Programmers weigh in on vote-rigging idea, some details confirmed

[Tony_FLADEM]

short, technical analysts – though not all in agreement – have found the concept of a rigging program plausible. Most note that without the original source code, such a program would be undetectable.

“From a technical standpoint, it is perfectly plausible,” said a middleware programmer for IBM in North Carolina, Kim Winz. “Whether or not this turns out to be true, it’s a very good reason why we need the source code available for all of these voting machines.”

Some point to the fact that Diebold already employs hidden buttons in their software as an example of how such a program could work.

On other fronts, Curtis’ claims check out. Raymond Camillo Lemme, who was an inspector for the Florida Department of Transportation looking into another of Curtis’ claims was found dead in a Valdosta, Georgia Knights Inn of apparent suicide on July 1, 2003, according to Valdosta police.

<http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/vote_rigging_concept_1207.htm>

[bemildred]

1. Plausible my ass, it's trivial, any moron could do it. nt

[ooglymoogly]

2. now now

they have to protect their asses. there is after all the stupidity factor

[bemildred]

4. Sorry, I froth at the mouth a bit sometimes. nt

[sendero]

5. Exactly...

... I was a software developer up until a year or two ago. I love computers and spent 20 years writing code.

There are so many ways you could write vote stealing code it would take a book to spell them all out.

Here is an example:

Your main vote accumulator does this:

if(election day) {
..{ misapply some votes }
}
else {
apply votes correctly
}

With this little trick, you can audit the damn machine ten times before the election and it will always pass.

Trust me, there are tens of ways you could do this. It would just be so damn easy.

[meg]

3. This retired Senior Engineer disagrees

Most note that without the original source code, such a program would be undetectable. Except for reverse engineering.

The source code has to be compiled and linked with other modules anyway. Plenty of room to sub stuff.

Bev Harris made the point that other ways to hack in are "better" in her review.

[Dan]

6. nah...using Access

lots of ways to manipulate the code.