Romney Family Investment Ties To Voting Machine Company

[Boz]

As reported in the New York Times, ?At polling stations, teams working on the study were able to pick locks to access memory cards and use hand-held devices to plug false vote counts into machines. At boards of election, they were able to introduce malignant software into servers.?

We learn that one of the companies whose machines had failed was none other than Hart Intercivic.

With television time to fill and no ability to declare a winner so that the long night?s broadcast can be brought to a close, the staffs keep digging for relevant information to keep the attention of their viewers?and that is when it gets very real.

It turns out that Hart Intercivic is owned, in large part, by H.I.G. Capital?a large investment fund with billions of dollars under management?that was founded by a fellow named Tony Tamer. While is is unclear just how much H.I.G. owns of Hart Intercivic, we do learn that H.I.G. employees hold at least two of the five Hart Intercivic board seats.

Tony Tamer, H.I.G.?s founder, turns out to be a major bundler for the Mitt Romney campaign, along with three other directors of H.I.G. who are also big-time money raisers for Romney.

Indeed, as fate would have it, two of those directors?Douglas Berman and Brian Schwartz? were actually in attendance at the now infamous ?47 percent? fundraiser in Boca Raton, Florida.

With that news, voters everywhere start to get this queasy feeling in the pits of their stomach.

But wait?if you?re feeling a bit ill now, you?ll want to get the anti-acids ready to go because it?s about get really strange.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/10/20/romney-family-investment-ties-to-voting-machine-company-that-could-decide-the-election-causes-concern/

[Knife Party]

and America sets the example for "democracy" lol, sure ! Romney is and always will try to do the same thing, rape average working folk up the you know what for as long as he can. You'd have to be an idiot, dumb, delusional and misguided person to think that what he says is actually gonna happen, same goes for Obama.

[John S. Veteran]

Good to see you gearing up that excuse as to why Romney won, Boz...but you're a couple days early with this article.

Seriously though....you caught us...we've rigged the election :sleep:

Guilford Co. NC voters say ballot cast for Romney came up Obama on machine

Voting machines in Kansas, Ohio reportedly changing Romney votes to Obama

"I understand that, in a significant number of cases, voting machines in your states have populated a vote for Barack Obama when a voter cast his or her ballot for Mitt Romney," John Phillipe, the Republican National Committee's chief counsel, wrote in a letter to Gessler and the secretaries of state in Nevada, Ohio, Kansas, North Carolina and Missouri.

[Shane Nokes]

Wow John...so another post where someone 'understood' something without a viable source used to refute a post with a factual basis.

How about addressing the point instead of trying to go off-topic since you cannot actually refute the point?

Oh and last I checked the votes weren't counted yet, so please don't troll the topic with your 'Romney won' nonsense.

I wish the mobile version had a report button. :(

[John S. Veteran]

Wow John...so another post where someone 'understood' something without a viable source used to refute a post with a factual basis.

How about addressing the point instead of trying to go off-topic since you cannot actually refute the point?

Oh and last I checked the votes weren't counted yet, so please don't troll the topic with your 'Romney won' nonsense.

I wish the mobile version had a report button. :(

If you honestly haven't read all the articles about early voters choosing Romney and their votes turning up Obama, then you don't have enough information to even make an informed comment. There are scores of articles out there. And I've yet to see one that an Obama voters vote registered for Romney. This is nothing more than a smear, nothing more than an excuse that we'll no doubt hear more about after Romney wins. They did it to Bush and Diebold, and they've brushed the dust off of it again when the only problems to hit the news thus far favored Obama. Ridiculous.

Ohio elections boards deny that Mitt Romney backers or anyone else could tamper with results

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? One of the latest conspiracy theories sweeping the Internet is a tale that suggests that allies of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could somehow tamper with Ohio's presidential vote because Romney's son has an interest in a voting machine company.

Like many of these rumors, this one has spread quickly, and there's nothing substantive to back it up. Those pushing the story appear to have taken a few facts, twisted them around and come to a conclusion that defies logic.

The voting machine company in question and the Ohio counties that use its equipment say it wouldn't be possible to use them to alter the state's results.

David Mikkelson, who operates the popular Snopes.com website that debunks urban legends, has spent much of his time in recent weeks chasing down election-related rumors, including this one.

"The idea that someone so far removed is manipulating the machines seems far-fetched," he said. "It is kind of like if my 401(K) invests in Microsoft, which also invests in a company that writes software for voting machines, therefore I am going to influence the outcome of the elections."

And Federal Election Commission records show that H.I.G. Capital's representatives on Hart InterCivic's board of directors don't exclusively donate to Romney.

Federal Election Commission records show that one of the Hart InterCivic board members from H.I.G. Capital - Jeff Bohl - gave $2,500 to Romney's presidential campaign in 2011. Another one of the board members from H.I.G. Capital - Neil Tuch - gave $2,300 to Romney in 2007. In 2008, he gave $4,800 to Obama and $200 to the Democratic National Committee.

