Dana Liebelson is a reporter in Mother Jones' Washington bureau. She contributes regularly to The Week. Previously, she worked for the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), covering defense and open government issues. Her work has also appeared on TIME's Battleland, Truthout, OtherWords and Yahoo! News. In her free time, she plays electric violin in an Indie rock band.
County officials have found another Romney-loving robot: A faulty electronic voting machine in Union County, Pennsylvania, has been recalibrated and put back online after it wouldn't allow a vote for President Obama, Mother Jones has confirmed.
Earlier today, MJ reported on another incident this morning in Perry County, Pennsylvania, in which a voting computer's touchscreen ballot converted all Obama votes into votes for Romney. The second machine came to light after a local college professor found he couldn't cast his vote for Obama on it.
"I spoke with a poll worker there and saw her fold up the machine. I also called [a national wattchdog hotline] to report the incident," said Andy Hirsch, director of media communications at Bucknell University, who posted a video of the machine's malfunction on Vimeo after it failed to record his ballot choices.
John Showers, chairman of the board of elections for Union County, confirmed that there was a problem with the calibration of the machine; the problem has since been fixed, and the machine has been returned to service. He said: "In general, there's a calibration issue with one machine in each election here, so we had this one, and it was taken care of," he said.
Hirsch said he'd learned about that previous machine snafu in Perry County, just before he set out for his own polling station. "I watched that video right before I left, and wondered whether or not it was real," he said. "Now I'm not surprised!"
An electronic voting machine in Perry County, Pennsylvania, that changed a President Obama vote to one for Mitt Romney is now back online, after officials received a complaint and recalibrated the machine, Mother Jones has confirmed.
A viral YouTube video posted mid-morning Tuesdayby user "centralpavoter" shows someone repeatedly trying to vote for President Obama on a digital touchscreen, and the screen locking in a vote for Mitt Romney instead. The user posted a link to the video on Reddit, writing: "I asked the voters on either side of me if they had any problems and they reported they did not. I then called over a volunteer to have a look at it. She him hawed for a bit then calmly said 'It's nothing to worry about, everything will be OK.' and went back to what she was doing. I then recorded this video."
What happens when electronic voting machines fail, and why aren't they more reliable? Don't miss our handy explainer.
The user wrote that he had no problem voting for candidate Jill Stein.
MSNBC's Zachary Roth reported that a Pennsylvania electronic voting machine was taken out of service after the video went up, but Mathew Keeler, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of State, says the machine is back online again—though he couldn't confirm whether that rejiggered terminal was the same machine featured in the video.
"There was a single complaint, so they recalibrated the machine, did a test run, and put it back online. We've had no complaints since then," Keeler says. While he couldn't say for certain that this was the machine that "centralpavoter" attempted to use, he added that "we believe they are probably connected."
Already nostalgic for the campaign that was? Or just looking for a way to pass the time while you white-knuckle your way to the results? Help is here: We've put together video roundups of the high and low points of the campaign on 10 major issues, introduced by Mother Jones reporters who have covered the issues extensively. There's certainly much more to this election than what lies within these lists. But it may serve as a good time capsule and maybe even help a handful of undecided voters finally…decide.
NOTE: You can use the "Next" button (to the left of the volume button) to advance videos, and the "Playlist" button (to the right of the time code) to see all the videos in each playlist.
Climate Change
President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney refused to say the "C-Word" in the debates, but after Hurricane Sandy, it was on everyone's minds—including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's. Last week he endorsed Obama on the basis that the president has better policies to stop climate change. Kate Sheppard discusses:
1) Romney at the GOP convention. 2) Obama at the Democratic convention. 3)Bill McKibben of 350.org, supporting Michigan's Proposal 3, which would require electric utilities to derive at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewables by 2025. 4) Climate Desk's coverage of damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to Staten Island, New York. 5) Climate Desk's coverage of 2012's historic drought.
Congressional Races
From Montana's "weird and wild" Senate race between Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg to campaign ads that prominently feature guns—at least this year's congressional races haven't been boring. Tim Murphy breaks down some of 2012's most colorful races:
1) Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.). 2) Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. 3) Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who are battling for a redrawn district, have to be physically separated during a forum. 4) Republican congressional candidate Roger Williams of Texas. 5) Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Dark Money
Andy Kroll calls 2012 "The Dark-Money Elections"—elections that has featured an unprecedented amount of anonymous, untraceable cash. He explains:
1) A trailer for Hillary: The Movie, the documentary that launched the Citizens United Supreme Court case and gave rise to super-PACs. 2) A Citizens United explainer by StoryOfStuff.org.
3) PublicIntegrity.org asks people on the street if they're familiar with super-PACs.
4) A silent ad paid for by the unPAC coalition. 5) Mother Jones co-editors Clara Jeffery and Monika Bauerlein discuss dark money with Bill Moyers.
The Economy
Both of the presidential candidates have promised to pull the US economy out of its slump. Can they do it? Washington Bureau Chief David Corn weighs in.
