Polling and Statistical Analysis
About the Author
Discuss software and techniques for analyzing raw polling data, voter files and web site logs. Software may include office software such as spreadsheets and databases as well as specialized statistical software such as SAS, SPSS, S-Plus, Minitab and the open source program R.
The Orange County, Florida canvassing board had a 7 AM logic and accuracy test this morning. Two words got me out of bed, "butter-fly ballot."
A lesson of 2000 is that if you are offered the opportunity to preview part of the voting process; take it or you will regret it for the next 8 years.
The DS200 is a scanner that is slightly larger than a laptop computer that has a flip up LCD screen. The DS200 scans a voter inserted paper ballot and the ejects the ballot into a ballot box.
Three issues:
1. OVERVOTE OVERRIDEIf there is an over vote the machine returns the ballot with an informative message and the voter is offered two on screen buttons, "Accept" or "Return." If the voter touches "Accept" the over voted ballot is done the over voted ballot is accepted (but not counted), if the voter touches "Return" they can have their ballot spoiled and be given the opportunity to vote again (up to three times under Florida law). The override is a little too easy and may lead the type of problems we had at Catalina Elementary where a clerk simply pressed the override switch and accepted overvoted ballots.
2. WRONG PRECINCT/CRYPTIC ERROR MESSAGE - During Early Voting a ballot on demand (BOD) is printed along with a pink sheet that the voter has to sign, acknowledging their address and specifying their precinct and ballot type number. The precinct has to be hand typed into the DS200 and then the inserted ballot has to match. If the number typed into the DS200 does not match the ballot a cryptic error message appears that only refers to a sequence error -- not to the precinct number.
3. RECOUNT LAW -- Under Florida Statute 102.141(7) if the vote is within one-half percent or less the ballots are "recounted" by feeding through the scanners again. Under Florida Statute 102.166 if the vote is within one-quarter of one percent, the canvassing board shall order, "a manual recount of the overvotes and undervotes cast in the entire geographic jurisdiction of such office or ballot measure. A manual recount may not be ordered, however, if the number of overvotes, undervotes, and provisional ballots is fewer than the number of votes needed to change the outcome of the election. "
There is no law requiring a complete manual recount. There is also and audit that takes place only after the results have been certified by the canvassing board. The audit is not part of the election results. The certified results can be contested in court.
One the whole the machines and processes seemed pretty good. The scanners did reject ballots with small creases and during the test at one point the DS200 was a fickle as a dollar bill changer machine rejecting paper money.
The machines are programmed by a USB (flash memory) stick and the USB port is behind a locked panel, so the USB stick would not be casually replaced.
The DS200 plugs into a wall AC power outlet, but are battery powered like a laptop computer. There is an icon on the LCD screen indicating that it is plugged in and the status of the battery power. SOE testing indicated the DS200 had a 3 hour battery life under heavy use.
On power up a message indicates the DS200 has a VIA technologies main board. Also at power up the DS200 indicates it is zeroed out on a paper tape similar to an adding machine or cash register, except that the tape is thermal paper. The DS200 also has a brief onscreen message saying it is zeroed out. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) has a detailed checklist for the poll clerk to use, "DS-200 INSTRUCTION MANUAL." Step 30 is "DO NOT REMOVE THIS ZERO TAPE!!" Step 31 is "make sure the tape reads zero counts then roll up the tape using a paper clip. Initial on the "Ballot Box Report" on the Election Media Control Form."
The DS200 reports its results by both modem over the phone and by hand delivery of the USB stick. During the day, a voice line and a laptop computer are plugged into phone jacks in the wall of the polling location. After the polls close, the laptop is unplugged and the DS200 is plugged into the phone jack so the DS200 can modem in the results. The DS200 is NOT connected to the phone network during the election and thus is not vulnerable to direct dial up attack. Social engineering attacks are another issue, but at least it is not connected to a communications network until after the election is over.
Jim Callahan
acting as in my capacity as
Board Member at Large of the
Orange County, FL Democratic Party
Orlando, FL
A lesson of 2000 is that if you are offered the opportunity to preview part of the voting process; take it or you will regret it for the next 8 years.
