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Departments Election Issues Voter Perceptions and Political Deceptions: Federal, Ohio and Knox by Mike Swinford April 24, 2005 This is a summary of the perceptions and deceptions I formed an opinion on during the 2004 election. The federal HAVA Act of 2002 was Chaired/promoted by Ohio Rep Dist 18 Bob Ney to fix the 2000 election problems. But, the wording about verification of voting opened the door for more election fraud. This is the root cause of the voting machine controversy. Perception is, counting of votes, as stated in Title III Sec 301 can be trusted with auditing. Deception is, secret counting is allowed by software written by someone politically biased. The politician has created a new corrupted, political definition of "auditing" for counting votes. In the practice of auditing, the standard, required word "independent" has NOT been included in the vote counting (tabulation) process. The purpose of that required word in "auditing" is to put "integrity" in issued reports. But, HAVA excluded it. The vote counting process can be by secret software written by vendors that are politically biased. And the paper audit trail in this corrupted system is only a paper report after votes have been entered and votes possibly changed by the secret software. As a result, trust is now gone. Plus, there are NO actual votes in a DRE (computer) system for a recount. In the real world, an audit must be an objective count of actual items. Thus, no objective recount of votes is possible with the HAVA defined voting system. This violates Ohio election law on Recounts and Other Remedies "§ 3515.04 Procedure for recount..."..."the ballots to be recounted". One solution to the above is to have a paper receipt of each vote, a receipt verified by voter, and retained at the poll for possible recounts. And this would be a way to check for election fraud. But, Bob Ney claimed the technology for receipt printers does not exist. But, I have actual printed vote receipts form two different voting machines. They do exist. Thus, with the removed concept of "independent" vote counting, no way to recount votes and false printer info, I see intent to rig elections. Perception, there is some oversight government entity to check on fraud and enforce laws. Deception is, none for Ohio 2004 election. Have one after election, but make it powerless. At Fed level, an oversight commission, "EAC", was to be established within 120 days of HAVA in 2002. That sounded great. But Bush prevented it for the 2004 election. Bush blocked appointment of commissioners until January 2004, and withheld about 90 % of the funding. Thus, the new federal agency to scrutinize how to safeguard electronic polling from fraud, hackers and faulty software was made ineffective. By law, the EAC can only make suggested guidelines to states, has no power to enforce any laws. I have asked, Where do I report voting violations? Answer, No government entity to call. Perception, current "certification" of voting machines, implies an independent source like a CPA Accountant will prepare a report that you can trust. Machines are safe from fraud. Deception is, the certification of a voting system, unlike other fields, has no certification standards. The government EAC failed to issue guidelines to states. No national or state associations have issued certification standards. The National Institute of Standards in Technology (NIST) standards is under development. And it is being discovered that many of the certification firms are own or controlled by the politicians or by the vendors they are to certify. Perception is, fraud prevention means stopping the trickery that would change votes. Deception has been to use the Secretary of State office (the office in charge of elections) for political gain. In Ohio, Secretary of State Blackwell definition of fraud is preventing "liberals" from voting. SOS State Blackwell stated that he has two job objectives. The second job objective is to prevent "fraud". And now we have the reports of vote counts switched from Kerry to Bush, voter intimidation and voter suppression. In a campaign letter after election, SOS Blackwell stated he was also Co Chairman for BushCheney04 and helped deliver election to Bush. But, under Ohio statutes the conditions that constitute "prima facia evidence of fraud" requires being independent of intent, political or otherwise. Blackwell's response to complaints has been, as SOS, he can "codify" the law (makes laws) any way he wants. And no conflict of interest laws exist. Blackwell's definition of "fraud" has been consistent with his pattern of liberally interpreting or contradicting the laws of his office. In Knox County OH, when it was discovered only Kerry yards signs were being stolen, Republican Sheriff Barber said, that is a campaign expense. Perception is, the two party election system of checks and balances will stop election fraud. Deception is, election workers follow laws and processes for the paper ballot system, a system not in use. Political/legal experts confirmed, existing laws are based on paper processing, not for DRE (computers). Most election and poll workers do not know how to test for fraud and are not allowed to see the secret vote counting logic. Election workers must register as Democratic or Republican. But, both added together are only 31 % of all registered voters. 69 % of non-affiliated party voters are not represented in this system of checks and balances. Other democratic countries have a non-political group to run their elections and count votes. Not a political minority as in US. Perception is, democracy is at work; change is possible because there are several parties. Deception is, Ohio is now a one party system with one party in control at state and Federal levels. The one party will not allow the one party process to be changed and lose power. The Dem party has more registered voters with, 17 % Dem, to the 14 % Repubs. But Dems cannot win an election, lost last three. Perception was, the national campaigns by the Dems and Repubs were for voters to select a candidate. Deception by consultants. Was told (not confirmed) that Repub contracts are on flat rate, must win for bonus/profit. Dem contracts are on a percentage that can make a profit on a lost election. Repubs milked the rich for money (percent of tax breaks returned as a contribution). Dems milked all others with the false hope of, make one more small contribution and you might win one. A Dem win would upset this profitable strategy that has been developed on both sides. Perception was, the Presidential Nov 2004 election by the two main parties was fair. Deception was to hide the election fraud. On Election Day, Bush camp ordered a TV media lockdown on irregularities and censored the Edison/Mitofsky exit poll that showed Kerry won. Kerry conceded before all the votes were counted, froze the election investigation