After watching the HBO Documentary, “Hacking Democracy,” currently airing on Home Box Office channels, I wouldn’t go near a Diebold ‘touch screen’ voting system with – well you get the idea.
As a skeptic who also happens to be a professional software developer, the evidence that was brought to light in the documentary confirmed suspicions I have had regarding the integrity of these systems.
I have previously read of reported security flaws in the systems that given my knowledge and expertise with software, I considered likely possibilities. With what I witnessed in the documentary along with my familiarity with software platforms and programming languages that are used with these systems, I am extremely confident that I am knowledgeable enough to reproduce hacked results as demonstrated.
The documentary displayed how results using Diebold optical scanning equipment could be altered leaving virtually no trace that the alteration had been made. However, with the optical scanning systems, there is at least a paper trail – the ballots themselves could be hand counted. However, a touch screen system would not leave such a trail, but could never-the-less be manipulated in the same fashion.
In the 2000 election, a Florida precinct reported that Al Gore received a negative vote total. In 2004, a precinct in Ohio reported more votes for Bush than there were registered voters. I likely could devise hacks or intended design to these systems that would ensure that not only would such anomalies not occur, but that could conceivably predetermine the resulting percentages at the precinct level.
Two articles on electronic voting issues appeared in the same edition of The Record, on Friday, November 3rd. The one on the front page is subtitled “Election officials say fears overblown,” and the second, at the top of page A5, is entitled, “Election officials agree vote count won’t be glitch-free.” Thus there is agreement among the officials that they do not expect to get absolutely precise results, but that we shouldn’t worry about it. No such statement would ever be made or accepted about ATM and electronic financial transactions.
Election manipulation has been going on throughout our history – some of it even legal such as gerrymandering, although almost all of it unethical including voter suppression. During the 1960 presidential election, it came to light that in Cook County, Illinois, the dead managed to rise from the grave and cast votes. Elections this year have already shown additional vulnerabilities of electronic voting such as ‘coincidental’ power failures on the day of the election. Does anyone have a battery?
I’m actually in favor of utilizing technology to modernize and standardize our election process, but that will prove difficult without impacting states rights and privacy issues. It is impossible, however to accomplish it without trading secrecy and profit motive for transparency and real oversight.
Additionally, until we get rid of the monopoly of the two-party system that lends itself to corruption, the true will of voters will continue to be drowned out by special interests and extremist positions. Partisan politics is mindless, and diminishes the integrity and value of our democracy. This election I voted across the spectrum – for Republican to Democratic to Libertarian to Green candidates. I voted for some taxes and bonds and against others. I did my research on each candidate and initiative and avoided relying only on name recognition or party affiliation. Instead, I looked at how each stand on the issues which are important to me, to all of us, and to our posterity and I did not rely on single sources of information.
So, why do I bother casting my vote and participating in a system that I know is rigged? Well, for the same reason that I get in line at the off-ramp even while I watch some drivers with Machiavellian mindsets cutting ahead and backing up traffic for the rest of us. Additionally, if I don’t vote, it will be a certainty that I cannot catch it being stolen.
I vote with an absentee ballot, which uses an optical scanning system in San Joaquin County in lieu of the touch screen system provided at polling places, and I make and keep copies of my ballot in both digital and hardcopy form before submitting it, and then I hand-deliver it to avoid any postal issues. Oh – and I keep the stub from the original ballot.
If I were a Registrar of Voters or a Secretary of State, I would be very cautious before proceeding to certify results.