tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6194583.post5946465182505177701..comments2024-03-22T13:06:27.366-05:00Comments on WataugaWatch: So What's Damon Circosta's Deal?J.W. Williamsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17694324792688711136noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6194583.post-35833869540071527602019-08-24T12:38:53.762-05:002019-08-24T12:38:53.762-05:00Back when Damon was the ED of the Center for Voter...Back when Damon was the ED of the Center for Voter Education, he wrote some negative things about the Public Confidence in Elections Act and the high standards set in that law that was passed UNANIMOUSLY in 2005. Circosta and Chris Heagarty before him wanted lower standards - they didn’t want a surety bond, no source code in escrow, no local office or employees, or the CEO affidavit as a condition of certifying the vendor. <br /><br />While at CVE, Circosta also was pushing for Instant Runoff Voting. The voting experts brought in by the legislature in 2005 says you can have election integrity and certified machines or you can have IRV but you can’t have both. Because vendors had not yet produced any certified systems to handle IRV/RCV. The SBOE under Gary Bartlett said the same thing on 2008. <br /><br />Know who was on the board of the CVE while Circosta was ED? Wayne Goodwin, who submitted Circosta's name in 2018 and then again this year. <br /><br />Fast forward to 2019. Cordle wants to replace Kim Strach with Karen Brinson Bell. Under the law,SBOE EDs are hired for two-year terms and Strach got an extension of time from 2017 because there was no SBOE from April 2017-2018. So now Cordle can decide not to rehire Strach. <br /><br />But it’s no coincidence that Cordle went to Cooper who went to Bartlett who recommended Brinson Bell - who was working for Bartlett along with two other former county BOE Directors at the Center for Ranked Choice Voting - a Fairvote front group pushing Instant Runoff/Ranked Choice Voting. They’ve been infused with lots of cash from big donors lately, and they don’t have to reveal who have them the money now how much they paid Bartlett or Brinson Bell. <br /><br />And right about the same time they are talking with Brinson Bell about talking this job, 7 House Dems introduce a bill calling for 4-Way open primary elections in the Spring to be settled in the Fall by Ranked Choice Voting - procedures to be determined by the SBOE headed by Brinson Bell<br /><br />And now Circosta joined two Republicans to push bar code ballots that the ED of Transylvania County (where Brinson Bell used to work and administers at least one IRV Pilot Election) wants them really badly. I know this not only because Damon said so yesterday, but because two BOE members from that county told me that their ED really wants that machine in particular. And told them the AutoMARK VAT machines wouldn't work for what they wanted and they weren't being made anymore. Which is not true. <br /><br />It would not have caused ANY problems for the ED and BOE members to go with one each DS200 and AutoMARK VAT at each voting location. SBOE member Black was either lying or had been lied to by someone in Mecklenburg Co who says that there weren’t enough AutoMARK VATs in the state. All we need to cover the 30 counties is under 1000. The Mecklenburg folks claimed they’d need over 2500. That’s because they’d want to require all voters to use the AutoMARK to mark their ballots instead of having most voters mark by hand and leave the AutoMARK for those people who are disabled and/or who want to use it to verify a previously marked ballot. <br /><br />I hope Damon and the other two GOP dudes get sued. Because in a tight race, how can Cooper trust that all the votes cast for him will be counted for him?Chris Telescahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00786439494988497977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6194583.post-81342093164619600822019-08-24T10:29:06.848-05:002019-08-24T10:29:06.848-05:00you should check your info. russia has now been fo...you should check your info. russia has now been found to have hacked into ALL 50 states’ voter info not just 21 statesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6194583.post-32225129906550366522019-08-24T10:02:36.768-05:002019-08-24T10:02:36.768-05:00It's kind of simple: Circosta's what we us...It's kind of simple: Circosta's what we used to call pure prick. He just enjoyed coming in there where people were expecting something else and said, "This is the way it's gonna be. You're gonna do what I say." Without bothering to have any research, any informed opinion, any statistics on his side. Just becuase he thought it. And because he thought it, it must be the right thing. Jeez!O Suzannahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6194583.post-9781598066631220882019-08-24T09:59:14.444-05:002019-08-24T09:59:14.444-05:00What Circosta did was violate his own principles a...What Circosta did was violate his own principles as a past director of the NC Center for Voter Education. I personally can't believe that he has any under the table dealings with ES&S. The vote just doesn't make any sense.Road Warriornoreply@blogger.com