Boulder County 2014 and 2012 ElectionsThe multi-partisan Canvass Boards, for both 2014 and 2012 Elections, were sworn to serve and protect all Electors. It is for your protection that, as established under Colorado statute, the Canvass Board even exists. Read the written Oath that all Canvass Board Members must both speak and sign: CB_Oath.jpgNOTES:
LAST UPDATE: 05 AUGUST 2014 Check back frequently for updates, and Bookmark this page to easily find it again. These pages will be continually updated throughout the 2014 election cycle. These pages are maintained, at personal expense, by an official member * of the 2012 LATs and Canvass Boards. Dan Gould, Chair Boulder County Democratic Party, wanted 2012 low-information voters to know:
"I wish to point out that [this] website... is NOT a legitimate site for the actual Boulder County Canvass Board. This site is not now and never has been an authorized site of the actual Canvass Board, in spite of the banner at the top and discussion within. The actual Boulder County Canvass board never set up a website. The 2012 Boulder County Canvass Board completed its statutory work on Friday November 23, 2013 when it voted whether to certify the Boulder County election results. It voted, and proceeded to adjourn and has not met since. Therefore, you are cautioned not to conclude that the Austin memo [sic] has been reviewed and endorsed by the legitimate and now adjourned Boulder County Canvass Board."
[reference links added for clarification - DRM]After the 2014 NON-Certified Primary Election, DEM party Chairman Dan Gould - writing (along with two other DEM Canvass Board members) in a seldom-read paper (but a part of the DEM party mouthpiece group that owns the Denver Post, Daily Crimea and the Times Caul) - presumably wanted the same group of low-information voters to believe that "...the alleged problems alluded to [sic] are fictitious. It [the Non-Certification] was simply a partisan attempt to erode public confidence in our elections, thereby suppressing voter turnout.."
So, Mr Gould, you would have all of us believe that Canvass Board members Paul Geissler, Patricia Feeser and yourself (Democrats all) - along with Democrat Clerk Hillary Hall are not acting in a "partisan" manner ??? Really, Dan, you would have a more credible argument if you had simply blamed the Non-Certification on GWB. And why did you bury your comments in a "boondocks" paper? Afraid it would draw too much unfriendly fire anywhere else?
The Clerk and the Commissioners in Boulder County are a cynical Sisterhood of power brokers who see to it that taxes are raised to support the pet projects of their own agendas. They offer public meetings and discussions but the outcomes are predetermined. The Commissioners will put new taxes on the 2014 Ballot and, as if by magic, enough
DumpsterMail Ballots will be found and scanned to ensure passage:(Thanks to Don Wredge for graphics - DRM)
2000:2010:
2014:
14 YEARS OF RUNAWAY BOULDER COUNTY TAXES & SPENDING"As for me, I will vote NO! on all new taxes forever." - Daniel R. Martin
2014 ELECTION FYI
see also: 2012 Election FYIALERT: Many of the files below are Public Information which may be freely downloaded and distributed. All linked material is subject to the Copyrights and Restrictions of their respective authors and owners.
Newest 2014 entries are always placed at the top of the table below:
EVENT DATE DESCRIPTION WEB & DOWNLOAD LINKS OTHER FYI & COMMENTS 05 AUGUST 2014:
"Paul Geissler: Concerns over election are groundless"
...and a fellow Canvass Board member replies.
Wherein DEM Canvass Board member Paul Geissler echoes (parrots? plagiarizes?) a previous work in another paper. Using essentially identical phrases and assertions, Mr. Geissler (DEM) croons in his best 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' voice that: "Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall and her dedicated, non-partisan professional staff have done an exemplary job..." "...of conducting a fair and open Primary Election..." The entire feel-good puff piece is linked here: http://tinyurl.com/moujod6. I have no respect for Mr. Geissler or his party line rhetoric.
Really, Mr Geissler? It was you, (DEM) and Clerk Hillary Hall (DEM), and Dan Gould (DEM) and Patricia Feeser (DEM) who "self-certified" the 2012 General Election and the 2014 Primary Elections based on only partisan, minority (i.e., DEM) opinions. The Canvass Board Majority said this.
27 JULY 2014
What's up with the canvass board and the Boulder County clerk?
By Mary Eberle"...incomplete election data prevents reconciliation. Input (ballots cast or received) and output (ballots counted) cannot be balanced. The clerk [Hillary Hall, DEM] prefers to minimize transparency [and] to operate election processes as a black box..." and that "...By hiding [Ballot] input [data], mistakes and/or mischief cannot be detected." The DEMs seek to float a conspiracy theory to deflect attention away from their true pro-secrecy position, claiming the Non-Certification was actually "... a partisan attempt to erode public confidence in our elections, thereby suppressing voter turnout."
17 JULY 2014
Boulder County Commissioners promote 2014 Ballot Issues."Recently, we commissioned [i.e., paid out a lot of your tax money for] a poll [.pdf] to find out from residents what their most current priorities are as we review potential ballot issues for the fall election."
The bottom line here is that the spendy Commissioners have abandoned their plans to put a "Sustainability" tax on the November 2014 ballot.
