Public confidence in Northampton County's $2.9 million ExpressVote XL voting system was badly shaken during its rollout in the November 5 election. At the polls, some voters complained they had difficulty making choices in the retention races. This is because as many as 30% of the machines were improperly configured in the factory. Worse, 100% of the machines reported false results in all races in which cross-filing was permitted. Finally, neither of these significant errors was caught during pre-election testing. ES&S, manufacturer of this system, has repeatedly apologized for these errors and has vowed to strengthen its quality control. "We will do better," pledged Executive Lamont McClure right after the election. None of this mattered to Northampton County's Elections Comm'n. During a lengthy and sometimes contentious meeting last night, they voted 4-0 to declare they have no confidence in the ExpressVote XL voting system. Since they themselves recommended this system on March 6, they in effect voted they have no confidence in themselves. I certainly have none after watching them in action.
The Yes votes come from Deb Hunter, Maudeania Hornik, Layton Snover, Jr., and Kathy Fox. A fifth board member, George Treisner, Jr., was unable to stay and left the meeting prior to this vote.
Though the Board declared they had no confidence in the machines they themselves had recommended in March, they stopped short of demanding they be scrapped. An online headline from The Morning Call trumpets, "No confidence: Northampton County election board calls for new voting machines for 2020." This is inaccurate.
The recommendation to scrap the machines came from the Democratic and Republican parties, not the Commission. In a bipartisan blunder, Dem Party Chair Matt Munsey and GOP Exec Committee member Mary Baurket pretended to like each other and were almost holding hands as they approached asked Elections Comm'rs. It is they who want to scrap the machines.
In papers filed in federal court, ES&S has argued that such a decision would throw next year's election into "complete chaos." A Declaration obtained from Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar states it's simply “too late for Counties to replace ExpressVote XL machines in time for the 2020 primary, which will be held on April 28, 2020.” The selection process for a new system would take 3-12 months, followed by another 3-8 months for delivery, training, outreach and testing.
What makes more sense is doing everything possible to make next year's election successful. Instead of doing that, the Commission was focused on what went wrong. Commission member Deb Hunter used the fiasco to quarrel with County Administrator Charles Dertinger. She and other Commissioners were focused on what went wrong, but practically no attention was paid to suggestions that might streamline next year's elections.
Hunter did make a pitch for a machine custodian, and I agree with her. But Maude Hornik was dismissive of epollbooks. Instead of concentrating on improvements like a pilot election, precinct action plans or better testing, they wanted to know who in the county screwed the pooch on the testing.
Instead of helping our elections run more smoothly, it appears that some Commissioners wish to use this fiasco politically against Executive Lamont McClure. Right before the meeting started, Elections Comm'r Maude Hornik handed me a statement from the NorCo GOP, slamming McClure. It even insinuates, with zero evidence, inappropriate contacts between his administration and the vendor. It even raises the specter of evil unions throwing their weight behind ES&S.
Ironically, GOP party boss Lee Snover was a supporter of the ExpressVoteXL. Her sister Maude and first cousin Daryl voted for it. McClure could never have purchased this system without their support. Now, instead of working to produce the best and most fair election possible, they will use this fiasco in an effort to defeat McClure in two years.
10 am Update: The Morning Call has fixed its misleading headline, which now reads "No confidence: Northampton County election board ‘extremely disappointed’ in machines it selected"
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Friday, December 20, 2019
54 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Election accuracy, honesty, and the confidence of those citizens who participate in the process, must all transcend political posturing and bickering between County officials and their employees. Getting this RIGHT is the obligation of everyone, regardless of party preferences. A fundamental foundation of our freedom is in danger of being marginalized and damaged by egos. Sadly, as contemporary leaders in Washington have done to our nation’s Constitution the same week!
ReplyDeleteChecked out the videos. The Dertinger guy and Hunter were both unprofessional and out of line. It was a sad day for government. Were are the adults? These clowns are in charge of our elections?
