Post by Poor Richard on Jul 28, 2022 18:59:50 GMT -7
2022 GLA Annual Election - The Least Secure in History
The 2022 Glastonbury Landowner's Association (GLA) Annual Election promises to be the least secure election yet. When Swandal chose to conduct the election by mail only he flung the door wide open for fraudsters to manipulate the results. Both sides are emotionally and financially invested in the outcome of the election. The Dissolution crew has paid tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and court costs. Each side believes they will win and is going all out to achieve total victory.
The Glastonbury Landowners Committee (GLC) has produced an extensive fake GLA website and uses it to promote keeping Glastonbury whole. Without any sense of irony their home page declares "Welcome to the Glastonbury's" which acknowledges that North and South Glastonbury are already two separate communities! The Dissolution crew has their own GLA branded website at LocalControlGLA.org. They have sent multiple emails and recently mailed color postcards to landowners. The GLC disrupted the previous election with fraudulent mailings. Both sides have access to the current landowner mailing list, email addresses, and previous Voter Sign-in sheets.
The Voter Sign-in sheets are a list of landowners, the parcel(s) they own, whether they are in good standing or not, if they voted in the last election, and what method they used to vote (proxy, walk-in, mail-in, fax or email) and a line for their signature if they walk in to vote. For fraudsters, the first piece of information they will look for on the sign-in sheets is if the parcel owner bothered to vote. Only about 25 to 30% of all landowners bother to vote in annual elections. Picking landowners who do not normally vote decreases the likelihood of multiple ballots coming in from one person who owns just one parcel. Many landowners own several parcels and thus can legally cast several ballots. What will happen if "extra" ballots arrive? Will anyone even notice? If they do, which ballots will be judged as fake?
The question to divide Glastonbury or not is on the 2022 ballot. The Dissolution crew has stated on their recently produced GLA branded website that 51% of the landowners must vote yes for the splitting of Glastonbury to happen. There will be a need for a major "Get out The Vote" drive or serious ballot box stuffing.
A walk-in-only election is the most secure method because the voter must show ID if they are not known and must sign the voter sign-in sheet. Then they are given a ballot for each parcel they own. Ballots are usually on colored paper with a different color for North and South Glastonbury. They may have a unique pattern stamped on them just before they are handed to the voter. The process is secure and open.
Mail-in-only elections present a new list of challenges and make it much easier to commit fraud.
The Glastonbury Landowners Committee (GLC) has produced an extensive fake GLA website and uses it to promote keeping Glastonbury whole. Without any sense of irony their home page declares "Welcome to the Glastonbury's" which acknowledges that North and South Glastonbury are already two separate communities! The Dissolution crew has their own GLA branded website at LocalControlGLA.org. They have sent multiple emails and recently mailed color postcards to landowners. The GLC disrupted the previous election with fraudulent mailings. Both sides have access to the current landowner mailing list, email addresses, and previous Voter Sign-in sheets.
The Voter Sign-in sheets are a list of landowners, the parcel(s) they own, whether they are in good standing or not, if they voted in the last election, and what method they used to vote (proxy, walk-in, mail-in, fax or email) and a line for their signature if they walk in to vote. For fraudsters, the first piece of information they will look for on the sign-in sheets is if the parcel owner bothered to vote. Only about 25 to 30% of all landowners bother to vote in annual elections. Picking landowners who do not normally vote decreases the likelihood of multiple ballots coming in from one person who owns just one parcel. Many landowners own several parcels and thus can legally cast several ballots. What will happen if "extra" ballots arrive? Will anyone even notice? If they do, which ballots will be judged as fake?
The question to divide Glastonbury or not is on the 2022 ballot. The Dissolution crew has stated on their recently produced GLA branded website that 51% of the landowners must vote yes for the splitting of Glastonbury to happen. There will be a need for a major "Get out The Vote" drive or serious ballot box stuffing.
A walk-in-only election is the most secure method because the voter must show ID if they are not known and must sign the voter sign-in sheet. Then they are given a ballot for each parcel they own. Ballots are usually on colored paper with a different color for North and South Glastonbury. They may have a unique pattern stamped on them just before they are handed to the voter. The process is secure and open.
Mail-in-only elections present a new list of challenges and make it much easier to commit fraud.
Problems With Late Mail Delivery and Tossed Ballots
A few weeks ago two directors emailed the GLA board with problems regarding the annual election. One director noted that it took 8 weeks for the Nomination forms to arrive at her east coast house. She wondered what would happen if ballots met the same fate. A few days ago a landowner emailed the board and requested another ballot for his appears to have been lost in the mail.
Another director wrote about what he saw after he picked up his ballot at the Emigrant Post Office. On his way out of the office, he noticed two tan envelopes in the trash can that looked identical to the election packet he received. It is not uncommon for landowners who are disgusted with the GLA to simply throw out all GLA mail they receive. The director went out to his car and opened his packet. After studying the packet contents for a few minutes he looked up and glanced through the Post Office window. He was shocked. Someone was rifling through the disposed mail and carefully sorting it into piles. The director went inside and saw a scruffy-looking man standing next to a postal bench with three piles of mail. The middle pile held contents from the trash can, the left pile had maybe five tan envelopes that looked like election packets and the right pile was sorted trash waiting to go back into the can.
Another director wrote about what he saw after he picked up his ballot at the Emigrant Post Office. On his way out of the office, he noticed two tan envelopes in the trash can that looked identical to the election packet he received. It is not uncommon for landowners who are disgusted with the GLA to simply throw out all GLA mail they receive. The director went out to his car and opened his packet. After studying the packet contents for a few minutes he looked up and glanced through the Post Office window. He was shocked. Someone was rifling through the disposed mail and carefully sorting it into piles. The director went inside and saw a scruffy-looking man standing next to a postal bench with three piles of mail. The middle pile held contents from the trash can, the left pile had maybe five tan envelopes that looked like election packets and the right pile was sorted trash waiting to go back into the can.