1. Comedian Stephen Colbert sums up state of the economy, determining that the Isle of Man has a better credit rating.
2. In response to Obama's debate charge that his tax plan will mainly benefit the rich, Obama alleges that Romney's tax plan will mainly benefit the rich. Romney says, "I've got five boys, I'm used to people saying something that's not always true."
3. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) explains his "Path to Prosperity" deficit reduction plan.
4. President Obama says Romney's $5 trillion tax cut (which Romney claims won't increase the deficit) is the wrong vision for America.
5. Former president Bill Clinton on Obama's handling of the economic crisis.
Foreign Policy
When it comes to counterterrorism and foreign policy issues, Obama and Romney often agree. Adam Serwer parses their positions:
1. Romney says he supports Obama's controversial use of drone strikes.
2. Obama initially promised to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, as seen in this montage, but reneged on his promise after he was elected.
3. Romney says he would have signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which codified indefinite detention. Obama signed the law in 2011.
4. Obama and Romney outline their (rather similar) positions on Iran and Israel.
5. During the infamous "47 percent" fundraiser, Romney says the Palestinians have "no interest whatsoever in establishing peace."
Health Care
Perhaps no other issue is more hotly debated in this campaign than Obamacare, which requires Americans to have health insurance either through their employer or through an individual mandate (with certain exceptions). In contrast, Romney, whose reforms in Massachusetts were the model for Obamacare, has promised to repeal the law on day one of his presidency if elected. Stephanie Mencimer breaks it down:
1. Romney's response to the Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act decision.
2. Obama's response to the decision.
3. Obama and Romney debate Medicare, vouchers, and private health insurance. 4. Romney's remarks on60 Minutes. 5. "The Determinators," an anti-Obamacare film by Tea Part Patriots.
National Security
Romney wants to increase defense spending to 4 percent of GDP, an increase experts call "amazingly unprecedented." Obama wants to lower the deficit by cutting defense, but faces looming "fiscal cliff" defense cuts, which are widely unpopular. Here's Adam Serwer:
1. Romney and Obama spar on the defense budget at the recent presidential debate.
2. Romney claims "stretched to the breaking point" and promises to increase ship-building and buy more airplanes (he doesn't mention that the ships he wants to buy are leaking and the planes are causing pilot's to blackout).
3. Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) makes the point that the Pentagon budget is bloated, and lobbyists are more interested in protecting defense contractors than economic growth.
4. Obama accuses the GOP of trying to wriggle out of across-the-board defense cuts (also known as sequestration).
5. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says that sequestration will lead to a "hollow force" (a claim that the Congressional Research Service has debunked).
Reproductive Rights
Is the "War on Women" real? Why did all the 2012 election candidates suddenly start debating rape? Kate Sheppard weighs in:
1. In August, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) says that victims of "legitimate rape" can't get pregnant because "the female body has ways to shut that whole thing down."
2. Richard Mourdock, who is running for US Senate in Indiana, says in October that pregnancy resulting in rape is "something God intended to happen."
3. Paul Ryan calls rape "method of conception."
4. Romney reiterates his pledge to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood, which could gut clinics across the country.
5. President Obama has emphasized his support for women's contraception and preemptive care throughout his campaign.
6. Romney used to say that he would work to protect landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade… 7. …And now he'll work to overturn it.
State Propositions
Voters around the country will be deciding today on state ballot measures that would abolish the death penalty, legalize recreational marijuana, and ban gay marriage. Andy Kroll explains:
1. Ad supporting Washington state's Initiative 502, which would legalize marijuana use. 2. Ad supporting California's Prop. 34 to repeal the death penalty.
3. Ad opposing Prop. 34.
4. Ad supporting Michigan's Proposal 2 to constitutionally guarantee workers the right to collective bargaining. 5. Son of two fathers explains his opposition to Minnesota's Amendment 1, which would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Voter Suppression and Poll Issues
Evidence of election tampering and voter suppression has caused observers to wonder whether this is the "dirtiest election yet"—and that was before Hurricane Sandy further complicated matters by wreaking havoc on polling stations. Adam Sewer has the details:
1. Gov. Rick Scott defends his purging of the voter rolls in Florida, a move critics say is stopping lawful voters from their casting ballots.
2. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) calls Scott's purge "ridiculous beyond words" and says the GOP is "afraid of the people, they're afraid of their votes."
3. Comedian Jon Stewart says voting in Egypt is more organized than Florida.
4. An exclusive Climate Desk video shows how Hurricane Sandy could disrupt voting in New Jersey.
5. Hurricane Sandy has also caused polling site confusion in Coney Island.
Say Mitt Romney pulls off a victory on Tuesday: What might he move to do on the national security front as president? Here are some of the possibilities:
1. Ratchet up military hostilities with Iran. Or Russia. Or China. Or Syria...
Romney has been short on specifics with respect to Iran's nuclear ambitions, other than to say he'd press for greater sanctions than the Draconian ones already secured by President Obama. But one difference is Romney's willingness to back threats with what he calls "a credible military option." That means attacks on Iranian targets, whether by US or Israeli forces, are on the table. Romney would need congressional approval for a full-on war, but as commander-in-chief, he could take provocative steps that would make such a conflict difficult to avoid: He has vowed to increase naval exercises with Arab states, and to maintain a more robust US naval presence in the Persian Gulf. Recent history in the Cold War and in the Gulf itself suggests that putting US military assets in close proximity to adversarial forces increases the risk of a violent conflict.