ReplyDeleteNo confidence in McClure and his clowns. We all know that the purchase of the machines was because of them because McClure strong arms everything.
ReplyDeleteLove these Bernsplaining pieces. Nobody expected big things from Lamont. He's been a blamer his entire public career. His legacy will be Lamont Lines, which is fitting and appropriate.
ReplyDeletethe election commission should be the absolute last place for political input from any party. these people were appointed to run and make sure our elections are fair and run as smooth as possible. we all know the county is not going to replace these machines so everyone involved should be working to make sure the voting machines are fixed and ready.
ReplyDeleteAnother big waste of money. I appears that election chaos is here to stay. If we eliminate elections as a way settle disputes, we will only have 1 recourse left. Is that the Plan?
ReplyDelete6:24 - precisely. Time to realize these are the machines to be used next election. Now, cut the crap and immediately create a non-partisan team (if that’s even possible these days). Spend the next months devising a written description of how to respond to a wide variety of questionable things that COULD take place, no matter how unlikely each might seem. Be over-prepared.
ReplyDeleteCrimes are more likely to succeed when unexpected and surrounded in CONFUSION. Everyone needs to know what to do before it happens. Never assume someone will act appropriately to protect the validity of what is presented. Just look at our FBI right now.
Have to agree that we are stuck with this piece of crap and must fix it to the best of our ability and see what happens with the primary elections. I have no confidence at the moment but we can and must correct everything we can to regain the public's trust in the process. Get to work now and maybe county can save face under the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteDeb Hunter (I can't win an election if I try) and Bob Werner and Sandy Werner are the people behind not wanting the machines to work. They will never try to work with someone only against or with what they believe to be a popular position, Funny how a Machine that was voted for by Republicans now is the problem of county executive not the Election Commission whom voted for it and are now charged with fixing the problem, thanks for nothing Deb Hunter WE SEE YOU
ReplyDeleteThe machines were not voter friendly and didn’t function s promised...add in human error.,,,so fix em
ReplyDelete#2 pencil + Absentee Ballot.
ReplyDeleteCost : 25 cents
Value: priceless
Do the people handling your Absentee Ballot require an eraser?
ReplyDelete7:17AM smells like......sounds like......and most likely is Charlie Dertinger. Charlie, why don't you tell everyone how you went out of your way to make sure TREISNER was at the meeting to cast a vote for these machines. Yes, that's right Charlie, you physically brought him to the election commission meeting because he was too sick to come by himself and you made sure TREISNER voted the way you wanted him to vote. You jammed these machines down the throat of the election commission and now you are trying to distance yourself from this fiasco. You're trying to make others the scape goat when you got everything you wanted. This is your legacy and McClures legacy.
ReplyDeleteBernie, can you please post the NCRC statement? We'd like to read that. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt is eight pages long and irresponsible. I have no intention of spreading fake news. Lee Snover can post on it on the GOP's Facebook page. It asks questions that have been answered several times, insinuates improprieties with zero evidence, suggests unions are somehow involved and falsely claims one of Jill Stein's experts is "independent".
ReplyDeleteI would have no problem posting experiences of voters, but not the misleading editorial assumptions.
According to the Mcall article today, the poll workers don't have phones to communicate?? Isn't this networking 101 for an event as critical as election day?? WTF is this administration doing to improve the election office? Obviously not enough.
ReplyDelete10:27---Bernie how can you say you do not want to spread fake news. this is a fake blog--on many occasions you delete the real facts.
ReplyDeletehmm 7:17 you do know that Fox and Hunter voted against the machines in March and Treisner, Hornik , and Snover voted for them right?
ReplyDelete"According to the Mcall article today, the poll workers don't have phones to communicate?? Isn't this networking 101 for an event as critical as election day?? WTF is this administration doing to improve the election office? Obviously not enough."
ReplyDeleteThat's not exactly what was said. The County has cell phones available for those who want them. What was said is that many elections workers do not use them or do not answer calls.
