Online Voting: All That Glitters Is Not Gold. Does your vote count in Georgia?

"Who agrees online voting is not secure? Pretty much everyone who isn't trying to make money on it...They dishonor the troops fighting to secure our freedom by failing to adequately secure a precious part of that freedom - their votes - in order to turn a profit." writes Dan McCrae of Florida Voters in "Online Voting: All That Glitters Is Not Gold"...Jeff Rayno on Georgia's paperless voting machines: "Did your vote count? Will it ever?"...Will Gov Patrick assign MA votes to states with touch screens and voter suppression?...

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

CA: Bill guaranteeing polling stations becomes law
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=17601 The new law, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2011, allows election officials to subtract permanent mail-in voters from the precinct's 1,000-voter cap. As a result, officials can redraw precincts to accurately reflect the number of in-person voters and provide Election Day polling stations for everyone.

GA: Georgia voters report issues at some polling locations
http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia_elections_news/2010/07/20/georgia-voters-report-issues-at-some-polling-locations/?cxntfid=blogs_georgia_elections_news
Virginia-Highland precinct opened late. Wrong ballots issued at N. Druid Hills Road.

GA: Georgia voters miffed at software glitch
http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia_elections_news/2010/07/20/georgia-voters-miffed-at-software-glitch/?cxntfid=blogs_georgia_elections_news
Fusillo’s name was on the list of voters – only the name didn’t match up with the one on her voter registration card. It matched with the one on her driver’s license.

GA: Rayno: Voters still lack paper trail
http://savannahnow.com/column/2010-07-18/rayno-voters-still-lack-paper-trail
I was at one time fascinated with the prospect of online voting with highly secured networks. But the truth is, we have fabricated one of the most unreliable, untraceable and unaccountable voting methods in the world.

HI: One-third of polling precincts consolidated by state
http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/One-third-of-polling-precincts-consolidated-by/Tlij5ugUtE6Ai_Zxxwy3XA.cspx Ninety-seven out of 335 polling precincts have been eliminated.

IL: County clerk: Election issues being resolved
http://register-news.com/homepage/x854233672/County-clerk-Election-issues-being-resolved
MT. VERNON — After spending a week in court hearing about mistakes made during the Nov. 4, 2008, general election, Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Connie Simmons said some of the issues have been resolved with legislative changes — and others are a matter of education of election judges, workers and the public

MA: Will Gov Patrick assign MA votes to states with touch screens and voter suppression? http://www.ctvoterscount.org/will-gov-patrick-assign-ma-votes-to-states-with-touch-screens-and-voter-suppression/ We are not in principle against a national popular vote, but as a prerequisite we would require sufficient uniform national voting franchise and integrity laws, enforceable and enforced.

NY: Voting-rights case for disabled students settled
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100719/NEWS01/7190319
ALBANY — The U.S. Department of Justice announced an agreement last week to resolve a longstanding lawsuit against the state and its public universities for not providing voter-registration services for students with disabilities.

NY: New Concerns Raised Over Voting Machine Upgrade (video also)
http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/politics/122348/new-concerns-raised-over-voting-machine-upgrade "The language that’s used is unclear. It doesn’t tell the voter that their vote isn’t going to count. That is never expressed or stated in the statement. And the interface itself is just counterintuitive. If you see a green button with a check mark and something that says ‘Cast,’ to most people that means good, that means my vote is going to count," said Lawrence Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice.

NV: ACORN finances loom over Nevada registration case
http://www.rgj.com/article/20100719/NEWS07/100719014/-1/CARSON/ACORN-finances-loom-over-Nevada-registration-case- LAS VEGAS (AP) — The political advocacy group ACORN is “limping along” near bankruptcy, which could affect a pending voter registration case in Nevada, a lawyer for the group said Monday

TX: SAUSAGE FACTORY OPENING IN TEXAS
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016472.html
Get ready for the new redistricting battle.

TN: Panel denies Eldridge right to vote
Action comes despite taking GOP pledge
http://crossville-chronicle.com/local/x1060806491/Panel-denies-Eldridge-right-to-vote

TN: Second Shelby County resident indicted on voter fraud charges
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/19/second-shelby-county-resident-indicted-voter-fraud/ According to officials, Golden and Enochs each cast two votes in the 2006 elections.

TN: Victim found in trunk thought to be Monroe Election official
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/jul/19/victim-found-trunk-thought-be-monroe-election-offi/

VA: Virginia: McDonnell restores rights to 506 eligible felons
http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/state_regional/article/mcdonnell_
restores_rights_to_506_eligible_felons/112045/ http://bit.ly/dpTgb1

VA: J. CHRISTIAN ADAMS ON ALLEGED "CHAOS, DISCRIMINATION, THUGGERY, AND DISHONESTY" AT VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016470.html See here at Adams' "Election Law Center" blog, which he describes as "more red than the ivory tower.

WV: It’s Official: Special Election for Byrd’s Seat
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/its-official-special-election-for-byrds-seat/?ref=politics


Internet Voting Watch

Online Voting: All That Glitters Is Not Gold (Unless You're a Vendor)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-mccrea/online-voting-all-that-gl_b_652725.html
By changing the subject to glitzy (and lucrative) promises of help for groups of voters with real special needs, vendors deflect the hard questions about security. In a disgraceful irony, they put the votes of those they claim to be helping in the greatest jeopardy.

International

India: the loaded dice : part 1
http://iltb.apargupta.com/2010/07/the-loaded-dice-part-1/
It is evident that there is a cloud over the integrity and security of EVM’s. What is compounding this problem of trust is the posture of the ECI when it seeks to make statements to the effect that the machines are “perfect” and “infallible” and at the same time refuses to provide them for the purposes of independent verification.

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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.