BBV: Can a chimpanzee hack a Diebold voting system? We asked one to try...

[BevHarris]

We have a press conference Wednesday seeking emergency measures, in conjunction with the Ballot Integrity Project. We need immediate procedural safeguards if we are to have any trust in this election.

Black Box Voting will have the following experts featured in the upcoming hack-a-vote demo in Washington D.C. Wednesday Sept. 22, which we believe will make a strong case for emergency safeguards:

Bev - demo of double set of books
Andy - demo of meltdown
Jeremiah Akin - demo of Sequoia hack
Dr. Herbert Thompson - demo of a viruslike attack
Baxter - Can he manipulate the Diebold GEMS central tabulator? You'll see if he succeeds Wednesday.

Baxter is a chimpanzee.

Andy is working on uploading a video news release now. Keep fingers crossed, it should be on http://www.blackboxvoting.org shortly.

Bev

[alittlelark]

1. Too cool!!!

But I thought you meant * !! I don't think * is, but Baxter probably could!

[Ladyhawk]

2. Apologize to Baxter for thinking that!!!! n/t

[nostamj]

3. well guys, ya know I love ya but...

has BBV jumped the shark?

I can see getting media attention from this but... a CHIMP? really?

hope it works!

[BevHarris]

4. Well, Baxter has already done his part for democracy

We filmed him ahead of time, because he is getting to an age where he likes to impress imaginary chimp ladies by trying to assert dominance on humans, and it was deemed wisest not to stick him on an airplane and ask him to hack the voting tabulator in front of a room full of noisy people and flash bulbs.

So, he's already made his attempt -- and some of the footage will be in the clip Andy is posting (it's uploaded but we can't find it, duh.)

While we are having technical difficulty, Baxter is back in the L.A. area chasing his girlfriend around.

But speaking of sharks, and jumping...he sat down at the central tabulator wearing a fetching pair of electric blue shorts with a picture of a shark on the butt.


Bev

[shance]

5. This is fantastic!!

Amazing and VERY creative whoever thought of the idea***

[BevHarris]

6. Kudos for the idea to Dr. Hugh Thompson

who said the system was so hackable he could write a program for a monkey to do it. Then we realized it was so hackable we didn't even need to write a special program for a monkey, just teach a few keyboard commands.

Heh heh. Oh yeah, Hugh is Herbert, when he is his less formal self.

[stellanoir]

7. PETA alert !!!

Subjecting an innocent primate to the counterintuitive cranial constraints of EVM's may just qualify as cruel and unusual punishment and borders on complete inhumanity.

It's almost as bad as . . . as. . .ah. . .ah. . . .re-electing one?

Oh never mind.

Go Baxter Go !!!!!

Too funny really.

Don't forget to pack some bananas. . .they may minimize any long term trauma.

[alittlelark]

8. The donations I have made to BBV

keep paying off! Great investment.

[Andy_Stephenson]

10. Thank you

very much for your donations. They are keeping up the pressure to fix this mess.

Andy

[bahrbearian]

9. Can't wait ,, Go Baxter,,Keep us posted

[Cocoa]

11. big push as we head to the election?

are you going after an incidental drop in turnout, or are you at some point going to call directly for a boycott of the election?

[RedEagle]

12. C. None of the Above

Voting advocates are pushing for:

Integrity in elections

Emergency measures for the November elections


None of the actions you mentioned above are even to be considered.

We want the biggest turn out ever- and it would only help if people think their votes will be counted correctly. What I've heard the most often in the last two years is, "My vote doesn't count." People know.

No election boycott. What would that prove? Yeh, let's not vote and let the "system" pick the winner.

Let's make it too hard to manipulate the "system" without going over the top,taking desperate chances. Makes it more likely to be caught.


VOTE

Vote on paper

Demand recounts and auditing

[BevHarris]

14. What you see is what you get. We are calling for safeguards

Two different issues. However, for those who have come up to speed on the voting machine issue, I believe voting turnout has increased. You have more chance of having your voice heard on a flaw-ridden system if turnout is heavy.

Of course, I realize that some people believe it is a good strategy to avoid mentioning the problems with voting machines, stand square in the way of safeguards to help improve the chances that we can trust the result, planning instead to litigate heavily after watching/helping a train wreck occur.

There's still time for prevention, which is what this press conference is about.

By the way, anyone who jumps forward with a pile of lawyers (or one big lawsuit) after keeping silent about what they know, is not a fit leader of anything. That's a strategy that is sure to damage trust in elections for decades to come -- could cause harm that lasts a hundred years.

