Touch voting in Northern Virginia

[spooky3]

I went to the polls today and unfortunately we now have the stealth touchpad voting machines with no paper receipts. When the nice elderly volunteer described them to me, she said she was just "delighted" with them and being the normally non-confrontational person that I am I merely asked a question, "but is there any way to verify or audit the results? Is there any paper trail?" She looked annoyed and said "no." Further there was no curtain and the volunteer stood right next to me as I voted. I realize that from an angle it is hard to see how a voter votes, but this is not the most private of systems.

Now I am watching the returns on TV. In a neighboring county, a Repug candidate who lost (!) is filing a lawsuit tomorrow challenging the results because of malfunctions in 8 of the touchpads. A political science professor is telling viewers that "you would think we would have learned our lesson from Florida, and there at least they had the paper ballots to re-examine. With these new machines, we have nothing." The journalists are basically blowing him off with "yes but it's probably just a tiny % of the vote..." (Did they forget the margin of "victory" in Florida????)

How many more times will these problems need to recur before someone takes this seriously?

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. I just sent your post to God_bush_n_cheney

who is running for Secretary of State in Washington. I know he can't sort out Virginia on your behalf, but this is a major campaign issue with him. thanks for the post.

[spooky3]

4. thank you, greatauntoftriplets.

I'm ok with my own results (my county is heavily Dem) but thought some DUers might be interested in knowing that what they feared seems to be coming to pass.

[Andy_Stephenson]

13. If you could show how the republicans lost in

your area...and keep me posted on the results of the lawsuit. I would appreciate it very much.

[La_Serpiente]

2. Oh geez

I hope newspapers across the country do evaluations of all the elections across the nation, especially this one. It is imperative that this gets out.

[DUreader]

6. False Hope unless local papers do it, remember VNS in 2002

cancelled exit polls= unverifiable election

[CMT]

3. how are legislative races going so far in Virginia?

eom.

[spooky3]

5. results are still early but it appears that incumbents are doing

pretty well (most are Repugs). :-(

[spooky3]

10. Local news just announced that a Dem beat a Repug incumbent

legislator in eastern Fairfax.

[cosmicdot]

11. that's encouraging

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=649366

links to state Senate and House of Delegates returns provided

2003 Virginia State Senate Elections

The New Va. Senate
Updated 10:40 PM ET
Democrats 13
Republicans 20
Undeclared 7

2003 Virginia House of Delegates Elections

The New Va. House
Updated 10:45 PM ET
Democrats 31
Republicans 58
Independents 3
Undeclared 8

[diamond14]

7. voted in Northern Virginia (Alexandria) with paper ballot...and improved

counting machines....the ballot goes into the machine, if it is marked too many times or too few times, it comes back out and I can re-vote...they reprogrammed all the vote counting machines since the debacle of 2000....

I asked if they will go to the touch-screen computers, and people said they hoped not....

[spooky3]

8. Good--here's a link re: the touchpad problems in Fairfax Co.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63117-2003Nov4.html

[cosmicdot]

9. problems in Norfolk (posted at BBV)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=647721

[Andy_Stephenson]

12. And So I am running

www.andystephenson.com

[kimchi]

14. I also asked a poll worker about the machines today in NVA

and she also seemed annoyed. She told me to go to the election meeting tomorrow. I will. It seemed as though she'd heard the question several times that day.