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Memo Pad

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About That Voting Machine Company Tied To Mitt Romney And Bain Capital…

October 15th, 2012 6:34 pm Brad Friedman

Moreover, I’ve been on the road all this week for a conference, with much less time online than usual. But since so many folks have picked up on the Romney/Bain/H.I.G./Hart Intercivic stories and have sent email and Twitter queries to me about it, allow me to very quickly share a few thoughts, on this, some of which I sent to a reporter who also raised this issue with me late this week…

First, my statement that I sent to the reporter about this story…

Once again, we’re reminded of the dangers of the privatization of our once-public electoral system. The company’s ties to Romney aren’t the only disturbing ones we’ve seen with similar companies over the years. The fact is, that nobody other than the public should have any sort of control of our elections. The proprietary voting systems now in use in all 50 states, whether owned by Romney associates, a George W. Bush associate (as with Diebold in 2004) or even a company tied to Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez (as with Sequoia Voting Systems, which blatantly lied about that tie to public officials, and the Canadian firm Dominion which purchased Sequoia and also immediately lied about the fact that Intellectual Property of their voting systems used all across the U.S. is still owned by the Venezuelan firm), continue to be a grave threat to American democracy and confidence in U.S. elections.

One other point I should add, for now, particularly since I suspect folks from the right are also likely to ask about it. There has been a false right-wing story that’s been bubbling around this cycle, charging, inaccurately, that perennial Republican target George Soros owns or controls a company which will count 25% of U.S. votes in this year’s election. While the story, spread first by public airwaves clown and radio host Michael Savage and, naturally, Fox “News,” is completely false, the general concern at the heart of it is not. Indeed, it underscores, yet again, the very point we’ve been making on this topic here for years.

The company in question in the false Soros story is a Spanish-based firm named Scytl. While they do run vote-tabulation machines elsewhere, and are attempting to get into the (insane) internet voting game here in the U.S., their main involvement with U.S. elections at this time is via their recent acquisition of a company named SOE. That company runs websites which report election results for various public jurisdictions (municipalities, counties, states) on the Internet, but does not actually count any votes.

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7DKWSXHQIDBW5PUAPZ2HZAYYUY Baron Cormac

    So in addition to the Republican strategy of denying people the right to vote based on suspicion of voter fraud (less than 10 confirmed cases over the past 20 years), they are also trying to control the method of vote tabulation to ensure their victory.

  • nobsartist

    You should see the censorship that the Washington Post uses. Not only is it under handed but it reeks of republiCON input. I would not doubt if the Washington Post advised Bain to buy the election machines and the election.

    willard is hiding the fact that he is in business with the RED CHINESE ARMY.

    mccain knows, that why he picked an idiot like palin.

  • nurselaidoff

    Ok, I am curious where people are getting statistics for voter fraud. I am finding hundreds of documented cases (all of them tried in the court system) in multiple sites on the internet. At least 54 people that were employees or individuals involved with ACORN after the 2008 campaign were convicted of voter fraud. A board member of NAACP was sentenced to 5 years in prison for voting 10 times with other peoples names. The list goes on and on.
    Unfortunately voter fraud is a fairly common crime. If you want to see real statistics, don’t go to liberal sites. Do a search and go to sites that you may normally not go to (i.e. you may need to go to some Republican sites to find the truth) Many of these sites list names, crimes, dates and sentences. It is very hard to fake this kind of list as you can check out each case individually on the internet.
    Democrats have been making the claim that voter fraud is very rare. They claim that the Republicans have a long term strategy to suppress voter rights. They aren’t telling the truth. Do your own research on the internet. Don’t just call me a liar and not do the research. Be honest and check it out and then ask your self why the Democratic party is having to lie about voter fraud…..

    • http://twitter.com/TheBradBlog Brad Friedman

      Actually, Nurselaidoff, if you want actual information, don’t go to Rightwing sites, because they are hoaxing you. There is no evidence of a single fraudulent vote ever cast via an improper registration by an ACORN worker. We only know about those improper registrations because they were flagged *by* ACORN and turned into officials, along with the names of those who defrauded them. There have been no “voter fraud” convictions for anybody who ever worked for ACORN, though there were voter registration fraud convictions, as mentioned, after ACORN themselves turned in the criminals.

