August 14, 2006 at 02:27:13

BREAKING: McKinney Pursuing Legal Challenges to Elections in Georgia

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By Matthew Cardinale (about the author) Page 3 of 4 page(s)

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While we do not know the extent of how many problems there wereand that's exactly why E-voting with no audit trail and procedure is a problemthere are some examples that have come to our attention.

One striking thing is how many activists and election integrity advocates THEMSELVES reported problems they experienced. Their complaints and others are listed below.

-As APN reported earlier, Donzella James, herself a former state senator and now a US Congressional candidate, saw machines not work and have to be shut down, and she kept being given a Republican ballot, in the Primary election.

-Dianne Mathiowetz, activist for the International Action Center, told APN her vote flipped before her very eyes in the Runoff election.

-Frieda Smith, activist, VoterGA lawsuit plaintiff, and Cobb County voter, told APN her vote flipped before her very eyes in the Runoff election.

-An email from Deborah Odom, a Democratic Party activist, relays an experience of receiving a Republican ballot in the Primary, and then being told her vote was already recorded. She said a Diebold worker had to call to get a special code to negate her vote. What if the Diebold worker wasn't there? What's up with this special code?

-Genie Armour's affidavit from the Primary, obtained by APN: "I came to cast my vote for Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Unfortunately, I experienced a problem that concerns me. When I touch the screen to vote for Ms. McKinney, it automatically record Mr. Johnson's as though I had voted for him. I attempted to correct this mistake by retouching the screen, but it would not clear. So I had to go back to the instructions and then return (2-3 times) before I was able to clear the incorrect vote. Immediately after clearing the misvote and another voter had a similar complaint. He had voted for Congresswoman McKinney but it was recorded as a vote for Mr. Johnson. We immediately notified the poll worker and they told us that we could check our votes before we cast them at the end. I noticed before casting my vote that the block for Congress was cut off and could easily be overlooked if not careful.... My opinion is many voters will not take the time to check their selection and as a result an incorrect vote can easily be made."

-Albert Scott's affidavit, obtained by APN: "Put card in the machine, scrolled the names down, the machine voted for the candidate ON ITS OWN [caps added for emphasis]. Voter requested assistance from poll manager, voter was told by manager he couldn't help him. Machine went to last page then ejected card and was told he couldn't do it again."

-Two voters cited in Fitzpatrick's letter to USDOJ Mr. Ash and Jerold Ross, both who voted in the Primary but said there was no US Congressional race listed on his Democratic ballot.

-This in addition to people told their names were not on the voter rolls, or who had their polling place moved without being informed.

-Two pollwatchers told APN voting machines were down for four hours and several voters had to leave because pollworkers did not have a long enough extension cord to plug in the voting machines, in the Runoff Election. These pollworkers also told APN a polling location manager said machines were rejecting cards.

-A Diebold employee reportedly locked herself in a room and manipulated results for one and a half minutes, in the Runoff election, Garland Favorito of VoterGA said in a press conference.

-One pollwatcher told of two machines breaking down in the Runoff Election where 5-8 voters were turned away.

-Diebold electionic pollbooks appeared not to have any mechanism to ensure that Republicans who voted in the Primary couldn't pick up a Democratic ballot in the Runoff, Fitzpatrick said.

-"Less than one hour into the voting day, multiple problems with the electronic voting machines have arisen. McKinney precinct watchers are reporting machines down already, insecure machines, and at least one 4th Congressional District precinct without McKinney's name on the ballot, but with her opponent's name on it," Congresswoman McKinney wrote in an email to APN and other media outlets after one hour into voting during the Runoff.

-"We have a situation at Idlewood Elementary School. Two voters attempted to vote and the voting card cast the ballot without the voter having made a candidate selection. The voter complained that the voter never selected her candidate--Cynthia McKinney. The same problem occurred with that same voting machine with another voter. Team McKinney has spoken with one of the voters; the poll watcher caught one of the two voters and the voter that we have, witnessed the second voter having the same problem," Congresswoman McKinney wrote two hours into Runoff voting.

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Matthew Cardinale is Editor of Atlanta Progressive News. He has written previously for the Sun-Sentinel Newspaper, Shelterforce Magazine, The Advocate Magazine, The San Francisco Bay View, and the Berkeley Daily Planet Newspaper. He has also (more...)

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