7/20/2009 War over paper in Tennessee, New Mexico may ditch ES&S, Undervotes in 08,

Tennessee has 5 different election cases pending in Federal Court, which may be more than any other state. Meanwhile, Tennessee lawmaker Gary Odom's oped today states that the law doesn't require 2005 system guidelines and Tennessee should use federal HAVA funds to purchase paper ballot/machines now. Meanwhile Tennessee SOS Hargett claims that the law requires 2005 standards and tries to scare officials with claim they'll have to hand count paper ballots in 2010. What excuse will SOS Hargett come up with next - the dog ate the paper ballots? New Mexico wants to ditch its new ES&S machines because of the exhorbitant maintenance costs the general unreliability. Yet another reason to ditch voting vendors. NM is thinking of leasing Diebold/Premiere to avoid being tied to either vendor permanently.
Paper ballots are back in style in some Utah cities in order to save money.
Also a Voter Turnout Report by state for the 2008 Presidential Election, how did your state do?

GA. Analysis: Georgia unlikely to end machine voting system
Attorney Walker Chandler wants the High Court to end Georgia's machine voting.
A decision is due in about three months.
http://www.jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2009-07-20/story/analysis_georgia_unlikely_to_end_machine_voting_system

NM. (Diebold alert!)New Mexico elections officials voice dissatisfaction over voting equipment
Jul 17, 2009 - ...state and county elections officials are so frustrated with the cost of maintaining New Mexico’s fleet of new voting tabulators and voting machines for the disabled that they’re considering scrapping the equipment in favor of leasing new machines....Trujillo mentioned Premier Elections as the firm that the state is contacting to see if it could supply such services.
http://newmexicoindependent.com/32041/n-m-elections-officials-upset-over-voting-equipment

PA. Seventh person to face trial in Pa. ACORN case
PITTSBURGH - A seventh person has been ordered to stand trial in connection with former ACORN workers charged with illegally filling out voter registration cards in the Pittsburgh area before the 2008 general election.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20090720_ap_seventhpersontofacetrialinpaacorncase.html
TN. Integrity on line in paper ballot brawl
Voting-machine controversies rage on as 2010 elections creep up
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jul/19/integrity-on-line-in-paper-ballot-brawl/

TN. Law doesn't insist on 2005 guidelines By state Rep. Gary Odom
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090719/OPINION01/907190358/1007/OPINION/Law+doesn+t+insist+on+2005+guidelines

TN. County may have to use paper ballots in 2010
Voting machines may not be up to standard in time
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20090718/NEWS01/907180331

TN. Tennessee Has Five Election Cases Pending in Federal Court
Probably no other state has so much constitutional election law litigation now pending.
The minor party ballot access case...disenfranchisement of ex-felons...A case on whether county election administrators may be fired because they are Democrats
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/07/20/tennessee-has-five-election-cases-pending-in-federal-court/

UT. Paper ballots back in style
FARMINGTON -- Many cities in Weber and Davis counties are choosing paper over progress in an attempt to lower election costs this fall in a tight economy....
Only five of the 15 cities in Davis County will use the electronic voting equipment used in the 2008 presidential election.
http://www.standard.net/live/news/178840/

WA. Washington Supreme Court suit alleges secret ballot threatened, takes aim at bar codes
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/812335.html

US. Voter Turnout by State. MN had highest voter participation in 2008 election
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/07/20/daily6.html?page=3

US. Looking Abroad For Answers On Voter Registration
Advocates Find Models For Reform From Australia To Peru, But The Public Remains Apathetic
http://www.nationaljournal.com/njonline/rg_20090720_2526.php

RELEASE: New improved methods for post-election audit sampling
By The National Election Data Archive Park City, UT July 17, 2009
http://kathydopp.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/44-RELEASE-New-improved-methods-for-post-election-audit-sampling.html

Honduras. Computerized Election Results With No Election
"In Honduras, according to breaking Catalan newspaper reports (translations available, USA Today mention), authorities have seized 45 computers containing certified election results for a constitutional election that never happened
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/19/1646201/Computerized-Election-Results-With-No-Election?art_pos=3

India Electronic Voting Machines To Be Retained
The electronic voting machines of India will not be scrapped at any cost as they are fool proof..."There have been one Supreme Court and four high court judgments in the favour of EVMs. Our EVMs are adding machines with a unique software. We can only add. We cannot manipulate them,"
http://www.india-server.com/news/electronic-voting-machines-to-be-9139.html

Philippines. Precinct clustering final; Binay frets
WISHING to make full use of the voting machines it will lease from Smartmatic-TIM Corp., the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has mandated the clustering of precincts—with each polling precinct seen to handle up to 1,000 voters in the May 2010 automated election—amid fears that change in the setup could disfranchise many voters.
http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/13396-precinct-clustering-final-binay-frets.html