Kanawha Co WV considers military internet vote, Philippines gets voting machines from China

As we post the news on the last day of year 2009, we take a moment to honor John Gideon (1947-2009), the editor of the original "Daily Voting News". John founded the "Daily Voting News" February 6, 2004 . John's tireless work brought increased awareness of voting machine problems around the country. The "DVN" was a must read for citizens, voting activists, advocacy groups and public officials. During these past 5 years, state after state abandon paperless voting. On New Years eve, this edition of Voting News is dedicated to John Gideon.

The news includes a fascinating interview with Lisa Burks of Arkansas who remembers an election meltdown so bad in Arkansas that "they were voting on paper towels & on hoods of cars...."...

Experimenting with the military vote: Kanawha Co. WVa to consider Internet voting for military. BUT: "if we acknowledge that voting systems connected to the Internet are inherently insecure, how is it that we can even consider online voting systems which have the Internet at their core?" ~ Bo Lipari, Verified Voting Researcher....Pentagon Discuses Servicemember Voting Laws Changes...

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


AR: Interview With Lisa Burks (voting activist who led push for paper ballots)
http://bluearkansas.blogspot.com/2009/12/interview-with-lisa-burks.html
...The problems were too numerous for this article, to name a few; from electronic ballot cartridges not arriving in time to begin early voting, (the cartridges boot up the machines. load the election information on the screens, have the election information programmed into them, store the vote totals afterwards until they are downloaded to the software to be transmitted via the internet to the SOS office) to election totals being placed in the software and being 'scrambled', to voters & candidates touching the screens to vote for their candidate then seeing their vote flip to a different candidate, to the election workers not being able to shut the machines down as the clocks were incorrectly set. If you can't shut them down, you can vote on them all night. It was so bad in Phillips County, they closed the polls down and put a sign on the door. In another AR county they were voting on paper towels & on hoods of cars....

CO: Aspen Election Review: Response to Mike LeBonte
http://www.aspentovail.com/2009/12/aspen-election-review-response-to-mike-lebonte/
December 30, 2009 Interpreted contents of each ballot, scanned by True Ballot, were publicly released. Open records requests for a CD of image scans were denied. Aspen has been sued to protect records from destruction and to allow inspection of the …

CO: YouTube - ASPENISTAN MAYOR HOLDS ASPEN BALLOTS HOSTAGE PT 2 (satire)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCoveBPmm7c
Was the Aspen city election commission illegally dismissed for questioning election irregularities in a recent municipal election?

FL: Former supervisor of elections writing a book
http://www.wpbf.com/news/22092761/detail.html
Dec 31, 2009 - A former Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections is telling her side of the Butterfly Ballot story in a book. Theresa LePore is still working on the finishing touches of her book but she hopes the it will set the record straight.

OH: No easy fix seen for ballot delays (shading in circle on ballot)
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091230/NEWS01/912310307/No+easy+fix+seen+for+ballot+delays

WV: December 30, 2009
http://wvgazette.com/News/200912300398
Kanawha to consider Internet voting for military
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Kanawha County officials will decide next week whether they want to be part of a pilot program to allow overseas military personnel to vote via the Internet.

2009 Issues – Internet Voting
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2009/12/17/272


National

John Gideon, RIP National Election Integrity Hero Tributes dedicated to John Gideon from around the country
http://ncvoters.blogspot.com/2009/04/tributes-to-john-gideon-rip-national.html

Verified Voting's 2009 Year in Review
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6742

Ten stories that shaped the South
http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/story.aspx?sid=1194
Southern Political Report December 31, 2009
...Computerized voting machines, the presumed remedy to butterfly ballots and hanging chads, became a lingering source of controversy themselves.

Pentagon Discuses Servicemember Voting Laws Changes
http://thetension.blogspot.com/2009/12/pentagon-discuses-servicemember-voting.html
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31, 2009 -- Laws have changed and servicemembers who want to vote need to be aware of these changes, the director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program said.
...
One of the bigger changes in the process is that military voters must send in a federal postcard application -- again available at www.fvap.gov -- as soon as possible

Democrats Revisit Presidential Race Rules
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/dem-group-recommends-presidential-nomination-changes/
A group of Democratic leaders said Wednesday that it has recommended revamping the party’s presidential primary calendar and eliminating the much-talked-about superdelegates from the presidential nomination process.

ADIOS 2009! Under/mis-reported stories of the year/decade, and some old friends...
UPDATE: AUDIO ARCHIVES NOW POSTED BELOW (voting issues included)
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7617

International

Philippines: Comelec upbeat after first voting machines arrive
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/180519/comelec-upbeat-after-first-voting-machines-arrive-from-china
12/30/2009 More than 7,000 Chinese-made voting machines were received by the Philippines’ poll body early this week in a move that will try to beat the government’s deadline for automated elections.

Philippines: PSA: Automated polls a disaster waiting to happen
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/28/09/psa-automated-polls-disaster-waiting-happen
12/28/2009 ...In a report, the Asia-based Pacific Strategies and Assessment (PSA) expressed concern whether the country could pull off the ambitious nationwide automation, echoing fears of critics that “there are simply too many potential human, procedural and/or technical breakdowns that could lead to a major disruption or most drastically a complete failure of the May 2010 elections.”


Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"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: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn

Disclaimer: Articles and commentary included in "Voting News" do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors of Voting News,or its allied organizations. Articles are selected for inclusion to inform subscribers'ability to draw their own conclusions based on noteworthy and credible news,research, legislation, and debate bearing on the integrity of elections.

Florida's rules leave too many voteless, End Judicial selection by election? Role of Twitter in Iran 2008 election

Florida rules leave too many voteless. FL's "no match no vote" rule allows clerical errors to disenfranchise voters....Open source voting machines—an opportunity for Hawaii...Want to know about problems with Voting By Mail?...Money in politics? Congressional candidates raised $1.42 BILLION IN 2007-2008...The Role of Twitter in the Iran Elections of 2009

All this and more in the voting news below....

CO: LTE. Is IRV too complicated?
http://bit.ly/6rxnC5
...The May 5 election night video and written material found online raise some questions. Considering the apparent missteps and controversy surrounding that election, will Aspen continue to use IRV for future mayoral and City Council elections? If so, will private contractors again be brought in to conduct the elections?

FL: Florida rules leave too many voteless
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/florida-rules-leave-too-many-voteless/1059886
Sunday, December 20, 2009 ...Florida's "No Match, No Vote" law denies voter registration to any applicant whose registration form doesn't match either the Social Security or Florida's driver's license databases. Sometimes it's a bureaucratic error that causes the problem. Sometimes voters transpose a number or list a nickname. But last year, results showed the stringent requirement disproportionately impacted Hispanics and African-Americans seeking to register in Florida. Unless they took the time and effort to follow up after being notified of the problem, they couldn't vote or else cast a provisional ballot that was later rejected.

FL: Collier, Lee counties helping state restore voting rights to felons
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/dec/29/collier-lee-counties-helping-state-restore-voting-/
December 29, 2009 The initiative is in response to an August 2008 executive order from Florida Gov. Charlie Crist so the state can speed up restoration of civil rights, including the right to vote.
...
For more information about the program, go to www.FLRestoreMyRights.com

FL: Supervisor Of Election's Facebook Hacked
http://www.news4jax.com/news/22082964/detail.html
Jerry Holland Says E-Mail Sent Leading People To Virus

GA: Georgia VoteSafe gets OK
Dec 29, 2009 News release from the Secretary of State's Office
http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=11743662
...The Georgia VoteSafe Program provides for the confidentiality of residence address of certain registered voters who have been, or may be, subject to acts of family violence, stalking or currently reside in a family violence shelter.

