Colorado’s Republican Secretary of State, Mike Coffman, has announced that a number of Colorado’s e-voting machines have failed state certification testings, and will not be allowed for use in the 2008 election cycle. The announcements came at a news conference in Denver which completely just minutes ago.
Describing the state’s testing of four major voting machine companies previously certified in the state, Coffman explained to reporters at the presser that there were “over 3000 tests on each vendor[‘s systems], and over 40,000 pages documenting the tests.”
“This has been an extensive process,” he said, after detailing several remarkable findings from each of the systems testing. For example, test results showed that paper-based optical-scan systems made by Hart InterCivic “could not accurately count ballots.” While Direct Recording Electronic (DRE, usually touch-screen) systems made by ES&S, the world’s largest supplier of voting systems, could be disabled by “denial of service” attacks at the polling place with a device as simple as a magnet.
“If you were to put a magnet in close proximity or inside the port,” Coffman said at the press conference today, “that would, in fact, disable that particular voting machines and it would have to be literally reprogrammed…to bring in back into circulation for that election.”
While virtually all of the systems tested were found to have major vulnerabilities, a number of them were “conditionally certified” for use as long as new security mitigation requirements are met. Notably, both op-scan systems and DREs made by Diebold (now known as Premier) were given conditional certification for use, despite Diebold systems having been banned in several states previously, including California, Ohio and Florida, due to a long list of critical vulnerabilities.
A summary of the decertified and conditionally certified systems follow (links to more information on each, at the end of this article):
- All voting systems made by Election Systems & Software, Inc. (ES&S), both paper-based optical-scan and DREs, were completely decertified. Their op-scan systems tested, according to Coffman, “both failed because of an inability to determine if the devices work correctly and an inability to complete the testing threshold of 10,000 ballots due to vendor programming errors.” Their ubiqutous, and fatally flawed iVotronic DRE system “failed because it is easily disabled by voters activating the device interface, and the system lacks an audit trail to detect security violations.”
- Paper-based optical-scan systems made by Sequoia Voting Systems were conditionally certified, while their DRE systems were completely decertified for use, as they “failed due to a variety of security risk factors, including that the system is not password protected, has exposed controls potentially giving voters unauthorized access, and lacks an audit trail to detect security violations.”
- Paper-based optical-scan systems made by Hart Intercivic were decertified “because test results showed that they could not accurately count ballots”(!), while their DRE voting system was conditionally certified.
- And finally, both optical-scan and DRE voting systems made by Diebold/Premier were conditionally certified for use in Colorado.
Coffman’s announcement comes today, months after the state had hoped to have the results available, due to sluggish participation by the voting machine companies, many of whom delayed supplying required information, such as voting system source code, as requested by the Secretary of State’s office.
All of Colorado’s electronic voting systems were decertified just prior to the November 2006 election when a state judge ruled, in a lawsuit brought by state voters, that testing and certification procedures for e-voting systems in the Centennial State were inadequate, largely non-existent, and in violation of state law. As the judge’s decertification order came just prior to that years’ elections, the systems were allowed for use, but decertified immediately thereafter. The state was forced to begin the certification process from scratch thereafter…
“I had to strictly follow the law along with the court order,” Coffman said in a statement [PDF] released this afternoon summarizing the findings. “If I’m too lenient in determining what passes then I risk having the state taken to court by activists groups who will ask for an injunction on the use of electronic voting machines for the 2008 election, and if I exceed the requirements of state law and the court order, then I will be sued by the vendors who manufacture and sell the equipment.”
The vendors will have 30 days to appeal Coffman’s decisions.
During the 2006 trial, brought against Coffman’s predecessor, Gigi Dennis, it was revealed that the man overseeing the process of certification for the state, John Gardner, had no formal computer science training, in violation of state law. His testing procedure at the time amounted largely to opening the boxes, making certain documentation was present, turning the machines on and off, and stamping them as “certified.” Incredibly, as detailed recently [PDF] by the Colorado Stateman’s Chris Bragg, Gardner still remains in place, overseeing the state’s certification procedures.
