Guest Blogged by Rebecca Mercuri
(NOTE: The archived appearance of Dr. Mercuri on the Peter B. Collins show, as Guest Hosted by Brad Friedman, discussing this article and other matters surrounding Holt’s Election Reform bill is now available here….)
Anyone who has been anywhere in the blogosphere in the months since Rush Holt’s HR 811 Election Reform bill was introduced knows that a schism appears to have developed in the voting advocacy community. I say “appears” because it’s not terribly clear to me at this point whether this schism existed all along and now the fires are being stoked by rogue insiders in order to fuel a “divide and conquer” effort that benefits voting system vendors who can rise like Phoenixes out of the ashes of the activists, or whether Congressman Holt’s bill is a litmus test being used to decide who’ll continue to get a seat at the table (to testify at hearings) and a chunk of the grant money and other set-asides for election “research” projects. Maybe both of these actions (and others) are in play.
This has been reminding me a lot lately of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, riding on the hippie bus to the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Tom Wolfe quoted Kesey saying: “There are going to be times when we can’t wait for somebody. Now, you’re either on the bus or off the bus. If you’re on the bus, and you get left behind, then you’ll find it again. If you’re off the bus in the first place — then it won’t make a damn.” Wolfe went on to explain “And nobody had to have it spelled out for them. Everything was becoming allegorical, understood by the group mind, and especially this: You’re either on the bus … or off the bus.”
That dividing line between where the bus ends and the rest of the world begins, right where Wolfe was sitting, is the only place to get some decent perspective on the whole situation. So I’m perched at that vantage point, and inside the voting bus I’m seeing Brad Friedman, Bev Harris, Lynn Landes, Rob Kall, Teresa Hommel, Ellen Theisen, Mark Crispin Miller, Greg Palast, Ion Sancho, Doug Kelner, David Chaum, and Dennis Kucinich all arguing about something, but the vibe is upbeat. And outside the bus there’s Doug Lewis, Wally O’Dell, Tom Wilkey, Theresa LePore, Linda Lamone, Jeb Bush, Karl Rove, Hans von Spakovsky, Jim Dickson, and Matt Damschroeder just milling around. These are not comprehensive lists (since I’m somewhat myopic and have never been very good with names or faces), and I’m certainly not saying that any of these folks have affiliations with each other, though maybe some do.
What’s bugging me is that I can’t tell whether Rush Holt and HR 811 are on the bus, or not, right now. Though the bill’s predecessor versions (from the prior two Congresses) seemed to be on the bus, none of Holt’s bills have ever made it totally clear that the voter verified papers would actually be the real ballots, by ensuring that 100% of them would be counted (preferably by hand, in public, and before the election night returns are reported).
The folks who are truly on the bus all seem to grasp this reality. Holt’s latest bill, especially the revised version, comes with Avi Rubin, David Dill, Barbara Simons, and maybe even Ron Rivest, each of whom have wandered on and off the bus before. Plus now there’s the Microsoft attorneys too, and Holt’s backyard buddy Avante, who hopped on when the bus passed through their adjacent parking lots (see photo below).
We just know this whole crowd is probably not going to get along terribly well with Brad and Mark and Lynn. So if HR 811 gets off the bus, the Microsoft team will certainly be a lot happier, although I don’t know how well Avi and Wally will fare together. Of course, there’s a lot more room (as well as money) off the bus than there is on it, so maybe they’ll be OK outside since they don’t have to sit together (unless they want to).
Speaking of money, there’s always been some friction between those who get on the bus just to grab some of it, and those who are there to groove and make the world a better place. Heck, it was the Corporations who turned The Summer of Love into a marketing opportunity, back then as well as now. And the cash never seems to wind up in the hands of the folks who came up with the original out-of-the-box ideas. Often the payola (especially if it’s coming from the Government) is used to cut the independent watchdogs and truly creative folks out or make them look stupid. We’ve certainly seen that happening with some of the foundation funded voting projects, such as those out of Caltech/MIT, whose results always seem to miss the mark or inevitably reinforce the status quo.
But the creativity was one of the things that differentiated Kesey and the Pranksters from the world outside. They were always building something that nobody had seen before, or trying to push the limits just to find out what would happen. One day, at their encampment in La Honda, Kesey’s gang put up a huge sign “The Merry Pranksters Welcome the Hell’s Angels” and after a short while, the motorcyclists showed up. Some weeks later, they tried the welcome sign idea again with the Beatles when they were in town, but the Fab Four never wandered by. It’s like the way these new balloting systems like Punchscan and VotePad and Open Voting Solutions would like to “Welcome the EAC Voluntary Voting System Guidelines” but because they’re so totally incompatible, they’re just not going to be spending time together getting to know each other, even though they should. Of course this means that everyone off the bus is going to be stuck with whatever Wally and Rush and the Microsoft attorneys can agree on, but at least some folks will know these aren’t the only voting metaphors in town.