HI: Open source voting machines—an opportunity for Hawaii
http://disappearednews.com/2009/12/open-source-voting-machinesan.html
Hawaii could save money, create jobs, recycle many old computers, and protect the integrity of its vote by choosing to participate in an open-source voting project. I’ve mentioned this before, but this time there are details.

HI: Panel picks interim chief elections officer
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/breaking/80362412.html
Scott Nago has been with the Office of Elections since 1997
The state Elections Commission this morning chose Scott Nago as the interim chief elections officer, replacing Kevin Cronin, who abruptly resigned early this month.

ID: Man admits to voting twice *
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005129395
The Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office had alleged that Coiner voted in 2008by absentee ballot in Twin Falls County and again in person in Blaine County.

After Coiner pleaded guilty, Judge Jason Walker sentenced him to one-year unsupervised probation and 40 hours community service. Coiner was also fined $300 plus $75 court costs. The crime of "attempting to vote when not qualified" is punishable in Idaho by up to six months in jail.

LA: Voting Rights Complaint Filed Against Mayor
http://www.wdsu.com/politics/22083275/detail.html
Louisiana Justice Institute Protests Friday Closure Of City Hall
NEW ORLEANS -- A local justice group has filed a federal voting rights complaint against the mayor and the city, claiming that closing City Hall on Fridays would prevent residents from early voting in the municipal elections in 2010.
...
Nagin spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett said the city has worked out a deal with the registrar's office. The registrar will have its own entrance open on Fridays during early voting, and that office will pay for its own security detail.

NC: Hearings set on proposed changes to Harnett voting precincts
http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/12/29/963759
Board member Walter Massey said he supports the change but guaranteed the board would consider the public's input.

NC: Topsail Beach voter fraud investigation ends without any charges
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091230/ARTICLES/912309964?Title=Topsail-Beach-voter-fraud-investigation-ends-without-any-charges

NY: Asks county to probe why records labeled voter as 'deceased'
http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/westny/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1262157920289230.xml&coll=3
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 WEST NEW YORK - Town Clerk Carmela Riccie has asked the county superintendent of elections to investigate why voter Pedro Costales was listed as deceased on state records.

TN: Voting Knox felons may be prosecuted; other counties clean up lists (also video)
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=109139&provider=gnews
12/30/2009 A list including more than 100 convicted felons who cast ballots in recent Knox County elections--despite the loss of their voting rights for their crimes--has been turned over to the District Attorney's office for investigation

VT: Petition challenges Burlington instant-runoff voting
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20091230/NEWS02/91229033/Petition-challenges-Burlington-instant-runoff-voting
December 30, 2009... The group, “One Person, One Vote,” told supporters at a news conference in City Hall that returning to Burlington’s earlier, simpler electoral process for mayor would boost voter turnout, enliven debates and yield more decisive city leadership....

WA: Seattle Times Story on U.S. Supreme Court Involvement in Petition Secrecy Case
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/30/seattle-times-story-on-u-s-supreme-court-involvement-in-petition-secrecy-case/
December 30th, 2009 The December 30 Seattle Times has this story about the upcoming decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, on the petition privacy case, Doe v Reed.

National

Want to know about problems with Voting By Mail?
http://novbm.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/want-to-know-about-problems-with-voting-by-mail/
At one point, I counted up and found over 89 Articles About Why Voting By Mail is a Very Bad Idea.

Now, it’s easily over 100.
...
The voting by mail process has disenfranchised me, as a voter. It has made the vote counting process horribly slow. It has thrown security concerns out the window, and the convenience that it sells itself on has had many unintended consequences from high numbers of signatures that don’t match, to hundreds if not thousands of votes lost in the mail. Routinely...

"CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES RAISED $1.42 BILLION IN 2007-2008"
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/014963.html

End Judicial Selection by Election
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judge-h-lee-sarokin/end-judicial-selection-by_b_406128.html
Judge H. Lee Sarokin Retired in 1996 after 17 years on the federal bench
Judges should not be treated like American Idol contestants. One of the principal roles of the judiciary is to protect minorities against the tyranny of the majority. Election of judges reverses that noble goal and demeans the judiciary. The influence of money should have no place in our judicial system.


International

The Role of Twitter in the Iran Elections of 2009 (video)
A project of the Networked Politics class in the Dept of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNkeP2T5Xvw

The Evil (Cyber) Empire
Inside the world of Russian hackers
http://www.newsweek.com/id/228674
NATO takes the threat of cyber-warfare so seriously that it signed off on a special report on the topic during its parliamentary assembly last October.

Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"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: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn

Disclaimer: Articles and commentary included in "Voting News" do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors of Voting News,or its allied organizations. Articles are selected for inclusion to inform subscribers'ability to draw their own conclusions based on noteworthy and credible news,research, legislation, and debate bearing on the integrity of elections.

Maryland eyes paper voting, OH considers voting bill, MO considers early voting

"Bad Business" says Florida paper about ES&S/Diebold voting machine monopoly...New York voter surprised to hear that election clerk declared him deceased....In Maryland "Will state pull the plug on new voting machines?"...Legislation filed for early voting in Missouri, 30 other states already have early voting...Ohio legislators consider Senate Bill 8 which would impact voter registration, early voting and voter rolls....Good idea? WV approves military internet vote proposal. Meanwhile Hackers Steal South Korean War Plans...

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

FL: Editorial: Bad business
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091227/OPINION01/912271000/1017
December 27, 2009 Corporate mergers can be good for business. But if mergers lead to less competition and innovation, they are not necessarily good for consumers.

This is especially true when the "consumers" are voters and the product voting machines.

IL: State Eases Absentee Voting Laws
http://illinoishomepage.net/content/fulltext/?cid=124792

IL: New state law puts crimp in secret ballot
http://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/law-24877-state-ballot.html
December 21, 2009 State Sen. William R. Haine said he is working to counter the effect of a new state law that some county clerks say thwarts the whole purpose of a secret ballot.

The Alton Democrat said he has introduced a bill that would amend the law to strike a passage dealing with undercounting of votes.

MD: Will state pull the plug on new voting machines?
http://www.gazette.net/stories/12252009/polinew160336_32547.php
System's burden on counties, merger of suppliers stoke worry
...
State Board of Elections members expressed concerns last week over how a merger between the two largest voting machine manufacturers, which is the subject of an ongoing antitrust probe, could have skewed the procurement process.

MD: CITIZEN JOURNALISM: Maryland eyes paper voting
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/dec/29/citizen-journalism-maryland-eyes-paper-voting/
Dec 29, 2009. Election boards may abandon $65 million electronic system
...Despite resources made available by HAVA, Maryland is tentatively planning to return to paper ballots for the 2010 election. Maryland would abandon its $65 million electronic system while continuing to pay off capital lease costs associated with electronic voting machines until 2014, according to a story this month in the Frederick News-Post.
...
In the past decade, the annual budget for the Maryland State Board of Elections has accelerated exponentially. In fiscal 2000, its budget, limited to state funds, was $3.136 million, while in fiscal 2008, with a combination of federal funds from HAVA, state funds and special funds largely coming from county contributions, the Board of Elections' budget was $27.504 million.

ME: Lawsuit Victories in Maine Referendum Petition Cases
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/29/lawsuit-victories-in-maine-referendum-petition-cases/
December 29th, 2009 On December 21, a lower state court in Maine ruled that if election officials take longer than the time allowed to check petition signatures, then the petition must be deemed valid.

