President Barack Obama is considering plans to allow his administration to take full administrative control over the upcoming presidential elections, citing ‘security concerns’ as justification.
As various news articles report on the alleged danger to American elections from Russian hackers, there is pressure on the government to allow a federal agency to protect the elections from these hackers.
Thenewamerican.com reports:
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But many of the threats cited have nothing to do with the Internet, and giving blanket protective authority to a federal agency would grant broad powers far in excess of what the U.S. Constitution allows.
On July 27, the Washington Post carried an article by Bruce Schneier entitled “By November, Russian hackers could target voting machines.” Schneier detailed numerous security weaknesses in America’s electoral computer systems, and pointed to the lack of a voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) in many computerized voting machines. Schneier also wisely emphasized that our elections should have “no Internet voting.” He will get no argument from The New American on those assertions, as this magazine has been voicing many of these concerns for years, and was the first national publication to advocate for a paper trail in electronic voting equipment in our October 13, 1986 issue. Additionally, in our October 9, 2000 issue, we published an article entitled “Voting on the Web” that warned of the dangers of Internet voting. The New American has since published numerous similar articles.
However, one portion of Schneier’s article would errantly lead many to believe that the states caused the problems and the federal government should be called in for the rescue: “But while computer security experts like me have sounded the alarm for many years, states have largely ignored the threat, and the machine manufacturers have thrown up enough obfuscating babble that election officials are largely mollified.”
Schneier is correct in pointing out that many states, especially in recent years, have been major factors contributing to the decline of American election integrity. But it hasn’t always been that way. This Republic was founded under the U.S. Constitution with competition by the states to do a better job at running elections. As late as 1994 some of that constitutional competitive spirit was still alive as New Hampshire enacted the nation’s first paper trail law. In 1986 New Hampshire and North Dakota led the way in stopping the use of punch card voting systems. That was 14 years before the infamous 2000 presidential election fiasco in Florida where the nation witnessed all manner of partially punched chads and learned of myriads of other security problems in punch-card voting systems.
Amazingly, during the news coverage of the Florida fiasco, the liberal news media virtually ignored the fact that two states had stopped using punch-card voting systems for security reasons 14 years prior. Nor did the liberal news media question why the voting officials in other states didn’t react to the actions taken by New Hampshire and North Dakota by making informed decisions regarding whether those two states had it right or had it wrong. They had 14 years to think about it. Nor did the liberal news media ask similar questions of the vendor companies asking them how they could continue selling the punch-card voting equipment for 14 years knowing they couldn’t sell their equipment in two states owing to security concerns.
In addition to states causing problems with voting security, many of today’s election security weaknesses can be traced to unconstitutional (as well as unwise) actions at the federal level. It was Congress that passed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, aka “Motor Voter,” which ordered all 50 states to weaken the security of voter registration lists. It was Congress that passed the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), which was the vehicle by which the states were forced to buy HAVA-compliant electronic voting equipment. As the states rushed to meet the HAVA deadlines, most states purchased equipment that didn’t have a voter-verified paper trail. It was Congress that sneaked the following dirty tricks into the National Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010 as a rider, stating, “The Presidential designee may establish 1 or more pilot programs under which the feasibility of new election technology is tested for the benefit of absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters claiming rights under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.”
The rider also stated:
the Presidential designee may consider the following issues:
(1) The transmission of electronic voting material across military networks.
(2) Virtual private networks, cryptographic voting systems, centrally controlled voting stations, and other information security techniques.
(3) The transmission of ballot representations and scanned pictures in a secure manner.
(4) Capturing, retaining, and comparing electronic and physical ballot representations.
(5) Utilization of voting stations at military bases.
A quick review of this rider shows numerous violations of the U.S. Constitution, including having the federal government implement Internet voting and unconstitutionally empowering the president to appoint the manager in charge of the computer systems. If there are concerns that Russian hackers are now capable of penetrating our election computers, why aren’t the fear-mongers such as Senator Thomas Carper (D-Del.) calling for holding President Obama and his presidential designee responsible for not having done these things “in a secure manner,” as the law foolishly assumed could or would be done, rather than calling for the Department of Homeland Security to get involved in an activity for which there is no constitutional authority at the federal level?
