Beware the Vote-Flipper

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: dewayne () warpspeed com (Dewayne Hendricks)
Date: October 28, 2008 11:23:41 PM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Beware the Vote-Flipper

[Note:  This item comes from reader Randall.  DLH]

From: Randall Webmail <rvh40 () insightbb com>
Date: October 28, 2008 5:34:09 PM PDT
To: dewayne () warpspeed com, johnmacsgroup () yahoogroups com
Subject: Beware the Vote-Flipper

Letter to Secretaries of State re: iVotronic "Vote Flipping"
Statements & Testimony

By Lawrence Norden & Pamela Smith
– 10/27/08

Download Letter

This letter was sent to 16 Secretaries of State where iVotronic voting  
machines are in use. These states are: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida,  
Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina,  
Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and  
Wisconsin.

Dear Secretary of State:

You may be aware of recent press reports of problems that voters are  
having during early voting with the iVotronic voting machine in West  
Virginia and Tennessee. Specifically, voters have complained of "vote  
flipping," where they vote for one candidate or party, but another  
shows up on the review screen.

There is a good chance that at least part of this problem can be  
attributed to calibration on the iVotronic machines.  West Virginia's  
Secretary of State Betty Ireland has directed all counties in West  
Virginia to re-calibrate their machines each morning during early  
voting, which runs until November 1st, and on Election Day, November  
4th.

As reported by the Associated Press on October 23rd, Secretary Ireland  
has reminded voters that they should contact a poll worker if they  
have any problems using an electronic voting machine, and that they  
should carefully confirm their candidate choices on the accompanying  
paper receipt attached to each iVotronic machine.

She also reminded voters in that they can ask for help and "keep that  
poll clerk there until the voter is satisfied they have cast their  
vote as they intended.  This may include moving to another machine, if  
that is the voter's wish."

There is a real chance that voters using iVotronic machines in your  
state will experience "vote flipping" similar to that experienced by  
voters in West Virginia.  You may already have provided guidance to  
your state's iVotronic jurisdictions, but if not, we urge you to take  
actions similar to those taken by Secretary Ireland, to avoid voter  
confusion and frustration, and to ensure that every vote is cast as  
intended.  Where a voter-verifiable paper trail is available, voters  
should also be urged to confirm their candidate choices.

For more information about calibration issues on touchscreen DRE  
voting machines, we direct you to this article: http://accurate-voting.org/2006/11/01/touchscreen-calibration-issues-with-voting-machines/ 
.

Please feel free to contact us with questions.

Sincerely,

Lawrence Norden
Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice
lawrence.norden () nyu edu

Pamela Smith
President, Verified Voting
pam () verifiedvoting org

<http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/letter_to_secretaries_of_state_re_ivotronic_vote_flipping/ 
>

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