Entries by Joyce McCloy

Gail Ewing: Accountable voting put on hold  3/12/2010 "How can Florida, North Carolina and so many other states already have op scan, but we can't do it here in Maryland?" ~ Gail Ewing of Potomac is a retired at-large Montgomery CO. Council member.

The answer is - Linda Lamone. Maryland had the money to buy the optical scanners back in 2006. Then Governor Ehrlich allocated $28.5 million for optical-scanners in March 2006. But State Election Chief Linda Lamone spent the money on Diebold electronic poll books instead, causing nothing but problems for judges when the poll books malfunctioned. Lamone was later censured by the next Governor O' Malley for allowing Diebold to use her picture and endorsement in sales literature featuring the poll books.

This post is to provide a timeline on how funds for MD optical scan were diverted, where those funds came from, how those funds were diverted to e-poll books, and reliability of poll books. Item list is expanded lower down the page.  Remember that you can create a denial of service to voters if poll books fail, if they operate incorrectly, or if there are not enough of them at polling place. Avi Rubin recommends a paper backup. There are also privacy issues not addressed.

03/25/2006 GOV EHRLICH PROPOSES FUNDS FOR OPTICAL SCAN FROM SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET
articles.baltimoresun.com/2006-03-25/news/0603250354_1_supplemental-budget-voting-machines-ehrlich
05/08/2006 NO BID E-POLLBOOK DEAL WITH DIEBOLD
www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1271&Itemid=113
06/07/2006 LAMONE PURCHASES E-POLL BOOKS
washingtontimes.com/news/2006/jun/07/20060607-104142-6861r/
09/16/2006 LAMONE'S EPOLL BOOK PURCHASE DIVERTED FUNDS FOR OPTICAL SCAN
www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1783&Itemid=113
10/15/2006 EPOLL BOOKS FAILED MISERABLY IN SEPT 2006 PRIMARYELECTION
www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1886&Itemid=113
11/07/2006 E-POLL BOOKS IMPROVED BUT STILL PROBLEMS IN NOV 7 2006 GEN. ELECTION-BACKUP RECOMMENDED
avi-rubin.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-day-at-polls-maryland-general.html
02/25/2007 ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS REPORTED IN MARYLANDS 2006 PRIMARY ELECTION
www.saveourvotes.org/reports/PrimaryProblemsReport.pdf
04/10/2007 PAPER BALLOT LAW PASSED IN APRIL 2007
www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2369&Itemid=113
02/12/2008 E-POLL BOOKS STILL PROBLEMS-BREAKDOWNS, NOT ENOUGH MACHINES = BOTTLENECK IN 2008 ELECTIONS
www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=7533
11/04/2008 E-POLL BOOKS STILL PROBLEMS-BREAKDOWNS, NOT ENOUGH MACHINES = BOTTLENECK IN 2008 ELECTIONS
www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=8136
03/12/2010 2010 AND STILL NO MONEY IN BUDGET FOR OPTICAL SCAN SYSTEMS
www.gazette.net/stories/03122010/policol175947_32553.php

GOV EHRLICH PROPOSES FUNDS FOR OPTICAL SCAN FROM SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET
Added funds for voting machines
March 25, 2006|By JILL ROSEN | JILL ROSEN,SUN REPORTER
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is proposing to spend an additional $28.5 million on optical-scan voting machines for this year's elections and lesser amounts in new expenditures for local road projects and health care.

The new spending is contained in a $59.5 million supplemental budget the governor released late yesterday, just as the legislative session enters its final two weeks and senators and delegates are already working to mold budget legislation.

"This supplemental budget provides resources to secure Maryland's election system with optical-scan voting machines and also makes critical investments in health care," Ehrlich said in a statement. "I look forward to working with all members of the House and Senate to ensure this budget is adopted."

articles.baltimoresun.com/2006-03-25/news/0603250354_1_supplemental-budget-voting-machines-ehrlich

NO BID E-POLLBOOK DEAL WITH DIEBOLD
$13M No Bid E-Pollbook Deal with Diebold Draws Fire
By TrueVoteMD - May 08, 2006
www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1271&Itemid=113

LAMONE PURCHASES E-POLL BOOKS
Electronic poll books contract approved (total $19.4 M)
June 7, 2006. ANNAPOLIS (AP) -- The state Board of Public Works, with reluctant support from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., approved a $2.4 million contract yesterday to buy computer poll books that will be used at early voting sites for the September primary.

