2004 Voter Fraud Connected to US Attorney Firings

The links below provide additional details on the story described above. The Republican party at the state and national levels selectively sent letters to black voters and others likely to vote democratic and challenged those whose letters were returned (a practice called caging). According to the PBS interview video, selectively challenging voters based on race is illegal. The Justice Department fired US attorneys who complained and ultimately replaced Arkansas attorney Bud Cummins with Tim Griffin, an aide to Karl Rove. Griffin was formerly research director for the Republican party and led the pary's caging activity. See the Pittsgurgh Tribune-Review article below for details.


Part Two



Interview with Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/162.html

Article in the Pittsgurgh Tribune-Review
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/rss/s_525441.html

"California e-voting machines have more holes than Swiss cheese"

Photo Credit: Sacramento Bee

That was the headline posted by the Register, a British publication that focuses on the IT industry. Leave it to the foreign news media to put it bluntly. A study was completed by the Computer Security Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. Officials from the university testified before California Secretary of State Debra Bowen who is said to be considering decertifying the machines for the next election.

Critics of the study contend that the laboratory conditions under which the machines were tested were unrealistic and not subject to other security measures which would have protected the machines.

• Here's an interview on NPR Science Friday that discussed the issues.
• The university published this summary of the research.
• This is an article in the Sacramento Bee describes the criticism of the report. Here is a blog entry by Avi Ruben, a computer scientist not involved in the report but who has followed the voting machine controversy closely as a computer scientist. He contends that flaws in system and software design are flaws, regardless of how they are discovered.

Commentary Says Incidence of Voter Fraud is OverStated

In the Myth of Voter Fraud authors of this editorial argue that the cure is worse than the disease in the case of voter fraud. The trend recently has been for legislatures to push for voter identification measures designed, their backers say, to combat voter fraud. People voting more than once as well as undocumented immigrants are two examples.

The downside of requiring proof of citizenship is that significant numbers of people who are entitled to vote don't have the documents and have to incur costs to get them. These voters are disproportionately elderly and minority voters.

Authors Michael Waldman and Justin Levitt are staff members of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.

Hacking Democracy to be Shown at Deuteronomy 8:3

The film Hacking Democracy will be shown at Deuteronomy 8:3 Cafe Books & Music this Friday. See the information below.


Deuteronomy 8:3 Cafe Books & Music

Friday Night Alternative
presents a private pre-release screening of
"Hacking Democracy"
February 23, 2007
Screenings at 8:00 & 10:30 p.m.

On Friday, February 23, 2007, Deuteronomy 8:3 is pleased to host a private, pre-public release screening of the eye-opening documentary Hacking Democracy. The doors open at 7:30 p.m., the first screening begins at 8:00 p.m., followed by open dialogue. Voting rights advocate Reverend Tony Minor; media consultant Cecil Hickman; and videographer Jeffrey Kirby will serve as our discussion guides. Mr. Kirby's video footage is featured in the documentary. The second screening begins at 10:30 p.m. Seating is limited.

"In 2002, Seattle grandmother and writer Bev Harris asked officials in her county why they had acquired electronic touch screen systems for their elections. Unsatisfied with their explanation, she set out to learn about electronic voting machines on her own. In the course of her research, which unearthed hundreds of reported incidents of mishandled voting information, Harris stumbled across an 'online library' of the Diebold Corporation, discovering a treasure trove of information about the inner-workings of the company's voting system... Ultimately, Bev Harris' research proved that the top-secret computerized systems counting the votes in America's public elections are not only fallible, but also vulnerable to undetectable hacking, from local school board contests to the presidential race. With the electronic voting machines of three companies - Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia - collectively responsible for around 80 percent of America's votes today, the stakes for democracy are high." (source HBO.com)

Produced without prospects of a major screening venue, directors Simon Ardizzone and Russell Michaels teamed with veteran executive producer Sarah Teale, and dedicated four years of their lives - without pay - to Bev Harris' project. Together with a dedicated team of computer-science experts, politicians and activists, the filmmakers worked through controversy, investigations and threats because they realized that democracy at risk was far too important an issue to be left undocumented.

With the team's research verified by Princeton University and the Brennan Center for Justice, the story was picked up by the Washington Post, Miami Herald, and the New York Times. With credible media taking interest in the story, HBO picked up the project to air through its Documentary Film Series in November and December 2006, providing it with the exposure, and subsequent audience needed to establish a credible national debate. The documentary will be released on DVD in March 2007.

Deuteronomy 8:3 is pleased to host this private pre-release screening. The doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the screenings beginning at 8:00 and 10:30 p.m., followed by discussion. The snackshop and kitchen are open.

Deuteronomy 8:3 Cafe Books & Music occupies the ground floor of the Medical Associates Building at 1464 East 105th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, between Ashbury and Wade Park Avenues, The Heart of the Historic Heritage Lane. Our routine business hours are: Tuesday, Thursdays and Fridays 11 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.; Wednesdays and Saturdays 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. For more information on programming call (216) 376-9695, or email us at Deuteronomy8Cafe@aol.com, or visit us on the web at www.deuteronomy83cafe.com