* Unfortunately, Cockrell then mentioned to Black Box Voting that the state of Virginia doesn’t have anybody technical to even be able to check the code. Virginia is trying to hire someone.
* So the question punts to Brit Williams. Williams, they tell us, has now retired. This kicks the questions over to Brit Williams’s reports.
* But the necessary information is missing from the reports. The state certification report by Brit Williams that Cockrell has available doesn't list hardware or software components – not even in a sketchy fashion. So the Commonwealth of Virginia kicked it to the National Association of State Elections Directors (NASED).
* NASED, which had Brit Williams on its technical committee, did the original certification of the WinVote. But NASED no longer has control over the process. According to Sandy Steinbach, a former NASED certification staffer now back with the Iowa state elections office, nobody connected with NASED has any certification papers that would show what the certified hardware list looked like. This kicks the question to the United States Elections Assistance Commission.
* The Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) currently says it is looking for the old NASED certification documents on the WinVote, so far without luck. According to EAC Deputy General Counsel Gavin Gilmour, there is a fair chance the EAC doesn't have them at all. According to Gilmour, the EAC has not “taken over the NASED process,” rather they are creating a new process for voting system certification from scratch. That means new rules on certification with the assistance of NIST (National Institute of Science and Technology), a new test lab approval process, sallying forth into the Ponzi scheme. Mr. Gilmour claims that they are not maintaining a document archive from the NASED days and are not claiming to be a continuing source of oversight for old NASED-based certifications. Punt to Wyle testing labs.
* According to Wyle labs, there were attempts to obtain updated WinVote certifications in 2005 and 2006, with additional testing, but no final new approval numbers were issued. Wyle is unwilling to discuss what might have gone wrong with the latest certifications but it adds to the picture of a company financially on the ropes. Kick it to the nondisclosure agreements.
* According to a Wyle Labs source, Wyle is checking to see if they're even allowed to pass a copy to the EAC if asked by the EAC. There's a fair chance that only the Wyle Labs and the vendor (Advanced Voting Solutions) still have copies of the 2002 certification report. Punt to the vendor.
* But the vendor is a private company claiming trade secret privileges. So to Congress we go.
* Congress has been doing a series of hearings on the American voting situation recently. They bring in experts. One of the first on the list: Dr. Brit Williams. Not under subpoena and put under oath. Not cross examined, but an expert, and treated with deference and the utmost of respect.
Cogitate on that for a moment.
* So if Brit Williams is the expert, let’s kick it back to him: The 2002 Brit Williams report for the state of Virginia on the WinVote makes clear that Williams thought the federal-level certification had been done, but bears no evidence that he himself ever saw it. Except that he was on the federal certification committee.
* Adding to the mystery: Per Barbara Cockrell, the Wyle report isn't in the WinVote file where it should be sitting right next to the Brit Williams report.
At this time it is flat impossible for any government official to determine whether or not the WinVotes installed in Virginia are fakes.
THE STATE OF OUR DEMOCRACY
Anthony Sabo will likely be jailed for 90 days (and will be labeled a felon for life) for taking a step that forced sunlight into the WinVote voting machine scandal.
Whistleblower Stephen Heller was arrested and threatened with five years in jail for leaking documents that showed Diebold lying to the California Secretary of State.