The DS200 is a scanner that is slightly larger than a laptop computer that has a flip up LCD screen. The DS200 scans a voter inserted paper ballot and the ejects the ballot into a ballot box.
Three issues:
1. OVERVOTE OVERRIDEIf there is an over vote the machine returns the ballot with an informative message and the voter is offered two on screen buttons, "Accept" or "Return." If the voter touches "Accept" the over voted ballot is done the over voted ballot is accepted (but not counted), if the voter touches "Return" they can have their ballot spoiled and be given the opportunity to vote again (up to three times under Florida law). The override is a little too easy and may lead the type of problems we had at Catalina Elementary where a clerk simply pressed the override switch and accepted overvoted ballots.
2. WRONG PRECINCT/CRYPTIC ERROR MESSAGE - During Early Voting a ballot on demand (BOD) is printed along with a pink sheet that the voter has to sign, acknowledging their address and specifying their precinct and ballot type number. The precinct has to be hand typed into the DS200 and then the inserted ballot has to match. If the number typed into the DS200 does not match the ballot a cryptic error message appears that only refers to a sequence error -- not to the precinct number.
3. RECOUNT LAW -- Under Florida Statute 102.141(7) if the vote is within one-half percent or less the ballots are "recounted" by feeding through the scanners again. Under Florida Statute 102.166 if the vote is within one-quarter of one percent, the canvassing board shall order, "a manual recount of the overvotes and undervotes cast in the entire geographic jurisdiction of such office or ballot measure. A manual recount may not be ordered, however, if the number of overvotes, undervotes, and provisional ballots is fewer than the number of votes needed to change the outcome of the election. "
There is no law requiring a complete manual recount. There is also and audit that takes place only after the results have been certified by the canvassing board. The audit is not part of the election results. The certified results can be contested in court.
One the whole the machines and processes seemed pretty good. The scanners did reject ballots with small creases and during the test at one point the DS200 was a fickle as a dollar bill changer machine rejecting paper money.
The machines are programmed by a USB (flash memory) stick and the USB port is behind a locked panel, so the USB stick would not be casually replaced.
The DS200 plugs into a wall AC power outlet, but are battery powered like a laptop computer. There is an icon on the LCD screen indicating that it is plugged in and the status of the battery power. SOE testing indicated the DS200 had a 3 hour battery life under heavy use.
On power up a message indicates the DS200 has a VIA technologies main board. Also at power up the DS200 indicates it is zeroed out on a paper tape similar to an adding machine or cash register, except that the tape is thermal paper. The DS200 also has a brief onscreen message saying it is zeroed out. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) has a detailed checklist for the poll clerk to use, "DS-200 INSTRUCTION MANUAL." Step 30 is "DO NOT REMOVE THIS ZERO TAPE!!" Step 31 is "make sure the tape reads zero counts then roll up the tape using a paper clip. Initial on the "Ballot Box Report" on the Election Media Control Form."
The DS200 reports its results by both modem over the phone and by hand delivery of the USB stick. During the day, a voice line and a laptop computer are plugged into phone jacks in the wall of the polling location. After the polls close, the laptop is unplugged and the DS200 is plugged into the phone jack so the DS200 can modem in the results. The DS200 is NOT connected to the phone network during the election and thus is not vulnerable to direct dial up attack. Social engineering attacks are another issue, but at least it is not connected to a communications network until after the election is over.
Jim Callahan
acting as in my capacity as
Board Member at Large of the
Orange County, FL Democratic Party
Orlando, FL
URGENT for users who import large data files into MS ACCESS 2007 data base.
Microsoft admits a problem, "Access 2007 takes more time to import large [30 megabyte] .csv files than Access 2003 does," but claims slow import is fixed in MS Office 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More »
Microsoft admits a problem, "Access 2007 takes more time to import large [30 megabyte] .csv files than Access 2003 does," but claims slow import is fixed in MS Office 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More »
New databases are prone to coding errors, so preliminary results are to be taken with a grain of salt. A very odd result from a crosstab:
Looking only at Orange County, FL voters registered since January 1, 2008, in some African American precincts, the "Socialist of Florida" party (Party=9) appears to be out registering Republicans!!!
A very, very preliminary result subject to verification next week.
