I have some basic questions about the NH recount...

[CoffeeCat]

I obviously don't have any understanding of how these voting machines work, so my questions
are probably flawed. However, I would appreciate any information about how exactly fraud would
be detected, in this recount--if it indeed happened.

If NH voters went in and filled out a ballot and put the ballot in a Diebold machine, the machine
reads it--correct? Then the machines tabulate the results.

So, they're counting the paper ballots in which people filled in ovals or wrote in their choices,
is that correct?

So, NH has in their possession, the initial ballots that people put into the machines? Are we assured
that the people who had these ballots in their possession didn't change them in any way?

Are the voters' names on the ballots (which could be used to fact check the voters' votes)?

So---when the ballots are counted--if the machine counts are different from the hand counts--we will
know that the machines screwed up, correct?

Does anyone know what happens if the hand counts are different? Does the official election result
change--if a hand count demonstrates that the vote is different? For example, if it was demonstrated
by the handcount that Edwards received 42 percent of the vote--would there need to be a lawsuit to
settle this and give him the delegates? Or would a new winner automatically be declared, based on the
handcount?

Thanks for bearing with my questions.

[fenriswolf]

1. i believe if the handcount showed significant differance

which implied that the optical scan machines counted the votes incorrectly their would be an offical recount with both member of each party each verifying a ballot one at a time.

[CoffeeCat]

4. Thanks so much (nt)

[lonestarnot]

5. Only acceptable way to count.

Stupid fucking machines.

[EFerrari]

2. I can answer this piece. No name is on any ballot

and, it looks like the ballots were not secured after the election so it is possible that the recount won't be clean.

That happened in Ohio in 2004 and people went to jail for trying to stack the recount.

I don't know the answers to your other questions.

[CoffeeCat]

6. Thanks for your input....

Interesting, that the ballots have not been secured. Like you said, those ballots might
be tainted.

It's interesting that Kucinich is only going after a partial recount. I hope that he
is able to determine which portion is recounted. If someone else determines that Dennis
gets a partial recount, and they steer him toward certain precincts or counties, that would
highly suggest that certain precincts might have been tampered with.

This is so ludicrous and exhausting. There's so much room for speculation and paranoia.

I was hoping that a re-count meant very positive things, and that it would shine the spotlight
on fraud, if that indeed happened.

However, this situation might not be so clear cut.

Thanks again for the info... :)

[dnbmathguy]

3. Voters names are not on the ballot

They are counting the paper ballots, correct.