http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/111804A.shtml
How Much Fraud Does the GOP Need?
By Steve Weissman
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Thursday 18 November 2004
Give the Republicans their due. If they ever let all the African-Americans, university students, and other heavily Democratic constituencies vote without restraint, and counted all those ballots, George W. Bush would never be president. Nor would GOP fat cats get the lion's share of government give-aways. And, Lord help us, we would all go to hell without the "moral values" that right wing Christians want to shove down our throats, onto our genitals, and into women's wombs.
Whether for ego, greed, or God - or an intoxicating brew of the three - winning is all that counts, winning by any means necessary. "We are the champions. No time for losers."
For decades, big-city Democrats ruled by manipulating the vote. They even helped John F. Kennedy win the presidency in 1960, when Chicago's mayor Richard J. Daley organized votes from the dead. That was Democratic politics in the Windy City: Vote early and often. And if you happen to die, don't worry, the Daley Machine will pay someone to vote in your name. Think of it as a form of immortality.
Now the Republicans are taking their turn, and they make old Mayor Daley and New York City's Tammany Hall gang look like mischievous kids. Under Mr. Bush's political guru Karl Rove, the GOP campaigners have perfected nothing less than a nationwide effort to subvert the ideal of one person, one vote.
How far did they go?
We don't know. Despite an army of investigating Internauts, no one has yet proved overt fraud, the kind that puts people in jail, or should. The most sweeping charges come from Florida, where a failed Congressional candidate named Jeff Fisher - a self-proclaimed "Constitutional Progressive Liberal Democrat" - charges that the GOP electronically fiddled with the vote in numerous counties in Florida, Ohio, and New Mexico.
So far, Fisher and his story sound squirrelly. According to the charges that appear on his website, the Republicans used computers at Bay Point Schools, a juvenile detention and drug rehabilitation facility in South Miami, to hack into systems linking Diebold optical scanners and electronic voting machines. The hackers then inserted "software kernels" that instructed the systems to alter, switch, delete, or destroy votes, snatching victory from John Kerry and giving it to George W. Bush.
Fisher goes on to claim that the GOP first tested the scheme in 1999, and used it in the 2000 presidential election and Jeb Bush's race for governor in 2002. He also points the finger of guilt directly at Bush fund-raiser Mel Sembler, the U.S. Ambassador to Italy.
Fisher tells a superb story, lacking only the evidence. He claims to have internal memos, emails, and testimony from an information systems manager, who - he says - is now in hiding. But, to date, he has failed to produce any proof. He has it, he insists. He's just waiting - for the FBI, or a Congressional investigation, or what?
Given the seriousness of his charges, and the possible libel of Mel Sembler, I think the time has come for Mr. Fisher publicly to put up or shut up.
But wait, you say. What about all those articles that show how easy it would be to do exactly what Fisher alleges?
Fair enough. Many of us have argued extensively for an electronic voting system with a paper audit trail, one that allows voters to see for themselves how their votes will be recorded. We know that many, if not most, of the current systems lack such safeguards, and that we desperately need to make our voting system completely transparent and verifiable. But the possibility of crime, or even its likelihood, does not prove that a crime took place. Before we can honestly cry fraud, we need to know who, what, when, and how.
In the meantime, I put my trust in the approach taken by University of Pennsylvania statistician Steven Freeman, which appears in our Features section. Dr. Freeman looks at the divergence between the exit polls, which gave victory to Kerry, and the announced results, which swung toward Bush. The odds of that happening by accident in just three states - Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio - would be 250 million to one, he calculated.
Possibly, the exit polls had serious flaws, More likely, the problem lies in the tabulating of votes, which could involve either systematic error or systematic fraud. At this point, we do not know, and will not know until Congress, prosecutors, good government groups, and the press pursue intensive investigations. Hopefully, the recounts in New Hampshire and Ohio will light a fire under our collective behinds.
But a word of warning: as crucial as fraud might have been to the election's outcome, questions of criminality should not blind us to the rest of what the GOP has been doing to limit likely Democratic voters. Their strategy has been to win elections before anyone counts - or miscounts - the first vote.
