ACORN SchmACORN

By GottaLaff

ACORN SchmACORN, let's take a look back in time at what fraud really looked like:

(click on image to enlarge)

Remember, there is a difference between voter fraud and election fraud.

Voter fraud is extremely rare and is the intentional corruption of the electoral process by the voter. That definition covers knowingly and willingly giving false information to establish voter eligibility, and knowingly and willingly voting illegally or participating in a conspiracy to encourage illegal voting by others.

Election fraud is the misrepresentation or alteration of the true results of an election. It is the corruption of the electoral process and corruption committed by election or elected officials, candidates, party organizations, advocacy groups, or campaign workers.

Coincidentally, I just now got this e-mail:

	Dear Laffy, The infamous voting machine manufacturer Diebold has decided to get out of the elections business. But that's where the good news ends. The prospective buyer, Elections Systems and Software (ES&S), who has already had one merger blocked on anti-trust grounds, would control more than three-quarters of the country's voting machines. In key battleground states like Ohio, they would be the sole provider of voting machines. A monopoly of this scale puts our voting process at risk. Our democracy depends on transparency, which is why this sale cannot go unnoticed or unchecked. Tell Justice Department not to approve the merger unless the buyer, ES&S, opens up the software to election officials and the general public. ES&S has been highly criticized for anti-competitive practices, such as drastically increasing their prices for services and upgrades. By buying Diebold, ES&S will maintain tight control over the equipment and software, and will be able to gouge local governments who have no alternative manufacturers to choose from. This market domination will create a dangerous monopoly, result in skyrocketing costs for running elections, and compromise security thanks to the minimal options for substandard equipment made available by a dwindling list of suppliers. That's why it's critical that the Justice Department approve the merger only if the software is made available to election officials. Don't wait. Tell Justice Department to intervene in the Diebold sale immediately! Voters should have no doubt that the voting machines provided are being run to the utmost standards and accuracy. That's why we need to act now before the merger is complete. Thanks, Becky P.S. We're not the only ones calling for action. Common Cause, the nonpartisan group committed to accountable government, has also launched a petition asking the Justice Department to step in on the merger. Senator Chuck Schumer has also called on the anti-trust division of the Justice Department to investigate the sale. So please, take action now.

Timing is everything.

H/t: Dmiller23

GOP cyber-security expert suggests Diebold tampered with 2002 election

By GottaLaff

This is why I don't jump on the "Obama by a landslide" bandwagon:

A leading cyber-security expert and former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says he has fresh evidence regarding election fraud on Diebold electronic voting machines during the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial and senatorial elections.

Stephen Spoonamore is the founder and until recently the CEO of Cybrinth LLC, an information technology policy and security firm that serves Fortune 100 companies. At a little noticed press conference in Columbus, Ohio Thursday, he discussed his investigation of a computer patch that was applied to Diebold Election Systems voting machines in Georgia right before that state's November 2002 election.

How nice it would be to expect clean elections in America.

Spoonamore received the Diebold patch from a whistleblower close to the office of Cathy Cox, Georgia’s then-Secretary of State. In discussions with RAW STORY, the whistleblower -- who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation -- said that he became suspicious of Diebold's actions in Georgia for two reasons. The first red flag went up when the computer patch was installed in person by Diebold CEO Bob Urosevich, who flew in from Texas and applied it in just two counties, DeKalb and Fulton, both Democratic strongholds. The source states that Cox was not privy to these changes until after the election and that she became particularly concerned over the patch being installed in just those two counties.

The whistleblower said another flag went up when it became apparent that the patch installed by Urosevich had failed to fix a problem with the computer clock, which employees from Diebold and the Georgia Secretary of State’s office had been told the patch was designed specifically to address.

Now look at the numbers:

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who was five percentage points ahead of Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss in polls taken a week before the vote, lost 53% to 46%. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Barnes, who led challenger Sonny Perdue in the polls by eleven points, lost 51% to 46%. However, because the Diebold machines used throughout the state provided no paper trail, it was impossible to ask for a recount in either case.

Polls, schmolls.

An audio file of the press conference is available here. Follow the link to read many more details.