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| 7-21-06: BBV EXCLUSIVE - Cuyahoga B.o... |
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| Author |
Message |
    
Bev Harris
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 5417
Registered: 12-2004
Best of Black Box? 
Votes: 3 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 9:35 am: | 
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Special report with Adele Eisner
Nearly as bizarre as the voting machine sleepovers in San Diego, Yellow cab drivers were disconcerted to find themselves in charge of memory card chain of custody in the May 2 primary in Cuyahoga County.
That was reported on Fox-8 News in Cleveland; a host of other problems have also been identified in a devastating internal investigation commissioned by the Cuyahoga Board of Elections.
In today's meeting of the Cuyahoga elections board, Democrat board members Ed Coaxum and Loree Soggs called called for the resignation of Michael Vu (Director of Elections) and Gwen Dillingham (Deputy Director or Elections). The two Republican members dissented, and the meeting ended with a 2-2 split as to whether to remove Vu from office immediately or try to work with him. Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell may be asked to break the tie.
Bob Bennett, the Chairman of the Ohio state Republican Party, was in favor of retaining Vu, saying "we can't change ships in the middle of the stream."
U.S. Representative Stephanie Tubbs-Jones commented, "On the other hand, you can't stay on the same ship if everybody is about to commit mutiny."
Tubbs-Jones urged the board to come to a decision without turning it over to Blackwell.
"You've had two years to deal with this," she said, adding that handing it to Blackwell would carry a strong appearance of impropriety since he is running for Governor.
Blackwell is the Republican candidate for governor; Cuyahoga County is the most populous elections jurisdiction in the state of Ohio.
The investigation that triggered today's fireworks can be found here:
http://www.cuyahogavoting.org/CERP_Final_Report_20060720.pdf
Two side notes:
Three elections workers were indicted in Cuyahoga County over recount irregularities following the Nov. 2006 election. It is the position of Black Box Voting that Vu and Dillingham's role in supervising the illegal recount should be more carefully examined.
In addition to the indictments, Vu's judgement should be questioned for his bizarre decisions about handling chain of custody for the Diebold electronic ballot boxes on May 2.
Cleveland Fox 8 News found that a letter had been sent by the Yellow Cab company to the Board of Elections objecting to the fact that their cab drivers were made solely responsible for the memory cards getting back to the elections division on election night.
Channel-8 news interviewed one cab driver who confirmed that she was left all by herself with a cab filled with memory cards and other supplies. Chris Nance, Stephanie Tubbs Jones' assistant, has said that he witnessed many yellow cabs driving up delivering supplies with only the driver overseeing the votes during transportation.
* * * * *
"We're counting the votes. Get over it."
Be part of the solution: Please sign up for the NATIONAL HAND COUNT REGISTRY: Go to Home Page - Hand Count Registry is right above lead story
Make November elections the biggest evidence gathering action ever. EVIDENCE = videotape, audiotape and photos. Come prepared. This time, focus on the COUNTING not just the voting.
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Brant Lamb
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Brantl
Post Number: 718
Registered: 01-2005
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 10:25 am: |
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If Ohio wasn't so tragic it would be damn funny. |
John Washburn
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Johnwashburn
Post Number: 150
Registered: 02-2006
Best of Black Box?
Votes: 3 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 12:13 pm: |
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Is it just me or do others find it fascinating that your average cab driver instinctively understood the risk involved and the chain of custody issues at stake, but not a single person on the staff of the county board of elections or a single pollworkers did?
And so uncomfortable were the cab drivers, they (via the company) wrote a letter of protest. Yet, apparently not a single pollworker balked at thowing the memory cards and election materials into a cab with a single driver. |
Mike Myhre
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Mike_myhre
Post Number: 112
Registered: 02-2006
Best of Black Box?
Votes: 1 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 12:23 pm: |
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Did the board of elections really not understand?
If the chain of custody were tight, the only people you could blame would be the BoE. If they sent the memory cards via cab, then everyone will blame that insecure link and look away from the BoE (even though it was their decision).
Playing dumb has its advantages. |
Bev Harris
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 5420
Registered: 12-2004
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 1:37 pm: |
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Also: many memory cards went missing and 12 still have not been accounted for.