A Completely Unsecured Ballot - Easy To Photocopy
The paper ballots for North and South Glastonbury are totally lacking even the most basic security measures. The paper is not watermarked nor are there any security patterns printed on it. The only color ink used is black. The paper is standard 20 pound 8 1/2 by 11 copy paper that can be found in Walmart. Anyone could simply copy the ballot at home with their laser printer. Or bring it to the UPS store and use one of their self-serve machines. Hundreds of blank ballots could be produced by even a child.
There are two different-sized paper envelopes that came with each ballot. Both are plain white, lack any security features, and are available at Walmart. The smaller envelope is a #6 3/4 and is used to hold the completed ballot. The larger envelope is a #10 and has two labels on it. Both are standard 4-inch long by 1-inch wide self-sticking mailing labels that are widely available at office supply stores. A laser printer was used to print the ballot holder's return address on one and Swandal's address on the other. The font is standard as is the line spacing. The font color is simply black. The landowner address is formatted exactly the same as the membership list which both the Glastonbury Landowners Committee and the Dissolution crew possess. Will either group try to print fake labels? The GLC has done so in the past.
Park County mail-in ballot envelopes are uniquely printed and require the voter's signature on the backside. Swandal chose plain white envelopes that are widely available. No signature is required.
But why should anyone bother producing fake address labels, buying envelopes, and paying for postage when there are easier ways to stuff the ballot box that are FREE?
There are two different-sized paper envelopes that came with each ballot. Both are plain white, lack any security features, and are available at Walmart. The smaller envelope is a #6 3/4 and is used to hold the completed ballot. The larger envelope is a #10 and has two labels on it. Both are standard 4-inch long by 1-inch wide self-sticking mailing labels that are widely available at office supply stores. A laser printer was used to print the ballot holder's return address on one and Swandal's address on the other. The font is standard as is the line spacing. The font color is simply black. The landowner address is formatted exactly the same as the membership list which both the Glastonbury Landowners Committee and the Dissolution crew possess. Will either group try to print fake labels? The GLC has done so in the past.
Park County mail-in ballot envelopes are uniquely printed and require the voter's signature on the backside. Swandal chose plain white envelopes that are widely available. No signature is required.
But why should anyone bother producing fake address labels, buying envelopes, and paying for postage when there are easier ways to stuff the ballot box that are FREE?
Fax or Email Your Ballots to Swandal
Ballot holders are allowed to Fax or email their ballots to Swandal. Swandal stated that emails would be checked against emails on file with the GLA. Both sides have access to the email list which numbers about 125 landowners. The majority of landowners do not have their emails registered with the GLA.
Like the spam calls we all get with Montana caller IDs but distinctly foreign-sounding speakers, return email addresses can be easily faked too. And what happens if ballots are emailed in from people who do not have their email registered with the GLA? Will Swandal turn a blind eye to them? They could be legitimate.
Anyone could easily photocopy their original ballot multiple times. Using "burner" email addresses they could send their completed ballots, one each day, to Swandal. They could sign the email with the name of their neighbor or anyone else who is a landowner in Glastonbury. They would not even need a landowner membership list. All Glastonbury landowners are listed on the Montana Cadastral and in Park County Tax records. Both are easily available online.
Faxing a ballot with a cover sheet is just as easy as email and more difficult to detect as fraudulent. Many online faxing services will allow you to fax a limited number of documents per day for free. Since the faxes do not go by landline phone it is impossible to have a uniquely identifying phone number on each fax. The online services allow you to fill in the sender's address and any return address you wish. Like "burner" emails it would be impossible to trace the fax back to any individual.
Like the spam calls we all get with Montana caller IDs but distinctly foreign-sounding speakers, return email addresses can be easily faked too. And what happens if ballots are emailed in from people who do not have their email registered with the GLA? Will Swandal turn a blind eye to them? They could be legitimate.
Anyone could easily photocopy their original ballot multiple times. Using "burner" email addresses they could send their completed ballots, one each day, to Swandal. They could sign the email with the name of their neighbor or anyone else who is a landowner in Glastonbury. They would not even need a landowner membership list. All Glastonbury landowners are listed on the Montana Cadastral and in Park County Tax records. Both are easily available online.
Faxing a ballot with a cover sheet is just as easy as email and more difficult to detect as fraudulent. Many online faxing services will allow you to fax a limited number of documents per day for free. Since the faxes do not go by landline phone it is impossible to have a uniquely identifying phone number on each fax. The online services allow you to fill in the sender's address and any return address you wish. Like "burner" emails it would be impossible to trace the fax back to any individual.
Will Landowners Trust The Election Results?
Fraudsters will no doubt find many ways to disrupt or win the 2022 election. The GLC has a track record and they have gone unpunished. Their fake GLA website is still up and new information is frequently posted. The Dissolution crew has their GLA branded website and hides behind the "Landowners For Local Control" alias. Neither side is completely open and honest with their dealings with Glastonbury landowners. Hopefully, neither side will resort to ballot fraud to win the election.
Swandal will be opening the #10 envelopes. The #6 3/4 ballot containing envelopes will be collected and transported to Accounting and Tax Solutions in Livingston. They will count the ballots and tally the results.
Skeptical GLA directors have already been told that all 2022 GLA election paperwork will be unavailable for inspection or verification due to landowner "privacy" concerns. In November of 2018 the Forum was able to photograph and document completed 2018 Annual Election materials. You may view that article and see the extensive list of completed forms here. The privacy of landowners was not violated but we were able to verify election results. Independent verification legitimized the results and built trust in the community. Apparently independent verification will not be possible in 2022.