Most of the systems decertified today were originally brought into the state by Colorado’s former Republican Sec. of State Donetta Davidson, who left the post when appointed by George W. Bush to the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (EAC). She now chairs the EAC, the Executive Branch agency responsible for overseeing federal voting system certification for the entire country.
In reply to a question from a reporter at this afternoon’s presser, Coffman admitted that “the federal certification process has been very weak to date.”
Coffman is the latest Secretary of State to announce decertification of e-voting systems after extensive testing. He’s also one of the rare Republicans to do so.
Last Friday, Ohio’s Democratic SoS, Jennifer Brunner announced the results of a major bi-partisan, independent study of the state’s e-voting systems, by both corporate and academic teams of computer scientists and security experts. The results included a recommended ban on all DRE voting systems in the Buckeye State after each of the tested systems was found to be easily vulnerable to manipulation. Brunner was subsequently attacked by the Ohio Republican Party, with claims unsubstantiated claims that she “cooked up” the report with “left-wing activist academics”.
In late August, the Democratic SoS in California, Debra Bowen, announced that DRE voting systems made by Sequoia and Diebold would be banned for use, other than one per polling place to marginally meet federal disability voting standards. She also mandated that 100% of the so-called “paper trails” from those DRE systems would have to be hand-counted after any election in which they were used.
Earlier in the year, after prodding by Florida’s new Republican governor, Charlie Crist and Election Integrity advocates in the state, the Republican-majority legislature agreed to ban DRE voting systems in the Sunshine State. Their Republican SoS, Kurt Browning, an ardent DRE supporter, reluctantly agreed to support the state’s DRE ban.
Audio, appx. 24 minutes, from Coffman’s press conference follows, though we missed the first few minutes in our recording (we’ll replace this with a better one if we can get one)…
[audio:http://bradblog.com/audio/COSoS_EVotingDecertification_MikeCoffman_PressConf_121707.mp3]Summary documents from the Colorado Sec. of State’s office, on the results of their certification testing, follow below. All links PDF…
- Coffman statement, short summary on certification/decertification of all systems here.
- ES&S: Overview, More Details.
- Hart InterCivic: Overview, More Details.
- Sequoia: Overview, More Details.
- Diebold/Premier: Overview, More Details.
Hurray for Colorado! And they say we’re not progressive.
FWIW, this is mistaken, “e-voting systems in the Silver State”; it is Nevada that is the ‘Silver State’; Colorado is the ‘Centennial State’.
That Donetta Davidson chairs the EAC should give everyone a warm fuzzy.
Whoops! Thanks, Bruce! My bad. Will correct.
Why didn’t SoS Bowen find that the ES&S systems were so bad as to be totally decertified? What did Colorado do that California didn’t do? How are Colorado and Ohio dealing with HAVA requirements? The same as CA – one DRE per polling place?
Ibid–I too would like to know why ES&S op-scans were decertified since they are in use in Minnesota. Also why allow Diebold systems to remain? This makes no sense. Do these Secretaries of State talk to each other? Is there ANY coordination through the National Association of Secretaries of State?
Where’s is your outrage and concern about this issue in Florida and based on your premise shouldn’t all the dems that won falsely in 2006 be kicked out of office. When the voting machines give you the results you want they work fine. If they go Republican the fix is in give me a break!!!!
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/lo..._col_1217.html
After the November 2006 election, the county GOP found 60 people who voted in Palm Beach County and whose names and birth dates matched those of voters who cast ballots in the same election in New York. The FDLE determined that 17 of the names were actual matches. But after talking to Palm Beach County Chief Assistant State Attorney Paul Zacks last month, the FDLE said no laws were broken and it wouldn’t pursue the matter.
