Palm Beach to 'retry touch-screen voting'? NC election protest cites vote flipping

Brad Friedman writes "Why Joe Miller is right to call for a 'hand count' in Alaska's Senate Race"...Clarification - Bridgeport Questions its Legal Authority to Revisit Balloting"...Bad news: "Palm Beach County Elections Chief Susan Bucher wants to retry touch-screen voting" & she promises to lobby legislature to bring back touchscreens...Meanwhile, touchscreen vote flipping was cited in a demand for new election for North Carolina House District 45...

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


AK: Miller seeks to stop Alaska Senate election certification
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/10370038/article-Miller-seeks-to-s top-Alaska-Senate-election-certification-?instance=home_news_window_left_top_1
The GOP candidate in the Alaska U.S. Senate race asked a federal judge Thursday for a preliminary injunction stopping officials from certifying the election.

An attorney for Joe Miller sought the injunction as part of a previous lawsuit challenging write-in ballots for Lisa Murkowski, the incumbent senator.

AK: Murkowski triumphs in Alaska Senate race
Alaska's Murkowski appears to be first write-in candidate to win Senate since 1954
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2013461497_murkowski18.html
The state Republican Party, which backed Miller, called the race for Murkowski and asked him to withdraw.

AK: Joe Miller May Seek 'Hand Count' in Alaska's U.S. Senate Race - He'd Be Wise To Do So. http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8199 A fully transparent reconciliation would well serve democracy, particularly given AK's dreadful election history..

AK: Alaska is not Florida
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/111710/sta_737414986.shtml
State officials say they are using the "voter intent" standard adopted by Alaska courts over the years.

CA: State GOP will go after Contra Costa County election officials
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16640379?nclick_check=1
The California Republican Party says it will pursue its lawsuit against Contra Costa County over whether election count observers have the right to challenge specific signatures on vote-by-mail ballots, calling it a critical statewide issue.

CA: Citizens picked to draw political boundaries
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/11/citizens-picked-to-draw-political-boundaries.html
State officials Thursday selected a handful of everyday Californians to tackle the politically incendiary task of redrawing the state's voting districts -- a job that voters decided to take away from political insiders.

CO: Final election results in Colorado expected by Friday
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16632233

CO: Crippled hand count and recount
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20101118/LETTER/101119860/1020&ParentProfile=1061
The court-ordered count is deliberately crippled. It is limited to solely adding counts to Curry's total. In Eagle during this “examination” judges noticed an uncounted vote for Roger Wilson — the box was fully filled in — but in pencil. It remains uncounted as probably others also are...

CT: BRIDGEPORT QUESTIONS ITS LEGAL AUTHORITY TO REVISIT BALLOTING
http://scullycommunications.com/archives/1199 Bridgeport city officials say they are not “refusing” to participate in a recount of their troubled election night voting precincts but rather doubt their legal authority to do so. Such an undertaking would also create a logistical nightmare, they say.

CT: Two weeks after election, Bridgeport voters still frustrated
http://www.ctmirror.org/story/8480/two-weeks-later-bridgeport-voters-still-frustrated-about-election

FL: GOP state senator says he'll support Brown's lawsuit
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-11-18/gop-state-senator-says-hell-support-browns-lawsuit at least one Republican state senator says he will help a Democrat, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, in her quest to derail a constitutional amendment that would change the way political boundaries are drawn.

FL: Palm Beach County Elections Chief Susan Bucher wants to retry touch-screen voting http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/palm-beach-county-elections-chief-susan-bucher-wants-1056815.html She is beginning to look at new equipment - both touch screen and not - but prefers touch screens and said that County Commissioner Karen Marcus will lobby the state legislature to make them an option again.

FL: Watch Palm Beach County elections supervisor's live interview
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/watch-palm-beach-county-elections-supervisors-live-interview-1054718.html

GA: Twiggs Election Case Referred to Attorney General (absentee ballot fraud)
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=99904&catid=153
The state Board of Elections on Wednesday asked the state attorney general to decide whether to prosecute a former Twiggs County sheriff and his son for alleged election violations.

MN: The GOP complaint on the governor's recount: what we know and what we don't
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2010/11/18/23513/the_gop_complaint_
on_the_governors_recount_what_we_know_and_what_we_dont http://tinyurl.com/2we8xs9

MN: GOP sues in gubernatorial race, alleging discrepancy in ballots
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_16642686?nclick_check=1
Trailing by a stack of votes that seems insurmountable by normal recount standards, Republicans are laying the groundwork for removing votes — how many is unknown — from the 2.1 million cast for governor during the Nov. 2 election.

MN: The Daily Digest (with video)
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/polinaut
/archive/2010/11/the_daily_diges_957.shtml http://tinyurl.com/2c6jj5u The MNGOP and Tom Emmer are asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to delay the recount in Minnesota's governor's race until a process known as reconciliation is assured in every precinct. The DFL says the GOP wants to delay the recount to keep Democrat Mark Dayton out of office.