Boulder County taxpayers dodged the tax bullet for a time, but just barely.17 JULY 2014
Canvass Board members volley on Non-Certification of 2014 Primary election.2014 Canvass Board member (and Democratic Party Chair) Dan Gould replies here (in an email to Mary Eberle) regarding this unfavorable T-C article. "I believe that the County Clerk and her staff provided the Canvass Board with the data it needed..." - Dan Gould
2014 Canvass Board member Mary Eberle replies here to Gould's email. "[Dan,] You preface what you say here with 'I believe.' Do you think that belief is a scientific basis for a legal conclusion?" - Mary Eberle
Here is an Official Watcher Report (.pdf) from the 2014 Primary. You decide whose position (Gould or Eberle) seems most protective of transparent elections in Boulder County. 12 JULY 2014 A very informative exchange to a comment I (aka NVUH) made.
Reply from [knowledgable] Carroll1776 to GesHoo who asked an honest question of NextVoiceUHear (me). The original Longmont Times-Call article is here: http://tinyurl.com/pngkwm8
Here is a link to the transcribed Article Comment series [partial]. Please read them.
"Our politics are no longer ethical because the political have chosen to reduce the nature and quality of our ethical standards to the lowest common denominator which is the law."
- Carroll177611 JULY 2014
Don't ignore concerns about Boulder County vote counting
- Longmont Times-Call"The response of the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder's office should be to proactively and publicly address the concerns by [canvass] board members ... Instead of focusing on answering the concerns ... the response has been to treat the questions raised as an annoyance." Here is the entire Times-Call editorial: Unfortunately the T-C neglected to mention that, as in 2012, Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall illegally "certified" the 2014 Primary election with a 3:4 Democrat minority vote. 11 JULY 2014 "What I observed compelled me to write down and share..."
- Official Watcher Dean Schooler
"Because of the unknowns and because of the limited audit, I have grave concerns about the integrity of the general election in Boulder County, Colorado, November 4 [2014] and the weeks preceding. " "The Clerk and Elections Division staff, intentionally in my view, had a strategy of controlling information given to the Canvass Board ..."
"... rather than [to] reconcile and audit data."
- Official Watcher Dean SchoolerHere is his full Report:
Official Watcher Report (.pdf)The 2014 Boulder County General Election needs to be taken over by Secretary of State Scott Gessler [REP] immediately. If that does not happen, right now, no opponent including 2014 Clerk candidate Ralph Shnelvar [LBR] can win under present election conditions to unseat incumbent Clerk Hillary Hall [DEM]. She will simply self-certify her own re-election.
- Daniel R. Martin [UAF]PRESS RELEASE:
09 JULY 2014
CLERK HILLARY HALL COLLUDES WITH OTHER DEMs TO "CERTIFY" 2014 PRIMARY ELECTION
The chair of the Boulder County canvass board, Al Kolwicz, today notified the Secretary of State that the 2014 primary election records submitted from Boulder County [by Clerk Hillary Hall] are false.
Some will say 'It's only a Primary' or 'Just more partisan politics' but this election corruption will play itself out again in the November 2014 General Election.
History of such events is gathered here.
Here is the Press Release from Canvass Board Chairman Kolwicz:
http://tinyurl.com/qyqhmk2
Unless Clerk Hall is recalled now, the corruption will continue when she "Certifies" her own re-election in November 2014.The bogus "Certification" document illegally signed by Clerk and Recorder Hillary Hall [DEM] and the two other Democrat Canvass Board members, Dan Gould and Pat Feeser, and sent to Colorado Secretary of State, says in part: "I, Hillary Hall, the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder, do hereby certify the Official Abstract of Votes Cast attached herein for the 2014 Primary Election held in Boulder County on the 24th of June."
This woman serves only the interests of herself and her party - not the people.
FLASH:
07 JULY 2014Boulder County canvass board votes not to certify [2014] primary election results
Identical articles appear in the Boulder Daily CrimeaCamera
http://tinyurl.com/pqb6yshand in the Longmont Times-Call:
http://tinyurl.com/n2t9brd.So the process begins again. The DEM Clerk Hall and two DEM Canvass Board members (the minority of three) face off against the two REP and two ACN Canvass Board members (the majority of four). The controlling DEM minority stalls and stonewalls while the majority requests complete information and cites actual examples of election irregularities, such as this 2014_Primary_Report.pdf and this Gessler_letter_6.pdf. 07 JULY 2014 Boulder County Clerk At Odds With Canvass Board Again
"Over the last two weeks, Democratic Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall has used her office to attempt to deny seating to a Canvass Board member of a third party [James Remmert, ACP]..." "...and to deny media access to a meeting of the Canvass Board."
"It was later suggested by those in attendance that her [Jennifer Raiffie's] presence on behalf of Watchdog Wire played a significant role in the Democrats’ decision not to challenge Remmert’s place on the canvass board. 03 July 2014 Boulder Clerk Hall prohibited media and public access to the 2014 Election Canvass Board meeting in direct violation of Colorado Open Meetings Law and Colorado Secretary of State Rule 8. Watch as appointed election lackeys seek to bar access to a public meeting... .
YouTube Video
(A/V 6 minutes)....to Jennifer Raiffie, a reporter for the WatchDogWire These are the same illegal tactics Clerk Hall pulled in the 2012 Election. Understandably, that election was NOT Certified either.
01 July 2014 When Worlds Collide
Reporter Raiffie said in an email to me, "The July 1 confrontation with deputy clerk of Boulder [County] Molly Tayer... she got nasty and physically made contact with my camera. The video did not record, but the audio backup did." Reporter Jennifer Raiffie of the WatchDogWire confronts appointed Boulder County Election employee Molly Tayer: YouTube Video
(audio only - 8 minutes).Once again, Boulder County Clerk Hall has instructed her public employees to illegally deny access to public meetings, such as are the meetings of the 2014 Canvass Board. 04 July 2014
Larry Yokell: Bravo to those fighting Boulder's unfair tacticsWE GOT OUR EYES ON YOU, COMMISSIONERS.