I guess what I’m trying to say is: if you need to have it spelled out for you, then you were off the bus in the first place. This is just one of those times when we can’t wait, so if you were on the bus and got left behind, well, you’ll find it again. There’s some exciting things happening on the bus and it seems like Democracy is due for a change. Come on, hop on for a while and enjoy the ride.
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Rebecca Mercuri has been riling folks on and off the voting bus since 1989. She is constantly amazed at the ease by which voting system vendors and presumably well-intentioned legislators can turn simple functional concepts into distorted nightmarish implementations, even without the assistance of hallucinogenics.
Your points are well taken. You describe a bunch of celebrities claiming to be representing the people and being the saviors of democracy as we know it. That is a characteristic I see too.
But celebrity is on the bus for reasons other than the mission, it is just as much to promote themselves as it is to promote the cause. That never changes.
The electronic election machine movement is as old as the environmentalist movement. Early writers and early government reports in ancient days were on the bus. And it always had one driver.
Some on the bus get all they want just by being on it all these years and having people wave at them and talk about them. They need the attention.
Like in the environmental movement.
Others are like the Earth Liberation Front segment of the environmental movement and do violence to buildings and things, and would like to destroy the electronic election machines.
But as long as there is only one driver and the enjoyment of the ride is the prime directive, the bus is not going anywhere the people will be.
The groupies are the only ones that will be waiting at the bus station, yelling and screaming in a cacaphony that drowns out the remedy once again.
ahh Kesey, hated, loved; Right, wrong with his head all full of LSD. Traveling at that velocity close to light, where thoughts come and go into the infinity and your consciousness expands to a level unfelt by the naked brain. His partners in crime Babbs and the ever loveable Neil Cassidy. Man O man did they turn the world upside down and inside out with their psycho babble and ultra juiced up selves. Sure they left us with some cryptic messages of on the bus and off the bus, something so simple yet vastly incomprehensible when coupled with a brain full of rocket fuel. But even more so they helped kill that idea of conformity to a society off base. The Grateful Dead would have been nothing without Owsley and Owsley would have nothing without Kesey. But the real issue here is the conformity. And Kesey and his pranksers challenged just that. They blew the lid off of conformity where ever they could, day glow, crazy costumes, freaking out the locals. Hanging signs welcoming known outlaws or the beatles, a test in reality manifestation, or just a LSD prank on the neighbors. The pranksters did just that, prank people so they (the people)would stay on edge and maybe, maybe come and try Kesey’s koolaid.
I guess in a way, the voting movement is an on the bus off the bus type of situation in so far as you either get the idea or don’t. But lets not confuse the issue that Kesey was also trying to turn people on. He was going for their consciousness. Not just trying to convince people with his words of wisdom, but giving people an experience that DID alter their perceptions of the world. Our fight is different, there is no truth pill where the whole universe comes rushing at you and smacks you in the face and says hey stupid do you want a corporation to control how you think and vote.
We are left with just common sense, a powerful weapon though it may, but it is NOTHING compared to the spectacle of a group of people all juiced up on LSD freaking people out with outlandish behavior.
To the people who are on the bus, you do seem to be making progress, but like Kesey maybe you need to pick a fight with those in power. Something beyond just words to make them listen (i’m not advocating violence btw)
But whatever you do don’t hand out PROZAC at your rallies, that might not help
More coincidences! Like the Bush/Tennesee article above! Lots of coincidences…all the time! What are the odds?
I have no interest in riding your bus–I’ve met many of the activists on board–they are angry, irrational people who’ve done little to make concrete changes to election laws–and often obstruct such changes. There are thousands of activists you don’t even mention in your piece, who work tirelessly for election integrity–and actually get things done. They don’t blog that much, because they are busy doing things.
Rebecca,
I noticed that Avante has been active in electronic voting matters in New Jersey for years, and guards itself with lawsuits against other electronic voting companies.
Kat,
Of course the activists are angry – don’t you think they should be since corporations are taking/have taken our democracy away?
And not to worry about the other thousands of activists not mentioned by name, that’s not the point. She would have left SOMEONE off if she listed 2,420 people.
The bus concept works and I am getting back on the bus after taking a break for a few weeks a few weeks ago.
Kat
I know your frustration. It’s the pitfall of all activism. People enjoy the self-image of being identified with righteous causes and start losing all kinds of vision for effectiveness. Unconsciously, they start being active at reinforcing their identities as activists and manage to actually perpetuate the wrongs they started out fighting. It’s deadly and almost inescapable.
But from everything I’ve heard the Holt Bill isn’t cutting it for insuring election integrity.
Hi Brad,
As a company involded in promoting voting systems that we believe improve security, accuracy and transparency, we found it interesting that we are brought into the national debate in such “interesting” manner.
I wonder if you will be fair enough to publish some of our positions and clarifications on the seemingly “smearing” and “defamination” of information on us.
Attached is a link on a position paper that we made on the recent articles that talked about our company.
http://www.avantetech.com/uploads/pdf/Clarification%20of%20AVANTE%20voting%20system%20position-FINAL.pdf
The following are some of the key points that we made on our position paper:
1. AVANTE has deep respect for the tireless efforts by the election integrity activists, academics and technology experts. Their efforts have contributed to the many improvements of the voting systems and processes.