"10:27---Bernie how can you say you do not want to spread fake news. this is a fake blog--on many occasions you delete the real facts."
ReplyDeleteReal facts? As opposed to unreal facts? You can't even get that right. I delete anonymous personal attacks mostly when it is aimed at others and other violations of my comments policy.
Dertinger is an arrogant ass. The guy has always had a very high opinion of himself. he feels he was sent there form NY to rule over the local rubes. Hopefully county council steps in and take some ownership and tries to fix the mess McClure created.
ReplyDeleteOne of the questions this irresponsible statement asks is one that was asked and answered at several news conferences they attended. They wanted to know why some candidates had zero or 70 votes if the machines were reporting zero. The answer is that there were absentee ballots. The Rs know this but pose the question as if they do not. This is disingenuous.
ReplyDelete"Dertinger is an arrogant ass. The guy has always had a very high opinion of himself. he feels he was sent there form NY to rule over the local rubes. Hopefully county council steps in and take some ownership and tries to fix the mess McClure created."
ReplyDeleteYou can't fix a mess if you spend all your time vilifying the very people who worked this election. I have had numerous run-ins with Dertinger over the years, but he was involved in the selection of three different systems over the years. He knows this area better than most.
"Ironically, GOP party boss Lee Snover was a supporter of the ExpressVoteXL. Her sister Maude and first cousin Daryl voted for it. McClure could never have purchased this system without their support. Now, instead of working to produce the best and most fair election possible, they will use this fiasco in an effort to defeat McClure in two years."
ReplyDeleteKamala Harris already defeated McClure, he lost half the democrats with his early on endorsement of an obvious Clinton shill, having "mooned" 20 other options. It demonstrated his loyalties to hacks at the national party rather than the attitudes and concerns of local democrats or anyone else.
That provides much better political fodder than sabotaging the machine and process they themselves voted for and need to count their win.
I seriously doubt that McClure's early Harris endorsement hurt him in any way.
ReplyDeleteWith this much controversy, in-fighting, etc., EVERY reporting of vote totals with these machines will be contested. I happen to think the machines are an improvement over the previous machines, but it’s too late to argue that.
ReplyDeleteLike Downtown Allentown and it’s phony development scheme. It was destined to be rejected by a huge segment of the population. The perception of filth and crime was just too strong to overcome. Same fate for these machines, unfortunately.
It’s really not the machines that scare me. It’s the people who prepare and manage them, during and after their use.
Freaking pathetic joke.
ReplyDelete11:33--this blog should be outlawed--it is a fake blog--it is run by a liberal dem who wants laws to kill the unborn and born, no borders, sanctuary cities and dems who lie and lie .
ReplyDelete"It’s really not the machines that scare me. It’s the people who prepare and manage them, during and after their use."
ReplyDeleteI am disappointed that Deb Hunter, who is very smart and has excellent ideas, allowed herself to get caught up in some kind of personal battle with Dertinger. I am disappointed that Dem party boss Matt Munsey is trying his best to shove his minority views down he throats of the County. I am disappointed that Rs have chosen to politicize this issue. But let me tell you about the people who manage and prepare these machines.
Last Winter, about 30 NorCo election workers went to a demo of four or five different systems in Lehigh County. They were not paid to be there. They were there because they cared. After this, they appeared at several meetings of the NorCo Elections Comm'n and County Council to speak for the ExpressVote XL. They were not paid to be there. Throughout the summer, there were numerous public demos of these machines. Poll workers from all over the county came to these. They were not being paid, but were there bc they cared. So your perception of the people who prepare and manage these machines is dead wrong. Say what you will about the politicos, but I have immense respect for these people.
Those of us who worked the polls on election day are mortified about what happened. There was bad configuration on 30% of the machines, a serious programming error and a failure to catch that error in testing. But we care and will get it right. What happened is the exception, not the norm.
Bern all you did was have to mention Lehigh County was at the epicenter of this farce. We all know the criminals are covering one another's spinkters as fall guy fed Ed's spinkters is being tampered with in place of all!