MN: Innovations: City participates in electronic poll book pilot project
http://www.eminnetonka.com/news.cfm?story_id=InnovationsElectronicPollBook
December 22, 2009 The city of Minnetonka has had a longstanding reputation for instituting innovative ideas in order to provide excellent customer service to residents while also using taxpayer dollars wisely.

MO: Legislation filed for early voting in Missouri
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=394871
Under Frame’s bill, voters could vote as early as three weeks prior to an election. This measure is similar to House Bill 49, which Frame filed for the 2009 legislative session.
...
More than 30 states currently offer some form of early voting.

NY: Back from the dead: WNY voter says he's very much alive
http://www.politickernj.com/max/35665/back-dead-wny-voter-says-hes-very-much-alive
In her submitted explanation of why Roque didn't muster sufficient signatures, Clerk Carmela Riccie's wrote, "On all five petitions there is a remarkably accurate signature of a person, Pedro Costales, who has been deceased for two years, according to the Statewide Voter Registration Database."

That sparked Roque to go to Costales's apartment yesterday and ring the doorbell.

"This elderly gentleman answered with a big moustache - he looks like a big teddy bear, but his expression changed from happy to being very upset when he talked about being reported deceased,"

OH: Apportionment of General Election Expenses For November 3, 2009
Preble County Court House News by Jeff Golden
http://www.citizensforpreblecounty.com/news/?p=532

OH: 12/29/2009 (Senate Bill 8) Integrity, transparency of elections critical
http://www.timesgazette.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=382&ArticleID=170054
JOHN CAREY Ohio Senate ...On Dec. 9, my colleagues and I approved Senate Bill 8, legislation that would make several reforms to Ohio's election procedures to streamline early-voting rules, facilitate the sharing of voter registration mismatches between the Ohio Secretary of State and county election officials and make it easier for the thousands of brave Ohioans who are serving our country overseas to have a voice in electing their leaders back home....

VT: Burlington voters to reconsider Instant Runoff Voting
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=11744644
Dec 29, 2009. A group of folks against IRV has worked for eight months gathering signatures on a petition that asks the city to put IRV on the March 2010 ballot. Last Monday the group handed in close to 2,100 signatures, meaning voters will get to decide if they want to keep or repeal IRV.

WV: Officials OK pilot project proposal
By PAMELA BRUST pbrust@newsandsentinel.com December 29, 2009
http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/525078.html?nav=5061
Proposals for the pilot program are due Jan. 8. Counties chosen are to be notified by the end of January.
...
Counties selected to participate will set up an online system where the military and overseas voters receive a security code to go online to a secure Web site and access a ballot. Once the person has cast their ballot that vote is transmitted to the county to a secure computer. Not only is this system secure, but it ensures the privacy of the voter and their vote, according to the secretary of state's office.

"The ballot is stored on the server until election day, and at that time the clerk and commissioners would log in and results would be tallied," Rhodes said.

Computer Technologists' Statement on Internet Voting
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=5867

National

New York Times Carries Letter to the Editor, Advocating Independent Federal Election Commissioners
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/29/new-york-times-carries-letter-to-the-editor-advocating-independent-federal-election-commissioners/
December 29th, 2009 The December 29 issue of the New York Times contains this letter, advocating that President Barack Obama appoint one or more Federal Election Commissioners who are not members of either the Democratic or Republican Parties

International

Hackers Steal South Korean War Plans
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&source=hp&q=cyber%20warfare&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn
DailyTech - ‎Dec 25, 2009‎
While South Korea has faced many cyberwarfare attacks in the past, the most recent attack has been successful in extracting classified intelligence.

INTERNET VOTING WORKSHOP PROPOSAL
http://www.carleton.ca/europecluster/events/2010-01-26-(E)WorkshopProgram.pdf
Internet Voting:What can Canada Learn? January 26, 2010
The Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue
(Strategic Knowledge Cluster)Internet Voting: What can Canada Learn?

Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"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: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn

Disclaimer: Articles and commentary included in "Voting News" do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors of Voting News,or its allied organizations. Articles are selected for inclusion to inform subscribers'ability to draw their own conclusions based on noteworthy and credible news,research, legislation, and debate bearing on the integrity of elections.

ES&S faces federal hearings, No right to secret ballot in IL? CT Machine recounts machine

Is a Secret Ballot a Right? The answer is NO according to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan: “While plaintiff attempts to suggest to the court that there is a fundamental right to a secret ballot, no such right exists.”
...ES&S/Diebold/Premier faces federal hearings and 14 states have launched investigation into the merger or monopoly...
...CT IRONY #4: Machine Errors Result In Recounting By Machine...

Would a commercial internet voting company know more about security than the pentagon? A Wood County WV commissioner on internet voting pilot for military: "I guess if a hacker can break into the Pentagon's computer system, they can possibly break into our voting system," Rick Modesitt, Commission President...

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

CA: A chaotic year for California ballot propositions
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-initiatives27-2009dec27,0,1838547.story
Signatures are being gathered for more than 50 initiatives -- big and small, promising and far-fetched

CO: Election Transparency Litigation: Marks v. Koch
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2009/12/election-transparency-litigation-marks.html
The suit has the remaining purpose to obtain access to inspect these public records of which all were displayed to the public on May 5 2009, and hundreds are still available for viewing as part of a GrassRootsTV program from election night. If the City's motion to dismiss is not accepted by the court, there is a court date set for January 22, 2010 when a hearing may be taking place.

CO: One dozen excuses
http://bit.ly/68DlWL
Dear Editor: Mayor Ireland just sent an intriguing e-mail to the “voting rights community” titled “Why we don't need your help in running our elections and why a recount is not needed.” It probably wasn't written to amuse, given the personal attacks in it, but recipients surely chuckled.

CO: Add yours to this list of questions about Aspen's May 5 IRV election
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2009/12/ongoing-list-of-questions-to-aspen-and.html
[We are collecting questions and answers about Aspen's election and also public verifiability of elections in general on this site. Please contribute your own questions (anonymous questions ok).

CT: CT IRONY #4: Machine Errors Result In Recounting By Machine
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=2732
Possibly some machine problems might be mitigated by such a recanvass, yet if there were an error in memory card programming or an error in the software it is quite likely the same discrepancy would be repeated.

HI: Interim elections chief to be selected Wednesday
http://bit.ly/934yQe

IL: Barrow to challenge Detroit mayoral recount
http://www.freep.com/article/20091224/NEWS01/912240394/1001/News/Barrow-to-challenge-Detroit-mayoral-recount
Dec 24, 2009...Barrow attributes his loss to Bing to vote fraud or gross human error.
...
During the recount, Barrow challenged the November election results on several fronts: mismatched seals on more than 40,000 absentee ballot containers; mismatched seals from poll books of voters' signatures, and unaccounted for unused ballots that Barrow claims could have been counted for Bing.

IL: Is a Secret Ballot a Right?
http://illinipundit.com/2009/12/16/secret-ballot-right
December 16th, 2009 According to the State Board of Elections, and their attorney, the Illinois Attorney General, the answer is NO.

IL: Voting law proceeding despite concerns
http://www.pekintimes.com/news/x1689182012/Voting-law-proceeding-despite-concerns
PEKIN, Ill. - Voting this February could be a little more complicated.
Thanks to a provision passed by the Illinois State Legislature and signed into law by then-Governor Rod Blagojevich in 2007, if a voter fails to vote for any particular office, many voting machines throughout the state will beep loudly and spit the ballot back out. An election judge will then have to assist the voter, either correcting the undervote; or overriding the system and casting the vote with the omission.

