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WTF? Tagg Romney owns electronic voting machines in Ohio

Luna Tick

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Someone posted about this on Facebook. I didn't want to take it as true based on just that. I looked to see if the independent fact check sites Politifact and Factcheck have covered this issue. They haven't. So I googled it. I'll post the links I found at the end of my post. I did find news sources that reported that Tagg Romney, Mitt's son, had indeed purchased holdings in the company that makes the electronic voting machines that are to be used in Ohio for the presidential election. WTF? Can you say conflict of interest? I don't know much about Tagg Romney other than the fact that he's Mitt's son, but even if he's as honest as Abe Lincoln, how can this be acceptable? In an election, you should avoid even the perception of fraud. There's more. One of the articles talked about "sleepovers," which is when one of the technicians takes home an electronic voting machine and keeps it in his or her home while working on it. What??????????? That's not exactly avoiding the potential or perception of fraud.

I actually took some computer programming classes in college. (gag) What possessed me to ... it's a long story. Maybe another post. Anyway, even I know how you can modify a simple algorithm. If it's counting a total and one total starts getting higher than the programmer thinks it should, a simple if-then statement subtracts a few from one and adds to the other, problem solved.

My guess is some people will step in and defend this, but I can't fathom how. The simple notion that no one with an interest in the election's outcome should own ANY of the voting machines or employ ANY of the election workers to me seems un-rebuttable. Or are the facts in these articles wrong? Does Tagg not really own the machines?

It was 12 years ago when we had an election fiasco. The solution should have been to standardize voting in all states to the same kind of machine and one that's extremely accurate and leaves a hand-countable paper trail. Did we do so? Of course ****ing not. There should never be any question who has won an American election! Every single vote should be counted beyond all doubt.

Anyway, the links are below. The one about the sleepovers is labeled that. If you answer, please do so with substance. In other words, maybe show some information that Tagg doesn't really own the machines or that the machines are reliable or that recounts actually are possible. No ad hominem attacks like Luna's just being a bitchy slut or a liberal whiner. I've been called stuff before and I don't care. It's the substance that matters, and I don't mean stuff that you smoke on Saturday night. I mean verifiable facts.

People have laughed at me for being in favor of having the UN come in to supervise American elections, but crap like this is why! You can't have conflicts of interests. What if in the last Super Bowl every single ref was employed by the New England Patriots and would get a fat bonus if the Pats won?

Okay, the links:

Does Mitt Romney's Son Tagg Have An Investment In Some Ohio Voting Machines? | Cleveland Leader

sleepovers
Brien Jackson: Controversial Voting Machine "Sleepovers" Still Legal

WTF? Tagg Romney Is Now Proud Owner Of Ohio’s Voting Machines | Addicting Info

Tagg Romney Invested in Ohio Electronic Voting Machines | Politicol News

Tagg Romney Invested in Ohio Electronic Voting Machines | Politicol News
 
This belongs in CT. If you want to open the "investors = owners = in control" line of thinking, be prepared for the onslaught of stupidity.
 
This belongs in CT. If you want to open the "investors = owners = in control" line of thinking, be prepared for the onslaught of stupidity.

Her post sounds like a "Priorities USA" advertisement ( Soros backed far left disinformation center)
 
Uh oh....guess the "Stolen Election" nonsense is flaring up with the race tightening.
 
What if in the last Super Bowl every single ref was employed by the New England Patriots and would get a fat bonus if the Pats won?

Than we might have had a fairly called game in which they would've have called a safety on the first play from the line of scrimage for Romney throwing a deep pass under diress... and some of the holding the reciever calls when they were draped all over Gronk Hernandez and Welker might have helped our drives to kill off the game continue... For that matter, there woud've been a holding call for the two holds which allowed Eli Manning to get free on the 4th and 20 pass and the clock wouldve ran instead of staying stopped twice on that final scoring drive in the prior pats-giants superbowl...

(FYI... that's a more serious topic worthy of debate than this... )
 
This belongs in CT. If you want to open the "investors = owners = in control" line of thinking, be prepared for the onslaught of stupidity.

They're supposed to avoid even the appearance of tampering, nut just actual tampering. A conflict of interest happens when any kind of owner even has any possibility at all of tampering, or even if it appears that way. It should not be allowed. Period.

And what's up with allowing programmers to take home voting machines. That's a complete WTF? Think that shows an appearance of tampering. That should be prohibited. All work on them should be done in the workplace under supervision.
 