Great point, John.
* * * * *
"We're counting the votes. Get over it."
Be part of the solution: Please sign up for the NATIONAL HAND COUNT REGISTRY: Go to Home Page - Hand Count Registry is right above lead story
Make November elections the biggest evidence gathering action ever. EVIDENCE = videotape, audiotape and photos. Come prepared. This time, focus on the COUNTING not just the voting.
|
V. Kurt Bellman
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Formerelecdir
Post Number: 464
Registered: 04-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 1:52 pm: |
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Mike:
Have you looked around Cleveland (Cuyahoga Co.) lately? Like many urban centers, they are absolutely tearing their hair out trying to get poll workers. In many inner city area precincts, it is hard to find poll workers who own cars.
Philadelphia, PA has loads of precincts with no poll workers with cars. They have police pick up election materials and drive them to the regional drop-off points, then they have drivers to get it all to the central office.
It's the real world of urban elections. |
Bev Harris
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 5422
Registered: 12-2004
Best of Black Box?
Votes: 1 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 2:39 pm: |
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As always, Kurt, I appreciate your input and perspective. Thank you for your post.
However -- if the realities are that if an armored car company cannot find enough drivers to deliver payrolls, it's not okay for the company, whom people have entrusted with security, to just toss bales of cash into a bunch of cabs and hope the payroll arrives intact.
And in the case of Clevaland's election, as you'll recall, the votes did not arrive intact. The number of ballot boxes that have been accounted for is fewer than the number at the polling places.
* * * * *
"We're counting the votes. Get over it."
Be part of the solution: Please sign up for the NATIONAL HAND COUNT REGISTRY: Go to Home Page - Hand Count Registry is right above lead story
Make November elections the biggest evidence gathering action ever. EVIDENCE = videotape, audiotape and photos. Come prepared. This time, focus on the COUNTING not just the voting.
|
V. Kurt Bellman
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Formerelecdir
Post Number: 466
Registered: 04-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 4:54 pm: |
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Bev,
I agree that things went horribly wrong in Cleveland. I'm merely pointing out that these can be difficult problems that defy easy answers. Does that justify the bad answers they came up with? No.
Do we know who instigated the taxi solution? If it was Vu, he needs to be "smacked upside the head", metaphorically. It probably had his imprimatur since it was apparently widespread. If it was a legacy solution that predated this election, then it should have been re-examined for appropriateness. The same procedures used for paper ballots in San Diego (sleepovers) now look vary bad for Diebold DREs. If this had been the creative solution of a precinct poll worker in Cleveland, then I'd give them "props" for creativity, if not wisdom.
Please see the June 2006 GAO report. The problems getting poll workers are most severe in urban areas. This squares with my personal experience. In one election in a town MUCH smaller than Cleveland, I had three urban poll workers not show up because they were incarcerated on drug charges (elected, not appointed). Another one had been viciously murdered a few weeks before an election.
I'm merely pointing out that staffing elections in an urban area is more art than science. |
V. Kurt Bellman
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Formerelecdir
Post Number: 467
Registered: 04-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 4:59 pm: |
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To solve the actual problem, perhaps Michael Vu needs to get in touch with Bob Lee in Philadelphia to see if the police escort or delivery system used there complies with Ohio law. |
Russell Novkov
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Rnovkov
Post Number: 91
Registered: 02-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 5:57 pm: |
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Something needs to be done about Michael Vu. |
Joseph Hall
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Joehall
Post Number: 109
Registered: 01-2005
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 6:47 pm: |
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I've tried to collect some choice nuggets from the report here:
http://josephhall.org/nqb2/index.php/2006/07/21/cuyahoga2006prim |
Catherine Ansbro
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Catherine_a
Post Number: 3073
Registered: 12-2004
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 3:13 am: |
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Thanks, Joe. Very interesting excerpts. |
Bev Harris
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 5427
Registered: 12-2004
Best of Black Box?
Votes: 1 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 5:23 am: |
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Joe, thanks for preparing a synopsis of some of the highlights of the report and sharing it here.