...The state will need 5,500 machines at an estimated $16 million to $17 million to cover all polling places on Election Day, Mr. Goldstein said.
washingtontimes.com/news/2006/jun/07/20060607-104142-6861r/

LAMONE'S EPOLL BOOK PURCHASED DIVERTED FUNDS FOR OPTICAL SCAN
Maryland: Report from Prince George County
by A.C. Tanner - September 16, 2006
The electronic poll book usage seems to have been a true fiasco, and the blame for that lies squarely on the State BOE and its director, Linda Lamone, who spent the money that the Governor allocated for optical scan machines on these poll books, which caused nothing but problems for judges.
Then Governor Ehrlich allocated $28.5 million for optical-scanners in March 2006.
www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1783&Itemid=113

EPOLL BOOKS FAILED MISERABLY IN SEPT 2006 PRIMARYELECTION
Maryland: Diebold E-Poll Book Modifications Come Into Question      
By John Gideon, VotersUnite.org   
October 15, 2006
Diebold's new ExpressPoll 2000/4000 electronic poll book failed miserably in the September Maryland primary election
... According to the Associated Press a software patch produced by Diebold fixed one problem that plagued the equipment in Maryland's primary. Another problem, reported by the Baltimore Sun (article in archives) required a software patch that was produced by a Diebold sub-contractor, Advantech Co., Ltd., who was responsible for the e-poll books "losing synch".
www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1886&Itemid=113

ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS REPORTED IN MARYLANDS 2006 PRIMARY ELECTION
Feb 25, 2007
Electronic pollbook problems
• Some voters were incorrectly marked as “already voted” in the electronic
pollbook records.
• In many precincts, e-pollbook totals did not match the number of ballots cast in
the polling place that day.
• Party registration was sometimes listed incorrectly, forcing long-time party
members who were listed as “unaffiliated” to vote on provisional ballots.
• Ongoing problems with synchronization caused the records of various pollbooks
in the same polling place to be mismatched with those of the other pollbooks in
that polling place.
• Pollbooks sometimes crashed during the encoding of Voter Access Cards, and
then marked the voter as “already voted” upon restart.
• Scarcity of pollbook printers in counties that used them caused long waits to
check in at some polling places.
www.saveourvotes.org/reports/PrimaryProblemsReport.pdf

E-POLL BOOKS IMPROVED BUT STILL PROBLEMS IN NOV 7 2006 GEN. ELECTION-BACKUP RECOMMENDED
1) My Day at the Polls - Maryland General Election 2006
Tuesday, November 07, 2006 Avi Rubin.
...I was impressed with the performance of the e-poll books that failed so miserably in our primary.
...
I still feel that I would prefer a paper card check in system because of fear of how stuck we would be if the power went out, or if the machines failed in an unexpected way. But, with a simple augmentation to our procedures, I would be happy to use these poll books. The modification I would make would be for the check in judges to also have a printed booklet of all the registered voters, sorted in alphabetical order. It would only have to have names, and say, birth dates (to make duplicates unlikely). The judges would have to place a check mark next to each voter's name as they voted. Thus, if the e-poll books worked fine, the burden would be rather small.
...
(The privacy issues about whether it is a good idea to have so many electronic copies of this database out there is another story...)
avi-rubin.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-day-at-polls-maryland-general.html

2) Local Polling Places Report Some Problems
Nov 7 2006 - WTOP  BALTIMORE (8:40 a.m.) - Baltimore County Election Director Jackie McDaniel tells WBAL Radio that some precincts have reported not receiving equipment and a few are reporting that their electronic voter check-in books are not working properly and voters have had to use provisional ballots.
www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=6735

PAPER BALLOT LAW PASSED IN APRIL 2007
Maryland Passes Paper Ballot Bill: 'A Victory for Democracy'     
By TrueVoteMD  
April 10, 2007
In the closing hours of the 2007 legislative session, a four year effort to require paper ballots for Maryland's voting system passed the House and the Senate unanimously.  The bill, SB 392/HB18, requires a voter-verified paper trail to be implemented in 2010
www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2369&Itemid=113

E-POLL BOOKS STILL PROBLEMS-BREAKDOWNS, NOT ENOUGH MACHINES = BOTTLENECK IN 2008 ELECTIONS

1) Election workers prepare for long day as polls open  (Anne Arundel County, MD)
February 12, 2008 By E.B. FURGURSON III    The Capital  
...despite voting machine and polling book snafus that caused some delay when the doors opened
www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=7533  

