(Plus Democrats are OK with it for Democratic Presidential Primaries...)
Electronic transmission
After faxing or emailing any election material always mail the original to the appropriate state or local election official in your state or territory. Generally, all election-related materials may be mailed postage-paid in the U.S. mails, including APO/FPO facilities and all U.S. Embassies and Consulates. You must pay postage if the materials are mailed from a non-U.S. postal facility.
If emailing, it is recommended that the citizen email the local election official directly. If unable to access the local election official's email address, include this transmittal sheet in the attachment along with the voting materials and email to ets@fvap.ncr.gov.
http://www.fvap.gov/services/faxing.html
It couldn't be any simpler than that. ONE SERVICE MAN OR SERVICE WOMAN AND ONE VOTE! As Imus told Senator John F. Kerry. JUST STOP. STOP IT....
Holt's attempt to call into question the process for absentee military voting at this time, a mere few days out from the election is nothing short of preposterous.
This is the same Representative who proposed legistlation for what - a voter verified paper audit trail - for the direct electronic recording voting systems.
The voter verified paper audit trail is exactly what the overseas absentee ballot system employs.
REALLY - REP. HOLT - ENOUGH BS.
Fox 'n Friends picked up the story...
Steve Doocey:... There's a New Jersey Representative questioning the military absentee vote... Rep. Rush Holt is saying look there might be id theft, security problems... and he's calling into question whether the military ballots are safe... according to the Pentagon, the process is secure, not to worry...
Fox 'n Friends
E.D. Hill interviews pair of commentators on the issue of military ballots, security, identity theft...
We'll be tracking whether MSNBC, CNN, CNN transcripts, Chris Matthews of HARDBALL, Lou Dobbs Tonight cover this big story.
Added November 10, 2006
While the statement:
The voter verified paper audit trail is exactly what the overseas absentee ballot system employs.
holds true, it has been pointed out Net the Truth Online neglected to include material from studies questioning the security of e-mail voting.
The following links are provided in the interest of this website's mission to provide as many resources as possible for all of us to find truth.
October 25, 2006Internet Voting RevisitedSecurity and Identity Theft Risks of the DoD's Interim Voting Assistance system by David Jefferson, Avi Rubin, Barbara Simons, and David Wagner
http://servesecurityreport.org/ivas.pdf
Independent Review Final Report for the Interim Voting Assistance Program
http://www.nationaldefensecommittee.org/files/IVAS_FINAL.pdf
Military Ballots May Pose Privacy Risks
Defense Tech | Noah Shachtman | November 02, 2006
American troops could be putting their most personal information at
risk -- just by voting in next week's elections.
Members of the armed forces, stationed overseas, can cast their vote
with a Federal Write In Absentee Ballot, or FWAB, if they can't get one
from their local election boards. But that federal ballot, "Standard
Form 186 (Oct 95)" comes with a major privacy risk, at least in some
editions. The ballot has to be mailed in a special return envelope, in
order to be properly processed. On military bases in the Pacific,
Special Form 186 requires a service member to include his address,
social security number, date of birth, and signature on the outside of
that envelope.
In other words, everything needed to steal a soldier or sailor's
identity is on public display, for anyone to see.
"You'd think the people running this program would've noticed. It's a
joke they didn't, and it's obvious no one was paying attention," a Navy
aviation electrician, attached to the 7th Fleet, tells Defense Tech.
Online editions of the FWAB seem to be more security-conscious, warning
servicemembers "NOT [to] WRITE ANY PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ON
THE ENVELOPE" -- an envelope that's largely blank.
But the paper ballots aren't the only source of privacy concerns in the
military voting system. An e-mail balloting program has been called
into question, for using unencrypted data. "E-mail traffic can flow
through equipment owned and operated by various governments, companies
and individuals in many countries," the Washington Post quotes an
August report prepared for the Pentagon as saying. "It is easily
monitored, blocked and subject to tampering."
But even easier to monitor is a paper ballot, with personal data
scrawled right on the outside of the enevelope. Which is why the Navy
aviation electrician refused to use the form...
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,118122,00.html
Holds a view similar to Net the Truth Online, but doesn't bash Rep. Rush Holt
Technology will assure that military absentee ballots get counted -- What about the rest of us?
By Paul McNamara on Thu, 09/21/2006 - 9:53am
The Department of Defense and an e-mail encryption company called PostX are about to announce that PostX has been chosen to fix what has long been a thorny problem for the military: ensuring that absentee ballots of soldiers serving overseas get collected and counted.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/8503
AP Nov 2, 5:51 PM EST
E-Mail Ballots for Military Questioned WASHINGTON (AP) -- A New Jersey congressman raised questions Thursday about a new military voting program that lets service members request and submit their ballots by fax or e-mail.
The Defense Department, however, said the program is as secure as possible, and any risks are detailed for the military members when they access the e-mail system.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Democratic Rep. Rush Holt said the electronic registration and voting service is well-intentioned, but could expose troops to identity theft, or allow hackers or others to tamper with the ballots when they are in transit.
"After the Defense Department was stopped from implementing a program like this two years ago because it was full of security holes, I'm angry and astonished that they're doing it again without review, scrutiny, and oversight," said Holt.
He said that while U.S. military personnel should participate in the political process, "no one is served by introducing possibilities for error, insecurity, and fraud."
Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the Defense Department has set up a secure absentee voter program that will allow military members to request and receive absentee ballots. The new program, she said, lets people vote without relying on the regular mail system.
As part of the program, many states allow military members deployed overseas to return their completed ballot via fax or the Internet. Those ballots, Smith said, will not pass through the hands of any government officials until they are received by a local election authority.