One dramatic example was Jeb Bush's effort to purge Florida's voter rolls of African-Americans suspected of being felons, while blatantly ignoring similar lists of Cuban-Americans, who he thought more likely to vote Republican. The GOP has long pushed for laws barring convicted felons from voting, knowing full well that our society puts a large proportion of African-Americans and other minorities behind bars. The party has similarly fought against efforts to make it easier for former felons to win back their voting rights, or to make it easier for everyone to register and vote.
In this election as in the past, the Republicans sent thousands of poll watchers into black and other heavily democratic precincts to challenge people's right to vote, generally because they might have been felons or could not prove their residence. This led to long lines, which caused large numbers of voters to walk away, and to provisional ballots, many of which officials later rejected for technical miscues, such as failing to have birthdates.
It's really quite simple. If everyone could register on Election Day, and if former felons could legally vote without having to jump through hoops, the Republicans would have a much harder time limiting the Democratic vote. But then, the Republicans would lose. No wonder they're so much happier talking about "moral values" than applying them to America's failing democracy.
Full Version: How much fraud does the GOP need?
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Civil Rights and Civil Liberties > Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Archive
Bush had 2 goals on Election Day- To win large enough to declare a mandate, and to increase the majorities in the House and Senate. So they need to do enough fraud to accomplish both goals. That is why I really believe the New Hampshire recount is going to show a huge descepancy in the vote. They didn't want to win there necessarily but wanted Bush to pad his popular vote totals. They wanted to embarass Edwards in NC with a huge win there (it was actually close)- another state to pad the popular vote. And so on.
QUOTE
"For decades, big-city Democrats ruled by manipulating the vote. They even helped John F. Kennedy win the presidency in 1960, when Chicago's mayor Richard J. Daley organized votes from the dead. That was Democratic politics in the Windy City: Vote early and often. And if you happen to die, don't worry, the Daley Machine will pay someone to vote in your name. Think of it as a form of immortality.
Now the Republicans are taking their turn, and they make old Mayor Daley and New York City's Tammany Hall gang look like mischievous kids. Under Mr. Bush's political guru Karl Rove, the GOP campaigners have perfected nothing less than a nationwide effort to subvert the ideal of one person, one vote."
Now the Republicans are taking their turn, and they make old Mayor Daley and New York City's Tammany Hall gang look like mischievous kids. Under Mr. Bush's political guru Karl Rove, the GOP campaigners have perfected nothing less than a nationwide effort to subvert the ideal of one person, one vote."
You know what... I cannot argue with your sentiments....
I can only say, that to the best of my knowledge right now, the big difference between Bush and Kerry when it came to playing dirty is that Kerry most probably (and probably absolutally) refused to do so.... (the Kerry way would have been trying to prevent the other from doing so and Kerry did try, with all the lawyers and judges out at the booths, he did try...) after all, who would want to be president unless you knew for sure the people wanted you to be so and Kerry is just that type of man that would want to play a fair election because he would need to know that his Presidency was true and just.... too bad Bush had little regard for that sentiment....
And everybody knows this...
- perry
I don't know, but you'd think this was enough:
Evidence of electronic voting bias
Note: As with all statistics, it is very important to consider other causes of apparent anomalies, and to provide verifiable and neutral source data that can be checked in a neutral way by third parties. All the information and sources below appear prima facie to be statistically reasonable in terms of both analysis and assumptions, and to be based upon verifiable public data.
An analysis of Florida counties with 80,000 - 500,000 registered voters concluded with a few caveats of a usual kind
that machine type E-Touch vs Op-Scan
was a "significant predictor" of vote at the p < 0.001 level less than one chance in a thousand of this degree of anomaly happening by chance
http://ustogether.org/election04/Liddle_Analysis.html
http://ustogether.org/election04/Liddle_Analysis2.html
http://ustogether.org/election04/Liddle_Analysis3.html
Source data and calculations [52] http://ustogether.org/Florida_Election.htm
. Contrarily, the New York Times ran a story stating that "...three political scientists, from Cornell, Harvard and Stanford... [pointed out] many of those Democratic counties in Florida have a long tradition of voting Republican in presidential elections". [53] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/12/politics...artner=homepage
All these analyses show Bush with a higher percentage of the vote in areas using optical scan ballots as opposed to touch screen machines
. This study was later used as a basis to test the "Dixiecrat / Op-Scan" hypothesis in smaller counties: [54] http://ustogether.org/election04/mitteldorf/Liddle.htm
An error with an electronic voting system gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in suburban Columbus according election officials. [55] http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/05/...ng.problems.ap/
Franklin county was the only Ohio county to use this particular electronic voting system. [56] http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...voting_problems
One thread on the "democraticunderground" website discusses the results in Gahanna, Franklin Co. Ohio and notes that:
Gahanna has some 20,000 people elegible to vote and the reported turnout was around 70%. On a casual reckoning approximately 14,000 people voted, and yet nearly 21,000 votes were reported by voting machines.
