Ballot Images (CVRs) now prohibited in Minnesota

Today I arrived at Anoka County Government Center and one of the advocates, Derek, asked me if I’d seen the news. I hadn’t, although Rick Weible had just texted me about it: HF1830 was passed yesterday making pertinent info from cast vote records non-public, a big break away from nationwide standards for these internal audits done by the machines (tabulators) themselves since 2005.

I therefore with prompting from Derek updated my speech, which begins at 1m47s:

Erik van Mechelen, Minneapolis. Last year I ran for SOS and wrote this book. I will speak to CVRs (cast vote records) today.

1. Last summer the Todd County Attorney says they don’t have CVRs (see page 56 of this book). And we heard the same from many other counties. (See the CVR Cover-up series on this newsletter.)

1. Mouthpieces for the SOS began publishing articles in the Star Trib and MinnPost saying these CVRs don’t exist, or they wouldn’t be useful if they did, or that they are turned off (if turned off, that tabulator should not be used).
2. But then one county in Minnesota—Fillmore County—publishes their CVR. It is analyzed alongside several hundred in a nationwide study revealing patterns that strongly suggest centralized manipulation. (Read this on FingerprintsofFraud.com.)
3. Yesterday, HF1830 is passed, admitting the existence of CVRs but also making the publishing of ballot images prohibited in Minnesota, contradicting nationwide standards since 2005 and running counter to previous Minnesota law.
4. Why prohibit their release? Rick Weible has said: “Transparency is innoculation against conspiracy theories.” So why then reduce transparency? Isn’t that proof that there is gold there (in the CVRs)? To me, this looks like a cover-up. Or at least increased centralization of elections at the state level when elections belong in a decentralized manner at the precinct and county level for voter registration, voter validation, tabulation, and reporting.

Tomorrow, Two Anoka County commissioners will receive a presentation from leading cybersecurity and forensics expert, Mark Cook.

Search “Mark Cook” on this newsletter to learn more about his work.