Okay, about Pennsylvania, which Black Box Voting has dubbed "the worst place to vote in America"
Most locations in Pennsylvania have no ballots: Strike one.
Pennsylvania fails to recognize that its own citizens have a right to oversee their own government, especially the elections that control who takes office: Strike two.
Pennsylvania has a hefty history of organized crime, including organized crime infiltrating government positions: Strike three.
By these standards, many states in this nation have also struck out. But what makes Pennsylvania even worse:
- Bad public records laws, restricting who can see records, and making them difficult to obtain.
- One hand washing the other with the not-so-clean legislature glad-handing the HAVA-loving Pennsylvanian "expert" Michael Shamos -- the paperless voting cheerleader. Shamos is the expert that never noticed the problems with Diebold, not even GEMS, which a chimpanzee can manipulate. Shamos is the Pennsylvania expert that is ever-ready to testify to Pennsylvania lawmakers against paper ballots when Pennsylvania citizens try to get them.
- Bad recount laws, and not even any so-called audits. Pennsylvania is the poster child for votes counted in secret, inside computers, with a secret chain of custody, which is both inside computers containing secret software and is then further made secret by poor laws for public records and obstructive behavior by officials.
Pennsylvania has some good people, like former election official V. Kurt ellman, who has shown the intellectual honesty to do his homework, think independently, and -- most difficult for many people -- Bellman has been willing to rethink his positions from time to time. We often disagree, but it is always an informative discussion.
Pennsylvania has some awesome, creative, and tenacious citizens fighting for voting rights, like Alan Brau, who helped expose the improper use of the Advanced Voting Systems WinVote, and Mary Ann Gould, who has done an extraordinary job of communicating the issues to the public.
But Pennsylvania is still the worst place to vote in America.
Oh-- and did I mention, it also has a significant "Moonshine Elections" component. It's not often that states combine mafia connections with moonshine politics, but that's Pennsylvania. For more about Moonshine Elections, see these reports:
I don't think you'll find many states that actually top Pennsylvania in citizen-unfriendly elections. Nominate some if you dare, but I think I'll be able to show you that Pennsylvania has them beat.
Pennsylvania's worse than Florida -- even -- because Florida has GREAT public records laws, which have an important feature, they explictly put ballots under public records laws.
Pennsylvania once had one of the worst right to know laws in the country. The average citizen, even if able to get records, found costs high--and pursuit in courts financially difficult. Now, many parts of Pennsylvania did give good access, and didn't hassle the people when they asked for records under the old law. But, this wasn't common in the state. There is a NEW law, pushed by Gov. Ed Rendell, Common Cause, and innumerable journalism organizations. This law does give greater access, and sets some standards and an appeal process. It's not what is the best law in the country, but it brings Pennsylvania out of the bottom and about mid-range. Getting the info you suggest about voting should be easier--though not perfect. /walter brasch, president, Pennsylvania Press Club
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Brasch (58 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 46 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 4:32:47 AM
A thousand hats tipped to the great Bev Harris for her tireless dedication as the leading election reform investigator... she deserves a medal. Bev Harris and Jim March continue to provide the leadership otherwise absent from the investigator activist community. We are all thankful.
As Bev has proven the extent of the problems, we must quickly move towards solution. The solution department is also light on leaders, but there is hope that we can unite the factions within the election reform movement before the clock runs out. Personally, I advocate open source code systems with complete paper ballots-
Many good hearted people have reacted to the electronic debacle by declaring war on any and all electronic systems- and resisting efforts to gut the currect software systems. This camp is known as the staunch hand count paper ballot community. Though sometimes slighted as proponents of an unrealistic position, this camp includes pure hearts who stand on principal. Certainly the retail fraud vulnerability of a hand count is preferable to the wholesale fraud vulnerabilities of a dirty system count. However, the activist strategy debate merely begins here.
As we know, central tabulation is accomplished via technology. Regardless of the point of inception- everything ends up at the central tabulator. Currently these systems are run on a secret software platform without public oversight. This is the essence of proper reform / solution efforts. Please see www.openvoting.org Alan Dechert continues to lead the way towards transparent paper ballot systems that allow for precinct tabulation.
Ideally the investigation leaders will come together with solution experts to create the most robust and redundant system possible. Leaders like Bev Harris should align with solution providing groups for a common agenda. We must not travel an unrealistic road littered with the debris of devisiveness, but rather wander the path of communal righteousness.
Bev's camera strategy is brilliant- We should implement her suggestions post haste. It would go hand in glove with a variety of open source ballot systems- We need to focus on our common enemies, i.e. Microsoft and the secret software vendors- We shall overcome. Brent Turner
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Brent Turner (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 89 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 1:37:44 PM
I'd like to pose a question. Are fair elections really possible?
My own answer is no. All these problems with voting just go to show that democracy doesn't work. It quickly becomes an elected dictatorship. Citizen participation quickly becomes citizen manipulation, the vote just another ruse to legitimize the government's rule.
We'd be better off with Anarcho-capitalism, ie no coercive government. Society would still have institutions they'd just be voluntary.
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Darren Wolfe (4 articles, 125 quicklinks, 79 diaries, 596 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 2:54:17 PM
First off Bev let me say that I am a huge fan of your work, thanks and keep it up.
Now with this being said Bev brings up an interesting point that underlines the importance of the Clinton elitist DLC corporate warmonger Dems moving the goalposts to place so much emphasis on Pennsylvania. Call me a cynic because I have seen this movie before but the tempest in a teapot over the bitter God and guns folk makes for a great excuse for the huge Clinton win that will then be spun by the pocket media kingmakers into a new narrative for the resurgent Queen in waiting and give political cover to all of those superdelegates who are chomping at the bit to sell us all down the river for chump change.
I always keep thinking back to that Greg Palast interview where he said that the only reason that the Dems don't pursue electoral fraud and the machines is that they plan on using them too.
In this sad land of a sham democracy the oligarchy doesn't only get to decide that Coke and Pepsi are the only two flavors available but now they are going to tell us all which one to drink as well.
I would place as much credibility in the results from the Pennsylvania primary as I would in a fair game of 3 card monte being played on the rubes on the main drag of our bunting draped Potemkin village.
Keep up the great work
EE
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Ed Encho (6 articles, 11 quicklinks, 55 diaries, 382 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 5:24:07 PM
In San Mateo County- We had a straw poll go off track - Obama had the win but was lessened by laptop with secret software code. When the real election came down, Obama again lost the county on a secret software system- The straw poll now seems a necessary ramrod to justify the election results- Bad bad Bad- We must keep our own house clean- And watch out for fundraising " activists" and " bloggers" - In other words.... Keep your eyes peeled for Microsoft shills - BT
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Brent Turner (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 89 comments)
on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 9:08:15 PM