The 3,893 extra individuals who are said to have queued to vote for Bush, and were therefore presumably Republican, did not appear to vote on any other matter bar the Presidency. These other matters included the Senate race, County Commissioner, several County and State officials, and the infamous Gay Unions vote, issues of great importance in the election.
Source: [57] http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...ddress=201x1293
, source data from govt website pdf http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/boe/04Un...eral%202004.pdf
An analysis reported in the New Zealand press looks at the differences between exit polls and reported voting in more detail. It identifies that in a selection of non-swing states, the exit polls and final results match. However in a large proportion of what were identified before the election as key swing states Wisconsin, Pennysylvania, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, etc.
, the exit polls and final votes do not match.
The error was in each case a statistically anomalous and electorally critical 4 - 15% swing change between exit polls and electronic voting
and furthermore the anomalies were not random. In each of the above swing states, this variation between what voters said they voted and what the machines reported was in favour of Mr. Bush. Source [58] http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00072.htm
, article discussing here http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=4175
, graphs here http://img103.exs.cx/img103/4526/exit_poll.gif
.
An article http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/110604.html
comments that:
Exit polls into the evening of Nov. 2 actually showed Kerry rolling to a clear victory nationally and carrying most of the battleground states, including Florida and Ohio, whose totals would have ensured Kerry's victory in the Electoral College.
The exit polls covered both the Presidential and Senate races. The votes reported by voting machines for the Senate races were in line with the exit polls for the Senate race, however the votes reported by the same voting machines for the Presidency often significant disagreed with the exit polls for the Presidency.
It also comments that "Democratic suspicions also were raised by Republican resistance to implementing any meaningful backup system for checking the results on Diebold and other electronic-voting machines."
There were additional reports of significantly large data irregularities with the "optical scan" type voting machines in at least Florida. In one county using optical scan voting machines for example, election records showed 77% registered democrats but Bush received 77% of the vote.
Wired News http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,656...tory_page_next1
has examined this issue and reports that, "...according to academics, the internet pundits are reading the data out of context. Demographic figures and vote trends over several years show the numbers to be consistent with previous elections. According to University of California at Berkeley political scientist Henry Brady, the Republican vote share has been going up in Florida's rural optical-scan counties for years."
Wired further reports that, "[t]hree professors of government also examined the numbers after being pressured by many people, including lawyers for the Democratic Party, and concluded the same thing."
November 2004
Nov. 3:
Votes Lost in Cyberspace - DeShaunta Bullock, WCNT [120] http://www.wnct.com/servlet/Satellite?page...778939157&path=
37 votes may be lost in Palm Beach glitch - USA Today [121] http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/new...al/10083861.htm
E-voting irregularities raise eyebrows, blood pressure [122] http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpoli...e-trouble_x.htm
Nov. 4:
Infernalpress.com. Alleges that Republicans suppressed votes and voting machine companies committed fraud and tampered with election results, "How George W. Bush Won the 2004 Presidential Election" [123] http://www.infernalpress.com/Columns/election.html
Nov. 6:
Gwin, Harold. "Democrats' leader decries voting glitches." The Vindicator OH
. November 6, 2004. [124] http://www.vindy.com/basic/news/288078640794824.php
Glitch Found in Ohio Counting [125] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/politics...ign/06ohio.html
Nov. 5:
CNN. Glitch gave Bush extra votes in Ohio [126] http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/05/...ng.problems.ap/
Rutenberg, Jim. "Report Says Problems Led to Skewed Surveying Data." New York Times. [127] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/politics...ign/05poll.html
- Outlines alleged problems with the early exit poll data.