Whether or not the voter intentionally left the ballot blank for that office, which is perfectly legal and is often done, is not taken into account by the machines.

NC: BHI asks for voter cleanup
http://www.stateportpilot.com/story__lead.html
Council notes flaw in system; Sayre takes oath as mayor
The Village of Bald Head Island is asking the Brunswick County Board of Elections to “clean up” its list of registered voters, although one council member sought more forceful action.

TN: Ex-Election admin joins class-action suit against board
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091226/DICKSON01/91224055/2141/Ex-Election+admin+joins+class-action+suit+against+board
The county’s former election administrator has joined a federal class-action lawsuit with 10 other ex-administrators who were ousted by their counties, on grounds that their constitutional rights were violated.

The lawsuit alleges that the election administrators were let go because of their political party affiliations, which they say is a violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment — the freedom of speech.

WV: Voting machine maker faces federal hearings
http://wvgazette.com/News/200912260166
Kanawha commissioner also asks AG to investigate
The company that makes the electronic voting machines used in many states, including West Virginia, will be the focus of congressional hearings next month.
...
States with their own investigations into the growing ES&S monopoly are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to hold the congressional hearings.

WV: Cyber-Balloting
http://www.wtap.com/news/headlines/80235572.html

WTAP News Military and overseas people who are Wood County residents could find it easier to cast ballots in the 2010 elections...if security issues are worked out.
Dec 28, 2009 Reporter: Todd Baucher Email Address: todd.baucher@wtap.com
...
But first, in the days leading up to the early January deadline to declare its involvement with the state, the county must first determine whether internet voting will be free of tampering.

National

Voting section chief out amid controversy
http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/12/27/voting-section-chief-out-amid-controversy/
Dec 28, 2009 - Veteran Civil Rights Division attorney Christopher Coates is no longer chief of the Voting Section, according to the division’s Web site. There was no official announcement of the personnel change in the long-troubled section, which most recently has been embroiled in the controversy over the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case. Main Justice noticed the change on the Voting Section Web site.

National Popular Vote Plan Bills Expected in 2010 in 44 States
December 28th, 2009
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/28/national-popular-vote-plan-bills-expected-in-2010-in-44-states/

IntelliBriefs: EVENT: Cyber Warfare 2010
http://www.iqpc.com/Event.aspx?id=237804
27 - 28 January, 2010 CCT Centre, Canary Wharf, London, UK
...Protecting and operating in ‘Cyberspace’ has never been so important. 100s of reported attacks on military systems and government infrastructure are reported daily.

IL: Absentee Voting Has Started
Champaign County Clerk
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2009/12/28/absentee-voting-has-started/

TX: Federal Judges Halt Use of ES&S Touch-Screen Voting Systems in Dallas
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7607
Straight-party ticket voters have long been getting screwed by touch-screen voting systems, whether they knew it or not, in election after election, as the systems have failed in various ways in states around the country for years.

International

Nigeria: CNPP rejects electronic voting machine for Anambra
http://bit.ly/742mgp
27 December 2009 Leader of a faction of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) Chief Maxi Okwu has disagreed with calls for the National Assembly to urgently legislate the use of electronic voting by INEC for the conduct of the Anambra State gubernatorial election in 2010.
...
“The use of the machine would go a long way in curbing rigging and other electoral malpractices associated with elections in Nigeria. “Anambra governorship polls would determine what Nigerians are to expect in 2011 and if INEC gets it right, it will help curb the apathy towards voting in Nigeria,’’ he said. (NAN)


Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
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Disclaimer: Articles and commentary included in "Voting News" do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors of Voting News,or its allied organizations. Articles are selected for inclusion to inform subscribers'ability to draw their own conclusions based on noteworthy and credible news,research, legislation, and debate bearing on the integrity of elections.

Diebold $100M e-voting contract in Brazil, An unhealthy monopoly, Internet voting quagmire

Correction: Headline on Dec 23 should have said investigation into DETROIT's election, not Chicago. We corrected that headline here.

Diebold's sale to ES&S an "Unhealthy Monopoly"and meanwhile Diebold still selling voting machines - in Brazil?

Internet voting: Wood Co. WV has volunteered to test voting project that "would allow overseas, military absentee voting online". Meanwhile the "FCC Wanders into the Internet Voting Quagmire" writes The Open Source Digital Voting Foundation...Is the internet secure for voting? Recent media reports that "Hackers' attacks rise in volume, sophistication..U.S. defense officials revealed in April that hackers have stolen thousands of files on one of the military's most advanced fighter aircrafts."...

All that, some videos, podcasts and more in today's voting news below...

CA: Republican Party Sues to Overturn San Diego Law Making it Illegal for Parties to Contribute to Candidates for City Office
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/24/republican-party-sues-to-overturn-san-diego-law-making-it-illegal-for-parties-to-contribute-to-candidates-for-city-office/

CA: Learn all about Voting by Mail! YouTube Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzkmgZPBRY4
Created by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. From signing up, to completing and returning your ballot, to how your ballot gets verified and counted - this overview will explain how Voting by Mail is Easy, Convenient, Safe, and Secure.
For Tagalog, Vietnamese or Spanish, visit this link
http://www.youtube.com/user/sccvote

CO: Public Radio - KAJX - reports on Aspen election satire (podcast and blog)
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2009/12/kajx-covers-better-bad-news-lampoon-of.html

CO: Election questions (lte by Harvie Branscomb electon integrity activist)
http://bit.ly/6QSiwg What might a citizen risk by asking questions? From my perspective, two voluntary commissioners were recently dismissed following an unjust smear campaign that prevented their pursuit of election quality improvements. It appears to me that their principal error was to ask difficult questions.

CO: Aspen City Attorney Jim True and Mayor Mick Ireland separately respond to my letter (Harvie Branscomb)
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2009/12/aspen-city-attorney-jim-true-and-mayor.html

FL: An unhealthy monopoly
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1396762.html
12.24.2009. OUR OPINION: McCollum right to conduct anti-trust inquiry into voting-machine owners' merger.
The only people who benefit from monopolies are their owners. For the rest of us, monopolies mean being powerless because we have no choices.

GA: Three Complaints Filed Against Georgia Sec. of State Inspector General
http://electiondefensealliance.org/GA-Inspector-General-complaints
The complaints filed against the Inspector General's office allege that investigations involving electronic voting machine defects and controversies were improperly handled.

NH: EDA Exit Polls Generally Match 2008 Election Results, But Find "Wide Disparities" in NH Vote Counts
http://electiondefensealliance.org/EDA-Exit-Polls-2008

TN: The Logic of Voting WREK radio show (podcast)
http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/31396
Wednesday Dec. 23th noon-1pm Voting activist Bernie Ellis, who joined us previously to talk about how high tech voting machines aren't always the best solution, returns to our show. He will provide us with an update on what is going on in Tennessee regarding this important issue.

TX: Boerne may face challenge of single-member voting districts
http://boernestar.com/articles/2009/12/26/news/doc4b364cd062fa5729254884.txt
December 26, 2009 Residents challenging the Boerne City Council’s recent decision to create single-member council districts say it violates the city charter and the Texas Constitution.

TX: Texas Democratic Party Finally Gets Relief Against Vote-Counting Machines
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/22/texas-democratic-party-finally-gets-relief-against-vote-counting-machines/
December 22nd, 2009 The ruling does not say these machines violate the Constitution. Rather, it says that when Dallas County started using that type of machine in 1998, that was a voting procedure change and it should have been submitted to the U.S. Justice Department for pre-clearance.