Did you think this would slip by unnoticed?
"...the city of Boulder's imperial leaders have shamelessly dictated that 7,500 unincorporated Boulder County residents accept the city's municipalization plans without giving them a vote on the matter." And, Larry, let's not forget about the nasty, and illegal, and being sued for, little
LID trick that the Boulder County Commissioners played on 10,000 unincorporated Boulder County residents.03 July 2014
AG John Suthers sues to stop Boulder County clerk from issuing same-sex marriage licensesBoulder County Clerk Hillery Hall is willfully acting against Colorado state law by issuing same-sex marriage licenses:
http://tinyurl.com/lnovg9m
Not only should Clerk Hall be sued personally, she should be impeached (recalled) as a Boulder County elected official.
Personally, I put little faith in the rumor (now gone viral) that the real Clerk Hall has been secretly replaced by a younger clone of herself
[DRM].28 June 2014
- Not Again!Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall is illegally wielding her partisan power...
...(e.g., "card-carrying" member of the DEM Dynasty) to hobble 2014 Canvass' Board oversight of 2014 elections in Boulder County. 2014 Canvass Board Member and voting integrity activist Al Kolwicz (R) writes Clerk Hall and Colorado Secretary of State office detailing
criminal activities, er, irregularities in the Boulder County procedures for voter registration and how Canvass Board members are seated.Perhaps Clerk Hall (Democrat) is still chapped at the 2012 Canvass Board majority who voted 4:3 NOT to Certify the 2012 Boulder County election... due to irregularities in Boulder County election procedures. [NOTE: I too was among that 2012 majority - DRM]
"Because of same day registration and voting, [these 2014 registration irreguularities] may be symptomatic of a far reaching problem. The integrity of the ballot box, when using same day voter registration and voting, is predicated on trust that the voter registration records reflect real-time updates. If they do not, the election integrity exposure [in Boulder County] needs to be examined."
- Al Kolwicz04 June 2014
2014 Canvass Board Member and voting integrity activist Al Kolwicz (R) writes Colorado Secretary of State......citing the inadequacy of the just completed Boulder County 2014 Logic and Accuaracy Test ("LAT"). He says "...I am deeply concerned that not enough has been done to prevent a repeat of the failed 2012 election. As you will recall, the Boulder County canvass board withheld certification of the election... The results from Boulder County’s [2014] LAT are seriously defective. Why were they approved?..." "...Boulder County’s election system is not production ready, so please don’t use it in a live election."
Mr. Kolwicz's letter (link at right) cites 13 specific examples of unaddressed threats to election integrity in 2014.
Most of these threats to election integrity are carried over unabated from the failed (i.e., Non-Certified) 2012 Boulder County LAT and General election. Mr. Kolwicz's Letter to SOS (.pdf).
In response, the SOS office has offered Mr. Kolwicz "a hearing" - a week or so from now. As always, SOS will "Slow Roll" any real action with more meetings, and studies, and memos, and emails, and inaction.
28 MAY 2014
2014 Primary LAT - Cumulative & Official Results, Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall (D)Certain recurring Ballot damage (e.g., folds, stains, tears) is most often seen in All-Mail-Ballot elections such as the 2014 Primary and General Elections will be. These items WERE NOT TESTED in the 2014 LAT just completed: Ballots with unusual marks Folded ballots Provisional ballots Electronic ballots 2014 Primary LAT (.pdf) Official Clerk's Report 19 pages of statistics to the hundredth decimal place yet "...results of the LAT are used to deceive the public and the courts into trusting election outcomes."
- Al Kolwicz.POLLUTED BALLOT STREAMS: There are five separate streams of voted ballots that will feed the 2014 Boulder County Primary and General Elections. Only the first two of these five streams are relatively "pure" and therefore trustworthy. Ballot streams 3-5 are hopelessly polluted due to inadequate chain-of-custody practices and questionable handling procedures. Example: Signature verification on Mail Ballot Envelopes is minimal.
Restorative changes to these careless practices and questionable procedures must be implemented immediately, first in Boulder County then statewide.
The five active ballot streams are:
- eSlate (DRE) Electronic devices.
- Voting Service Centers.
- Mail Ballots: In 2012, Boulder County Mail Ballots were sent out to 114 different foreign countries.
- UOCAVA (foreign & military) Ballots: These "ballots" are hand-copied to a blank Paper Ballot before scanning.
- Provisional Ballots: These too are hand-copied to blank Paper Ballots before scanning.
21 MAY 2014 Boulder County clerk checks primary election ballots, equipment
People can observe that testing, which begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday May 27th 2014, at the county clerk's ballot processing center at 1750 33rd St., Boulder.
Colorado Law (C.R.S. 1-7-509) says: "(1) (a) An electronic or electromechanical voting system shall be tested at the conclusion of maintenance and testing. The tests shall be sufficient to determine that the voting system is properly programmed, the election is correctly defined on the voting system, and all of the voting system's input, output, and communication devices are working properly.
(b) The designated election official shall conduct at least three tests on all electronic and electromagnetic voting equipment, including a hardware test..."
http://tinyurl.com/mfa3b6v Sensitive and temperamental Election Equipment
Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall (Democrat) continues to block election transparency and refuses to properly test all voting equipment. Her intransigence in the 2012 elections is well documented in these Watcher Reports.
Election problems in Boulder County will only be made worse in 2014 by the fact that these are Mail Ballot Only elections which will likely stress the untested Mail Ballot Envelope scanning system beyond its design limits.