Senator Carper wrote a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson asking the federal agency to get involved in protecting our elections from foreign hackers. If Senator Carper really wants to find the cause of the security weaknesses that have been put into our elections, he can start by proceeding to the nearest mirror and look at himself. Senator Carper has been in office since 2001. He voted for both the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2010, two aforementioned bills that established heavy-handed actions by the federal government that reduced the integrity of our elections.
In light of all this, why pretend the dangers to our elections are either solely or predominantly from Russian hackers? Only a few states even make public how many votes are cast using the Internet, but most experts agree that only a small number of votes are cast in such a manner. There is, however, a real danger of Internet-based election fraud in those states that allow Internet voter registration. But that has been going on for a few years now, and fraudulent voter registrations via the Internet are obviously not solely the fault of Russian hackers. The solution to Internet voter registration is obvious: Stop all Internet voter registration and stop frustrating civic-minded groups such as True The Vote from verifying voter registration lists.
Much of this sudden concern for Russian hackers is a political football that started when Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump made some political hay regarding Hillary Clinton’s loose handling of classified information in her e-mails when he said, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.” Many Democrats have responded by trying spin that statement into some sort of political alliance between Donald Trump and Russia.
The fact that our elections have seen security eroded, in some cases seriously, is real, but Russian hackers are not the primary source of the problems, and a federal takeover of our elections is not the answer. The federal government is the cause of many of our election integrity problems, and the correct solution would be to get the federal government to undo the damage it has done rather than unconstitutionally increase its role.
Would the presidential designee who was appointed by authority of the NDAA for 2010 please identify himself or herself and explain why the “in a secure manner” clause hasn’t been adequately addressed? As an aside, if President Obama really wants to do something about electoral fraud, he should start in Chicago.
Sean Adl-Tabatabai
Paper ballots and voter id.
– and a finger dipped in purple ink after voting so Dems can’t run around town voting dozens of times under different names.
Great Idea.
Fingerprints and alarm when someone tries to vote again and overseers of the count by several people!
Us corporation- you are fired.
crush the electronic machines
It’s time to admit we have devolved into a dictatorship under Obama. Time to take the country back.
Its not the Russian hackers I would be worried about It would be the DNC and Obamas crew that would surely screw the all election system up to their favor
Yes and we know they would.KILLARY can’t win unless the election is rigged!!!!!
It’s already rigged by the electorate collage where Hillary has 347 votes and Trump has 191!
I find it curious that after gaming the electoral system for years the Republicans can point the finger at the Dems as some sort of evil conspiracy to steal the election. If you didn’t handcuff yourselves to a dead hooker when you nominated Trump then you wouldn’t have to run around making absurd accusations. You could simply steal another win like you did in Bush v. Gore.
I can only assume you want Hillary and her New World Order-Agenda 21 supported and pushed by the United Nations, touted as a peaceful organization, the extermination of billions of people world wide. Go to the site called THE GEORGIA GUIDE STONES erected in the 1980s and see what this NWO wants for us, like only 500 million people to Govern world wide, now ask yourself what are they planning to do with the other 4 or 5 billion of us on this planet? maybe put us in their F.E.M.A. AUSCHWITZ type camps being erected all over this country right now? is that why the Obama Administration has spent millions buying up guns and ammo over the last three years, all the while trying to disarm innocent Americans? is that why Russian President Putin keeps telling Americans ” DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR GUNS “? don’t you thinks there’s something wrong when this Administration keeps telling us there’s going to be a massive drought, when all the while the U.S. owns and operates the ONLY weather control station in Alaska known as HAARP.? Clinton supports TPP, a way to send more jobs out of this country ( but as of late has started to deny it, because it’s hurting her polls ) didn’t Bill Clinton send enough jobs out of this country with NAFTA to suit you,? Hillary stood up and said whites are what’s wrong with this country, now isn’t that kind of RACIST for her to say that about any group of people regardless of their race?