DeleteI was dead set against these machines from the beginning. There was nothing wrong with the old machines. If Wolfe isn't going to give us the money, then he can kiss our asses if he wants them in by the 12th of never.
ReplyDeleteCorrect..the State has forced us to make decisions we are not qualified to make nor are we able to pay for the darn mandate they have imposed. The old machines were just fine. Should have spent money fighting the mandate in court instead of buying this electronic piece of trash.
ReplyDeleteA forced and biased decision is always a bad and unfair decision
ReplyDelete"I was dead set against these machines from the beginning. There was nothing wrong with the old machines. If Wolfe isn't going to give us the money, then he can kiss our asses if he wants them in by the 12th of never."
ReplyDeleteI agree nothing was wrong with the old touch screens. I like voter-verifiable paper ballot systems, but those could have been phased in gradually instead of being shoved down our throats. To suggest that we refuse to comply, however, is a nonstarter.
The state controls the certification process. It decertified our older machines effective the end of the year. Thus, there is no way we could use them. Dauphin County tried to resist and the state made clear it would be denied election assistance funds unless it cooperated.I suppose we could resist in court, but the election code vests exclusive authority over systems with the state. I think we lose that one.
We were forced to use new machines and were not given a hell of a lot of time. So I believe the real villains here are Tom Wolf and Jill Stein. Even now, Jill Stein is attempting to decertify the machines and without giving us the time for a replacement.
Prediction: county launches campaign to encourage absentee voting. The new machines initiative will only succeed if they're not used. Everyone needs to do their part.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should just tear-off little pieces of paper, write our choice, then stuff it down into an old pickle jar.
ReplyDeleteI believe the county will and should encourage no-excuse absentee balloting. It should make it much easier to vote, and scanners will be on hand at the courthouse to permit rapid computation. Many people will still procrastinate, especially if they are like me, and not get absentee ballots until it is too late. They will vote at the polls.
ReplyDeleteHow difficult will it be to obtain an absentee ballot, submit in the name of a deceased person, have it scanned for the count. Then, have the box of already scanned ballots lost somehow? Asking for a friend.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where exactly, these machines were manufactured? If it's anywhere but here both parties will use that conspiracy theory whenever they feel butthurt in the next election.
ReplyDeleteThey are manufactured in Omaha.
ReplyDeleteMcClure and ES&S have had their private meetings to come up with their talking points. They attack anyone who strays. Legitimate questions are attacked. Awaiting the County Council reaction to the Election Commission vote and the Party Chairs statements. I hope the President of council will make a statement in January that is independent of what McClure tells them to say. Is that even possible as McClure controls them.
ReplyDeleteIf you buy a lemon, you return it and demand your money back, especially $2M taxpayer money. You don't fix it. Once a lemon always a lemon. If the problem with human program that means it can always happen. It means votes can be tampered it. NO CONFIDENCE IN MACHINE! NO CONFIDENCE IN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY EXECUTIVES!
ReplyDeleteCannot wait for the machines to malfunction and McClure gets voted out!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the printed ballot is tabulated by it's bar code is the real issue. It is sent to the bin back thru the print head!That is where the ballot can be altered if settings are not correct or have been tampered with! It's all about the darn bar code and the tamper proof situation it allows.Instead of sending it into a collection bin sans code..which would be a true paper trail..we got this alterable bar code instead. Send it back for a refund!
ReplyDeleteThe vote of the election commission was rigged by the actions of the administration. They controlled the vote and the vote was not unanimous. There are those of us who voted "NO". Don't try to paint all of us with the same brush. This should not be a blemish on the Election Commission but instead exposed as to the meddling by Charlie Dertinger into the business of the Election Commission. Council should have an investigation into what occurred. After the machines are reprogrammed they may very well serve the County's needs, but this fiasco is all on the hands of McClure and Dertinger who rigged the election commission vote.
ReplyDeleteVote tampering has yet to betaken seriously. One of the reasons is too many different machines in use across the state and nation. It’s always said to be a problem some other entity had. Not here, of course!
