BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY SEPT. 21, 2022) — Every voted counts, but is every vote counted? Fall’s first day is as good a time as any to confront an ever-growing problem in election integrity.

Can the electorate believe in election results? Radical elements of this country’s two major political parties have and will continue to jump on this question not for numerical but political purposes. This helps no one and hurts everyone, since it blurs the hard reality that election fixes have become easier than ever and are occurring.

With the November midterms seven weeks away, THE PLANET and all thinking citizens have reasons for concern.

An AP story this week detailed a number of security breeches:

• Illegal and unauthorized “inspection” of balloting machines by unauthorized people.
• Copies of confidential voting software posted online, available for downloading.
• Copies of computer hacks and electoral software for sale on the Dark Web.
• Voting-system passwords posted online.

THE PLANET‘s own investigation reveals how easy it is to compromise local voting. While there may be few election workers averse to a couple of additional Franklins in their purses, there are enough, a cheap price for access to voter checklists. The scam goes like this:

• Pay off election officials who have access to real-time voter participation lists.
• Send information on non-voters to campaign workers of the favored party.
• Campaign managers then pay people to use the nonvoting names to cast ballots. In localities with no ID is requirement, this is  simple.

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From AP:

“The list of suspected security breaches at local election offices since the 2020 election keeps growing, with investigation underway in three states — Colorado, Georgia, and Michigan. … In some of the security breaches [nationwide], authorities are investigating whether local officials provided unauthorized access to people who copied software and hard drive data and … shared it publicly.”

Election tampering has been happening since the Dawn of Man, when Zog stole voting pebbles out of a rival ‘s bowl. Democracy can survive a fraction of corruption, but what of when it becomes widespread? Even minimal tampering in a tight race can flip the outcome. See “Kennedy v. Nixon, 1960.”

We can also assume that foreign governments will be messing with election results.

Not good.

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In 2022, the problems are exacerbated by three trends:

1. Computerized balloting.
2. New methods of voting to increase voter participation.
3. In tech terms, 2016 (Trump v. Clinton) is to 2022 what Fred Flintstone is to George Jetson.

As for (1): When we got away from mechanical voting, we lost crucial chain-of-evidence. Prior to an election, the old voting machines would be opened in front of representatives of political parties, election officials, and neutral oversight. Mechanical counters would be set to ZERO, the machine closed, locked, and sealed. The machines would produce a paper ballot as proof of the vote cast. After polls closed, machines would then be opened. An election official would break the seal, open the machine with the same witnesses as as ZEROing, and register the votes. The chain-of-evidence that was pretty much tamper-free and secure.

Today’s machines are sabotages online via computers. THE PLANET doesn’t know all the procedural technologies involved, but our techies do. All they would need to do, they tell us, is to be supplied with enough cash to purchase passwords, software, and hard drives, and they could mess with the numbers. There is NO CHAIN OF EVIDENCE THAT VOTES!

Scary.

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As for (2), statewide mail-in ballots, early voting, and drop-off points for ballots — “reforms” created for 2020 as a consequence of the pandemic — are Swiss cheese when it comes to security. They have reduced the once-sacred ballot into a commodity with less importance than a discarded lottery ticket, whichhas a chance to contain an undetected fortune. Or do you trust ballot boxes left at places such as gas stations, post offices, and convenience stores, left to be picked up by who knows and delivered after what not?

As for (3): The technology of 2022 has grown more sophisticated and complex. Ironically, more bells and whistles = greater online vulnerability.

A hacker’s dream.

Election officials have been outpaced by techies who have designed systems only they — and hackers — understand.

Yeah, your votes count, but don’t be so sure it will be counted.

Welcome to demokracy in Amerika.

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“Every knock is a vote” — James Michael Curley.