The Clinton’s have left a blood trail three decade’s + long, seems to be several more recently (at least five in the last few weeks ), of people that are going to testify against them or investigating them? and don’t forget Benghazi. That woman is a disgrace to women everywhere. Yes, I to would like better choices for a candidate, but if it comes down to a loud mouth Trump or a lying, thieving, murderous Hillary, sorry I’ll have to take the loud mouth. An EX-CIA friend told me this exact thing was coming down last year and to prepare for Obama’s martial law, so don’t take my word for it, check these things out. God Bless
yup
I wish to God these dumbass liberals would just take the time to read up on this New World Order……. It’s frightening !!!…. I suggest watching a video called, ” JFK to 911- Everything Is A Rich Man’s Trick ” too. It’s like 3 hours long, but well worth it. It starts off a little slow, but will soon have you on the edge of your seat. A lot of things in it, is fairly recently uncovered. Pay special attention to The New World Order, and the assassination of JFK, which has tons of video’s with interviews with witnesses the government didn’t want interviewed after he was killed. It goes in great detail just how it came about , naming names, showing proof. It blew my mind when I read some of the names, and their connection to it !!!!
an amazing book available as a pdf
https://rdgable.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/behold-a-pale-horse.pdf
I’d say the tinfoil business is safe with this lot!
First as someone said, paper ballots only. Then, I might be persuaded to trust Russia more than Obama or his Justice Dept
That settles it. Pig Woman is the new president
Guarantee’s a rigged Election.
Now there is a joke the obama Administration to oversee the election that’s like putting the fox inside the hen house and locking the door if that happends the obama-clinton anti-American cell will win the election
isn’t that the truth!!!! OBAMA wants to make sure CLINTON wins. So she can carry on his evil work.
No Thank You Mr. President. There Is Clearly A Conflict Of Interest.
What? These are the ones you need to watch! The Obama administration are the ones who is most likely to rig it their way! That’s how they get in office. CHEAT!
He and Hilliary stole the election from Bernie.
Sanders turned out to be a real prize in his own right. Good riddance to that old codger.
People are suggesting that Trump’s name be written in to deter machine cheating. Not sure if that would disqualify your vote. They may be looking for any way of disqualifying your vote. Sure hope Florida has gotten rid of the hanging chad problem by now.
This is a “how-to-steal-an-election” agenda by the DNC. And now they can legitimize it under false “security” pre-tenses. Trump may not be the best answer for this county, but going against Killary, he is the ONLY answer. Enough of this government corruption.
This is BULL, JUST A POOR EXCUSE to control the out come. It`s legal FRAUD ! IDs and paper ballots is all that`s needed. Congress better get off their butts and do their job !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE ONLY ONES CHEATING AND GOT THE POLLS RIGGED IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SO HILLARY CAN WIN. I OBJECT THAT DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS OVERSEEING THE POLLS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE CHEATERS AND OBAMA WANTS TO REMAIN PRESIDENT SO HE DOESN’T HAVE TO LEAVE OFFICE. BEEN ALREADY IN THE WORKS !!!
I PERFER PAPER BALLOTS MAKE SURE MY VOTE GOES TO THE RIGHT CANDIDATE !!!
I WANT MY BERNIE BACK!!!
The Dems took the right to vote away from our Men and Women in the Military they did it in 2008 and they did it in 2012. We cannot allow this lawless admin to steal another election from we the people that being said the Republicans need to be kept in check as well. Lets face it, the time has come for We the People to say enough is enough and take our country back from the lot of them!
Might as well call Trump Nostradamus. He said the election would be rigged, now it’s official
this is a satire ‘news’ site
Umm no it’s not.
Wow, what a BS article…how can any sane person think this is legit? Just another BS story by who? Maybe fox, the Koch bros., the conservatives? If it seems too bazaar to be true, it probably isn’t. All you Trump fans believe everything and anything that is put in front of you. FYI…I am not a Hillary fan. I just really hate these sites that make up stuff.
There is NO evidence of voter fraud. Look it up. Do some research before you comment! Why don’t you all try research before and after you watch Fox news! I do! You’ll learn a lot.
The real threat are trump nut jobs he’s calling to patrol the polls.
Since you have already chosen Killery to be the next POTUS we need the UN to oversee this election you did nothing during the primary which was rigged so cannot trust you now.
then it’s settled, they will rig it so Hillary wins. Evil and Dispicable. I believe Obama is THE ANTI – CHRIST and he is here to ruin USA .
I trust these fuckers as far as I can throw the White House
SOETORO KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT OF AMERICAS BUSINESS YOU ARE NOT HER PRESIDENT!!!