2. AVANTE respects the desire to have open sources in election system or having the voting system as transparent as possible. Our company software is always available for scrutiny. We differ in the feasibility of having ALL of the source codes made available at least in the near term of five to 10 years without dramatic lowering in the voting system accessibility requirements.
3. AVANTE believes that the current problems in electronic voting systems are related to the design and engineering rather than the solution and concept. AVANTE have proven that all of the specific problems known and caused tremendous constellation have a solution.
4. AVANTE affirmed that it is suing all of the largest competitors for patent infringements. However, we also continue to offer licensing whenever they are ready.
5. AVANTE is located in Mercer County NJ. The company has never donated to any national figures or parties. All of the company’s founders and stockholders have not donated more than $100 to any national election.
6. AVANTE does not belong to any trade lobbying organizations and has not joined the Election Technology Council or its predecessor ITAA. AVANTE continues to maintain its independence and voice of supports to the those promoting election integrity.
7. AVANTE believes that current optical scan voting systems and processes are much less than equal to the integrity required by the current EAC 2005 voting system standards dictating the DRE with VVPR. They lack the ability to prevent tampering once the ballots have been submitted.
8. AVANTE continues its commitment and efforts in selling its paging and full-face DRE with properly engineered and designed VVPR.
9. AVANTE continues its commitment and efforts in selling its ballot marking device as well as precinct-based optical scan system that captures the digital image of each ballot and show the voters as exactly how the system is registering their ballots not just having over-voted or under-voted contests.
We would ask the folks in “OpEdNews” to do the same. However, we have no way to contact them despite several attempts to register. If they see this message and feel like it, we would appreciate them to post the same as well.
Regards,
Kevin Chung, CEO, AVANTE
REPOST FOR CORRECTIONS IN TYPOS:
Hi Brad,
As a company involves in promoting voting systems that we believe improve security, accuracy and transparency, we found it interesting that we are brought into the national debate in such “interesting” manner.
I wonder if you will be fair enough to publish some of our positions and clarifications on the seemingly “smearing” and “defamation” of information on us.
Attached is a link on a position paper that we made on the recent articles that talked about our company.
http://www.avantetech.co…tem%20position-FINAL.pdf
The following are some of the key points that we made on our position paper:
1. AVANTE has deep respect for the tireless efforts by the election integrity activists, academics and technology experts. Their efforts have contributed to the many improvements of the voting systems and processes.
2. AVANTE respects the desire to have open sources in election system or having the voting system as transparent as possible. Our company software is always available for scrutiny. We differ in the feasibility of having ALL of the source codes made available at least in the near term of five to 10 years without dramatic lowering in the voting system accessibility requirements.
3. AVANTE believes that the current problems in electronic voting systems are related to the design and engineering rather than the solution and concept. AVANTE have proven that all of the specific problems known and caused tremendous constellation have a solution.
4. AVANTE affirmed that it is suing all of the largest competitors for patent infringements. However, we also continue to offer licensing whenever they are ready.
5. AVANTE is located in Mercer County NJ. The company has never donated to any national figures or parties. All of the company’s founders and stockholders have not donated more than $100 to any national election.
6. AVANTE does not belong to any trade lobbying organizations and has not joined the Election Technology Council or its predecessor ITAA. AVANTE continues to maintain its independence and voice of supports to the those promoting election integrity.
7. AVANTE believes that current optical scan voting systems and processes are much less than equal to the integrity required by the current EAC 2005 voting system standards dictating the DRE with VVPR. They lack the ability to prevent tampering once the ballots have been submitted.
8. AVANTE continues its commitment and efforts in selling its paging and full-face DRE with properly engineered and designed VVPR.
9. AVANTE continues its commitment and efforts in selling its ballot marking device as well as precinct-based optical scan system that captures the digital image of each ballot and show the voters as exactly how the system is registering their ballots not just having over-voted or under-voted contests.
We would ask the folks in “OpEdNews” to do the same. However, we have no way to contact them despite several attempts to register. If they see this message and feel like it, we would appreciate them to post the same as well.
Regards,
Kevin Chung, CEO, AVANTE
Two comments: first, another brilliant title from Dr. Mercuri, although I seem to remember an article noting Kesey being intentionally left behind once for taking himself too seriously, and he got the message, even though it was his bus. The second comment is a reply to Kevin Chung, and all others who proclaim the purity and good intentions of their computerized voting systems, and that is- it’s just like any religious system you care to name, that it only works if you grant it an a priori proposition. Either there is a god, and computers and elections are a good fit, or there isn’t a god and computers and elections is a really bad idea.
It is this fine distinction that’s keeping the believers from claiming a seat on the bus. The moral is, if I haven’t already over-stated it, if you can’t see it, you can’t believe it. As Mark Twain said, “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” Hand counting the ballots in plain view of everybody at the precincts is the only (and cheapest)tabulation that works to everybody’s satisfaction.