DC internet vote hack test? Thoughts on NY Primary. Visit 'Electionland'

With short notice, DC offers a public "test" of internet vote system from Sept 24-30...Bo Lipari has some thoughts & recommendations r/e New York's primary..Houston Voting Machine Fire Update and Shouting 'Voter Fraud' in a Crowded Midterm Election..Visit Electionland to register to vote, find polling place & sign up for election reminders.."the threat of the Citizens United ruling to our democracy goes far beyond the narrow definition of corruption." ~ John Bonifaz & Jeffrey Clements...

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

AL: Judge Denies Discovery in Voting Rights Act Case
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/09/21/30485.htm
An Alabama county's constitutional challenge to portions of the Voting Rights Act cleared a legal hurdle when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., rejected the government's bid for further discovery.
In its federal lawsuit, Shelby County claimed that the "preclearance" requirements of the Act put undue pressure on its election process, raising costs and delaying at least one election.

CA: Woman pleads no contest in Fresno voter fraud
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/09/21/2087120/woman-pleads-no-contest-in-fresno.html
Authorities say Darlene Holland turned in 100 forged voter signatures on behalf of Cynthia Sterling, a Fresno City Council member running for the county Board of Supervisors, and Oliver Baines, a police officer running for Sterling's seat on the council.

DC: DC Invites Public Testing of Internet Voting System (internet voting )
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2010/09/22/850
The announcement by the DC Board does not say how the test results will used, or if the decision to proceed with the pilot in November will be affected if flaws are discovered, only noting “After testing is completed, the service will be made available to overseas voters”.

MN: Judge Backs Minn. Disclosure Law on Political Cash
http://protectourelections.org/node/38 A federal judge refused on Monday to interfere with a new Minnesota law that revealed political donations from Target Corp. and other companies, saying the public has an interest in knowing who speaks and who pays for those messages as the election approaches.

NY: Port Chester board to meet with lawyers on voting rights appeal
http://soundshore.lohudblogs.com/2010/09/21/port-chester-board-to-meet-with-lawyers-on-voting-rights-appeal/
Could Port Chester’s four-year-old voting rights case, which yielded a cumulative voting system for village trustees in June, be destined for an appeal?
...
Ironically the trustees who were elected under the new method are the ones now exploring an appeal.

NY: THOUGHTS ON THE NY PRIMARY
http://www.bolipari.com/boblog/2010/09/thoughts-on-the-ny-primary/
Despite the impressions received from media reports, the September 14th primary was not the first time that New Yorkers voted on paper ballots and scanners. In the 2009 off-year election, 47 counties in upstate New York used the new systems as part of a pilot program. This trial run taught participants valuable lessons, and New York City’s decision to abstain led directly to many of the problems reported there

TN: Rutherford County officials escape disciplinary hearing for election error
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100922/NEWS02/9220368/Rutherford-County-officials-escape-disciplinary-hearing-for-election-error
Polls weren't opened for early voting one Saturday

TN: 55 Apply For Elections Administrator Job (Davidson County)
http://www.wsmv.com/politics/25101181/detail.html

TX: Houston Voting Machine Fire Update and Shouting 'Voter Fraud' in a Crowded Midterm Election http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8082 Using Fraud to Declare Fraud

WV: Other Options?
http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/539350/Solution-offered-over-ballot-controversy.html?nav=5061 A hearing is set for Friday in front of a Kanawha County Circuit Judge on the legal challenge to the ballots voters throughout West Virginia will use on Election Day, November 2nd.
...
However, Party Chair Mike Stuart now says there may be other ways to resolve the ballot issues outside of a courtroom.

On Tuesday, Stuart suggested removing the straight ticket option from the November ballots or reprogramming voting devices so the U.S. Senate Special Election is not part of the General Election ballot.

Internet Voting Watch
DC: Board Announces Public Test of Digital Vote by Mail Service (internet voting)
MEDIA RELEASE D.C. BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND ETHICS September 21, 2010
http://www.dcboee.org/popup.asp?url=/pdf_files/nr_588.pdf
WASHINGTON, D.C. —The Board of Elections and Ethics today announced that the
public examination phase of the Digital Vote by Mail pilot project for overseas voters will begin on Friday, September 24.
...
During the test period, which will continue through Thursday, September 30, individuals who wish test and comment on the technology and usability of the application will be granted access to the application, a complete system architectural diagram, and access to the underlying source code.

A limited number of test credentials will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning on Friday morning.

DC Invites Public Testing of Internet Voting System (internet voting )
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2010/09/22/850
The announcement by the DC Board does not say how the test results will used, or if the decision to proceed with the pilot in November will be affected if flaws are discovered, only noting “After testing is completed, the service will be made available to overseas voters”.

National

The Tea Party and Voter Fraud
http://electls.blogs.wm.edu/2010/09/22/the-tea-party-and-voter-fraud/ ...this debate forces us to consider the integrity of our election process and how to maintain that integrity.

Rock the Vote We're launching our new project called Electionland. Come check it out.
http://electionland.com/ Electionland is the place where you can ask and answer questions on everything related to elections in your state.
You can register to vote, find polling locations and and learn more about the voting process. You get access to experts and election officials. In some states, you can even ask candidates questions directly.

Restoring the Constitution - John Bonifaz & Jeffrey Clements
http://bostonreview.net/BR35.5/bonifaz.php
The domination of our political process by corporate money and resulting corporate power undermines self-government, and the Court essentially has stated that the Constitution provides the people no recourse against that power.

Anonymous Campaign Donors Dodge Disclosure
http://nonprofitvote.blogspot.com/2010/09/anonymous-campaign-donors-dodge.html
Since a 5-4 Supreme Court opened a wide door to outsider political giving - even calling it a form of "free speech"! - the New York Times reports more donations are coming from 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporations and other entities that don’t have to disclose who their donors are.

The Rise of 'Super PACs' Continues, Leaving Voters in Dark as Attack Ads Fill Airwaves http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/09/the-rise-of-super-pacs.html

International

India: EC-Ashok Chavan ‘deal’ to harass EVM critics?
http://www.indianevm.com/blogs/?p=471
Mukund Lagoo, an activist fighting for tribal rights was arrested 10 days ago and is languishing in jail. Mumbai Police’s application seeking cancellation of Hari Prasad’s bail (apparently drafted by the Election Commission) threatens his arrest again. Mumbai Police are not stopping there. They plan to summon Hari Prasad’s colleagues in NetIndia for questioning. The list is unlikely to stop there.

The series of these actions show the worst form of police terror unleashed against ordinary citizens since the days of emergency imposed in 1975.

World Freedom Atlas measures democracy, human rights and institutions
http://digest.electionguide.org/2010/09/22/world-freedom-atlas-measures-democracy-human-rights-and-institutions/

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