GOP opposes Secure Elections Act

[umbrella39]

As per usual Republicans know the scales tipped in this country and they cannot breed their regressive overactive fear center progeny faster than the brown folk they despise and that these minority babies are now the majority and this will only continue to grow.

The only way to keep in power is to put in place as many restrictions as possible for people who would not vote for them and this new twist, actually having a foreign enemy hack our elections after first rolling out the red carpet invitation to do so and continue doing so...

As others have said and I agree, fucking with the vote is tantamount to treason and should be treated as such. Hard time served for many, many years...

 

[trenchfoot]

I can see where anything that stifles the Repub's abilities to criminally mess around with the processes of voting into their favor would be to their distinct disadvantage given their already proven track record of relying on such ploys to win elections.

The silence from the Repub leadership as to the crimes committed by the Russian's interference in our elections is proof positive that they're willing to accept the Russian's help again. Well, unless they get caught doing it of course and we've seen how they react with such ham-fisted, Academy Award winning fakery when it happens. lol

If anything, the art of stealing elections and denying the ability of the Dems to appoint judges and other critical gov't positions have been quite impressive in a despicable kind of way.

They've plainly outed themselves as to their intentions toward ruling the nation from a minority status in perpetuity even if it takes the likes of Trump to do it.

The Repub leadership have also been very careful of not incriminating themselves via directing that any malfeasance in regard to vote tampering be done at the state and municipal levels of which is typical of any big time crime operation.

Social media though is where the Repubs, IMHO, with the help of the Russians (again) will really hammer down on their propaganda efforts to corrupt the hearts and minds of the electorate. Much more needs to be done to stymie their efforts in this regard.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

So you don't think there would be opposition to going back to only paper ballots? Hey, lets go back 56k modems, cassette/vhs tapes, tube TVs while we're at it.

Thing I saw on the news was the measure said there needs to be some kind of paper backup that is stored, like something is printed and put into a box after the voter verified its correct or like Massachusetts does where there is a paper ballot, fill in a box or circle or complete a line that is pretty easy to understand, put paper ballot into machine that counts & stores the ballots.
Simple old technology that works and everyone can understand.
Also it had some sort of language about voting machines cannot be connected to the internet.

 

[Jhhnn]

So you don't think there would be opposition to going back to only paper ballots? Hey, lets go back 56k modems, cassette/vhs tapes, tube TVs while we're at it.

That's not what's been suggested. DRE with a paper trail is highly secure & widely used.

https://ballotpedia.org/Voting_methods_and_equipment_by_state

Vote by mail works great here in CO & OR.

 

[Jhhnn]

So you don't think there would be opposition to going back to only paper ballots? Hey, lets go back 56k modems, cassette/vhs tapes, tube TVs while we're at it.

That's not what's been suggested. DRE with a paper trail is highly secure & widely used.

https://ballotpedia.org/Voting_methods_and_equipment_by_state

Vote by mail works great here in CO & OR.

 

[mect]

A proven threat isn't nearly as pressing as the hypothetical threat of voter fraud. Lets take care of the voter ID issue first, and then we can move on to the real problems.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

The bill was co-sponsored by Republications, what is this opposition you claim to make? The way I read it, this bill is specifically being opposed because it proposes paper ONLY ballots. That is a dinosaur solution to revitalize the election system.

I'm glad some republicans want a far more secure system.

Your only objection comes down to choosing a far inferior and less secure method because it's "newer". Never mind this

"Unfortunately, much of this money was used to buy paperless touchscreen voting machines. These seemed like the wave of the future, but computer security experts found them to be seriously inadequate.

"Computer scientists were worried about them from the start," according to Alex Halderman, a computer scientist at the University of Michigan. They worried "that they were being rolled out too fast and without effective security standards."

"In every single case, when a machine was brought into the lab and studied by qualified researchers, the result was the discovery of significant vulnerabilities that could allow the machines to be compromised with malicious software that could potentially steal votes," Halderman told Ars.

So Halderman says that, over the last decade, "the thinking has shifted to looking at more practical solutions." In particular, election security experts have come to regard optical-scanned paper ballots as the gold standard for computer security.

Optical-scan ballots can be counted by machine to provide prompt and accurate vote totals. But if there's any doubt about the integrity of the results, there's always an option to do a hand recount of the paper ballots".

So these "dinosaur" experts, including computer scientists, recognize that electronic means is inadequate for the task. Note they are not calling for hand counting but if it came to it there would be a 100% unhackable record and that exists only with physical media.

 

[cytg111]

The bill was co-sponsored by Republications, what is this opposition you claim to make? The way I read it, this bill is specifically being opposed because it proposes paper ONLY ballots. That is a dinosaur solution to revitalize the election system.

But ... its all of them

New Election Security Bills Face a One-Man Roadblock: Mitch McConnell

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/us/politics/election-security-mitch-mcconnell.html

 

[zinfamous]

But ... its all of them

New Election Security Bills Face a One-Man Roadblock: Mitch McConnell

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/us/politics/election-security-mitch-mcconnell.html

Well, little Mitch the fuckstick wouldn't get his nice Russian Steel plant slush fund in Kentucky built, if bills like this prevented election fraud!

