By Luther Weeks on August 25, 2019
This week Verified Voting released a Policy on DREs and BMDs. It is consistent with our views.
But it’s not enough for a voting system to “check the box” on paper – to print paper records that voters may not even notice or examine. To be trustworthy, elections need to be based on voter-marked paper ballots. Whether these ballots are marked by hand or by device, for them to be considered voter-marked, voters should know what they say!
As they say: “We have had some long and sometimes difficult conversations about these topics, and we look forward to more.”
Posted in National, Other Editorials, Reports
By Luther Weeks on August 21, 2019
Costs to mail ballots may skyrocket for civilians, military living overseas
Election officials are growing increasingly concerned that the Trump administration’s trade war with China could make it more difficult and expensive for overseas voters — including those in the military — to cast ballots in the 2019 and 2020 local, state and federal elections…
The deadline for his state and most others to send out absentee ballots for the fall elections, Dearing said, falls a few days before a Sept. 24-25…That makes it difficult to provide voters with guidance about how to return their ballots.
The bottom lines:
- Election officials are approaching a deadline and have no idea what to tell Military and Overseas voters.
- Maybe, there will be relatively easy options for Military voters, yet the Military has done a poor job of serving Military voters, especially in training Voting Assistance Officers in the current stable laws.
- Overseas voters like expats, state department employees, military contractors, and corporate employees overseas, will be hit hardest, with the highest costs, highest hurdles, and likely the least information.
Posted in Mail/Absentee Voting, National
By Luther Weeks on August 15, 2019
A new paper articulates the two distinct problems that threaten our elections Social Media, Disinformation and Electoral Integrity
Since the 2016 United States (U.S.) presidential election, the issue of social media and disinformation has gained increasing attention as a fundamental threat to the integrity of elections worldwide. Whether by domestic actors, such as candidates and campaigns, or through foreign influence campaigns, the ability of voters to make informed choices based on fair and balanced information has been significantly skewed. This working paper attempts to examine the challenges that this issue poses to electoral integrity and what responses election management bodies (EMBs) and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) such as the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) can take to attempt to mitigate the negative consequences. The solutions presented in this paper aim to assist key stakeholders to meet this emergent and mutable threat…
Posted in Reports, Skulduggery and Errors
By Luther Weeks on August 9, 2019
In today’s Courant: Ideanomics hasn’t sent formal ‘Fintech’ plan
When Ideanomics unveiled design plans for a $400 million tech hub at the former UConn campus on July 22, company representatives said they would submit formal plans to the town within the week.
On Thursday, West Hartford town planner Todd Dumais said Ideanomics still has not submitted any plans…
Initially, chairman Bruno Wu said that portions of Fintech Village would be open by September or October 2018.
But now, those initial goals have long passed , and CEO and president Alf Poor said in July that the company foresees a 2020 groundbreaking.
This is all in line with what we have been predicting all along.
Posted in CT
By Luther Weeks on July 27, 2019
A highly redacted 67 page report: Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 Election. Volume I Russian Efforts Against Election Infrastructure With Additional Views
The threat is real. Lack of investigation and exaggeration does not help make the case. The science is clear. Senator Wyden is correct. We need voter marked paper ballots, strong security for those ballots, with sufficient audits and recounts.
Posted in CT, National, Our Editorials, Skulduggery and Errors
By Luther Weeks on July 13, 2019
“I think the biggest issue facing us is trust in the elections,” said Denise Merrill, Connecticut’s secretary of the state. – As Feds struggle, states create their own anti-election propaganda programs
Trust and confidence are important – Justified trust and justified confidence. – Luther Weeks, Facebook comment
As we have said before Connecticut is above average in election integrity and security for statewide elections, less so for local elections. Above average, is not saying much. Many states, including Connecticut, have a long way to go to achieve justified confidence. PR alone will not protect us from outsiders and insiders. Will not protect us form loss of confidence in democracy.
Posted in Common Sense, CT, CT Skulduggery and Errors
By Luther Weeks on July 9, 2019
After a very close race in NYC there was a recount. As this NYTimes editorial points out most people would think the people’s choice lost because of overly strict laws and incompetent poll workers: One Lesson From the Katz-Cabán Recount
Posted in National
By Luther Weeks on July 1, 2019
Former President Jimmy Carter questioned the legitimacy of Donald Trump’s presidency on Thursday, saying he would likely not be in the White House if the Russians did not interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
“I think a full investigation would show that Trump didn’t actually win the election in 2016. He lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf,”
I have the greatest respect for President Carter, especially after his presidency, including his work for election integrity across the Globe. Yet we need actual actions not speculation.
Posted in Electronic Vulnerability, Internet Security Issues, National, Skulduggery and Errors
By Luther Weeks on June 18, 2019
NYTimes, David Sanger: U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia’s Power Grid
To me, the basic story is a ho hum. Russia and China are lurking in our power grid and its been known for sometime we are in Russia’s. I would be concerned if we weren’t attempting to match them. All of that is covered in Sanger’s book, The Perfect Weapon, which I am reading right now.
There are two things that are scary in all this:
Posted in Electronic Vulnerability, Internet Security Issues, National
By Luther Weeks on June 7, 2019
Almost three years after the first public revelation of hackers’ interference in the 2016 presidential race, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to conduct a forensic analysis of computers used in Durham County during that election,
What we “saw” before smelled more like a cursory cover-up than an investigation.
Posted in Electronic Vulnerability, Skulduggery and Errors