National

FCC Wanders into the Internet Voting Quagmire
http://www.trustthevote.org/fcc-wanders-into-the-internet-voting-quagmire
Dec 25th, 2009 by Greg Miller. “Why, oh why?” you’re wondering (given our teaser title, that is). Well, at first we were we also wondering why.

OSDV Answers FCC About Internet Voting – E. John Sebes and Greg Miller Respond
http://www.trustthevote.org/osdv-answers-fcc-about-internet-voting

Decade Brought Change To Campaign Finance (podcast available)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121872329
December 25, 2009 In January, the Supreme Court is expected to redefine how far corporations can go in spending money on federal elections.
...
Rick Hasen, who teaches campaign finance and ethics at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, says things are marginally better because Congress has tightened up the laws.
...
"The way that the Supreme Court has been interpreting campaign finance law could well lead us into a spiral, where we end up with a deregulated campaign finance system,"


National Conference of State Legislatures Has Useful Database of Pending Election Law Bills
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/23/national-conference-of-state-legislatures-has-useful-database-of-pending-election-law-bills/
December 23rd, 2009 ...One can choose to look at all the election law bills introduced in any single state, in any recent year. Or one can choose to see bills in all states on particular election law subjects, or any combination.

Effort Begun to End Voting for Judges
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/us/24judges.html?_r=1
December 23, 2009 A group of judges, political officials and lawyers, led by the retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, has begun a campaign to persuade states to choose judges on the basis of merit, rather than their ability to win an election.

International

Canada: You Need To Know: Electronic Voting Coming To Huntsville
http://www.moosefm.com/cfbk/news/1040-you-need-to-know-electronic-voting-coming-to-huntsville
It's official. Huntsville residents will be able to vote on-line or over the phone during next year's municipal election. Councilors opted in favor of the method Monday night at their meeting.

Diebold awarded $100M contract from Superior Electoral Court of Brazil
http://www.theflyonthewall.com/permalinks/entry.php/DBDid1178390
Diebold said in an SEC filing that on December 18, 2009, after a public bid process, the Superior Electoral Court of Brazil awarded a contract for the purchase of up to 250K electronic voting machines to Procomp Amazonia Industria Eletronica S.A., a subsidiary of Diebold

Philippines: Much misgivings over automation?
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/235663/much-misgivings-over-automation
December 25, 2009... As must have been observed from the beginning, the idea of automated voting, while favored by most as the answer to the recurrent charges of rigged-up voting and counting after every election, has been under public scrutiny and sneaking suspicion.

Just the other day, Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential standard bearer Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. chided the Comelec for its continued failure to make categorical statement on the reliability of automation as next year’s new instrument for voting.


Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
email us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"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: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn

Detroit candidate calls for election investigation, Fixing our broken democracy, ACORN cleared again

Former Mayoral Candidate Tom Barrow called for official review of the Nov 3 mayoral election "when he discovered empty ballot boxes and numerous ballot boxes with security seals which been breached, disqualifying tens of thousands of votes ...from being recountable... 'computer tapes', normally summarizing election results at the closing of the polls, had in fact actually been run hours before the closing of the polls indicating that the results were being electronically manipulated..."

The President appointed a Cyber Czar. Luther Weeks, CTVotersCount comments: "Our concern is with the disconnect that has otherwise intelligent people concerned with cyber security based on strong evidence, coupled with the almost simultaneous support for voting by Internet, email, and fax."..
.Brad Friedman reports that "ACORN Cleared YET AGAIN of Wrongdoing"...
In Fixing Our Broken Democracy, Professor Stephen Unger writes: "The warning, 'Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty', applies regardless of the election mechanics used."...

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


CA: California: somehow pols are evading the campaign finance laws. Who'd a thunk it?
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006343.html

FL: Chambless urges delay in voting machine switch
http://www.claytoday.biz/content/1848_1.php
Dec 23. GREEN COVE SPRINGS -- Supervisor of Elections Chris H. Chambless has gotten local legislative support for proposing a deadline on changing voting equipment for physically challenged voters
...
The Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections (FSASE) is asking that changing to the AutoMark system be delayed until 2016, thus allowing counties to continue using their current Americans with Disabilitities (ADA) voting system

FL: License renewal to require a lot more identification
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091223/ARTICLES/912231002/1002
Getting a driver's license will require a whole lot more ID
...
The Department of Homeland Security reports that Real ID will improve security at federal buildings, nuclear facilities and aircraft, prevent people from fraudulently obtaining public benefits such as Medicare and Medicaid, prevent the hiring of illegal immigrants, prevent illegal firearm purchases and slow voter fraud.

IL: Military and Overseas Ballots in the Mail
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2009/12/22/military-and-overseas-ballots-in-the-mail
Champaign County Clerk I’ve written about the problems of ballot certification as it relates to getting ballots to military and overseas voters. Well today we mailed the last of the initial mailing of 484 ballots

MI: Election Investigation * (missing ballots, 50,000 absentee ballots disqualified)
http://www.tv20detroit.com/news/79988432.html
12/22/2009...Former Mayoral Candidate Tom Barrow is calling for an official review of the November third mayoral election. Mr. Barrow met with city officials at the Flynn Pavilion on Belle Isle to discuss allegations of voter fraud.

The concerns stem from missing ballots and signatures from several districts during the night of the election.

MI: Barrow Investigates City Elections *(suspicion results electronically manipulated)
http://bit.ly/8xWOoQ 21 Dec 2009. DETROIT, Mich. - Former mayoral candidate Tom Barrow has turned a routine recount of election precincts into a sweeping indictment of the entire conduct of elections in Detroit when he discovered empty ballot boxes
and numerous ballot boxes with security seals which been breached, disqualifying tens of thousands of votes in the November 3, 2009 general election from being recountable.
...
Barrow's team of lawyers, accountants and volunteers also challenged dozens of precinct's whose election results "computer tapes", normally summarizing election results at the closing of the polls, had in fact actually been run hours before the closing of the polls indicating that the results were being electronically manipulated and the numbers being shown not the final results.

MI: Barrow Calling For Election Investigation *
http://www.wwj.com/Barrow-Calling-For-Election-Investigation/5953122
The Wayne County Board of Canvassers has already voted to exclude Detroit's absentee ballots and nearly four thousand poll ballots from being recounted because of broken seals and other unexplained discrepancies.

NC: Bald Head Island asks board of elections to fix voter registration rolls
http://brunswick.blogs.starnewsonline.com/10441/bald-head-island-asks-board-of-elections-to-fix-voter-registration-rolls/
The issue came about when former Mayor Larry Lammert lost last month’s election. The Pilot article states that although the island has 220 full time residents, 221 people voted and 282 were registered to vote.

NY: New York finally getting new voting machines
http://bit.ly/4yTZLL
December 22, 2009 The New York State Board of Elections finally approved the use of two all-electronic voting machines to replace traditional lever booths after years of delay, although a final machine must still be chosen.
...
According to the City Board source, a decision can possibly be made as soon as December 29, when the commissioners hold their regular Tuesday meeting. However, if a decision is not made by January 5, a federal judge may make the ultimate decision.

OH: Ohio seeking Elections Statewide Voter Database Coordinator
http://bit.ly/5khEt9

NM: Voting concerns in South Valley (video available)
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1329039.shtml?cat=504
Ciessielki is very disturbed after casting her ballot. She says she saw two pieces of paperwork that a poll worker described as studies, but after looking them over, they appeared to read more like propaganda.