County officials claim that it is exempt from testing because "The envelope sorter scanner is not electronic voting equipment" even though:
Every Mail-In Ballot must pass under its scanner. Features include many computer-like abilities such as complex database lookups and automatic signature verification. Nicknamed "Bitsy," its many failures in the 2012 election are well documented in this detailed Engineer's Report. Review the Manufacturer's Specfications and decide for yourself if the 'Bitsy' device reasonably matches the legal definition of 'an electronic or electromechanical voting system.'
NOTE: The Boulder Daily-Camera has adopted the cynical strategy of blocking digital access to public issues by demanding that internet readers must first pay a use tax before providing on-line access to news, editorial, and letters to the editor content.I deem it a 'tax' because the Daily Camera is the Court Jester kept around to flatter and amuse the target="_blank">White Queens, and to promote their interests.
Fortunately I have found a way around the block, but the same block may still adversely affect your viewing. Many hopeful readers will click away when confronted with the demand for unending payments to subscribe to Daily Camera propaganda. On-Line advertisers are paying to reach on-line readers that don't stick around and never have the opportunity to participate in the discussion of public (i.e., taxpayer) issues.
My apologies for the frustration (and obfuscation) such manipulation causes. - Daniel MartinBACK TO TOP
2012 ELECTION FYI
See also: 2014 Election FYI. The content below is historical information on the NOT CERTIFIED (4:3 majority decision by the 2012 Canvass Board) 2012 Boulder County Election.
EVENT DATE DESCRIPTION WEB & DOWNLOAD LINKS OTHER FYI & COMMENTS 2012 - 2013
BOULDER COUNTY ELECTIONSRECENT NEWS: Click Here Opens in new window 2012 BOULDER COUNTY ELECTIONS WATCHER REPORTS: Click Here Opens in new window DECEMBER 2013: The DEM Dynasty strikes some Boulder County property owners with huge tax assessment
- up to $20,000.00 each.This is called a "Local Improvement District" (aka LID) and has had such adverse public outcry that a special web page has been put up to document the outrage. Click here to review the current status of the LID. One reader of the LID web page told me: "The actions of the 3 [commissioner] ladies is nothing short of criminal given the negative impact on their constituents, lives, property and Credit Ratings. No one today can sell any of these properties until the lien is paid in full. This has to be the most blatant abuse of power that I have ever seen from BCC.." 26 JUNE 2013: Sound of Crickets Chirping (.mp3)
Boulder County Commissioners (all loyal Democrats) have instantly (same day!) responded with syrupy support for Democrat-In-Chief Obama's call for more regulation and taxation (aka 'Climate Change Action Plan'). Nine-month (and counting) twiddling of thumbs on local voting integrity issues...
...yet in same-day response Commissioners' eagerly lift Thumbs Up (.pdf) to Obama in support of UN Agenda 21. Oddly, neither the Commissioners or Obama mention the inconvenient two-decade ‘Lull’ in so-called Global Warming. The Commissioner's Press Release lauds Obama's 'strong leadership' and promises full support by lavishing your tax money on...
...political "science" through ever more regulation and taxation. All this is straight out of the UN Agenda 21 'Bible' (yes, they do worship it). Boulder County tax-and-spend fervor has run amok with 'Global Warming/Climate Change' plans and programs: Sustainable Energy Plan (17 page .pdf), and an Environmental Sustainability Plan (110 page .pdf), plus a Constitution-busting Climate Change Preparedness Plan (159 page .pdf). 
Have you done anything to resolve this scandal since it surfaced in October 2012?Commissioners Domenico and Gardner: I am asking you to do the job for which you were placed in office.
Perform your responsibility by investigating and resolving the Bell & Howell errors reported and documented by Citizen August in his Report below. Rise above party loyalty and serve all the Electors in Boulder County.
Commissioners Gardner and Jones: Your elections in 2012 were not Certified by either the Canvass Board or the Secretary of State. Clerk Hall offered only a bogus "Certification" from your own party, creating an ominous cloud over both your offices.
Show you are worthy of Electors trust by insisting that the B&H errors be investigated and resolved. Who am I to be so bold? A Citizen and an Elector.
Clerk Hall: For the record, I was your opponent in the 2010 election. You won but the election process in Boulder County lost. One example is the B&H Mail Ballot Envelope Scanner. You got around election laws by calling it a "sorting machine." Clever. It is a complex computer system (and you know it) that should have been Approved and Certified by the Secretary of State. It was not. This flawed device should be an embarrassment to your office.
