|||
With an early evening event to attend today, we must forego our own personal (i.e., JWB’s) report of similar activities this past week. Although we are not connected with the voter integrity group mentioned in this article, we share many of the same concerns in our neighboring county.
Hopefully, we can find time to write and share that report with you next week. We share these reports because these are the same types of things that are occurring in many states of the USA, and we strongly encourage all who are able to get involved!
This is from the Tribune Papers, which is a weekly conservative newspaper published by friends of ours, whose permission we have obtained, to pass on any of their articles. Their website is linked in the paragraph after point 5 below. All *emphases* and words in [brackets] are mine—JWB.
By Clint Parker in the Tribune Papers, October 27-November 2, 2020
QUOTE: Members of the WNC [Western North Carolina] Freedom 2020 organization, a voter integrity group, and Don Yelton, a Buncombe County candidate for District 3 Commissioner, went to the Buncombe County Board of Elections [BCBOE] on Thursday and delivered a demand letter.
In the letter, they sought five confirmations to ensure “the voting public has fair & free elections…” and asked for “information and all documents relating to” Buncombe County voting systems to verify the following: [Asheville is the county seat of Buncombe County.]
The Tribune reported on the glitch mentioned in point 4 of the letter in the last two issues of the newspaper. [SKM-MN readers can access the previous article here.] It was brought to our attention by Kay Olson, a precinct judge and member of WNC Freedom 2020.
The Buncombe County Director of Elections, Corinne Duncan, confirmed that the glitch existed but told the newspaper that any double voting would be caught by the end of the day when it would show the same voter voted more than once.
The glitch occurs because the computers, which act as voter check-in books, sync via the internet every 15 minutes. This brings up the group’s points 2 and 5 about connecting to the internet.
WNC Freedom 2020 considers the check-in books to be part of the early voting system. Section 300: Approval and Operation of voting systems stipulates: “(2) It shall enable the voter to vote a straight part ticket in the general election.” The current ballot has so such option.
The group also cites NCGS [North Carolina General Statutes] 163-165 (j), which states, “No voting system used in any election in this State shall be connected to a network, and any feature allowing connection to a network shall be disable. Prohibited network connections include the internet, intranet, fax, telephone line, networks established via modem, or any other wired or wireless connection.”
According to 163-165 Definitions (11) “ ‘Voting system’ means a system of casting and tabulating ballots. The term includes systems of paper ballots counted by hand as well as systems utilizing mechanical and electronic voting equipment.” This seems to include all equipment, including the check-in computers, that should not be connected to the internet.
The Tribune contacted Duncan to get her reaction to the letter and some of the group’s concerns, but as of press time, she had not replied. END QUOTE
-END-
Posted Friday, October 28, 2022