ReplyDeleteEvery process can be rigged to some extent, and many ARE !
Throughout this year, we have continued to find CORRUPTION and disregard for the Rule of Law throughout government at every level. Now that our United States Constitution has been trampled by Nancy Pelosi and the House, the illegal acts of our own FBI, etc., the next Presidential Election will, no doubt, be tampered with.
Citizens need to be outraged and vigilant. We need PROOF of comprehensive safeguards in place.
"The fact that the printed ballot is tabulated by it's bar code is the real issue. It is sent to the bin back thru the print head!That is where the ballot can be altered if settings are not correct or have been tampered with! It's all about the darn bar code "
ReplyDeleteThis is such nonsense. Bar codes are used by banks, grocery stores and even hospitals. If you could really tamper with a bar code, they would never be used. The possibility of tampering with the bar code is something that was checked when this system was certified on the state level. The ExpressVote XL includes "security in depth" in both hardware and software. Moreover, in the unlikely possibility that there were some kind of interference, it would be logged.
I voted in Lower Saucon Township. I was happy with the new machines. Have to say, the fellow handing me the ballot was excellent. Very professional and helpful. I am certain many poll workers are that way. But, thinking back, I recall being handed an blank ballot with no identifying mark to cross reference later, if necessary. Maybe I’m wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe ballot likely WAS pre-printed with a number or, maybe, he DID hand-write a number on the back of the card. Looking back, I’m NOT implying anything was done incorrectly. Not at all! Just pointing out a potential improvement to put everyone at ease.
Perhaps, the person working the sign-in book would be located NEXT to the person handing out the ballot. One of those two workers could them could compare them side-by-side, and directly call the voter’s attention to how the numbers matched.
Anyone else unsure of what actually took place want to comment? I’m pretty sure certain parts of the new process could have been emphasized better going in. The voter could ask, certainly, but shouldn’t need to.
Democrats are bound and determined to see that this county doesn't go presidential red, ever again. 2016 was a wake up call. People waited for hours to vote for Trump. Time to thin the herd by making lines longer. Answer: Lamont Lines. He may be lazy. But nobody's accused him of being dumb.
ReplyDelete"They are manufactured in Omaha"
ReplyDeleteUntrue.
"Election Systems & Software, rebuked by a federal agency earlier this month for not disclosing that its voting machines are assembled in a factory in the Philippines, has responded to the Election Assistance Commission with a full list of its manufacturing facilities – including subcontractors. In addition to the Manila factory, Teletech (pictured at right), the list now includes more than a dozen manufacturers, including one each in Taiwan and China."
https://www.wired.com/2007/08/ess-discloses-f/
Bernie, this here voting farce is what got Wild in office?
ReplyDelete5:04, You are quoting from a 12-year old article. Things have changed. It is a 100% American owned company and it assembles its machines in Nebraska, where it employs 500 people. It does use some foreign parts, but only after "conducting risk assessments and making on-site visits to suppliers to make sure that components “are trusted, tested and free of malware.” It said that all of its facilities adhere to international standards, that it manufactures in compliance with all federal guidelines and that it follows cybersecurity best practices. Some of the components may be from China, just like your iPhone. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/chinese-parts-hidden-ownership-growing-scrutiny-inside-america-s-biggest-n1104516
ReplyDelete"Democrats are bound and determined to see that this county doesn't go presidential red, ever again. 2016 was a wake up call. People waited for hours to vote for Trump. Time to thin the herd by making lines longer. Answer: Lamont Lines. He may be lazy. But nobody's accused him of being dumb."
ReplyDeleteNo, he's not, and he's smart enough to know that Rs are using what happened to set the stage so they can complain when Trump loses in 2020. They don't mind undermining voter confidence as much as they can.
Since this impeachment farce happened, I doubt Trump will be defeated. Next to come are many indictments of Democrats in high places. It will be a most revealing 2020.
ReplyDelete