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The Name Change Poll team had been
monitoring the poll for evidence
of abuse and fraud. We
expected there to be few people that would
try to enter responses
for others fraudulently, and, in fact, there
were some such
responses.
This fraudulent
activity made use of the poor password security
system for the USHGA
web site, in which the initial passwords for
members was set to
their zip code. Most members never changed the
password, so an
unscrupulous person could enter responses for anyone
for whom the USHGA
number and zip code is known.
When we detected
suspicious activity, the member that had apparently
entered the response
was contacted. If they had not participated in
the poll, the
fraudulent response were invalidated.
We believe that all of
the fraudulent activity was detected.
However, as ofa couple
of days ago, some members starting posting
instructions about how
to cheat, and suggesting that everyone do so.
Based on this, we
suspended the poll, and starting re-vamping the
password system.
Based on that effort,
each USHGA member was assigned a new, pseudo
random password. Those
members that have valid e-mail addresses on
file at the USHGA
office received a notification of the new
password. Other
members can get their passwords changed by calling
the USHGA Office. Once
they are logged in, any user can change their
current password to
one of their choosing by entering the "member's
only" section of
the website, and selecting the "update your info"
button, or by using
this web address:
<https://www.ushga.org/member_modify.asp>
While this password
effort would stop any rampant cheating, and we
feel that the effect
of the previous cheating has been removed from
the poll, there are
some who feel that the poll may have been
influenced by
fraudulent votes that were not detected. Although I do
not think this is the case,
I can offer no direct proof that all of
the fraud has been
detected.
It was my suggestion
that the poll be resumed now that the password
issue has been
addressed. Others thought that the poll should be
either restart afresh,
or terminated with a direct move to the
official, final
ballot.
Randy Legget, USHGA
president, in consultation with some of the
Executive Committee
members and Board of Directors, decided on the
latter approach. His
reasoning is that the perception of fraud in the
poll will continue
even if the actual fraud has been eliminated, and
that the preliminary
results of the poll clear show very strong
support for changing
the name (as well as strong opposition).
Although the poll
could be restarted, there is little more to learn
from it. The most
prudent course of action is to go directly to the
official membership
ballot.
The Name Change Poll,
therefore, has been terminated. The official
vote is currently
scheduled to begin in January, 2006.
Details of the fraud: we checked
suspicious looking activity on both
sides of the issue. Of
these, 21 cases were confirmed as fraud, with
a few suspected frauds
still not resolved.
All of the confirmed cases were cast in opposition to
the name
change, and came from 3 or 4 apparent
sources. These people, in
their zeal to defeat
the Name Change Poll at any cost, actually
worked to remove that
poll as a barrier to changing the name. So in
the end, they did not
cheat the proponents of the name change, but
those who were working
diligently and honestly to preserve the
current name.
Tad Hurst, Chair, Name
Change Committee
Additional information
about the poll and the fraudulent responses:
1. Total number of
ballots submitted in the online name change poll
between May 28 and
June 9: 925.
2. Number of ballots
invalidated after being confirmed as fraudulent:
21 (2% of 925).
3. Of the 21 confirmed
fraudulent ballots, 10 were submitted using
USHGA#'s belonging to
complimentary subscriptions (libraries and
such) and 11 were
submitted using USHGA#'s belonging to individuals.
4. There are a few
other ballots under investigation but not yet
confirmed to be
fraudulent and not yet invalidated.
_________________
Dr. Tad Hurst
Region 3 Director
USHGA
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