With an accomplice, it would be possible to do this. Note how the video
zooms in such a way that the other Green Party lines are not visible when
the supposed vote switch occurs. The camera then zooms out after the
selection is made, and voila, the other ballot lines that were out of frame
have been selected. Note how at the critical moment, the camera happens to
be framed just right to hide the other parts of the screen. Ask yourself why
this critical piece of evidence is hidden from the camera. If I wanted to
show odd behavior on a touch screen, I would want to be sure that I filmed
the video so that it showed a button I could not have touched change.
Thanks for pointing this out. I am now even more certain this is a fake.
Everything is just too perfectly aligned -- the hand to hide the thumb and
pinky as they select the visible ballot lines and the camera angle to hide
the other ballot lines at the critical moment they change. Magicians are
good at making people see what they want to see.
============
Dr. Michael P. McDonald
Associate Professor, George Mason University
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Mailing address:
(o) 703-993-4191 George Mason University
(f) 703-993-1399 Dept. of Public and International Affairs
mmcdon@gmu.edu 4400 University Drive - 3F4
http://elections.gmu.edu Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
-----Original Message-----
From: Joseph Lorenzo Hall [mailto:joehall@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 8:33 AM
To: Michael McDonald
Cc: Election Law
Subject: Re: [EL] Voter being referred to District Attorney for posting
election fraud video evidence
Certainly, we should be cautious. However, I know of no mechanism that
will re-select all the down-ballot Green party choices without again
selecting the Green straight-party selection at the top of the screen.
His left hand is holding the phone doing the recording, and no matter
what you think his right-hand pinky an thumb are doing, they remain
very far from the Green straight-party selection at the top of the
screen.
I don't think slight of hand can rule out a ballot configuration error or
bug.
best, Joe
On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 12:16 AM, Michael McDonald <mmcdon@gmu.edu> wrote:
I would be careful about interpreting anything from this video. Magicians
use slight of hand all the time to fool the eye. Don Relyea's thumb and
pinky appear positioned in just the right way to produce the screen
behavior, but hide it from the camera. In the frames immediately preceding
the apparent vote flip, you can see that his thumb is extended downward in
a
manner that would touch the screen on the Green Party candidate line. I
also
see what looks like his pinky extended as he pulls his hand away from the
screen. An extended pinky would press the Green Party line adjacent to the
governor's race. Another clue is that he visibly applies pressure with his
index finger to select buttons in a tapping manner, but does not do so on
when the vote switch occurs. When I do a frame by frame look, I see a
slight
rocking of his hand backwards when the switch occurs, as if he is indeed
applying pressure with his thumb and pinky, but not his index finger.
============
Dr. Michael P. McDonald
Associate Professor, George Mason University
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Mailing address:
(o) 703-993-4191 George Mason University
(f) 703-993-1399 Dept. of Public and International Affairs
mmcdon@gmu.edu 4400 University Drive - 3F4
http://elections.gmu.edu Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
-----Original Message-----
From: election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu
[mailto:election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu] On Behalf Of Paul Lehto
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 10:50 PM
To: Election Law
Cc: Joseph Lorenzo Hall
Subject: [EL] Voter being referred to District Attorney for posting
election
fraud video evidence
According to Marketplace, a voter and computer programmer (Don Relyea)
who found his Republican touch screen vote for Governor of Texas (and
various other votes) flipped to Green Party choices is going to be
referred to the District Attorney for criminal investigation for
taking the video of his own vote. See
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/10/25/am-electric-touch-
screen-glitch-caught-on-tape/
Video of the vote posted to reddit and/or YouTube was either
restricted or taken down, but the Texas GOP still has the video
available at this link:
http://www.texasgopvote.com/2010-elections/texas-elections/video-voter-machi
ne-wont-let-texan-vote-rick-perry-caught-tape-error-or-fraud-001974
An extended analysis including a "play by play" of what the video
shows, and comment by the Dallas Election Administrator Mr. Bruce
Sherbert, is here: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8141 It concludes in
part with this analysis of the video of the voting machine in question
(the same company as in Sarasota, Florida's congressional litigation):
"Summary: Every time a vote is cast for the Repub for Governor, it
results in a straight Green Party vote, except for the Repub for
Congress (which is expected behavior), and when there is an overvote
in the Gov's race (also expected behavior)."
Points to note: It's contended, against the video's claim, that the
voter's thumb brushes the Green Party slot for one race and thus
explains the apparent "flip", but this doesn't explain why that thumb
action (which is denied by the voter) also created simultaneous votes
for various other Green candidates inches away on the touch screen.
Even if the video were somehow a fake, how did the person get access
to the machine (or replica) as well as the ballot programming that
appears official? That's a security breach by itself.
In past elections, large numbers of previous reports of visible vote
flipping on touchscreens have been reported, on all brands of voting
machines. Most were Democratic votes flipped to Republican in the
reports obtained. However, there is no necessary relation at any time
between what is seen on the screen and how the vote is actually
recorded. It would be unnecessary and perhaps foolish for a hacker to
give evidence visibly of vote flipping, except as a diversionary
tactic. It's much simpler to change either the invisible recording or
invisible count of the votes.
Although a possibility of a fake may exist, the reports of vote
flipping are too common around the country and across the board on all
models to rule out election fraud. It's questionable to refer only
the voter who posted the video to the DA for prosecution.
Had I posted a $20K reward for the arrest OR conviction of a voter for
trying to blow the whistle on fraud, I'd be getting out my checkbook
now. But note, a $20K reward for arrest of a hacker doesn't seem
likely at all even if one exists. They're investigating the
whistleblowing voter instead.
Paul Lehto, J.D.
--
Paul R Lehto, J.D.
P.O. Box 1
Ishpeming, MI 49849
lehto.paul@gmail.com
906-204-4026
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--
Joseph Lorenzo Hall
ACCURATE Postdoctoral Research Associate
UC Berkeley School of Information
Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy
http://josephhall.org/
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