2) Mechanical problems cause voting delays in Suburban Maryland
Daily Record. November 4, 2008. by STEVE LASH
Prince George County. At Takoma Park Middle School, where the electronic poll book broke down at 8 a.m., the precinct’s chief Democratic election judge Marlon Sellow tried repeatedly to get a replacement from the Montgomery County Board of Elections. To calm the concerns of the voters, whose patience he praised, Sellow said he told them the precinct was not provided enough electronic poll books to accommodate the large turnout. This incomplete truth — after all, the problem was not quantity but quality — helped to maintain the voters’ faith in the system, Sellow said.
www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=8136

E-POLL BOOKS STILL PROBLEMS-BREAKDOWNS, NOT ENOUGH MACHINES = BOTTLENECK IN 2008 ELECTIONS

1) Election workers prepare for long day as polls open  (Anne Arundel County, MD)
February 12, 2008 By E.B. FURGURSON III    The Capital 
...despite voting machine and polling book snafus that caused some delay when the doors opened
www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=7533  

2) Mechanical problems cause voting delays in Suburban Maryland
Daily Record. November 4, 2008. by STEVE LASH
Prince George County. At Takoma Park Middle School, where the electronic poll book broke down at 8 a.m., the precinct’s chief Democratic election judge Marlon Sellow tried repeatedly to get a replacement from the Montgomery County Board of Elections. To calm the concerns of the voters, whose patience he praised, Sellow said he told them the precinct was not provided enough electronic poll books to accommodate the large turnout. This incomplete truth — after all, the problem was not quantity but quality — helped to maintain the voters’ faith in the system, Sellow said.
www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=8136

2010 AND STILL NO MONEY IN BUDGET FOR OPTICAL SCAN SYSTEMS
Gail Ewing: Accountable voting put on hold
March 12, 2010 ...Gov. O'Malley took op scan out of the FY2011 budget. Joseph Bryce, chief legislative officer for the governor, says the problem was "purely fiscal." The governor has done what it took to try to make op scan happen, but the money just wasn't there.
www.gazette.net/stories/03122010/policol175947_32553.php

I hope Burlington voters will appreciate the irony in the title of the blog.

Burlington voters voted to ditch IRV today. The measure to repeal instant runoff voting won by a healthy 4% margin. This is a case of a David verses Goliath, grassroots activism verses well funded out of state interests. Congratulations to the grassroots activists.

The grassroots message was "KEEP VOTING SIMPLE - VOTE YES TO REPEAL IRV" . Because one thing IRV does is make voting more complex and the results can bizarre.


Here are the election results:

Channel 17's Coverage

BALLOT QUESTIONS: ALL TOWNS
BURLINGTON - All Wards Reporting

5. Charter Change to Eliminate Instant Runoff Voting for Election of
Mayor

YES 3972 52%
NO 3669
TOTAL 7641

Some background:

My Turn: If Bob Kiss is for IRV, I'm against it
Burlington's municipal household is in horrible disarray. The pie-in-the-sky hallucination called Burlington Telecom is turning into a shambles of misgovernment, while for all we know, plans for the Moran plant and the northern section of the waterfront may be heading in the same direction. Let the spring cleaning begin.

People will tell the politicians how we want to vote! This is a citizen initiative and we have the power.

It's a funny business I've only within the last year changed my mind about IRV. My distaste for the whole IRV process began when I was still the Ward 6 Election Clerk

Avoid a Tampering of Ballots on March 2: Vote in your Ward! Don't vote at City Hall or by Absentee! The ballots are stored at City Hall and can be opened and changed!

Burlington instant runoff voting:-If you didn't vote for Kiss or Wright, then you didn't vote??Say what? (with video) "Repeal IRV" Blog says that even the instant runoff voting experts admit some votes just don't count...

Burlington - Instant Runoff Voting Interviews (fascinating video)Voters who supported implementing IRV have changed their minds.

Dean and Sanders don't know the facts on instant runoff voting, says blogger BurlingtonPol. And Dean commits a major gaff:

Dean and Sanders Fail on IRV  Thursday, February 25, 2010 Failure from the two top Burlington pols this week on the IRV question.

First from Dean speaking to reporters on Church Street along side a representative from the League of Women Voters. He said that the 'Hinda Miller' election did not use IRV, and that it had only been used once- in the most recent election. Before and after that embarrassing gaff, on which he was immediately corrected, he did a good job of spitting out the textbook arguments for IRV. But that flub kinda killed the whole press conference for him, it seemed to me. Kinda killed his credibility on this issue. I mean, did he not vote in the 2006 mayoral election? Maybe not.