fraud fund/resources and went into hiding. In Ohio, State Dem Chairman D. White has indicated, after election he does not want election fraud complaints investigated. So, both sides do not want the public to know whom the voters elected for President. Perception is all the voters in Knox County OH are Republican. But voters say, sometimes I vote for other side. Deception is massive. Prior to election, one analysis said Bush ahead by about 800 votes, my calculations showed 500 with a trend towards Kerry. The election total of 7,000 votes (63 %) for Bush is a FRAUD. It does not reconcile with sample counts of bumper stickers, phone bank or door-to-door observations, and voter registration. Knox has a type DRE voting system that is subject to voting fraud and is illegal as per Ohio law. Now add local paper nicknamed "Republican New" creating Repub ads as new stories and dropping Dem items due to technical difficulties. That violated public trust. And the local radio station 73Q using a call-in show by the Host Dave, promoted the Bush campaign. This violated FCC regulations. ("broadcaster cannot give Republican candidates free air time unless the same offer is extended to other candidates"). Plus "Ohio Revised Code Campaign Finance Laws" may have been violated. At Nazarene University, area profiled as Repub, Repubs registered over 186 voters with an invalid address. Conclusion is NO trust in election system. Cannot trust what they say and cannot trust what they do. Email this article to a friend |
Don't forget to check out articles from 2009 and 2010
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"Clarification of NEDA's withdrawal of Ohio exit poll paper"
November 5, 2005
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November 3, 2005
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"Watergate-style money laundering indictments stoke Ohio's stolen election fires"
October 28, 2005
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings"
October 26, 2005
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Did you erase your own vote?"
October 25, 2005
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"Why can't the left face the Stolen Elections of 2004 & 2008?"
October 18, 2005
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Carter/Baker Report can't face how the GOP stole America's 2004 election & is rigging 2008"
September 20, 2005
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Two Steps Forward, One Step Back"
September 20, 2005
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"FEMA Chief Brown Paid Millions in False Claims to Help Bush Win Fla. Votes"
September 19, 2005
Jason Leopold
"Ohio recount lawsuit set for trial; election workers indicted"
September 4, 2005
Blair Bobier
"Ohio Governor's ethics violations expose money trail to stolen 2004 election"
August 30, 2005
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Diebold's failure in California"
August 7, 2005
John Gideon, Information Manager, www.VotersUnite.Org and www.VoteTrustUSA.Org
"Did the GOP steal another Ohio Election?"
August 5, 2005
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Conyers-Kaptur seek special counsel for Noe probe"
August 4, 2005
John Conyers, Jr. and Marcy Kaptur
"Dramatic new charges deepen link between Ohio's "Coingate," Voinovich mob connections, and the theft of the 2004 election"
July 29, 2005
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"None dare call it stolen - Ohio, the election, and America's servile press"
July 24, 2005
Mark Crispin Miller, summarized by Mary Anne Saucier, Columbus, Ohio
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July 19, 2005
Terri Zins
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July 7, 2005
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July 4, 2005
Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
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June 28, 2005
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June 25, 2005
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June 16, 2005
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June 8, 2005
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June 2, 2005
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May 28, 2005
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"Attack on election board whistleblower and leaked Blackwell threats re-fire Ohio's election theft scandal"
May 23, 2005
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
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May 6, 2005
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April 24, 2005
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April 13, 2005
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"View from Another Planet"
April 13, 2005
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April 12, 2005
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"Democrats, Paper ‘Trails’ Aren’t Good Enough; Count The Damn Ballots!"
April 1, 2005
Lynn Landes, Online Journal Contributing Writer
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March 30, 2005
US Vote Counts
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March 24, 2005
Steve Rosenfeld, Bob Fitrakis, and Harvey Wasserman
"Understanding the difference between paper ballots and paper audit trails"
March 20, 2005
Gary Beckwith
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March 16, 2005
John Irwin
"Republicans maneuvering to get Voting Rights Act killed"
March 10, 2005
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Legal filing highlights Blackwell's hypocrisy in Ohio recount case"
March 7, 2005
Blair Bobier
"Selma 40 Years Later"
March 6, 2005
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Exit Poll Madness - Analyst Steve Freeman & Company Offer False Choice"
March 4, 2005
Lynn Landes
"Libertarians To Testify in Ohio House: Modernize Ohio's Election Laws"
March 3, 2005
Robert Butler
"The New Voting Rights Movement Begins Here Today"
March 2, 2005
Steven Rosenfeld
"Voting in America"
February 28, 2005
Bob Babson
"The Mighty Texas Strike Force"
February 28, 2005
Nick Mottern - Documentary News Service
"Blackwell presidential election sanctions briefs"
February 22, 2005
Various individuals
"Representative Conyers and others file amicus brief in Ohio Supreme Court"
February 17, 2005
Dena Graziano
"Congresswoman Tubbs Jones Outraged at Blackwell's Failure to Appear During House Administration Hearing"
February 12, 2005
Office of Rep. Tubbs Jones
"Ohio Attorney-General's attack on election protection attorneys draws mountain of documentation on state's stolen election, including new study on exit polls"
February 3, 2005
Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Prominent Statisticians Refute 'Explanation' of 2004 U.S. Exit Poll Discrepancies in New Edison/Mitofsky Report and Urge Investigation of U.S. Presidential Election Results"
January 31, 2005
Bruce O'Dell
"The last man to concede..."