      In the meantime, there are 10 known cases of in-person polling place impersonation voter fraud — the only type of voter fraud that can even possibly be deterred by the polling place Photo ID restrictions that you and the GOP are calling for — in all 50 states since 2000.

      If you bother to actually look into the list of supposed voter fraud you are relying on from the Republican National Lawyers web page, you will quickly find that NONE of them would have been stopped by disenfranchising polling place Photo ID laws.

      In short, you have been scammed. And, no, the Democratic party isn’t lying about voter fraud to my knowledge. If you can cite a specific example of it, I’ll be happy to respond to that so-called “lie”.

    • nobsartist

      is republiCOn congressman mccotter or republiCON house speaker bolgers name listed? what about the AWOL coke head that lied us into 2 wars?

      I thought not.

    • http://www.facebook.com/dominick.vila.1 Dominick Vila

      The problem with ACORN had nothing to do with voter fraud, but with defrauding the Democratic party by faking alleged registrations that never happened. The Democratic party hired them to canvass for them and some of their operatives submitted hundreds of registrations to collect their commission that turned out to be faked. Those dead or non-existent people did not go to the polls to vote.
      What is being suggested is a lot more dangerous than a political party being taken for a ride, the distinct possibility of one of the companies that tallies the votes rigging the software to block the votes of one party or double count the votes for another is a completely different ball game because that would have a definite impact on the outcome of an election.

      • http://BradBlog.com/ Brad Friedman

        For the record, the ACORN workers were defrauding ACORN. Unlike the GOP voter registration outfit currently being investigated in several states for Voter Registration Fraud, the Democratic party did not hire ACORN for registration. They did the work on their own as a non-partisan community organization.

    • William Deutschlander

      Me thinks you would be wise to re-visit your sources and understand what the true subject is.

    • old_blu

      Did you say Republican site to find the truth?

      Isn’t that like an oxymoron?

      • neece00

        Good one old_blu

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/ZRYMJS6X3HDSTJ4PW3ILFH7KGM Carol

      To Nurselaidoff: Why are you laid off???? perhaps Romney sent your Hospital overseas? By the way, since this voter regristration started enmass, the Republicans were the first to be found cheating away, and supposedly fired their imposters for fraud in registrations. Perhaps you should get a job with the Rep. party, they are looking vor volunteers to sell Romney’s “SCRIPT” did you get that, and perhaps get a role in his fake t.v. ads! This campaign on the part of the Bush/Cheney folks and their mastervind Carl Rove, is getting closer to the “CHAD fiasco, and that idiot who ruled in their favor, Miss Correna DeVille , here in elections that made the Rep election deciosion, other wise known as KATHLEEN HARRIS, AND PERHAPS THEY WILL BRING IN THAT UGLY WOMAN AGAIN, who knows Bain Capital can bring their money back from overseas withouot taxing the cash to pay her. Oh volunteer your nursing survices to the 47%. and get your mind off your work, of distorting the truth as R & R ARE DOING, oh if they get elected it will be Revolt and Regret in our nation. P,.S. I am a working nurse.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Myers/100001512942781 Jim Myers

      Replying to nurselaidoff

      THE FRAUD PERPETRATED BY A REPUBLICAN OPERATIVE OF THE “HOLIER THAN THOU” REPUBLICANS HAS SPREAD TO AT LEAST 11 STATES, and is on a scale in the 10′s of thousands, possibly 100′s of thousands of fraudulent votes.

      Contrast that to the extremely low number of actual cases of voter fraud that has been found at the polls in over a decade of searching.

      NO MATTER WHAT RUSH AND THE REST OF THE RIGHT WING WINDBAGS SAY, NOTHING CAN JUSTIFY THE LEVEL OF FRAUD COMMITTED BY JUST THIS ONE OPERATIVE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

      ADD TO THAT THE VOTER SUPPRESSION LAWS, DESIGNED TO STOP HONEST VOTERS THROUGH INTIMIDATION AND SLEEZE.