They're supposed to avoid even the appearance of tampering, nut just actual tampering. A conflict of interest happens when any kind of owner even has any possibility at all of tampering, or even if it appears that way. It should not be allowed. Period.

And what's up with allowing programmers to take home voting machines. That's a complete WTF? Think that shows an appearance of tampering. That should be prohibited. All work on them should be done in the workplace under supervision.

All it shows is a heightened level of paranoia.
 
All it shows is a heightened level of paranoia.

well in 2000 bugsy Daily and other democratic party criminal elements did everything possible to steal the election for al gore and they still failed.
 
I really wish we would go to back to paper based voting. Something as simple as printing out a receipt from the voting machine in a machine readable font, so the voter could verify that who they are voting for is who the machine accepts, would do wonders for the confidence level in our voting procedures.

machine readable font means a human can verify the machine so auditing can take place.
 
Romney is also a computer programmer for security software. He's been seen breaking into warehouses where they store voting machines. Here is a picture of him someone took as he fled the scene.

images
 
Someone posted about this on Facebook. I didn't want to take it as true based on just that. I looked to see if the independent fact check sites Politifact and Factcheck have covered this issue. They haven't. So I googled it. I'll post the links I found at the end of my post. I did find news sources that reported that Tagg Romney, Mitt's son, had indeed purchased holdings in the company that makes the electronic voting machines that are to be used in Ohio for the presidential election. WTF? Can you say conflict of interest? I don't know much about Tagg Romney other than the fact that he's Mitt's son, but even if he's as honest as Abe Lincoln, how can this be acceptable? In an election, you should avoid even the perception of fraud. There's more. One of the articles talked about "sleepovers," which is when one of the technicians takes home an electronic voting machine and keeps it in his or her home while working on it. What??????????? That's not exactly avoiding the potential or perception of fraud.

I actually took some computer programming classes in college. (gag) What possessed me to ... it's a long story. Maybe another post. Anyway, even I know how you can modify a simple algorithm. If it's counting a total and one total starts getting higher than the programmer thinks it should, a simple if-then statement subtracts a few from one and adds to the other, problem solved.

My guess is some people will step in and defend this, but I can't fathom how. The simple notion that no one with an interest in the election's outcome should own ANY of the voting machines or employ ANY of the election workers to me seems un-rebuttable. Or are the facts in these articles wrong? Does Tagg not really own the machines?

It was 12 years ago when we had an election fiasco. The solution should have been to standardize voting in all states to the same kind of machine and one that's extremely accurate and leaves a hand-countable paper trail. Did we do so? Of course ****ing not. There should never be any question who has won an American election! Every single vote should be counted beyond all doubt.

Anyway, the links are below. The one about the sleepovers is labeled that. If you answer, please do so with substance. In other words, maybe show some information that Tagg doesn't really own the machines or that the machines are reliable or that recounts actually are possible. No ad hominem attacks like Luna's just being a bitchy slut or a liberal whiner. I've been called stuff before and I don't care. It's the substance that matters, and I don't mean stuff that you smoke on Saturday night. I mean verifiable facts.

People have laughed at me for being in favor of having the UN come in to supervise American elections, but crap like this is why! You can't have conflicts of interests. What if in the last Super Bowl every single ref was employed by the New England Patriots and would get a fat bonus if the Pats won?

Okay, the links:

Does Mitt Romney's Son Tagg Have An Investment In Some Ohio Voting Machines? | Cleveland Leader

sleepovers
Brien Jackson: Controversial Voting Machine "Sleepovers" Still Legal

WTF? Tagg Romney Is Now Proud Owner Of Ohio’s Voting Machines | Addicting Info

Tagg Romney Invested in Ohio Electronic Voting Machines | Politicol News

Tagg Romney Invested in Ohio Electronic Voting Machines | Politicol News

I share your concerns. I remember the 2000 Ohio exit polls and the sudden overnight shift far exceeding statistical probability. Electronic voting is not secure and should be disallowed. This is the old "Diebold" controversy that was never really settled. Big money Republican interests usually own all the Corporate machines and the Republicans try to block minority voting with ID card laws and the like, so their imagery projects that they will do anything, ethical or unethical, to win elections. To suggest that this matter belongs in Conspiracy Theories reflects Repub "talking points" to defer investigation and curiousity. When they don't want to answer or don't like the answer they jump on that old crutch, CT. The rhetorical tool of the ignorant, I guess. That, or a psychological subliminal reaction to "the hand is caught in the cookie jar?"
 
