Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus To Speak

According to the Journal Sentinel, a staff member from the Waukesha County Clerk's office says that Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus will speak this afternoon. Although, no time has been given. This will be an address to watch. We have many important and relevant questions for the clerk, but it's been five days since the original press conference without any further explanation. The facts that computer systems can be changed without any evidence and Kathy Nickolaus worked as a computer specialist are very troubling together with all of these very delayed responses.

In other news, Prosser says that the events in Waukesha County shouldn't give Kloppenburg a reason to recount, and I can't agree more. However, the only reason Prosser is on top is from the missing votes in Waukesha County. We should have heard from Nickolaus long before today, and without threat from investigation or recount. So, unless we get some straight answers, and fast, we do deserve an investigation and a recount. But it's Nickolaus's duty to give us these straight answers without others having to take such measures. The openness of our elections depends upon the transparency and openness provided by those who run them.

If you haven't read my questions for Kathy Nickolaus, please do. I believe their answers should matter to every voter and tax payer in Wisconsin because, as I explain, our computer election systems are the final word in our elections.

A world-renowned security expert, Bruce Schneier, described some of the very real issues with election systems after questions over election security during the 2004 elections. The only way we can avoid situations like the one in Waukesha County is to demand open election systems that give our elections real transparency. A non-profit organization that has been successful in these efforts is the Open Voting Consortium (I don't know them or have any affiliation).

If you want to have your voice heard regarding the issues with the Waukesha County election system and the delayed explanation we were given for the missing votes, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board has a complaint form here: http://gab.wi.gov/node/1282. The election official in this case is Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus.

Update: (4:00pm) Kathy Nickolaus has spoken, sort of. This doesn't even qualify for news. It's time for us to get much louder, or we will never be able to trust Kathy Nickolaus or the results of this election! She must give us the clear explanation we deserved during the original press conference.