      SHAME TO THE PARTY WHO STOOPS THIS LOW IN ORDER TO “WIN” AN ELECTION.

      Because, the top Republicans know they have NO CHANCE of winning a fair election.

      AND I DON’T CARE WHAT LIES YOU OR ANYONE ELSE ON THE EXTREME RIGHT SPREAD, OR HOW YOU DISPARAGE ME, THESE ARE FACTS, AND IF YOU CAN’T SEE THAT, YOU ARE SPENDING WAY TOO MUCH TIME BEING A DITTO-HEAD INSTEAD OF TRYING TO THINK FOR YOURSELVES!!!!

    • Dave_dido

      You have to differentiate between voter “registration fraud” and voter “identification fraud”. As you point out there are many cases of voter registration fraud. However, there are hardly any cases of voter ID fraud. That’s exactly the point many of us have been trying to get across to folks such as yourself who deny that there is any voter suppression going on. All of the laws that the GOP has come up with just prior to the election involve voter ID laws. That’s because the GOP knows that the voters most likely to lack an ID are the poor and minorities and these are the ones most likely to vote for Pres. Obama. The GOP has done absolutely nothing to deal with voter registration fraud and that’s where the real problem lies.Why haven’t they done anything? Because there’s just as much voter registration fraud done by Republicans as there is done by Democrats. There’s no political advantage for the GOP to address voter registration fraud. Face it- the GOP is willfully trying to suppress opposition votes. As a patriotic American you should be just as outraged about that as I am.

      • nurselaidoff

        I really don’t care who commits voter fraud (Republican or Democrats), or how they do it, we need to clean up our system. Dead people shouldn’t be voting. People should not be voting in several different states at the same time..This year, Maryland congressional candidate Wendy Rosen dropped out after she was found to be voting in two states. Albany mayoral candidate Paul Etheridge was indicted last year on three felony counts of fraudulent absentee voting.
        How about the NAACP official that was convicted of voting 10 times. Or a Minnesota Senatorial race where a watchdog group forced an investigation. So far 177 have been convicted of voter fraud.
        Micky Mouse and Donald Duck have been registered over and over again in various states. If there was a voter ID law, if they didn’t show up with legal ID, no one could vote those ballots.
        Nearly 2 million dead people are still listed as voters. And some of them are continuing to vote. All types of voter fraud need to be looked at, including electronic voting machines, absentee voting and mail in voting(some states only vote by mail). This should be both a Democratic issue and a Republican issue. With all the problems in the Gore/Bush race you would have thought that the system would have been cleaned up since then…..

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/HFYZP2APYPP7H6PWS2ZDQRWFEQ Hillbilly

      You need to do your research some place else. The people at Acorn are the ones that turned in the people working for them that did the voter fraud. What places and sites are you finding all this voter fraud you are talking about and do these sites and places include all the voter fraud that Republicans have been charged with this year along? If you want to see the whole truth go to sites that aren’t right leaning or left leaning to learn the truth about voter fraud and the Republican surpression of voter’s rights.. Find a site that doesn’t lean toward the right or left to get the right information. As for believing Republican sites, I for one don’t believe a word that Republican site shows, since this year so many Republicans have been charged in pre voter fraud, a fact that you nurselaidoff haven’t mention in your posting.

    • Justin Napolitano

      Nurse, you are so far off base I would put you in a different ballpark. Here in Florida after spending, I don’t know how much money, they have identified 53 possible illegal voters. They still are not sure whether these people ever voted but the count is 53 out of 9 million.
      Nine million, do you get that? the percentage is so low that it is just about zero percent.
      So when you make stupid claims back it up with something or shut up.

  • nobsartist

    In michigan, voter fraud has all involved republiCONs trying to get elected by any means. from mccotter using fake petition signatures to house speaker bolger republiCONs in michigan have shown that they will go to any lengths to deceive the voter.

    funny thing, the republiCON “attorney general” has not had time to prosecute rather he cuts deals so nothing happens to the felons responsible.