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
Looking only at Orange County, FL voters registered since January 1, 2008, in some African American precincts, the "Socialist of Florida" party (Party=9) appears to be out registering Republicans!!!
A very, very preliminary result subject to verification next week.
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
The Obama Fellows (interns) are doing a major voter registration drive. Their efforts in addition to efforts of other groups such as ACORN are producing impressive results across the country, but particularly in Florida. It will take a special effort to stay in touch with these voters.
In Orange County as of mid-June are about 14,000 more Democrats than there were on January 29 resulting in a 43,000 registered voter advantage over the Republicans.
I discussed this in more detail on June 15:
http://www.democrats.org/page/community/post/JBCallahan/Cxbm
VOTER CONTACT
The DNC has produced a great national voter contact database, VoteBuilder (also known as VAN). But, we need to closely monitor the latest voter registration date in the database for a given state or county. In Florida, there is a three to four month lag in the monthly CDs we get from the Florida Division of Elections. If this lag carries over to VoteBuilder we will have a three to four month blindspot where we will be unable to contact newly registered Obama voters.
The campaign intends to remedy some of this problem by keeping track of the names of the people they register the limits of this approach is twofold:
#1 The Obama campaign will know its own voters, but it won't know who other organizations such as ACORN have registered and it can't just ask ACORN for its list because that would be illegal coordination and would jeopardize Project Votes' tax status.
#2 Keeping track of names before you turn you in doesn't tell you which eligible voters actually made it on the voter registration rolls (glitches could include that if the drivers license number or the last 4 digits of the social security number don't match their voter registration could fail). This is Florida! Strange things happen to the voter registration rolls! Trust, but verify.
To know all of the newly registered voters (not just the ones registered by Obama campaign) we have to rely on public records. Although by law the State of Florida maintains the official roll, in Orange County, Florida the Supervisor of Elections posts a monthly list of registered voters here:
http://www.ocfelections.com/Public%20Records/New%20Voters/New%20Voters%20Homepage.htm
The list is posted in the middle of one month for registrations through the end of the previous month. Using to posted list could reduce the reporting lag to two to four weeks.
The posted list has addresses, but does not have phone numbers or emails. To the extent that the Obama campaign has phone numbers and emails they could be added and the voter could be called to congratulate them on their successful voter registration. Yes, you are on the rolls and you can vote by mail or you vote at the elementary school (for example).
If we do not have phone numbers or emails for the voters (perhaps they were registered by ACORN/Project Vote) we add the voters to a special walk list and send volunteers to the door with lit and sign people up to receive email updates from Barrack Obama and other campaigns.
I hate for all the voter registration efforts to go to waste. Some optimists believe if a voter registers at a supermarket they will definitely turn out at a school, a firehouse or some other polling place to vote. Without further contact, the voter may not know how to vote by mail, vote early or on election day a polling place. Moreover, without further contact, they may vote for Obama and quit and not vote for the other Democrats on the ballot.
In conclusion, we need to follow through newly registered voters (whether registered by the Obama campaign or not) and it may take some additional data efforts (beyond VoteBuilder/VAN) to do so.
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
In Orange County as of mid-June are about 14,000 more Democrats than there were on January 29 resulting in a 43,000 registered voter advantage over the Republicans.
I discussed this in more detail on June 15:
http://www.democrats.org/page/community/post/JBCallahan/Cxbm
VOTER CONTACT
The DNC has produced a great national voter contact database, VoteBuilder (also known as VAN). But, we need to closely monitor the latest voter registration date in the database for a given state or county. In Florida, there is a three to four month lag in the monthly CDs we get from the Florida Division of Elections. If this lag carries over to VoteBuilder we will have a three to four month blindspot where we will be unable to contact newly registered Obama voters.
The campaign intends to remedy some of this problem by keeping track of the names of the people they register the limits of this approach is twofold:
#1 The Obama campaign will know its own voters, but it won't know who other organizations such as ACORN have registered and it can't just ask ACORN for its list because that would be illegal coordination and would jeopardize Project Votes' tax status.