Book, Sue. "Election problems due to a software glitch." Sun Journal NC
. [128] http://www.newbernsj.com/SiteProcessor.cfm...7&Section=Local
Machine Error Gives Bush Extra Ohio Votes [129] http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...voting_problems
Palm Beach Post article about their situation http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/cont...WVOTE_1105.html
Rutenberg, Jim. "Report Says Problems Led to Skewed Surveying Data" The New York Times [130] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/politics...ner=rssuserland
Solvig, Erica. "Warren's vote tally walled off." The Enquirer OH
. [131] http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/11/0...rrenvote05.html
22 voting machines have less-than-intact seals New York Newsday [132] http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/wire/n...p-regional-wire
Recount officials in Volusia County, FL wary of fraud - [133] http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJour...LOPOL110504.htm
Johnson, Mark. Winner so far: Confusion; agriculture, education races change as counties fix vote-tally errors. The Charlotte Observer. [134] http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/charlotte/n...04/10104576.htm
Nov. 7:
Fitrakis, Bob. "None dare call it voter suppression and fraud." The Free Press OH
. [135] http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/983
Voting Problems in Ohio Set Off an Alarm [136] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/politics...gn/07elect.html
Nov. 8:
Equipment glitch delays Escambia County vote tally [137] http://www.brewtonstandard.com/articles/20...news/news04.txt
Nov. 9:
Officials, printers examine flaws that slowed vote count [138] http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/election...3315282,00.html
Voter fraud uncovered in New Mexico [139] http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20...10659-3448r.htm
Carteret ballots are gone forever Daily News [140] http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Te...68&Section=News
Nov. 10:
Wired. Florida E-Vote Fraud? Unlikely. [141] http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65665,00.html
Salon.com. Was the election stolen? The system is clearly broken. But there is no evidence that Bush won because of voter fraud. [142] http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/11/...g/index_np.html
Fitrakis, Bob. "And so the sorting and discarding of Kerry votes begins." The Free Press OH
. [143] http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/985
Bronis, Jason. "Ballot counting turns into legal fiasco." News 14 Charlotte. [144] http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/loc...D=78411&SecID=3
Cincinatti Enquirer. Warren Co. defends lockdown decision, FBI denies warning officials of any special threat [145] http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/11/1...rrenvote10.html
Cuyahoga board deflates vote suspicions Plain Dealer Reporter [146] http://www.cleveland.com/election/plaindea...08988056520.xml
Nov. 11:
If it's too bad to be true, it may not be voter fraud. [147] http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file...MNG2P9PJ5M1.DTL
- "Most statistical enigmas in recent election have logical explanations, despite Web rants"
AP. Democratic lawyers on "fact finding" mission in Ohio. http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/politic...rylist=politics]
Nov. 12:
New York Times. "Vote Fraud Theories, Spread by Blogs, Are Quickly Buried" [148] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/12/politics...l?oref=login&th
Worst Voter Error Is Apathy Toward Irregularities "Washington Post"[149] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2004Nov11.html
Major bugs found in Diebold vote systems UPI
[150] http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20...12037-7263r.htm
Amid Charges of Vote Suppression, Activists Look for Larger Fraud [151] http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1223
American Coup: Mid-Term Election Polls vs Actuals [152] http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0211/S00078.htm
Election Exposes Serious Flaws In North Carolina WRAL [153] http://www.wral.com/politics/3915799/detail.html
Rumors of irregularities fuel debate on election [154] http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/11/news/elect.html
Nov. 13:
Watchdogs demand vote accountability [155] http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/199555_harris13.html
State election officials approve Nader recount [156] http://www4.fosters.com/november_2004/11.1.../ap_nh1113b.asp
Democrat wins council seat after election error corrected [157] http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazett...on/10173663.htm
“Inquiry urged after 30 voters tried to cast ballot twice” [158] http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/bro...la-news-broward
33,000 ballots lost in shuffle - Salt Lake Tribune, OH [159] http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2453243
Nov. 14:
About Those Election Results "The New York Times" [160] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/...html?oref=login
Ohio voters tell of Election Day troubles at hearing [161] http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/...28444286470.xml
Nov. 15:
Ohio recount all but certain [162] http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41464
Dirty work at Philly polls [163] http://www.opednews.com/burns_111504_philly_polls.htm
MIT political scientist Charles Stewart answers questions about analysis of voting irregularities. NPR audio
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4170777
Nov. 16:
Document reveals Columbus, Ohio voters waited hours as election officials held back machines [164] http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/990
