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kpete

(72,013 posts)
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:18 PM Nov 2012

NBC: PA elec voting machine-taken OUT OF SERVICE-after video shows votes changing OBAMA to ROMNEY

NBC News confirmed that the machine has been taken off line.

Machine turns vote for Obama into one for Romney
Zachary Roth
12:52 pm on 11/06/2012

A man casts his ballot using an electronic voting machine November 6, 2012 at an elementary school in Bowling Green, Ohio. (Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

A Pennsylvania electronic voting machine has been taken out of service after being captured on video changing a vote for President Obama into one for Mitt Romney, NBC News has confirmed. Republicans have also said machines have turned Romney votes into Obama ones.


The video was first posted on Youtube by user “centralpavoter.” It shows a voter’s finger repeatedly pressing the button for Obama, but a check mark coming up next to Romney’s name:



Underneath the video, the user gave an account of what happened:
My wife and I went to the voting booths this morning before work. There were 4 older ladies running the show and 3 voting booths that are similar to a science fair project in how they fold up. They had an oval VOTE logo on top center and a cartridge slot on the left that the volunteers used to start your ballot.

I initially selected Obama but Romney was highlighted. I assumed it was being picky so I deselected Romney and tried Obama again, this time more carefully, and still got Romney. Being a software developer, I immediately went into troubleshoot mode. I first thought the calibration was off and tried selecting Jill Stein to actually highlight Obama. Nope. Jill Stein was selected just fine. Next I deselected her and started at the top of Romney’s name and started tapping very closely together to find the ‘active areas’. From the top of Romney’s button down to the bottom of the black checkbox beside Obama’s name was all active for Romney. From the bottom of that same checkbox to the bottom of the Obama button (basically a small white sliver) is what let me choose Obama. Stein’s button was fine. All other buttons worked fine.

I asked the voters on either side of me if they had any problems and they reported they did not. I then called over a volunteer to have a look at it. She him hawed for a bit then calmly said “It’s nothing to worry about, everything will be OK.” and went back to what she was doing. I then recorded this video.

There is a lot of speculation that the footage is edited. I’m not a video guy, but if it’s possible to prove whether a video has been altered or not, I will GLADLY provide the raw footage to anyone who is willing to do so. The jumping frames are a result of the shitty camera app on my Android phone, nothing more.



http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/11/06/machine-turns-vote-for-obama-into-one-for-romney/
23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
NBC: PA elec voting machine-taken OUT OF SERVICE-after video shows votes changing OBAMA to ROMNEY (Original Post) kpete Nov 2012 OP
This has caught fire...Ya! SoapBox Nov 2012 #1
How many others are doing the same? liberal N proud Nov 2012 #2
People need to go to JAIL Flashmann Nov 2012 #3
So how many votes were on the machine when they pulled it? mindem Nov 2012 #4
Is THIS why they think they have a shot in PA??? faithfulcitizen Nov 2012 #5
MSNBC just showed it! May show again after break... faithfulcitizen Nov 2012 #8
How can we be sure it really was? realgreen Nov 2012 #6
How many machines are changing the vote... kerouac2 Nov 2012 #7
There's an honor code among vote thieves.... Junkdrawer Nov 2012 #10
Might not be true ChangeUp106 Nov 2012 #9
Expert weighs in on Voter Fraud Video Dalai_1 Nov 2012 #11
If you ntoify the proper authorities it will generally get taken care of. nt cecilfirefox Nov 2012 #12
Whatever the truth is on THIS particular story, this kind of black box tampering MUST be exposed! Arazi Nov 2012 #13
When I voted StarlightGold Nov 2012 #14
But not on what actually gets submitted or counted. n/t cui bono Nov 2012 #17
I hope that on day ONE of Obama's second term hogwyld Nov 2012 #15
After the 2004 theft, with nothing being changed or improved in the interim, I've no reason to AzDar Nov 2012 #16
Yup geomon666 Nov 2012 #21
and it doesn't hurt if your son is a co-owner of the company, either flying_wahini Nov 2012 #18
K&R Solly Mack Nov 2012 #19
"Republicans have also said ..." TahitiNut Nov 2012 #20
Taken out of service -- but what happened to the ballots casts prior to removing the machine Supersedeas Nov 2012 #22
my exact question: do those folks get to vote again? are theeir votes simply gone? and how many? amborin Nov 2012 #23

liberal N proud

(60,340 posts)
2. How many others are doing the same?
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:21 PM
Nov 2012

Funny, you never hear of a machine flipping votes to a Democrat!

Not so funny actually, it is criminal!

kerouac2

(449 posts)
7. How many machines are changing the vote...
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:25 PM
Nov 2012

but not displaying the change on the screen? So it looks like it selects Obama, but it casts for Romney in the end. These machines cannot be trusted.

Junkdrawer

(27,993 posts)
10. There's an honor code among vote thieves....
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:32 PM
Nov 2012

If you steal someone's vote, you MUST show them you're stealing their vote.

Learned this from the MSNBC coverage of the issue for the last 8 - 10 years.

ChangeUp106

(549 posts)
9. Might not be true
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:30 PM
Nov 2012

I'm told by a family member who works in PA govt. (on the D side) that this is NOT true and the PA Democrats are asking people not to spread this video around.

Dalai_1

(1,301 posts)
11. Expert weighs in on Voter Fraud Video
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:33 PM
Nov 2012

An Expert Weighs in on That Viral Reddit ‘Voter Fraud’ Video

( came in on my Twitter Acct)



http://gawker.com/5958114

Arazi

(6,829 posts)
13. Whatever the truth is on THIS particular story, this kind of black box tampering MUST be exposed!
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:34 PM
Nov 2012

This is a good thing that these kinds of shenanigans are being exposed. Its long overdue that we look at the electronic voting boxes. We MUST go back to paper ballots.

StarlightGold

(365 posts)
14. When I voted
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:36 PM
Nov 2012

it was en electronic machine, but my final decisions were marked on the side on a roll of recepit paper, so I could double check before hitting the "cast ballot" button. I wasn't happy with e-voting, but at least there is tangible evidence of what I chose.

hogwyld

(3,436 posts)
15. I hope that on day ONE of Obama's second term
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:38 PM
Nov 2012

Is to push congress to standardize the national voting laws. If electronic, we need transparent, open source software. Also need to make sure that there are sufficient resources allocated so that nobody has to wait more than 1 hour to vote. I'm tired of these GOP SoS's determining our elections!

 

AzDar

(14,023 posts)
16. After the 2004 theft, with nothing being changed or improved in the interim, I've no reason to
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 03:39 PM
Nov 2012

believe that they wouldn't try this shit again.

TahitiNut

(71,611 posts)
20. "Republicans have also said ..."
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 06:28 PM
Nov 2012

Sheezuzfreakingkeeristonakrutch!! I am SO FUCKING tired of the grade school "Jimmy did it first" bullshit peddled by the Reich Wing and passed on like lard through a goose by a complaint media that NEVER demands evidence of these kneejerk ASSertions!

Supersedeas

(20,630 posts)
22. Taken out of service -- but what happened to the ballots casts prior to removing the machine
Tue Nov 6, 2012, 06:47 PM
Nov 2012

Who has been disenfranchised due to "programming" malfunction?

Or was it programmed to disenfranchise?

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