#2 Keeping track of names before you turn you in doesn't tell you which eligible voters actually made it on the voter registration rolls (glitches could include that if the drivers license number or the last 4 digits of the social security number don't match their voter registration could fail). This is Florida! Strange things happen to the voter registration rolls! Trust, but verify.
To know all of the newly registered voters (not just the ones registered by Obama campaign) we have to rely on public records. Although by law the State of Florida maintains the official roll, in Orange County, Florida the Supervisor of Elections posts a monthly list of registered voters here:
http://www.ocfelections.com/Public%20Records/New%20Voters/New%20Voters%20Homepage.htm
The list is posted in the middle of one month for registrations through the end of the previous month. Using to posted list could reduce the reporting lag to two to four weeks.
The posted list has addresses, but does not have phone numbers or emails. To the extent that the Obama campaign has phone numbers and emails they could be added and the voter could be called to congratulate them on their successful voter registration. Yes, you are on the rolls and you can vote by mail or you vote at the elementary school (for example).
If we do not have phone numbers or emails for the voters (perhaps they were registered by ACORN/Project Vote) we add the voters to a special walk list and send volunteers to the door with lit and sign people up to receive email updates from Barrack Obama and other campaigns.
I hate for all the voter registration efforts to go to waste. Some optimists believe if a voter registers at a supermarket they will definitely turn out at a school, a firehouse or some other polling place to vote. Without further contact, the voter may not know how to vote by mail, vote early or on election day a polling place. Moreover, without further contact, they may vote for Obama and quit and not vote for the other Democrats on the ballot.
In conclusion, we need to follow through newly registered voters (whether registered by the Obama campaign or not) and it may take some additional data efforts (beyond VoteBuilder/VAN) to do so.
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
USAelectionPolls.com just admitted and corrected an error that may have influenced the weekend news reporting cycle. Obama is ahead in NJ. NJ is not like Pennsylvania -- it does not have a large rural hinterland resembling Alabama.
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/
As correct, the electoral math for Rasmussen shows Obama ahead in the electoral collage 249 to 210.
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/
Specifically in Florida, the latest (June 18) Quinnipiac University shows Obama ahead 47 to 43.
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/general-election/florida.html
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
We had a couple of mistakes in our Rasmussen Reports poll results that we had to fix over this weekend (thanks to a caller who informed me of the mistakes!).
The New Jersey results were flipped between Obama and McCain -- mistakingly crowning McCain as the winner of the state. And the Virginia poll was just not updated to the latest June poll... I have fixed that.
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/
As correct, the electoral math for Rasmussen shows Obama ahead in the electoral collage 249 to 210.
Quinnipiac University has ... focused exclusively on the battleground states. [Obama] is over 150 electoral votes ahead in the more contested states.
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/
Specifically in Florida, the latest (June 18) Quinnipiac University shows Obama ahead 47 to 43.
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/general-election/florida.html
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
On January 29 in Orange County, Florida there were
203,829 registered Democrats
175,336 registered Republicans
and 128,637 other and no party affiliation voters.
So far, so good. Dems are ahead.
But only,
88,930 Democrats voted in the January 29th primary
while
92,425 Republicans voted. More Republicans voted, had it been a face to face election, instead of a within party primary, Democrats would have lost by 3,500 votes!
The Republican turnout was 52.7%, while the Democratic turnout was only 43.6%. So, the conventional wisdom is that Democrats in Orange County, Florida have a turnout problem.
Orange County, Florida [Supervisor of] Elections (ocfelections.com)
http://www.ocfelections.com/Public%20Records/2008%20Election%20Results/2008%20Election%20Results%20Homepage.htm
Last week I obtained a new DVD from the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections that listed all of the registered voters in Florida. It was dated 04/30/2008 on the label, but after I loaded the Orange County data, I checked and found the most recent registration date to be 03/31/2008! or nearly 3 months out of date!
I checked the local Supervisor of Elections website and found statistics as of June 11, 2008.
http://www.ocfelections.com/Public%20Records/2008%20Month%20End%20Stats/June%2011/Poll/June%2011%202008.htm
Now, or rather as of June 11, 2008 we have in Orange County, Florida:
217,600 registered Democrats
174,068 registered Republicans
and 122,851 other and no party affiliation voters.
