Wednesday, September 13. 2006
Connecting Maryland's Election Debacle Dots
This election was truly a sad litany of one screwup after another. I wanted to show the events that unfolded during the Maryland primary, the helplessness of the election workers put in an impossible situation, the continued incompetence and blindness of Linda Lamone that caused the problems, and the tone deafness of Lamone and Diebold apologists who refused to listen to good (computer scientists) advice. Had the Maryland State senate passed the legislation to require verified voting, and had the Board of Elections purchased optical scanners instead of Electronic poll books, this mess would not have happened. But Lamone dug her heels in, the State Senate shielded her, and a report written by Glenn Newkirk of InfoSentry was used to further bolster Lamone's argument to keep the paperless machines.
Maryland's Election Debacle and Linda Lamone's Hall of Shame
September 12, 2006. Maryland's primary a disaster!
In spite of the long hours of many dedicated poll workers, Maryland has again embarrassed itself. Poll workers, election officials, election rovers - found themselves in over their heads without a life preserver.
On election day poll workers found themselves scrambling for emergency paper ballots
for voter to use - because the high priced, "high tech" voting machines crashed,
shut down, or flat out couldn't be started up.
What went wrong?
-Many voters went to the polls only to find locked doors.
-Polls across the state opened late due to missing equipment or missing poll workers.
-Many voting machine technical 'rovers' hired were temporary workers hired from a Monster.Com ad.
-Blind voters found that they still could not vote unassisted, the expensive
-Once again, "high tech" voting machines failed in the promise to Help America Vote Act
.
Avi Rubin describes his day working at the polls IN MARYLAND, and the disaster that the new e-poll books caused:
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
My day at the polls - Maryland primary '06
I don't know where to start.
This primary today is the third election that I have worked as an election judge.
Fox news says that some voters were given photo copied ballots
Near the bottom -
Maryland Judge Orders Some Polls to Stay Open Late After Glitches
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
'William Pierce of Silver Spring said officials at his polling
place were offering Democrats photocopied ballots. But since
the single page official ballot is longer than the standard
sized piece of paper, the copied versions ran on several pages,
making it difficult to tell which candidates were running for
which office. Fox News
Voters casting ballots after regular hours got provisional ballots:
Maryland Board of Elections' website says that voters who vote after 8 p.m. will have to cast a provisional ballot "according to federal law."
Turns out this is from HAVA... here's a citation: 42 U.S.C. 15482(c) or §302(c) of HAVA
Blind voters still not able to vote unassisted in Maryland.
A Republican candidate for Lt. Governor in Maryland, who has been blind
since age 13, was unable to vote independently (again).
It appears that poll workers weren't trained in how to activate this feature.
Washington Times
Ironically, Diebold is "partners" with the National Federation of the Blind, which calls itself "the voice of the nation's blind." I am sure that the $million that Diebold gave them had nothing to do with that endorsement at all. Voters Unite
Unqualified help?
Maryland elections were serviced by Rovers supplied by a PDS, a temporary agency.
Looks like anyone off the street might be elligible:
PDS placed an add for Election Rovers at www.Monster.com
EXTRA $$ working on elections!
Earn Extra Cash – Statewide
Maryland Counties
Minimum requirements -
Must have valid driver's license, and proof of auto insurance.
Education Desired: Some High School Coursework
Experience: Less than 1 Year
Diebold adds a new twist to voting - a 2 minute timer.I have neither faith or trust in the machines to handle this properly given that the machines already have a gigantic failure rate.
Machines add features to help system, voters
Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006 If a voter goes two minutes without making a choice, the system will time out, which election officials say will resolve problems that tied up the system in the last election
If only Maryland had gotten those optical scanners with paper ballots that
the governor had pushed for. But True Vote Maryland, a dedicated group of
advocates for verified voting tells the sad story of an election bill that received unanimous support in the state house, but was killed by the senate.
With optical scanners, voters would not have to be turned away even if the machines broke down. Every voter would have been able to cast their vote on paper ballots, and the ballots could be scanned later or easily counted by hand.
Anyone who's fed up with the embarrassment that Maryland Elections has become -
should gather by the county seats (where I'm sure the press will be gathered) with huge signs
FIRE LINDA LAMONE
and/or
HUMAN ERROR = LAMONE'S FAULT
This problem will NOT go away as long as Linda Lamone is overseeing elections. She will be an impediment to any hopes of having verified voting as long as she is in office.
Maryland's Elections Administrator , Linda Lamone (Democrat) is a staunch defender of Diebold, President of the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), and the most vociferous advocate for paperless voting in the United States. With Democrats a majority in the state legislature, and with Maryland's Elections Adminstrator also a Democrat, there is no one left to blame.