Therefore, I do applaud leaders like Howard Dean, who stepped foward to ask for a demonstration, and then asked California S.O.S. Kevin Shelley point blank what he was going to do about it.

I can think of no reason whatsoever to avoid implementing safeguards BEFORE the election. Can you?

Bev

[Andy_Stephenson]

15. Uh....everywhere we talk

We encourage people to vote and to vote en masse. Perhaps you could point me to where we have said otherwise? If not the I think you have made a baseless assertion.

[ramblin_dave]

13. Is this open to the public?

If so, when and where?

[Andy_Stephenson]

16. The press conference

is at 9:30 AM in the National Press club...

[BevHarris]

17. National Press Club event open only to A-list media and invites

the room only holds 40. The other event, at 12:30, a few blocks away, is open to EVERYONE and we want ya there! I think Cynthia McKinney is going to be there, and if so, we'll teach her to hack an election too.

[Andy_Stephenson]

18. Do we have the Addy for it Bev...

I know it is on Dupont Circle.

But not sure where.

[BevHarris]

19. 12:30 The Ballroom at Heldref Publications 1319 Eighteenth St. NW

12:30pm, “The Ballroom” at Heldref Publications 1319 Eighteenth St. NW, Washington, D.C. –– (All press and policymakers; open to the public)

[Andy_Stephenson]

20. Be There or

B-Square.


See how baxter does.

[Andy_Stephenson]

21. Preview of Baxter here

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/baxter/VNR92204.mov

[GregD]

22. Broken link at BBV

Andy, have a look at the link you put on the story at BBV. You need to add the http:// so that the link will function correctly.

Good luck Wednesday - I hope you folks are successful. You may be our last hope in this regard - because unless the media picks up Baxter, etc. and a miracle happens, nothing will get the emergency legislation moving this year.

I'll have a bit of news toward the end of the week. After taking some time off this summer, someone asked me to return to the fight. We will be launching a new site on this issue by Friday or so; it's sponsored by someone already involved in the issue, has strong media recognition, and wanted his own site to point to when the press all want to talk about voting machines as the election nears.

GregD

on edit, still can't type or spell.

[BevHarris]

23. WELCOME BACK Greg!!!!

We need you. I'll go check on that link. We've been having fits with it.

Bev

[GregD]

25. It was a good break, I needed it or I was going to go "tilt".

I'm ready for a sprint to November. Let me know if I can be useful.

Good luck Wednesday.

Greg

[BevHarris]

26. Thank God, Greg. I've thought of you often...

For those who haven't followed things obsessively, GregD was the guy who put the Verified Voting web site on the map, and under his and other great voting integrity advocate's leadership, they built that site quickly into a national powerhouse. Others who worked with GregD are Ellen Theisen, now of VotersUnite.org, Peter, and John Gideon, of VotersUnite.org. Dr. David Dill is the founder of VerifiedVoting.org, and of course he has shown strong leadership.

These are talented people, and though we sometimes get on each other's nerves -- heaven only knows, the situation we face is tense enough! -- we have tremendous respect for one another.

At the airport the other day, I heard this sad comment from a woman who hoped to attend John Kerry's inauguration:

"I know the voting machines are an issue, but in my area, the activists are taking care of it for us."

If she only knew. Her "area" is King County, a location which demonstrated stunning security flaws last week in the Sept. 14 primary, and though we tried rather valiantly, no, the "activists" couldn't take care of it.

I am so, so glad to see GregD back, because he is one of the talents that has made things happen.

Bev

[RedEagle]

29. Whahooo Greg!

Seconds to what Bev said.

You want this guy in your corner on this fight.

Greg, Ellen, John- were among the ones who made Verified Voting the succes it was just out of the gate.

Go get'em Greg!

[EST]

24. Is CSPAN set up to cover this?

n/t

[loudsue]

27. Talk about people being able to MONKEY with the election results!!!...

This sounds like fun!

O8) Thanks to the BBV Patriots for all you do!! HUGE blessings on your press conference!! And prayers for your continued success and safety! O8)

:kick::kick::kick:

[BevHarris]

28. Luv ya, Loud Sue. And -- does anyone know how to grab a still shot

out of a QuickTime video?

(By the way, if you slow the demo way, way down, you can see the chimp changing the GEMS screen. It goes from black (highlighted entries) to white (deleted data).

Bev