Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Hacking the Vote

This documentary exposes some of the vote manipulation in elections:



"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."
-Joseph Stalin

In any competition where one side loses a close decision, that side tends to cry foul. The winning side, of course, denies any wrongdoing even if they know there may have been an unfair advantage. In 2000 and 2004, obvious irregularities occurred with the recording of votes in the Presidential election.

I voted for George Bush in 2000 and dismissed these irregularities as sour grapes by the liberals. We didn't raise the alarm because the error was in our favor, and our side won. What we didn't realize is that EVERYONE lost because NO ONE knows if their vote was even counted. It's as though the left-right fascade being blown up our noses by the corporate 'journalists' has blinded us to the fact that our votes no longer count.

In Dallas County, where I vote, we use the optical scan method. At 40 minutes into this video, John Kerry concedes the 2004 election even though obvious optical scan manipulation had occurred. In the past few elections, I've voted for a few independent or 3rd party candidates. The Secretary of State's website 'certified' count always indicates that my vote must've been one of very few cast for 3rd parties and independents. Yet, when I ask around, I find dozens who voted for someone other than the 2 party system. I can't help but wonder how many of my votes were uncounted or changed.

Why did Kerry concede in 2004? At the time, I didn't care. Although I voted for Michael Badnarik, I still felt Bush was a better choice than Kerry due to the fact that I've always been Republican and a conservative. My team didn't win, but at least the team I didn't like lost. That was the extent of my logic, just as it had been when I voted for Bush in 2000. Although I had no respect for Kerry, I actually thought he had done the right thing by quitting, to avoid another 2000 Gore recount fiasco. Hindsight being 20/20, I now question the motivation for Kerry's concession.

The methods of hacking the vote are so simple a kid could do it. The code changes required could be done by a beginner. After all, we're not talking about a complex program, all we're talking about is counting. Basically, the programs they use are just simple calculators with variable functions. The database that allows direct manipulation of the data is ridiculous!

If they are going to manipulate the election, anyway, why vote? Because YOUR VOTE COUNTS. Your opinion is what will rule the country. It may not have been counted in the past, but, with enough people getting angry, this trend will come to an end.

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