Kentucky Election Officials Arrested For Changing Votes On E-Voting Machines

from the security... dept

Fri, Mar 20th 2009 8:47am — Mike Masnick

While there have been plenty of conspiracy theories over the years concerning e-voting machines, none have been particularly compelling. The evidence looked like plenty of incompetence, with buggy machines that had huge security flaws that could be exploited -- but we hadn't heard of any cases of anyone actually being caught tampering with or trying to tamper with votes. That isn't to say it didn't happen. It's possible that it happened and the perpetrators weren't caught -- but it's a big leap from it "could" happen, to it "did" happen. So, most of our coverage here has been very much on the bugs and the flaws, rather than any of the conspiracy theories that floated around.

However, it appears that a group of Kentucky election officials, the circuit court judge and the county clerk, were arrested for changing votes in various elections between 2002 and 2006 on e-voting machines. The details suggest that there were two parts to the vote changing. First, there was traditional vote buying -- where they paid people to vote in a certain way. However, the second involved actually changing voters' votes on ES&S e-voting machines.

It didn't involve any hacking or direct security flaws -- but the elections officials made use of the confusing user interface and process of the e-voting machines to trick voters into leaving before their votes had been cast. That's because there's a "vote" button, that some people (silly them!) assumed meant they actually voted. Nope. It turns out that just gets you to a page to review your vote and then confirm it. However, these elections officials told people that once they hit vote they had voted -- and were then able to go in and change the actual votes.

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Filed Under: arrest, changing votes, corruption, e-voting, kentucky, vote buying, voting

34 Comments

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NSMike, 20 Mar 2009 @ 8:56am

ES&S
Our town uses similar ES&S machines. Thankfully, the people running the place were always clear that you had to confirm your vote before you actually finished voting.

Still, I don't understand why these overly-complicated voting systems that completely counteract common sense make it through review and certification. Well, I suppose I do understand, so stuff like this can happen.
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John Duncan Yoyo, 20 Mar 2009 @ 8:58am

Hanging ain't good enough for 'em
What is the proper punishment for these Bozos? Changing all their votes on American Idol and Dancing with the Stars to start.
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- Anonymous Coward, 20 Mar 2009 @ 1:29pm
  
  Re: Hanging ain't good enough for 'em
  "What is the proper punishment for these Bozos?" Make them watch American Idol and Dancing with the Stars to start.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Mar 2009 @ 9:04am

Sadly, this has nothing to do with the voting machines being electronic, having paper backup, etc.
This same technique could have been done with paper ballots or the old booth machines with the pull handle.
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- Chronno S. Trigger, 20 Mar 2009 @ 9:18am
  
  Re:
  Not really. With a paper ballet, once it's punched it can't be un-punched.
  
  This is more of the end user not reading before they click (how most spyware gets installed). This time, they payed attention to the election officials (saying that it was done early) instead of their own eyes (reading a confirmation page and hitting submit). Usually a bad idea.
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Ate Ball, 20 Mar 2009 @ 9:06am

You're kidding me
They allow people from Kentucky to vote? I didn't think their was enough gas in the pickup to get to the booths.
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- Anonymous Coward, 20 Mar 2009 @ 1:33pm
  
  Re: You're kidding me
  Thats why they use your sister as the community bike.
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- The What? Man, 20 Mar 2009 @ 4:32pm
  
  Re: You're kidding me
  We're allowed to vote as much as yourself, you stereotyping jerk.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Mar 2009 @ 9:20am

Sounds as if at the time of the elections the UI was in need of improvement. I wonder if this has been done?
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Mar 2009 @ 9:29am

Welcome to the USSA ... papers please!
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Alan Gerow, 20 Mar 2009 @ 10:09am

The biggest bug in any system is the one between the ears.
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Dan, 20 Mar 2009 @ 11:01am

They should be charged with treason.
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Larry Holmstrom, 20 Mar 2009 @ 11:12am

Vote Fraud
The problems that were exploited by the officials would not have existed if the County had used a voting machine that meets the 2007 Voluntary Voting System Guidelines where "software independence" requires two copies of the ballot to be kept - an electronic copy and a paper copy and the voter was to be given the paper ballot so they could deposit it in the ballot box. The County needs to update to a voting system which has been certfied to the full 2007 Guidelines....
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- shooter, 21 Mar 2009 @ 6:11am
  
  Re: Vote Fraud
  Perhaps that's why they are accused of vote tampering between the years 2002 and 2006?
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Mitch the bitch, 20 Mar 2009 @ 11:39am

If anyone doubts that ballots are being tampered with has to look no further than Barrack Hussein Obama getting elected to see the scope of the criminal activity being perpetrated against AmeriKa...
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- Anonymous Coward, 20 Mar 2009 @ 1:34pm
  
  Re:
  Kentucky voted for McCain
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- me, 22 Mar 2009 @ 2:45am
  
  Re:
  Racist.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Mar 2009 @ 11:41am

Or
Just come up with a real system of machines to evote from. In the day of Open Source software and such there is no reason what so ever to have a closed system that no one else can inspect and help debug. Want to fix that problem, bring it to the open source community and all will be well. I can review your code.. All the bugs will be exposed and fixed in a matter of days.. So all the crooks that are in charge now can get the hell out! Term limits for everything dealing with public service!

We need a law that says all laws have an expiration date attached to them. If they are not renewed then your stupid law expires. Imagine that! I could ride in the back of a pickup truck in Kentucky with a sheep and not be worried about going to prison! YAY!!
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- Anonymous Coward, 20 Mar 2009 @ 12:18pm
  
  Re: Or
  So what happens when your law require the expiration of laws expires ?
  