The number of Democrats is up! and the number of Republicans is down! This is Florida; the Florida Department of State must have purged some Republican voters. I will have to check into that, because we want to win big in a fair and legitimate election.
As of June 11, 2008 the Democrats have 43,000+ vote registration advantage! But, how will turnout affect the outcome?
If we apply the turnout percentages from the January 29 primary, "The Republican turnout was 52.7%, while the Democratic turnout was only 43.6%" (see above), Democrats still win!!!
Multiplying the June 11 voter registration by the January 29 turnout yields 94,938 Democratic voters and only 91,757 voters. Registration finally trumps turnout!!!
Historically, turnouts in Florida's Presidential Preference Primary average 37% statewide, but general elections average 64% and Presidential year general elections often exceed 70%. For example, 1980 was 77% and 1992 was 83% (two elections where the Presidency changed parties).
Florida Department of State(DOS), Division of elections
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/online/voterpercent.shtml
If we bump the January 29th turnout numbers for each party up by 30 something percent, we still get a Democratic victory! I leave that calculation to the reader as an exercise.
So, with this calculation, I abandon the position that I took in a meeting that Orange County has a turnout problem [that won't be helped by registration] and wholeheartedly endorse the Obama voter registration drive.
Local campaigns still need to focus on voter contact!
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
203,829 registered Democrats
175,336 registered Republicans
and 128,637 other and no party affiliation voters.
So far, so good. Dems are ahead.
But only,
88,930 Democrats voted in the January 29th primary
while
92,425 Republicans voted. More Republicans voted, had it been a face to face election, instead of a within party primary, Democrats would have lost by 3,500 votes!
The Republican turnout was 52.7%, while the Democratic turnout was only 43.6%. So, the conventional wisdom is that Democrats in Orange County, Florida have a turnout problem.
Orange County, Florida [Supervisor of] Elections (ocfelections.com)
http://www.ocfelections.com/Public%20Records/2008%20Election%20Results/2008%20Election%20Results%20Homepage.htm
Last week I obtained a new DVD from the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections that listed all of the registered voters in Florida. It was dated 04/30/2008 on the label, but after I loaded the Orange County data, I checked and found the most recent registration date to be 03/31/2008! or nearly 3 months out of date!
I checked the local Supervisor of Elections website and found statistics as of June 11, 2008.
http://www.ocfelections.com/Public%20Records/2008%20Month%20End%20Stats/June%2011/Poll/June%2011%202008.htm
Now, or rather as of June 11, 2008 we have in Orange County, Florida:
217,600 registered Democrats
174,068 registered Republicans
and 122,851 other and no party affiliation voters.
The number of Democrats is up! and the number of Republicans is down! This is Florida; the Florida Department of State must have purged some Republican voters. I will have to check into that, because we want to win big in a fair and legitimate election.
As of June 11, 2008 the Democrats have 43,000+ vote registration advantage! But, how will turnout affect the outcome?
If we apply the turnout percentages from the January 29 primary, "The Republican turnout was 52.7%, while the Democratic turnout was only 43.6%" (see above), Democrats still win!!!
Multiplying the June 11 voter registration by the January 29 turnout yields 94,938 Democratic voters and only 91,757 voters. Registration finally trumps turnout!!!
Historically, turnouts in Florida's Presidential Preference Primary average 37% statewide, but general elections average 64% and Presidential year general elections often exceed 70%. For example, 1980 was 77% and 1992 was 83% (two elections where the Presidency changed parties).
Florida Department of State(DOS), Division of elections
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/online/voterpercent.shtml
If we bump the January 29th turnout numbers for each party up by 30 something percent, we still get a Democratic victory! I leave that calculation to the reader as an exercise.
So, with this calculation, I abandon the position that I took in a meeting that Orange County has a turnout problem [that won't be helped by registration] and wholeheartedly endorse the Obama voter registration drive.
Local campaigns still need to focus on voter contact!
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
Exit polls provide a valuable cross-check on the voting process.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080513/exit_poll_lawsuit.html?.v=1
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
Networks, AP sue in South Dakota over exit polling
Tuesday May 13, 11:52 am ET
By Chet Brokaw, Associated Press Writer
Networks, Associated Press sue South Dakota officials over exit polling restrictions
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- The three major networks, CNN, Fox News and The Associated Press filed a lawsuit Monday asking a federal judge to strike down a South Dakota law that prevents exit polling within 100 feet of a voting place.