Why isn't it?06 JUNE 2013
More partisan Obfuscation or responsible Resolution?!Citizen Daniel Martin submits a For-The-Record Report (.pdf file) on behalf of Citizen James August. Addressed to the Boulder County Commissioners, Mr. August's Report documents in great detail the many failures of the Bell & Howell Mail Ballot Envelope Scanner used in 2012 Elections. Literally thousands of live Mail Ballots seemingly appeared and disappeared as if by magic ! Here is the Appendix File (.pdf) that goes with the Report at left. Mr. August is a retired Bell Labs aerospace engineer (and not a partisan crank). As you will see in the other supporting documentation at right, the "testing" of the B&H Mail Ballot Envelope scanning system was crude at best. The Clerk actively sought to mislead the public by making statements that it was a mere 'sorting machine.' Boulder County Electors of all parties deserve much, much better than this. 2 Pages: B&H Log Info (.pdf) 19 Pages: B&H Log Info (.pdf) 210 Pages: B&H Log Info (.pdf) 255 Pages: B&H Log Info (.pdf) Spreadsheet Summary (.xls) Links to all the same information above and in this entire row were provided to the Daily Camera, Times-Call, Yellow Scene, Boulder Weekly, WestWord, and Colorado Voter Group. Which (if any) will perform their responsibilities as journalists by reporting on this subject?07 MAY 2013: Citizen James August writes an open letter (.pdf)... ...to the Boulder County Commissioners in which he outlines yet again the many documented failures of the Bell&Howell Mail Ballot Envelope scanning machine... ...and demands that it be returned for a full refund before the deadline for doing so expires (about the end of July 2013). Mr. August presented this open letter... ...to the Commissioners this same day and also gave a copy to Times-Call Reporter John Fryar. [NOTE: This flawed machine has no chance of keeping up with Mail-Ballot-Only elections mandated by new HB 1303 - DRM] 01 May 2013 
'BUST ONE
TO WIN'The Bell&Howell Mail Ballot Envelope scanning machine (aka "Bitsy") - so militantly defended by both the Boulder County Clerk and CommissarsCommissioners - has less oversight and documentation than a carnival midway attraction.Recent discovery of alarming test reports (.pdf) and mid-election software revisions (.pdf) for Bitsy has revealed troubling facts. This mid-April CORA Request sought information from the Clerk about Bitsy's software Release Notes, testing, and Software Version Control. Based on the Boulder County Legal Department CORA Response to that request, the Boulder County Clerk's Information Technology management for Voting Operations seems to have about the same level of computer systems control as a Bingo Night operation (e.g., Bitsy). 10 March 2013 Learn about all the 'features' of the new Boulder County
' ROBO-JUDGE '...... in this funny yet terrifying
YouTube video (5 minutes).Email friendly:
http://tinyurl.com/a7gwtpg07 MARCH 2013 UPDATE: Citizen August presented his Report to Boulder County Commissioners Cindy Domenico, Deb Gardner, and Elise Jones (all Democrats). Mr. August gave each a copy of his 14-page Report (see below) detailing four major areas of Fiduciary Violations by Boulder County elected officials. When he directly asked of them, "Will the Commissioners commit to investigating these charges, and promptly report back to the public?"... ... the Commissioners side-stepped this simple, direct question by dismissively replying that his report '...would be taken under advisement.' The Commissioners then expressed unanimous and enthusiastic support for apparently more vital issues such as the preservation of an historic Grange building and of keeping The Evil Empire of Erie on a short leash. This is not merely another Democrat vs Republican issue. It is about the fundamental health of the end-to-end election process in Boulder County.
If Citizen August's question goes ignored and unanswered, a shadow is cast over the rights of all Boulder County Citizens regardless of political affiliation. After Mr. August finished, Democratic Party Chair Dan Gould assailed the Commissioners with an attempt to impugn the credibility of this website, and by association it's webmaster. Apparently Democratic Chairman Gould felt that a recitation of Party solidarity was more important than an objective investigation of the charges leveled by Citizen August.
07 MARCH 2013 Boulder County Citizen Jim August, retired aerospace engineer, presents his opening remarks to the Boulder County Commissioners. Mr. August outlines four major areas of Fiduciary Violations involved in the acquisition of the Bell & Howell Mail Ballot Scanning and Tracking System. 20130306_2_BOCC_intr_JA.pdf - In which Citizen August asks, "Will the Commissioners commit to investigating these charges, and promptly report back to the public?" He believes the best resolution is to return the defective B&H system used in the 2012 General to the supplier for full refund [about $220,000], which is permitted in the contract. The Fiduciary Violations of Public Trust perpetrated by Boulder County elected officials include 1) Biased Procurement procedures, 2) Lack of detailed equipment Specifications, 3) Lack of formal testing before use in a live election, and 4) The use of known-defective equipment in an election. 07 MARCH 2013 The Bell & Howell Mail Ballot Scanning and Tracking system was acquired and placed into service by Boulder County elected officials in apparent disregard for their fiduciary responsibility to all the people of Boulder County. 20130306_2_BOCC_JA.pdf. This is the complete 14-page Report submitted to the the Boulder County Commissioners by retired aerospace engineer Jim August. This document also identifies 15 detailed objections and supporting evidence to back up each. Much of the evidence was provided by the Boulder County Attorney’s Office in response to CORA requests. 23 JANUARY 2013 "Due to an administrative error, the Colorado Secretary of State Hearing to address a Petition for Emergency Declaratory Order has been rescheduled to February 28, 2013." Here are the details of that Hearing: 9:00 AM Thursday, February 28, 2013
1700 Broadway, Blue Spruce Conference Room (2nd floor),
Denver, CO 80290
Here is the full text of the Colorado Secretary of State Hearing Notice: 20130122_Notice.pdf
Please attend if at all possible.This Hearing is associated with a HAVA complaint against the the beleaguered - and seemingly untested Bell and Howell hardware/software Mail Ballot envelope scanning system now in use by Boulder County. Many eye-witness details of the B&H system and the Federal HAVA complaint they generated are presented below and also on the Watcher Reports page. 22 JANUARY 2013 "IN THE MATTER OF SOS-HAVA-07-12-0001 detailing the FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW" Here is the full text of those Facts and Findings: 20130122_SOS_BH_Findings.pdf
