We as a nation are very similar to individuals. “Maybe what the other guy does is OK?? Maybe it would be OK for me to do it? That’s only fair, right?”
I have used the old cliche, “Crap rolls downhill” more than once in my life. It would seem that our ‘government’ feels that way too.?? What the feds do must be OK.?! Hence it should be OK for states and cities to do it also.?
What am I talking about? Corruption everywhere in our government — federal and local. Which is only indicative of a nation who has lost its ‘compass’ — i.e., religious beliefs. In recent years I heard stories that 20-30 years ago would have been rare — today not so much. But then this is Texas, right? We’re all squeaky clean throughout the state. Well, maybe not. Read this story, it may shock you … or maybe not. The question is, where is this going and will it continue unchecked!?!
Corruption can hide in complexity – by Brittany Macias
Having just voted in the 2016 Presidential Primaries myself, for what I believe is a crucial, crossroad campaign for our country’s future, what I have learned about electronic voter fraud has disturbed me.
In a recent TEA Party meeting in San Angelo, Texas, Dr. Laura Pressley, an Austin City Council candidate, used her personal experiences to shed light on electronic voter fraud in Texas. Dr. Pressley lost her bid for the District 4 Council seat to then 24-yr-old Gregorio Casar, in the 2014 runoff election for a seat on City Council. This seemingly standard American election ended in a lawsuit.
Pressley states that polls during her campaign had her at 55-60% and on the night of her runoff against Casar, Electioneers from each polling location called her claiming she was “doing great” and were already celebrating. But when the electronic results came in, Casar had beaten Pressley 2 to 1. Astonished, Pressley called for a recount that came back with Casar remaining the winner and Pressley claiming foul play.
When the recount was called, Travis County was not able to produce the correct documents required by law. Confronted with this, Pressley had to ask herself, “Do we step up and challenge this, or do we step back and be a victim?” She decided to step up and use her extensive knowledge in computer science (she holds four U.S. patents of that nature) and conduct her own research. What she found was alarming. Thus began the first lawsuit in the State of Texas against electronic voting machine calculation.
According to the Texas Election Code, three records must be attained in order to prove what was voted. There must be:
1. Results computation/tabulation of vote totals (This comes from a computer in the county office, where memory cards from each machine are inserted.) Texas Election Code § 128.001
2. Precinct results tally must be printed, signed, and copied before leaving the building (This is a thermal tape of votes.) Texas Election Code § 66.002(1)
3. Ballot images must be retained. Texas Election Code § 213.016
In the Pressley vs. Casar recount, the second two items—required by law—were not used. The data was merely tabulated a second time using the same software that had been used before. The printed tapes and ballot images were not even attainable, as the Hart InterCivic machines did not store images, though the Travis County and Hart websites both declare they are capable of doing so. The tally tapes were not printed as required by the law due to a waiver issued by the Secretary of State Election Division’s Keith Ingram. Ingram claimed that according to TEC § 43.007, he has authority to issue a waiving of the law requiring precincts to print tallies, though it is a Class B Misdemeanor to not print them. As Texas Senator Robert Hall states, “Without the printed tapes there is no way to validate the computerized election results. These inconsistencies in election record retention are breeding ground for election fraud and is an unacceptable practice for anyone who believes in the rule of law.”
In addition to breaking the laws of Texas regarding electronic voting, Dr. Pressley and her attorney discovered occurrences within the Hart InterCivic machines’ logs that happened to be eerily similar to a corrupt hacking scenario predicted in 2007 by Dr. Jeffrey Jacobson. In the audit log from the Hart InterCivic Electronic Voting Machines, a corruption error was stated as having occurred nine times. Each time, it was just before Pressley’s precinct memory card was inserted into the main tabulation computer.
Despite all of these circumstances, Pressley’s case was dismissed by the judge claiming “lack of evidence.” She was sanctioned $40,000 for a “frivolous lawsuit,” but given the option of taking a “deal” to have her sanction renounced if she would agree to not appeal. Might I mention her opponent, Casar, was appointed ten attorneys and Dr. Pressley was appointed none, using her own savings and fundraising to pay for the court case.
One Austin, Texas citizen, Kristi Smith, had this to say concerning the matter. “As an Austin and US citizen, I have no faith in our system, especially as a US citizen. These elected officials are either out of touch with who put them in power or they think that we don’t know what’s best for us even if it goes against voter majority and it’s time for us to wake up and smell the coffee.”
What we, as Texans—as U.S. citizens—must realize is this is not Laura Pressley’s case. It is our case. Our forefathers did not bleed and die so our vote could be hacked and stolen while laws are swept under a rug. Laura Pressley losing an Austin City Council election is not the grander fight. The fight is our 15th Amendment right to a vote—a vote that counts. For 13 years, candidates all over the state and all over the country have been complaining about electronic voter fraud with no idea how to combat it. Laura Pressley is the first to step up to the plate willing to fight for an accurate vote. As she puts it, “If we don’t have honest elections, where we can verify the result, what do we have? We have corruption… Corruption can hide in complexity.” Corruption certainly is more difficult to find tucked away in computer code.
What’s more, these issues are not exclusive to Travis County; it has been reported all over Texas, along with other issues such as votes being switched from one candidate on the selection screen to another candidate on the review screen.
What can we do about all of this? How can we protect our vote and ensure its accuracy the best way possible? The following are ways to ensure your county’s election processes are followed according to law:
First, we must remember that the elected officials running our country are public servants and they work for us.
Second, while there is no known or suspected issues locally, in San Angelo, everyone needs to work to assure this situation does not arise. Having workers and Election Administration office staff who have high integrity and principles is priceless. You can call your local Election Admin (Tom Green County’s is here), to inquire if they print the tally and retain the tapes. I would venture to say it wouldn’t hurt to also inform them it is a misdemeanor not to. [Note: TGC does!] You can also call your representatives.
Third, you can become a Poll Watcher.
Fourth, you can support Dr. Laura Pressley’s court case and inform others.
Fifth, be an informed voter.
In addition, check and recheck your vote on the electronic machines before hitting submit.
Freedom is not free and anything not maintained will deteriorate—including our country. Be informed, spread the word, and help protect our rights.
CHRISTIAN REPORTER NEWS
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