H/t: Brad Panovich
Daily Archives: November 3, 2012
Ohio Secretary of State accused of installing suspicious software on voting machines
Voters cast their ballots, during early voting at the Wood County Court House October 2, 2012 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Early voting began October 2 in the battleground state of Ohio, five weeks before election day on November 6. (Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)
Here we go again…
The Grio
The Columbus Free Press is reporting that the Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted allegedly ordered for“experimental software patches” to be installed on vote-counting machines in a number of Ohio counties.
According to the newspaper, voting rights activists are concerned that the software patches, which are usually used to update or change existing software, could potentially affect over 4 million registered voters, including those who live in Columbus and Cleveland.
Ohio law allows for the experimental use of voting equipment as long as it’s restricted to a limited number of precincts, and under the experimental label, equipment can legally be used without certification.
The Free Press revealed the contract between Husted’s office and the contracted vendor Election Systems and Solutions reads that the software has not been and does not need to be reviewed by any testing authority at the state or federal level.
Election Counsel Brandi Laser Seske sent out a memo to Secretary of State personnel yesterday, detailing the software. In the memo, she explains the software did not require review because it is not “involved in the tabulation or casting of ballots … or a modification to a certified system.”
Matt McClellan, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office, told theGrio that no patches were installed, describing instead a reporting tool software meant to “assist counties and to help them simplify the process by which they report the results to our system.”
McClellan said the tool serves to cut down on the amount of information precinct workers would have to key in by hand by allowing the results to be output onto a thumbdrive and uploaded at once into the Secretary of State’s system.
“It basically just creates a one-way flow of information — and that is simply from their system, out,” McClellan said. “So at no point in time are we going into their system and messing with anything.”
When asked why the reporting tool was labeled experimental, McClellan responded, “It is a pilot project that we’re doing with about 25 counties or so. So it’s not statewide, but it is a pilot project we’re trying.”
And when asked why a pilot project is being launched so soon before the election, he said, “I’m not sure the exact timeline of that, but I know we’ve been working with the counties for the past couple of months on getting these in place, testing them to make sure they work properly, and working with the vendors as well.”
There are only days left until Election Day and the fear of voter suppression is only increasing. McClellan said there should be no concerns that the new reporting tool will jeopardize the voting results or voter information, but voting rights activists remain far from reassured.
Civil rights organizations like the Advancement Project plan to be on the lookout for any voting rights violations in Columbus and Cincinnati, among other cities in the nation.
Related articles
- FLASHBACK – Will “experimental” software patches affect the Ohio vote? (freepress.org)
- Internal memos confirm OH SoS applied untested/uncertified software patches that could steal it for Mitt Romney (markcrispinmiller.com)
- Ohio recently installed untested, uncertified software patches on ES&S voting machines in 39 counties, says liberal tabloid (dailypaul.com)
- Ohio Secretary Of State Acknowledges Loss Of Thousands Of Voter Registration Records (newsone.com)
- Will “experimental” software patches affect the Ohio vote? (tribuneofthepeople.com)
- Ohio Secretary Of State Acknowledges Loss Of Thousands Of Voter Registration Records (woldcnews.com)
- “Glitch” in Ohio Secretary of State’s Office Could Affect Thousands of Voter Registrations (news.firedoglake.com)
- Buckeye Of The Storm (balloon-juice.com)
Filed under Election Fraud, Ohio Secretary Of State Jon Husted
Obama tells crowd ‘voting is the best revenge’; Romney freaks out
Daily Kos
Mitt Romney is definitely in the losing campaign zone, where campaigns flail wildly and grab onto the stupidest things trying to get any advantage they can. His big new attack on President Barack Obama? In Ohio, Obama responded to a crowd booing at the mention of Romney’s name by saying “No, no, no, Don’t boo. Vote. Voting is the best revenge.” Romney pounced on that. With an ad and stump speech lamentations.
The new Romney ad features footage of Obama, and then a clip of Romney saying that people ought to vote because of “love of country,” a theme he reiterated at a tarmac rally on a chilly Saturday morning.”Yesterday, the president said something you may have heard by now that I think surprised a lot of people. Speaking to an audience he said, you know, voting is the best revenge. He told his supporters, voting for revenge. Vote for revenge? Let me tell you what I’d like to tell you: Vote for love of country,” Romney said, and the crowd of more than 1,000 cheered. “It is time we lead America to a better place.”
If Obama goes back to the original cliché and tells someone that living well is the best revenge, can we expect Romney to get his knickers in a twist about that and come out against living well for reasons other than love of country?
This is one more desperate, reaching effort to paint Obama as slightly sinister and not quite American enough, along the lines of the “Obama apologized for America” lie. It’s so transparent it’s kind of laughable—and you almost have to hope Obama says something about killing people with kindness before election day.
Related articles
- Revenge (nationalreview.com)
- Obama tells crowd voting is best ‘revenge’ against Romney (thehill.com)
- Romney highlights Obama remark on voting as ‘best revenge’ (latimes.com)
- Romney Urges Votes for Love Not Revenge (abcnews.go.com)
Filed under Mitt Romney Duplicity, Mitt Romney Lies
Rupert Murdoch: Chris Christie Must ‘Re-Declare’ For Mitt Romney ‘Or Take Blame’
“…take blame”? Did Rupert Murdock inadvertently concede the election to President Obama?
The Huffington Post
Publishing titan Rupert Murdoch sent New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie what appeared to be a warning message on Friday, telling Christie to reaffirm his support for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney “or take blame for next four dire years.”
The admonition, by way of a tweet from the Murdoch’s verified Twitter account, was presumably in reference to the warm relationship Christie, a Republican, showed with President Barack Obama this week, as the two toured New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
@rupertmurdoch
Thanks Bloomberg right decision.@Now Christie, while thanking O, must re- declare for Romney, or take blame for next four dire years.
Christie has been one of Romney’s highest-profile campaign surrogates, and delivered the keynote address at August’s Republican National Convention. As recently as last week, Christie was on the campaign trail, berating Obama as an ineffective leader.
That partisan posturing seemed to disappear entirely as Hurricane Sandy bore down on the East Coast.
A number of prominent conservatives have worried that Christie’s newfound appreciation for the president could prove to be a decisive liability to Romney’s presidential campaign. Rush Limbaugh, for one, attacked Christie during his show on Wednesday as Obama’s “Greek column.”
It remains to be seen whether Christie, who has presidential ambitions of his own, will alter course in response to conservative blowback. The governor has already dismissed the suggestion that he make a new push for Romney, saying, “If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics, then you don’t know me.”
Related articles
- Rupert Murdoch swipes at Chris Christie (politico.com)
- Murdoch Warns Gov. Christie ‘Must Re-Declare For Romney Or Take Blame For Next Four Dire Years’ (mediaite.com)
- Today’s Buzz: Did Chris Christie betray Mitt Romney? (orlandosentinel.com)
- Exclusive: Christie was Mitt’s first choice for VP (politico.com)
- Rupert Murdoch: Chris Christie Must ‘Re-Declare’ For Mitt Romney ‘Or Take Blame’ (huffingtonpost.com)
- Chris Christie Praises Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Response, Scoffs Idea Of Mitt Romney NJ Visit (mediaite.com)
Filed under Rupert Murdock