PA: With Sparse Turnout, Problems Persisted at the Polls Last Election Day *
http://www.electionreformnetwork.us/node/219
Common election problems that cropped up – again – include faulty procedures around emergency paper ballots and provisional ballots, touchy unauditable, unrecountable electronic vote machines and understaffed polling places. These, along with a scattering of late openings, difficult to find polling sites (which cry out for a small investment in signage) and some polls that are inaccessible for the disabled – were joined this election by more reports of some over-the-top electioneering, notably in Cheltenham (more below).

TX: Federal Court Rules on Voting Machine Glitch
http://www.krld.com/Federal-Court-Rules-on-Voting-Machine-Glitch/5950812
A Federal Court says a voting machine glitch needs to be fixed. The Democratic Party had sued Dallas County saying the way voting machines there were programmed didn’t count straight party votes for either party if someone also checked the parties Presidential candidate.

National:

President Appoints Cyber Czar
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=2717
December 23, 2009 ...We have previously covered the President’s concerns.

ACORN Cleared YET AGAIN of Wrongdoing...
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7600
And today, once again, ACORN is cleared of wrongdoing vis a vis yet another independent investigation, this one by the Congressional Research Service [PDF], as noted in a press release from U.S. House Judiciary Chair John Conyers this afternoon

Report Finds Acorn Broke No Laws
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/acorn-broke-no-laws/

Fixing Our Broken Democracy
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/Fixing-Our-Broken-Democrac-by-Stephen-Unger-091214-380.html
Professor Stephen Unger...It is important to understand that technology cannot be substituted for this vigilance; if Boss Tweed were left in charge of the polls, he would regard an e-voting system, not as an impediment, but rather as a labor saving device.

EAC Newsline: December 23, 2009
http://www.eac.gov/about/employment
EAC is accepting applications for a Chief Information Officer and for External Peer Reviewers.

International

Canada: November: Port Hope chooses Internet and paper ballots for 2010 election
http://bit.ly/6HUt8n 2009 Year in Review Dec 23, 2009
- Port Hope finalizes hybrid Internet and paper ballot voting for the 2010 election.

Philippines: Philippine Government Supports Holding Early Elections In Troubled Region http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7017346365
December 23, 2009... A poll has found that significant size of the electorate lack of awareness about how to use voting machines, and the delivery of more than 82,000 machines by Smartmatic International-Total Information Management has been delayed.

A leading election watchdog, the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections, last month proposed holding elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in response to the mass murder in the province of Maguindanao.



Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
email us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"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: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn

Dallas Co. violated law in voting machine use, Diebold Sale may see recount

WA SOS to introduce bill in 2010 to "allow overseas and military residents to return their ballots by fax or e-mail." ...A three-judge panel has ruled that Dallas County election officials violated federal law when they did not inform the Department of Justice about changes in the way straight-party votes are counted on electronic voting machines....The trial of former NM SOS Rebecca Vigil-Giron..."has been set for July"...Update: see Pennsylvania Court voting machine ruling r/e Banfield Order 121509...Open source voting system development is alive and well....

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

CA: Voters sue over Novato Sanitary election *
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14044648?nclick_check=1
12/21/2009 A pair of voters, claiming they were disenfranchised because they weren't given the chance to vote, filed a lawsuit late Monday to contest the results of the Nov. 3 election for three seats on the Novato Sanitary District board.

FL: Sumter Elections office wants delay of Florida law
http://www.dailycommercial.com/localnews/story/121709machines
BUSHNELL -- You can say the cost adds up to about $60,000 per disabled voter in Sumter County.
...
Although the office said the county only has six voters that its deems as needing the disabled accessible machine, a law requires Florida counties to have the equipment for each of its precincts by 2012.

GA: Handel resigns as Ga. secretary of state
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/12/21/daily17.html
Karen Handel announced Tuesday she is resigning as Georgia’s secretary of state to concentrate on the 2010 governor’s race

HI: In Hawaii, Cuts Reach to Core Functions
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/us/20hawaii.html?_r=1
The State Elections Office said it might not be able to afford a pending special election, which could leave half of the state’s population without a voice in the House of Representatives until September.

HI: CommonCauseHI
http://twitter.com/CommonCauseHI/status/6906370244
Elections Comm meets Dec 30 at 10am to discuss special election and new elections chief

KS: An update on election news from Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh
Double voting leads to conviction in Nemaha County.
http://www.kssos.org/forms/communication/canvassing_kansas/dec09.pdf

IL: eVoter Specimen Ballot Mistake
Champaign County Clerk
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2009/12/22/evoter-specimen-ballot-mistake/

IL:Ballots tossed in State’s Attorney election*(absentee ballots & residency issues)
http://www.register-news.com/local/local_story_354195232.html
MT. VERNON — A circuit court judge has invalidated a number of ballots in the November 2008 election between Jefferson County State’s Attorney Jeff Bradley and Nicole Villani.

IL: Voter Resources — Absentee Voting in the Illinois Primaries Begins on Thursday, December 24th
http://centralillinois912project.com/?p=2341
The actual primary election here in Illinois will take place on February 2nd. There are a variety of resources (especially online resources) that you can use to ensure that your vote is an informed one!

NM: Trial of Vigil-Giron, others set for July
http://fwix.com/albuquerque/share/e7ba658fa7/trial_of_vigil-giron_others_set_for_july
Vigil-Giron, lobbyists Joseph Kupfer and Elizabeth Kupfer and media consultant Armando Gutierrez, who headed the company Vigil-Giron hired to help the state implement a federal voter education program, each face 50 counts including money laundering, fraud, soliciting or receiving kickbacks and tax evasion. They allegedly took the money between 2004 and 2006 using the secretary of state’s contract with Gutierrez by falsifying invoices.

NY: Senate working to avoid voting problems in 2010
http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-c-2009-12-21-64421.113122_Senate_working_to_avoid_voting_problems_in_2010.html
December 21, 2009 The Senate Elections Committee heard testimony last month from county officials on how to best implement optical scan voting statewide for the 2010 elections.

NY: Former Yonkers city councilman charged with voter fraud
http://www.lohud.com/article/20091218/NEWS02/912180331/Former-Yonkers-city-councilman-charged-with-voter-fraud
YONKERS — Former City Councilman Wilson Soto has been charged with fraud in the Sept. 15 primary election, accused of voting in a district where he doesn't live.

NY: Rushing to the polls: After years of inaction, Board of Elections is buying in haste
Editorials December 21st 2009,
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/12/21/2009-12-21_rushing_to_the_polls.html

PA: Pennsylvania Court Ruling Banfield Order 121509
http://voteraction.org/files/Banfield%20Order%20121509.pdf (pdf file)
Pennsylvania state court ordered ES&S/Diebold, Sequoia, Hart Intercivic, and Danaher to produce the source codes and electronic voting machines for an independent expert examination by the petitioners. The Protective order for ES&S and Sequoia was denied. Petitioners (Banfield and clients) have 20 days to arrive at a mutually satisfactory protective order.

TX: Federal judges disallow Dallas County's use of voting machines*
http://bit.ly/5XBvOe (ivotronic, in 150-200 counties)
A three-judge panel has ruled that Dallas County election officials violated federal law when they did not inform the Department of Justice about changes in the way straight-party votes are counted on electronic voting machines.
...
"Given the likelihood that today's ruling will impact other Texas counties, it is now time for the secretary of state to stop defending the indefensible and require the manufacturers to address the serious defects in the way these machines count straight-ticket votes,"...

