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Exclusive Interview with Investigator Rady Ananda Rady Ananda began blogging in 2004, finally settling in at OpEdNews where she now volunteers as a Senior Editor. She has actively pursued election integrity since 2004, and several pieces of her research and analysis appear in three books on Ohio’s 2004 election. She continues to promote equal rights for the LGBT community, while honing her skills as an essayist and investigative journalist. So, Rady, how did you get started in election integrity? The first thing about elections that made me go, “hmm?” was the December 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision halting the Florida recount and appointing GWB president. I was in school at the time, so I didn’t get involved until after graduating college. In 2004, I started reading online news sites – WantToKnow, the Freep, and BBV. That internal “hmm?” warning started to elevate. But then I got caught up in the Democratic Party’s Get Out The Vote efforts in 2004. Anybody But Bush was the motto. I took a classmate to see John Kerry and Bruce Springsteen at the Ohio State campus. We were totally pumped. From Kerry’s lips to my ears, “We will count every vote!” I had much to learn about the difference between campaign promises and actual behavior. He conceded the election on Nov. 3rd, and refused to provide any funds to our recount efforts. On November 2, 2004, I got another friend to work with me for the local Dem Party. We went into four different precincts in Columbus, Ohio. In three of those precincts, black working class neighborhoods, we collected the numbers of voters who had shown up by 11 AM and 4 PM, as directed by the Dems. But we also visited a white wealthy Republican precinct. The difference was stark: not enough machines in the black precincts, and the lines went out the door, into the rainy weather where voters waited two hours; while voters in the wealthy white precinct waited ten minutes to access one of many machines. Later we learned that Franklin County Elections Director Matt Damschroder had withheld over a hundred machines, providing fewer machines to certain neighborhoods than were provided in the 2004 primary. Of course the turnout for the general election was twice that of the primary. I studied the public records that Bob Fitrakis acquired, and saw with my own eyes the deployment figures. No one got in trouble for this blatant disenfranchisement of a targeted class of voters. That election – on machines that the EVEREST study later revealed were easily and undetectably hackable – also resulted in Ohio’s constitutionally mandated same-sex marriage ban. Several of us in the Q community railed at our gay leadership who lacked the foresight to attack the proposed amendment en masse. Where were the bumper stickers? The rallies? The OpEd pieces? What did they do with all the money we had donated? After the election, they provided 600 of us with a bright yellow sweatshirt, and changed the name of their organization. I even attended the follow up meetings to develop new leadership, but the same leaders were voted in, and in later emails, they told us their process was top-down. Yeah, that worked real well the last time, didn’t it? Disgusted, I walked away. After Nov. 2nd, I mainly focused on elections. I read the various lawsuits and mainstream press articles about how funny those machines acted on Election Day: vote switching, 98% turnout, tampering with the recount, etc. One precinct (Gahanna 1B) showed that of 638 total votes cast, 4,258 of them were for Bush. I started keeping track, and eventually developed an EIR spreadsheet of all the election incident reports I could find in the public record. I submitted that spreadsheet to the Election Assistance Commission in 2005, and it’s been reproduced sans citations in the book, What Happened in Ohio: A documentary record of theft and fraud in the 2004 election, by Robert J. Fitrakis, Steven Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman, NY: New Press, 2006, at pp 116-123. So I got tied into elections in three ways: shenanigans at the poll sites, shenanigans with the software, and an unconstitutional amendment discriminating against my tribe. I know you’ve done a lot since 2004. What are some of the highlights? (Laughing) Yeah, much has happened since 2004. In July 2005, Troy Semen, Jo Anne Karasek and I formed the first investigative team to photograph the 2004 ballots in Ohio. Over the next 13 months, I photographed thousands of ballots and led several teams into various counties. I burnt numerous copies of the digital records, to ensure the evidence was spread far and wide. This work appears in Richard Hayes Phillips’ book, Witness to a Crime: A citizens’ audit of an American election. That was amazing to work with so many people who care about democracy. We plugged away at those photographs, often going into hostile counties, like Warren – which advised it received a Level Ten Terrorist Threat alert from the FBI on election night, so they “had to remove the ballots” to be counted in secret. Of course that was absolute hogwash, yet no one in Warren was ever indicted for this fraud that violated Ohio and local election laws. We presciently suspected that our photographs would become the only extant record of those ballots. In September of 2006, despite a court order requiring preservation, 3/4 of all Ohio counties “lost” or destroyed the 2004 punch card ballots. No one’s been convicted of any wrongdoing. After Kerry conceded on November 3rd, the Democratic Party crawled back into the woodwork and the Greens and Libertarians stepped up on behalf of all Ohio’s voters, organizing Ohio’s 2004 recount. I joined that 2004 recount effort, and observed two more recounts in 2006. But recounts of records that lack chain of custody; or that lack continual scrutiny by the public; or that are produced on undetectably mutable software are an exercise in futility. We have no rational basis for confidence in reported election results, or in recounts that fail Security 101 (provenance). Two exciting legal opportunities arose in 2006. I provided legal support to two election cases that questioned the integrity of reported results: San Diego’s 50th Congressional District race between Francine Busby and Brian Bilbray; and Franklin (OH) County’s judicial race between Carole Squire and Chris Geer. For Squire, I organized and led a team of college graduates who audited the signature poll books, and I prepared a spreadsheet comparing our results to official numbers. I also testified on behalf of our findings. Joan Brunwasser is a co-founder of Citizens for Election Reform (CER) which exists for the sole purpose of raising the public awareness of the critical need for election reform. We aim to restore fair, accurate, transparent, secure elections where votes are cast in private and counted in public. Electronic (computerized) voting systems are simply antithetical to democratic principles.