- In which SOS Consultant Mike Lyons somehow concludes (he never actually saw the B&H system): "Whether or not [the Bell & Howell Envelope scanning and sorting] machine is found [at a future date] to be a part of the 'voting system' [as defined by either Federal or Colorado statute]... ... there is little doubt that [it] needs transparency. oversight, and a thorough understanding of the underlying components that drive the system... This would include ballot printing, envelope printing and insertion." 14 JANUARY 2013 Aerospace engineer Jim August provides Deputy Secretary of State Suzanne Staiert (and Boulder County citizens) with precision insight into the murky facts of how the beleaguered - and seemingly untested - Bell and Howell... ... hardware/software Mail Ballot envelope scanning & Automatic Signature Verification system came to be acquired by elected Boulder County officials for use in the 2012 General Election. Here is the full text of the letter to DSOS Staiert: 20130114_2SOSreBH_JA.pdf - in which Mr. August reports the "[Boulder County Clerk stated that] I would need to provide a deposit of $7,500 before they would start searching for any test results [on the B&H system], which may not be available until the end of the first quarter of 2013 if they even exist." Citizen August goes on to say: "The accuracy of the ASV process and all other processes performed by the B&H system is unknown because there is no proof that testing was successfully performed. If the SOS had required testing / certification on all parts of the "Voting System" as requested in the complaint before the [2012 General] election then maybe Boulder County would not have violated the law and created so many questions about the integrity of all Mail-in-Ballots cast in Boulder County. 10 JANUARY 2013 Aerospace engineer Jim August provides Boulder County citizens with formerly secret documents (forced public by his CORA requests) showing that our... ... county government feels that no competitive bidding process is necessary whenever the "...expenditure [almost $240,000] is no more than what was approved as a budget item..." At right are two of these documents regarding the untested, un-Certified, and unreliable Bell & Howell Mail Ballot Envelope Scanning and Sorting machine: Proposal for B&H MBE S&S machine: 20120717_BH_VBM_Proposal_final.pdf Proposal to Boulder County Commissioners for acceptance of non-competitive Bid for B&H MBE S&S machine: 20120814_BH_Contract.pdf
03 JANUARY 2013 Canvass Board member and professional Process Engineer for IBM Corp (32 years, retired) Russ Boehm criticizes the Secretary of State's Plan... ...for 'testing' the Bell and Howell hardware/software Mail Ballot envelope scanning system. Citizen Boehm says:
"This 'demonstration' is inadequate since it does not test for consistent output of the mail ballot process. Instead, it focuses only on the Bell & Howell equipment......This testing has never been the subject of the LAT [Logic and Accuracy Test] and it should be." Here is the full text of Boehm's letter to SOS Gessler:
20130102_BH_Demo_RB.pdf02 JANUARY 2013 Bringer of the original HAVA Complaint, Al Kolwicz issues this stinging response to the Demo/Test Plan floated by the Secretary of State office for the complex Bell and Howell hardware and software in the new Mail Ballot envelope scanning system. The 'Plan' is authored by an 'expert witness' hired by the Colorado Secretary of State's office. The full text of Mr. Kolwicz' objection to the SOS' DEMO/test Plan is here: 20130102_HAVA_Criticism_AK.pdf. Among Citizen Kolwicz' objections are:
(1) Using the terms 'test' and 'testing' in no way describes anything like a true test.
(2) The demonstration described for the complex Bell and Howell hardware and software in the new Mail Ballot envelope scanning system is inadequate because it does not address most of the critical electronic and programming functions of the Mail Ballot Component (i.e., the B&H system).
(3) The demonstration described in the plan will fail to provide the Secretary of State with any evidence that would directly address, resolve, confirm, or refute the charges raised in my original SOS-HAVA-07-12-0001 complaint.Mr. Kolwicz describes the SOS' after-the-fact Demo/Test Plan for the complex Bell and Howell hardware/software Mail Ballot envelope scanning system as an '...unhelpful demonstration plan [that deviates] from the context of this HAVA complaint. In addition to the misnaming as a "test," and the fundamental inadequacies it outlines, relating such a mere demonstration to this complaint would be a disservice to the public since the plan and demonstration would misdirect the public’s attention away from the issues raised in the complaint.' 01 JANUARY 2013 Aerospace engineer Jim August offers an in-depth critique of shortcomings in the Secretary of State's "DEMO/test Plan" for the Bell and Howell hardware/software Mail Ballot envelope scanning and signature processing system. For reference, the SOS' Beauty Queen Demo/Test Plan is here:
20121228_BH_TestPlan.pdf.
One waggish Canvass Board member has called it a mere vaudeville act (starring Gene Wilder as SOS Gessler).Please read engineer Jim August's professional objections here:
20130101_TestPlan_Response_JA2.pdf.In which Jim August says "If procedures in the referenced document are to be pursued unmodified, I request any reference to "TEST" to be removed so there is no way anyone can misinterpret this "DEMO" as being a test." FLASH !! --- FLASH !! 31 DECEMBER 2012
- 16:01 MST -
HAPPY NEW YEARAt last, the Colorado Secretary of State office has an official response regarding the
Non-Certification of the 2012 General Election in Boulder County:Dear Canvass Board Members, I have attached the findings of the SOS regarding the Boulder Canvass board non-certification. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or our election compliance attorney, Stephanie Mann. Thank you all for your service on the Canvass Board.
Suzanne Staiert
Deputy Secretary of StateThe SOS essentially 'whitewashed' the Non-Certification by the majority of the Canvass Board. Most findings and objections of the Canvass Board were summarily dismissed - without supporting citations - using phrases like: 'outside the scope of our investigation,' or 'outside our investigative authority,' or 'did not have the potential to change any race or ballot measure.' Here is the complete 4-page SOS Response: 2012_SOS_Boulder_Canvass.pdf.