  • SaneJane

    They will pull out all the stops to win this election. This is life or death for the GOP and there is nothing too underhanded, unethical or even illegal if it will help them win.

    • old_blu

      You my friend are absolutely right Jane, if they loose, the Republican party as we know it will be over, hope they get rid of the tea baggers.

  • Melvin Chatman

    The Presidential Election has been “STOLEN” before, so this is an Upgraded Version!
    If I owed so many people the sums of $$$$ spent on me being the next President, I’d try to steal it too – I ain’t MAD @ him!
    Accidents can happen – especially to a “Car Guy”

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Myers/100001512942781 Jim Myers

    WHY EVEN BOTHER WITH AN ELECTION?

    Just leave it to the companies that have their fingers in this mess. They could decide between themselves who should be President.

    Think how much money could be saved by the SUPER-PAC’s.

    WHO NEEDS A DEMOCRACY ANYWAY?

    After all, a large portion of the world seems to do fine with their dictators.

    If the dictators don’t like the positions taken by their opposition, they can just kill them off.

    Very efficient. Not so good for the outsiders.

    But the wealthy do very well under certain dictators.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/XQSHZLFJ7W4RZVA7KN5TORLMGI Dredycal

    I don’t understand. Shouldn’t all this disqualify Romney from running for President?

    • old_blu

      There are many things that should disqualify him. Back in the old days just getting caught lying would have disqualified him. Seems everyone thinks it’s acceptable now.

      We all knew that politicians lied but they at least tried to hide it.

  • grammyjill

    I got some info on these machines last week. The Dutch, Irish and Germans had these same machines. They all junked them and went back to hand counts because they found the machines extreemly faulty and very easy to manipulate results.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ford-Truck/100003735221640 Ford Truck

    I’ve always worried about machine voting because they are easy to manipulate to alter voting. We’ve gone from simple mechanical punch machines, to electromechanical machines, to electronic equipment, and now computerized voting.

    The more “advanced” voting gets, the easier it would be for a group to steal an election by altering computerized results.

    We can’t even fully protect our home or business computers from spyware and hackers!! Hell, the Pentagon and NASA have been hacked!! What the hell makes any sane person believe we can protect voting when computers and software are involved?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KOPKDFAUQPIIRAFI3HEXNMSHLQ Ed

    Well, if the win the “American Experiment” will be over.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Townsel/100002612877917 James Townsel

    I will keep it real simple ..this is about the theft of a Country (American) to privatize=/pricey of the wealth of the American people. we see this across the board with so many attempts over many decades of a call-to end social security by the Republican party … an by using these type’s of machine they are trying to LIE their way back into the white house (President)

  • http://twitter.com/ZACKYBEATZ Zacky Beatz Music

    Whether you are on the left, or on the right, this issue should concern you !,
    and let me make that very clear before the election, whether it sways in your favor,
    or not.

    Is the obsession that even when the Govt. have to spend cash on voting, they should do it by handing it all out to the private corporations, sometimes that will backfire, if it is not tightly regulated, and we all know how politicians feel´s about regulating.

    In this post Citizen United era what we are seeing is unprecedented 1 billion race to become a President, outside forces whether is from your favorite billionaire, or from Russian oil billionaire, it will creep itself into to the American political system and corrupt it, we mix that with lobbyists in Washington, and we have a 9% approved congress, that wont pass any bills, or say anything, the ad´s to smear them are 1 phone call away, and we wonder why there´s gridlock.

    I think we should say shame on the American people for failing to realize this problem,
    every time someone asks you or tells you how they are disgusted by the political process,
    just remind them of that.

  • gawg

    Interesting this concern is now surfacing. When BHO was elected, everything was quiet, the election world calm. Now that he is about to be fired (just like the R’s were in 08), we have these concerns… The entire election industry is monitored and by the Feds – it’s called the EAC and last time I checked this was one of the administrations departments.