Zacks said Friday he was “shocked” to learn of the FDLE’s conclusion. He said he had only an informal conversation with an FDLE agent, never offered a formal legal opinion and is still waiting for investigative reports and documentation from the FDLE on the alleged double-voters. While there appears to be no Florida statute that explicitly forbids casting a ballot in Florida and another state, Zacks said other questions remain, such as whether voters lied about their residency when they signed Florida voter-registration forms.
Dinerstein has railed against Gothamite double-voting since a 2004 New York Daily News report that 46,000 people were registered in both New York City and Florida and their registrations were 68 percent Democratic and only 12 percent Republican. While it appears only 17 New Yorkers voted in Palm Beach County last year, Dinerstein fears much bigger numbers statewide in 2008. Dinerstein told a GOP meeting last week that he’ll raise the issue with Attorney General Bill McCollum’s office and with the GOP-controlled legislature.
It would be interesting indeed if the dems are secretly fighting back by utilizing hackers. That could actually explain their steadfast head-in-the-sand attitude.
But frankly I think the Dem leadership WAY too ill-informed and flaccid and incurious to be capable of such chicanery. There has been nothing from them that indicates any fight in ’em at any level, at all, ever. Clueless, spineless, or flat-out on the take is sadly the deal, methinks.
Far more likely is that in 2006, there would have been a Democratic landslide had it not been for election fraud keeping it as in check as they could. Does anyone really think Lieberman, for example, could have won legitimately?
Everyone go here and sign Congressman Wexler’s impeachment petition: http://www.wexlerwantshearings.com
Alans, you clearly don’t frequent here much. Most of us here -are- outraged when we find out a Dem has done something “wrong”.. Trouble for you is, 99% of all the talk from the “right wing” about something done wrong turns out to be bullshit.
If people are actually voting in 2 places for an election, PUT THEM IN PRISON.. You’ll notice I said “people”, not repukes or dems.. -anyone- who breaks the law in this regard needs to be put in prison for intentionally trying to usurp our Democracy.
That said, is Colorado going to ban clearly broken Diebold machines? I’m guessing they didn’t pass “all the tests” since they keep failing all over in other states, so how do they justify keeping them in use? .. And, by making sure only “one kind” of machine is used, they also make it easier to come up with a “hack plan” since it becomes “one size fits all”..
Dump the machines all together, period. Paper Ballots, Hand Counted!
That vote thing Alans is bringing up is phony bullshit, it’s just that people are living in two places or have moved and the voter rolls haven’t been updated to reflect it yet…just another Repuke thing to disenfranchise more voters…they’ll blow them off the voter rolls in both places
…and you know who they are targeting don’t you ?
Retired elderly Democrats that probably won’t catch on until it’s too late…surprised ?
If the Elderly happen to be in Florida when they go to vote, they are screwed because you have to be registered a full month before election day (another Repuke tactic)
Thanks to Brads Blog and all of the commenter s, I’m getting pretty good at seeing through the Repuke noise machine bullshit
Hello Pedro Cortez…you are becoming President of NASS, where are you?
Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon.
Nice Flo!
Thanks, I screwed up tho, ‘Jotting Joe’ should have been ‘Token Todd’ 😉
But seriously though, will somebody PLEASE get this guy on record. Here in PA, not near enough happening on a DRE ban. Like I really believe that in my demo county 06 was the first time ever more people voted for republicans on es&s ivotronics! In ‘O6 for god sakes!!
I’d call, but I don’t have the name recognition.
Carol –
ES&S systems were not tested in CA/Bowen’s Top-to-Bottom Review, Carol. Their op-scan and DRE systems are not used in many places in CA, and where they are (eg. Los Angeles had used an op-scan type thing that ES&S was distributing) ES&S refused to supply the source code, etc. to Bowen, so their systems were not tested during the initial TTBR.
Later, some of their systems were tested in CA, and so far, none have received certification as far as I know. But, in general, CA doesn’t use ES&S to the extent that CO does/did.