Kurt -- Have election officials ever considered that when hand counting at the precinct was eliminated, and poll worker's jobs became manning computerized machines instead of helping people vote and assisting with the count, the job became less meaningful, more stressful, and not as fulfilling?
Elections officials in so many locations have treated the public like pests until they want poll workers; then they want the poll workers to sit down, shut up, and operate the voting computers.
The psychology has changed. It has spilled over to make working elections less meaningful for many people. A benefit of restoring hand counted paper ballots at the precinct will be that helping the voting process will be more personal, less intimidating for those without computer expertise, and will have immediate participatory gratification for community members who assist with the hand counts.
"Just do it, shut up" might not be the most motivating way to enlist poll workers. I expect to see a push to privatize poll workers as well, citing the difficulty in recruiting them. Instead, more thought should be given to ensuring that participating in elections is rewarding and not requiring of technical prowess.
* * * * *
"We're counting the votes. Get over it."
Be part of the solution: Please sign up for the NATIONAL HAND COUNT REGISTRY: Go to Home Page - Hand Count Registry is right above lead story
Make November elections the biggest evidence gathering action ever. EVIDENCE = videotape, audiotape and photos. Come prepared. This time, focus on the COUNTING not just the voting.
|
V. Kurt Bellman
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Formerelecdir
Post Number: 469
Registered: 04-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:09 am: |
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Bev,
Interesting point you make. It just so happens that the places in PA having the hardest time recruiting and retaining poll workers have at least one of two things in common, and frequently both - they are extraordinarily economically depressed areas, and they have used DRE's for a long time.
In fact, the first jurisdiction in PA to use DRE's (Dauphin Co., where Harrisburg, the capital, is located) was the first to get a court order relieving it of the restrictions that poll workers had to reside in the precinct where they serve. They literally had several inner city precincts where they could get NO poll workers AT ALL! I was finding the same thing starting to happen in the City of Reading. It has been named one of the most dangerous cities in America on a "violent crime per capita" basis.
Poll workers had been reduced to machine baby-sitters. (Of course, I don't know how much I'd trust those people to do handcounts, either. Incredibly simple paperwork procedures really challenged their abilities.) |
Samuel Scharff
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Abacus
Post Number: 47
Registered: 08-2005
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 10:33 pm: |
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I'm not so sure it's that 'simple paperwork procedures challenged their abilities...'
People stuck in 'extraordinarily economically depressed areas' often can manage betting transactions and applications for dealing with bureaucracies well enough...
And counting ballots is not that different from counting dollars in retail transactions.
Bellman's problems are real, of course. But making things go better will take some new thinking - and new attitudes towards the crew will I think help. |
Bev Harris
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 5449
Registered: 12-2004
Best of Black Box?
Votes: 1 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 6:00 am: |
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A fundamental shift needs to be to start learning more about advances in project management techniques. The main problems with hand counted paper ballots are actually process-driven, and most can be addressed with more skillful project management actions.
* * * * *
"We're counting the votes. Get over it."
Be part of the solution: Please sign up for the NATIONAL HAND COUNT REGISTRY: Go to Home Page - Hand Count Registry is right above lead story
Make November elections the biggest evidence gathering action ever. EVIDENCE = videotape, audiotape and photos. Come prepared. This time, focus on the COUNTING not just the voting.
|
John Ullmann
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Ezdidit
Post Number: 2
Registered: 07-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 7:51 am: |
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Republicans better join up with BBV or they may get left behind like so many of the children they promised not to leave behind but left behind anyway...whew!
Anyway, Republicans better get themselves counted, too, because Democrats sure as hell will get counted this time, and that will be enough. |
John Ullmann
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Ezdidit
Post Number: 3
Registered: 07-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 8:25 am: |
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"Register, then Vote." |
Adele Eisner
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Eisnera
Post Number: 34
Registered: 01-2006
Best of Black Box?
Votes: 2 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 6:11 am: |
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My yesterday's letter to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
As most may imagine MUCH is going on behind the scenes trying to pressure a local tie breaking decision - and to influence Blackwell should it go that far.