Pinellas ballot box sat ignored in office [165] http://stpetetimes.com/2004/11/16/Tampabay...lot_box_s.shtml
Governor's Race Takes 2 Twists [166] http://www.komotv.com/stories/34000.htm
Election Day gremlins: 16,000 judges but who's counting? [167] http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,3...2529301,00.html
Questioning Ohio: No controversy this time? Think again. [168] http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_f...ts/04256171.asp
N.C. judge refuses to halt recounts [169] http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/10195516.htm?1c
Ohio To Go Through Statewide Vote Recount After All [170] http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/11/16/recount.html
Nov. 17:
A Florida Style Nightmare - North Carolina Citizens Demand Verified Voting Measures [171] http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/11/emw178812.htm
Blackwell, J. Kenneth How Ohio pulled it off [172] http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20041116-085742-1497r.htm
Shuster, David. "...The congressman demanding a Government Accountability Office investigation is not nuts" MSNBC.com [173] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086
Ohio Finds Possible Double Votes, Counts [174] http://www.political-news.org/breaking/261...tes-counts.html
New NC statewide Attorney General election possible [175] http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1836452p-8153803c.html
Common Cause Joins Coalition Supporting Recount in Ohio [176] http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1117-08.htm
Nov. 18:
Kucinich Supports Green Party Demand for Ohio Recount [177] http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1118-02.htm
Hearings on Ohio voting put 2004 election in doubt [178] http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=m...order=0&thold=0
On Election 2004: Voting 'glitches' pose threat to democracy [179] http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/04/s/sstory.pl?fn-slettbc1
Ohio Democratic Party seeks uniform ballot count [180] http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news...10209993.htm?1c
Lumberton, NC - Elections Board defies judge, sets new election [181] http://www.robesonian.com/articles/2004/11...ews/story01.txt
CA - Panel Picked to Probe Alleged Voter Fraud [182] http://www.the-signal.com/News/ViewStory.asp?storyID=5775
ReDefeatBush Gathers Democracy Movement at LaFayette Park Friday at Noon in the BeAmerica.org Movement [183] http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39911
[edit]
Unsorted
Palast, Greg -
"Voters claim abuse of electoral rolls" [184] http://observer.guardian.co.uk/internation...1340170,00.html
Includes:
"Florida [...] Students say they were conned into registering twice"
"In Colorado [...] Democrats are complaining about an attempt to remove up to 6,000 convicted felons from the electoral roll, at the behest of the state's Republican secretary of state, Donetta Davidson, despite a US federal law that prohibits eliminating a voter's rights within 90 days of an election to give time for the voter to protest."
"Kerry Won" [185] http://www.tompaine.com/articles/kerry_won.php
"Countinghouse Blues: Too many votes." WOWT KN
News. [186] http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/1161971.html
WCNC.[187] http://www.wcnc.com/news/politics/stories/...s.264d17aa.html
Final Results Delayed in Rockland County, NY [188] http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/111...0votecount.html
Unbelievable!
Evidence of electronic voting bias
Note: As with all statistics, it is very important to consider other causes of apparent anomalies, and to provide verifiable and neutral source data that can be checked in a neutral way by third parties. All the information and sources below appear prima facie to be statistically reasonable in terms of both analysis and assumptions, and to be based upon verifiable public data.
An analysis of Florida counties with 80,000 - 500,000 registered voters concluded with a few caveats of a usual kind
that machine type E-Touch vs Op-Scan
was a "significant predictor" of vote at the p < 0.001 level less than one chance in a thousand of this degree of anomaly happening by chance
http://ustogether.org/election04/Liddle_Analysis.html
http://ustogether.org/election04/Liddle_Analysis2.html
http://ustogether.org/election04/Liddle_Analysis3.html
Source data and calculations [52] http://ustogether.org/Florida_Election.htm
. Contrarily, the New York Times ran a story stating that "...three political scientists, from Cornell, Harvard and Stanford... [pointed out] many of those Democratic counties in Florida have a long tradition of voting Republican in presidential elections". [53] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/12/politics...artner=homepage
All these analyses show Bush with a higher percentage of the vote in areas using optical scan ballots as opposed to touch screen machines
. This study was later used as a basis to test the "Dixiecrat / Op-Scan" hypothesis in smaller counties: [54] http://ustogether.org/election04/mitteldorf/Liddle.htm
An error with an electronic voting system gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in suburban Columbus according election officials. [55] http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/05/...ng.problems.ap/
Franklin county was the only Ohio county to use this particular electronic voting system. [56] http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...voting_problems
One thread on the "democraticunderground" website discusses the results in Gahanna, Franklin Co. Ohio and notes that:
Gahanna has some 20,000 people elegible to vote and the reported turnout was around 70%. On a casual reckoning approximately 14,000 people voted, and yet nearly 21,000 votes were reported by voting machines.
