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Wed Jan 07 2009
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Departments Election Issues
Scientific Analysis Suggests Presidential Vote Counts May Have Been Altered
by US Vote Counts
March 30, 2005
Study Will Be Released Tomorrow March 31st
Group of University Professors Urges Investigation of 2004 Election
Officially, President Bush won November's election by 2.5%, yet exit polls showed Kerry winning by 3%[1] <#_ftn1>. According to a report to be released March 31^st by a group of university statisticians, the odds of a discrepancy this large between the national exit poll and election results happening by accident are close to 1 in a million.
In other words, by random chance alone, it could not have happened. But it did.
Two alternatives remain. Either something was wrong with the exit polling, or something was wrong with the vote count.
Exit polls have a long history of exceptional accuracy in past decades in the US, in the Ukraine, in Latin America, in Germany, and elsewhere. Yet in November 2004, the discrepancy was more than five times this (and similar to that of the invalid Ukraine election.[2] <#_ftn2>)
In a recent survey of US members of the world's oldest and largest computer society, The Association for Computing Machinery, 95% opposed software driven un-auditable voting machines[3] <#_ftn3>, of the type that now count at least 30% of U.S. votes. The vast majority of today's electronic vote-counting machines are not built with basic safeguards that would prevent and detect machine or human caused errors, be they innocent or deliberate.[4] <#_ftn4>
The consortium that conducted the presidential exit polls, Edison/Mitofsky, issued a report in January suggesting that the discrepancy between election results and exit polls occurred because Bush voters were more reticent than Kerry voters in response to pollsters.
The authors of this scientific study of the National Election Data Archive Project, consider that scenario highly unlikely, based on extensive analysis of the election data presented in their report “Final Study of the 2004 Presidential Election Poll Discrepancies”. They conclude, /“The required pattern of exit poll participation by Kerry and Bush voters to satisfy the exit poll data defies empirical experience and common sense under any assumed scenario.”/
An executive summary of the report by Josh Mitteldorf of Temple University has been released today and is available at: http://electionarchive.org/ucvAnalysis/US/Exit_Polls_summary.pdf. The full 25 page scientific report will be released tomorrow. This group's preliminary study on the exit poll discrepancies was not refuted by any PhD statistician in America, and we expect our final study to be similarly received in the academic community.
Amidst the data, many extremely unlikely anomalies exist, invariably in President Bush’s favor. For one, a state-by-state analysis of the discrepancy between exit polls and official election results shows highly improbable skewing of the election results biased towards the president.
We have had election fraud in this country before. November's wildly inaccurate presidential exit polls should warrant concern of the highest order by every American citizen.
The report acknowledges that the possibility of fraud in our vote counting system is the most serious issue any democracy can face. If there is any chance that vote counts have been electronically manipulated, it is imperative that the people of the United States know the truth.
The report concludes, “/We believe that the absence of any statistically-plausible explanation for the discrepancy between Edison/Mitofsky’s exit poll data and the official presidential vote tally is an unanswered question of vital national importance that needs thorough investigation./”
US Count Votes is seeking financial support for its "National Election Data Archive" project in order to collect detailed election data and, prior to November 2006, to develop statistical methods to audit elections results data and provide statistical evidence of vote tabulation errors immediately following any US election.
*Contributors and Supporters of the Report include:*
*Josh Mitteldorf*, PhD - Temple University Statistics Department
*Steven F. Freeman*, PhD - Center for Organizational Dynamics, University of Pennsylvania
*Brian Joiner*, PhD - Prof. of Statistics (ret) University of Wisconsin
*Frank Stenger*, PhD - Professor, School of Computing, University of Utah
*Richard G. Sheehan*, PhD -Professor, Department of Finance, University of Notre Dame
*Paul F. Velleman*, PhD - Associate Prof., Department of Statistical Sciences, Cornell University
*Victoria Lovegren*, PhD - Department of Mathematics, Case Western Reserve University
*Campbell** B. Read*, PhD - Prof. Emeritus, Department of Statistical Science, Southern Methodist University
*Jonathan Simon*, J.D., National Ballot Integrity Project
*Ron Paul Baiman, *PhD* *– Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago
*About US Count Votes*
US Count Votes is a Utah non-profit corporation. It is the sponsor of the National Election Data Archive project and of research to scientifically analyze the accuracy of vote counting in the United States. Its goal is to provide nationwide, impartial statistical auditing services to help ensure the accuracy of future elections.
