Wikileaks, Estonia's internet election and 'Lessons Learned'. Editor's Note

Maryland Report – Scanners Cost Less than DREs..EAC has $2,000,000 in grants for voting system pre-election logic & accuracy testing & post-election audits...Wikileak describes actual attacks on a Estonia's first internet election in "SUBJECT: ESTONIA'S CYBER ATTACKS: LESSONS LEARNED"...Yesterday we ran a news article saying that US voting machine expert Alec Halderman was deported upon arrival in India. We have learned since that the article was wrong and Prof Halderman was not deported. We do not have a link yet.

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

EDITORS NOTE: This is my last voting news. Sean Flaherty of www.VerifiedVoting.org will be editing the very next edition. I'm happy because because 1) Verified Voting has the resources and brain trust of experts to provide high quality news that you need, with ability to answer technical questions as well; and 2) I will now be free to go back to work on voting issues in my own state. You will be notified in advance if delivery of the Voting News changes.

Thanks again to all of you for your support. Thanks to Sean & Verified Voting for taking over! I am excited to have more free time to write & research issues in my state and nationally. It will be fun to just read the news instead of editing it. Remember, transparency is the oxygen of democracy. Sincerely, Joyce McCloy, editor.


Wikileak: Viewing cable 07TALLINN375, ESTONIA'S CYBER ATTACKS: LESSONS LEARNED http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2007/06/07TALLINN375.html
... ¶5. (C) E-VOTING. In March 2007, Estonia held the world's first national election where e-voting was used. From the outset of the crisis, the e-voting security team was immediately seconded to CERT and became a vital asset in responding to the attacks.
...
These experts were invaluable in addressing the wide variety of attacks (e.g., bots, spam, DDoS, Trojan Horses, etc.).


AK: Miller appeals ruling on write-in vote count
http://www.adn.com/2010/12/13/1601927/miller-faces-deadline-today-to.html
Miller filed his appeal Monday, three days after a lower court ruled against his lawsuit challenging how the state counted write-in ballots for his rival, Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Arguments are set for Friday.

CA: San Leandro to look at future of ranked-choice voting
http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_16831489

CT: Analysis of What Happens When Elections Officials Print Too Few Ballots
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/12/13/analysis-of-what-happens-when-elections-officials-print-too-few-ballots/

MD: Maryland Report – Scanners Cost Less than DREs
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2010/12/13/1299 The report recommends that the State should move to implement optical scan systems for “long-term cost-effectiveness and cost control.” and that “Maryland would spend $9.5 million less on an optical scan system than it would on a DRE system

NC: Not best way to boost confidence in elections
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/13/1906884/not-best-way-to-boost-confidence.html Instant Runoff Voting was alot faster than the counting.

TX: Straight-party voting bad for democracy, backers of ban say
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/DN-straightticket_13met.ART.State.Edition2.436136c.html

VA: Absentee Ballots' Suit Comes to an End
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=13660375
Virginia election officials have agreed to take steps to make sure military members and Americans living overseas get a chance to cast absentee ballots


National

Voter ID a Misguided Effort
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/voter_id_misguided/

PUBLIC ADVOCATE DE BLASIO RELEASES REPORT ON IMPACT OF CITIZENS UNITED IN 2010 ELECTIONS http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/2010-12-10/public-advocate-de-blasio-releases-report-impact-citizens-united-2010-elections

Felon Disenfranchisement in 2010
http://nonprofitvote.blogspot.com/2010/12/felon-disenfranchisement-in-2010.html
Despite the rulings, a New York Times editorial postured that "Their Debt is Paid." The editorial also found that more than five million Americans were unable to vote in November because of what the author described as "unjust and archaic state laws that disenfranchise former offenders, even when they have gone on to live crime-free lives."

The EAC has $2,000,000 in grants available for voting system pre-election logic and accuracy testing and post-election audits.
http://www.eac.gov/payments_and_grants/testing_and_auditing_grant.aspx

Comment on testing and certification manual
http://www.eac.gov/comment_period_begins_for_testing_and_certification_manual_2.0/
EAC is soliciting comments on version 2.0 of the EAC Testing and Certification Program Manual. The comment period ends Jan 31, 2011. See instructions for comment here.

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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