To: Hillary Clinton, Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, and Donald Trump
Hand Recount Needed in Key States After Hacks, Exit Poll Red Flags & Irregularities
We need to be certain the vote count in this election was correct.
Unfortunately, our electronic voting systems -- from the voter files, to voting machines and vote counting scanners -- are easy to hack. The FBI identified known hacks and hack attempts before the election, and the votes counted by machine differed from exit polls beyond the margin of error in NC, PA, WI & FL.
Without a recount, no one, not election administrators, the candidates, nor anyone else can be certain that the vote was counted correctly, or even look at the ballots or computer code to check.
Long term, we need an audit system to catch errors and hacks. But right now, we need to make sure we preserve our democracy by calling on Presidential candidates to request key states do recounts to protect our vote.
Unfortunately, our electronic voting systems -- from the voter files, to voting machines and vote counting scanners -- are easy to hack. The FBI identified known hacks and hack attempts before the election, and the votes counted by machine differed from exit polls beyond the margin of error in NC, PA, WI & FL.
Without a recount, no one, not election administrators, the candidates, nor anyone else can be certain that the vote was counted correctly, or even look at the ballots or computer code to check.
Long term, we need an audit system to catch errors and hacks. But right now, we need to make sure we preserve our democracy by calling on Presidential candidates to request key states do recounts to protect our vote.
Why is this important?
I'm a democracy advocate who has been following this issue of our vulnerable voting systems for nearly a decade. Thanks to the work of computer scientists at Princeton and MIT - we've known for years our voting systems are unacceptably vulnerable to hacking, malfunction and error. In the 2016 presidential race, an unprecedented Russian attack on voting systems and the DNC as well as serious irregularities in key swing state vote counts necessitate action. Congressional calls for an investigation are helpful, but such a process could take a year or more, and will do nothing to assure our votes counted for this election.