No Accountability in Election Management = No Accountability in Elections
2002 Lawmakers give Lamone a job for life: it is virtually impossible to remove
this administrator no matter what she does.
"From time immemorial, state law allowed governors to appoint the state elections administrator — the person who oversees state elections. ...
Then, in 1998, when Democratic lawmakers feared Ellen Sauerbrey might defeat Parris Glendening, they shifted the appointment power to the elections board, controlled by Democrats. When Ehrlich became governor in 2002, the Democratic legislature changed the rules even further — now Linda Lamone can only be removed by an 80 percent supermajority of the full elections board and even when removed she keeps her job until her successor is approved (if ever) by the state Senate, controlled by Democrats!
The Gazette
Digging the hole deeper:
Maryland's Director of Elections, Linda Lamone further protected Diebold's stake in MD by investing more money in Diebold Electronic Poll Books instead of reliable and auditable paper ballot optical scan machines:
...the State Board of Elections quietly tried to sneak a $13 million sweetheart deal with Diebold Election Systems, Inc., through the Board of Public Works to buy electronic pollbooks.. True Vote MD
Protecting Diebold -
Maryland Hires a Sympathetic Consultant and Ignore Computer Scientists:
March 2006 -Maryland's elections department hired a consultant, Glenn Newkirk,
President of Info Sentry to report on the state's voting machine security. Newkirk's report was used to support Linda Lamone's desire to keep the Diebold machines and not buy new paper ballot optical scanners.
World renowned e-voting expert Dr. David L. Dill rebutted Newkirk's report calling it "propaganda"- stating that it as "useless as a basis for policymaking on that question".
"I have recently obtained this report. The report it is not a security
evaluation of the voting machines, nor a "study," nor even an opinion
piece. It is propaganda, with the obvious intent of persuading
Maryland to keep it's Diebold AccuVote-TS touch-screen machines.
The only data or facts cited are from well-known publications -- and those
quotations are chosen selectively in many cases to distort the truth...
In summary, Newkirk's essay is not a serious discussion of the
technical or policy aspects of voting machine security, and is useless
as a basis for policymaking on that question."
Dr. Dill, says the Diebold TS and TSX have major security flaws, and with additional
studies, "even more security flaws are found."
Others question Newkirk's credentials and qualifications:
According to his C.V. Mr. Newkirk has an impressive record of consulting work on
elections and other projects with a variety of state and local governments, and with private business, but no academic degree in computer science. What is most interesting about Newkirk's resume is that all his academic work was in poli sci or International Relations -- not computer science. And according to his resume, he didn't finish his phD
Many publications are listed, but, as far as I can tell, none that were peer reviewed...
More at NC Voter's blog
Citizens in Wake County North Carolina found themselves up against Newkirk who
was recommending touchscreens there.Fortunately, officials listened to the citizens and not to Newkirk: *Wake rejects touch-screen voting* February 13 News and Observer
Too bad Maryland officials were not as wise.
Linda Lamone - blowing taxpayer $ and confidence - while helping Diebold's bottom line
Meanwhile, as the high tech Diebold machines continue to shake the confidence of
Maryland voters, the Governor advises the Chairman of Maryland's State Board of Elections of gigantic cost increases and plummeting votiner confidence:
the state has received a "1000% increase for estimates of the annual maintenance costs for this system..."
The 2001 fiscal note estimated such maintenance would be $858,000. For the upcoming fiscal year, the State Board of Elections requested $9,528,597 for these costs. The cost of Maryland’s Diebold voting machines has skyrocketed as our confidence in the system has plummeted.
"Astonishingly, the State Administrator recently submitted a supplemental budget request that increases these statewide costs from $175,000 to $11.5 million. Read more at Vote Trust USA
On his Sept 13 show, Lou Dobbs addresses the "human error" excuse that Maryland Election officials blame this debacle on:
"I think when everyone was blaming this on human error, Diebold, I think you said this, said it was human error, not their vaunted machines. I think it is human error.
The error of buying and purchasing those Diebold machines, certainly at least in Maryland.
~ The Linda Lamone's Primary Election Hall of Shame ~
MD: BREAKING: Train Wreck In Maryland Primary
MD: Long delays reported as primary gets under way
MD: Poll problems reported in Maryland
MD: Maryland Judge Orders Some Polls to Stay Open Late After Glitches
MD: Anne Arundel County - Voting goes smoothly despite hiccups
MD: Montgomery County - MontCo polls get one-hour extension
MD: Montgomery County - Election Glitches Thwart Montgomery Voters
MD: Montgomery County - Polling Places Fail To Open On Time
MD: Montgomery County - Human errors contribute to election day glitches as polls open
MD: Montgomery County - County Officials Must Count Voters' Provisional Ballots
MD: Blind voter on her own
MD: Avi Rubin - My day at the polls - Maryland primary '06
MD: Editorial - The Mess in Montgomery. Those responsible for the failure to prepare polling stations must be held accountable.