Joan Brunwasser is a co-founder of Citizens for Election Reform (CER) which exists for the sole purpose of raising the public awareness of the critical need for election reform. We aim to restore fair, accurate, transparent, secure elections where votes are cast in private and counted in public. Electronic (computerized) voting systems are simply antithetical to democratic principles.CER set up a lending library to achieve the widespread distribution of the DVD Invisible Ballots: A temptation...
agreed! i couldn't agree with you more. by
Joan Brunwasser (156 articles, 3527 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 624 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 8:34:35 AM
All that's required for evil to prevail is for good folks to do nothing. We won't give up. Thanks for your kind words, Suzana. by
Rady Ananda (124 articles, 283 quicklinks, 36 diaries, 1061 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 12:10:41 PM
I work as a filmaker. some ofmy footage can be seen in new documentary linking FBI and Bush to creation of 911www.911pressfortruth.com
FBI WATCH MAKING CRUELTY VISIBLE From 1989 thru 2002 we organized an annual national conference looking at crimes committed by FBI agents.It was held at Bates College from 1990-2001. We brought Leonard Gates to speak at our conference in 1994. He and Bob Draise were supervisors at Cincinnati Bell telephone and were committing voter fraud for FBI agents and the local police. They blew the whistle on their activities. google leonard gates voter fraud Gates had placed illegal phone taps on the voting polls for the FBI prior to Election Day. Taxpayer funded FBI agents had obtained an illegal copy of the operating system software for the electronic voting machines. They attempted to insert this software, which had trapdoors re-written into it so it would erase itself after the election, into the electronic voting machines via the phone modem built into the voting machines so election results could be sent out to media over the phone line. Gates said FBI agents have been committing voter fraud around the country for some time. We have posted material from our Crimes Committed by the FBI conference at www.campusactivism.org click on home click on forum scroll down to FBI WATCH There are over 400 pages of material. My work is now focused on having communities re-think the current model of bodyguards we call law enforcement. In the best tradition of Abraham Maslow I believe if people want to self-actualize they must learn how to deal with violence and aggression in their own communities and not hire bodyguards to protect them. If we continue with our current model of law enforcement I believethe majority of our species will forget how to protect themselves. In redefining our criminal justice system I am also working to have law taught in grades 1-12 so when you graduate from high school you can pass the state bar exam. I am also working to shut down taxpayer funded electronic cesspools called prisons that produce nothing but more vicious and competent criminals.Less that 20% of all convicted criminals committed violent crimes. It cost taxpayers over 35,000.00 to house 1 person in prison for one year. To contact me google dallas news forum fbi watch by
mssarnhatt (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 16 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 9:50:56 AM
It's only getting worse... At the August 27, 2008 meeting of the Progressive Democrats of America in Denver for the Convention, investigative journalist Greg Palast updated the crowd on the state of elections in the US, circa 2008: "What's happening? Donetta Davidson, who had been secretary of state in the state of Colorado, removed 19.4 percent - one out of five voters in the state of Colorado, she removed their names. And what happens to Davidson as a result of this? The answer is George Bush made her head of the brand new Election Assistance Commission, where she can train all 50 secretaries of state in her purging ways. In fact, President Bush, instead of calling her chairwoman of the EAC, was going to call her the Purging General." Palast: Outcome of 2008 election likely to be skewed by unethical tactics I hear the strained gurgling of democracy's last breath. by
Amanda Lang (23 articles, 13845 quicklinks, 431 diaries, 593 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 10:09:04 AM
Brent Turner is an election integrity activist. He has founded numerous activist groups- He is an Oxford graduate currently living in California.