For further information visit www.electionarchive.org.
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[1] <#_ftnref1> "Evaluation of Edison/Mitofsky Election System 2004" prepared by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for the National Election Pool (NEP) Jan. 19, 2005
[2] <#_ftnref2> In the November 21 runoff, Ukraine's official vote count had Prime Minister Yanukovych the winner by 2.7%. Two exit polls showed him losing by 8% and 2%, respectively. Thus, the discrepancy was between 10.7% and 4.7%. In the US, the discrepancy was between 6.5% and 5.5%. See http://www.templetonthorp.com/ru/news808 and http://www.indybay.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=2669&category_id=44.
[3] <#_ftnref3> www.acm.org/usacm/weblog/index.php?p=73
[4] <#_ftnref4> http://uscountvotes.net/voting_machines/Best_Practices_US.pdf
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Don't forget to check out articles from 2008 and 2009Election Issues
"An open letter to the Election Assistance Commission" December 25, 2005 John Gideon, Executive Director of VotersUnite.Org and Information Manager for VoteTrustUSA.Org
"Diebold hack proven in county test!" December 17, 2005 Glenn Yeagley
"Diebold Inc. in a tailspin after resignation of CEO and filing of a class action fraud lawsuit" December 17, 2005 VelvetRevolution.us
"Orr thinks machines make voting simpler, more secure " December 17, 2005 Mario Bartoletti
"Diebold "hack test" - Sec. State / Black Box Lawyer square off" December 10, 2005 Black Box Voting
"With new legislation, Ohio Republicans plan holiday burial for American Democracy" December 6, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Important daily voting news" December 4, 2005 John Gideon
"Poll shock" November 24, 2005 Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
"Ohio's Diebold Debacle: New machines call election results into question" November 24, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Diebold attempts to evade election transparency laws" November 20, 2005 Matt Zimmerman
"Supreme Court stabs another GOP knife into US democracy by upholding ex-felon vote ban" November 16, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Has American Democracy died an electronic death in Ohio 2005's referenda defeats?" November 11, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"What John Kerry definitely said about 2004’s stolen election and why it's killing American democracy" November 10, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Scrap the "secret" ballot - return to open voting" November 5, 2005 Lynn Landes
"Clarification of NEDA's withdrawal of Ohio exit poll paper" November 5, 2005 Kathy Dopp
"Clarification of NEDA's withdrawal of Ohio exit poll paper" November 3, 2005 Kathy Dopp, National Election Data Archive
"Watergate-style money laundering indictments stoke Ohio's stolen election fires" October 28, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings" October 26, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Did you erase your own vote?" October 25, 2005 Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, www.VoteTrustUSA.org
"Why can't the left face the Stolen Elections of 2004 & 2008?" October 18, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Carter/Baker Report can't face how the GOP stole America's 2004 election & is rigging 2008" September 20, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Two Steps Forward, One Step Back" September 20, 2005 Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, VoteTrustUSA
"FEMA Chief Brown Paid Millions in False Claims to Help Bush Win Fla. Votes" September 19, 2005 Jason Leopold
"Ohio recount lawsuit set for trial; election workers indicted" September 4, 2005 Blair Bobier
"Ohio Governor's ethics violations expose money trail to stolen 2004 election" August 30, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Diebold's failure in California" August 7, 2005 John Gideon, Information Manager, www.VotersUnite.Org and www.VoteTrustUSA.Org
"Did the GOP steal another Ohio Election?" August 5, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Conyers-Kaptur seek special counsel for Noe probe" August 4, 2005 John Conyers, Jr. and Marcy Kaptur
"Dramatic new charges deepen link between Ohio's "Coingate," Voinovich mob connections, and the theft of the 2004 election" July 29, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"None dare call it stolen - Ohio, the election, and America's servile press" July 24, 2005 Mark Crispin Miller, summarized by Mary Anne Saucier, Columbus, Ohio
"Civic Engagement and the Restoration of Community from a voter activist’s view" July 19, 2005 Terri Zins
"My report from Hocking County, July 5, 2005: An update on Sherole Eaton's unfolding Story" July 7, 2005 Victoria Parks, Ohio Backbone Campaign
