Return-Path:
X-Sender: spitfire@serell_b.yahoo.invalid
X-Apparently-To: electionreform@yahoogroups.com
Received: (qmail 4965 invoked from network); 31 Mar 2006 14:23:01 -0000
Received: from unknown (66.218.67.33)
by m26.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 31 Mar 2006 14:23:01 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO elasmtp-banded.atl.sa.earthlink.net) (209.86.89.70)
by mta7.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 31 Mar 2006 14:23:01 -0000
Received: from [66.149.60.149] (helo=t41xppro)
by elasmtp-banded.atl.sa.earthlink.net with asmtp (Exim 4.34)
id 1FPKWI-000319-HO; Fri, 31 Mar 2006 09:22:35 -0500
To: ,
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 09:22:32 -0500
Message-ID: <047701c654ce$8da0ce40$0400a8c0@t41xppro>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/related;
boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0478_01C654A4.A4CAC640"
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.6626
X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2180
Importance: Normal
X-ELNK-Trace: 66cda6511dacd52d34dc919937a22d0a7796e08fbbeab3ddc6c501bb233300e57ef9f80aaf77e5a4350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c
X-eGroups-Msg-Info: 1:12:0:0
From: "serell"
Subject: More glitches trigger halt in testing of new county voting machines >Sequoia Voting Systems<
X-Yahoo-Group-Post: member; u=187404144; y=x7Xom0boGlU-vt59ehPLEN1-b3zt1CPLdkY2szMuRqZWyjs
X-Yahoo-Profile: serell_b
X-Original-Yahoo-Groups-Redacted-From: "serell"
X-Original-Yahoo-Groups-Redacted-X-Sender: spitfire@...
X-Original-Yahoo-Groups-Redacted-Return-Path:
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
------=_NextPart_000_0478_01C654A4.A4CAC640
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0479_01C654A4.A4CDD380"
------=_NextPart_001_0479_01C654A4.A4CDD380
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Fyi.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06089/678087-85.stm
Regards.
B.=
Serell
More glitches trigger halt in testing of new county voting mach=
ines
Thursday, March 30, 2006
By Tracie Mauriello, Post-Gazette Harrisbu=
rg Bureau
HARRISBURG -- A state voting-machine examiner yesterday halted t=
esting of
the machine Allegheny County intends to use in the May primary, s=
aying it
was pointless to continue until a critical software problem is res=
olved.
"It's not useful to continue because [the software] clearly is not=
stable,"
said Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon University professor.
Se=
quoia Voting Systems, the Oakland, Calif.-based manufacturer of AVC
Advanta=
ge voting machines, will have a chance to fix the software and have
it rete=
sted in a week or two. Otherwise, it's unlikely the machines will be
certif=
ied for use in Pennsylvania.
If they aren't, Allegheny County must scramb=
le for new ones before the May
16 primary and might lose a $12 million fede=
ral grant for the replacement of
its lever-style machines.
Secretary of S=
tate Pedro A. Cortes will discuss the issue today in a
conference call with=
Allegheny County Manager Jim Flynn.
"We're going to see what he has to s=
ay," Mr. Flynn said. "No matter what,
we're going to have a primary here on=
May 16."
The problem also could affect Montgomery County, which has been=
using the
Advantage machines since 1996 and is in line for a grant to make=
them
accessible to the blind.
Dr. Shamos encountered yesterday's problem=
during a test for vote tampering.
In an instant, he said, he was able to t=
ransform a handful of votes into
thousands.
Developers quickly fixed the =
problem by replacing a file in the tabulation
software, but that didn't all=
eviate Dr. Shamos' concerns. A malicious hacker
could easily make the same =
switch, allowing votes to be changed, he said.
"What control is there ove=
r the software package if different files can be
swapped in and out?" he as=
ked.
Also yesterday, Dr. Shamos uncovered a series of unusual error messa=
ges and
a fluke that causes the program to shut down when the "print" butto=
n is
used.