The 3,893 extra individuals who are said to have queued to vote for Bush, and were therefore presumably Republican, did not appear to vote on any other matter bar the Presidency. These other matters included the Senate race, County Commissioner, several County and State officials, and the infamous Gay Unions vote, issues of great importance in the election.
Source: [57] http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...ddress=201x1293
, source data from govt website pdf http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/boe/04Un...eral%202004.pdf
An analysis reported in the New Zealand press looks at the differences between exit polls and reported voting in more detail. It identifies that in a selection of non-swing states, the exit polls and final results match. However in a large proportion of what were identified before the election as key swing states Wisconsin, Pennysylvania, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, etc.
, the exit polls and final votes do not match.
The error was in each case a statistically anomalous and electorally critical 4 - 15% swing change between exit polls and electronic voting
and furthermore the anomalies were not random. In each of the above swing states, this variation between what voters said they voted and what the machines reported was in favour of Mr. Bush. Source [58] http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00072.htm
, article discussing here http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=4175
, graphs here http://img103.exs.cx/img103/4526/exit_poll.gif
.
An article http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/110604.html
comments that:
Exit polls into the evening of Nov. 2 actually showed Kerry rolling to a clear victory nationally and carrying most of the battleground states, including Florida and Ohio, whose totals would have ensured Kerry's victory in the Electoral College.
The exit polls covered both the Presidential and Senate races. The votes reported by voting machines for the Senate races were in line with the exit polls for the Senate race, however the votes reported by the same voting machines for the Presidency often significant disagreed with the exit polls for the Presidency.
It also comments that "Democratic suspicions also were raised by Republican resistance to implementing any meaningful backup system for checking the results on Diebold and other electronic-voting machines."
There were additional reports of significantly large data irregularities with the "optical scan" type voting machines in at least Florida. In one county using optical scan voting machines for example, election records showed 77% registered democrats but Bush received 77% of the vote.
Wired News http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,656...tory_page_next1
has examined this issue and reports that, "...according to academics, the internet pundits are reading the data out of context. Demographic figures and vote trends over several years show the numbers to be consistent with previous elections. According to University of California at Berkeley political scientist Henry Brady, the Republican vote share has been going up in Florida's rural optical-scan counties for years."
Wired further reports that, "[t]hree professors of government also examined the numbers after being pressured by many people, including lawyers for the Democratic Party, and concluded the same thing."
November 2004
Nov. 3:
Votes Lost in Cyberspace - DeShaunta Bullock, WCNT [120] http://www.wnct.com/servlet/Satellite?page...778939157&path=
37 votes may be lost in Palm Beach glitch - USA Today [121] http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/new...al/10083861.htm
E-voting irregularities raise eyebrows, blood pressure [122] http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpoli...e-trouble_x.htm
Nov. 4:
Infernalpress.com. Alleges that Republicans suppressed votes and voting machine companies committed fraud and tampered with election results, "How George W. Bush Won the 2004 Presidential Election" [123] http://www.infernalpress.com/Columns/election.html
Nov. 6:
Gwin, Harold. "Democrats' leader decries voting glitches." The Vindicator OH
. November 6, 2004. [124] http://www.vindy.com/basic/news/288078640794824.php
Glitch Found in Ohio Counting [125] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/politics...ign/06ohio.html
Nov. 5:
CNN. Glitch gave Bush extra votes in Ohio [126] http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/05/...ng.problems.ap/
Rutenberg, Jim. "Report Says Problems Led to Skewed Surveying Data." New York Times. [127] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/politics...ign/05poll.html
- Outlines alleged problems with the early exit poll data.
