TOP 3 ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES ARE SUSCEPTABLE TO FRAUD.
The Three Most Common Voting Machines Are Susceptable to Fraud - Past/Present Security Will Not Catch the Fraud

The Task Force surveyed hundreds of election officials around the country; categorized over 120 security threats; and evaluated countermeasures for repelling attacks. The study examined each of the three most commonly purchased electronic voting systems: electronic machines (“DREs”) with – and without – a voter verified paper trail, and precinct-counted optical scan systems (“PCOS”). The report, The Machinery of Democracy: Protecting Elections in an Electronic World, is the first-ever systematic analysis of security vulnerabilities in each of these systems. The report’s findings include:

All of the most commonly purchased electronic voting systems have significant security and reliability vulnerabilities. All three systems are equally vulnerable to an attack involving the insertion of corrupt software or other software attack programs designed to take over a voting machine.

Automatic audits, done randomly and transparently, are necessary if paper records are to enhance security. The report called into question basic assumptions of many election officials by finding that the systems in 14 states using voter-verified paper records but doing so without requiring automatic audits are of “questionable security value.”

Wireless components on voting machines are particularly vulnerable to attack. The report finds that machines with wireless components could be attacked by “virtually any member of the public with some knowledge of software and a simple device with wireless capabilities, such as a PDA.”

The vast majority of states have not implemented election procedures or countermeasures to detect a software attack even though the most troubling vulnerabilities of each system can be substantially remedied.

Among the countermeasures advocated by the Task Force are routine audits comparing voter verified paper trails to the electronic record; and bans on wireless components in voting machines. Currently only New York and Minnesota ban wireless components on all machines; California bans wireless components only on DRE machines. The Task Force also advocated the use of “parallel testing”: random, Election Day testing of machines under real world conditions. Parallel testing holds its greatest value for detecting software attacks in jurisdictions with paperless electronic machines, since, with those systems, meaningful audits are not an option.

The Task Force’s report was made public today in the Rayburn House Office Building. Congressmen Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Tom Cole (R-OK) praised the report’s findings and called for enactment of H.R. 550, the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act, the most comprehensive bill before Congress addressing electronic voting security.
Full Release at: www.brennancenter.org/presscenter/releases_2006/pressrelease_2006_0627.html

Press Clips:
The Chicago Tribune (IL)- Hacking the vote (July 11, 2006)
Daytona Beach News Journal (FL)- Risky business (July 4, 2006)
Computer World (USA)- Concerns About Fraud Potential Continue to Plague Users of Electronic Voting Machines (July 3, 2006)
Sun-Sentinel (FL)- E-voting Without Any Paper Trail Doesn't Get My Vote (July 2, 2006)
The UN Observer (USA)- Kathy Dopp Analyses The Brennan Center Report on Electronic Voting in the U.S. (June 30, 2006)
Arts Technica (USA)- New e-voting study shows it's really easy to steal an election (June 29, 2006)
The Albuquerque Tribune (NM)- E-voting systems need to be audited, researchers say (June 29, 2006)
The Indianapolis Star (IN)- Checks urged for electronic-vote flaws (June 28, 2006)
CBS News (NY)- Report: E-Voting Flaws Still Not Fixed (June 28, 2006)
Cleveland Plain Dealer (OH)- E-voting systems' safeguards go unused (June 28, 2006)
Arizona Daily Star (AZ)- Study: E-voting vulnerable; states are doing little about it (June 28, 2006)
Gainesville Sun (FL)- Report finds flaws in e-voting states (June 28, 2006)
Washington Post (USA)- A Single Person Could Swing an Election (June 28, 2006)
The Beacon Journal (OH)- Report Cites Flaws in Electronic Voting (June 28, 2006)
WWMT (MI)- E-voting Gets Thumbs Down from Report (June 28, 2006)
Free Internet Press (USA)- Cybersecurity Experts Say Voting Machines Have Security Flaws (June 28, 2006)
Reuters (USA)- Study Shows US Electronic Voting Machines Vulnerable (June 27, 2006)
USA Today (USA)- Analysis Finds e-Voting Machines Vulnerable (June 27, 2006)
Fox News (USA)- Report: Many E-Voting Systems Flawed (June 27, 2006)
Boston Herald (MA)- Report: Many e-voting Systems Flawed (June 27, 2006)
Guardian Unlimited (UK)- Report: Many E-Voting Systems Flawed (June 27, 2006)
Business Week (USA)- Report: Many E-Voting Systems Flawed (June 27, 2006)
Fox News (USA- Study: E-Voting Systems All Flawed, but Also Easy to Fix (June 27, 2006)
ABC News (NY)- Report: Many E-Voting Systems Flawed (June 27, 2006)
Computer World (USA)- Studies question e-voting security (June 27, 2006)
Canton Rep (OH)- Report Rips Security of Electronic Voting System (June 27, 2006)
Newsfactor Magazine (USA)- Report: E-Voting Machines Are Vulnerable (June 27, 2006)
Playsful Magazine (Romania)- Study Says E-voting Machines Pose Problems (June 27, 2006)
Pierceland Herald (Canada)- Report: Many e-Voting Systems Flawed (June 27, 2006)
Short News (Germany)- Electronic Voting Flawed, Report Finds (June 27, 2006)
ZD Net (USA)- E-voting Gear at Risk of Hacking, Study Says (June 27, 2006)
Monsters & Critics (USA)- Study Says e-Voting Machines Pose Problems (June 27, 2006)
The Post Chronicle (USA)- Study Says E-Voting Machines Pose Problems (June 27, 2006)
www.brennancenter.org/programs/dem_vr_hava_machineryofdemocracy.html