Palast /PDA Certainly Palast has done his share of highlighting the problem, but like PDA, is yet to focus on solution. Rather than burying our heads in the sand while complaining, people need to rally around solution providers. It is a nice thought that someday we will go back in time and the electronic systems will disappear- but back to reality- It is interesting that PDA gets it's direction from non democrats and refuses to officially endorse open source code/ papaer ballot systems. The CA Dem party has endorsed open source- but the blog o activist blackout continues. Hopefully Palast / PDA and Ananda will ramp up and move towards solution- by
Brent Turner (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 94 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 10:46:16 AM
Born in the USA, but living in Canada for the past 40 years, I'm a Vietnam war resister, a revolutionary democratic socialist, a member of Canada's New Democratic Party, on the executive committee of the St. Paul's NDP constituency association; a semi-retired hospital worker, a member of Local 1.on of the Service Employees International Union and of the SMART reform caucus of SEIU. I'm married to Sandie, formerly of Rochester NY.
That's the way we do it here The only way we’re ever going to have honest elections is if citizens take over the process, simplify it (meaning, no software), and allow constant scrutiny by everyday people of all political faiths, or who are nonpartisan. No more favoring the two dominant parties. The ballots have to be counted on election night, at the polling site, before all who wish to observe, and the results announced immediately – before any precinct knows the results of any others. That's the way we do it up here in Canada. Of course we have simpler ballots than yours. We don't try to elect everybody from President to dogcatcher at the same time. by
B. Ross Ashley (1 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 16 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 10:40:00 AM
the Genius of Simplicity you've said it exactly: simplify the process; don't try to elect all offices in one election. Simplicity also requires us to forgo the use of software, which vendors are fighting hard to keep in place, despite the scientific evidence condemning its use. by
Rady Ananda (124 articles, 283 quicklinks, 36 diaries, 1061 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 11:24:00 AM
Brent Turner is an election integrity activist. He has founded numerous activist groups- He is an Oxford graduate currently living in California.
Wrong It is a red herring to say we must forego the use of software- That agenda gets us nowhere, as is evidenced by our failure to change the system for 2008 !!! The optimum strategy is to mandate OPEN SOURCE software and to make SECRET VOTING SOFTWARE ILLEGAL. This coupled with a papaer ballot requirement will set our people free. We must not spin in circles hoping for the machines to disappear - we must move swiftly towards solution- We all agree we must have hand countable paper ballots- but the central tabulators tender the " first count" - We must insist that Microsoft get out of our elections- and take their place holding obstructionists with them- We the people are wise to the blogger fundraising games- It's time to round up the bad guys - Help is on the way !!! by
Brent Turner (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 94 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 1:02:53 PM
Ignoring the vendors with science behind us, we know open sores is no solution. This research was provided by OEN member, abacus: by
Rady Ananda (124 articles, 283 quicklinks, 36 diaries, 1061 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 1:59:26 PM
Brent Turner is an election integrity activist. He has founded numerous activist groups- He is an Oxford graduate currently living in California.