 

[hal2kilo]

That's not what's been suggested. DRE with a paper trail is highly secure & widely used.

https://ballotpedia.org/Voting_methods_and_equipment_by_state

Vote by mail works great here in CO & OR.

Washington state also.

 

[dyna]

I'm glad some republicans want a far more secure system.

Your only objection comes down to choosing a far inferior and less secure method because it's "newer". Never mind this

"Unfortunately, much of this money was used to buy paperless touchscreen voting machines. These seemed like the wave of the future, but computer security experts found them to be seriously inadequate.

"Computer scientists were worried about them from the start," according to Alex Halderman, a computer scientist at the University of Michigan. They worried "that they were being rolled out too fast and without effective security standards."

"In every single case, when a machine was brought into the lab and studied by qualified researchers, the result was the discovery of significant vulnerabilities that could allow the machines to be compromised with malicious software that could potentially steal votes," Halderman told Ars.

So Halderman says that, over the last decade, "the thinking has shifted to looking at more practical solutions." In particular, election security experts have come to regard optical-scanned paper ballots as the gold standard for computer security.

Optical-scan ballots can be counted by machine to provide prompt and accurate vote totals. But if there's any doubt about the integrity of the results, there's always an option to do a hand recount of the paper ballots".

So these "dinosaur" experts, including computer scientists, recognize that electronic means is inadequate for the task. Note they are not calling for hand counting but if it came to it there would be a 100% unhackable record and that exists only with physical media.

I guess I'm willing to take more drastic measures to innovate the voting system. To say that you have to have paper as a backup and it is not possible via electronic means is ridiculous. We should be able to vote via our mobile devices, computers, iwatch or whatever electronic means to make it accessible. It does take a lot fun out of the system i.e. recounts, debates on voting fraud etc...

The issue of "that they are were being rolled out too fast and without effect security standards." Whose fault is that? Those are all solvable problems.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I guess I'm willing to take more drastic measures to innovate the voting system. To say that you have to have paper as a backup and it is not possible via electronic means is ridiculous. We should be able to vote via our mobile devices, computers, iwatch or whatever electronic means to make it accessible. It does take a lot fun out of the system i.e. recounts, debates on voting fraud etc...

The issue of "that they are were being rolled out too fast and without effect security standards." Whose fault is that? Those are all solvable problems.

Hello hackers and viruses

No thank you on voting from my smart watch

 

[hal2kilo]

I remember in school when I was a kid, it was constantly pounded into us, that one of the differences between democracies and communism was that communists believed the ends justified the means. Wouldn't that describe McConnell to a T.

 

[dyna]

Hello hackers and viruses

No thank you on voting from my smart watch

Some people don't purchase online, use online banking or even the more drastic use case of using credit cards because they are worried about hackers and viruses. It is a good thing we didn't make all our decisions based on that type of thinking.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Some people don't purchase online, use online banking or even the more drastic use case of using credit cards because they are worried about hackers and viruses. It is a good thing we didn't make all our decisions based on that type of thinking.

You are not liable for any purchases beyond $50 and to date no bank holds you liable for any amount.
There is no such mechanism for elections

 

[brandonbull]

2020 ain't gonna collude itself.

It sure won't. The DNC has to find another foreign national to be the cutout for getting information from Russian sources.

 

[dainthomas]

It sure won't. The DNC has to find another foreign national to be the cutout for getting information from Russian sources.

Bless your heart, you try so hard.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

It sure won't. The DNC has to find another foreign national to be the cutout for getting information from Russian sources.

This

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I guess I'm willing to take more drastic measures to innovate the voting system. To say that you have to have paper as a backup and it is not possible via electronic means is ridiculous. We should be able to vote via our mobile devices, computers, iwatch or whatever electronic means to make it accessible. It does take a lot fun out of the system i.e. recounts, debates on voting fraud etc...

The issue of "that they are were being rolled out too fast and without effect security standards." Whose fault is that? Those are all solvable problems.

"We should" is distinct from "we can" as any electronic system can be hacked when whole nations become bent on subverting it.

You listed things that we abandoned and why was that the case? Because the advancements were just that, something that performed the task better.

So come up with a system that is as unhackable as a piece of paper and I'll go along with it

 

[Fanatical Meat]

:

2020 ain't gonna collude itself.

It sure won't. The DNC has to find another foreign national to be the cutout for getting information from Russian sources.

This level of stupidity bothers me. I can’t let it go.
@brandonbull below is a video of the President asking for help from Russia.
Please back your statement up and show me (I’ll make it easy) ANY Democrat candidate for President asking directly for help from ANY country other than America.

 

[cytg111]

"We should" is distinct from "we can" as any electronic system can be hacked when whole nations become bent on subverting it.

You listed things that we abandoned and why was that the case? Because the advancements were just that, something that performed the task better.