"The e-mail-to-fax operation does have risks, but we have taken every precaution to limit those risks," said Smith. She said U.S. service members have been told of the potential privacy concerns with the system, so they can make an informed choice about whether to use the program.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VOTING_MILITARY?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-11-02-17-51-16
I WANT TO VOTE
FEDERAL VOTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
This web site provides information to US citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). If you are not a UOCAVA citizen, and wish to vote absentee as a regular state voter, please click here for links to State Election Sites. If you wish to vote in person, please contact your local county election official (listed in the Government Pages of the telephone book).
http://www.fvap.gov/
FVAP SERVICES
Toll-Free Telephone Numbers to FVAP
Electronic Transmission (Faxing/eMail)
After faxing or emailing any election material always mail the original to the appropriate state or local election official in your state or territory. Generally, all election-related materials may be mailed postage-paid in the U.S. mails, including APO/FPO facilities and all U.S. Embassies and Consulates. You must pay postage if the materials are mailed from a non-U.S. postal facility.
If emailing, it is recommended that the citizen email the local election official directly. If unable to access the local election official's email address, include this transmittal sheet in the attachment along with the voting materials and email to ets@fvap.ncr.gov.
Voting Information Center
http://www.fvap.gov/services/faxing.html
Pentagon launches Internet voting effort for overseas Americans
Civilians as well as military to be eligible
By Alan Boyle
MSNBC
June 3, 2003 - Thousands of overseas Americans are expected to be able to cast ballots from their home computers in the 2004 elections, the Pentagon said Monday. Military personnel and civilians alike will be eligible to take part in the federal government’s most ambitious experiment yet in Internet-based voting.
The project — known as the Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment, or SERVE — builds on a smaller-scale effort in the 2000 elections. This time around, the system will incorporate digital certificates as an added security measure...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078931/
Informational Material
September 12, 2006
Party Rule on Internet Voting
Fact sheet on Party's new rule on internet voting
http://www.ncvoter.net/downloads/DNC_Internet_Voting_Rule_-_Memo_and_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Democrats Send Mixed Signals
in Voting Technology Debate
by Lynn Landes
www.dissidentvoice.org
January 13, 2004
There's something strange going on in the Democratic Party. While George Bush's buddies dominate the vote counting business with no apologies to anyone about this rather incredible conflict-of-interest, Democrats are sending mixed signals on this continuing train wreck for democracy.
Let's start with billionaire George Soros, the Democrats anointed billionaire savior. They should get to know him better. According to voting rights activists, Soros is a proponent of Internet voting, the most insecure voting technology on face of the planet. He's also a disciple for Direct Democracy (i.e., the initiative process). Think about that. For anyone who wants to control a government, the combination of the Internet voting and Direct Democracy is a fascist's dream-team. Through control of vote-counting technology, not only could "someone" pick our legislators, they could also pass their own legislation. They could be a true Wizard of Oz...
Howard Dean says on his website, "I support pending legislation to require that all voting machines produce an actual paper record that voters can view to check the accuracy of their votes, and allow election officials to verify votes in the event of irregularities."
However, the Associated Press reported on Oct. 02, 2003, "Eight of the presidential candidates have written national Democratic officials to support a challenge of Michigan Democrats' plan to allow Internet voting in its caucuses Feb. 7. Only Howard Dean, former Vermont governor, and Wesley Clark, the retired general who just joined the race, did not sign on to back the protest."
One day later, on Oct 3, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted to endorse the policy of requiring paper ballots for touchscreen voting machines by the 2004 election. So far so good. This action was in line with Congressman Rush Holt's (D-NJ) legislation to require touchscreen voting machines to produce paper ballots for audit purposes and recounts (HR 2239). Presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is one of 96 co-sponsors. And despite the fact that the legislation does not call for a full hand count of the ballots, which many activists feel is essential to establish real security, most agree that it's a step in the right direction. Of course there are others, this writer included, who believe that all the machines should be junked.
But on Nov 22, hardly a month later, the DNC took it all back. They voted to approve the use of Internet voting for the Michigan Democratic Primary. What's up with that? Aren't they connecting the dots? No paper ballot - no security - no recount. But, there's also something sinister in the air.
When this reporter called the Michigan Democratic Party to find out which company got the contract for the Internet vote, I was told that the company did not want its name released at that time. I then called the DNC who had to approve the deal and who also agreed to keep the company's name a secret. They finally relented under the merciless scorn this writer heaped on their spokesperson.
So, Election Services Corporation (ESC) is the Internet voting company and Democratic bad boy Tony Coelho is on their board. This is a little unusual in a business dominated by the Republican and foreign corporations. Tony "was a six-term congressman and House majority whip, who resigned from Congress after reports surfaced that he had accepted a sweetheart loan from a troubled S&L operator. The loan helped Coelho buy a $100,000 junk bond, but he never reported it on his government disclosure form. The Justice Department decided not to bring charges against him," according to Slate.msn.com. He was also investigated by the State Department when he was Al Gore's campaign manager for the 2000 presidential election. The investigation was reportedly related to his work as the commissioner general of the United States Pavilion at the 1998 World Expo. As a result, Tony resigned as Gore's campaign manager.
More mixed signals keep coming from the Dems...
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Jan04/Landes0113.htm
E-Mail Voting Comes With Risks
Pentagon Warned on Security Issues for Overseas Ballots
By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 31, 2006; Page A19
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR2006103001062.html
Also see
Postx.com
http://postx.com/
Revisit the issue of military absentee ballot rejections in Year 2000
Newsmax search results
Also see Vote Fix
Security Concerns of Electronic Voting
Trail of TreacheryFraud 2000: How it went