MN: County's ballots headed to Madison for recount
http://www.morrissuntribune.com/event/article/id/23699/
Stevens, Lac Qui Parle and Yellow Medicine counties will recount ballots in the Minnesota governors race at the same location on Nov. 29

NC: Warner files protest over House District 45 seat* (iVotronics in early voting)
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/11/17/1048710?sac=Home
Cumberland County. Warner sought a recount after Glazier defeated her by 48 votes out of the 19,668 counted. Wednesday's recount gave Glazier a 46-vote lead instead. Two other races also were recounted with minor differences from last week's certified results.
...
In her protest, Warner contends:
...
At least three people trying to vote for Warner on a touch-screen machine said the machine recorded a vote for Glazier instead; the voters caught the mistake when reviewing their ballots on the touch screen. Warner thinks the machines were not calibrated to accurately record where the voter touched the screens.

Voters were allowed to get in line after the polls closed at 7:30 p.m., allowing ineligible voters to participate.

NC: Vote Recounts Don't Change Outcomes For NC House Races
http://www.witn.com/news/headlines/Vote_Recounts_Dont_Change_Outcomes
_For_NC_House_Races_109071139.html?ref=139 http://tinyurl.com/27pufom

NC: Live Wire: Barcoded ballot paperwork still secret
http://fayobserver.com/articles/2010/11/12/1047479?sac=Local
Q: When we voted last Tuesday we were asked to sign a paper, I don't really know what it was. Then they scanned a barcode on the paper and then on the ballot I had been handed. Does this mean my secret ballot is not a secret ballot? - A.F., Fayetteville

NC: Polston files protest, alleging votes cast illegally (Forsyth County)
http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2010/nov/17/polston-files-protest-alleging-votes-cast-illegall-ar-545867/ (no supporting evidence cited in article)

NY: Fourth Ward Election Fraud Investigation Referred To Prosecutor's Office
http://hoboken.patch.com/articles/fourth-ward-election-fraud-investigation-referred-to-prosecutors-office The 190 vote-by-mail ballots that were challenged by the Lenz campaign during Nov. 2nd's special Fourth Ward election, have been referred to the Hudson County Prosecutor's office
...
The Lenz campaign challenged 190 votes, based on residency issues and claims that people were paid to vote by mail. They also challenged the 78 out of 79 campaign workers who were paid $40 and voted by mail a few days after receiving the cash.

NY: Judge Sets Schedule for Counting Votes in Disputed Races
http://bedford.patch.com/articles/judge-sets-schedule-for-counting-votes-in-disputed-races-3 Decision affects 89th Assembly District and 37th State Senate District.

NY: Altschuler's lead narrows as absentee ballots counted
http://www.riverheadlocal.com/local-news-content/1132-altschulers-lead-narrows-as-absentee-ballots-counted ( 1st Congressional District race )
Bishop's lawyers last week said they intend to file suit seeking a full hand count of all ballots scanned by voting machines in the 1st CD. But Schneider said this week the campaign is focusing on counting the absentee ballots first.

NY: Addabbo seeks to increase ballot type size
http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2010/11/17/news/top_stories/
doc4ce3f07792430041533361.txt http://tinyurl.com/38leyb3

OH: Portage County Tea Party Questions Voting Machines Used In Election
http://www.e-portage.us/newsgen/news_details.php?id=1713
Though the vast majority of votes take place without incident, we were surprised by the number of problems with voting machines documented by our members, which is why we wrote this letter.”

OK: Voter ID
It won't work, but is it legal?
http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?subjectid=61&articleid=20101118_61_A18_Incapa544718

TX: Texas Bill to Require Presidential Candidates to Submit Birth Certificate
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/11/18/texas-bill-to-require-presidential-candidates-to-submit-birth-certificate/

WA: Letter to the Editor: Community council election results flawed in light of how few voted http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/opinion/letters/108491559.html

Internet Voting Watch

Canada: Bring paper ballots back: Councillor (using Intelivote)
http://www.emcperth.ca/20101118/news/Bring+paper+ballots+back:+Councillor
(Perth) Although he said the response to the problem by town staff was excellent, White said a number of issues were raised by members of the public. Some complained that they did not receive the personal identification numbers, while others had problems voting by telephone or via the internet. Although voting was extended by an extra hour in response to the problem, some people have since told him they were unable to vote, White said.

National

EAC report on 11-15-2010 RE: Notice of Termination of Voting System
http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/AssetManager/Unity%204.0%20Application%20Termination.pdf
Pursuant to Section 2.10.7 of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) Voting System Test Laboratory Program Manual (Lab Manual), you are hereby notified that the EAC is terminating the application for Unity 4.0.

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