So come up with a system that is as unhackable as a piece of paper and I'll go along with it

This sums it up for me, ever since I heard of rowhammer its all tits up ... give it time and its tits up, no matter how well you secure it *right now*. An electronic vote with a paper backup sounds like an idea.
https://xkcd.com/1938/

 

[Jhhnn]

I guess I'm willing to take more drastic measures to innovate the voting system. To say that you have to have paper as a backup and it is not possible via electronic means is ridiculous. We should be able to vote via our mobile devices, computers, iwatch or whatever electronic means to make it accessible. It does take a lot fun out of the system i.e. recounts, debates on voting fraud etc...

The issue of "that they are were being rolled out too fast and without effect security standards." Whose fault is that? Those are all solvable problems.

When the digital security experts say we need a paper trail I'm not prepared to argue.

The paper trail makes it impossible for anybody to argue, really, which is just the way we need for it to be. We need something that everybody can trust, even the Luddites. More than one democracy has fallen to authoritarians when they claimed fraud & took over. You know, for the good of the Country.

 

[DarthKyrie]

I'm glad some republicans want a far more secure system.

Your only objection comes down to choosing a far inferior and less secure method because it's "newer". Never mind this

"Unfortunately, much of this money was used to buy paperless touchscreen voting machines. These seemed like the wave of the future, but computer security experts found them to be seriously inadequate.

"Computer scientists were worried about them from the start," according to Alex Halderman, a computer scientist at the University of Michigan. They worried "that they were being rolled out too fast and without effective security standards."

"In every single case, when a machine was brought into the lab and studied by qualified researchers, the result was the discovery of significant vulnerabilities that could allow the machines to be compromised with malicious software that could potentially steal votes," Halderman told Ars.

So Halderman says that, over the last decade, "the thinking has shifted to looking at more practical solutions." In particular, election security experts have come to regard optical-scanned paper ballots as the gold standard for computer security.

Optical-scan ballots can be counted by machine to provide prompt and accurate vote totals. But if there's any doubt about the integrity of the results, there's always an option to do a hand recount of the paper ballots".

So these "dinosaur" experts, including computer scientists, recognize that electronic means is inadequate for the task. Note they are not calling for hand counting but if it came to it there would be a 100% unhackable record and that exists only with physical media.

I'm no expert but even I can tell you that electronic voting is a horrible idea due to all of the possible things that can go wrong. I've never seen a paper ballot get hacked.

I guess I'm willing to take more drastic measures to innovate the voting system. To say that you have to have paper as a backup and it is not possible via electronic means is ridiculous. We should be able to vote via our mobile devices, computers, iwatch or whatever electronic means to make it accessible. It does take a lot fun out of the system i.e. recounts, debates on voting fraud etc...

The issue of "that they are were being rolled out too fast and without effect security standards." Whose fault is that? Those are all solvable problems.

I do almost everything online nowadays but my vote is way too important to trust to electronics. Been using computers since the C64 days so absolutely no fear of computer systems. The only electronics that I want anywhere near my paper ballot is the machine that counts the votes.

Hello hackers and viruses

No thank you on voting from my smart watch

Hemp paper ballots FTW.

When the digital security experts say we need a paper trail I'm not prepared to argue.

The paper trail makes it impossible for anybody to argue, really, which is just the way we need for it to be. We need something that everybody can trust, even the Luddites. More than one democracy has fallen to authoritarians when they claimed fraud & took over. You know, for the good of the Country.

This right here.

 

[kage69]

What's this, Mitch McConnell once again turning his back on his country for party gain?

Weird, I feel like I've seen this a couple dozen times already. He and his wife, such busy little crooks.

 

[nickqt]

:



This level of stupidity bothers me. I can’t let it go.
@brandonbull below is a video of the President asking for help from Russia.
Please back your statement up and show me (I’ll make it easy) ANY Democrat candidate for President asking directly for help from ANY country other than America.

This isn't from Fox News, Breitbart, or Stormfront, so it's clearly fake news.

Nice try, libtard.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Let me see . . . there seems to be a disagreement about the use of paper ballots versus electronic methods, some of which might offer access with cell-phones, tablets, lap-tops etc.

Now, think about this. We could study the design of ballots in various states, but I only have my firsthand experience in California. Some years ago, everyone in our family chose to use the "absentee ballot" method so they could get their ballot in the mail and return it by mail.

What advantage is there over a paper mail-in ballot and electronic ballots, if someone has to go to a polling place to use an electronic device? That's the first question.

And what is the difference in completing at home a paper ballot to mail in, as opposed to checking boxes or radio buttons from a mobile device? If you receive a paper ballot in the mail, you could take it with you to places where you'd want to have a cell-phone, and you could mail the completed ballot at that location.

In CA, the paper ballots simply require one to draw a line between the tail and head of an arrow pointing at the selected candidate. So you just draw some lines. Would you really want to fiddle with an online data entry screen with a mobile device? To do what? Select checkboxes or radio buttons?

The only chain of custody issue for a mail-in ballot involves the USPS. The USPS delivers and picks up mail in some 161,000 voting precincts. Who's going to infiltrate the USPS with any ability to intercept ballots? Unlikely. And contrary to the psychotic fantasies of GOP ideologues, the USPS is a reliable and fantastic institution, despite GOP efforts to emasculate it.