Stolen Future: The Untold Story of the 2000 Election

by Stephen Singular

"This is an important book with new, deep reporting. It is chock-full of information, insights, and analysis that will intrigue both current readers and future historians." —Dan Rather, 24-year anchor of CBS Evening News and former White House correspondent

In Stolen Future, investigative reporter Stephen Singular conducts a breathtaking historical excavation of a still-controversial "cold case": the disputed, nail-biter 2000 election in Florida.

Remember the infamous "hanging chads?" The outcome of the election was, amid uproar and rancor, ultimately decided by the Supreme Court. But what really caused those thousands of votes to be invalidated? Determined to find out, Singular dug deep — and uncovered shocking secrets about the extent to which our trusted election mechanisms can be compromised.

But his story was never told. Instead, it was suppressed, ignored, and then buried. Until now, that is — just in time to be a part of current heated discussion regarding US election fraud.

Time and again over the years we have seen proof that our machinery for choosing leaders is shamefully vulnerable to manipulation and chicanery.

Since the 2000 debacle, standards have actually declined, as electoral authorities across the country abandoned not just punch cards but also reliable and re-countable hand-marked paper ballots — in favor of the false promises of technology. They have bet our democracy and our future on totally opaque black-box electronic devices that can be "hacked" by both outsiders and insiders.

This is an issue that should keep you up at night. And after reading Stolen Future, a real-life thriller, you will never take the security of your vote for granted again.

"The attack on democracy described in this fascinating account is entirely plausible. If it happened, it changed the course of history." —Philip B. Stark, professor of statistics at the University of California and advisor to the US Election Assistance Commission

"This story raises issues that really matter." —Douglas W. Jones, professor of computer science at the University of Iowa and co-author of Broken Ballots: Will Your Vote Count?

58 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2018

About the author

Stephen Singular is the author or co-author of 22 non-fiction books, many of them about high-profile criminal cases. He’s also written sports and business biographies and social commentary. Two of the books have been “New York Times” bestsellers.

His first book, Talked to Death, set the tone for his journalistic career. Published in 1987, it chronicled the assassination of a Denver Jewish talk show host, Alan Berg, by a group of neo-Nazis known as The Order. The book was nominated for a national award — the Edgar for true crime — and became the basis for the 1989 Oliver Stone film, “Talk Radio.” Talked to Death was translated into several languages and explored the timeless American themes of racism, class, violence, and religious intolerance.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so angry that the events outlined in this book have been buried and ignored. And here we are 24 years later, reaping the rewards.