GET POLITICAL with VIC LIVINGSTON (Opinion): How to Curb the Dangers of Electronic Voting with 'Voter Integrity Squads'

• TAKE SOME OF THAT AD MONEY AND SPEND IT ON
  COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY CHECKS ON THE GROUND

• NEXT CYCLE, REQUIRE A VOTER-VERIFIED PAPER TRAIL

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is flush with cash,  spending lavishly on paid media in an effort to maintain and expand its majority in Congress -- some $53 million allocated thusfar, earmarked for 51 congressional districts deemed by the Dems as "competitive."

But all that money goes down the drain, along with democracy, if on election day the votes aren't properly tallied -- or if purposeful fraud alters the count. 

And with the majority of votes now being counted on paperless electronic voting systems that often don't leave behind a voter-verified paper trail (the major exception being optical scanning systems, which do), the possibility of mischief casts a shadow of doubt over the integrity of the electoral process.

All the media money in the world can't counterbalance the potential impact of skilled computer hackers who possess the technical know-how to manipulate electronic voting machine software -- at the warehouse where the machines are stored, or even on site at the polling stations.

Or how about a wireless "hack" that lets crooked poll watchers fix an election vote by vote, based on the party registration information that's right before them -- just by checking the voting rolls and pushing a hidden button? 

Don't think for a second that it's not possible. "Google" the term "remote computing" to learn how a third party can assume control of computer systems, even your own supposedly private PC (or Mac; hackers may write fewer viruses for Macs, but they still can be easily hijacked by an off-site hacker). 

The internet facilitates off-site hacking, but you might be surprised to learn that even standalone systems are susceptible to wireless intrusions by computer-savvy data thieves or vandals.

Since it's too late in the cycle for curative legislation to require a voter-verified paper trial for all certified electronic voting systems (such legislation has languished in Congress),  perhaps the Democrats -- and the Republicans, too -- should be thinking about a short-term remedy: 

How about dispatching "Election Integrity Teams" to each state, and in major urban centers?  Not just in the wake of a disputed election, but as a prophylactic measure.

These teams could consist of elections attorneys;  skilled computer technicians; and auditors who would inspect voting machine storage locations, interview those with hands-on access, and take down names of officials charged with election supervision.

At least that might provide some modicum of deterrence to whose who might consider tampering with the machine's computer code or its electronic keycards.

The auditors would check to see what safeguards are in place to ensure the integrity of the vote, including background checks of all personnel with access to the machines or to voter registration information.

They also would check to see if the companies supplying the machines made political donations to parties or candidates in districts that use their machines. If any entity is doing such comprehensive security checks, I am not aware of it.  (Please let me know of such programs if they are in force this election cycle.)

Spending on paid media may not be as critical to winning elections as it once was,  due to the profusion of ad-zapping video recording devices such as the DVD recorder, TiVo, even the fast-forward function on the nearly obsolete VCR.  So why not take a portion of that advertising war chest and put it toward a campaign to ensure election integrity -- even if it means less spending on paid media?

If you want to learn more about the potential for "hacking the vote," let me direct you to a most unusual and entertaining source:  The Robin Williams movie of a few years back, entitled "Man of the Year."  It's one of those fiction based on fact stories -- and sometimes, the real truth emerges with greater impact in a movie script than in a scholarly political journal.  And it's sure more fun!

So here's the "Get Political" bottom line:  Spending on political advertising does little good if the votes the ads attract aren't counted properly, or if malicious hacking -- even technical glitches that aren't caught on a paper trail -- invalidates the true tally.

IF YOU VALUE OUR DEMOCRACY, THE RULE OF LAW
AND THE RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS,  PLEASE VISIT
THE FOLLOWING STORIES BY SCRIVENER:

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/vigilante-injustice-organized-gang-stalking-american-gestapo-are-they-doing-hi-tech-torture?

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