I share your concerns. I remember the 2000 Ohio exit polls and the sudden overnight shift far exceeding statistical probability. Electronic voting is not secure and should be disallowed. This is the old "Diebold" controversy that was never really settled. Big money Republican interests usually own all the Corporate machines and the Republicans try to block minority voting with ID card laws and the like, so their imagery projects that they will do anything, ethical or unethical, to win elections. To suggest that this matter belongs in Conspiracy Theories reflects Repub "talking points" to defer investigation and curiousity. When they don't want to answer or don't like the answer they jump on that old crutch, CT. The rhetorical tool of the ignorant, I guess. That, or a psychological subliminal reaction to "the hand is caught in the cookie jar?"
The 2004 election exit polls really must have rocked your world!

Don't forget to call 911 if you see this man.
hamburglar-img0142.jpg
 
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First of all, I haven't seen a credible source confirm these allegations yet. So I'm taking them with a big grain of salt.

Second, just because he has an investment in the company doesn't make it likely he will be able to influence the how the machines themselves work during the election.

But third, IF this is true, and even if there is no actual possibility he can influence the votes, it seems colossally stupid of Tagg to keep that investment during the election.
 
First of all, I haven't seen a credible source confirm these allegations yet. So I'm taking them with a big grain of salt.

Second, just because he has an investment in the company doesn't make it likely he will be able to influence the how the machines themselves work during the election.

But third, IF this is true, and even if there is no actual possibility he can influence the votes, it seems colossally stupid of Tagg to keep that investment during the election.


For the most part I agree, but I guess the same feigned outrage will be directed at liberal organizations like those in Baltimore, and Philly that actually pay "walking around money" to GOTV.
 
Than we might have had a fairly called game in which they would've have called a safety on the first play from the line of scrimage for Romney throwing a deep pass under diress... and some of the holding the reciever calls when they were draped all over Gronk Hernandez and Welker might have helped our drives to kill off the game continue... For that matter, there woud've been a holding call for the two holds which allowed Eli Manning to get free on the 4th and 20 pass and the clock wouldve ran instead of staying stopped twice on that final scoring drive in the prior pats-giants superbowl...

(FYI... that's a more serious topic worthy of debate than this... )

I hate the ****ing Patriots. I am most happy when they lose, because the clueless look on pretty boy's face is priceless.

It'll be interesting to see if this becomes an issue. I doubt it though.
 
For the most part I agree, but I guess the same feigned outrage will be directed at liberal organizations like those in Baltimore, and Philly that actually pay "walking around money" to GOTV.

It'll be just as loud as your outrage over Republican wrongdoing.
 
Honestly, I could care less that anybody who has any kind of a relationship with Romney or Obama or Gary Johnson or Vermin Supreme owns part of or even helped develop electronic voting machines that will be used in this election. My concern is and always has been that many of the systems developed and deployed in the wake of the 2000 election:

  • Can be easily hacked on-site without any sign they've been tampered with
  • Can be hacked remotely via the Internet without sign they've been tampered with
  • Provide no hard-copy audit trail of any kind, so that we can only trust the totals they produce without any kind of verification procedure
I've read contracts between various states and the vendors they contracted to develop these machines, so I know that many of them had to be hooked to the Internet, and I've seen sworn testimony given before at least one state legislative committee about how easy it was to hack these systems without leaving a trace.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- this is like having a trial by jury, except the jury is concealed behind a polarized window, and the only person legally empowered to talk to the jury is the judge. In a situation like that you have only the judge's assurance that there's a jury involved at all, much less that the verdict he reads off at the end of the whole affair is accurate. Since when is that how things are supposed to work in the United States?

New York, until it was sued by the feebs, had a perfectly serviceable system which had an audit trail and used a technology which hadn't been the cause of a Florida-esque controversy in the 100 or so years it had been used. The Help Americans Vote Act had nothing to do with helping any of us to vote.
 
2000 all over again.

 
Not really. With the introduction of these "new and improved" voting machines, election tampering won't be exposed. At least in 2000 thee silliness was out there for everybody to see.
 
The irony of threads like these is if you switched the name "Tagg Romney" with something like "George Soros" then all the opinions would reverse completely.
 
Which in turn will be as deafening as your outrage over ACORN fraud.

Another one on the list of people who never bothered to learn what actually happened with the ACORN deal.
 
Another one on the list of people who never bothered to learn what actually happened with the ACORN deal.


Yeah, they got busted in blatant registration fraud. EOS.
 
Which in turn will be as deafening as your outrage over ACORN fraud.

Usually when one side starts talking about "hypocrisy," they completely ignore their own. As here.
 
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