Ballot irregularities charged in MA, IL election officials prepare for undervote warning, Google hack post-mortem continues

The Massachusetts special election dominated discussion of voting issues today, and the Google hack continues to make news.

As of just before 9pm EST, the Massachusetts election is too close to call. Results can be viewed at these sites:
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2010/senate_race/

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2010/by_county/MA_US_Senate_0119.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=POLITICS

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/index.html

http://wbztv.com/

All this and more in today's Voting News...

AL: Military voting bill gets out of House committee
http://www.clantonadvertiser.com/news/2010/jan/18/military-voting-bill-gets-out-house-committee/
January 18, 2010 - A bill aimed at making it easier for members of the military to vote while serving overseas passed out of House committee Thursday.

IL: Clerk outlines changes in voting procedure
http://www.pontiacdailyleader.com/news/x1672016794/Clerk-outlines-changes-in-voting-procedure
Livingston County Clerk Kristy Masching recently explained a new law enacted by the State of Illinois that will affect voters in the Feb. 2 primary election.

MA: Mass. secretary of state dismissed vote problems
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/19/AR2010011903906.html
The Massachusetts secretary of state is discounting reports of voter irregularities in the state's Senate special election.

MA: Coakley campaign alleges voting irregularities
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/01/coakley_campaig_3.html
The Senate campaign of Democrat Martha Coakley said this evening that ballots pre-marked for Republican rival Scott Brown have been given out at several polling places across the state.

MA: Conversation with Maynard Town Clerk Michelle Sokolowski
http://www.wickedlocal.com/maynard/town_info/government/x1560339308/Conversation-with-Maynard-Town-Clerk-Michelle-Sokolowski

MA: Orange Alert Must Galvanize Galvin, Election Watchdogs Say
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/orange-alert-must-galvanize-galvin-election-watchdogs-say-82056497.html
Wanting to be certain that today's Senate race in Massachusetts is not hijacked by the computerized optical scanners that count votes inside black boxes away from the public view -- as highly-respected computer scientists have proven is too easily possible -- citizen groups are asking the Massachusetts Secretary of State to take extra precautions.

MA: Alert! Coakley Voters Report Receiving Ballots Pre-marked for Brown
http://www.marthacoakley.com/news/press_releases/details/2010-01-alert-coakley-voters-report-receiving-ballots-pre-mar
We've received several independent and disturbing reports of voters across the state being handed ballots that are already marked in favor of Scott Brown. This is obviously a serious violation, and our legal team is taking immediate steps to protect the integrity of this election.

MA: Explosive turnout and charges in Massachusetts
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31674.html

MA: Galvin: Decision to seat MA winner ultimately rests with the Senate
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/19/galvin-decision-to-seat-ma-winner-ultimately-rests-with-senate/

National:

Digital Fingerprints for Chinese Attack on Google
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/technology/20cyber.html

Fearing Hackers Who Leave No Trace [more follow-up on Google hack]
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/technology/20code.html
..."Given the complexity of today’s software programs, which are typically written by teams of hundreds or thousands of engineers, it is virtually impossible to be perfectly confident in the security of any program, and tampering could very well go undetected."...

International:

Canada: County Internet voting likely by fall [Prince Edward County, Ontario]
http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2263819
January 16, 2010 - Prince Edward County residents should be able to cast their vote in this fall's municipal election without leaving the comfort of their home.



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