TX: New developments in Winona voter fraud investigation
http://www.ketknbc.com/news/new-developments-winona-voter-fraud-investigation
WINONA - New developments on why the second Winona local option for alcohol election took place.
Bill Chaney petitioned the Smith County 7th District court and Judge Joel Baker to ask for another election implying voter fraud on the first election in May 2009.

WA: Military tests online voting
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/iss/opinion/79856497.html
Dec 21 2009...Secretary of State Sam Reed will introduce a bill to the 2010 Legislature in an attempt to simplify and speed up the process for these voters. The bill would allow overseas and military residents to return their ballots by fax or e-mail. Last year, a similar but unsuccessful bill included a provision for casting ballots online.

National

Open source voting system development is alive and well (screen shots shown)
http://disappearednews.com/2009/12/open-source-voting-system-development.html
This is fascinating. I’m playing with a prototype open source voting system, the SHARP voting machine. Yup, source code is available to look at or modify. It runs on any of my home computers.

The Election Sabotage Commission
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/opinion/20sun3.html?th&emc=th
December 19, 2009 No one is in charge these days at the Federal Election Commission, the agency that is supposed to enforce campaign law. Repeated stalemates engineered by Republican members raise the potential for runaway abuses in next year’s Congressional elections.

EACs Disappointing Election "Glitch" -- We can't fix the voting machines, so let's blame the ballots.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/EACs-Disappointing-Electio-by-Lani-Massey-Brown-091105-183.html
In answer to the EAC's concern about paper ballots, their Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) expanded its voting system guidelines to include a new class of standards: the paper ballots class. Hand counted paper ballots must be . . . technology enabled.

Diebold may see recount
December 21, 2009 The Department of Justice could vote down an already-completed merger of the two biggest makers of voting machines.
http://bit.ly/5pwqyK

Justice Department May Unwind Diebold E-voting Sale To ES&S
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091221/1423227448.shtml
Honestly, I don't see what the value is in unwinding the deal. Then you'll have two awful e-voting companies with terrible track records with security and accuracy, rather than one. Instead, why aren't we focusing on requiring truly open solutions so that we actually verify that an e-voting system is both secure and accurate?

Fourth Annual UOCAVA Summit 2010
https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/initiatives-UOCAVAsummit-summit2010
This March - it's Munich! 

Overseas Vote Foundation will host the 
Fourth Annual UOCAVA Summit
in Munich, Germany - please join us! 



International

Canadians support online voting: poll (YouTube)
http://kempton.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/canadians-support-online-voting-poll/
From CBC, “Canadians support online voting: poll“. Reminds me of this Yes, Prime Minister sketch. Enjoy. P.S. On a serious note, how can we ensure a strong minded individual (a father or a mother or a parent) cannot vote for the whole household? You see, reporting your family member to the police is not a real option unless they don’t mind putting them in jail



Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
email us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"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: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn

PA e-voting court victory, DoJ Now Investigating Diebold/ES&S Merger

Pennsylvania Case Challenging the Use of Electronic Voting Machines Now Moves Toward Trial: “We now look forward to moving this case toward trial,” says Mary Kohart, a partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, one of the lawyers representing the voters. “There is overwhelming evidence showing that electronic voting machines are unreliable and insecure for the counting and recording of votes..."

Comments to the FCC on Internet Voting by Candice Hoke: “The Internet voting pilot programs were structured by for-profit vendors, who also reported on their “success” without any independent evaluation and transparency on some critical dimensions.

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

CO: *Marks provides important service*
http://bit.ly/8MNp80
Dear Editor: Litigation has been filed in Aspen regarding the issue of the public
right to examine anonymous digital ballot images. This issue, of
national importance, offers an important improvement to voting rights
introduced by computerized voting machines, which conceal counting of
the vote.

GA: Roswell: Close vote shows need for a ballot paper trail
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/roswell-close-vote-shows-246777.html
December 18, 2009 ...The problem is that whatever is contained on those plastic cards is what is recounted, whether it is accurate information reflecting the voter’s choices — or not. But apparently recount is the wrong term to use with respect to these cards, as they can only be “recanvassed,” which means that the totals will be exactly the same as the previously unverifiable results.

IL: Use eVoter at your peril
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2009/12/21/use-evoter-at-your-peril/
Champaign County Clerk A company has begun trying to make money off of our voter registration data. When I first heard about their effort, I had concerns.
...
Unfortunately, their site only adds an unnecessary and burdensome step for Champaign County voters.

MI: Michigan Residency Requirement for Recall Petitioners Struck Down
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/20/michigan-residency-requirement-for-recall-petitioners-struck-down/

MN: SOS Mark Ritchie Proposed Permanent Rules Relating to Elections
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/index.aspx?page=753
Including Amendments to Rules Governing Petitions, Absentee Ballots, Certification and Testing of Voting Systems, Recounts, Election Judge Training Program, Ballot Preparation and Redistricting, Minnesota Rules, chapters 8205, 8210, 8220, 8230, 8235, 8240, 8250 and 8255.

MT: Gazette opinion: Consolidating voting at Metra makes sense
http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/editorial/gazette-opinion/article_4d61f042-ed23-11de-8039-001cc4c03286.html
December 20, 2009 ...Many people had misgivings about consolidating 28 polling places into one. Critics predicted long lines and chaos. They were wrong.

NC: State orders new election in Fair Bluff mayor's race *
http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/12/18/961620
Mayor Spruell R. Britt lost the election by just two votes - 191 to 189 - to challenger Chris Scott. Testimony and affidavits presented to the county board showed that five people voted who later acknowledged that they did not live within the town limits.

PA: PA: Pennsylvania Court Ruling Banfield Order 121509
http://voteraction.org/files/Banfield%20Order%20121509.pdf
Protective order for ES&S and Sequoia - denied. Petitioners (Banfield and clients) have 20 days to arrive at a mutually satisfactory protective order.
background.
PENNSYLVANIA STATE SUPREME COURT ALLOWS VOTING RIGHTS CASE TO PROCEED
http://www.voteraction.org/node/776
Dec 18 2008 State’s Highest Court Denies Pennsylvania Secretary of State Permission to Appeal Lower Court Ruling in Voters’ Favor Case Challenging the Use of Electronic Voting Machines Now Moves Toward Trial


WI: Clerks critical of Wisconsin's early voting law
http://www.fox21online.com/news/clerks-critical-wisconsins-early-voting-law
12/20/2009 MADISON State election officials got an earful from county clerks Thursday (12/17) on a plan to make it easier for voters to cast their ballots before Election Day.


National

U.S. opens probe of Diebold unit sale -report
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1925508020091219?type=marketsNews
Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice and 14 states have opened investigations into the sale of Diebold Inc's voting machines business to Election Systems & Software that could lead to the unwinding of the September sale, the New York Post said on Saturday.

DoJ Now Investigating Diebold/ES&S Merger
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7592
Anti-trust probes also said underway in 14 states...
And while there are other "Justice Department investigation[s]" that Diebold is also cooperating with --- as The BRAD BLOG noted early this year, when the company's Chief Financial Officer was forced to stop down: "[Diebold has been] been facing a class-action securities fraud lawsuit from shareholders since 2005; under SEC investigation since 2006; and under DoJ investigation since 2007; and admitted overstating '07 earnings in early 2008" --- Reuters coverage of the story offers more direct confirmation of the DoJ probe of this particular matter

Candice Hoke Comments to the FCC on Internet Voting
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2009/12/21/314
December 21, 2009 In her response to an FCC’s question about what can we learn from pilot projects that have tested online voting, she observed that none of the domestic internet voting pilot projects have been properly structured to test for and approximate the risks that would be posed to domestic US elections.

