Don't lean against Electronic Voting Machines! Sit if you can!

[FullCountNotRecount]

Your other arm or hand can distort the vote. Thanks. Pass it on.

[klook]

1. Huh?

Please explain how this works. Do you have a source?

[Dookus]

2. like any touchscreen

the point you tap is calculated by measuring conductivity between two "layers" of material. When they connect, the software calculates where the touched point is.

If you lean on the screen, or in any way force contact between TWO or more points, the "average" of those points is taken as the contact, which could be far away from where you mean to tap.

You can try it with any PDA screen.

[klook]

3. OK, makes sense (n/t)

[KansDem]

4. Yeah, and that extra arm or hand will register your vote for Bush...!

Apparently, if the machine senses a "tilt" than it automatically registers a vote for Bush...


These machines are pretty sophisticated (and tempermental, too!):

"Hey, this voter is leaning on me! I'll show him! I'll change his "Kerry" vote to a "Bush" vote...

"So! Touch me with both hands, will ya! Your "Kerry" vote is now a "Bush" vote. That'll learn ya, dearn ya!"

"Huh?! This voter is lookin' at me wrong! Tough luck, you! I'm puttin' you down for "Bush" no matter how your votin'!"

[benburch]

5. And don't hit them with heavy objects...

Especially, don't hit them with heavy objects in swing states in majority GOP precincts. We wouldn't want the cute little machine broken, now would we? That might prevent some REPUBLICANS from voting! And we cannot have that. No...

[sandnsea]

6. This is helpful

Every person who has less problems getting a vote on these machines is one less person who will give up and not vote at all. It's good to know. And the article on the problems in NM said there were votes cast for Bush that went to Kerry too. Many people didn't click the article and read the whole thing.

[yellowcanine]

7. And try not to knock over the machine or it may not record your vote

properly. Not to mention making it difficult to get the voting data from the machine for all the people who voted in front of you!

[JohnGideon]

8. This Is Important Information

This is happening all over the country right now and on different vendors machines. It is not true that votes are only being changed from Dem to Rep. The machines in Sadoval County, NM are going the other way.

The real issue is that voters votes may not be counted as they were cast.

[RedEagle]

9. Frequent recalibration

The screens can be recalibrated.

The problem is real.

If you see someone with more than one finger at a time on the machine, request a recalibration.

I've seen it demonstrated, when asked for, and it's not hard for a poll worker to do and they should be trained to do it.

It would be negligent NOT to do this routinely during the day.

[dave502d]

10. Dose anyone know someone who works for one of these Co.

[progressivebydesign]

11. You ever see people trying to use those self-checkouts at the market?

We're Fucked!

[bvar22]

12. Also:

Do not allow ball-peen hammers (picks, shovels, monkey wrenches) to impact the screen area.

Absolutely NO organic liquids (puke, piss, etc.) should come in contact with any part of the machine.

Indelible laundry markers should not be used to indicate voting preference.

Flammable liquids (napalm, gasoline) should not be poured on the machines and ignited.

Explosive devices (grenades, claymore mines, black powder, c4) should not be placed under the consoles and detonated.

Firearms (especially fully automatic assault rifles) should not be pointed at the machines and discharged.

Only Steel wool, Ajax and turpentine applied with vigorous scrubbing should be used to clean the screens.

Minor electronic glitches can be remedied by connecting automotive jumper cables to each corner of the case and connecting the other end of the cables to a 440 volt AC bus.