New York 7th SD recount quest about precedent. Alaska judge rules for state

Alaska Judge rules for state, against Miller. What does it mean? ..Johnson to appeal NY 7th Senate District loss: “The procedures governing these new voting machines are uncharted territory..What happens here could very well govern how all future close elections are decided. That is why I intend to take my request for a full hand recount to a higher court.." ~ incumbent Craig Johnson (D)..

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

AK: State judge rules in favor of state, against Miller, in election challenge
http://community.adn.com/?q=adn/node/154746 The judge found there was no evidence of election fraud and that there was nothing wrong with the state considering "voter intent" and counting misspelled write-in ballots for Murkowski. (Miller has until Tuesday to appeal.)

AK: Rick Hasen of ElectionLawBlog: JOE MILLER LOSES: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/018256.html ..what happens next?

FL: Elections chief explores ways to count votes faster
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/elections-chief-explores-ways-to-count-votes-faster-1110264.html The county first will try counting votes at one of about 20 locations scattered throughout the county, work that was previously done at a warehouse in Riviera Beach, county Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher said.

By the end of 2011, she hopes to have modems that work with the county's existing vote scanners, letting her staff send in results directly from the precinct.

IL: Champaign county clerk resigns
http://www.dailyillini.com/node/46116 Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden is resigning from his position to become U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson’s (R-15) new chief of staff.
...
According to Shelden’s website, he developed new election management software for the County Clerk’s office that “greatly enhanced” the office’s efficiency.

The software, which deals with ballot design and vote counting, has saved the office hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last five years.

MO: Brother and Sister Arrested for Casting Extra Votes in November
http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=369587
24-year-old Mark Calhoun and 21-year-old Lindsey Calhoun participated in early voting October 30th, then went to the polls on election day, November 2nd, and voted again.

County Clerk Karen Pritchard says it's the first time she's seen that in almost 40 years of running elections.

NC: Scott Mooneyham: Addressing voter fraud
http://www.reflector.com/opinion/mooneyham/scott-mooneyham-addressing-voter-fraud-212217
What legislative Republicans should fear is that a requirement is so poorly crafted that local poll workers can use it to turn away voters with a valid ID.

If that happens, the voter fraud will have been committed in the Legislature Building, and voters will know who to blame.

NC: Instant Runoff Comments (Election official on NC Court of Appeals Contest)
http://mile181.blogspot.com/2010/12/instant-runoff-comments.html
Another way to avoid the expense of runoff primaries, as I previously suggested here is to abolish the runoff. We don't need it. Most states don't use it.

NY: Supreme Court Certifies Senate Race, Declares Martins Winner -Johnson Will Appeal
http://www.antonnews.com/illustratednews/news/12125-supreme-court-certifies-senate-race-declares-martins-winner.html Warshawsky did not hide his disdain for the new voting machines.

NY: New York State Board of Elections Expects to Release Official Tally on Monday, December 13 http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/12/10/new-york-state-board-of-elections-expects-to-release-official-tally-on-monday-december-13/

TX: New bill for verification of information on voter registration
http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=552675 Unclear handwriting and typos are just some of the reasons thousands of Texans have their voter registration applications delayed or denied.
But State Representative Scott Hochberg of Houston wants to improve the process.

Voting News by Joyce McCloy. Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
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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