The law violates the First Amendment because it restricts the news organizations' speech and commentary about the political process and limits their opportunities to gather information about that process, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Sioux Falls, asks that the case be handled quickly because South Dakota's primary election is June 3, just three weeks away. It seeks a preliminary ruling before the primary to prevent South Dakota officials from barring exit polling within 100 feet of polling places.
The lawsuit was filed by ABC, CBS, NBC, Cable News Network, Fox News Network and the AP.
Poll representatives working for the news organizations have conducted exit polling within 100 feet of South Dakota voting locations in past elections, according to the lawsuit.
However, South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson told polling representatives in an April 2 e-mail that exit polling would only be allowed within the bounds of the state law that bars exit polling within 100 feet of a polling place, the lawsuit said. Nelson warned in the e-mail that a violation of the law "will be dealt with by all legal means including prosecution."
The accuracy and reliability will be harmed because exit pollers may not be able to question some voters, the lawsuit asserts. Some voters may get into cars and leave before exit pollers can ask if they want to fill out questionnaires, hurting the accuracy of the polls, it says.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080513/exit_poll_lawsuit.html?.v=1
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
Well I know everyone listens to iPods these days ;) but back in the day, when we listened to stereo systems with loudspeakers, sometimes one speaker would work, but the other did not.
Well the lopsided effect of having only one speaker playing is what the Nevada Caucuses and the South Carolina Primary were like. Senator Hillary Clinton is said to have won Nevada because of the Women and Latino vote, while Senator Barack Obama is said to have won South Carolina because of the Black vote.
While that is an improvement over Iowa and New Hampshire, where neither Blacks nor Latinos were represented; why can't we have a primary state that sounds like the nation?
We do; it is called Florida.
Unfortunately, the DNC Chair and the "gang of 4" are going deaf (guess we shouldn't pick on the handicapped).
The four self interested state chairs put their states' advantage above the national interest and so we have four states primaries yielding noise or at best distorted sound with at least one stereo channel missing.
Perhaps the gang of 4 are going deaf because the have been listening to the chairman's scream at high volume through a bad sound system.
Can you hear me now?
Don't tase me bro!
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
Well the lopsided effect of having only one speaker playing is what the Nevada Caucuses and the South Carolina Primary were like. Senator Hillary Clinton is said to have won Nevada because of the Women and Latino vote, while Senator Barack Obama is said to have won South Carolina because of the Black vote.
While that is an improvement over Iowa and New Hampshire, where neither Blacks nor Latinos were represented; why can't we have a primary state that sounds like the nation?
We do; it is called Florida.
Unfortunately, the DNC Chair and the "gang of 4" are going deaf (guess we shouldn't pick on the handicapped).
The four self interested state chairs put their states' advantage above the national interest and so we have four states primaries yielding noise or at best distorted sound with at least one stereo channel missing.
Perhaps the gang of 4 are going deaf because the have been listening to the chairman's scream at high volume through a bad sound system.
Can you hear me now?
Don't tase me bro!
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
A CNN poll released today concluded that Senator John Edwards is the only Democrat who can beat all four major Republican candidates. Read More »
Get Out The Vote (GOTV) or more precisely Get Out OUR Vote becomes THE crucial operation of the last 72 hours of the campaign. By now, the campaign should have identified a large number of voters who have said they will vote for our candidate. You've got the list, now what? The clock is ticking... Read More »
If you read my, "Why FREE Software?" you might wonder, why Windows?
Microsoft Windows on the desktop or notebook computer is a special case.
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL Read More »
Microsoft Windows on the desktop or notebook computer is a special case.
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL Read More »
Why use FREE Software? Why use OpenOffice.org instead of just "making a copy" of Microsoft Office?
Legal Reasons -- the $1,000,000 reward
BSA - Official Site
www.BSA.org/reportpiracy Earn up to $1 million for Reporting Pirated Software - All Confidential
Link
Link
Note: $1,000,000 reward for turning you in and you may still face criminal prosecution.