The reddest herring Noimann's words must be taken in context- Yes it is true that there is no " guarantee" of 100% security and that open source is not a " panacea" - Noimann agrees that we should utilize open source when using computer systems for voting. Almost ALL computer experts ( except those paid by Microsoft) agree, including Roy Saltman, that there is no good method of securing the ingrity of an election without open source. To state otherwise would be to advocate secrets in elections. We must fight for open source/ papaer ballot systems as we currently use computers, and are highly likely to continue doing so ad infinitem - If we are the leaders- Let's lead with strong strategy and not be mere fundraisers without proper planning. by
Brent Turner (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 94 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 2:58:53 PM
Election Fraud Bibliography Here's a list I've compiled - mostly focused on software driven elections, but with some choice books covering paper ballot fraud. I strongly recommend the history books, tho - something all American voters should be required to read if they want to involve themselves in honest election administration. Richard Hayes Phillips. Witness to a Crime: A Citizens' Audit of an American Election, Rome, New York: Canterbury Press, 2008. Mark Crispin Miller. Loser Take All: Election Fraud the Subversion of Democracy 2000-2008, Brooklyn, NY: Ig Publishing, 2008. Robert F. Kennedy. Was the 2004 Election Stolen? June 1, 2006. This is an 18,000-word investigative report in Rolling Stones Magazine – based mainly on info we uncovered in Ohio which Harvey, Bob and Richard provided to him. When this came out, we election investigators in Ohio sang, "On the Cover of the Rolling Stones" and generally celebrated national exposure of our evidence. Abbe Waldman DeLozier and Vickie Karp, eds. Hacked! High tech election theft in America, Austin, Texas: Truth Enterprises, 2006. Robert Fitrakis, Steven Rosenfeld, and Harvey Wasserman. What Happened in Ohio: A Documentary Record of Theft and Fraud in the 2004 Election. Columbus, Ohio: Columbus Institute of Contemporary Journalism (CICJ), 2006. Greg Palast. Armed Madhouse: Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf?, China Floats, Bush Sinks, The Scheme to Steal '08,No Child's Behind Left, and Other Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Class War, Dutton Adult, 2006. Fitrakis, Wasserman, and Rosenfeld. Did George W. Bush Steal America's 2004 Election? Ohio's Essential Documents. CICJ, 2005. Fitrakis & Wasserman. How the GOP Stole America's 2004 Election & Is Rigging 2008, Columbus, OH: harveywasserman.com Pub., 2005. Tracy Campbell. Deliver the Vote: A History of Election Fraud, an American Political Tradition – 1742-2004. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2005. John Conyers. What Went Wrong in Ohio: The Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election, Academy Chicago Pubs., 2005. (Originally authored by the House Judiciary Committee and published by the Government Printing Office in January 2005; edited and redesigned for mass readability.) Mark Crispin Miller. Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election and Why They'll Steal the Next One too, Basic Books, 2005. Bev Harris. Black Box Voting: Ballot Tampering in the 21st Century, Renton, Washington: Talion Publishing, 2004. Roy Morris, Jr. Fraud of the Century: Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel Tilden and the stolen election of 1876. Simon & Schuster, 2003. Mary Kahl. Ballot box 13: How Lyndon Johnson won his 1948 senate race by 87 contested votes. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1983. And I have to add this list of scientific reports:50+ Bibliography of Scientific Studies on Computerized Voting Systems, Warning: This product is hazardous to your freedom, and Debunking Pre-Election Testing Myths by
Rady Ananda (124 articles, 283 quicklinks, 36 diaries, 1061 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 11:50:39 AM
I work as a filmaker. some ofmy footage can be seen in new documentary linking FBI and Bush to creation of 911www.911pressfortruth.com
FBI WATCH MAKING CRUELTY VISIBLE From 1989 thru 2002 we organized an annual national conference looking at crimes committed by FBI agents.It was held at Bates College from 1990-2001. We brought Leonard Gates to speak at our conference in 1994. He and Bob Draise were supervisors at Cincinnati Bell telephone and were committing voter fraud for FBI agents and the local police. They blew the whistle on their activities. google leonard gates voter fraud Gates had placed illegal phone taps on the voting polls for the FBI prior to Election Day. Taxpayer funded FBI agents had obtained an illegal copy of the operating system software for the electronic voting machines. They attempted to insert this software, which had trapdoors re-written into it so it would erase itself after the election, into the electronic voting machines via the phone modem built into the voting machines so election results could be sent out to media over the phone line. Gates said FBI agents have been committing voter fraud around the country for some time. We have posted material from our Crimes Committed by the FBI conference at www.campusactivism.org click on home click on forum scroll down to FBI WATCH There are over 400 pages of material. My work is now focused on having communities re-think the current model of bodyguards we call law enforcement. In the best tradition of Abraham Maslow I believe if people want to self-actualize they must learn how to deal with violence and aggression in their own communities and not hire bodyguards to protect them. If we continue with our current model of law enforcement I believethe majority of our species will forget how to protect themselves. In redefining our criminal justice system I am also working to have law taught in grades 1-12 so when you graduate from high school you can pass the state bar exam. I am also working to shut down taxpayer funded electronic cesspools called prisons that produce nothing but more vicious and competent criminals.Less that 20% of all convicted criminals committed violent crimes. It cost taxpayers over 35,000.00 to house 1 person in prison for one year. To contact me google dallas news forum fbi watch by
mssarnhatt (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 16 comments)
on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 12:12:31 PM
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