Quote:Bob Schroeck wrote:Bob, if the NSA is going to be jiggering the ballot box let us consider the voting infrastructure:
Today was a special primary in New Jersey to fill the seat left open when Senator Frank Lautenberg died some weeks back, and as I voted -- using an electronic booth -- a disturbing thought came to me.
It's already been shown that the NSA is, contrary to their earlier denials, is able to basically tap any data stream they care to. They're basically in the classic man-in-the-middle position, having expended a great deal of money and effort to put themselves there for all communications going through the United States.
It's only principle -- and discretion -- that keeps them from altering those data streams.
But consider how many elections are being handled electronically these days.
What happens if the NSA decides their mandate is best served by manipulating those bitstreams to make sure politicians that weren't hostile to them were elected? Would we ever be able to tell?
I am not an expert, but based on on what I saw in 2012 on TV, you have your district. Might be based on ward, county etc. You also have volunteers who make sure that you are eligible to vote, on the rolls etc. The results are sent to a server physically located in the county. I believed it's wired in, but it could be wireless. A paper copy of your vote is also generated. The results of the count is sent to the state level, either periodically or at the end of voting period. The preliminary results are established, with the votes being verified at state level by the election commission and certified by the secretary of state (of the state).
There are two sets of problems I see with someone trying to jigger the vote at the state level. At what point do you try to place your votes instead of the others and what do you do about the paper trail and verification systems in place? And what do you do with the human element? The secretary of state, the election commission? Not to mention their staffs? It can be done at the district/city level, but I see it eventually being brought out to the light of day.
Every psuedo-democracy elects the president for life easily is because he controls all the voting infrastructure from the bottom up. The NSA would have to do the same thing. I don't see them even contemplating it unless they have an unlimited budget to do it with.
If you do want to jigger the vote, you change the voting requirements. Which is what North Carolina and Texas are doing.
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