Book, Sue. "Election problems due to a software glitch." Sun Journal NC
. [128] http://www.newbernsj.com/SiteProcessor.cfm...7&Section=Local
Machine Error Gives Bush Extra Ohio Votes [129] http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...voting_problems
Palm Beach Post article about their situation http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/cont...WVOTE_1105.html
Rutenberg, Jim. "Report Says Problems Led to Skewed Surveying Data" The New York Times [130] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/politics...ner=rssuserland
Solvig, Erica. "Warren's vote tally walled off." The Enquirer OH
. [131] http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/11/0...rrenvote05.html
22 voting machines have less-than-intact seals New York Newsday [132] http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/wire/n...p-regional-wire
Recount officials in Volusia County, FL wary of fraud - [133] http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJour...LOPOL110504.htm
Johnson, Mark. Winner so far: Confusion; agriculture, education races change as counties fix vote-tally errors. The Charlotte Observer. [134] http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/charlotte/n...04/10104576.htm
Nov. 7:
Fitrakis, Bob. "None dare call it voter suppression and fraud." The Free Press OH
. [135] http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/983
Voting Problems in Ohio Set Off an Alarm [136] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/politics...gn/07elect.html
Nov. 8:
Equipment glitch delays Escambia County vote tally [137] http://www.brewtonstandard.com/articles/20...news/news04.txt
Nov. 9:
Officials, printers examine flaws that slowed vote count [138] http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/election...3315282,00.html
Voter fraud uncovered in New Mexico [139] http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20...10659-3448r.htm
Carteret ballots are gone forever Daily News [140] http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Te...68&Section=News
Nov. 10:
Wired. Florida E-Vote Fraud? Unlikely. [141] http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65665,00.html
Salon.com. Was the election stolen? The system is clearly broken. But there is no evidence that Bush won because of voter fraud. [142] http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/11/...g/index_np.html
Fitrakis, Bob. "And so the sorting and discarding of Kerry votes begins." The Free Press OH
. [143] http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/985
Bronis, Jason. "Ballot counting turns into legal fiasco." News 14 Charlotte. [144] http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/loc...D=78411&SecID=3
Cincinatti Enquirer. Warren Co. defends lockdown decision, FBI denies warning officials of any special threat [145] http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/11/1...rrenvote10.html
Cuyahoga board deflates vote suspicions Plain Dealer Reporter [146] http://www.cleveland.com/election/plaindea...08988056520.xml
Nov. 11:
If it's too bad to be true, it may not be voter fraud. [147] http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file...MNG2P9PJ5M1.DTL
- "Most statistical enigmas in recent election have logical explanations, despite Web rants"
AP. Democratic lawyers on "fact finding" mission in Ohio. http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/politic...rylist=politics]
Nov. 12:
New York Times. "Vote Fraud Theories, Spread by Blogs, Are Quickly Buried" [148] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/12/politics...l?oref=login&th
Worst Voter Error Is Apathy Toward Irregularities "Washington Post"[149] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2004Nov11.html
Major bugs found in Diebold vote systems UPI
[150] http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20...12037-7263r.htm
Amid Charges of Vote Suppression, Activists Look for Larger Fraud [151] http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1223
American Coup: Mid-Term Election Polls vs Actuals [152] http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0211/S00078.htm
Election Exposes Serious Flaws In North Carolina WRAL [153] http://www.wral.com/politics/3915799/detail.html
Rumors of irregularities fuel debate on election [154] http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/11/news/elect.html
Nov. 13:
Watchdogs demand vote accountability [155] http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/199555_harris13.html
State election officials approve Nader recount [156] http://www4.fosters.com/november_2004/11.1.../ap_nh1113b.asp
Democrat wins council seat after election error corrected [157] http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazett...on/10173663.htm
“Inquiry urged after 30 voters tried to cast ballot twice” [158] http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/bro...la-news-broward
33,000 ballots lost in shuffle - Salt Lake Tribune, OH [159] http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2453243
Nov. 14:
About Those Election Results "The New York Times" [160] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/opinion/...html?oref=login
Ohio voters tell of Election Day troubles at hearing [161] http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/...28444286470.xml
Nov. 15:
Ohio recount all but certain [162] http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41464
