A few years back, while at the Defcon computer security conference in Las Vegas, I attended a meeting where the subject of “e-voting” was discussed. The “e-voting” concept includes the use of computerized electronic voting machines, as well as the idea of voting, not from government-sanctioned polling locations, but from an Internet website.
Several thousand of the world’s top computer security experts were in attendance. I thought it quite revealing that, as soon as the words “electronic voting security” came out of the speaker’s mouth, the crowd burst into raucous, jeering laughter. E-voting security, indeed. You couldn’t fool this crowd; they knew better. That voters across the nation are being conned into thinking their electronically-cast votes are secure is a scam of colossal proportions.
Most of the electronic voting systems in place have no way of being independently audited, and the system manufacturers, such as Diebold/Premier, are not willing to reveal to election board officials how their computerized voting machines actually work. If a recount of the vote is ever needed, well, too bad, you’ll just have to take Diebold’s word for it. Security experts have demonstrated time and again the countless ways that e-voting systems can be easily hacked and compromised; the potential for fraud is stunning, to say the least.
In Oklahoma, we have been relatively blessed with the optical-scan voting machine system. While it’s not perfect, it does allow for an honest recount of the vote, as we have actual paper ballots that can be counted. Other problems seem to exist, however. It seems that Oklahoma election officials may be in violation of federal election law. Consider this quote from an October 9 article in the New York Times:
“Some [states] are removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote. States may be improperly removing voters who have moved within the state, election experts said, or who are considered inactive because they have failed to vote in two consecutive federal elections.”
Now, consider also this quote from an October 8 article in the Norman Transcript:
“With the presidential election quickly approaching, Cleveland County Election Board officials say more than 6,600 voters have been purged from the county voter rolls because they haven’t voted in two general elections…”
On a happier note, Oklahoma was favorably mentioned recently on CNN’s Lou Dobbs show. In a story about states entering into agreements with companies such as Diebold to install their insecure electronic voting machines, a partial transcript of the show reads as follows:
“[CNN Correspondent Kitty Pilgrim]: One state that rejected that arrangement is Oklahoma. In 1992, Oklahoma put in its own optical scan system, which is still owned and operated by the state. [Michael Clingman, Oklahoma State Election Board]: Election night, it’s really all public officials dealing with the election and nobody else. [Pilgrim]: Oklahoma wasn’t tempted by new federal funds in 2002 when many other state and local governments used the Help America Vote Act money to buy touch screen machines. [Unidentified male]: There was really nothing on the market we would buy then and there’s still nothing we would want to buy today. [Pilgrim]: Oklahoma does its own software testing and election recounts without private companies being involved. [Lou Dobbs]: I have to say, Oklahoma is a real piece of America… independent thinking, they’re self-reliant, they’re telling these silly son of a guns to go stick it, and they’re honoring their commitment to the public they’re hired and elected to serve. What is wrong with you people in Oklahoma? What are you doing out there? You’re making the whole country look bad. But good for you.”
Well, sure, good for us. Nationally, however, the picture isn’t so pretty. I wrote in a December, 2007 article for the Transcript: “I think that it’s time for us to ask our elected servants, ‘What are you doing to insure that voting machines function accurately, can be easily audited, and cannot be hacked?’ By the time that the 2008 elections roll around, it may be too late.”
Guess what? The 2008 elections are here, and it’s too late.