Mondo Washington by James Ridgeway
'Terror' on Election Day!
Here's a scenario in which a phony terrorist threat could really blow up the November 2 vote
July 16th, 2004 2:45 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Thursday's request by New York Senator Hillary Clinton for an independent study of the nation's voting system before the November election comes amid growing fears that the Bush administration may try to fix the vote in a tight election. According to Clinton press aides, Clinton and a group of other top congressional Dems asked the GAO "for a thorough independent review," adding, "We already know of the potentially serious problems posed by the widespread use of electronic voting machines."
Clinton's press aides went on, "There are, however, other problems that have received little notice but have great potential to disrupt the election process and cause voters to be disenfranchised on November 2." The group asked the GAO (which just last week changed its name to Government Accountability Office, from General Accounting Office) to take a look at protections for voter registration and requirements for identification and to see whether voter rolls are properly purged of dead people and felons—and also to see what safeguards are in place to guard against "erroneous purges."
There may be more to fear than just those problems. Wayne Madsen, who worked at the National Security Agency (NSA) during the Reagan administration and currently is a journalist, sketches a more plausible scenario than the recent trial balloon floated by the administration-controlled Election Assistance Commission about possibly postponing the vote if there is a terrorist attack. Here's Madsen's scenario, step by creepy step:
More:
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0428/mondo7.php