  Also Term limits for everything dealing with Public services ?
  Would this include Police, Fire, Libraries, Teachers ect ?
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  - Anonymous Coward, 5 May 2009 @ 3:04pm
    
    Re: Re: Or
    eric. u sux
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- Grae, 20 Mar 2009 @ 4:07pm
  
  Re: Or
  Laws already do have an "expiration" it's called a "sunset provision", which means that the law has to be revisited after a set period and re-voted on.
  
  Unfortunately, there is no requirement to actually _read_ any law being re-voted on. So what's a politician to do when faced with a 6,000+ page bill that's reached its "sunset"? Why, just hurry up and vote it through without reading it, of course! They're busy people, and honestly, why should they bother actually representing the people that elected them? It's not like it's their _job_ or anything...
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ColoradoRight, 20 Mar 2009 @ 12:04pm

What Is Missing In The Story you Linked to?
The fact that the elected officials (not sure on the judge) are all Democrats. Its just one of those little things that is always missing from a story about Democrats. The word Republican is always there when its a story about them however.
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- Mike (profile), 20 Mar 2009 @ 1:44pm
  
  Re: What Is Missing In The Story you Linked to?
  The fact that the elected officials (not sure on the judge) are all Democrats. Its just one of those little things that is always missing from a story about Democrats. The word Republican is always there when its a story about them however.
  
  Um. No. We make a conscious effort to never name the political party of either side, because it's usually irrelevant. I'm a member of neither party and dislike both parties. I dislike partisanship, and using the party affiliation distracts from the conversation... which is exactly what you're doing.
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- ColoradoWrong, 20 Mar 2009 @ 5:32pm
  
  Re: What Is Missing In The Story you Linked to?
  What a moron
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eric leidberg, 20 Mar 2009 @ 12:44pm

So...? Democrat or Republican..? Why do people insist on leaving out party affiliation in these stories, afraid of the truth ..?
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- lulz, 20 Mar 2009 @ 1:05pm
  
  Re:
  ... because.. some people .. don't.. care ... about party affiliation. Some also think the 2 party system should be done away with .. so it isn't a priority..?
  ..?..?..?..?..?..?... not that it isn't something to note.. ?
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- Grae, 20 Mar 2009 @ 4:22pm
  
  Re:
  Treachery exists in all political parties in equal measures.
  
  Perception gets warped when individuals hailing from a specific party are elected to (or maneuver themself into) very powerful positions, where their corruption is felt far and wide. Doesn't mean there's more corruption, it just means that more people notice it.
  
  That you're still (in this day and age) latched on to political labels shows you haven't learned (politically) to think for yourself.
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  - Steve, 20 Mar 2009 @ 9:10pm
    
    Re: Re:
    The reason the party affiliation of was left out was our obviously biased news media protecting there beloved party. If you do not believe that then you are vary naive.
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Overcast, 20 Mar 2009 @ 12:49pm

Good, fry these fools. Who cares what party they were with - it doesn't matter.

Vote fraud should be like next in line to treason.
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poegough, 20 Mar 2009 @ 7:54pm

I live here, and RICO is the right charge.
While the confusing voter machine interface is an easy exploit, the underlying truth is that these guys would corrupt any system you put them in to the extent they could. I've been in Cletus Maricle's courtroom, in a technology based case. You may have heard the phrase "home cooked", simply put, the locals hang together to burn non-locals...and local here is about a 30 mile radius. If you read the indictment, the accused are charged with rigging votes in many races over many years, using various methods ranging from bribery to extortion. Senior Judge (and defendant) Maricle is reported as trying to find the home address and vehicle type of the person he suspected as the FBI informant...that certainly smacks of intimidation, if not intent to harm. My point here is that corruption can be exquisitely complicated and sophisticated. The indicted officials showed intellectual capacity and imagination in the number of ways they bent the system. It's a bigger story than the voting machine abuse.

I was asked to audit an election in a county just east of the one reported here, and I believe I could have done a first rate job of spoofing the voting machine reports if I had any agents in the County Clerk's office-what suprises me is that with all the complicty reported here (the Clerk & staff were party to the crime), that the machines were not more sorely perverted.
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- red, 22 Mar 2009 @ 2:56am
  
  Re: I live here, and RICO is the right charge.
  Who were they supporting for US Senate and Presidential races?
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veevee, 23 Mar 2009 @ 12:13am

vote tampering
if you want relly compelling evidence of hinky voting machine hijinks, try bradblog.org or blackboxvoting.org

Or, try figuring out what happened in 2000 when machines tallied differnt numbers for Gore in Florida-taking away thousands of votes (it's why the vote was originally called for him, then against him in FL, people)

I remember seeing a an ABCNews.com story about it late on election night, and making a bookmark for that page
Of course the page doesn't exist anymore but thats not the point

and what about the couple of times (different dates)I voted for a dem only to have the vote switch in front of me to a repub? This has been seen in news reports over and over
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Eleanor, 23 Mar 2009 @ 12:35pm

Why are we saying it's the VOTERS who cheat?
In SC, with no proof of any person trying illegally to vote when they are not a citizen, the legislature is going to pass a photo ID requirement. Guess what voting machines SC uses? The same voting machines that were used in Kentucky.

Now that it's been caught, how many thieves will try to imitate this fraud?
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j s, 25 Jan 2013 @ 6:31pm

Isn't that treason?
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