January 29, 2005
Sheila Samples
"Report on Washington DC, January 6, 2005"
January 25, 2005
Avram Friedman
"Arkansas in 2004: Did Bush Really Win?"
January 24, 2005
Max Standridge
"New links"
January 23, 2005
Free Press staff
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January 23, 2005
Justine Smith
"Plan B: Parallel Elections & Signed Ballots"
January 20, 2005
Lynn Landes
"Open Letter to Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro from Representative John Conyers, Jr."
January 20, 2005
Representative John Conyers, Jr.
"Open Letter to Warren Mitofsky and Larry Rosin from Representative John Conyers, Jr."
January 20, 2005
Representative John Conyers, Jr.
"Ohio's GOP Attorney General launches revenge attack on Election Protection legal team"
January 19, 2005
Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"What are they hiding in New Mexico?"
January 18, 2005
Warren Stewart, National Ballot Integrity Project
"In the Shadow of Dr. King, counting the vote remains a civil rights issue"
January 17, 2005
Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Did the “Liberal Media” Get the 2004 Election All Wrong?
"
January 16, 2005
Gene C. Gerard
"'COUNT EVERY VOTE. EVERY VOTE COUNTS'"
January 16, 2005
Mary Anne Saucier
"Moss v. Bush moves on and movement continues"
January 13, 2005
Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Rally Continues Drive for Democracy"
January 9, 2005
Mark Huntress
"Estimated vote count in Ohio"
January 8, 2005
Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"January 6 Washington, D.C. rally report"
January 8, 2005
Nick Mottern
"Together, we moved three mountains"
January 8, 2005
Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"What the election challenge means"
January 8, 2005
David Swanson, ILCA
"Progressive Democrats lead historic voting rights protest as Congress ratifies flawed 2004 Electoral College tally"
January 7, 2005
Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Arnebeck letter to Congress re Presidential Electoral Challenge"
January 6, 2005
Clifford O. Arnebeck, Jr.
"Senator Barbara Boxer, D-CA and Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-OH contested the election"
January 6, 2005
Free Press staff
"The "Crime of November 2": The human side of how Bush stole Ohio, and why Congress must investigate rather than ratify the Electoral College (Part Two of Two)"
January 5, 2005
Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff"
January 5, 2005
U.S. Rep. John Conyers and staff
"Seven key reasons why the vote must be challenged at the electoral college"
January 3, 2005
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
"Ten preliminary reasons why the Bush vote does not compute, and why Congress must investigate rather than certify the Electoral College (Part One of Two)"
January 3, 2005
Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Verified election contest petitions and documents in Ohio Supreme Court "
January 2, 2005
The undersigned
"Distribution of voting machines by county in Ohio"
January 1, 2005
Andy Shifflette
"Did We Bounce An Election?"
January 1, 2005
Warren Stewart, votersunite.org
"Presidential election congressional hearing transcript"
January 1, 2005
Congresspeople Waters, Tubbs-Jones and Conyers and others
Selected articles from 2004
"Ohio's official non-recount ends amidst new evidence of fraud, theft and judicial contempt mirrored in New Mexico"
December 31, 2004
"Impossible Phantom Votes in New Mexico
"
December 30, 2004
"The 2004 Presidential Election: Who Won The Popular Vote? An Examination of the Comparative Validity of Exit Poll and Vote Count Data"
December 29, 2004
"Ohio GOP election officials ducking notices of deposition as Kerry enters stolen vote fray"
December 28, 2004
"Another third rate burglary"
December 25, 2004
"Hacking the vote in Miami County"
December 25, 2004
"Update from the Ohio Frontlines"
December 24, 2004
"Lawsuit Before the Ohio Supreme Court"
December 24, 2004
"Kerry votes switched to Bush and ballots pre-punched for Bush"
December 24, 2004
"Uncounted votes in Cuyahoga County"
December 24, 2004
"GAO report documents how easy it is to hack the vote"
November 15, 2005
"J30 Election Reform Coalition"
March 21, 2005
"The Un-mighty New Hampshire Jam Force"
March 21, 2005
"Petro sanctions democracy"
March 21, 2005
"Progressives helped concede election by conceding the moral high ground"
March 21, 2005
"We will not concede, or get over it, but we shall overcome"
January 23, 2005
"From Selma to Palm Beach to Columbus"
January 23, 2005
"Movement Heroes"
January 23, 2005
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