Topic: Paper Ballots

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is facing calls for resignation after it was revealed that a spreadsheet containing partial passwords for voting machines was publicly accessible on her office's website for months. While Griswold maintains the leak did not pose an immediate security threat due to "layers of security," Republican lawmakers have criticized her for incompetence. The discussion also covers the prevalence of paper ballots in the 2024 election.

Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, appeared as a headliner at a Texas event to discuss his experiences with de-platforming by American Express and Chase Bank. Lindell detailed his financial investment into investigating voting machine deviations and advocated for a return to paper ballots. The discussion transitions into the mechanics of the Electoral College and the importance of swing states like Pennsylvania in the upcoming election.

Criticism is directed at Washington State's universal mail-in ballot system and Governor Jay Inslee, characterizing the process as susceptible to fraud. The argument posits that only in-person paper ballots collected at polling places can ensure legitimate election results.

Sidney Powell continues to allege that Dominion voting machines used algorithms to create fraud during the 2020 election. A 2007 clip of Joe Biden is resurfaced, in which he advocated for mandatory paper trails to prevent the manipulation of voting machines.

President Trump raised concerns regarding Dominion Voting Systems, alleging that the software allows for the manipulation of vote tallies. He advocated for a return to paper ballots as the only secure method for conducting elections. Trump suggested that the machines were used to offset his lead in key states during the 2020 count.

The mechanics of modern voting involve touchscreens that produce a human-readable paper strip, which is then scanned by a second machine. Concerns are raised about the "air bridge" between these computers and where the data goes after scanning. The discussion recalls past controversies involving Diebold machines and the potential for upstream vote manipulation in the digital tabulation process.

The Canadian government has established a "Critical Election Incident Public Protocol" involving five senior civil servants authorized to alert the public to foreign interference or disinformation. Critics label this a "Ministry of Truth" that could be easily manipulated by bad actors flooding the system with false reports. Officials emphasize that Canada's use of paper ballots remains the primary safeguard for election validity.

Adam Curry describes his experience using an unusual voting machine in Austin that featured a "mushy" screen and a physical scroll wheel. The hosts express a preference for paper ballots and scanners as a more reliable method for ensuring election integrity.

DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson is considering designating the U.S. election system as "critical infrastructure," similar to the power grid or financial sector. This designation would allow the federal government to provide more cybersecurity resources and "best practices" to state and local election officials. Security experts continue to advocate for paper ballot backups and optical scanners to mitigate the risk of digital tampering in touchscreen voting machines.

The Washington Post has warned that Russian hackers could target U.S. voting machines by November. The hosts express skepticism, noting that concerns about Diebold machines have existed for years without significant action. They advocate for a return to paper ballots and simple ink-based verification to ensure election integrity.