Press Conference: Hacking the Presidency A Bipartisan Problem Anyone Can Do It; Wednesday, Sept. 22

9/17/2004 9:12:00 AM

To: Assignment Desk, Political Reporter, Daybook Editor

Contact: Abbe Waldman Delozier, 512-736-5802; Vickie Karp, 512-775-3737; Bev Harris, 206-335-7747; or Andy Stephenson, 206-778-0524

News Advisory:

Wednesday, Sept. 22. Two press events: 9:30 am (National Press Club, by invitation only; features a surprise and a three-hour head start for TV news) and 12:30 pm EST (The Ballroom at Heldref Publications, open to all journalists, policymakers, and to the public)

Startling demonstrations using real election software proving that any teenager or terrorist with a laptop can create havoc with the election results in November. Or, more onerous: Anyone with an agenda or a profit motive can help themselves to an election with subtlety such that no one will ever know.

1. 9:30 am, The National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C., Zenger Room (A small gathering by invitation; if you are a member of Congress or represent one of the networks, call 206-335-7747, 206-778-0524, 512-736-5802 or 512-775-3737 to get on the invite list. Some contact lines congested, keep trying.)

2. 12:30pm, "The Ballroom" at Heldref Publications, 1319 Eighteenth St. NW, Washington, D.C. (All press and policymakers; open to the public)

Bev Harris, Executive Director, Black Box Voting http://www.BlackBoxVoting.ORG will demonstrate a hidden program for vote manipulation, which resides on Diebold's election software. This is a secret feature enabled by a two-digit trigger (not a "bug" or an accidental oversight; it's there on purpose). The Diebold central tabulator system election software will count 50 million votes, approximately 50 percent of the votes in November's election.

Dr. Herbert H. Thompson, computer security expert and editor/author of 12 books including "The Mezonic Agenda: Hacking the Presidency" Thompson will demonstrate how easily an election can be rigged by implanting a virus.

Jeremiah Akin, independent computer programmer from Riverside, Calif., will demonstrate how to manipulate Sequoia Voting Systems software while an election is in progress.

Andy Stephenson, Associate Director, Black Box Voting, will demonstrate how an unscrupulous person with no computer skills whatsoever can sabotage an election with two mouse clicks.

Surprise feature Highly visual TV demo, features something astonishing. This 3 minutes will forever change your perspective on voting security. Trust us on this one.

Two options will be presented as emergency solutions by Bev Harris of Black Box Voting; and also by Sharona Merel and Joan Krawitz, Co-founders of the National Ballot Integrity Project Task Force. Inexpensive and doable emergency measures to immediately ensure the integrity of the 2004 vote count, for immediate action. Lowell Finley, attorney from Berkeley, Calif., specializing in election law, will comment about the legal feasibililty of the emergency solutions being presented.