Hacking Democracy

[trauma74 111]

I just finished watching the HBO Documentary called Hacking Democracy. If I did not see some of the things I saw I would have never believed what they showed. It showed how votes on Diebold electronic voting machines could be changed without a record of this happening ever being recorded.

I have never been one to acknowledge any type of conspiracy within the Government or the private companies that they contract to, but this really made me think of how there were people elected to office all across the Country who maybe should not be in the positions they are in.

It would be my suggestion for all of you to watch this program and draw your own conclusions, but it will open your eyes.

[maisela 0]

I happened to catch a showing of it while home for Thanksgiving and I have to agree that it was a real eye-opener. It really does make you think, all conspiracy theories aside, that the means exist for ballot tampering. It wouldn't be the first time elections have been tampered with. Maybe someone with more knowledge on American history can help me out but I'm pretty sure there were some election abuses in the decades following the Civil War.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Watched it also...very very interesting.

Also if anyone gets to watch it Chernobyl Heart is a very eye opening and heart tugging documentary of the illnesses caused by the nuclear accident and how it still is causing problems today and how it may tomorrow due to the containment vessal may collapse at any moment and release another cloud. The area around it is still too hot to enter for any bulk amount of time and that doesn't include the rain water that pours into Chernobyl and runs right out.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Ok guys, you wanted a history major, here I am. (Graduated in 1995 from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven with BA in history and Political Science.)

First off I have not seen this documentary yet since I don't subscribe to HBO currently. There have been election tampering all over the country, especially in our beloved NYC (remember Boss Tweed? Past Captain of Americus Engine 6). Election fraud or tampering has happened many times before. Up until the 1960's, party bosses really ran the elections. One example is that Nixon won the 1960 election by popular ballot but JFK won all the electoral college, kinda like the Bush / Gore campaign a few years back (there is more to this present one I know, but for sake of argument, I'll entertain the question later.)

It is easier to mess with a local election than it is with a national but at the same token anyone can mess with any sort of voting machine, just like computers nothing is fool-proof.

Yes you area correct there was a lot of "tampering" with elections but not with voting machines, it was more intimidation and also as it was depicted in the fictional "Gangs of New York" (certain names and time periods were intermixed but it give you the jist of the time) many men were sent in to vote and then again, changed their look and dress and voted again. Remember it wasn't until the 1920's that women could vote, you had to be a 21 year old male property owner, originally. There are many ways of tampering with elections, a mis count can also be conceived as tampering. Look at the 2nd congressional district in CT Simmons vs. Courtney. Courtney initially won by 190 votes lets say (i don't remember the number exactly) but during the re-count, Simmons gained 100 of them back. This could have been called tampering easily but it was an error. There was another incident in another state this past election where there was a major foul up and the proctor admitted fault, that is what should be done if there area errors, in a perfect world everyone would do it.

There has and always been a dispute surrounding elections since Thomas Jefferson ran for president, Washington was the only unanimous choice and uncontested (per-se) presidential election.

Just remember, politics is a game of control, just like Risk or Monopoly and the things people would think about to have it. That is why there should be more checks an balances but where to begin and where to end is the question.

[Guest]

Didn't see this particular program, but i did read that these machines are being phased about by a number of states.