Dirty work at Philly polls [163] http://www.opednews.com/burns_111504_philly_polls.htm
MIT political scientist Charles Stewart answers questions about analysis of voting irregularities. NPR audio
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4170777
Nov. 16:
Document reveals Columbus, Ohio voters waited hours as election officials held back machines [164] http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/990
Pinellas ballot box sat ignored in office [165] http://stpetetimes.com/2004/11/16/Tampabay...lot_box_s.shtml
Governor's Race Takes 2 Twists [166] http://www.komotv.com/stories/34000.htm
Election Day gremlins: 16,000 judges but who's counting? [167] http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,3...2529301,00.html
Questioning Ohio: No controversy this time? Think again. [168] http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_f...ts/04256171.asp
N.C. judge refuses to halt recounts [169] http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/10195516.htm?1c
Ohio To Go Through Statewide Vote Recount After All [170] http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/11/16/recount.html
Nov. 17:
A Florida Style Nightmare - North Carolina Citizens Demand Verified Voting Measures [171] http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/11/emw178812.htm
Blackwell, J. Kenneth How Ohio pulled it off [172] http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20041116-085742-1497r.htm
Shuster, David. "...The congressman demanding a Government Accountability Office investigation is not nuts" MSNBC.com [173] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086
Ohio Finds Possible Double Votes, Counts [174] http://www.political-news.org/breaking/261...tes-counts.html
New NC statewide Attorney General election possible [175] http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1836452p-8153803c.html
Common Cause Joins Coalition Supporting Recount in Ohio [176] http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1117-08.htm
Nov. 18:
Kucinich Supports Green Party Demand for Ohio Recount [177] http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1118-02.htm
Hearings on Ohio voting put 2004 election in doubt [178] http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=m...order=0&thold=0
On Election 2004: Voting 'glitches' pose threat to democracy [179] http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/04/s/sstory.pl?fn-slettbc1
Ohio Democratic Party seeks uniform ballot count [180] http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news...10209993.htm?1c
Lumberton, NC - Elections Board defies judge, sets new election [181] http://www.robesonian.com/articles/2004/11...ews/story01.txt
CA - Panel Picked to Probe Alleged Voter Fraud [182] http://www.the-signal.com/News/ViewStory.asp?storyID=5775
ReDefeatBush Gathers Democracy Movement at LaFayette Park Friday at Noon in the BeAmerica.org Movement [183] http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39911
[edit]
Unsorted
Palast, Greg -
"Voters claim abuse of electoral rolls" [184] http://observer.guardian.co.uk/internation...1340170,00.html
Includes:
"Florida [...] Students say they were conned into registering twice"
"In Colorado [...] Democrats are complaining about an attempt to remove up to 6,000 convicted felons from the electoral roll, at the behest of the state's Republican secretary of state, Donetta Davidson, despite a US federal law that prohibits eliminating a voter's rights within 90 days of an election to give time for the voter to protest."
"Kerry Won" [185] http://www.tompaine.com/articles/kerry_won.php
"Countinghouse Blues: Too many votes." WOWT KN
News. [186] http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/1161971.html
WCNC.[187] http://www.wcnc.com/news/politics/stories/...s.264d17aa.html
Final Results Delayed in Rockland County, NY [188] http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/111...0votecount.html
Unbelievable!
Kerry a man of his honor, and the party splits in pieces and slanders him. Well when nobody is being up front about things it always happens.
target='_blank'>
http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...wtopic=5412&hl=
These people don't think a 2.6% margin constitutes a "mandate"...and if we support them...maybe the DNC and DLC will STOP LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR SELF INTERESTS and join them in the fight!
http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...wtopic=5412&hl=
These people don't think a 2.6% margin constitutes a "mandate"...and if we support them...maybe the DNC and DLC will STOP LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR SELF INTERESTS and join them in the fight!
QUOTE(LNAB @ Nov 18 2004, 06:10 PM)
target='_blank'>
http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...wtopic=5412&hl=
These people don't think a 2.6% margin constitutes a "mandate"...and if we support them...maybe the DNC and DLC will STOP LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR SELF INTERESTS and join them in the fight!
http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/for...wtopic=5412&hl=
These people don't think a 2.6% margin constitutes a "mandate"...and if we support them...maybe the DNC and DLC will STOP LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR SELF INTERESTS and join them in the fight!
I support this for sure......the activists are taking this to the edge.
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