More Voting News

Protesters rally against electronic voting machines
By Kevin Yamamura / Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO - Dan Ashby's button asked, "Who did your voting machine vote for?" Michelle Gabriel held a sign accusing Secretary of State Bruce McPherson of flip-flopping on voting security procedures.
Other activists promoted the slogan, "Live Free or Diebold."
Electronic voting critics rallied Wednesday at McPherson's downtown headquarters to denounce his decision last month to certify Diebold machines for 2006 and testify against three other computer-based systems under review.
They charged that electronic voting machines are prone to hackers and testified they would prefer paper ballots.
McPherson certified Diebold on Feb. 17 after receiving a state-conducted analysis that found Diebold's election system had "a number of security vulnerabilities," but concluded that "they are all easily fixable" and "manageable."
That analysis was intended to resolve concerns related to Diebold's memory cards. McPherson delayed certification of the cards in December when he found they had never been tested.
"I have established a voting system certification process that is the most stringent in the nation to make sure that any system used in this state is secure and reliable," McPherson said Wednesday in a statement.
As many as 21 counties, including El Dorado, plan to use Diebold equipment this year. While Diebold is no longer under review, activists asked McPherson to overturn his certification.
Wednesday's public forum focused on systems made by Electronic Systems and Software, Sequoia Voting Systems and Hart Intercivic, though some saw it as a chance to speak about Diebold.
"The recent actions of Secretary of State McPherson in certifying Diebold was a betrayal of election integrity and raises numerous red flags," said Eve Roberson, an activist with the California Election Protection Network.
Beforehand, dozens of activists held a grass-roots rally outside the secretary of state's office. Organizers sold $2 bumper stickers and buttons, as well as a "Truth CD" that was said to include "690 MB of the best documents and videos that tell the story of the stolen (2004) election that you won't find in the corporate media."
Among the bumper stickers was one mocking President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign that said "Bush Cheated '04" instead of "Bush Cheney '04." Other slogans included, "When Machines Count, Votes Don't."
The February state-conducted analysis on Diebold confirmed that one vulnerability exposed last year by computer hacker Harri Hursti existed and found 16 new bugs in Diebold's programming code. But it also said the problems could be overcome.
"Clearly there are serious security flaws in (the) current state of the AV-OS and AV-TSx software," the report's authors wrote. "However, despite these serious vulnerabilities, we believe that the security issues are manageable by a reasonably careful combination of short- and long-term approaches."
McPherson approved the equipment with the condition that counties employ security procedures intended to overcome potential problems. Among other things, local officials will be required to reset encryption keys and maintain a written log that records every transfer of a memory card.
"We were pleased with the depths the report went into and that there was a solution to the vulnerabilities addressed in the report," said McPherson spokeswoman Jennifer Kerns. "At the end of the day, we're satisfied with the use procedures and security measures that can be taken."
Kerns added that the secretary of state conducts "parallel monitoring" in which machines are randomly tested on Election Day to ensure security and accuracy.
Ashby, a San Pablo volunteer organizer with the California Election Protection Network, said he has no confidence in security procedures because he believes the Diebold machines have "too many attack pathways that can be overcome."
He said activists may pursue a lawsuit to stop them from being used.
McPherson's approval of Diebold came as he faced pressure to meet 2006 federal Help America Vote Act requirements for upgrades in voting technology and accessibility. Many of the state's registrars said McPherson had delayed certification for too long, while the secretary of state said he wanted to conduct a thorough review process.
He ordered two volume tests last year in which Diebold machines faced Election Day conditions. The company had problems with the first test because its paper-trail components jammed, but it passed the second one.
All voting machines in California will be required to use a paper trail that allows voters to verify their selections starting this year.
In response to activists who suggested votes could be tampered, Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters Steve Weir testified Wednesday that local officials have complete control over Election Day operations.
"Nobody counts my ballots but me," Weir said. "I want to say that that's true for every registrar that I know."
Warren Cushman, a Sacramento member of California Council for the Blind, said he considers new technology a positive step if it makes voting more accessible.
He took issue with activists who suggest that voting machine companies have curried favor with accessibility rights groups though donations, as one claimed during Wednesday's hearing.
"Our issue is voter accessibility, and when we're accused of being dupes, we have to disagree with that," Cushman said. "There has to be a respect issue because some folks are so wrapped up in their security issues that they forget about the right to vote for people with disabilities."