By now you have probably heard about the Princeton Video that shows yet again how easy it is to compromise the Diebold systems.  Here is a picture of our heroes: Dr. Felten and his students, Feldman and Halderman

As you can see, not all patriots are firebrands from central casting.  They are normal folks like you and me.  And that is important because Diebold is starting to push back... and it is going to take normal folks like you and me to help our heroes keep Diebold's feet to the fire.  Let's look at where Diebold is vulnerable and how Diebold is trying to defend itself ...

I'm a technically savvy guy.  I've had my own PC since the 8088 days when DOS was putting the final nails in the coffin of CP/M and Leading Edge was getting flak for cracking the compatible wars wide open.  I was online before BIFF stole his brother's Commodore 64.  Before spam.  Before nuking. Before Gopher. I know the answer to the UNIX riddle, "Why a mouse?"  (actually there are two surrealist punchlines to that joke). I even know the plural for VAX (hint:it's not VIXEN).  

When it comes to computers, I know Jack. So trust me when I tell you, "To err is human, to really $#@#!!*& things up you need a computer."  I say all that to underscore the fact that my discomfort with electronic voting machines is not borne of ignorance.  My contempt is a direct result of my familiarity with the technology.  

I have got some bad news for you....

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), is back in NC:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a court complaint Thursday aimed at blocking North Carolina's recent certifications of voting machines, saying state elections officials failed to meet legal requirements before signing off on the systems.

Via CNET News.  Guardians never sleep.  Guess NC missed that part.

Whether or not electoral fraud can be proved, the most important issue is whether the current electoral system can be trusted.

Clearly it can not. The GAO report is unequivocal. Electronic vote tampering is not only possible, it is down right easy. It can be pulled off with relatively little effort.

Whether or not we believe that the 2004 election was stolen is not the point here. My point is that because of the way e-voting is implemented, the electoral system is ripe for unprecedented abuse and we need to do some serious hell raising. Quickly.

Just in from EFF:

November 28, 2005

EFF Convinces North Carolina Judge To Throw Out Diebold E-Voting Case

E-Voting Company Forced to Comply with Election Transparency Laws

Raleigh, North Carolina - Responding to arguments made by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a North Carolina judge today told Diebold Election Systems that the e-voting company must comply with tough North Carolina election law and dismissed the company's case seeking broad exemptions from the law. [EFF Breaking News, 11/28/05]

Via Politech (Declan McCullagh's site).

                                    [ --- cross-posted at  dailykos  and  boomantribune --- ]

     California's secretary of state Bruce McPherson is all set to re-certify the Diebold touchscreen TSx that he barred from use a few months ago.

On the state's website, you can see the report of the consultant McPherson hired, dated November 11, that concludes Diebold's submission (as revised) now "meets current standards for use in California" —  with a couple of "caveats."

Are you ready for this?

Read up on these "caveats," below.  Diebold is under a court order from a Calif. court to upgrade the security of its system after the plaintiffs (Bev Harris and computer programmer Jim March) successfully sued to shine a light on all the naked, inviting vulnerabilites of  its trademark voting machines.