28 December 2012 Colorado Election Integrity authority Marilyn Marks of the respected Citizen's Center provides its official response to the Secretary of State's after-the-fact Demo/Test Plan for the complex Bell and Howell hardware/software Mail Ballot envelope scanning system. In a separate email, Ms Marks characterized the SOS' Demo/Test Plan as seemingly "...designed [only] to confirm the B&H capabilities advertised in the marketing brochure... My analogy here is that a new car was involved in a wreck because of a combination of alleged faulty design, alleged operator error, and non-compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Standards. The injured passengers ask for an investigation of the causes and the impacts, and whether the car model should be allowed on the highway. Authorities respond by driving the car full of beauty queens down Main Street in the July 4th parade, and declaring that it operates well." Here is the full text of the Citizen's Center response to the "Beauty Queen Test":
20121230_HAVA_CitCtr_MM.pdf.
Please, read it in full.It should be noted that, as of this date, Secretary of State Gessler still has not offered an official response or action regarding the lack of either: (1) Certification of the Bell & Howell system, or (2) Certification of the 2012 General Election in Boulder County!
My personal opinion of the Secretary of States' so-called 'Plan' is that it will mostly be entertaining PR; An old-fashoned vaudeville act - with full apologies to Gene Wilder (as the SOS) and the late Peter Boyle (as the B&H monster).
27 December 2012 Far, far, from being a mere "mail sorting machine" (as coyly described by Clerk Hall), the Bell&Howell Mail Ballot Return Envelope barcode and signature scanner is a programmable, 'intelligent' electronic sub-system that is fully interfaced with the Colorado state election database (SCORE) and completely integrated into the end to end Boulder County election process. In spite of objections by the Logic and Accuracy Test Panel, and the Canvass Board, Clerk Hall forged ahead with use of the B&H system - without either testing or Certification for use in Colorado elections. Over and over, Official Election Watchers observed and reported on the apparently fragile and unreliable nature of the B&H system in operation. A "Mike Lyons" provides us with a Demo/Test Plan for the beleaguered Bell&Howell system. Mr. Lyons is a new actor in this tragic power play. Whatever his credentials may be, Mike has written this Demo-Test Plan: 20121228_BH_TestPlan.pdf.
Never mind that this "Testing" of the complex Bell & Howell Mail Ballot scanner should have been done well before our 2012 Mail Ballots were fed into its maw. Here is the link to the B&H website and the particular B&H model used in Boulder County:
MLOCR/BCR and MMT SABRE sorter and software combo.26 December 2012 Colorado Secretary of State announces public hearing for Dec. 26th on Al Kolwicz'
HAVA complaint (.pdf file) against the new but-not-Certified Mail Ballot Return Envelope barcode and signature scanning machine.Here is the SOS notice (.pdf file) of time and place. The Boulder County Attorney responds here: 20121226_BoCo_HAVA_Defense.pdf (9.5 Mb). For more info, Click here.
To review all known complaints regarding the 2012 Election in Boulder County: Click here.In a cynical act of obfuscation and misinformation, Boulder County continually refers to the Bell&Howell system as a "mail sorting machine." 10 December 2012 Ellyn Hilliard withdraws Re-Count request citing excessive fees. Read her reasons why: Click here. Extreme fees by hostile Clerks suppress election integrity for all of us. 08 December 2012 NOTE: Large fees required for fulfilling data and CORA requests are typical for the Clerk's office.
Hilliard Re-Count cost estimates are filed by Canvass Board and Clerk:Canvass Board Majority: $6,250.
Boulder County Clerk: $27,777.Secretary of State thinks the Clerk's
estimate is too high.(Looks like yettanuther $900 government hammer to me - DRM) 07 December 2012 State House District 11 candidate Ellyn Hilliard (R) files official Re-Count request. Boulder County Election posted contest results:
Click Here (.jpg image file)Hilliard_RecountReq.pdf This is the letter as sent by Ellyn Hilliard to the Colorado Secretary of State. Read $27,777 Cost estimate by Boulder County Clerk. 29 November 2012 CCCA lobbies 2013 Colorado legislature for even more Mail Ballots, closing of precinct polling places, and more regional "Service Centers." 20121129_CCCA_2_Legis.pdf
- Wherein the possibility of Same-Day Registration and Voting is implicitly flirted.Mail Ballots, Provisional Ballots, and Foreign Ballots represent over 80% of ballots cast yet all three voting streams are aggressively hidden from effective public oversight by County Clerks. 26 November 2012 CANVASS BOARD MAJORITY PRESS RELEASE: Click here: CB_MAJ_PR.pdf.
This is the full 14-page Majority Report:
Gessler_letter_6.pdf.Republican Party Press Release:
REP_PTY_PR.jpg.26 November 2012 FLASH: Four bi-partisan Canvass Board members sign (REP_Majority.jpg)
Majority Non-Certification Report:
Gessler_letter_6.pdf.
