Tenn voting machine lawsuits Catch-22? Ohio SOS asked to investigate Lucas BOE,US Supreme Court may let Corp. money into elections

U.S. Supreme Court May Unleash Flood of Corporate Money into Elections. Georgia case challenging e-voting heads to Supreme Court for a ruling. Ohio SOS asked to investigate allegations against Lucas Co BoE including altering ballots. Former Hillsborough Co FL Elections Sup Buddy Johnson spent $401,000 in HAVA funds on his own campaign. Tennessee may see lawsuits whether paper ballot law is implemented or not. Tarrant County Democrats want a church removed as polling place due to politically oriented marquee sign. Maryland issues a RFP for voting machines a month after issuing RFP for voting services. Aspen Co voters' new election method to be on the ballot itself this Nov. The economy again - Jefferson County can't afford to run its elections - outsources to ES&S. Some New York Voters will vote on optical scan soon.

**Voting News will be off Wednesday Evening to attend the 4 year anniversary celebration of North Carolina's paper ballot law, passed in August 2005. The news will be back Thursday.**

AL. Private Firm Handling Birmingham Election, County Can't Afford To
8/24 It was just a month ago when the city resorted to Election Systems and Software to handle it's election after learning Jefferson County couldn't afford it.
...In fact in addition to Birmingham, the company is also doing city elections for Dothan and Tuscaloosa. "Last year during the municipal election season, we did approximately 330 municipal elections in Alabama. We do all the county elections, primary and general elections for every county in the state,"
http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/Private-Firm-Handling-Birmingham-Election-County/G93vXJ-anECbRn0Bhud2AA.cspx

CO. Aspen voters to weigh in on election method
ASPEN — Aspen residents will be asked this November an advisory question on whether they want to continue using Instant Runoff Voting in municipal elections.
The Aspen City Council on Monday unanimously passed a resolution that will place a question on the November ballot that asks voters to weigh in on the city's first-ever IRV election method, conducted this past May for the seats of the mayor and two council members...Some council members have said in the past that they didn't have enough confidence in, or an understanding of, the IRV process.
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20090825/NEWS/908249955/1058

CO. Unusual ballot question looms for county: cost
August 24, 2009
What if an election were canceled because it cost too much?
A countywide ballot could be cancelled because none of the three open seats for the School District 51 Board of Directors election is a contested race.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/08/24/082509_3A_Election_costs.html

FL. Sancho's request to purchase Circuit City building raises concern
August 25, 2009 Debate is stirring among Leon County officials over the practicality of spending an estimated $4.5 million to buy a building to house the Supervisor of Election's Office... this would be the first time the county has had a consolidated office and warehouse space for the supervisor's office.
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20090825/NEWS01/908250316/1010

FL. Hillsborough County's Buddy Johnson improperly spent $401,000 as supervisor of elections, audit says
August 22 ...Most of the inappropriate spending was money paid to Schifino Lee, a South Tampa advertising firm that produced a public campaign last year for Johnson's office.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsborough-countys-buddy-johnson-improperly-spent-401000-as-supervisor/1029776

GA. POLITICS-US: Case Challenges E-Voting's Constitutionality
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug 25 (IPS) - A case brought by election integrity advocates in Georgia claiming that unverifiable electronic voting, or E-voting, is unconstitutional could spell trouble for the controversial practice, as it heads to the Georgia Supreme Court for a ruling... If the court upholds VoterGA's claims, the case could have a national impact "because these are federal charges involving the U.S. Constitution. If upheld, it would set a precedent of case law that can be used in other states," Favorito said.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48210

MD. MD has now issued its RFP (request for proposal) for an op-scan system and bids are due in early Sept. This is posted at
http://accurate-voting.org/contracts/MD/misc/MD_20090806-RFP.pdf
The State Board of Elections issued a separate Request for Proposal for support services for the voting system back on July 20. This contract would cover all support services for the voting system
http://www.saveourvotes.org/boe-docs/index.htm