"Handbook for Ohio Voter Activists, Version 2.0" July 7, 2005 Various activists
"Direct testimony: Presented to Election Assessment Hearing" July 4, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Log Cabin Republicans in Ohio" July 4, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"With a limp election theft report, Dems prove why they're unworthy" June 28, 2005 Harvey Wasserman and Bob Fitrakis
"Voting problems and uncounted votes in Lucas County, Ohio" June 28, 2005 Justine Smith
"The DNC 2004 Election Report: An indictment of incompetence" June 25, 2005 Steven Rosenfeld and Bob Fitrakis
"Corporate control of the election process" June 22, 2005 John Gideon
"Introduction: Did George W. Bush steal America's 2004 election?" June 16, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Voter Confidence Committee Calls For Rejection of CA Special Election" June 16, 2005 Dave Berman
"Activists from 25 states lobby for paper ballots on June 9 and 10" June 10, 2005 VoteTrustUSA.org
"Fear of riffraff" June 10, 2005 Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
"Electoral Politics and the War: Lessons from 2004 and What the Anti-War Movement Should do in 2006" June 8, 2005 Kevin Zeese
"Optical scan machines hacked in Florida" June 2, 2005 Black Box Voting
"Does ES&S really want to sell the Automark machines?" May 28, 2005 John Gideon
"Attack on election board whistleblower and leaked Blackwell threats re-fire Ohio's election theft scandal" May 23, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Franklin County, Ohio Election Procedures – April and May 2005" May 6, 2005 Paddy Shaffer
"Carter Gets It – But Will His Electoral Commission?" April 24, 2005 Kevin Zeese and Linda Schade
"Voter Perceptions and Political Deceptions: Federal, Ohio and Knox" April 24, 2005 Mike Swinford
"Electoral reform groups call for James Baker's resignation from electoral reform commission" April 17, 2005 Ilene Proctor
"National Conference on Election Reform Opens with Civil Rights Panel" April 13, 2005 Abigail Thorton
"View from Another Planet" April 13, 2005 Josh Mitteldorf
"Democrats! Paper “Trails” Aren’t Good Enough. Count The Damn Ballots!" April 12, 2005 Lynn Landes
"Democrats, Paper ‘Trails’ Aren’t Good Enough; Count The Damn Ballots!" April 1, 2005 Lynn Landes, Online Journal Contributing Writer
"Scientific Analysis Suggests Presidential Vote Counts May Have Been Altered" March 30, 2005 US Vote Counts
"As Blackwell Says, Ohio’s in 2004 was a National Model" March 24, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld, Bob Fitrakis, and Harvey Wasserman
"Understanding the difference between paper ballots and paper audit trails" March 20, 2005 Gary Beckwith
"Save Our Democracy" March 16, 2005 John Irwin
"Republicans maneuvering to get Voting Rights Act killed" March 10, 2005 Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Legal filing highlights Blackwell's hypocrisy in Ohio recount case" March 7, 2005 Blair Bobier
"Selma 40 Years Later" March 6, 2005 Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Exit Poll Madness - Analyst Steve Freeman & Company Offer False Choice" March 4, 2005 Lynn Landes
"Libertarians To Testify in Ohio House: Modernize Ohio's Election Laws" March 3, 2005 Robert Butler
"The New Voting Rights Movement Begins Here Today" March 2, 2005 Steven Rosenfeld
"Voting in America" February 28, 2005 Bob Babson
"The Mighty Texas Strike Force" February 28, 2005 Nick Mottern - Documentary News Service
"Blackwell presidential election sanctions briefs" February 22, 2005 Various individuals
"Representative Conyers and others file amicus brief in Ohio Supreme Court" February 17, 2005 Dena Graziano
"Congresswoman Tubbs Jones Outraged at Blackwell's Failure to Appear During House Administration Hearing" February 12, 2005 Office of Rep. Tubbs Jones
"Ohio Attorney-General's attack on election protection attorneys draws mountain of documentation on state's stolen election, including new study on exit polls" February 3, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Prominent Statisticians Refute 'Explanation' of 2004 U.S. Exit Poll Discrepancies in New Edison/Mitofsky Report and Urge Investigation of U.S. Presidential Election Results" January 31, 2005 Bruce O'Dell
"The last man to concede..." January 29, 2005 Sheila Samples
"Report on Washington DC, January 6, 2005" January 25, 2005 Avram Friedman
"Arkansas in 2004: Did Bush Really Win?" January 24, 2005 Max Standridge
"New links" January 23, 2005 Free Press staff
"Voting Problems and Uncounted Votes in Lucas County, Ohio" January 23, 2005 Justine Smith
"Plan B: Parallel Elections & Signed Ballots" January 20, 2005 Lynn Landes
"Open Letter to Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro from Representative John Conyers, Jr." January 20, 2005 Representative John Conyers, Jr.
