Vote-machine lobbyist was in 'rig' trouble, NY City giving up levers, Same Day Registration pros and cons

In New York we learn that one vendor's lobbyist was involved in a vote rigging scandal. Meanwhile one vendor claims they will provide more jobs than the other vendor.... Massachusetts weighs the pros and cons of same day registration....Oregon is considering adopting online voter registration..

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

CA: Ranked Choice Voting May Cost Oakland $947,000
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/92510/archives/2010/01/04/ranked-choice-voting-may-cost-oakland-947000
Mon, Jan 4, 2010...However, the city’s costs could increase to a maximum
of $1.5 million (not including the savings of not having a June
election) if either or both Berkeley and San Leandro decide to forgo
ranked choice voting this year

MA: Same-day voter registration proposal has pros and cons
http://www.dailynewstribune.com/homepage/x1444028251/Same-day-voter-registration-proposal-has-pros-and-cons
Jan 02, 2010 Supporters of a bill to allow voters to register on Election Day say it will improve citizen participation in democracy as it has in nine states that allow the system. But some municipal officials and the secretary of state worry about the cost and potential confusion of such a system.
...
Langenburg said that in the past, additional polling workers were hired to handle provisional ballots. Those workers now are responsible for same-day registration forms. The cost of printing the forms is covered by what they used to spend on provisional ballots.

What the Mass. Freedom to Vote Act would do
http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_14118453

MI: Are These The Waning Days of 'Austin v Michigan Chamber of Commerce'
http://bit.ly/6pU8rI (podcast available) Michigan Chamber of Commerce VP Bob LaBrandt holds a copy of the newspaper ad that served as the basis of the legal case Austin vs Michigan Chamber of Commerce

MI: Online Voting Bill Heads to State Senate
http://new.wkzo.com/news/articles/2010/jan/04/online-voting-bill-heads-state-senate/
January 4, 2010 Just two states allow residents to register to vote online, but Michigan could be on the verge of being the third to embrace the technology

NH: New Hampshire Ballot Access Bills Get Hearing Date
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/01/04/new-hampshire-ballot-access-bills-get-hearing-date/

NY: Vote-machine lobbyist was in 'rig' trouble
http://bit.ly/8ypLLv

January 4, 2010 A lobbyist working for the company believed to have the edge to win a multimillion-dollar contract to replace the city's lever-operated voting machines was once embroiled in a flap over ballot fixing

Anthony Mangone, a Westchester-based lawyer and lobbyist hired to help Election Systems & Software, testified that he tampered with ballots in a voting-fraud criminal case against a political operative working for then-state Sen. Nicholas Spano (R-Westchester) in 2002.

NY: City Finally Poised to Give Up Lever Voting Machines
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/nyregion/04machines.html
January 3, 2010 ...After years of delays and missteps, the city’s Board of Elections is expected to choose new electronic voting machines on Tuesday that will be rolled out in time for the September primary. In so doing, New York City will become one of the last places in the country to get rid of its lever-operated voting machines.

NY: Company says New York jobs riding on voting-machine contract
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20100104/NEWS01/1040327/Company+says+New+York+jobs+riding+on+voting-machine+contract
January 4, 2010 ALBANY -- As New York City prepares to choose a voting-machine system Tuesday, one of two companies vying for the contract says winning it would mean more jobs for New Yorkers, particularly in the Rochester and Southern Tier regions.

OR: Oregon looks to revamp voter registration system
http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=14&SubSectionID=50&ArticleID=102091
...Brown said Oregon is moving toward reducing registration costs by establishing online registration, which is scheduled to begin March 1, 2010, in time to be used to register for the May 2010 primary election

OR: More on the newspaper voter reg form
http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/?p=3033

VT: One Person, One Vote Press Conference (video)
http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/one-person-one-vote-press-conference
12/29/2009. Status on petition drive to place a question on the March 2010 Ballot in Burlington.
TN: Little early interest in House District 83 special election
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jan/03/little-early-interest-in-special-election/
Candidates' ability to motivate supporters is key for turnout in off-year House District 83 race

TN: HB0639 Voter Fraud or Not Voter Fraud (this is an older video but worth watching)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NhQ2cBxoRg#
"Your bill would make it difficult for dead people to vote...?"

National

If I Can Bank Online, Why Can’t I Vote Online?
http://www.reviews.com/hottopic/hottopic_essay_10.cfm
Jeremy Epstein SRI International Dec 21, 2009

VOTER REGISTRATION MODERNIZATION IS POSSIBLE NOW: STATE EXPERIENCES (report in pdf)
http://www.brennancenter.org/page/-/Democracy/Feasibility%20Brief%20Final.pdf
State experiences show that voter registration modernization is feasible, cost-effective, and will save taxpayers millions of dollars each year.

International

Welcome to Cyber Warfare 2010 .27-28 January,2010 CCT Centre, Canary Wharf, London, UK
http://www.iqpc.com/Event.aspx?id=237804
The vast majority of data, communication and programming is stored and accessed via computer networks: Protecting and operating in ‘Cyberspace’ has never been so important. 100s of reported attacks on military systems and government infrastructure are reported daily

Cyber Warfare is Reality
http://trickpedia.com/cyber-warfare-is-reality/

Canada. Toronto's mayors: Scoundrels, rogues and socialists
Our 64th mayor will be elected in October. May his or her legacy be as, um, distinctive as these predecessors (history of secret ballot)
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/745194--toronto-s-mayors-scoundrels-rogues-and-socialists
...At first, mayors were selected by council through shadowy, behind-the-scenes vote trading. Then after 1859 voters got to choose. For the first 40 years there was no secret ballot. You attended a large public meeting to openly declare your vote. Religious discrimination, intimidation, roving gangs, and bribery with money or liquor, were all common.



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