Likewise, Romney has rattled the saber against Russia ("our No. 1 geopolitical foe"), China ("On day one, I will label China a currency manipulator"), and Syria (which he incorrectly called Iran's "route to the sea"). Such tough rhetoric complicates US diplomatic relations with the first two and raises rebels' expectations for US intervention in the latter.
2. Throwing money at defense like it's 1985.
Romney plans for the US to spend a minimum of 4 percent of annual GDP on defense, which one expert calls "skyrocketing North of Cold War levels." That would add $2 trillion in new defense spending above what the Pentagon has requested for the next decade. That would require congressional approval (unlikely if the Democrats retain a majority in the Senate) and it doesn't even take into account the defense cuts of $492 billion over the next decade that are set to trigger automatically as a result of last year's congressional debt compromise. But Romney would have other means for deploying defense spending, including:
By siphoning off Republican votes in Montana's high-stakes Senate race, Dan Cox could hand the election—and possibly control of the Senate—to the Democrats.
The Montana Senate match-up between Democrat Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg is among the most closely watched in the nation, since its outcome could potentially determine which party controls the US Senate. But lately the candidate in the race who's getting the most attention is neither Tester or Rehberg—it's Dan Cox, who's running as a Libertarian. His unexpected profile boost came last week thanks to a $500,000 ad buy touting Cox as Montana's "real conservative." The catch is that his campaign is not behind the ad. It was bankrolled by a political action committee that has been supporting Tester's campaign and running attack ads against Rehberg.
In a nail-bitingly close race, where Tester and Rehberg are tied at 48 percent, the Cox factor could be a decisive one, potentially siphoning votes away from Rehberg. Montana Republicans are crying foul, accusing Tester's supporters of resorting to dirty tricks in order to swing the election in their favor.
The ad supporting Cox shows a man shooting out a security camera—a dig at Rehberg, who has sponsored legislation that would allow the Department of Homeland Security to control and monitor public land. It was financed by the Montana Hunters & Anglers Leadership Fund, which has spent nearly $1.1 million running ads against Rehberg. The PAC paid around $500,000 for the Cox ad. The group's president is a hunting cap-wearing Montanan named Land Tawney, who last year made a contribution to Tester of $500, according to Open Secrets.
Hunters & Anglers is funded in part by the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), which according toThe Hill, had donated $410,000 to the PAC as of September 30. But the League doesn't actually back Cox: "The money we gave was for ads against Rehberg over the summer," LCV spokesman Jeff Gohringer says. "We've never given a dime to run any TV ads supporting anyone other than Tester. Our efforts have been to support and elect Tester, or oppose Rehberg."
Cox, who's 36 and runs an Internet-based fishing tackle company, grew up in Logan, Utah. He moved to Montana in 2002, he says, because he "loved the hunting, fishing, and freedom."
"There's really only one important issue: God-given rights," Cox told Mother Jones. "I'm the only person in this race that is going to protect those. I'm a constitutionalist, and I'm for freedom."
But while Rehberg has been a fixture in Montana politics since 1985, Cox is a political neophyte. He used to run a Montana business with his now ex-wife called "Halo Heaven," which makes tutus, pettiskirts, feather boas, and Halloween costumes for children. While getting the company off the ground, he ran into zoning regulations that, he says, would have prevented the business from expanding.
After successfully repealing the zoning laws through a referendum, he was elected to the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee. "Seeing behind the curtain" of the Republican party, however, left him disillusioned and he decided to run as a Libertarian in 2010 for a seat in Montana's state Senate. He lost the race, but ended up winning over 11 percent of the vote.
Cox, who's been polling in the single digits, had drawn little scrutiny before last week. But now the Rehberg campaign and its supporters are paying especially close attention. "Tester and his liberal allies realize that Tester cannot win this election on his own, so they have engaged in illegal deceptive practices in a desperate attempt to trick conservative voters," Montana GOP spokesman Chris Shipp told The Hill.
The Montana GOP filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday alleging that both the LVC and Hunters & Anglers broke campaign spending laws.The party is accusing the groups of sending out mailers supporting Cox without identifying themselves as the source behind them.
Cox, for his part, is just happy for the help. When asked whether he thinks the PAC supported him in an effort to aid Tester, Cox said: "That's probably the intention of the people putting out the ad, unfortunately that’s not really representing liberty like I’m trying to do. I believe the good news is that when this election is over, at least one or two of these unconstitutional candidates won't be in office."
