NJ Sequoia counties no recourse, PA mostly digital recount to cost $1.3 mill, Philippines election related massacre

New Jersey needs a lemon law for voting machines: Counties that purchased voting machines from Sequoia Voting Systems, which provides the majority of voting systems in the state, in many cases entered into contracts that leave them little recourse if the machines malfunction or require repairs, according to a report issued today by New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen...

As Aspen Colorado backs away from election transparency, they suddenly remember their election commission wasn't properly appointed and new commission must be appointed. Will that be a bi-partisan commission?...Costly waste of time department: It will cost Pennsylvania $1.3 million to do a recount, much of it on paperless voting machines. Guess the losing candidate hasn't heard about GIGO, Garbage in, Garbage Out....ACORN has flaws, but: Have the Media 'Falsely Framed' ACORN?...

Philippines declares state of emergency after brutal election related massacre..

All this and more in today's voting news below...


AR: Paper Ballots Will Be Available To Benton County Voters
November 24, 2009 BENTONVILLE — Paper ballots will be available to anyone who wishes to use one during the 2010 elections.
...
Last week, Bill Williams, chairman of the Benton County Election Commission, said that the commission hoped to have 100 percent electronic voting by 2012’s elections with the exception of provisional and absentee ballots.
http://www.nwanews.com/news/2009/nov/24/paper-ballots-will-be-available-benton-county-vote/

AZ: City staff eye potential savings of all mail-in ballot election
November 22, 2009 BULLHEAD CITY - During Thursday's two-hour Bullhead City council retreat, City Clerk Diane Heilmann presented a report on the cost comparison of a traditional city election versus an all mail-in ballot election
...
Heilmann's study indicates an all mail-in ballot election would be less labor-intensive. Mohave County Elections Director Allen Tempert would continue to need people to open the ballots, prepare them for the tally machine “and he still needs to adhere to the testing and reporting legislation,” the report states.
http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2009/11/23/news/local/local3.txt

CO: Council moves to appoint new election commission
November 24, 2009 http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/137748

NJ: Public Advocate releases review of voting machine contracts
11/24/09 TRENTON -- Counties that purchased voting machines from Sequoia Voting Systems, which provides the majority of voting systems in the state, in many cases entered into contracts that leave them little recourse if the machines malfunction or require repairs, according to a report issued today by New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen.

Read Report: The Purchase of Voting Systems in New Jersey: How Government Can Better Protect Taxpayer Rights and Voting Security
http://www.state.nj.us/publicadvocate/news/2009/approved/
091124_dpa_review_of_voting_machine_contracts.html
or use this http://twi.cc/REL7

NY: Hoffman considering challenge in NY-23
Nov 24, 2009 - Conservative Party candidate Douglas L. Hoffman passed his self-appointed deadline Monday without declaring whether he'd challenge results in the 23rd Congressional District race. Robert H. Ryan, Mr. Hoffman's spokesman, said the candidate would announce his decision today. He would not say what Mr. Hoffman's intentions were. Jude Seymour, Watertown Daily Times.
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20091124/NEWS03/311249966

NV: Former ACORN official in Las Vegas gets probation
LAS VEGAS — A former Las Vegas supervisor for the political advocacy group ACORN was sentenced Monday to up to three years' probation for his role in a plan to pay canvassers to register Nevada voters during last year's presidential campaign.
...
Edwards pleaded guilty in August to two gross misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to commit the crime of compensation for registration of voters. He testified at a preliminary hearing in September that ACORN canvassers making $8 per hour were paid "blackjack" bonuses of $5 per shift if they turned in 21 or more voter registration cards.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iifOOLhatbjfQ_Hbj-oKLmjodawQD9C5FO081

PA: Editorial: A costly recount (mostly paperless voting in PA)
At the risk of being nicknamed the million-dollar man, Pittsburgh lawyer Templeton Smith Jr. insisted on a costly - and likely fruitless - recount in the close race for a fourth seat on the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
The recount is expected to be completed by tomorrow, with the winner certified next week. Secretary of State Pedro Cortes estimates that the recount could cost taxpayers as much as $1.3 million.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20091124_Editorial__A_costly_recount.html

TX: Texas county mails voter cards
Nov 24, 2009 - Nestled among Black Friday sales circulars, the latest Netflix selections and disturbingly early holiday greetings, thousands of Taylor County residents should keep an eye out for some fairly important little blue cards.
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/nov/23/taylor-co-voter-cards-mailed/

National

Have the Media 'Falsely Framed' ACORN?
November 24, 2009 ...How is it that after laboring in relative obscurity as a community organizer for almost 40 years, ACORN was so falsely framed in news stories that many Americans believed the absurd and alarming notion that it stole a presidential election? The answer is a tale of not only how the Republican Party and conservative news media framed ACORN, but also how most mainstream journalism organizations were negligent by repeating rather than fact-checking the spurious allegations...
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004047850

International

Philippines declares state of emergency after election massacre
Police and politicians linked to Philippines poll convoy massacre as toll rises to 46
A state of emergency was declared in the southern island of Mindanao yesterday after gunmen killed and mutilated at least 46 people in the Philippines’ worst single incident of political violence.

President Arroyo announced the emergency as police and soldiers recovered dozens of bodies from shallow graves in Maguindanao province — where they had been crudely buried on Monday. The atrocity is said to be a personal embarrassment for Ms Arroyo, who is supported by the local politician widely suspected of being behind the killings.

The victims were relatives and supporters of an opposition politician, and were travelling to register his candidature in next year’s election for the governorship of Maguindanao.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6929267.ece

Philippines Declares State of Emergency
New York Times...The discovery of 22 more bodies left only a few people unaccounted for among of the group of about 50 lawyers, journalists and relatives of local politicians who were abducted Monday by what witnesses said were more than 100 gunmen. At least 20 journalists were among those slain, the authorities said.
...
Mr. Mangudadatu attributed the attack to his decision to challenge the governorship of Maguindanao. Mr. Ampatuan, the governor, is the patriarch of his clan, which has dominated politics in the province for decades.

Reporters Without Borders, an advocacy group for press freedoms, joined the chorus of voices denouncing the massacre. “Never in the history of journalism have the news media suffered such a heavy loss of life in one day,” the group said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/world/asia/25phils.html?_r=1


Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
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