Thief grabs voting machine from election official's car-Chico, CA

[fed-up]

so this "sacred/secure" equipment is just left in vehicles for two days before the election???? what's to stop someone from hacking it and returning it to a vehicle????

http://chicoer.com/newshome/ci_4614590

Thief grabs voting machine from election official's car
By ROGER H. AYLWORTH - Staff Writer
Article Launched:11/07/2006 12:00:00 AM PST

A car burglary, reported early Monday morning, initially prompted fears somebody was trying to interfere with today's election.
Sometime between Sunday afternoon and 7:30 a.m. Monday, a car belonging to a county elections "precinct inspector" was broken into and a touch-screen voting machine and related equipment was stolen, according to Candace Grubbs, Butte County clerk-recorder.

District Attorney Mike Ramsey told the Enterprise-Record the initial concern was the theft was related to the election.
The voting machine looks like computer equipment at first glance, according to Ramsey.

snip

However, the tension eased a bit around 2 p.m. Monday when Chico police discovered the voting machine and other equipment were "strewn about" in an alley six blocks from the original theft.

Chico police Capt. John Rucker said the theft was "absolutely" being treated as a serious crime and that his officers had been scouring the town looking for the stolen equipment when it was recovered.
Ramsey said the seals on the equipment hadn't been tampered with, and he suspected the thieves didn't fully understand what they had taken.

snip

[melm00se]

1. these paragraphs

from further into the article:

However, the tension eased a bit around 2 p.m. Monday when Chico police discovered the voting machine and other equipment were "strewn about" in an alley six blocks from the original theft.

and

Ramsey said the seals on the equipment hadn't been tampered with, and he suspected the thieves didn't fully understand what they had taken.

[ozymandius]

2. Voting machines should be as large as 8yd dumpsters

and weigh 3,000 pounds.

There is no excuse for voting machines to be this accessible - and portable.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Nah - try this sucker.

For sense of scale look at the girl standing beside the tyre. It's the Terex Titan.

[aquart]

4. Good god, what does it do?

[mikeytherat]

5. What does it do? Whatever the Hell it wants to.

mikey_the_rat

[melm00se]

6. it's used to haul

ore in pit mines.

[dipsydoodle]

8. Quarry work etc.

Carries 350 tons - not surprising as it weighs 260 tons. It's the world's largest vehicle.
I wouldn't fancy filling that up with fuel. :)
http://www.sparwood.bc.ca/titaninf.htm

[anitar1]

17. Looks like it is made to flatten the pavement. n/t

[kwolf68]

9. Oh damn....

Hummer drivers now have another option.

[Porcupine]

10. Hey it's a Hybrid. Really. Like a locomotive.

About that machine. That was probably just our GOP county officials screwing up as normal. The GOP says government is bad and do thier level best to prove it once in office. Mike Ramsey couldn't find his ass with both hands.

[melm00se]

7. no excuse other

than storage, transportation, manufacturing....voting machines get used what? twice a year?

[KansDem]

11. What? No honor among thieves? (eom)

[JMDEM]

12. Ah, Chico

College town, living is easy, attracts a lot of bums. A lot of meth problems in the general area.

Probably a meth addict, poor student, or bum thought they had scored a computer.

[AlCzervik]

13. is that Pombos district?

[fed-up]

14. that would be Wally Herger's District (repuke)-back to moving nt

[ProgressiveEconomist]

15. k&r

[IDemo]

16. Nothing ironic about THAT now, was there?