A day earlier, he detected a problem transferring data between=
voting
machines and the tabulation software. That problem has since been f=
ixed.
Larry Tonelli, Sequoia's state manager for Pennsylvania and New Yor=
k, said
he was confident the latest problem can be resolved, too.
"We kno=
w the hardware is fine. It's been out there for eight or nine years
so we'r=
e moving ahead with training and shipping machines [to Allegheny
County]. T=
he software doesn't need to work until just before the election so
we've go=
t time. It's no big deal," he said.
Sequoia has been under scrutiny becau=
se of tabulation problems last week in
Chicago and surrounding Cook County.=
Those problems involved two different
kinds of voting machines and may hav=
e been caused by poll workers rather
than the equipment, Sequoia officials =
said.
"The problems are not necessarily inherent in the equipment itself,=
but in
the initial intersection of the new technology and the people who u=
se it,"
said Sequoia spokeswoman Michelle Shafer.
She said -- and Dr. Sha=
mos agreed -- that the Chicago-area problems aren't
relevant to the Pennsyl=
vania certification process.
The process involves casting dozens of mock =
ballots, verifying vote totals,
reading thousands of lines of computer code=
and even checking the brightness
of illuminated indicators on voting machi=
nes.
One goal is to ensure that disabled voters can easily participate in=
elections.
Department of State employee Jim Criss, who is visually impai=
red, helped
test the equipment. Instructions and candidate names were given=
verbally and
Mr. Criss voted using a keypad with four large buttons, one s=
haped like a
triangle, one like a circle and two like triangles with points=
in opposite
directions.
The process was simple and the instructions were=
straightforward, Mr. Criss
reported after casting a mock ballot while 11 o=
bservers huddled around him.
The onlookers included state employees, Sequ=
oia representatives and three
members of voters' rights groups that oppose =
the use of Advantage machines
because they don't provide paper records that=
can be verified by voters
before they leave the polls.
"We're not confid=
ent that these machines have a clear track record and today
doesn't make us=
feel any better," said Stephen Strahs, founder of the
Election Reform Netw=
ork based in Montgomery County. "We've been told, 'Don't
worry. It will all=
be taken care of.' Well, it's almost April and there are
still questions."=
The testing is required as part of the Help America Vote Act, which prov=
ides
grants to municipalities that replace old voting machines with new one=
s that
meet federal standards.
_____
(Staff writer Jerome L. Sherman=
contributed. Tracie Mauriello can be reached
at tmauriello@...=
m or 717-787-2141. )
------=_NextPart_001_0479_01C654A4.A4CDD380
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<=
div class=3DSection1>
=
Fyi.
=
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06089/678087-85.stm
More glitches
trigger halt in testing of new county voting machines
Thursday,
March 30, 2006
By Tracie Mauriello, Post-Gazette Harrisburg B=
ureau
HARRISBURG
-- A state voting-machine examiner yes=
terday halted testing of the machine Allegheny
County intends to use in th=
e May primary, saying it was pointless to continue
until a critical softwar=
e problem is resolved.
"It's
not useful to continue because [th=
e software] clearly is not stable," said
Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon University professor.
Sequoia Voting
Systems, the=
Oakland, Calif.-based manufacturer of AVC Advantage voting
machines, will =
have a chance to fix the software and have it retested in a week
or two. Ot=
herwise, it's unlikely the machines will be certified for use in Pennsylvania.
If they aren't,
Allegheny County mus=
t scramble for new ones before the May 16
primary and might lose a $12 mill=
ion federal grant for the replacement of its
lever-style machines.
S=
ecretary
of State Pedro A. Cortes will discuss the issue today in a confere=
nce call with
Allegheny County Manager Jim Flynn.
&quo=
t;We're
going to see what he has to say," Mr. Flynn said. "No mat=
ter what,
we're going to have a primary here on May 16."