All your opposition has to do is guess that you have pirated software (is it on your in-kind contribution or expenditure reports?) and drop a dime or visit the above web site.
Philosophical Reasons -- Richard M Stallman (RMS)
Link
Practical Reasons
Why pay $100-$500 for each licensed copy of Microsoft Office when you can download a licensed copy of OpenOffice.org or StarOffice for free? For each copy of Microsoft Office wouldn't you rather pay the postage on another 100 copies of your direct mail piece? Reward your volunteers, buy a radio adv, pay postage; if you can't think of 100 better ways to spend a couple of hundred bucks (than licensing software) in a campaign, then why are you in politics? Perhaps you should look for another line of work!
As a consultant, I have used Microsoft software and I have trained on Microsoft software (MCSE, MCDBA). But, I ultimately decided I didn't like the Microsoft business model. Sure, it was great that they were giving you a cut of the revenue from selling their software, but ultimately it is like a financial adviser selling you a mutual fund on commission; wouldn't you be better off with a "no load" mutual fund and an unbiased financial adviser. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is like a "no-load" mutual fund and a consultant that recommends FOSS is not on commission from Microsoft or any other software vendor.
Jim Callahan, MBA, (& Microsoft Certified MCSE, MCDBA)
Orlando, FL
Legal Reasons -- the $1,000,000 reward
BSA - Official Site
www.BSA.org/reportpiracy Earn up to $1 million for Reporting Pirated Software - All Confidential
Link
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) * * * operates approximately 65 hotlines around the world for callers who seek information about piracy or who wish to report suspected incidents of software piracy. * * * Our ultimate goal is to demonstrate to organizations and consumers the legal and practical risks associated with software piracy. * * * BSA takes action against software resellers and end-user organizations that make unauthorized copies of software and works closely with law enforcement agencies to coordinate enforcement of criminal copyright laws.
Link
Note: $1,000,000 reward for turning you in and you may still face criminal prosecution.
All your opposition has to do is guess that you have pirated software (is it on your in-kind contribution or expenditure reports?) and drop a dime or visit the above web site.
BSA�¢ï¿½ï¿½s enforcement program has been instrumental in bringing thousands of organizations into software compliance with software copyright compliance, closing down pirate Internet sites, stopping the illegal sale of pirated software through Internet auction sites and pirated software retail outlets, and seizing illegal CD presses.
Philosophical Reasons -- Richard M Stallman (RMS)
Link
Practical Reasons
Why pay $100-$500 for each licensed copy of Microsoft Office when you can download a licensed copy of OpenOffice.org or StarOffice for free? For each copy of Microsoft Office wouldn't you rather pay the postage on another 100 copies of your direct mail piece? Reward your volunteers, buy a radio adv, pay postage; if you can't think of 100 better ways to spend a couple of hundred bucks (than licensing software) in a campaign, then why are you in politics? Perhaps you should look for another line of work!
As a consultant, I have used Microsoft software and I have trained on Microsoft software (MCSE, MCDBA). But, I ultimately decided I didn't like the Microsoft business model. Sure, it was great that they were giving you a cut of the revenue from selling their software, but ultimately it is like a financial adviser selling you a mutual fund on commission; wouldn't you be better off with a "no load" mutual fund and an unbiased financial adviser. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is like a "no-load" mutual fund and a consultant that recommends FOSS is not on commission from Microsoft or any other software vendor.
Jim Callahan, MBA, (& Microsoft Certified MCSE, MCDBA)
Orlando, FL
Web sites, data bases, polling, statistical analysis, and redistricting are all software intensive and ripe for free software and community building.
This is just a raw dump of some things I have been looking at. Almost every program listed will run in Windows, Apple Mac OS/X and Linux. Read More »
This is just a raw dump of some things I have been looking at. Almost every program listed will run in Windows, Apple Mac OS/X and Linux. Read More »
Ethics, Freedom and Computers an address by Richard M. Stallman on receiving an honorary degree by The University of Pavia, in Italy on October 15, 2007.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Thanks to Linux Weekly News lwn.org for this link.
Link
FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION
http://www.fsf.org/
What should be the role of free software in a democratic political party?