To see just one example why,
Click here: PP_vs_HART.jpg.Meanwhile, the three dissenting Democrat Canvass Board members "certify" (Democrat_Minority.jpg) their own minority report and praise the election outcome - without mentioning that Democrat Clerk Hall also voted with them: Democrat_Letter.pdf. NOTE: Such action directly conflicts with Colorado Secretary of State Rule 41.3.1 shown here: "The canvass board must make its determinations by majority vote in accordance with section 1-10-101.5(3), C.R.S." 21 November 2012 The Colorado Secretary of State office has agreed that '...in the event there was a lawsuit against the [Canvass] board or its members and the [Boulder] county did not defend, the Secretary would instruct the Attorney General to intervene in any such action.' The Canvass Board owes many Thanks to these three Patriots:
George Leing, Chairman of the Boulder County Republican party. Marilyn Marks, Colorado Elections integrity activist. Mary Eberle, Canvass Board member appointed by the American Constitution party. You all just wouldn't back down! To read the original email from SOS to George, Click here
To read the Nov 16th statement of CB non-defense from Boulder County, follow these links:
Page 1, and Page 2. Boulder County may similarly feel no obligation to protect its other Boards and Commissions, who would be wise to assess their own potential risks of personal liability.November 20th 2012 Clerk Hall's position that Canvass Board meetings are, and shall remain, Closed-Door affirmed by County attorney, who also states that Canvass Board members need not be defended against personal libility for failing to hold Open Meetings as defined and required by Colorado Statute. Annotated by Marilyn Marks, Colorado Election Integrity activist. From Boulder County Attorney: 20121116_BoCoAtty_2_CB_MM.pdf
Marilyn Marks offers comments and examples of current legal harrassment of Canvass Board in Douglas County: Click here
Read this Urgent Email sent to Colorado Secretary of State by Marilyn Marks.ALERT: First .pdf has a long download time: 2.5 Mb. The second two links are only small text files. November 19th 2012 Report on Canvass Board Meeting of same date in which Open Meetings and Member indemnification are discussed. Clerk Hall once again reinforced the opinion of Boulder County attorney David Hughes which circularly supports the Clerk's opinion on the same matters: 20121119_CB_Meeting.pdf November 15th 2012 Should Canvass Board meetings be kept shrouded behind Closed Doors? An email exchange between Canvass Board Member Daniel Martin and Boulder Clerk's office. 20121115_CB_Shrouded_DRM.pdf 102 Kb .pdf November 12th 2012 Process flow diagrams of the various Voting Processes used in Boulder County. 20121112_BoCo_VotingProcess.pdf 1.25 Mb .pdf November 10th 2012 2012 General Election Canvass Board
Reconciliation and Audit Schedule20121110_Canvass_Sched.pdf 520 Kb .pdf November 10th 2012 Notes from the Canvass Board meeting of the same date. All CB Members were in attendance. 20121110_Canvass_Board_Notes.pdf 181 Kb .pdf November 9th 2012 Extract of Colorado TITLE 1 Statutes Concerning Terms Relating to Abstract, Canvass, and Certify (with Reference Mainly to Canvass Boards) 20121009_T1_CB_Extracts.pdf 111 Kb .pdf Sept 25th 2012 Canvass Board Meeting Guidlines. BC_CB_MeetingGuidelines.pdf 37 Kb Sept 21st 2012 Secretary of State Watcher Guideline Summary. 20120921_SOS_WIB.pdf 551 Kb Sept 17th 2012 "Solution" Plan (for mechanically and electronically manipulating Barcoded Ballots) devised by Boulder County Clerk and Staff to ensure Elector-anonymity in the 2012 General Election. Hall_BoCoBallotBarcodePlan.pdf 120 Kb
N/A2012 SEARCHABLE: Title 1 Colorado Election Statutes (.pdf), complete. Title1_2012.pdf 2.4Mb
N/A.2012 SEARCHABLE: Proposed (subject to change)
Canvass Board Glossary of Terms (.pdf),20121102_CB_Glossary.pdf 2.4Mb
N/A.BACK TO TOP
* I, Daniel R. Martin (VID 8193940), being a natural-born United States Citizen of Boulder County Colorado, maintain and take full responsibility for these partisan, extremist, jingoistic, hawkish, intolerant, non-inclusive, vote suppressing, Climate Change Denying, anti-feminist, mean-spirited, teabagging, tin hat wearing, Constitution hugging, hate-slinging, intimidating, bullying, confrontational, bigoted, racist, homophobic, transphobic, islamophobic, and ideologically biased web pages.
Other non-PC positions and opinions of mine, not listed above, may further offend the hyper sensitivities of thin skinned whiners, Professional Victims, and Thought Police of all persuasions. To these, one and all, I offer my deepest non-apologies.
Generally associated with Boulder County Elections, this website is not in any way associated with, or approved by, the Boulder County Commissioners, the Clerk & Recorder, or the Colorado Secretary of State offices.
Nevertheless, I have served as an officially appointed Election Judge (2008), and a member of the two 2012 Boulder County Canvass Boards and the two 2012 Logic and Accuracy Test (LAT) Panels. I am also a past candidate for Clerk & Recorder in Boulder County (2010), so am familiar with election law and county politics.I choose all content and external web links for these web pages. Although I would be pleased to include content and links suggested by others, no one (except for official Watchers) has ever submitted any other links or documents to me for inclusion. At least 90% of these three pages is a simple aggregation of the work of others, mostly public news media. Additionally I have over 25 years of computer programming history including both UNIX, database, and real-world security administration. I was a paid computer systems consultant to four national and international corporations.
I am a constitutional conservative as my private website https://www.dansher.com/ clearly demonstrates. Formerly I was a registered Republican but, as of late 2013, now am a "UAF" (Unaffiliated) person. My past makes me 'partisan' - yet still I strive to be reasonably even-handed in the few editorial comments included here.
"Only the caustic can neutralize the corrosive." - Daniel Martin (pH = 9.5) 2014
NaOH vs H2SO4 --- What's your pH?
