Florida hogs HAVA $ that counties need, Virginia violated overseas voters rights, Aghanistan runoff?

Interview with Dr. Ulrich Wiesner who won Germany lawsuit claiming E-Voting unconstitutional...Colorado mail elections raise issue of electioneering at the post office...Show us the money, SOS Browning: Florida State earns interest on $67 million in HAVA funds while counties like Bradford and Miami Dade can't afford new paper ballot systems...Judge Says Virginia Violated Rights of Overseas Voters...Afghans Await Election Fraud Report and there may be a runoff election...Are you checking twitter for election news?...Voting news is light today...Remember you can visit Voting News on the web...Did we miss something? Send to us at ncvoter (at) gmail.com

All of that and more in today's Voting News below...


CA: (Tweet) smcvote San Mateo County on Twitter: Hopefully you've already started following the Elections Office on Twitter at @smcvote.. http://bit.ly/35284A

CO: Mail-in vote blurs the lines
Steamboat Springs, Routt County. Postal Service spokesman: Campaigning at post office illegal Routt County’s first mail-only election is forcing elections and Postal Service officials to take a closer look at election law and oversight
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2009/oct/16/mail_vote_blurs_lines/

CT: Volunteer 1 Day For Democracy: Sign-Up for the November Post-Election Audits Now!
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=2460

FL: Supervisors want extension on new voting machine purchases
October 16, 2009. Bradford Supervisor of Elections Terry Vaughan is joining other elections supervisors in the state by calling for an extension of the deadline to have new voting equipment in place for the disabled.
The requirement grew out of the move to make all ballots paper ballots, which is in itself an outgrowth of the mistrust many have of all-digital voting systems.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20379808&BRD=2150&PAG=461&dept_id=403301&rfi=6

FL. Miami Dade may have to fork over $7 million next year for voting systems
(REPOST)...County commissioners voted Tuesday to urge the Legislature to extend its deadline to 2016 ­ unless the state agrees to pay for the new equipment it's requiring...commissioners lashed out at the state for not only requiring new equipment without paying for it, but also for holding on to federal money passed to the state years ago to reimburse localities for past equipment switches.
The state still has $67 million "that in our opinion belongs to the counties," Mr. Sola said.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/12625 archived (original link requires subscription )

MO: Voting Rights Groups Set Record Straight on Lawsuit Targeted by State Republican Party FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 16, 2009
...Today the voting rights organizations Dēmos, Project Vote, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following joint statement in response:

As organizations with a longstanding commitment to protecting the voting rights of all Americans, we are disappointed that the Missouri Republican State Committee has created an ad and website that seek to use the vital issue of voting rights for political gain...
...
Through this lawsuit and the settlement, Missouri is once again becoming a leader in this area after years of neglect by previous administrations, with some 147,000 low-income Missourians joining the democratic process...
http://www.lawyerscommittee.org/newsroom/press_releases?id=0048

NC: Candidates fear voter registration may skew election results
October 16, 2009. There is concern circulating that people who don't live on Wrightsville Beach are voting on Wrightsville Beach.
That's the issue currently being debated between three Wrightsville Beach candidates and the New Hanover County Board of Elections office.
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=5198&iid=188&sud=30

Watts, Bartlett protest election
Complaints may affect voting for runoffs
October 15, 2009. Two unsuccessful city council candidates have formally challenged the outcome of the Oct. 6 election in Elizabeth City’s 4th Ward, charging the results were tainted by “unqualified or fraudulent voters” casting ballots and by “false and inflammatory remarks” spread to specific voters prior to the election.
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/watts-bartlett-protest-election-901869.html

NJ: Heart of reform is in drawing political maps, not finance, some say
...A Senate committee held a public hearing on redistricting this week in Carbondale, the group’s fourth since July. The General Assembly will either draw new lines in 2012 or leave the process up to a computer and independent commission, as some suggest
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=142273

VA: Judge Says Virginia Violated Rights of Overseas Voters *
Virginia’s state government violated the rights of overseas voters by failing to mail out their absentee ballots at least 30 days before the 2008 election, a federal judge ruled yesterday.
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/10/judge-says-virginia-violated-rights-of-overseas-voters-.html

VA: Federal Court Tells Virginia to Count Some More Ballots from November 2008 *
October 16th, 2009
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/10/16/federal-court-tells-virginia-to-count-some-more-ballots-from-november-2008/

VA: New law can help troops vote, but is it enough?
Members of the armed services currently stationed out of state can receive absentee ballots via e-mail for the first time in the upcoming election.

The change in state law was sponsored by Del. Paula Miller, D- Norfolk. Previously, service members had to be stationed outside the continental United States.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_absentee_1016oct16,0,7524009.story

National

National Conference of State Legislatures Posts Chart on 2010 Primary Dates
October 16th, 2009
The National Conference of State Legislatures’ web page has this chart, showing 2010 primary dates in each state.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/10/16/national-conference-of-state-legislatures-posts-chart-on-2010-primary-dates/

Acorn’s Woes Strain Its Ties to Democrats
October 15, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/us/politics/16acorn.html?_r=1

electionlineWeekly--October 15, 2009
Oct 16, 2009 - EAC addresses accessible voting challenges, opportunities
$5M initiative will support research and technology
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/report_detail.aspx?id=55459


International

Afghanistan: Afghans Await Election Fraud Report
Afghans are awaiting the imminent release of a report by a United Nations-backed panel, which could lead to a run-off presidential vote.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-10-16-voa9.cfm

Estonia: Election Audits
I had an interesting conversation this morning with some private sector auditors here in Estonia. One interesting part of the discussion was a bit of a hypothetical–how would they audit election day voting?
http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/?p=2923

Germany: An Interview with Dr. Ulrich Wiesner (Dr. Wiesner Filed a Lawsuit in Germany Claiming E-Voting Unconstitutional AND WON
...When did secrecy take precedence over transparency in the counting of our votes in America through the use of electronic voting systems and, more importantly, why? What the majority of Americans have NOT heard about, but most election reform advocates are already aware of,isthe German Constitutional Court's recent decision to ban electronic voting in Germany by ruling it “unconstitutional.”
http://www.opednews.com/articles/An-Interview-with-Dr-Ulri-by-Kathleen-Wynne-091015-701.html

Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to receive the Voting News by email by visiting this link:
http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=VotingNews&loc=en_US
email comments, questions us at ncvoter (at) gmail.com

=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link:
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=5295