Re: University Researchers Challenge Bush Win In Florida

["Paul Schmehl" <pauls () utdallas edu>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jason Coombs" <jasonc () science org>
To: "Gregory Gilliss" <ggilliss () netpublishing com>;
<full-disclosure () lists netsys com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 7:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Full-disclosure] University Researchers Challenge Bush Win In
Florida
> If, through testing of electronic voting machines, statistical anomalies
can be detected that favor the candidate that is entered into the database
third (or whatever, take your pick, and it would be different for different
voting machines and maybe in different regions, say, because Florida is full
of elderly) then you can 'rig' an election in your favor simply by having a
non-random selection for the order in which the candidates get listed, and a
failure to properly distribute that randomness across precincts.
>
I'm no mathematician, but I suspect the probability of this is somewhere
slightly south of null.  Do you have any concept of how elections are run?
In *many* states each *county* determines the ballot type and layout, the
voting machines used, etc., etc.  Merely to calculate the odds and determine
the proper order of the ballot would be an astronomical task, and *then*
you'd have to convince the election board in each county, *including* those
controlled by the opposing party, to design the ballot the way *you* wanted
it designed.

> If anything, that is what I believe is most likely to have happened in
2004. Bush elected through the (fair ?) exploitation of statistical
anomalies tied to misbehaving or ill-conceived electronic voting equipment.
Teamed with the fact that partisan, interested voters are in charge of the
process this is very plausible...
>
And to think that people call him "stupid", "the chimp", "Bushie the bozo",
etc., etc.  Who knew.

Jason, you really need to think before posting.  You're beginning to look
silly.

Paul Schmehl (pauls () utdallas edu)
Adjunct Information Security Officer
The University of Texas at Dallas
AVIEN Founding Member
http://www.utdallas.edu/~pauls/

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