Why did Minneapolis remove its statement on Konnech's PollChief?
Minneapolis is a Konnech customer.
A statement regarding Konnech’s PollChief software was removed from a Minneapolis government after being posted on October 7, 2022.
Although the statement was discovered on archive.org, I submitted a public data request to learn why it was removed in the first place, and to ask how the public should interpret its removal and lack of updates since.
Here’s a refresher on Konnech:
Konnech in the News
While the Los Angeles County v. (Konnech CEO) Eugene Yu continues to be postponed (since October 2022, now set for March 29, 2023), True the Vote’s lawsuit advances, with the most recent filing here, wherein the former manager of Konnech-Australia discusses attempts (page 18/22) by Mr. Yu to conceal election-based operations in China.
Konnech in Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a Konnech customer. (See contract here.)
A statement regarding Konnech’s PollChief software was removed from a Minneapolis government after being posted on October 7, 2022.
I submitted a public data request to learn why:
Thank you, Gregory.
Follow-up questions:
1) Why was the statement removed?
2) How is the public to interpret the original statement in light of it being removed? Does it stand or not stand?
3) What is the status of the impact on Minneapolis poll worker data? The statement reads "As more details are confirmed, we will promptly share information about the security of its poll worker data." (It has been about 5 months since this statement—is there a report on what was discovered or not discovered?)
Have found the statement: https://web.archive.org/web/20221007203343/https://vote.minneapolismn.gov/statement-regarding-konnech-inc/
Which reads, from Oct 7, 2022:
The City of Minneapolis learned about accusations against the CEO of Konnech Inc., the company that makes PollChief Election Worker Management System. These accusations concern inappropriate handling of personal identifying information about Los Angeles County poll workers. The City of Minneapolis also uses this software to manage and schedule its poll workers.
The City takes these accusations seriously and we are looking into the impact, if any, on data related to Minneapolis poll workers. At this point, the City has no reason to believe its poll worker data is involved.
It is important to note that the PollChief software is not used in the voting process or in the counting of votes. A separate, unrelated system is used for the tabulation of ballots that is provided by a different vendor.
As the City continues to examine the possibility of any inappropriate handling of City data, the Elections and Voter Services Division remains focused on the upcoming general election on November 8. As more details are confirmed, we will promptly share information about the security of its poll worker data.
Hello,
Data responsive to your request have been released through the OpenCity portal. It can take up to 15 minutes for the data to appear. Please log in to your OpenCity account, click on My Requests and then select this reference number to view the available data.
The statement was retrieved by copying and pasting the URL you provided here: https://web.archive.org/
Your request will be closed at this time.
Thank you,
Gregory Munson l Enterprise Information Management Analyst l City of Minneapolis – City Clerk’s Office l Office: 612-673-5256 l gregory.munson1@minneapolismn.gov
Learn more about Data Practices at the City of Minneapolis [here]
You can submit requests, receive data, and check the status of your request using our Open City Portal [here]
Contact our team at 612-673-5256 or by emailing us at ResponsibleAuthority@minneapolismn.gov
It’s Not Only About Konnech
Konnech appears to be just one concerning software company intricately involved in U.S. elections.
Upcoming reports will be made about BPro (alternative to ERIC, a corporate voter registration system which 7 states have already recently exited).
BPro, which also has access to poll pads, was sold to KnowInk in 2021.
KnowInk’s poll pads provide voter trends and potential back doors to over 30 states registration systems in real time.
The most dominant elections provider in the country (and in Minnesota, serving 78 counties), Election Systems & Software (ES&S) recently purchased KnowInk and SeaChange (ballot printing).
Does such corporate centralization serve to make the voter registration, voter validation, tabulation, and reporting process more transparent, or less?