Just got back from voting, and thought I would let everyone know what I saw.

[enigmacat]

I vote in Maryland, and when I went to my local polling place, everything was streamlined. I went up to the check in, and they asked me for my last name, then first. After I told them, they read my address to me, and asked if that was correct. Then, they printed out a slip of paper and presented it to me, with my name and address on it, and asked me if everything was correct. It was, so then I had to sign at the bottom. They then handed me an e-card, which I was to then take to the next table, and wait for a voting machine to be free. I was there for less than 20 seconds, before one became available. I was led to it, and put my card in.

Okay, so up until now, everything was fine.

Before I began to vote, I was sickened to see that Diebold machines were being used. I thought we were going to be using Accuvote, as that is what I had been reading in articles about our state's voting procedures. Well, anyway, we are using Diebold. So, I carefully, and I mean carefully, touch each box of whom I want to vote for. I am about several races in, and I touch Democrat, and this is when it gets suspicious to me:

My vote for Democrat, "jumped" to Republican after I touched it, right before my eyes. I am serious. I touched the Democrat box, and the screen flickered for a millisecond, and the X jumped to the Republican box. Yes, I was horrified. I quickly deselected the Repub, and touched the box for the Dem again. This time, I didn't have the same problem.

I just wanted to let everyone know how things are going here, and warn everyone to be aware of this "glitch."

Sorry for the long post, and the tedious explanation, but I had to tell you all.

Oh, one more thing, on my way out, I saw a lone woman standing in front of the polling place holding up signs for the Democrats. The town I live in is a Repub stronghold. I pulled over and asked her how she was doing. She said, she was okay, but a group of people drove by her and yelled at her "Republicans Rock!" I said, aargh, and shook my head, and she said, "I know, they need a lesson in manners, but I'm not going to give it to them." She was really busy, and dedicated, and focused on her purpose, and I respect her for that. If I weren't going through an illness right now, I would have stayed with her and helped out.

Good luck everyone! Hopefully, good fortune will smile down on us all.

[WilliamPitt]

1. Did you report this to the poll workers?

[enigmacat]

9. No, and there's a reason.

I didn't think that they would be able to do much about it there. They didn't seem to be very computer literate, as far as getting into the nuts and bolts of the computer program. I am going to call the 1-866-Our-Vote number, after I post this.

[Horse with no Name]

17. However

By alerting the poll workers and making a LITTLE bit of a stink--it might have alerted other voters to watch for the same thing so that it didn't happen to them.

[elehhhhna]

36. CALL YOUR DEM COUNTY HQ w/ this IMMEDIATELY.

As in RIGHT NOW.

[judaspriestess]

2. did your machine have a paper receipt?

doesn't sound like it did. We get a receipt for buying a pack of gum but we can't paper trail our votes....

[enigmacat]

13. No, and it is atrocious that we don't. Yet, I had to sign a paper at the check in!

[helderheid]

3. report it!

[Coventina]

4. You need to report this. See Skinner's "sticky" thread at the top of the page.

DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

[LSparkle]

5. Thank God you persevered and de-selected until it gave you a D

These bastards are hoping people are in a hurry and not persistent enough to get their vote RIGHT. Priority number one for the Dems should be election reform -- this friggin' country needs to take a few deep breaths, have some patience and GO BACK TO PAPER BALLOTS!!! Better to wait a week and know the TRUE results than to have INSTANT BULLSHIT!

[babylonsister]

6. Did you report the 'glitch' to anyone? You should. nt

[ourvoicescount]

7. PLEASE REPORT THIS!!! 1-866-our-vote

http://www.nationalcampaignforfairelections.org/pages/election_protection

[enigmacat]

11. Thanks, that is exactly what I was planning to do.

[IndyOp]

21. After you call 1-866-OUR-VOTE call 1-888-DEM-VOTE, too...

Get the word out to everyone!

:hi:

[babylonsister]

Here's Skinner's thread for you to post in:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2600685&mesg_id=2600685

[enigmacat]

15. Thanks!

[Straight Shooter]

8. "Republicans Dumb As Rocks!!"

Maybe she misunderstood :)

[enigmacat]

16. LOL, that is what I thought.

[rumpel]

10. FYI

The system from Diebold you mention is I think called Accuvote TS or Accuvote TS-X - Accuvote = Diebold

and please report and log your problem

thanks

[EC]

12. Accu-vote and Accu-scan are Diebold.. n/t

[Norquist Nemesis]

14. Can you explain a little more about the "Democrat" thing?

You said you were several races in. What was it that you had to touch "Democrat" for?

[enigmacat]

18. I was choosing for State's Attorney, I believe.

And, it jumped from Dem to Repub.

[Norquist Nemesis]

22. Ah, got it.

0Also, it makes you wonder if somehow it doesn't go ahead and record the Con vote for that candidate (or show no vote at all due to cancel for correction). I don't trust those machines at all! Scary stuff that is.