The
problem also could affect Montgomery County, whic=
h has been using
the Advantage machines since 1996 and is in line for a gra=
nt to make them
accessible to the blind.
Dr. Shamos
encountered yest=
erday's problem during a test for vote tampering. In an
instant, he said, h=
e was able to transform a handful of votes into thousands. =
p>
Developers
quickly fixed the problem by replacing a file in the tabula=
tion software, but
that didn't alleviate Dr. Shamos' concerns. A malicious =
hacker could easily
make the same switch, allowing votes to be changed, he =
said.
"What
control is there over the software pa=
ckage if different files can be swapped in
and out?" he asked. =
Also
yesterday, Dr. Shamos uncovered a series of unusual erro=
r messages and a fluke
that causes the program to shut down when the "=
print" button is used.
A day
earlier, he detected=
a problem transferring data between voting machines and
the tabulation sof=
tware. That problem has since been fixed.
Larry Tonell=
i,
Sequoia's state manager for Pennsylvania and New York, sai=
d he
was confident the latest problem can be resolved, too.
"We=
know the hardware is fine. It's been out there for eight or nine years so =
we're
moving ahead with training and shipping machines [to Al=
legheny County].
The software doesn't need to work until just before the el=
ection so we've got
time. It's no big deal," he said.
Sequoia
h=
as been under scrutiny because of tabulation problems last week in <=
/font>Chicago
and surrounding Cook County. Those problems involved two diff=
erent kinds of
voting machines and may have been caused by poll workers rat=
her than the
equipment, Sequoia officials said.
"The
problems a=
re not necessarily inherent in the equipment itself, but in the
initial int=
ersection of the new technology and the people who use it,"
said Sequo=
ia spokeswoman Michelle Shafer.
She said
-- and Dr. S=
hamos agreed -- that the Chicago-area problems aren't relevant to
the Pennsylvania certification process.
The
process involves =
casting dozens of mock ballots, verifying vote totals, reading
thousands of=
lines of computer code and even checking the brightness of
illuminated ind=
icators on voting machines.
One goal
is to ensure that=
disabled voters can easily participate in elections.
<=
p>=
Department
of State employee Jim Criss, who is visually impaired, helped te=
st the
equipment. Instructions and candidate names were given verbally and =
Mr. Criss
voted using a keypad with four large buttons, one shaped like a t=
riangle, one
like a circle and two like triangles with points in opposite d=
irections.
<=
span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>The
process was simple and the instructions=
were straightforward, Mr. Criss reported
after casting a mock ballot while=
11 observers huddled around him.
The
onlookers includ=
ed state employees, Sequoia representatives and three members
of voters' ri=
ghts groups that oppose the use of Advantage machines because they
don't pr=
ovide paper records that can be verified by voters before they leave
the po=
lls.
"We're
not confident that these machines hav=
e a clear track record and today doesn't
make us feel any better," sai=
d Stephen Strahs, founder of the Election
Reform Network based in =
font>Montgomery County. "We've been told,
'Don't worry. It will all be=
taken care of.' Well, it's almost April and there
are still questions.&quo=
t;
The
testing is required as part of the Help America Vote Act, whi=
ch provides grants
to municipalities that replace old voting machines with =
new ones that meet
federal standards.
(Staff wr=
iter Jerome L. Sherman contributed. Tracie Mauriello
can be reached at tmauriello@...
=
or 717-787-2141. )
------=_NextPart_001_0479_01C654A4.A4CDD380--
------=_NextPart_000_0478_01C654A4.A4CAC640
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
X-Original-Content-Type: image/gif; name="image001.gif"
X-Original-Content-Id:
X-Yahoo-Groups-Attachment-Not-Found: true
The original email contained an attachment named 'image001.gif' but we could not retrieve it via the Yahoo Groups API.
------=_NextPart_000_0478_01C654A4.A4CAC640--