Thread Links Date Links
Thread Prev Thread Next Thread Index Date Prev Date Next Date Index

Re: Hand Recounts of votes recorded on DREs



Rebecca, the DRE's do not include any overvotes.

Please reference your 9% number and your 4.98 number  i am not familiar
with them.



_____




             "R. Mercuri"
             <notable@mindspri
             ng.com>                                                    To
             Sent by:                  Brit Williams
             owner-stds-1583-t         <britw@BELLSOUTH.NET>, Ted Selker
             g2@listserv.ieee.         <selker@MEDIA.MIT.EDU>, Arthur
             org                       Keller <ark@SOE.UCSC.EDU>
                                                                        cc
                                       <stds-1583-stg3@IEEE.ORG>,
             12/12/2004 12:06          <stds-1583-disc@IEEE.ORG>,
             PM                        <stds-1583-tg1@IEEE.ORG>,
                                       <stds-1583-tg2@IEEE.ORG>
                                                                   Subject
                                       Re: Hand Recounts of votes recorded
                                       on DREs










In answer to Brit's and Vern's questions:

I "get my numbers" from the OFFICIAL reports that
are issued by the secretaries of state following
elections. Various studies, including some by MIT/Caltech
show residual rates in the 3-5% range, as much as 9% in
some cases for DREs. In the California Gubernatorial Recall,
for example, the residual vote rate for the yes/no and
gubernatorial choice combined was 4.98% for the Diebold
Accu-Vote-TS, NOT 1.5% as Diebold has (frequently) claimed.

Residual vote rates are unexplained because they lump
together undervotes and overvotes (on systems that have
those) that may include both deliberate choices by voters
to skip a ballot question and machine errors.  There
is no way to confirm whether Georgia's (or any DRE)
residual vote rate is due to intentional undervotes
or computer error, because there is no way to INDEPENDENTLY
audit the vote casting and tallying systems.

Rebecca Mercuri.