Congresswoman STJ and labor now in on the act - will conduct a rally tomorrow at BOE demanding Vu's removal. Interestingly, the PD today had a note that should Vu be forced out, the entire Board would change to Dem control....7/21 meeting was actually the first time in two years that the Dems really spoke... that it did not mostly seem like a Bob Bennett, Ohio GOP head, press conference.
Also proceeding are the CCBOE attempts "to clean up their act"... in the form of...hold onto you seats, I understand.... first firing long time, consistent temp workers, based on new background checks - oddly partially derived from one of my notes to the review panel about CCBOE's bringing in legions of temp workers at the last minute, with no background checks, and not even checking their ability to read (which in some cases, I have heard they could not) to "enter" about 18,000 ballots, mostly absentees,into DRE's for the "certified vote". (while Recount volunteers can not even TOUCh ballots.) Einstein was right. You can't solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it.
Not previously known about THAT debacle, the review report also notes that Blackwell gave Vu permission to do that BUT with the proviso that they NOT run a paper trail on those mostly absentee votes! He told them to put in the paper rolls upside down so it would NOT print.
Anyone see shades of Bev's suspicions that fooling with absentee votes are a good way to "make up" any needed numbers for desired winners? (Blackwell was on the May primary ballot - and ta da! - won as Ohio governer Repub candidate.)
Much more on the actual report later. If you think the Yellow Cabs were bad - you ain't seen nothin yet. Report very well done! Hugely helpful. Yet in some main point ways I think needs some vital additions to connect more dots and really ID the sources of what needs fixed.
Here's my letter - one small, but glaring perspective I think necessary.
______________________________
July 26, 2006
To The Plain Dealer Editor:
One of many reasons I agree with your opinion that the Cuyahoga Elections Director Vu, and Deputy Director Dillingham must leave now, (No déjà Vu, 7/23/06) concerns the presently August-scheduled trials regarding felonious mishandling of our 2004 election recount.
To date, only 3 female CCBOE managers, two black, have been indicted for the CCBOE’s illegal predetermination of the initial recount sample in the last presidential election, stopping actual inspection and recounting of all ballots. Yet the election review report you cited repeatedly detailed such things as the CCBOE board and top administrators’ systemic use of staff favoritism and retribution; of not only unskilled, but self-serving behavior; and of an overall drive to conceal their own misdeeds from the public who must depend on them to hold sacred, our most keystone democratic trust. Additionally it also included consistent staff statements about top management’s demands at threat of firing, that they not seek legal counsel when told to do something questionable, about unequal treatment of women, and about demands of unwavering and unwarranted staff silence to protect higher-ups.
Beyond ongoing conflicts about who really won in ’04, the fact remains that citizens legally called for and paid tens of thousands of dollars, additional to taxes, to get that accurate recount information. In just this one Ohio county, almost two hundred citizens spent volunteer hours training and in witness participation, to only find a CCBOE thinly veiled recount sham, which then required even further investigation and lawyers. Also, the “pre-count” process itself, deemed felonious in these women’s indictments, has not been refuted, but only been attempted be publicly “reframed” by Vu and the board.
Cutting across party lines and to the heart of democracy, and to justice, the most urgent issue for the people of this county is how citizens can best be assured of future fair, accurate, easily accessible and transparent elections, as well reasonably operational ones. To that end, what still must be thoroughly and truthfully investigated regarding the recount is who, if anyone, ordered and approved CCBOE staff to take illegal actions in ’04, and how all bosses found ultimately responsible will be held accountable. All top management must remain available to removal. There can be no possibility for even laterexcuses to sweep facts under the CCBOE rug, with still misguided notions of people’s indispensability in some too-soon upcoming election, again presented as reason for trumping democracy.
Citizens must demand Vu and Dillingham’s removal now, and must provide the Cuyahoga board members with the citizen scrutiny and ongoing thoughtful input they’ve historically obstructed, so we all have timely opportunity to get rid of the true sources of such repeating travesties. We must be able to get on with clearly achieving, not only elections that appear to have no “glitches”, but foremost, which can clearly and easily demonstrate to everyone, that all those the CCBOE board declares as winners, accurately reflect the majority will of a fully-included electorate.
