Open Thread * [Video Update] Paulie Abeles Explores One of Our Most Sacred American Rights Tonight

UPDATE: PAULIE asks that we all view the YouTube, “Princeton University Exposes Diebold Flaws,” and “watch how easily electronic voting machines can be tampered with.”

Join us for “Sins of Omission” TONIGHT on No Quarter Radio (NQR) at 9 pm (ET) with host Paulie Abeles (photo left) — an Assistant Chief Election Judge in Maryland — as she interviews Kathleen Wynne (photo right, below) of the Emmy-nominated film HBO film “Hacking Democracy” on “Sins of Omission” tonight.

Electronic voting machines–both Optical Scan Systems that interpret paper ballots and Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Systems– now record more than 80% of the votes cast in US elections.

But the integrity and security of these machines have increasingly been called into question. Computer scientists at Stanford, Johns Hopkins, University of California at Berkeley and Princeton– have independently “hacked” these systems—Even as independent testing and investigation has been stymied because the three major suppliers of these machines (Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia) consider access to their machines and its source code proprietary information and refuse to allow state and county election officials (who own the machines) to inspect them.

Does it make a difference? Consider that in Florida in 2000, county election officials discovered 18,412 “negative” votes for Al Gore—when the system’s memory card (theoretically) contains no software that would allow it to pre-record votes.

Don’t miss “Sins of Omission” TONIGHT on No Quarter Radio at 9 pm (ET). Come early to join in the live chat. The call-in number (last half-hour) is (347) 677-0792.