[Nikki Stone1]

19. KICKed, Recommended

:kick:

[IndyOp]

20. Accuvote = Diebold. Diebold = Accuvote.

Maryland seems to have been marketing their new machines as "Accuvote" so residents won't worry about "Diebold".

:(

[ourvoicescount]

23. Good to know, thanks.

[enigmacat]

27. They confused me, and I am usually up on all the politically relevant info.

Thanks to everyone who clarified that Diebold is the same as Accuvote.

[spag68]

24. I voted here on Long Island

Our machines are old and clunky, but there is something good about pushing the switches down for our candidates. OK back to the TV

[Double T]

25. I don't believe there are ANY Diebold electronic voting machines.....

that can or should be trusted. An electronic voting machine should be a very simple electronic device with a high degree of reliability; NO rocket science HERE. There is no reason or excuse for the Diebold electronic voting machines to be performing so 'poorly' UNLESS the 'poor' performance is intentional. The core of our democracy is being stolen by the rethug corporate criminals on behalf of the rethugs and it is long past time to do something about IT.

[enigmacat]

26. Just called 1-866-Our-Vote, and the man I talked to was really nice.

I told him everything, and he was glad that I called and said it helps them to see if their is a trend. He said they would try to get someone out to the precinct, and also after the election, to keep an eye on the results of that precinct to see if there are problems. I also mentioned that I made a mental note of which race I was voting in when the problem occurred, but without a paper ballot or receipt, I didn't even have any proof that it happened.
If anyone else has problems, don't be nervous about calling them; they are really helpful.

[Mutley]

28. I'm in Maryland, too.

I was also sickened to see the Diebold machines. :eyes:

I had no such issue with any of my votes changing, though (Not as I was standing there, anyway). I did have another issue, but I posted that in Skinner's sticky thread.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

29. SIMPLE ANSWER:

When you touched the screen your rubber soled shoes had picked up a massive static charge, which combined with a solar flare on the far side of the sun, had a stream of ionized electrons bounce off Venus, hook around Mars, gather speed around the moon and head for your campaign precinct. When you voted, the static charge in your finger combined with the ionized solar electron stream to cause a jump from one candidate to another.

Really. trust me.

It has nothing to do with secret deals between Diabold and the White House, nor their programming which skews results, nor their blatant efforts to halt democratic victories.

[Graybeard]

33. And the tin-foil hat doesn't help either.

I'm sure we will hear these "explainations" all week
long.

[dogindia]

30. k&R.

[Peace Patriot]

31. How many times do you go use an ATM machine, and you punch in a

a choice of, say, "deposit"--because you intend to make a deposit--and the ATM machine suddenly, through no action of yours, switches your choice to "get cash"? And if ATMs did have this "glitch"--which has never been reported that I know of--what are the probabilities that it will always switch "deposit" to "get cash," and never the other way around, and never some other choice (like "transfer between accounts")?

That's how likely it is--and how probable it is--that a computer will magically just switch your choice of candidates from Dem to Repub, or that virtually all reported instances of it go one way and one way only.

I happen to believe that our chief problem is in the central electronic tabulators--which are ALSO run on "trade secret," proprietary programming code, made by the same Bushite corporations (Diebold GEMS systems and others)--partly because entities like the official Dem Party and Common Cause never mention this corporate control of the central tabulators, and take the position that paperless touchscreens are bad, but optiscans are okay, and that, if we only have a "paper trail," it's all fine. Even the Holt bill (HR 550) is vague on this issue, and leaves a loophole for retention of Corporate control of voting counting in the central tabulators.

But it may be that Diebold/ES&S et al have several methods of election theft. There is some reason, for instance, why they have fought so hard against a paper trail, and have pushed so hard for paperless (or worthless paper "receipt") touchscreen voting--either that it can most easily be programmed to switch votes, or works better with rigged central tabulator programming. They have fought tooth and claw for these absurd voting machines in California, for instance.

Please take Will's advice and call this one in. Some of the reporting numbers are: 866-OUR VOTE, and 800-DEM VOTE. We wouldn't have stats on this matter already, if people like you, who see it for yourselves, hadn't called in and reported it in 2004.

[democrank]

32. Sorry you`re going through an illness, enigmacat.

Thanks for taking the time to write this.

[ehrnst]

34. Happened to me on a machine in Arlington, VA!!!

Not Diebold tho - my vote "jumped" from opposition to Gay marriage ban. This morning.

And it would not let me change it - I had to ask to have my ballot cancelled, and tried again. Then it worked.

But there were many elderly folks there - and who knows if they'll feel free to ask questions?

[The Backlash Cometh]

35. Hmm... I had to tell them my address. How odd.

[mom cat]

37. From one cat to another

I hope you start to feel beter. :hug: