[media id=4028] [media id=4029] (h/t Heather) Just days away from the South Carolina primary, Lou Dobbs warns about the dangers of electronic votin
January 23, 2008

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Just days away from the South Carolina primary, Lou Dobbs warns about the dangers of electronic voting systems. Um, Lou? Where were you in 2004? 2000?

The reality is, because no one thinks -- we're focusing on this, the issue is that these machines are not reliable to the degree they should be and with a paper trail, verified paper system. There is -- at least you're protecting the integrity of the system so you have a recount. People must understand, you can't have a recount without that.

Welcome to our world, Lou. Just shows you that the netroots have been ahead of the curve and it's the MSM that must catch up. On a related note--not that it will assuage those who want to believe otherwise--NH's Democratic primary recount has ended and they've found very few errors and the results remained basically the same.

Transcripts below the fold:

DOBBS: The South Carolina democratic primary is now less than three days away. Incredibly, the state of South Carolina plans to use the same electronic voting machines that mall functioned last Saturday in the republican primary. Voters were forced to use scraps of paper to cast their ballots. South Carolina election officials, well they continue to defend that electronic voting system of theirs but as Kitty Pilgrim now reports, an increasing number of states are giving up on electronic voting and ensuring the integrity of their state's votes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Colorado legislators today agreed to dump touch screen voting and go back to paper for the election.

GOV. BILL RITTER (D), COLORADO: It ensures a paper trail. It minimizes the possibility of technology failures that have caused Election Day problems in the past in Colorado.

PILGRIM: The agreement requires legislation but has bipartisan report.

ALICE MADDEN, COLORADO GENERAL ASSEMBLY: My kids tell me retro is in. So I guess going back to the old fashioned retro way of voting is what we're looking at. Sometimes just because something is old- fashioned doesn't mean it's wrong.

PILGRIM: But in South Carolina a different story. Burned once with malfunctioning machines in last Saturday's republican primary, the state is still going to use the touch screen machines without a paper trail in this Saturday's democratic primary. South Carolina uses the same electronic machines that lost 18,000 votes in the Sarasota County, Florida congressional race in 2006. It's the same machine experts say flipped votes in Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida and South Carolina also in that year.

JOHN BONIFAZ, VOTERACTION.ORG: It's time to investigate these companies that have been marketing a defective product across the United States, to hold them accountable for doing that and to have just dicks all across the country, recoup millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent on this defective product.

PILGRIM: Florida will use paperless voting in its upcoming January 29th primary. Five other states, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey and Tennessee will either use all paperless or mostly paperless touch screen voting on Super Tuesday February 5th.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: There's really no excuse for states to cling to the electronic voting systems. A bill in congress will pay for the change for a more secure paper ballot system if the states want to change back. It's clear Colorado made a tough decision but one that will look very support on Election Day. Lou?

DOBBS: And very responsible. The reality is, because no one thinks -- we're focusing on this, the issue is that these machines are not reliable to the degree they should be and with a paper trail, verified paper system. There is -- at least you're protecting the integrity of the system so you have a recount. People must understand, you can't have a recount without that.

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