Link
I admire the ideals of Richard Stallman, though I still run Microsoft Windows and use Google mail (although with Firefox and Openoffice.org), just as I admire the ideals of vegetarians and still eat some meat.
Richard Stallman's ideas and ideals are as profound deep and searching as in the areas of economics and politics as those of Ghandi or Martin Luther King. We as democrats (small d), should examine our conscience and actions in light of the ideals that Richard M. Stallman has set forth.
Web sites, data bases, polling, statistical analysis, and redistricting are all software intensive and ripe for free software and community building.
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
"All the forms of freedom that we hold dear are transformed when we carry out the relevant activities through computers."
"Not everyone wants to be a programmer, not everyone will learn personally how to study the source code and change it. But, in a world where your software is free you can, if you feel it necessary, hire someone else to change it for you. You can persuade your cousin programmer to change it for you if you say it's really important. You can join together with other users and pool your funds to hire a programmer. And the simple fact that there are millions of programmers who can study and change the software will mean that if the software is malicious, almost certainly somebody else, who has the requisite skills, will find that and correct it, and you will get the corrected version without any special effort of your own."
"So we all benefit, programmers and non-programmers alike, from the freedoms that free software grants to us. The freedom to cooperate and the freedom to control our own lives personally. They go together because both of them are the opposite of being under the power of the dictatorial software developer that unilaterally make decisions that nobody else can change."
"Schools should teach their students to be citizens of a strong, capable, independent and free society. And this means teaching them to use Free Software, not proprietary software. So none of the classes in this University should teach proprietary software."
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Thanks to Linux Weekly News lwn.org for this link.
Link
FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION
http://www.fsf.org/
What should be the role of free software in a democratic political party?
The idea of the Free Software movement is that computer users deserve the freedom to form a community. You should have the freedom to help yourself, by changing the source code to do whatever you need to do. And the freedom to help your neighbor, by redistributing copies of programs to other people. Also the freedom to help build your community, by publishing improved versions so that other people can use them.
Link
I admire the ideals of Richard Stallman, though I still run Microsoft Windows and use Google mail (although with Firefox and Openoffice.org), just as I admire the ideals of vegetarians and still eat some meat.
Richard Stallman's ideas and ideals are as profound deep and searching as in the areas of economics and politics as those of Ghandi or Martin Luther King. We as democrats (small d), should examine our conscience and actions in light of the ideals that Richard M. Stallman has set forth.
Web sites, data bases, polling, statistical analysis, and redistricting are all software intensive and ripe for free software and community building.
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
Two great web sites:
Visualizing Economics
Link
1. Has poverty maps (and says they are from "Social Explorer")
2. Has link to hilarious spoof on Onion about rivalry between rich and super rich (George Bush's haves and have mores).
Social Explorer
Link
Has easy to use maps of population, income and poverty variables by US Congressional District or Census Tract.
Including a map showing the proportion of people with less than 2X the poverty line (relevant for SCHIP debate).
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
Visualizing Economics
Link
1. Has poverty maps (and says they are from "Social Explorer")
2. Has link to hilarious spoof on Onion about rivalry between rich and super rich (George Bush's haves and have mores).
Social Explorer
Link
Has easy to use maps of population, income and poverty variables by US Congressional District or Census Tract.
Including a map showing the proportion of people with less than 2X the poverty line (relevant for SCHIP debate).
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
Newsweek released a new Iowa Poll
Link
Discussion at Democratic Underground
Link
At the Barack Obama campaign web site:
Link
Daily KOS
Link
USA Election Polls
Link
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
PS Remember, Florida is the big state with demographics close to the national average, don't put too much importance on bizarre twists and turns in unrepresentative small states.
Link
Among all Iowa Democrats surveyed, Clinton enjoys a 6-point lead over her nearest rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. But among likely Democratic caucus-goers, she is locked in a three-way race with Obama and former North Carolina senator John Edwards, with Obama enjoying a slight edge.
Discussion at Democratic Underground
Link
At the Barack Obama campaign web site:
Link
Daily KOS
Link
USA Election Polls
Link
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL
PS Remember, Florida is the big state with demographics close to the national average, don't put too much importance on bizarre twists and turns in unrepresentative small states.
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