Cuyahoga County BOE & New Voting Machines - AGAIN!

Cuyahoga residents - assume the position AGAIN! It is time for another "Voting Booth" boning...

The Cuyahoga County "Bored" of Elections is reviewing voting equipment to replace the illegal central count scanners, the county was forced to lease from ES&S for this past primary election.

And here we are AGAIN...

From the PD --

The winner will supply the county its third voting system to be used in the last three major elections. More than $22 million in county and federal tax dollars have been spent on machines since 2005.

The board might lease equipment this time because many newer voting machines presented on Friday won't be certified for use in Ohio before the election.

The companies -- Premier Election Solutions, Election Systems & Software and HartInterCivic -- provided a range of options to consider, including lease, purchase and lease-with-intent-to-buy plans. Costs ranged from $1.7 million to $15.7 million.

The central count scanners and equipment leased for the primary was done by illegally awarding ES&S the contract under orders from Ohio Stormtrooper of State - Fuhrer Brunnehilda.

Why do I feel it was illegal?

First - when using optical scanners, per HAVA, a scanner is to be at EACH precinct so it is assured the ballot was filled out properly by the voter. The intent of this is so each voter knows their ballot was properly filled out, will be counted and not rejected when it reaches downtown - the central scanner.

Furthermore, in Brunnehilda recommended AGAINST central based scanning in her federally funded Everest Report.... (bold added)

Based on the EVEREST report, Brunner made a number of recommendations to Governor Ted Strickland and Ohio legislators, including elimination of DREs, a move to centralized ballot counting, institution of "no-fault" absentee voting, and development of new early and election-day voting centers. (Source: Computer World 1/14/08)

Second - The contract was awarded using the "sole provider" clause in ORC 307.86 -

• (B)(1) The purchase consists of supplies or a replacement or supplemental part or parts for a product or equipment owned or leased by the county, and the only source of supply for the supplies, part, or parts is limited to a single supplier.

ES&S was NOT the "sole provider" of this equipment. Fuhrer Brunnehilda ruled the Premier Election Solutions (formerly Diebold) touch screens we were using, were no longer allowed to be used in Cuyahoga County.

The other 87 counties in OH were allowed to use P.E.S. touch screen machines but were forced to also offer paper ballots for ES&S optical scan machines. Fuhrer Brunnehilda never decertified the use of P.E.S. as a supplier in Ohio and never decertified their touch screen equipment or the P.E.S. optical scan equipment.

Even in light of this, our county commissioners leased central-based scanners, which are not allowed by law, from ES&S as a "sole provider" - when they were not!

Immediately after the awarding of this contract I sent a letter to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason asking that he appoint a "special prosecutor" to investigate the legalities of awarding this contract.

I also requested that he conduct a criminal investigation as to why BOE Director Jane Platten began removing the old equipment 2 weeks prior to Brunnehilda issuing her directive. After several weeks & numerous calls to the prosecutors office - the day before the primary I received my answer... Ha Ha - Not a chance, sorry for your luck!

The Propaganda Dealer (Plain Dealer) article continues with...

Scanners leased for that balloting -- for $1.5 million from ES&S -- replaced $21 million touch-screen voting machines, made by Premier, that were scrapped in December.

For fall, the board is shopping for "precinct-based" scanners that notify voters at the polls if their ballots contain errors. The central-count method was banned because it doesn't give that alert.

There is a slight chance the county still can use the central-count method. Three of the four board members -- excluding Rob Frost -- sent a letter to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, urging her to ask lawmakers to permit central-count voting in November. Permission would give the board more choices, and members could retain equipment used in March at a discount.

Did RPCC Chairman & BOE member Rob Frost grow a set of 'nads & BOE Chairman Jeff Hastings lose his?

Though Frost has not been portrayed in the best of light on here recently, and rightfully so, I believe in giving credit where credit is due... Frost is right for not joining this ridiculous request!

This leads me to many questions that Brunnehilda and county officials must be forced to answer -

1. If ES&S is the only approved sole provider of this equipment - why are we entertaining bids from other companies?

2. Why are you now allowing the same companies that were not allowed to bid for the lease of optical equipment in the primary election bid in this lease or purchase?

3. Can you please specify the date(s) any of these companies had their optical scanning equipment certified, decertified and/or recertified?

4. If precinct based scanners were not to be used, by law, in the primary or the general election - why are you requesting to use them again?

5. Will the residents of Cuyahoga County at least get kissed in this latest screwing?

Why do I feel the answer for #5 will be the same as the one from Mason.... Ha Ha - Not a chance, sorry for your luck!