<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">All,<BR>
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FYI. Alert<BR>
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Beverley<BR>
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</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=4 PTSIZE=14 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><B>URGENT!!!!!
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</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3 PTSIZE=12 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">Please go to our website at </FONT><FONT COLOR="#0000ff" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3 PTSIZE=12 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">www.ballot-integrity.org</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3 PTSIZE=12 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"> to see the full details.
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PLEASE SPREAD WIDELY!!!!!!
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P</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">lease call your Illinois state Senator AND Governor Pat Quinn's office to </FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3 PTSIZE=12 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><B>OPPOSE </FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">Illinois HB 85, which seeks to establish an ad hoc commission to investigate INTERNET VOTING</B>.
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Don't know your Senator?
Look here: <BR>
(http://www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchType.aspx)
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Gov. Pat Quinn's office:
(Phone: 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121)
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WHY OPPOSE THE COMMISSION:
Since the bill establishes a COMMISSION and NOT a COMMITTEE it is not subject to the usual review or input from the public, internet security and voting experts. As such, the commission can "rule" to suggest a vendor for internet voting without the benefit of fully understanding the insecurities of internet voting or the fact that there is no verifiable paper ballot as required by the Illinois Election Code.
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I THOUGHT THAT INTERNET VOTING IS SECURE:
While many transactions have been conducted online safely, all systems are still vulnerable to attack--even the Pentagon has been hacked into.
For more information:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/03/07/china.hackers/index.html
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I THOUGHT THAT INTERNET VOTING WOULD BENEFIT US CITIZENS LIVING ABROAD, INCLUDING US MILITARY PERSONNEL:
ALL ILLINOIS VOTERS should demand a verifiable paper ballot which can be easily read, marked, accurately counted and secured, especially in the event of a recount or close election. <B> ALL military personnel and those living abroad still have that ability NOW to vote with a military or overseas paper absentee ballots</B>.
The Pentagon tried to introduce internet voting for its military, but it was a complete failure, due among other problems, its vast insecurity. So porous was the system that the Pentagon <B>CANCELED internet voting</B>.
See:</FONT><FONT COLOR="#0000ff" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"> http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/2589/favicon.ico</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">
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According to Dr. Rebecca Mercuri, computerized voting expert--the military and ex-pats have the ability NOW to establish precincts in overseas military bases as well as all overseas embassies. The fact is, the need for internet voting is not justified.
In a document regarding internet voting over <U>24 computer security and computerized voting experts</U> have determined that internet voting or the even a pilot program for internet voting is just not appopriate due to inherent insecurity:
Here is what they said:
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"Given this list of problems, there is ample reason to be skeptical of internet voting proposals. Therefore, the principles of operation of any internet voting scheme should be publicly disclosed in sufficient detail so that anyone with the necessary qualifications and skills can verify that election results from that system can reasonably be trusted. Before these conditions are met, "<B>pilot studies" of internet voting in government elections should be avoided, because the apparent "success" of such a study absolutely cannot show the absence of problems that, by their nature, may go undetected.</B> Furthermor e, potential attackers may choose only to attack full-scale elections, not pilot projects.
<B>The internet has the potential to transform democracy in many ways, but permitting it to be used for public elections without assurance that the results are verifiably accurate is an extraordinary and unnecessary risk to democracy</B>.
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You can see the entire document here.
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#0000ff" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">http://www.verifiedvoting.org/downloads/InternetVotingStatement.pdf
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</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">INTERNET VOTING IS JUST FOR THOSE PEOPLE OVERSEAS--HOW DOES IT AFFECT ME?
One can make a claim that with any vote lost, (or stolen) our democracy suffers, our self-determination denied. An internet voting pilot program may turn into a fully run election--with no verifiable paper ballot, no observers at the poll, no election judges, no observers when ballots or materials are dropped off or counted. Our elections would be in the hands of a private server. Is this something that we want? I would say emphatically NO!
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It would be a fully FAITH BASED election--worse than those conducted now with privatized, computerized voting.
Please just take a few minutes and voice your concern.
Please tell them you your name and address.
To make them accountable to you--please also ask your Senator to write you back as to how they will vote on the bill and WHY.
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Use the body of this message for talking points OR go to our website </FONT><FONT COLOR="#0000ff" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">www.ballot-integrity.org
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_____________ the bottom line is this:
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Internet voting is insecure, unverifiable, and a strict violation of Illinois election code which requires a voter verifiable paper ballot for all voters!
I urge you to oppose HB 85, and the establishment of a commission for internet voting.
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Thank you!
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Melisa Urda
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Illinois Ballot Integrity Project <BR>
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