scan machines (where there is still a paper trail, but these machines are used for counting the votes), there have actually been numerous studies pointing out the problems with Diebold's optical scanners, and how they can easily be hacked. Of course, what's amusing here is that some of the first tests that found the problems with Diebold's optical scanners were done two years ago by a "rogue" elections official in Florida. Of course, back then, the state of Florida didn't launch an immediate investigation. The state hung the elections official, Ion Sancho, out to dry, as the e-voting companies cracked jokes about the vulnerability and teamed up to conspire against him. So, now, years later, we find out that the security vulnerabilities he pointed out then are actually there is anyone apologizing? Doesn't sound like it. In fact, it sounds like Florida politicians are downplaying the security problems with these machines.

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Filed Under: e-voting, florida
Companies: diebold

12 Comments

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Casper, 2 Aug 2007 @ 2:10pm

Duh...
That would be what happens when independent companies are responsible for their own quality control, and they think they can hide behind laws to avoid being forced to allow outside inspections. If these machines are going to take something as important as votes, they better be able to be distributed far and wide without anyone finding a good way to defeat them.
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The Man, 2 Aug 2007 @ 3:01pm

Why
why are we spending money on stupid computer voting machines when the scan tron bubbles work fine. They will never be able to make a hack proof computer voting machine. Someone will always make it their project to hack it, and will eventually get it. Scan trons have problems, but they are low key and "good enough". By using computer voting machines every election will be contested and scandles will ensue. Not everything needs to be upgraded. We only vote every two years anyway. Give me a tax cut and scrap the whole voting machine deal.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2007 @ 3:28pm

Hung out to dry
Corruption reared its ugly head on this issue from the get-go and nobody gave a damn.

"The state hung the elections official, Ion Sancho, out to dry." (That was under Florida Gov. Jeb Bush by the way.)

Honest politicians/officials would have no reason to do that. Of course, for enough money . . . a different story.

Mr. Sancho was even shown testing the Diebold (Lie Bold) equipment in a documentary that explored the whole voting machine issue - I think it was Nova. It failed, of course.
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reed, 2 Aug 2007 @ 3:48pm

Mail in votes counted by Liebold's machines
Recently my state (Washington) switched to only mail in voting that will be counted by Diebold machines. This seems about as smart as tying one hundred pound lead weights to your feet before diving into the ocean for a swim.

I guess if they hide the whole process from us it will be easier to decide who wins and losses. Politicians and big business wins and the American people lose.

Be sure to rush out and vote to put your stamp of approval on our broken system otherwise the government may actually have to change...lol
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- The Man, 2 Aug 2007 @ 4:03pm
  
  Re: Mail in votes counted by Liebold's machines
  Very odd to me that people buy into conspericy theories. You think the government is efficent enough to hide things and keep secrets? A conspiricy to change millions of votes would take a lot of people. There is no way to keep that quiet. In the very least, you know some guy will try to get laid in some bar by bragging how he was involved in voter fraud. The government can not run the DMV, post office, welfare, etc., but they can pull off all of these complex frauds like voter fraud. That is funny.
  
  "Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem"
  --America's greatest hero, Ronald Regan
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  - Charles Griswold, 2 Aug 2007 @ 5:46pm
    
    Re: Re: Mail in votes counted by Liebold's machine
    Very odd to me that people buy into conspiracy theories.
    Theory, heck. I know for a fact that the FDA is behind the massive security holes in the voting machines. The whole thing was masterminded by Elvis Presley's brain (which the FDA is keeping in a jar in Area 51).
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  - Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2007 @ 9:29pm
    
    Re: Re: Mail in votes counted by Liebold's machine
    Very odd to me that people buy into conspericy theories. You think the government is efficent enough to hide things and "keep secrets? A conspiricy to change millions of votes would take a lot of people."
    
    See the election between Al-Gore and George Bush Jr. If it could be done in 2002 you think they couldn't do it lets say 2008? :)
    
    Elections are rigged in 3rd world countries all the time. Are you really saying that with our superior technology we couldn't get it done?
    
    "There is no way to keep that quiet."
    
    With closed systems like Diebold's machines only Diebold really knows what going on. Furthermore their "tallying" software GEMS exports the election results in an plain old excel file that could be manipulated as easily as double clicking on it and changing the numbers!
    
    "In the very least, you know some guy will try to get laid in some bar by bragging how he was involved in voter fraud."
    
    Yeah, you know if I was involved in voter fraud I would get a working class drinking guy to help me. There are not that many people that would need to be involved. If it were a matter of tampering with machines no-one would even know save those that made the modification. Also it comes down to a single person in each area that actually "calls" who won. Not very hard to get a hold of several people to change a result.
    
    "The government can not run the DMV, post office, welfare, etc., but they can pull off all of these complex frauds like voter fraud."
    
    Voter fraud is a reality and it has been proven in countless elections in our history. I seriously don't know what naive world you must live in but it must be a blissful place indeed
    
    That is funny.
    
    No, you are.
    
    "Corporations are not the solution to the problem, Corporations are the problem"
    --America's greatest Neocon, Ronald Regan
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  - Enrico Suarve, 3 Aug 2007 @ 1:14am
    
    Re: Re: Mail in votes counted by Liebold's machine
    The government can not run the DMV, post office, welfare, etc., but they can pull off all of these complex frauds like voter fraud. That is funny
    
    No its sad and shows neatly where their priorities lie - the other stuff doesn't work because it involves more effort and doesn't interest them
    
    Voter fraud on the other hand is actually quite easy (seriously - do some reading on it) and the benefits run easily into trillions for your pals...
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  - Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 12:53pm
    
    Re: Re: Mail in votes counted by Liebold's machine
    You think the government is efficent enough to hide things and keep secrets?
    Absolutely. They can hide a whole city if they want to. Ever hear of the Manhattan project?
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  - SailorRipley, 3 Aug 2007 @ 1:14pm
    
    Re: Re: Mail in votes counted by Liebold's machine
    "You think the government is efficent enough to hide things and keep secrets"
    
    I'm sure they are...after all, for example, we still don't know what really happened on Elm Street, 4 and a half decades ago, or on whose orders...
    
    As for rigging elections, it happens all the time, 3rd world countries, even 1st world countries,...it happens all the time.
    
    The only thing funny (or sad, kinda depends on how you look at it) is that you think voter fraud is (or needs to be) complex...the world proves you wrong...either about those frauds being complex, or governments' ability to pull it off...
    
    naturally, getting a helping hand from the CIA doesn't hurt of course
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  - Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 1:16pm
    
    Re: Re: Mail in votes counted by Liebold's machine
    "...complex frauds like voter fraud"
    
    why would it need to be complex?
    
    All you have to do is change some votes, add some votes or withhold some votes in a swing state...
    
    hey, wait a minute, that sounds familiar....
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Michael G, 2 Aug 2007 @ 6:41pm

Florida...
Having just run from Florida after too many years there I can't help but remember what happened with their last machines during a major presidential election, they broke. Millions of the taxpayers dollars were immediately spent on the new modern e-machines. I also remember the first time voting that the election monitors had no idea how they worked and I was given the machines manual to read before I voted. All this leaves me with one question when it comes to that state, can't they get anything right.
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