NYC war against the machines. Bridgeport CT recount 'will take as long as necessary'

Is challenge to Alaska write-ins a 'literacy test'?..Bridgeport recount: Luther Weeks, executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Election Audit Coalition, said the recount beginning Monday will take as long as necessary, but will probably end this week.....W&M School of Law writes on "Optical Scanners, Punch Cards, and Levers: New York City’s Continuing War Against the Machines"...Trust the internet with your vote? Massive Chinese Net Reroute Exposes Web's Achilles' Heel...

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

AK: Miller's write-in challenges face high hurdle
Is Republican’s spelling demand an illegal ‘literacy test?’
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/112910/sta_743006893.shtml

AK: Miller opposes Murkowski motion to intervene in suit
http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-miller-murkowski-lawsuit-intervention-112610,0,1385788.story

CA: Election crews work weekend to finish official tally (of a recount)
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_16728823 From 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, about 23 people worked in teams of four, double checking the latest figures, which were last updated on the County Clerk's website on Nov. 24.

CA: Recounts requested in two O.C. elections (close contests)
http://www.ocregister.com/news/votes-277844-race-recounts.html

CA: Humboldt County Transparency Project - Progress Update 3
http://democracycounts.blogspot.com/2010/11/progress-update-3.html
Humboldt County released the remaining ballots for us to scan late last week. As of
Sunday night, we have fewer than 1500 ballots remaining to be scanned (each ballot is two sheets). That means we're 97% done with the scanning

CT: Bridgeport Ballot Recount Beginning In Governor’s Race
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/11/29/bridgeport-ballot-recount-beginning-in-governors-race/
He (Luther Weeks) says about 30 to 40 volunteers are helping and he hopes to have a few more.

CT: Voter registration owes a debt to the typewriter, house numbers
http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Voter-registration-owes-a-debt-to-the-typewriter-839783.php "The real potential for fraud is not at polls, but rather with mail-in ballots," he said. "A person could very easily buy an unmarked mail-in ballot from someone for, say, five bucks, mark it up the way he wants, and mail it in."

CT: Recount could be a new vote on optical scanning
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Recount-could-be-a-new-vote-on-optical-scanning-836169.php This week's independent recount of Bridgeport's Nov. 2 voting results will show how well -- or how poorly -- residents of the state's largest city understood the four-year-old paper ballot and optical-scanner technology.

CT: Registrars of Voters to shed unused ballots
http://www.thehour.com/story/495127 it's better than running out of ballots on Election Day as happened in Bridgeport..

FL: New voting system is no cure for late returns
Editorial. ISSUE: Some local pols renew talk of touch screen voting.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-11-27/news/fl-voting-system-editorial-nb-20101127_1_touch-screens-new-voting-system-sequoia-voting-systems Broaching the idea of spending money the county doesn't have on a system switch, just to buy a few hours on election returns, shows neither responsible leadership nor sound fiscal judgment. For one thing, returning to touch screens would be foolish. The higher-tech machines were easy and more efficient, but they were thrown out because voters didn't like them or trust them.

KS: Kansas election results certified; few irregularities
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/nov/29/election-results-certified-few-irregularities/ Biggs, a Democrat, was defeated by Republican Kris Kobach, who had said during the campaign that voter fraud was a major problem in Kansas.

MN: Another statewide recount puts Minnesota politicos back in familiar territory
http://ballotnews.org/2010/11/29/another-statewide-recount-puts-minnesota-politicos-back-in-familiar-territory/ If the expected mid-December certification leads to a lawsuit, outgoing Governor Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, will not leave office on January 3, 2011

MN: Emmer observers make more ballot challenges
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/11/29/recount-day-one-ballot-challenges-mark-dayton-tom-emmer/

MN: County attorneys: Minnesota Majority reports on voter fraud ‘frivolous’
http://minnesotaindependent.com/74516/county-attorneys-say-minnesota-majority-reports-on-voter-fraud-frivolous New report states that government-issued voter identification is unnecessary

NC: Instant runoff voting count continues in NC
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/8696782/ Results are expected soon on the outcome of a North Carolina appeals court election using an unusual voting method.

NY: Optical Scanners, Punch Cards, and Levers: New York City’s Continuing War Against the Machines http://electls.blogs.wm.edu/2010/11/29/optical-scanners-punch-cards-and-levers-new-york-citys-continuing-war-against-the-machines/ Christopher Robbins is third-year student at William & Mary Law School

NY: Altschuler Challenges Stony Brook Votes as Recount Heads to Court
An update on the First Congressional District race.
http://threevillage.patch.com/articles/altschuler-challenges-stony-brook-votes-as-recount-heads-to-court On Wednesday, the New York Public Interest Research Group issued a statement condemning Altschuler's challenge on the grounds that students have the legal right to register and vote using their campus residences.

NY: Source: GOP tries blocking George Soros’ ballot (absentee ballot)
http://empire.wnyc.org/2010/11/source-gop-tries-blocking-george-soros-ballot/
In the November 2 elections, George Soros mailed in an absentee ballot. He has a home in Westchester and votes there, where right now, there’s a recount going ...

WI: Felons and the ballot: Rehabilitated felons who meet their prison obligations should be allowed to vote on a case-by-case basis
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/110475324.html
(calls for reviving a bi partisan bill)

WY: Billings Gazette Article on Surprising Strength of “Other” Vote in Wyoming in 2010 http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/11/28/billings-gazette-article-on-surprising-strength-of-other-vote-in-wyoming-in-2010/

Internet Voting Watch

Massive Chinese Net Reroute Exposes Web's Achilles' Heel
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/71258.html?wlc=1290031152
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says that for a
period of 18 minutes last April, China Telecom hijacked 15 percent of the
world's Web traffic and sent it to servers in China...

Chinese fans caught stealing social security numbers to vote for idol groups online
http://www.allkpop.com/2010/11/chinese-fans-caught-stealing-social-security-numbers-in-order-to-vote-for-their-idol-groups-online

India: Polls go digital in Gujarat with e-voting (interesting video explains)
http://www.nipuninfotech.com/blog/government/polls-go-digital-in-gujarat-with-e-voting/ The state has decided to introduce e-voting in local polls which means voters wouldn’t have to queue up at polling booths.

Swiss say electronic voting working well
http://genevalunch.com/blog/2010/11/29/swiss-say-electronic-voting-working-well/
Fifteen percent of Swiss citizens authorized to vote electronically took up the option in the 28 November federal, cantonal and communal votes.

National

"CAN PUBLICLY FINANCED ELECTIONS SURVIVE WITHOUT PUNISHING FREE SPEECH?" http://electionlawblog.org/archives/018112.html

ELECTION LAW BLOG CHOSEN FOR "2010 ABA BLAWG 100;" VOTE UNTIL DEC. 30 FOR YOUR FAVORITE BLOG http://electionlawblog.org/archives/018111.html

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