MD: Opinion - Primary debacles
MD: Everyone's Getting Touchy About Voting
MD: Electronic system beset by problems. Balloting glitches frustrate voters
MD: Ehrlich slams elections chief
MD: Can't anyone run a simple election anymore?
MD: Electronic system beset by problems. Balloting glitches frustrate voters
MD: Maryland Voters Vote in Primary Election
MD: Baltimore - Maryland Officials Vow To Fix Polling Problems
MD: Montgomery County - Maryland Election Glitches Prompt Investigation
MD: Montgomery County - Montgomery forgets to issue vote cards
MD: Montgomery County - Card snafu fixed by late morning, but voters angry
~ The Linda Lamone's 2004 Presidential Election Hall of Shame ~
3/8/2005 Machine malfunction MD All Maryland voting machines have been on ''lockdown'' since November 2, 2004 due to statewide machine failures including 12% of machines in Montgomery County, some of which appear to have lost votes in significant numbers.
According to the IT Report to the Montgomery County Election Board, dated December 13, 2004, screen freezes, which occurred on 106 voting units were "the most serious of errors" because many "froze when the voter pressed the Cast Ballot button." As a result "election judges are unable to provide substantial confirmation that the vote was in fact counted." Story Archive
11/23/2004 Machine malfunction MD TrueVoteMD's trained election observers 201 machine malfunction in the 108 precincts they observed, which represent 6% of the state's precincts. Among the problems were 42 instances of machine crashes, 30 screen malfunctions, 17 instances when votes were switched on the screen, 37 problems with the ballot encoder, and 16 incidents in which the ballot was incorrect or incomplete. Story Archive
11/4/2004 Machine malfunction MD Data transmission failures occurred in 14 precincts. Story
11/3/2004 Ballot secrecy violation MD One complaint heard across Maryland was that voters were a little uncomfortable with a lack of privacy, which allowed others to see how they cast their votes. Story Archive
11/3/2004 Machine malfunction MD Poll watchers report vote counts that did not match the check-in numbers. Story Archive
11/3/2004 Machine malfunction MD Nine voting machines ran out of battery power and nearly 40 votes may have been lost in Palm Beach County. The nine machines at a Boynton Beach precinct weren't plugged in properly, and their batteries wore down around 9:30 a.m. Story Archive
11/3/2004 Machine malfunction MD The software running on the touch-screen machines used across the state failed to record some votes correctly, jumped to other pages on the ballot without being prompted by the voter and inadvertently omitted some political races, according to TrueVoteMD. "We have received hundreds of calls from across the state," said the group?s co-director. Story Archive
11/3/2004 Machine malfunction MD A woman in Baltimore County pushed her selection for president and senator repeatedly, but couldn?t get the machine to register her choice properly. A man in Montgomery County said the machine skipped right past the presidential and senate races. A woman in Montgomery County tried to make her selection for the county school board, but the machine advanced to the next screen after she had chosen only half of the candidates. Story Archive
11/3/2004 Provisional ballots MD Some people had trouble getting provisional ballots, including a soldier who had recently returned from Iraq, until state elections officials intervened. Story Archive
11/3/2004 Registration fraud MD Hundreds of student voters at the University of Maryland, College Park, were turned away because they had been improperly registered by a campus organization. Story Archive
11/2/2004 Machine malfunction MD Essex County. Problems around the area range from missing keys to inoperable machines to a lack of extension cords. Story
11/2/2004 Malfeasance MD Essex County. An election judge left a polling place at Sandalwood Elementary School in Essex, saying he forgot something at home. When he returned, he was fired over the phone. Voters who had to wait were allowed to vote by provisional ballot. Story
10/26/2004 Ballot secrecy violation MD Absentee ballots have an identifier on the outside envelope, indicating the party of the voter. Election watchers say the party tags invite fraud because a ballot handler who disagrees with a voter's party choice could simply throw out his or her ballot. Maryland State Board of Elections officials maintain there is no cause for concern, but they have also said they might discontinue the practice in future elections. Story Archive
See Voters Unite 2004 Election Problems Archives
Staggering "The Lamone's" Misadventures - from www.truevotemd.us
Thursday, May 18, 2006 Lamone's letter to the State Treasurer
Tuesday, March 14, 2006 Request of Public Inquiry Over Uncertified Software Used in Montgomery County
Monday, February 13, 2006 NOTICE: Hearing On SB 713 Scheduled for 2/16/06 at 1:00pm.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006 TrueVoteMD Corrects Lamone Testimony Against HB244
Tuesday, February 07, 2006 Email from Maryland Department of Budget and Management
Monday, August 29, 2005 Administrator Lamone Responds to "Tell The Truth" Campaign!
