Voting Machines
Devices to Rig Elections and to Destroy What's Left of Democracy
(And not just in the U.S.A. either.)

In November 2002 the U.S. voters elected those politicians whom they thought would best represent their interests and returned the Republicans with a majority in both houses of Congress. Or so we're told. Since the Republicans represent big business, which has made a fortune from screwing the ordinary man and woman in America, one has to wonder about this election result. George W. Bush's political authority was enhanced, he was able to consolidate his tax cuts for the wealthy, was able to push through legislation openly (rather than covertly) turning America into a police state and got even greater spending on America's military, meaning far less has been available for spending on public health care, housing, education, etc.

Were the voters simply stupified by Bush's War on Terrorism lies? Or were they simply stupid? Or were the elections rigged? There have long been suspicions that the last is the case.

John Kaminski's suggestion of not voting would work (regain freedom for Americans) only if in fact no-one voted, if the citizens showed that they know the system is a fraud by completely boycotting it. The problem is that faith in "American democracy" is widespread in the U.S. (it is taught in schools as part of the civil religion) so even if there is widespread skepticism regarding the validity of the voting system many people (those who have faith, or less charitably, those who are too stupid to understand what is really going on) will still vote. And when pictures of people emerging from polling booths are broadcast on TV that will be enough for the election riggers (as if the mere sight of people "voting" was sufficient to validate the "election" in the minds of most people) — they can fix the vote using their voting machines and computers and who's to know how many people actually voted or for whom?

It seems very likely that the 2004 presidential election will be rigged so that the fascist powers-that-be behind the scenes will ensure that their man is elected President. This might or might not be George W. Bush. It might be Wesley Clark or Howard Dean. If the use of voting machines is widespread, or they are used in places where the vote is predicted to be close, then who can trust the election result? How are people to know that the person whom most people wanted to become President is the same as the person who was "elected" President according to the (partly electronic) vote tallies? Especially if the vote is close, as in Florida in 2000.

It's also worth remembering that the American public is increasingly becoming aware of George W. Bush's lies and his reckless (many would same immoral, criminal and even insane) war on Iraq and the placing in harm's way of many thousands of American soldiers, about two hundred of whom have now been killed. Bush is increasingly seen as deserving impeachment (recall that Clinton was impeached merely on grounds of sexual impropriety). But impeachment requires a majority in the House of Representatives, and currently the Republicans control both the House and the Senate. What if George W. Bush was (by some means) re-elected President in 2004 but in the elections for Congress the Democrats gained a majority in the House? Then the impeachment of George W. Bush would become very likely. Obviously the Bush clique and the Republicans would do anything to avoid this scenario. By controlling the way voting machines work (or can be made to work by those who know) they can do so.

Marc Cooper:  Speaking of elections, is George W. Bush going to be re-elected next year?

Gore Vidal:  No. At least if there is a fair election, an election that is not electronic. That would be dangerous. We don't want an election without a paper trail. The makers of the voting machines say no one can look inside of them, because they would reveal trade secrets. What secrets? Isn't their job to count votes? Or do they get secret messages from Mars? Is the cure for cancer inside the machines? I mean, come on. And all three owners of the companies who make these machines are donors to the Bush administration. Is this not corruption?

So Bush will probably win if the country is covered with these balloting machines. He can't lose.

— Uncensored Gore

Steps toward restoring political power to the people:

  1. Throw out the voting machines and use only paper ballots.
  2. On each ballot paper have the option of  None of the above,  or  Nobody, with the result of the vote being valid only if less than 50% of the voters select this option.  If more than 50% of the voters reject all the candidates then the office remains empty until the next election.
  3. All those convicted of, and imprisoned for, victimless crimes, including all political prisoners, to be released and be granted their constitutionally-recognized right of expression.
  4. Abrogation of the legal fiction that a corporation is a legally-responsible person; members of corporate boards of directors voting in favor of corporate actions to be held personally responsible for the effects of those actions.
  5. Abolition of fractional reserve banking and abolition of private central banks (especially the U.S. federal reserve banks).
  6. All legislation to expire automatically after six years (including legislation enacted in the past) unless renewed (after evaluation and debate about its effects).
  7. No legislation to be signed into law by the President which is inconsistent with libertarian principles (the foremost being that society has no right to interfere with the actions of any person except to prevent that person causing harm to others).
  8. Each woman to have one vote plus as many votes as she has children (of non-voting age); thus, a mother with three children will have four votes in any election.  (Thanks to Israel Shamir for this suggestion.)

Black Box Voting

Ballot Tampering in the 21st Century

by Bev Harris

with David Allen

This book is available for purchase in paperback from Plan Nine Publishing, http://www.plan9.org. Here are the contents:

More articles on this subject:

Dear All,

The following is largely self explanatory. It concerns the release of
more voting machine source code into the wild. It is important - for
reasons that are made clear in the body of the blurb - that it receive
as much attention as possible as quick as possible...

I urge you to send it out on your lists, link it, blog it & draw it to the
attention of your superiors, i.e. whatever it takes to get the
message out as far and as wide as possible as quickly as possible.

Yours sincerely
Alastair Thompson
Scoop.co.nz

Sludge Report #162 — Sequoia Voting Code Released

Here is a list of relevant web pages taken from the list appended to the copy of Chris Floyd's article which appears here.

How George W. Bush Won the 2004 Presidential Election
Infernal Press, September 2003

Now Your Vote is the Property of a Private Corporation
Thom Hartmann, March 11, 2003

The Diebold AccuVote TS Should be Decertified
USENEX Security Symposium, Aug. 6, 2003

Who Counts the Votes?
Southern Exposure, Winter 2002/2003

Diebold Internal Mail Confirms U.S. Vote Vulnerabilities
Scoop, Sept. 12,2002

Voting Machine Controversy as Diebold Chief Backs Bush
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Aug. 28, 2003

Hacking Democracy?
Salon.com, Feb. 20, 2003

Possible Flaw Triggers Electronic Voting Concerns
Houston Chronicle, Sept. 11, 2003

British Firm Buys Controlling Interest in Sequoia Voting Systems
Eastbay Business Times, May 29, 2003

Louisiana Election Commissioner Pleads Guilty in Kickback Scandal
The Oak Ridger, Nov. 28, 2000

Later articles:

A copy of the Serendipity website is available on CD-ROM.  Details here.

U.S. Presidential Election — Stolen Again
The Non-Impeachment of George W. Bush
Liberty and Democracy Serendipity Home Page