A Hart InterCivic spokesman said it would be impossible for someone to access the company's machines from a remote location and interfere with its results.

"Hart InterCivic has a long track record of supporting a fair and open democratic process," said spokesman Charles Sipkins. "Any suggestions that the company might try to influence the outcome of election results are unfounded."

[Shane Nokes]

I appreciate you taking out the original first line of that post John.

My posts here are not indicative of how I feel about your character btw...they are entirely related to the topics at hand believe it or not. :)

Now as regards what you've said here...in a lot of those instances those same machines also showed the vote going to the Green Party as well. It's a touch-screen calibration issue. It happens all the time. A person still has to verify their vote before it is entered. So if the vote is going to Obama then that means the person confirmed that the vote was meant for Obama.

Heck you should see some of the fun issues I've had with the touch screens at my local stores and banks. All sorts of fun when it totally screws up. I had my debit card locked out at one point at a place where I ordered some food and the machine wouldn't accept my PIN. Evidently there was a smudge or a small scratch on the screen that was making it register one of the numbers wrong every single time. It took me a while to get it sorted too since it was the weekend and the credit union I'm with didn't have weekend support at that point... :(

BTW this also worked out in the GOP's favor back in 2004 actually. Do you remember the huge issue with machines counting more votes than were actually cast?

Franklin County?s unofficial results had Bush receiving 4,258 votes to Democrat John Kerry?s 260 votes in a precinct in Gahanna. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct. Bush?s total should have been recorded as 365.

These machines still aren't entirely reliable and to be honest I still don't think they should be counted on as of yet. I say that for either side. I just think the technology needs to mature a bit more before we put it into full practice.

Also most of the reports about the issues with the machines come from Breitbart again...and that's a source that often shows a lot of bias. I seriously hate how divisive and biased things are these days.

Does anyone remember when the news was just the news? The facts were reported and we were left to make up our own minds? *sighs*

[Noir Angel]

The fact that voting machines could be hacked and rigged should be a matter of concern to every voter.

[Shane Nokes]

The fact that voting machines could be hacked and rigged should be a matter of concern to every voter.

Exactly. Some of these machines are VERY easily tampered with. That's part of why I said they aren't ready for mass voting yet. More needs to be done to make sure these things are secure.

I don't state that on the side of either party but altogether. I don't want machines that are so vulnerable being used for any large-scale elections.

[simonlang]

REPORT: VOTING MACHINES IN BATTLEGROUND STATES SWITCHING ROMNEY VOTES FOR OBAMA

After complaints from voters in at least six states that their intended votes for Mitt Romney on electronic touchscreen voting machines came up as votes for President Barack Obama, the Republican National Committee (RNC) sent a letter to election officials in six states -- Ohio, Nevada, Kansas, North Carolina, Missouri and Colorado -- asking them to more strictly monitor their electronic voting machines on Election Day.

John R. Phillippe, Jr. sent a letter to election officials in those six states and asked them to, among other things, "re-calibrate all voting machines on the morning of Election Day before the polls open, or, if necessary, the day before the election" and "make arrangements for additional technicians on Election Day in case of increased calibration problems."

The RNC also asked election officials to "issue guidance requiring polling place officials to prominently post a sign reminding voters to double-check that the voting machine properly recorded their vote before final submission" and another requiring "polling place officials to remind voters to double-check that the voting machine properly recorded their vote before final submission, and to note that poll workers should be notified and can assist in the case of a voting machine error."

In North Carolina, an early voter who wanted to vote for Romney saw her vote for him come up as an Obama vote twice before she was able to cast her ballot for Romney.

The same thing happened to a voter in Ohio, when Joan Stevens hit Romney's name on her touchscreen only to see Obama's name come up -- twice.

"I don't know if it happened to anybody else or not, but this is the first time in all the years that we voted that this has ever happened to me," Stevens told Fox News. "Maybe you make a mistake once, but not three times," she told Fox News.

Multiple voters from several states have told Fox News about similar incidents:

One voter asked: "I wonder how many voters just hit the 'Cast Ballot' without reading the machine?"

"How can we be sure our votes are not being stolen electronically?" asked another.

Barbara Simons, an expert on electronic voting who is on the Board of Advisors of the U.S. Election Commission, said "vote jumping complaints have arisen in every election that uses touch-screen voting machines, with the complaints going both ways."

She said vote-jumping can occur "when a machine goes out of calibration" and the "need to re-calibrate frequently is an important reason for discarding these aging, unreliable, and inaccurate machines and replacing them with paper ballots."

Election officials have insisted that it is "nearly technically impossible" to preconfigure electronic voting machines but conceded that faulty and old touchscreen voting machines were more likely to erroneously record someone's vote, especially if the machines have not been re-calibrated.

