Caught on Tape: Florida Election Officials Trash Vote Records
Blackboxvoting.org
NOV 16 2004: Volusia County on Lockdown
County election records put on lockdown
Dueling lawyers, election officials gnashing teeth, Votergate.tv film crew catching it all.
Here's what happened so far:
Friday,
Black Box Voting investigators Andy Stephenson and Kathleen Wynne
popped in to ask for some records. They were rebuffed by an elections
official named Denise. Bev Harris called on the cell phone from
investigations in downstate Florida, and told Volusia County Elections
Supervisor Deanie Lowe that Black Box Voting would be in to pick up the
Nov. 2 Freedom of Information request, or would file for a hand
recount. “No, Bev, please don't do that!” Lowe exclaimed. But this is
the way it has to be, folks. Black Box Voting didn't back down.
Monday
Bev, Andy and Kathleen came in with a film crew and asked for the FOIA
request. Deanie Lowe gave it over with a smile, but Harris noticed that
one item, the polling place tapes, were not copies of the real ones,
but instead were new printouts, done on Nov. 15, and not signed by
anyone.
Harris
asked to see the real ones, and they said for “privacy” reasons they
can't make copies of the signed ones. She insisted on at least viewing
them (although refusing to give copies of the signatures is not legally
defensible, according to Berkeley elections attorney, Lowell Finley).
They said the real ones were in the County Elections warehouse. It was
quittin' time and an arrangment was made to come back this morning to
review them.
Lana
Hires, a Volusia County employee who gained some notoriety in an
election 2000 Diebold memo, where she asked for an explanation of minus 16,022 votes for Gore,
so she wouldn't have to stand there “looking dumb” when the auditor
came in, was particularly unhappy about seeing the Black Box Voting
investigators in the office. She vigorously shook her head when Deanie
Lowe suggested going to the warehouse.
Kathleen
Wynne and Bev Harris showed up at the warehouse at 8:15 Tuesday
morning, Nov. 16. There was Lana Hires looking especially gruff, yet
surprised. She ordered them out. Well, they couldn't see why because
there she was, with a couple other people, handling the original poll
tapes. You know, the ones with the signatures on them. Harris and Wynne
stepped out and Volusia County officials promptly shut the door.
There
was a trash bag on the porch outside the door. Harris looked into it
and what do you know, but there were poll tapes in there. They came out
and glared at Harris and Wynne, who drove away a small bit, and then
videotaped the license plates of the two vehicles marked 'City Council'
member. Others came out to glare and soon all doors were slammed.
So,
Harris and Wynne went and parked behind a bus to see what they would do
next. They pulled out some large pylons, which blocked the door. Harris
decided to go look at the garbage some more while Wynne videotaped. A
man who identified himself as “Pete” came out and Harris immediately
wrote a public records request for the contents of the garbage bag,
which also contained ballots — real ones, but not filled out.
A brief
tug of war occurred, tearing the garbage bag open. Harris and Wynne
then looked through it, as Pete looked on. He was quite friendly.
Black Box Voting
collected various poll tapes and other information and asked if they
could copy it, for the public records request. “You won't be going
anywhere,” said Pete. “The deputy is on his way.”
Yes, not
one but two police cars came up and then two county elections
officials, and everyone stood around discussing the merits of the
“black bag” public records request.
The
police finally let Harris and Wynne go, about the time the Votergate.tv
film crew arrived, and everyone trooped off to the elections office.
There, the plot thickened.
Black Box Voting
began to compare the special printouts given in the FOIA request with
the signed polling tapes from election night. Lo and behold, some were
missing. By this time, Black Box Voting investigator Andy Stephenson
had joined the group at Volusia County. Some polling place tapes didn't
match. In fact, in one location, precinct 215, an African-American
precinct, the votes were off by hundreds, in favor of George W. Bush
and other Republicans.
Hmm.
Which was right? The polling tape Volusia gave to Black Box Voting,
specially printed on Nov. 15, without signatures, or the ones with
signatures, printed on Nov. 2, with up to 8 signatures per tape?
Well,
then it became even more interesting. A Volusia employee boxed up some
items from an office containing Lana Hires' desk, which appeared to
contain — you guessed it — polling place tapes. The employee took
them to the back of the building and disappeared.
Then,
Ellen B., a voting integrity advocate from Broward County, Florida, and
Susan, from Volusia, decided now would be a good time to go through the
trash at the elections office. Lo and behold, they found all kinds of
memos and some polling place tapes, fresh from Volusia elections office.
So,
Black Box Voting compared these with the Nov. 2 signed ones and the
“special' ones from Nov. 15 given, unsigned, finding several of the
MISSING poll tapes. There they were: In the garbage.
So,
Wynne went to the car and got the polling place tapes she had pulled
from the warehouse garbage. My my my. There were not only
discrepancies, but a polling place tape that was signed by six
officials.
This was a bit disturbing, since the employees there had said that bag was destined for the shredder.
By now,
a county lawyer had appeared on the scene, suddenly threatening to
charge Black Box Voting extra for the time spent looking at the real
stuff Volusia had withheld earlier. Other lawyers appeared, phoned,
people had meetings, Lana glowered at everyone, and someone shut the
door in the office holding the GEMS server.
Black Box Voting
investigator Andy Stephenson then went to get the Diebold “GEMS”
central server locked down. He also got the memory cards locked down
and secured, much to the dismay of Lana. They were scattered around
unsecured in any way before that.
Everyone
agreed to convene tomorrow morning, to further audit, discuss the hand
count that Black Box Voting will require of Volusia County, and of
course, it is time to talk about contesting the election in Volusia.
http://blackboxvoting.org
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