Call for 'hackers' to try to access voting machines draws stern warning

[R. A. Hettinga]

<http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article?id=7181775>

The Virgin Islands Daily News - A Pulitzer Prize Winning Newspaper
  
Call for 'hackers' to try to access voting machines draws stern warning
By AESHA DUVAL
Thursday, September 9th 2004




ST. CROIX - Law enforcement officials and the V.I. Board of Elections
issued warnings Wednesday saying anyone who tampers with voting machines
will face criminal prosecution.

 The warning came after Elections officials received a faxed document last
week stating that a $10,000 cash award would be offered to anyone who can
successfully "hack" into electronic voting machines to prove whether vote
tallies can be changed.

 The flier lists on top in large bold letters, "Cash Payout" and further
reads, "The first person to change vote tallies undetectably can claim
$10,000!"

 Hope Gibson, a St. Croix resident and former senatorial candidate, said
she sent the document to Elections offices and the media and insists she is
not asking that anyone break the law.

 Gibson states in the document that she is calling the Joint Board of
Elections to allow challengers the opportunity to access the voting
machines and prove that the machines can or cannot be programmed to give
false results.

 She said similar challenges are being offered on the mainland and that the
accuracy of the same machines used in the territory - the 1242 ELECTronic
voting machine which is manufactured by the Danaher Corp. - have come into
question.

 Gibson said the $10,000 is being offered by Michael Shamos, a Carnegie
Mellon University computer scientist.

 "I didn't do anything illegal," Gibson said Wednesday.

 U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Azekah Jennings disagrees, saying the
document can be misinterpreted as an open invitation for anyone to
illegally tamper with voting machines and that by changing voting results,
a cash award can be claimed.

 "It is unlawful for anyone to engage in any kind of voter fraud," Jennings
said. "There are substantial criminal penalties for such violations. If
such actions are taken, those individuals run the risk of being exposed to
criminal prosecution."

 Jennings said tampering with voting machines is a federal offense and
violators could face substantial fines and possibly imprisonment depending
on the violation. He declined to say if criminal action would be taken.

 Elections board member Alicia Wells and other members were shocked and
appalled by Gibson's challenge.

 "We want to make it clear that any tampering with voting machines will not
be tolerated," Wells said.

 Gibson said although Supervisor of Elections John Abramson Jr. has said
fail-safes are built into the machines to ensure accuracy, she believes the
machines are unreliable and vulnerable. She said a paper ballot system is
the only means for a voter to physically verify their vote before they cast
it.

 "The point that is being made here is the only people who really know if
your vote counts are the voting machine vendor, the local programmer and
the potential hacker - not the voter," Gibson said.

 Abramson said Wednesday he forwarded the document to the FBI, U.S.
Attorney's Office and V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron.

 "We are leaving this in the hands of law enforcement," Abramson said.
  [CLOSE WINDOW]
  


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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
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