NC. Please join the NC Coalition for Verified Voting for our Annual Voting Integrity Meetup In celebration of the fourth anniversary of SL-323 the Public Confidence in Elections Law Wednesday August 26, 2009 6:00 - 7:30 PM at Busy Bee in Raleigh
http://www.ncvoter.net/Press.html

NC. Gilbert tapped for elections board vacancy
Former candidate replaces Meads
August 24, 2009 A former three-time candidate for City Council has been named the new Republican member of the Pasquotank County Board of Elections... The State Board of Elections voted in July not to reappoint Meads, who has clashed publicly with state elections officials.
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/gilbert-tapped-for-elections-board-vacancy-794045.html

NC. Nonpartisan appeal may not have enough time
LaRoque contends DOJ's decision was ‘partisan'
August 22, 2009
http://www.enctoday.com/articles/appeal-58035-kfpress-time-department.html

NY. Voters embrace optical scan system
ITHACA -- It will be second nature to anyone who has taken a standardized test in the past 20 years.
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20090824/NEWS01/908240335


OH. State asked to investigate Lucas Co. Board of Elections
August 24, 2009...Allegations against the board include claims of misconduct, possession of false records, fraudulent marking or altering ballots or election records, all of which are felonies. The state has also been asked to investigate the board's prohibition of an inspection of election records.
http://www.toledoonthemove.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=341089
A letter sent by an associate of the Lucas Co. Republican Party's Jon Stainbrook to Secretary Brunner
http://www.toledoonthemove.com/uploadedFiles/wnwo/News/Stories/Brunner%20letter%20sent%20aug24.pdf

TN. Paper Ballots Put State In No-Win Situation
State Could Face Lawsuit Whether Machines Purchased Or Not
August 25, 2009 ...The state has found itself in a no-win situation in the battle over paper ballots. If Tennessee goes ahead and buys the machines, it could face a lawsuit. But it could also face one if it doesn't buy the machines.
http://www.wsmv.com/politics/20552019/detail.html

TN. Press release. Tennessee Secretary Of State Obstructs Fair And Verifiable Elections
August 25th, 2009 by TNDP Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester says local election commissions are being misled about the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act if they believe the county is responsible for the cost of purchasing new voting machines. Forrester also pointed blame for confusion concerning the implementation of the law to Secretary of State Tre Hargett.
http://tndp.org/blog/2009/08/25/tennessee-secretary-of-state-obstructs-fair-and-verifiable-elections/

TN. Inactive Voters Purged From Election Rolls
Since late last year, the Shelby County Election Commission has focused on getting inactive voters off the voter registration list. So far, they've purged more than 50,000 names...In order for a name to be removed from the list, a voter has to have not voted in two federal primary elections or the Election Commission must be notified by a next of kin that the voter has passed away. A letter is sent out to voters thought to be inactive, and if the Election Commission doesn't hear back, that person's name is removed from the registration list.
http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story/Inactive-Voters-Purged-From-Election-Rolls/sYmuoEZbOUG0W6tfzUXEFw.cspx

TX. County grills pastor over 'Where's birth certificate?'
Democrats want church service as polling place terminated
August 24, 2009
Democrats in Tarrant County, Texas, have launched a campaign to have a local church eliminated as a polling place because the pastor has posted a statement of his own choosing – "Where's the Birth Certificate?" – on the facility's marquee...such locations must be politically neutral all year round if they want to serve the electorate during elections as polling locations.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=107490


U.S. Supreme Court May Unleash Flood of Corporate Money Into Elections
e-mail alert Public Citizen: This fall, a century of modest limits on corporate influence in politics could be completely rolled back, crushing progress on health care, the environment, energy, economic recovery … on everything!
The Supreme Court on September 9 hears a case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, that reopens the question of unlimited corporate money in our elections.
http://action.citizen.org/t/5489/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=2067

US. State GOP leaders in DC to challenge McCain-Feingold campaign finance law
...The San Diego GOP -- which says it has more than 500,000 members and is "one of the largest Republican organizations in America" -- is specifically fighting "provisions of federal law interfering with local party organizations' ability to support non-federal candidates for office,'' the release says.
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?&entry_id=46135#ixzz0PEd8QREI



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