Thank you,
Adele Eisner
-snip- |
Adele Eisner
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Eisnera
Post Number: 35
Registered: 01-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 6:20 am: |
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Sorry I didn't make clear that the letter in previous message didn't come till the end. Hit post accidentally, without revision. The first part of previous messge for this group.
Also, John Washburn, please email me. There is a section in the report that wisely recommends actual and professional L&A testing. I think that though you drove in from Wisonsin, bless you, for last October's "hearing", and gave the board your truly fabulous report, it could very possibly be long gone in the trash...and they don't remember a thing about you or anyone else who spoke, but their propogandists. I think you should see the LAT recommendation, and see if you want to offer your services. Cuyahoga needs you. |
John Burik
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Jburik
Post Number: 5
Registered: 05-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 11:26 am: |
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I almost wish Blackwell would act so his role as chief election officer could be addressed. Blackwell executed the master contract and failed to provide training funds (available under HAVA).
The Dispatch made the old "whining" charge against Dems again and asserted the equally as old bipartisan safeguard July 24. The next day Foley from OSU found "the level of distrust in Ohio is high—and disconcerting," and pretty much gave Blackwell a pass, although he did state removal of CCBOE election officials would be "prudent."
--John, CASE |
John Washburn
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Johnwashburn
Post Number: 151
Registered: 02-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Monday, July 31, 2006 - 3:11 pm: |
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Adele:
The email address is John dot Washburn at SilverTrainInc Dot COM.
I also have a single page executive summary to the Test Deck Guidelines. Also it has been improved quite a bit since October 2005.
More improvements have been suggested over the last 48 hours. So, still another version will be released. If I can correct my domain editing issues I should be able to provide you and everyone at BBV with a URL link to both documents; the Executive Summary and the 52-page Guidelines themselves. |
John Washburn
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Johnwashburn
Post Number: 152
Registered: 02-2006
Best of Black Box?
Votes: 1 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, August 4, 2006 - 1:17 pm: |
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Adele:
Here is the link to the 1-page summary to the testing guidelines:
http://www.washburnresearch.org/archive/20050512/ExecutiveSummaryForTestGuidelin es-20060315.pdf
Here is a link to the full guidelines:
http://www.washburnresearch.org/archive/20050512/GuidelinesForCreatingADeckOfTes tBallots-20060315.pdf
A bit off-topic.
Here is a link which (hopefully) explains the importance and difficulty of identifying software systems:
http://www.washburnresearch.org/archive/20050512/YouAreInTheConfigurationManagme ntBusiness-20060412.pdf
The use of colored CD's has been pretty effective on the 6 times I have presented this idea. I actually have a set of colored CD's which I use as props.
Here is a short, (not-quite a no-tech) article on using cryptographic hashes properly.
http://www.washburnresearch.org/archive/20050512/UsingCryptographicHashesEffecti vely.pdf
Beverly, Kathleen and the rest of the crew and forum members, if the above documents are useful you have my premission to upload, archive, reference and redistribute whole or in part in any manner you find useful. Just mention my name in the citation, please.
Comments on errors, corrections or improvements to these documents are always welcome. |
Catherine Ansbro
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Catherine_a
Post Number: 3135
Registered: 12-2004
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, August 4, 2006 - 2:07 pm: |
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Bev, can you put links to John W's invaluable reference materials also in the appropriate section(s) for reference/documentation/resources? |
Dan Oetting
Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Dan_oetting
Post Number: 17
Registered: 07-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Friday, August 4, 2006 - 8:08 pm: |
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The limits section of the GuidelinesForCreatingADeckOfTestBallots should be summarized in the Executive Summary. |
John Washburn
Frequent Voting Rights Forum Participant
Username: Johnwashburn
Post Number: 153
Registered: 02-2006
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Saturday, August 5, 2006 - 10:40 am: |
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Thank you for the excellent suggestion Dan. I will do my best to keep to the 1-page limit. But, you are correct it is important to describe how sharply limited this particular for of testing is.
The other main change in the next revision (beside correction of numerous typographical errros) is an appendix to describe how to use less than every 2-mark ballot without compromising the tests too severely and descriptions of how the testing is compromised. |
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