Volusia poll tapes being examined to determine next step

Black Box Voting Organization is examining the information they have obtained from Volusia County and it's garbage bags to determine the next step. They appear reluctant to make any statements to the media until they have a more complete understanding of what they call "poll tape discrepancies."

Black Box Voting began to compare the special printouts given in the FOIA request with the signed polling tapes from election night. Lo and behold, some were missing. By this time, Black Box Voting investigator Andy Stephenson had joined the group at Volusia County. Some polling place tapes didn't match. In fact, in one location, precinct 215, an African-American precinct, the votes were off by hundreds, in favor of George W. Bush and other Republicans.

Hmm. Which was right? The polling tape Volusia gave to Black Box Voting, specially printed on Nov. 15, without signatures, or the ones with signatures, printed on Nov. 2, with up to 8 signatures per tape?

Well, then it became even more interesting. A Volusia employee boxed up some items from an office containing Lana Hires' desk, which appeared to contain -- you guessed it -- polling place tapes. The employee took them to the back of the building and disappeared.

Then, Ellen B., a voting integrity advocate from Broward County, Florida, and Susan, from Volusia, decided now would be a good time to go through the trash at the elections office. Lo and behold, they found all kinds of memos and some polling place tapes, fresh from Volusia elections office.

So, Black Box Voting compared these with the Nov. 2 signed ones and the "special' ones from Nov. 15 given, unsigned, finding several of the MISSING poll tapes. There they were: In the garbage.

As an election judge I can state that there should be no change from precinct vote record tapes produced on November 2nd to those produced later. The paper tapes produced at the precincts are the only paper trail that exists for electronic voting. These paper tapes contain the vote totals for poll booths in the precinct before the memory cards are uploaded to the county vote tabulator software. I will also note that destroying the paper tapes is a federal criminal offense.

The county appears to be claiming that the paper tapes in the garbage bags are copies. This seems to contradict early statement by Black Box Voting on their website. Reporters have not been able to obtain statements from Black Box Voting as they are apparently going through the records and deciding the next step.

Harris went to the Department of Elections' warehouse on State Road 44 in DeLand on Tuesday to inspect original Nov. 2 polling place tapes, after being given a set of reprints dated Nov. 15. While there, Harris saw Nov. 2 polling place tapes in a garbage bag, heightening her concern about the integrity of voting records.

Lowe confirmed Wednesday some backup copies of tapes from the Nov. 2 election were destined for the shredder. She added that originals were still available for Harris, or anyone else, to see. It is those polling place tapes that were copied and provided Wednesday to Black Box Voting for about $125.

A few news media have picked up Black Box Voting's website story.

Everyone agreed to convene tomorrow morning, to further audit, discuss the hand count that Black Box Voting will require of Volusia County, and of course, it is time to talk about contesting the election in Volusia.

The closest major metropolitan newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, reports that Bev Harris is considering requesting ballots from up to 50 precincts which she suspects have problems.