Washblog || Only computers that fear jail should count votes: Lehto flies to KY

Only computers that fear jail should count votes: Lehto flies to KY

By noemie maxwell
Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 10:24:39 AM PST
Section: United States Topic: Election Integrity

They can put computers into elections when they find a computer that fears going to jail. -- Paul R. Lehto, election integrity attorney.

Any expense or burden such compliance creates is trivial when compared to the value of the goal of maintaining our Republic. Integrity of our government can be no greater than the integrity of elections which put our government officials in office." Waters v. Gnemi, 907 So. 2d 307, 336 (Miss. Sup. Ct. 2005).

Whitney County, Kentucky, May, 2006: A local election with national ramifications
Many voters reported voting for one candidate and having the other show up on the screen as their choice. Their invisible ballots were counted with trade secret software using DRE machines which are reported to be the most unreliable machines used in elections -- and very easy to hack. The chief vote-counting official was one of the winning candidates whose win was subsequently contested as stolen. A retired sheriff who had never been beaten in a race was "severely beaten by a candidate who had never won an election for sheriff or any other major office." The local newpaper reported unexpected landslides all around -- and statements of suprise from the winners. One winner admitted that her victory "went above and beyond [her] highest imagination."

Seven losing candidates in Whitley County, Kentucky, who think they won their races for state representative, sheriff, and other offices on May 16, 2006, are fighting what looks to them like outrageous cheating. Everett attorney, Paul R. Lehto, who's also a complainant in a key case against Sequoia Voting Systems and Snohomish County, has flown out to help.

The outcome of local cases such as these has national importance -- and impact here in Washington State -- as the evidence and legal reasoning is built, case by case, that the convenience of secret vote counting on unaccountable machines is not a legel defense against the undermining of democracy itself. Eventually, such cases will result in an outlawing of secret machine counts of our votes. Read more about the Kentucky experience on Black Box Voting site. Sign up for the National Hand Count Registry.

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Only computers that fear jail should count votes: Lehto flies to KY | 2 comments (2 topical)

Paul Lehto

Meeting Paul was my first introduction to the election integrity stuff. We met during the traveling road show known as the Governor's Task Force for Election Reform. He's one of the good guys.

I had a chance to speak with Paul right before he left for Kentucky. We were both at the Greg Palast event at Town Hall. Palast was promoting his latest book, "Armed Madhouse", as well as raising funds for Voter Action.

From what I remember, the election results in Kentucky that Paul went down to investigate were phenomenal. (I forget the county's name.) The losing candidates lost by just under 25% of the vote. So something like 24.8% compared to 75.2% for the winner.

The 25% threshold is key. Paul explained that losing candidates in Kentucky cannot ask for a recount if they didn't get over 25%.

Historically, the races were much tighter. And to have so many candidates lose by the same degree is also a red flag.

So the idea is to run around the county and get affidavits from everyone stating how they voted. It's a small county, so with enough help, it's feasible. That's why Paul's asking for volunteers.

If Paul can demonstrate a wrongful result in any particular precinct, he's got a case. My understanding is that to accomplish that, he'd need to have affidavits from nearly 100% of the voters. Or perhaps enough affidavits to show the official results are impossible.

Paul's hopefully reading this and maybe he has time to in.

by zappini on Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 05:07:33 PM PST

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Super news -- about Paul going to help

not about the gamed election.

Please keep us posted!

All ears here.

by Allison In Seattle on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 09:50:09 PM PST

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Only computers that fear jail should count votes: Lehto flies to KY | 2 comments (2 topical)

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