"Open Letter to Warren Mitofsky and Larry Rosin from Representative John Conyers, Jr." January 20, 2005 Representative John Conyers, Jr.
"Ohio's GOP Attorney General launches revenge attack on Election Protection legal team" January 19, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"What are they hiding in New Mexico?" January 18, 2005 Warren Stewart, National Ballot Integrity Project
"In the Shadow of Dr. King, counting the vote remains a civil rights issue" January 17, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Did the “Liberal Media” Get the 2004 Election All Wrong?
" January 16, 2005 Gene C. Gerard
"'COUNT EVERY VOTE. EVERY VOTE COUNTS'" January 16, 2005 Mary Anne Saucier
"Moss v. Bush moves on and movement continues" January 13, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Rally Continues Drive for Democracy" January 9, 2005 Mark Huntress
"Estimated vote count in Ohio" January 8, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"January 6 Washington, D.C. rally report" January 8, 2005 Nick Mottern
"Together, we moved three mountains" January 8, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"What the election challenge means" January 8, 2005 David Swanson, ILCA
"Progressive Democrats lead historic voting rights protest as Congress ratifies flawed 2004 Electoral College tally" January 7, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Arnebeck letter to Congress re Presidential Electoral Challenge" January 6, 2005 Clifford O. Arnebeck, Jr.
"Senator Barbara Boxer, D-CA and Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-OH contested the election" January 6, 2005 Free Press staff
"The "Crime of November 2": The human side of how Bush stole Ohio, and why Congress must investigate rather than ratify the Electoral College (Part Two of Two)" January 5, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff" January 5, 2005 U.S. Rep. John Conyers and staff
"Seven key reasons why the vote must be challenged at the electoral college" January 3, 2005 Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
"Ten preliminary reasons why the Bush vote does not compute, and why Congress must investigate rather than certify the Electoral College (Part One of Two)" January 3, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Verified election contest petitions and documents in Ohio Supreme Court " January 2, 2005 The undersigned
"Distribution of voting machines by county in Ohio" January 1, 2005 Andy Shifflette
"Did We Bounce An Election?" January 1, 2005 Warren Stewart, votersunite.org
"Presidential election congressional hearing transcript" January 1, 2005 Congresspeople Waters, Tubbs-Jones and Conyers and others
Selected articles from 2004
"Ohio's official non-recount ends amidst new evidence of fraud, theft and judicial contempt mirrored in New Mexico" December 31, 2004
"Impossible Phantom Votes in New Mexico
" December 30, 2004
"The 2004 Presidential Election: Who Won The Popular Vote? An Examination of the Comparative Validity of Exit Poll and Vote Count Data" December 29, 2004
"Ohio GOP election officials ducking notices of deposition as Kerry enters stolen vote fray" December 28, 2004
"Another third rate burglary" December 25, 2004
"Hacking the vote in Miami County" December 25, 2004
"Update from the Ohio Frontlines" December 24, 2004
"Lawsuit Before the Ohio Supreme Court" December 24, 2004
"Kerry votes switched to Bush and ballots pre-punched for Bush" December 24, 2004
"Uncounted votes in Cuyahoga County" December 24, 2004
Related Journal articles:
"GAO report documents how easy it is to hack the vote" November 15, 2005
"J30 Election Reform Coalition" March 21, 2005
"The Un-mighty New Hampshire Jam Force" March 21, 2005
"Petro sanctions democracy" March 21, 2005
"Progressives helped concede election by conceding the moral high ground" March 21, 2005
"We will not concede, or get over it, but we shall overcome" January 23, 2005
"From Selma to Palm Beach to Columbus" January 23, 2005
"Movement Heroes" January 23, 2005
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