AlanS –
Yes, if any Dem “won falsely” in 2006, they should be booted from office, and likely thrown in jail. Do you have any evidence of that?
You refer to 17 questionable votes in Palm Beach County. While I haven’t looked into your allegations, I’ll stipulate they are accurate for the moment. Would removing those votes have changed the results of any election there? Were those voters GOP voters like Ann Coulter who committed voter fraud in Palm Beach County? And have you spoken out against that, btw?
Finally, you are wholly and completely inaccurate on a number of levels when you say:
For a start, I haven’t reported that any Republicans “won falsely in 2006” as based on CO’s report, or any other as far as I know, beyond Vern Buchanan clearly having “won falsely” in FL-13. But that was known long ago.
Secondly, The BRAD BLOG, in fact, called for a number of Republican candidates (from Allen and Santorum in the Senate, to Bruce McPhereson in CA’s SoS race) to NOT concede after the election, and to challenge the results based on a number of concerns. So you are offbase there as well.
As well, we have, in many other cases, supported Republicans who clearly got screwed by e-voting machines. Guess you need to read BRAD BLOG more and listen to Rush Limbaugh less.
Finally, there is certainly good, and scientific prima facea evidence that a number of candidates were screwed by voting machines in 2006. That evidence suggests that *far* more Democrats should have won than actually did, and we reported that evidence as such shortly after Election Day ’06. So I’m more than happy, if you wish, to see a review of any and all races in 2006.
Thanks for asking. And have a super day!
That’s just swell. I feel better now. Let me see,Diebold was founded by Bob Urosevich(dual loyalist). ES&S was founded by Todd Urosevich(dual loyalist). Why do I not feel warm and fuzzy about cooking yet another election. Like Stalin said “I don’t care who you vote for as long as I count the votes.” Attn:rocket scientists–follow this one
I laugh at the people who say, “Dem’s are just crying again! If the e-voting machines made them win, they would not say any thing!” This statement maybe true, however Universities of many political stand points have proven that e-voting machines can be faulty and / or tampered with and in result change election results. If Republicans are so into democracy, then hearing some thing like this SHOULD terrify them. If I was a Republican or Democrat I would be demanding paper ballots. The fact that I’m reading Republicans accuseing the Democrats of complaining is just plain absurd.
Here’s what Republicans SHOULD be saying, “Democrats you maybe whining once again, but since you’re going to loose any way we’ll bring back the paper ballots just so you have nothing to cry about.”
Seriously members of the Republican party, if you’re so sure about your victory why don’t you just bring back paper ballots and PROVE once and for all Democrats are sore losers. Not doing this proves to me you’re totally insane.
I think it would be interesting “exercise for the student” to find out who Clint Curtis is, and what he has to say about Tom Feeny and the job the company he was working for was hired by Feeney to do. Here’s a link, to make it easier:
https://bradblog.com/?page_id=4454
And “Alans” wonders why many of us think this problem has a political bias, why so many of us think the Repukes have been and are manipulating those “black box voting” machines.
Colorado did WELL. But… WE ALL need to do WELL…
We have the freedom of the internet, let’s use it for more than blogging, let’s use it for ORGANIZING
What say you to a millon man march on WA DC? How about mini free presses EVERYWHERE like the 60’s? The PRINTED WORD has a lot of effect. Even if it’s just scattering home manufactured leaflets loaded with undisputable facts about the neo-nazis at your local mall, that is a great first step and can have A LOT OF IMPACT created by JUST ONE INDIVIDUAL, MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, great things start from just ONE PERSON, one INDIVIDUAL.
Blogging is great, fine, grand, and good, but nothing can substutute for real ACTION, real grit and DETERMINATION. DO YOUR PART NOW, even if it is (only, only? “only” is EVERYTHING) making 2 or 3 or 5 copies of something that disgusts, amazes, befuddles or outrages you that you have printed up from the internet that you think MUST be seen by people, especially in regard to the neo-nazis. Remember,
SPARKS TURN INTO FLAMES