Monday, August 29, 2005 Executive Summary of Proposed Study
Wednesday, July 20, 2005 Diebold Election Day Failures
Thursday, July 14, 2005 TrueVoteMD writes letter to Baltimore City
Friday, June 24, 2005 California Voter Foundation writes to SOS requesting Public Comment on VVPAT
Saturday, May 28, 2005 BackTalk- Salisbury DFA Program 1. Electronic Voting
Monday, April 18, 2005 State Election Board Re-Defines Voting As Pushing DRE Button
Thursday, March 10, 2005 Request for Records Related to Election Day 2004
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 Emerging Scandal on MD Voting Machine Performance
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 TrueVoteMD Receives Matching Challenge Grant
Monday, November 22, 2004 Disability Advocacy Group Endorses Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail on Electronic Voting Machines
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 Vigil for Democracy & Rally for a Paper Audit Trail
Saturday, August 21, 2004 Lawsuit Hearing
Monday, August 16, 2004 MD Business Leaders Urge Attorney General to Act on a VVPT
Friday, August 13, 2004 Unitarian Universalist Association Resolution on Electronic Voting
Monday, August 09, 2004 Eight Plaintiffs Filed Petitions
Monday, July 19, 2004 The Truth about SBE's Myths vs. Facts
Wednesday, July 14, 2004 TrueVoteMD Speaker's Bureau Starting
Wednesday, June 09, 2004 MD Alert: Election Integrity Deserves a
Thursday, March 18, 2004 TrueVoteMD and True Majority Hold Press Conference Spotlighting Ads
Tuesday, March 16, 2004 San Diego Election Worker Posts Experiences With Diebold Machines
Friday, March 12, 2004 TrueVoteMD Supporters Testify at State Senate Hearing
Tuesday, March 02, 2004 Avi Rubin's Turn at Being an Election Judge in Maryland
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Takoma Park supports legislation
Wednesday, January 14, 2004 House Bill 53: Election Law - Voting Systems - Voter-Verified Paper Records
Wednesday, November 05, 2003 Formal Complaint Filed
Saturday, October 04, 2003 Democratic National Committee Resolution for a Voter-Verified Paper Trail
Friday, September 26, 2003 Commentary on the SAIC Report
Tuesday, September 23, 2003 Maryland Board of Elections statement on the SAIC Report
Sunday, September 21, 2003 Maryland Board of Elections Voting System Security Action Plan
Tuesday, September 02, 2003 SAIC Report: Risk Assessment Report: Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting System and Processes
Thursday, August 07, 2003 Governor Ehrlich orders review of Diebold system
Wednesday, August 06, 2003 The Diebold AccuVote TS Should be Decertified
Friday, August 01, 2003 The Hopkins Team response
Wednesday, July 30, 2003 Rebuttal from Diebold
Wednesday, July 23, 2003 Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute Technical Report
Wednesday, February 19, 2003 Ballot Check: Computerized Voting Comes Under Fire in Georgia and California
Wednesday, December 11, 2002 Computerized Balloting is Taking Over Elections In Maryland--But Can We Trust the Results?
Wednesday, October 30, 2002 The Vote Counters: Computerized Ballot-Counting Systems Under Fire
See True Vote Maryland's Timeline of Events
~ Litigation ~
Friday, July 15, 2005 Transcripts of Schade vs. MD State Board of Elections
Tuesday, October 12, 2004 TrueVoteMD Files First Amendment Suit to Gain Access to Polls
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 Petitioner's Brief for the emergency appeal
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 Court Order for an Emergency Appeal
Saturday, September 04, 2004 Emergency Appeal of Circuit Court Decision
Monday, August 09, 2004 E-Voting Plaintiffs Appeal to MD's Highest Court
Friday, June 25, 2004 Maryland Plaintiffs File Motion for Preliminary Injunction
Wednesday, April 21, 2004 Maryland Voters File Suit to Force Paper Trail
Sunday, March 28, 2004 SBE Proclaims Itself Above the Law
See True Vote MD's Litigation
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Finally it becomes bi-partisan - a Democrat steps up and does the right thing - he calls for the replacement of Maryland's top elections official, Linda Lamone. (The Democratic Party has a long history of shielding Ms. Lamone regardless of her massiv
Tracked: Oct 11, 09:33