Incredibly Scary: Watch E-Voting Machine in West VA Flip Votes

Posted by Liza Sabater, Culture Kitchen at 2:32 PM on October 28, 2008.

Electronic voting machines "flip votes" even after they have been calibrated properly.

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Via BradBlog we have two videos. The first one shows an early voter recounting how the machine kept flipping her vote from Democrat to Republican :

In this second video we can see West Virginia Jackson County Clerk, Jeff Waybright demonstrate how when their electronic voting machines (ES&S iVotronic) "flip votes" even after they have been calibrated properly:

Tagged as: west virginia, paper ballots, electronic voting

Liza Sabater blogs at Culture Kitchen.

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RE: So what? [Report this comment] Posted by: helenahanbasquet on Oct 28, 2008 3:30 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I'm glad it's being documented and that the woman in the first video had it together well enough to file a complaint. I wonder how many other places are experiencing this problem. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] funny..... [Report this comment] Posted by: gallery on Oct 28, 2008 3:30 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] they only seem to be wrong in one direction. "I'll try it again.... straight republican ticket..... see, it works fine" [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: funny..... Posted by: anna132 If it was an actual product that had to perform correctly... [Report this comment] Posted by: lexicon on Oct 28, 2008 3:32 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] THERE IS NO WAY that such a PROFOUND error as allowing a machine to be put into "active, live" mode, while being mis-calibrated, would EVER pass a REAL quality assurance test. That is simply amazing. There are only two possible conclusions. First: the company that produced that device is SPECTACULARLY INCOMPETENT, and selling "junk" to the election commissions...or, second: the company has deliberately left back doors and active failure scenarios open, for some unknown purpose. Either way? FAIL. If I (a software person) produced that sofware for the general marketplace, It would not be very long AT ALL before I'd find myself in the ranks of the unemployed. And, rightly so. that is simply unacceptable. The ACCEPTABLE way for that machine to fail, is for the screen to go blank, with a flashing red error message in the middle, telling the voter to get a poll worker over to reset the machine. lexicon [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] If it was an actual product that had to perform correctly... [Report this comment] Posted by: lexicon on Oct 28, 2008 3:32 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] THERE IS NO WAY that such a PROFOUND error as allowing a machine to be put into "active, live" mode, while being mis-calibrated, would EVER pass a REAL quality assurance test. That is simply amazing. There are only two possible conclusions. First: the company that produced that device is SPECTACULARLY INCOMPETENT, and selling "junk" to the election commissions...or, second: the company has deliberately left back doors and active failure scenarios open, for some unknown purpose. Either way? FAIL. If I (a software person) produced that sofware for the general marketplace, It would not be very long AT ALL before I'd find myself in the ranks of the unemployed. And, rightly so. that is simply unacceptable. The ACCEPTABLE way for that machine to fail, is for the screen to go blank, with a flashing red error message in the middle, telling the voter to get a poll worker over to reset the machine. lexicon [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » Funny, these are made.... Posted by: QuestionAuthority This is FURTHER PROOF (as if we needed any more...) [Report this comment] Posted by: Quannah on Oct 28, 2008 3:35 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] that each and every one of these touch-screen voting machines need to be HAULED TO THE DUMP (meaning the local Republic Headquarters Offices). Paper ballots are the ONLY safe ballots!!! Enough! [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] WTF!!! [Report this comment] Posted by: gerty954 on Oct 28, 2008 3:44 PM Current rating: 4 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I am not a technical person by any stretch of the imagination, but I have worked with touch screens enough to know that this is NOT a recalibration issue – this is a programming issue…it immediately malfunctioned after recalibrating. All calibrating does is align the touch part to the screen part (I told you I am not technical), but it does NOT prevent or cause jumping around like that. So he hits Obama, it malfunctions (not necessarily for a repub), he hits straight dem, and it malfunctions (again, not necessarily repub), then he hits straight republican and it works. It seems to me that they are not necessarily changing the vote FOR mccain, but to anything BUT Obama, which basically cancels out the vote in a 2-party system. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . [Report this comment] Posted by: Scientz on Oct 28, 2008 7:19 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] . . . as a deputy returning officer. Basically, I counted the paper ballots. The entire country votes with the same federally mandated system. It is all on paper. It is all hand counted. Polls close at 9 and the results are in by the 11 o'clock news. Why can't you use one universal paper ballot in the US? [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . Posted by: Zeugitai » RE: I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . Posted by: walldodger1969 » RE: I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . Posted by: seaoftears » RE: I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . Posted by: mobilone Touch Screens [Report this comment] Posted by: diane42997 on Oct 29, 2008 4:04 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Supermarkets in my area have touch screens that can be used to order almost any deli item, in just about any amount and thickness; the info is electronically sent to the deli dept, and I get a paper printout. This would seem more complicated than the voting machines, yet it's very reliable. Maybe that's because nobody stands to gain if I get ham instead of roast beef. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Hacking Democracy [Report this comment] Posted by: Quakermom on Oct 29, 2008 10:06 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] HBO_SPECIAL_Hacking_Democracy linked text Watch and pass along. Truly frightening. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] you call this voting? [Report this comment] Posted by: dougo on Nov 2, 2008 6:17 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I thought this situation was going to be fixed before this election.What happened? As long as our vote is entrusted to corporations we cannot call ourselves free.These machines are easily manipulated as seen here and it's the same old story.Votes are being stolen,blatantly rigged and if this election is stolen we have to rise up and take action to restore our democracy.A national strike would be in order.No work and no shopping beyond subsistance.Peaceful protest and resistance like a sit-down strike will generate the results without casualties. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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» RE: funny..... Posted by: anna132

» Funny, these are made.... Posted by: QuestionAuthority

» RE: I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . Posted by: Zeugitai

» RE: I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . Posted by: walldodger1969

» RE: I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . Posted by: seaoftears

» RE: I worked in the October 14th Canadian election . . . Posted by: mobilone

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