Stevens, the Ohio voter, insisted that people "be very careful" when they vote using electronic touchscreen machines.

"I don't care who you vote for, just double-check," Stevens said.

source

[Shane Nokes]

Already brought up and already explained...

[soniqstylz]

Either MoveOn or ThinkProgress even said this was a non-issue.

[MDboyz]

This seems normal. Except if it was default to Romney, then it would be all over all news.

Good to see you gearing up that excuse as to why Romney won, Boz...but you're a couple days early with this article.

Seriously though....you caught us...we've rigged the election :sleep:

Guilford Co. NC voters say ballot cast for Romney came up Obama on machine

Voting machines in Kansas, Ohio reportedly changing Romney votes to Obama

[2xSilverKnight]

mclaren2 at it again.

In Canada, everything is done through a piece of paper and a pen, because of potential fraud with electronic machines. Bush stole the election in 2000 and 2004 because of these machines, it could happen again. Doesn't matter if it's Obama or Romney. I hope both of these candidates lose. But if I had to choose the less worst of the two, it would be Obama. Romney is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

[theyarecomingforyou]

I'm absolutely astounded that the US allows electronic voting machines and voting by email / fax. It lacks any sort of transparency and is fundamentally insecure. The voting by email / fax is particularly concerning, as it undermines the principle of anonymous votes - it makes it much easier for interested parties to track down people by political affiliation, particularly if such systems aren't secure. Americans are so distrustful of their government and yet they're willing to allow electronics to enter the voting process - it simply doesn't make any sense.

The US is always quick to criticise other countries for not holding free and fair elections and yet the US has some of the worst election practices in the western world. Heck, it won't even less UN observers in to monitor elections (something they insist happens in other countries). Hypocrisy as usual. This has nothing to do with whether you vote Democrat or Republican, this is about the integrity of the voting system - everybody should be on the same page for this.

[Boz]

Already brought up and already explained...

Here's what they are doing.. Republicans, Karl Rove and the GOP mafia are trying to steal elections, so what they are doing it the counter-offensive.. They are finding some stupid glitches that happen in like 3 cases and then harp about them as democratic fraud (like they did for those 10 cases of voter ID fraud out of 300 million people) but are trying to prevent hundreds of thousands of people to vote, rigging machines with "experimental" software in the most important battleground state.

This is what they do..they are good at it. They try to muddy the water despite the fact that in this election cycle they've been caught in literal fraud multiple times and having 3rd party companies in committing fraud so they can wash their hands off it when they get caught. Not to mention that what their governors are doing to obstruct and prevent voting is criminal and that's why democrats have already raised lawsuits and charges against them in Florida and I think another state.

[Growled Member]

This is great. No matter which side wins, the other side can claim fraud for the next four years.

[chrisj1968]

Here's what they are doing.. Republicans, Karl Rove and the GOP mafia are trying to steal elections, so what they are doing it the counter-offensive.. They are finding some stupid glitches that happen in like 3 cases and then harp about them as democratic fraud (like they did for those 10 cases of voter ID fraud out of 300 million people) but are trying to prevent hundreds of thousands of people to vote, rigging machines with "experimental" software in the most important battleground state.

This is what they do..they are good at it. They try to muddy the water despite the fact that in this election cycle they've been caught in literal fraud multiple times and having 3rd party companies in committing fraud so they can wash their hands off it when they get caught. Not to mention that what their governors are doing to obstruct and prevent voting is criminal and that's why democrats have already raised lawsuits and charges against them in Florida and I think another state.

Stealing elections? romney supposedly tied to these machines but voting romney gets you Obama... meh.. this makes no sense. :rofl:

[John S. Veteran]

moved here

[Shane Nokes]

Stealing elections? romney supposedly tied to these machines but voting romney gets you Obama... meh.. this makes no sense. :rofl:

Different machines...and the issue with the touchscreen calibration has already been talked about. It's not a 1-press vote. You have to confirm the vote. So if you press and it pulls up the wrong candidate you go back and select again.

It was also selecting Green Party candidates when people were trying to select Romney...no conspiracy...simple tech issues much like you see at a store or bank...touchscreen devices like they use in these situations really need more work before mass deployment.

[ncoday]

So because Tony Tamer is a republican, the election is thus rigged?

I bet we wouldn't be having this discussion if the guy was a democrat and big fat cat fundraiser for Obama!

[Noir Angel]

Sure we would, the repubs would be telling us how this guy is the enemy of Jesus, wants to take away all of our gunz, is a commie, and an enemy of Americuuuh

[Growled Member]

Time for a new investment, Mr. Romney. :p

[123456789A]

Sure we would, the repubs would be telling us how this guy is the enemy of Jesus, wants to take away all of our gunz, is a commie, and an enemy of Americuuuh

I didn't realize you live in the US.