Then yesterday I received a flyer in the mail with Bernard Sanders's picture on it...

... more at the link. (Be sure to read the comments, they are fascinating)

Keep voting simple, vote yes on #5 to eliminate instant runoff voting in Burlington Vermont.

Also see

Sunday, February 28, 2010 City voters will decide repeal question Politicians, FairVote Maryland, vpirg - BACK OFF!

Burlington instant runoff voting:-If you didn't vote for Kiss or Wright, then you didn't vote??Say what? (with video) "Repeal IRV" Blog says that even the instant runoff voting experts admit some votes just don't count...

Burlington - Instant Runoff Voting Interviews (fascinating video)
Voters who supported implementing IRV have changed their minds.

Burlington Voters try to have their say about instant runoff voting. Burlington voter s will decide on March 2 whether to ditch IRV or not. To ditch IRV, they must vote YES on #5 to Repeal IRV.   In the press conference videos below, voters tell their experience with instant runoff voting. It is quite different from the talking points spouted by the outside special interest groups and politicians. In one presser video, Burlington citizens say their votes can't be bought and they would like that Maryland group (FairVote) to take their money back to Maryland. One blogger expresses concerns about election fraud and urges voters to protect their vote by casting their ballot in person and not by absentee. 

One Person, One Vote Press Conference on "Outside" Money

02/25/2010

More about the outsde, big money funnelled into Burlington to promote IRV.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

FOLLOW THE MONEY -- BIG BUCKS FROM OUT OF TOWN. Cheating the system...

We've learned that unFair Vote and VPIRG are funding pro-IRV.

VT Yankee is leaking, people are donating to VPIRG figuring they are a VY watchdog, and VPIRG is sending thousands of $$$s to influence a Burlington ballot initiative to Repeal IRV. (Wonder how Brattleboro donors feel about that?)

There's also money pouring in from the ubiquitous Fair Vote known as "Unfair Vote" (among repeal irv advocates) because unFair Vote was fined for violating election laws [*The election law violation was about the validity of using celebrity donors.] But every state has different laws, and wanting to keep a low profile in Burlington's election is probably for a good reason...

ASPENISTAN MAYOR HOLDS ASPEN BALLOTS HOSTAGE PT 2

Another lampoon of Aspen's May 2009 Instant Runoff Voting election and questions about public's quest to view the ballots. By BetterBadNews "Political satire anchored by a surly moderator with 'issues'. Half true more or less 100% of the time."

ASPENISTAN MAYOR HOLDS ASPEN BALLOTS HOSTAGE PT 2

Embattled Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland loses his temper as he takes the gloves off in his fight to defeat election quality advocates demanding election transparency in Aspenistan.

The BetterBadNews panel takes advantage of a cease fire among waring factions of rival warlords awaiting a court ruling on a voting rights dispute of national importance including:

1. Did Aspen's instant runoff election violate the city charter and open records law?

2. Was the Aspen city election commission illegally dismissed for questioning election irregularities in a recent municipal election?

3. Can the city of Aspen forbid the public from inspecting ballots?

A group called Better Bad News lampoons Aspen Colorado's instant runoff election held this May.  The election was rife with questionable or amateurish antics.  Early voting began way before it was supposed to and there really was a ballot box just outside the mayor's office during early voting was not a joke.

ASPEN ELECTION NOT OUT OF CONTROL
produced by Better Bad News

Instant runoff elections Aspen style sparks a voter revolt on BetterBadNews. The panel hears testimony about how a clever politician in Aspen Colorado, gamed an instant runoff election by hiding the ballots to protect voter piracy.

Can ballots photographed for verification of voter intent be hidden from public view because somebody in city hall forgot to shuffle the ballots?

In Colorado early voting is taken very seriously. A ballot box set up near the mayors office gives voters something to do while waiting for their appointment with the boss.

A judge ruled that there was probable cause that the St Paul Better Ballots Campaign broke the law when sending out endorsement claims in a campaign mailer promoting instant runoff voting. St Paul DFL activist Chuck Repke filed two separate complaints about the last minute mailers that likely affected the outcome of the election. The IRV ballot measure won by only 1%. The misleading mailer may have given the pro IRV group the 1% they needed to barely win.

St. Paul Politics/Judge rules instant-runoff campaign should go on trialVote-no group accuses vote-yes group of lying about endorsements

11/08/2009 A judge ruled Friday that there is probably cause to believe an allegation the campaign behin