“Hackathon” Takes On Absentee Voting For Soldiers
http://www.whytuesday.org/2009/12/20/hackathon-takes-on-absentee-voting-for-soldiers/
One neat little outgrowth of this weekend’s Great American Hackathon…is a widget in the works that — driven by state and local election data from the rather promising Voting Information Project — would spit out what’s called a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot for military members living overseas, customized for their home voting location...

milvoteoverseas: "...bold step by the Pentagon to turn U.S. military bases into one-stop shops for troops who wish to vote..." http://ow.ly/NECZ

The Wonder That Was The 2009 VIP Gadget
http://www.votinginfoproject.org/blog/index.cfm/2009/12/15/The-Wonder-That-Was-The-2009-VIP-Gadget
As you already know, our good friends Paul Stenbjorn and Bihvani Gollu along with the rest of the team at the Virginia Board of Elections put together an XML feed of voting information for Virginia for their statewide election this Fall. Our partner Google, created an awesome, embeddable gadget.

Voting via the Internet?
http://hubpages.com/hub/Voting-via-the-Internet
...To compromise the "One person, One vote" process of individuals marking their ballot in a private polling booth by placing their 'X' on a ballot is inviting disaster, and potentially abandoning our most important freedom, on a scale which the 'hanging chad' would be dwarfed one-hundred fold. The question is, Who will determine whether or not Internet voting will be adopted or not?

Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
email us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"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: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn

Military Bases to aid voter registration, One company to count 70% of US votes

Big news: The Department of Defense has agreed to formally designate all military installation voting assistance offices as official “voter registration agencies". The move “will provide these brave Americans and their families with ‘motor voter’-style registration assistance on military installations, where they spend most of their time,” Cornyn said. Schumer called the change “a bold step by the Pentagon that will turn U.S. military bases across the globe into one-stop shops for active-duty troops who wish to vote.”
...
Regarding voting machine merger: "ES&S, of course, told the Herald/Times that their acquisition of Diebold 'will result in better products and services for all customers and voters alike.' And, if you believe that, we've got an unhackable voting machine to sell you" ~ Brad Friedman at Bradblog....FL: Attorney General Bill McCollum responds to voter advocate's letter...Verified Voting has several updates of interest...

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

FL: Florida AG Probing ES&S/Diebold Merger for Anti-trust Violations
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7584
Demon coupling will result in company counting 92% of Sunshine State votes, at least 70% nation wide...

FL: Attorney General Bill McCollum responds to voter advocate's letter
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/12/mccollum-responds-to-voter-advocates-letter.html
As part of his investigation of a voting-machine company merger that would create a near-monopoly over voting machines, Attorney General Bill McCollum has sent the following letter to Dan McCrea of the Florida Voters Foundation...

HI: US funds for Hawaii special election possible
http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=19233
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's chief election officer is suggesting the state ask federal officials if the state can use federal funds to conduct a special election to fill the remainder of the term of Rep. Neil Abercrombie.

IL: Recount nearly over, Barrow still claims fraud in mayor's race *
http://www.detnews.com/article/20091218/METRO/912180452/1361/Recount-nearly-over--Barrow-still-claims-fraud-in-mayor-s-race
Detroit-- Former mayoral candidate Tom Barrow is continuing to allege voter fraud in the Nov. 3 election, claiming he's found empty ballot boxes and several others whose security seals were breached.

Barrow, who filed a recount after losing to Mayor Dave Bing 58-42 percent, said the breech should disqualify tens of thousands of votes from being recounted


IL: Election commission registering some voters at home
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/carolstream/newsnow/x1431156019/Election-commission-registering-some-voters-at-home
Downers Grove, IL — The DuPage County Election Commission is offering in-home voter registration for elderly and disabled residents leading up to next year’s state and national primaries

IL: Suit against optical scanning machine rejected
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2009/12/18/suit_against_optical_scanning_machine_rejected
December 18, 2009 URBANA – Despite efforts by Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden to prevent it, voters in the primary election in February may hear their voting machines beeping...
...
Shelden argued, according to court documents submitted in support of his request, that "the right of Champaign County voters to a secret ballot has been compromised" by a change in the state election laws, which require all optical scan ballot tabulation machines to produce an error message when a voter "undervotes" or fails to vote for one or more statewide constitutional office races.

NJ: Tally wavers on legal representation in Atlantic City voter fraud case *
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_9b33458e-ec2c-11de-a1c3-001cc4c03286.html
Tally is among 14 people - including Atlantic City Councilman Marty Small - charged with improperly handling messenger ballots in Small's failed mayoral bid. One man has pleaded guilty. Several could not afford lawyers and had to be assigned one by the Public Defender's Office. At a management conference in the case Friday, all had counsel - except Tally.

OH: Board of Elections to combine precincts and polling locations
http://www.coshoctontribune.com/article/20091218/NEWS01/912180307
COSHOCTON.The moves will reduce the number of polling locations in the county from 25to 15. This will subtract 24 poll workers total, reducing the number from 136 to 112.

National

All Military Installations to Aid in Voter Registration
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/us/politics/18vote.html?_r=1
The Department of Defense said this week that it would require every military installation around the world to help troops register to vote, the latest move in Washington to eliminate what are considered longstanding obstacles to voting by military personnel.

Schumer, Cornyn secure voter registration at military bases
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/20953/schumer-cornyn-secure-voter-registration-at-military-bases/
The designation means that military bases will offer the same kind of voter registration services provided at motor vehicle departments and state agencies all around the country under the so-called “motor voter” law of 1993.

2009 on Capitol Hill
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2009/12/17/275
Thursday, December 17, 2009 ...part 2 of 4 in the series Looking Back on 2009.
Having a presence on Capitol Hill this year has allowed Verified Voting to be more fully involved in hearings and conferences that complement our traditional areas of concern. In particular the interest in using internet technology in the administration of elections has highlighted the importance of cyber security policy in Verified Voting’s activities.

2009 Issues – Developing Standards for Election Data
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2009/12/17/269
December 17, 2009 By John McCarthy, Verified Voting
One of the challenges faced by advocates of election audits and transparency is that current voting systems each record and store election file data in unique ways.

2009 in the States
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2009/12/17/278
Thursday, December 17, 2009 By Sean Flaherty

2009 Issues – Internet Voting
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2009/12/17/272
December 17, 2009 By Bo Lipari. "For years, technologists with the expertise to understand issues of security, the Internet and voting have warned about the challenges presented by Internet voting. Nonetheless,2009 saw growing interest in online ballot casting."

Judge urged to reverse ruling over ACORN funding
http://twi.cc/aIfF
NEW YORK — The government is arguing that a judge should reverse her ruling that its cutoff of ACORN funding was unconstitutional.

International

Canadians support online voting?
http://papervotecanada.blogspot.com/2009/12/canadians-support-online-voting.html
Given that paper voting works well now, is easy to understand, and is quick to count, would you rather stay with that, or try a system that computer experts say may be impossible to create?

Few Participate in Informal Online Vote on Icesave
http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=355604
A total of 7,454 people, 3.2 percent of registered voters in Iceland, participated in an informal online election on whether the Icelandic parliament, Althingi, should pass the bill on the state guarantee on the Icesave agreement with the UK and the Netherlands



Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
email us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"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: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn