"With less than seven weeks before early voting starts for the general election, the clock is ticking for Tennessee's election officials' efforts to get it right." ~ Tennessean.com..Broward's Disappearing Ink Before Election Day & Early Voting...MORE Lee Co FL ballot problems...Toast: Harris County Texas' 10,000 eSlate electronic voting machines...DOD denies 4 states military ballot law waiver..Australia's hung parliament...India EVM Security Researcher Released on Bail...
All this and more in today's voting news below...
AL: More on Alaska and Australia: Is there a security issue in postmark states?
http://www.earlyvoting.net/blog/2010/08/more-alaska-and-australia-there-security-issue-postmark-states
AZ: Vote-by-mail ballots just delivered now being verified* (day after election)
http://www.kvoa.com/news/vote-by-mail-ballots-just-delivered-now-being-verified/
Pima County. Approximately 13,000 vote-by-mail ballots have been dropped off late at the polling locations and delivered by U.S. mail. These ballots are being signature verified this morning and will be transferred over to the Division of Elections for counting.
AZ: Late ballots being verified & counted * (KVOA Video available)
http://www.kvoa.com/news/late-ballots-being-verified-and-counted/
TUCSON - In Pima County, 13,500 mail in ballots were delivered this morning, and there are 3,500 Provisional ballots that still need to be verified.
The mail in ballots were supposed to be a part of "early voting." But Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez says, for some reason they didn't make it to the post office in time or were dropped off at the polling places.
CA: Lengthy ballot to cost voters time -- and money
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_15903293
Alameda County voters may want to delay diving into that next novel soon, because a long read is on its way this fall -- in the form of November's general-election ballot.
...
However, voters in Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro are likely to see three pages because of the debut of ranked-choice voting, which eliminated the need for June primaries for those cities' local races.
...
A type of "voters' fatigue" or "voter roll-off" can set in if ballots are too long, said Robert Dudley, a professor at George Mason University in Virginia who studies elections.
CO: City Council gets it right
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100827/LETTER/100829867/1020&
parentprofile=1061 http://tinyurl.com/23vtzx3 The City Council properly deleted from the November ballot a referendum question on replacing instant runoff voting (IRV) with a winner-take-all election reform as a means of deciding both mayor and council contests, deciding instead to present to the voters a straightforward choice between IRV and the traditional runoff election technique.
FL: Audit This! Broward's Disappearing Ink Before Election Day & Early Voting*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13849
All Federal and FL State Law require election records be held for 22 months. Broward's Poll Tapes are already beginning to disappear before Election Day!
FL: 2 Volusia races getting recounts
http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/west-volusia/2010/08/27/2-volusia-races-getting-recounts.html A county judge's race is so close after a review of problem ballots that Volusia officials expect to need to recount the votes by hand, while a County Council race is close enough to warrant a second tally with voting machines.
...
A machine recount takes place when the margin is less than half of 1 percent. If that recount shows a difference of one-fourth of 1 percent or less, a manual recount is ordered
FL: Lee County judge race remains undecided; recount to continue tomorrow*
http://www.news-press.com/article/20100828/NEWS0107/100828017/1075/Lee-County-judge-race-remains-undecided--recount-to-continue-tomorrow
7:45 P.M. UPDATE — No decision will be made tonight in the race between Eric Feichthaler and Archie Hayward for county judge due to a mechanical error.
Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington said a flash drive containing all of the early voting ballots wouldn’t load.
There were more than 13,000 early voting ballots cast in the election.
FL: Glitch holds up results in Lee County judge race*
Officials will feed machines ballots again today in judge's race
http://www.news-press.com/article/20100829/NEWS0107/8290370/Glitch-holds-up-results-in-Lee-County-judge-race
But at about 7 p.m., a flash drive wouldn't load to read the results of early voting ballots.
"We don't know why," Harrington said. "It's a standard thumb drive that's used in all kinds of computers."
FL: Foul-ups prevent 2 eligible Fellsmere residents from voting in Tuesday's primary election in Indian River County * http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/aug/26/snafu-prevents-two-eligible-fellsmere-residents/ Supplies of paper ballots unexpectedly ran out about an hour before polls closed at 7 p.m. and extras couldn’t be printed and delivered to Precinct 102 in time for the two to vote. They left before the ballots arrived at 6:40 p.m.
...
Ultimately, Clem blames the Fellsmere ballot shortage on herself and trying to cut costs of ballot printing. The election involved 534 different ballot variations countywide because of special districts for portions of the county as well as party distinctions
GA: Feds' approval of voter verification program could impact future elections
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/feds-approval-of-voter-602064.html
WASHINGTON -- With the U.S. Department of Justice's approval, Georgia now has one of the toughest voter verification and ID systems in the country.
HI: Party ballots used in some races, not others, in primary
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20100826_Party_ballots_used_in_some_
races_not_others_in_primary.html http://tinyurl.com/2fvxhsp
HI: Feds Threaten Lawsuit Over Hawaii Elections
http://www.kitv.com/politics/24792515/detail.html
Hawaii Can't Meet 45-Day Rule For Overseas Voters
KY: Federal prosecutor: part of vote buying convictions for two in Clay County should be set aside http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/101698668.html
The Lexington Herald reports the motion affects county clerk Freddy Thompson and former election commissioner Charles Wayne Jones.
MD: Early voting: Fear vs. the facts
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/col/2010/08/29-36/Early-voting-Fear-vs-the-facts.html The electronic poll books are constantly updated, Torre said. You can go to any of the five early voting sites in the county. But if you vote in, say, Glen Burnie, you can't drive to Annapolis and vote again.
MI: Clerk asks for probe of Tea Party
http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/2010/08/24/news/doc4c748b
6c3b191240694950.txt http://tinyurl.com/36hako6
Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson on Tuesday requested the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office investigate filings involving three candidates from the group Tea Party, which is seeking political party status on the November ballot.
NC: Buncombe may see first instant runoff voting
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100829/OPINION01/308290008/Buncombe-may-see-first-instant-runoff-voting
NY: Your Ballot Designs, a Final Look
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/your-ballot-designs-a-final-look/
During the past week, after The Times’s City Critic reviewed New York’s new voting machines, City Room invited readers to reinvent the ballots and submit ideas for a better design.
PA: Third Parties Want Ballot Laws Changed
Sen. Folmer’s Bill Would Set Standard Access For All Parties
http://www.thebulletin.us/articles/2010/08/28/news/local_state/doc4c79a4
a5aabdd675534482.txt http://tinyurl.com/2wcpczh
TN: Lakewood claims fraud in 1-vote loss of charter*
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100827/NEWS01/100827077/2066/NEWS03
The city of Lakewood filed a lawsuit Friday claiming voter fraud and irregularities changed the outcome of an election that approved dissolving the city’s charter by one vote.
...
The lawsuit, filed in Chancery Court for Davidson County, claims more than a dozen people voted illegally in the Aug. 5 election that ended in a 400-399 tally to dissolve the charter and be governed by Metro.
TN: Voters demand accuracy that TVCA offered
http://blogs.tennessean.com/opinion/2010/08/26/voters-demand-accuracy-that-tvca-offered/
All Ten nesseans know we deserve fair and accu rate elec tions. The Tennessee Voter Confidence would have given them to us. Instead, we are forced to vote on machines that make us sure of only one thing: that we are unsure about the accu racy of our elections.
TN: Ten Candidates File Suit as 'Massive Improprieties, Tampering' Seen in Shelby County, TN Election http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8016
TN: Irregularities mar August vote *
New party control just brings new problems
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100827/OPINION01/8270331/1008
• Rutherford County's early voting was closed on one Saturday when they were required to be open at least three hours.
• Several Maury County candidates' vote totals dropped after polls had closed on Aug. 5.
• There was a break-in in Hardin County in West Tennessee and a computer glitch in Hawkins County in East Tennessee.
• Worst by far, Shelby County's problems on Aug. 5 have spurred a Chancery Court lawsuit. There appears to be a discrepancy of nearly 7,000 between the Election Commission's count of participating voters and the certified vote count. In addition, there were complaints of wrong candidates' names appearing on touch-screen voting machines; missing vote batches; mishandling of provisional ballots; and allegations that election workers may have tried to remove computers with voter files on the machines five days after the election.
TN: Fired election administrator's attorney demands 'due process' from commission
http://www.dnj.com/article/20100828/NEWS01/100828010 (Rutherford CO)
TN: Error-free votes outweighed a few human mistakes
http://blogs.tennessean.com/opinion/2010/08/26/error-free-votes-outweighed-a-few-human-mistakes/ (TN Election Coordinator Mark Goins blaming human error)
TX: Election officials stay optimistic, even after fire destroys Harris Co. voting equipment (video report, 10,000 eSlate destroyed)
http://www.khou.com/home/3-alarm-fire-destroys-Harris-County-Election-Services-warehouse-101636123.html
HOUSTON – Even though more than 10,000 pieces of voting equipment were destroyed in a three-alarm fire at the Harris County Election Technology Center Friday morning, officials said voters should have nothing to worry about when the elections begin in a few months.
The warehouse, located on Canino at Downey, caught fire around 4:20 a.m. Friday, causing an estimated $40 million in damages.
TX: BREAKING: Fire Destroys All 10,000 E-Vote Machines in Houston, Harris County, TX
Update: Accident or Arson? Paper or Plastic?...
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8017 The early work into determining the cause of the 3-alarm blaze, whether or not it was an accident or arson, is underway...along with determining the plan for how the county will proceed with the upcoming elections in the wake of the loss of $30 million dollars worth of unverifiable electronic voting machines..
...
And again, our suggested "recovery plan": Pen, paper, translucent plastic boxes, eyeballs of the citizenry to count all of the ballots, in front of everyone at the polling place.
TX: Warehouse blaze still a mystery
Officials still investigating cause of fire that destroyed voting devices
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7176111.html
Harris County Commissioners Court will meet in an emergency session Monday to receive the county clerk's proposed recovery plan.
TX: Houston Votes group: No voter fraud, just human mistakes being exploited by "partisan" Harris County Voter Registrar
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2010/08/houston-votes-group-no-voter-fraud-just-human-mistakes/1282938259.column
VT: Tabulation shows Shumlin as winner, but Racine wants a recount
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100828/NEWS03/100827027/Tabulation-shows-Shumlin-as-winner-but-Racine-wants-a-recount
WA: Washington gets waiver for overseas ballots
http://www.theolympian.com/2010/08/28/1350410/washington-gets-waiver-for-overseas.html
Federal officials say it's OK for Washington to send ballots to overseas and military voters one month before the general election, instead of the normally required 45 days.
...
There are only nine business days between final certification of the primary election and the 45-day deadline. State officials say that’s not enough time to prepare about 60,000 overseas ballots.
WA: MAIL BALLOT HORROR SHOW (XLIV)
http://www.soundpolitics.com/archives/014171.html
If the idea is to save money, they should go back to polling places. Sam Reed predicts that only 38% of the state's voters will vote this primary, meaning that the remaining 62% of 3.59 million registered voters will toss their ballots into the recycling. 2.2 million packets of wasted paper, ink, glue and outbound postage must cost a horrendous amount of money, with or without the extra flap.
WI: Wisconsin denied military ballot law waiver
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iHy6aHlWK0TKWKRLU
f0cUsN_z5hgD9HRTPC00 http://tinyurl.com/3yo4fhm
...
Not being able to meet the 45-day requirement under the law isn't that big of an issue because all states can e-mail ballots to voters, said Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president and of the Overseas Vote Foundation, a nonprofit group that assists overseas and military voters.
Internet Voting Watch
Verified Voting: One Solution – Delivering Blank Ballots via Internet
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2010/08/27/805 So there is a way to use the Internet to vastly improve access to blank ballots. The next part of the problem, returning voted ballots, has several solutions, including the MOVE requirement that states allow a 45 day period for ballot return. But as to the question of whether we can safely use the Internet for voted ballot return, security experts say that without changing the way the Internet currently works – no way, no how.
National
DOD denies 4 states military ballot law waiver
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iHy6aHlWK0TKWKRLUf0cUsN_z5hgD9HS36K84
Not getting the waiver calls into question how the affected states — Wisconsin, Hawaii, Alaska and Colorado — will comply with deadlines for counting all votes cast for the Nov. 2 election by members of the military and other Americans living overseas.
The Defense Department granted Delaware, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington the waivers.
States that won waivers provided "thorough and comprehensive plans to protect the voting opportunities for military and overseas voters," Bob Carey, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, said in a statement.
International
Report on the Fourth International Conference on Electronic Voting 2010
http://www.ifes.org/Content/Publications/Opinions/2010/Aug/Report-on-the-Fourth-International-Conference-on-Electronic-Voting-2010.aspx
Australia: New Election Risk for Australia?
http://news.suite101.com/article.cfm/new-election-risk-for-australia-a279146
Opposition refusal to cooperate in negotiations over Australia's hung parliament could take Australia back to the polls.
Australia: Technology opens up voting possibilities
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/technology-opens-up-voting-possibilities-20100824-13pko.html
Australians will be able to enrol online after the Federal Court ruled in favour of GetUp!'s case against the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). GetUp! had taken the AEC to the court, challenging electoral laws that prevented voters from enrolling online.
India. Good News: Security Researcher Released on Bail
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/08/security-researcher-released-bail
...According to the Indian news agency PTI, the magistrate who released Prasad on bail noted that "no offence was disclosed with Hari Prasad's arrest and even if it was assumed that [the electronic voting machine] was stolen it appears that there was no dishonest intention on his part...he was trying to show how [electronic voting] machines can be tampered with."
The court reportedly also asked the Election Commission of India to confirm or disprove Prasad's claim that the country's electronic voting machines can be compromised. If Prasad's claims are false, action could be taken against him, the magistrate said.
India: Hari is out of jail!
http://rop.gonggri.jp/?p=346 Earlier this year, I worked on a scientific study showing that the Electronic Voting Machines used in India weren’t secure. My co-author Hari Prasad was arrested a week ago, on charges of having had possession of a real voting machine and refusing to say where it came from.
...
This all follows rather bizarre developments yesterday during which newspapers, among which the Times of India, reported that the government was apparently looking into our research work as some kind of “plot to destabilize the country”.
India: Study to ‘expose’ EVMs
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Study-to-expose-EVMs/Article1-593491.aspx
Hari Prasad, who was arrested last week for stealing electronic voting machines and released on Saturday, will present a controversial paper on how EVMs used in Indian elections can be tampered with at a conference on computer and communication safety.
India: Unsafe electronic voting machines: Shooting the messenger (Comment)
http://sify.com/news/unsafe-electronic-voting-machines-shooting-the-messenger-comment-news-national-kiyp4pihhie.html
It is past time for India to open up EVM security to serious scientific scrutiny, on an urgent basis. In the process, the ECI should apologise to Hari K. Prasad and his team, and appoint them as consultants in beefing us security for electronic voting.
India: Congress leader gave EVM to scientist, says lawyer
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Congress-leader-gave-EVM-to-scientist--says-lawyer/673030 Hari Prasad, the Hyderabad-based researcher arrested for the alleged theft of an EVM, has apparently claimed that a Maharashtra Congress leader had helped him procure the machine from the collector’s office in Mumba
UK: Holyrood results 'could face delay' amid poll clash
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/194570-warning-of-holyrood-results-delay-amid-poll-clash/
SNP claims Westminster referendum count will take precedence over next year's Scottish elections.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com /
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and
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=============================================
The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
India's Electronic Voting Controversy. Suit seeks to void Shelby TN election
Democrats ask court to void Shelby County Tennessee's August election. Vote-total discrepancies not mere error, suit alleges...On Australia's national cliffhanger: "It's not a good sign when the best way out may be a fresh election."...Verified Voting "On India’s Electronic Voting Controversy". India's officials should address the voting machine vulnerabilities rather than punish experts who reveal them..
All this and more in today's voting news below...
CO: Aspen changes course on election reform
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/142161
But on a 3-2 vote, the council decided to drop the winner-take-all method, making the question on November’s ballot an up-or-down referendum that will either retain IRV or go back to the 45/50 percent method, in which a runoff is held one month ...
CT: Candidate files complaint in close election recanvass. Update: Another candidate complaint
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/candidate-files-complaint-in-close-election-recanvass/
Via CTNewsJunkie, Ken Green has filed a complaint in the Hartford election, where election night results had him winning by two votes and a close vote racanvass has him losing by two votes. His complaint alleges several questionable machine counts . irregularities, and potential chain of custody issues.
DC: Washington, D.C. On-Line News Source “Greater Greater Washington” Advocates IRV http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/26/washington-d-c-on-line-news-source-greater-greater-washington-advocates-irv/
FL: Volusia judicial race headed for recount (machine count?)
County Council District 3 race may also be recounted
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-volusia-judicial-election-recount-20100825,0,3809197.story
NV: Election official: Every vote counted (Mohave County)
http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2010/08/25/news/local/doc4c74b80359519079538495.txt
..It’s not that they’re not counting correctly but, every once in a while, a roller gets stuck and it’s not taking a ballot. Sometimes it’s as easy as turning it off and turning it back on,” Tempert said.
NY: Counties gear up for first statewide use of new voting machines
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100822/NEWS01/8220328/Counties
+gear+up+for+first+statewide+use+of+new+voting+machines http://tinyurl.com/36ys49j
Bo Lipari of New Yorkers for Verified Voting says the message notifying people they have over-voted is cryptic and doesn't explain the consequences of keeping the ballot -- essentially that no vote will be counted for that office.
OH: Sheriff’s office: Hacking fears unfounded on Election Night (Butler Co)
http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/sheriffs-office-hacking-fears-unfounded-on-election-night-880261.html?cxtype=rss_local-news
The sheriff’s office announced Wednesday, Aug. 25, that its investigation is complete into the May 4 special election in which elections servers were unable to deliver tabulated results to the website due to a large volume of IP addresses interrupting the system.
TN: Democrats ask court to void Shelby County August election*
Vote-total discrepancies not mere error, suit alleges
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/26/democrats-ask-court-to-void-august-election/
They are asking a Chancery Court judge to declare the election void, to seize all equipment for further review, to make sure that winning candidates are not sworn in and to allow current elected officials to continue in their posts.
...
"Thus according to (the Election Commission's) own records, 6,802 more votes were cast than individuals who participated in the August 2010 election,"
International
Australia: This tiptoe along the precipice has an awful lot of downsides
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/this-tiptoe-along-the-precipice-has-an-awful-lot-of-downsides-20100826-13u4n.html?rand=1282820514720
It's not a good sign when the best way out may be a fresh election.
India:
On India’s Electronic Voting Controversy
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6772
How this controversy plays out is conjecture, but the essential story – the early, almost under-the-radar concerns about electronic voting, followed by expert public demonstration of the ultimate dangers of e-voting, followed by more widespread outcry – should be familiar to American ears.
India: Court rejects Hari Prasad's bail in EVM case (tv newscast)
http://newstoday.smashits.com/video/rq6cxIM1nw8/court-rejects-hari-prasad-s-bail-in-evm-case.html
Hari Prasad, the man who proved Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be rigged, was sent to two-day police custody on Thursday. Hari Prasad, had applied for bail on medical grounds following his arrest earlier this week. But his bail was rejected.
India: Democracy imperilled
http://www.dailypioneer.com/278669/Democracy-imperilled.html
The arrest of Hari Prasad, a technologist whose research helped prove beyond doubt that Indian EVMs are vulnerable to fraud, sends out a dangerous signal: That anybody who challenges the Central Election Commission runs the danger of persecution and prosecution in our democracy
...
Mr Prasad’s arrest also shows how many of our fundamental freedoms are slowly being taken away without our knowledge. Equally, it’s ironical that the state is virtually powerless against a dangerous man like Abdul Nasser Madani but swoops down on an individual who asked uncomfortable questions concerning national interest.
India: Hari Prasad’s arrest smacks of vendetta by the ECI, VeTA demands immediate acquittal http://www.indianevm.com/blogs/?p=422
Peeved by the EVM researchers’ research findings that “India’s EVMs are vulnerable to fraud”, Election Commission hit back at the critics with the vengeance unknown to the scientific community around the world. Arrest of Hari Prasad Technical Coordinator of VeTA on charges of theft, house trespass or house breaking etc. under sections 380, 454 and 457 smacks of intolerance and vendetta.
...
Why do we say this is a case of vendetta? Because this is not the first time that an EVM has gone missing from the ECI (several dozen EVMs were stolen in the past according to ECI’s own response) but never in the past such drastic action was taken.
India: Citizens, speak up! UPA govt is framing a national whistle-blower act
http://rtigroupaligarh.blogspot.com/2010/08/citizens-speak-up-upa-govt-is-framing.html
India: EC defends arrest of engineer who exposed EVM flaws
http://janamejayan.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/4558/
Or is it witchhunt?
Instead of arresting, the EC ought to have heard the matter and examined it, said BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and
at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
All this and more in today's voting news below...
CO: Aspen changes course on election reform
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/142161
But on a 3-2 vote, the council decided to drop the winner-take-all method, making the question on November’s ballot an up-or-down referendum that will either retain IRV or go back to the 45/50 percent method, in which a runoff is held one month ...
CT: Candidate files complaint in close election recanvass. Update: Another candidate complaint
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/candidate-files-complaint-in-close-election-recanvass/
Via CTNewsJunkie, Ken Green has filed a complaint in the Hartford election, where election night results had him winning by two votes and a close vote racanvass has him losing by two votes. His complaint alleges several questionable machine counts . irregularities, and potential chain of custody issues.
DC: Washington, D.C. On-Line News Source “Greater Greater Washington” Advocates IRV http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/26/washington-d-c-on-line-news-source-greater-greater-washington-advocates-irv/
FL: Volusia judicial race headed for recount (machine count?)
County Council District 3 race may also be recounted
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-volusia-judicial-election-recount-20100825,0,3809197.story
NV: Election official: Every vote counted (Mohave County)
http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2010/08/25/news/local/doc4c74b80359519079538495.txt
..It’s not that they’re not counting correctly but, every once in a while, a roller gets stuck and it’s not taking a ballot. Sometimes it’s as easy as turning it off and turning it back on,” Tempert said.
NY: Counties gear up for first statewide use of new voting machines
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100822/NEWS01/8220328/Counties
+gear+up+for+first+statewide+use+of+new+voting+machines http://tinyurl.com/36ys49j
Bo Lipari of New Yorkers for Verified Voting says the message notifying people they have over-voted is cryptic and doesn't explain the consequences of keeping the ballot -- essentially that no vote will be counted for that office.
OH: Sheriff’s office: Hacking fears unfounded on Election Night (Butler Co)
http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/sheriffs-office-hacking-fears-unfounded-on-election-night-880261.html?cxtype=rss_local-news
The sheriff’s office announced Wednesday, Aug. 25, that its investigation is complete into the May 4 special election in which elections servers were unable to deliver tabulated results to the website due to a large volume of IP addresses interrupting the system.
TN: Democrats ask court to void Shelby County August election*
Vote-total discrepancies not mere error, suit alleges
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/26/democrats-ask-court-to-void-august-election/
They are asking a Chancery Court judge to declare the election void, to seize all equipment for further review, to make sure that winning candidates are not sworn in and to allow current elected officials to continue in their posts.
...
"Thus according to (the Election Commission's) own records, 6,802 more votes were cast than individuals who participated in the August 2010 election,"
International
Australia: This tiptoe along the precipice has an awful lot of downsides
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/this-tiptoe-along-the-precipice-has-an-awful-lot-of-downsides-20100826-13u4n.html?rand=1282820514720
It's not a good sign when the best way out may be a fresh election.
India:
On India’s Electronic Voting Controversy
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6772
How this controversy plays out is conjecture, but the essential story – the early, almost under-the-radar concerns about electronic voting, followed by expert public demonstration of the ultimate dangers of e-voting, followed by more widespread outcry – should be familiar to American ears.
India: Court rejects Hari Prasad's bail in EVM case (tv newscast)
http://newstoday.smashits.com/video/rq6cxIM1nw8/court-rejects-hari-prasad-s-bail-in-evm-case.html
Hari Prasad, the man who proved Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be rigged, was sent to two-day police custody on Thursday. Hari Prasad, had applied for bail on medical grounds following his arrest earlier this week. But his bail was rejected.
India: Democracy imperilled
http://www.dailypioneer.com/278669/Democracy-imperilled.html
The arrest of Hari Prasad, a technologist whose research helped prove beyond doubt that Indian EVMs are vulnerable to fraud, sends out a dangerous signal: That anybody who challenges the Central Election Commission runs the danger of persecution and prosecution in our democracy
...
Mr Prasad’s arrest also shows how many of our fundamental freedoms are slowly being taken away without our knowledge. Equally, it’s ironical that the state is virtually powerless against a dangerous man like Abdul Nasser Madani but swoops down on an individual who asked uncomfortable questions concerning national interest.
India: Hari Prasad’s arrest smacks of vendetta by the ECI, VeTA demands immediate acquittal http://www.indianevm.com/blogs/?p=422
Peeved by the EVM researchers’ research findings that “India’s EVMs are vulnerable to fraud”, Election Commission hit back at the critics with the vengeance unknown to the scientific community around the world. Arrest of Hari Prasad Technical Coordinator of VeTA on charges of theft, house trespass or house breaking etc. under sections 380, 454 and 457 smacks of intolerance and vendetta.
...
Why do we say this is a case of vendetta? Because this is not the first time that an EVM has gone missing from the ECI (several dozen EVMs were stolen in the past according to ECI’s own response) but never in the past such drastic action was taken.
India: Citizens, speak up! UPA govt is framing a national whistle-blower act
http://rtigroupaligarh.blogspot.com/2010/08/citizens-speak-up-upa-govt-is-framing.html
India: EC defends arrest of engineer who exposed EVM flaws
http://janamejayan.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/4558/
Or is it witchhunt?
Instead of arresting, the EC ought to have heard the matter and examined it, said BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and
at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link:http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Why Pac-Man voting hack matters.FL vote problems. Citizens United aftershocks
Broward FL elections sup Dr. Snipes neglects to tell voters about polling place change...The BRAD BLOG Informs NBC's Chuck Todd That Ballots Are Not Actually Counted by Humans...Pac-Man for president: Hack highlights e-voting flaws.University researchers remind people that electronic voting machines are still easy to manipulate by loading the venerable Pac-Man video game...'Too close to call' Australian election result...Afghan vote runs up against fear, disenchantment...
All this and more in today's voting news below...
CO: On Aspen's November ballot: Runoff elections vs. IRV
Council rejects winner-take-all method
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100825/NEWS/100829906/1077&ParentProfile=1058
FL: Broward elections supervisor Dr. Snipes neglects to tell voters about polling place change* http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2010/08/broward_elections_supervisor_d_1.html
Dr. Brenda Snipes admitted Monday that her office did not advise voters in precinct R31 in Fort Lauderdale that they no longer vote at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC) on Andrews Avenue
FL: Suspicious package closes Brevard precinct* (Brevard)
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/24/1789727/suspicious-package-closes-brevard.html
MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. -- A precinct on Florida' Space Coast was shut down for several hours after a suspicious package was found outside it.
FL: Three polling places report minor issues; voting not affected* (Alachua Cnty)
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100824/ARTICLES/100829745/1002
When Fred Posner walked up to the ballot machine at Precinct 22 at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, he was disturbed when a poll worker told him the machine wasn't working and then slid his ballot into what's known as an "emergency bin" inside the machine.
...
a metal bar on the ballot box, which was in place to prevent vote fraud, had not been unlocked. Once poll workers realized that, they switched the key to the proper position and ran through Posner's ballot, along with several others that had not been counted.
FL: 4 Palm Beach County Voters Given Wrong Ballot* (at 6 or 7 precincts?)
Supervisor Of Elections Says Poll Workers Reassigned, Relieved Of Duties
http://www.wpbf.com/r/24747331/detail.html
"Regretfully, we have about six or seven locations where voters were supposed to be issued a partisan ballot and, unfortunately, they were issued a non-partisan ballot," Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher told WPBF 25 News' Meredith McDonough.
FL: Elections Chief Edwards Rolls to Victory in Primary
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100824/NEWS/8245068/1338?p=1&tc=pg
BARTOW Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards refrained from handling ballots Tuesday night, but she manhandled her opponent in their primary race for a congressional seat.
FL: Audit to help decide 'two very close races' (PANAMA CITY — Bay County)
http://www.newsherald.com/news/panama-86444-audit-races.html
... Andersen said the county didn’t know how many provisional ballots were out.
“That’s what tomorrow’s audit is for,” Andersen said.
IL: Auditor Referendum Will Not Be on November Ballot
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2010/08/24/auditor-referendum-will-not-be-on-november-ballot/ Champaign County Clerk
I have determined that the County Board’s action to place a referendum on the ballot eliminating the elected County Auditor’s office does not conform to the requirements of Illinois Election law and will thus not be on the November Ballot.
This is a difficult decision because refusing to certify a question or candidate is an extraordinary remedy. However, no other one exists.
KY: Two Kentucky Republicans Sue to Remove Libertarian and Constitution Party Nominees http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/25/two-kentucky-republicans-sue-to-remove-libertarian-and-constitution-party-nominees/
NC: A few more reasons not to elect judges
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/22/1636392/a-few-more-reasons-not-to-elect.html
Belk, heir to a fortune, had never practiced law before his election in 2008, when he ran hoping to oust one of the judges who presided over his divorce.
NC: Filing begins for vacated NC appeals court seat
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/25/1642801/filing-begins-for-vacated-nc-appeals.html
Voters would rank candidates by preference if more than three people seek the job through a process called instant runoff voting. It would be the first time instant runoff voting has been used statewide.
[there is no IRV software certified to state standards]
NC: Ex-candidate for mayor accused of voting twice* (LUMBERTON)
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/08/24/1024521?sac=Home
TN: Shelby County Democrats file new Chancery Court lawsuit challenging election
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/24/shelby-county-democrats-file-new-chancery-court-la/
WA: Primary turnout breaks modern record
http://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner/index.php/2010/08/primary-turnout-breaks-modern-record/ The word from the State Elections Division is that voter turnout for last week’s Primary Election cracked the 40 percent mark today, exceeding the 38 percent turnout that Secretary of State Sam Reed predicted.
Internet Voting Watch
MO: Skelton, Hartzler, clash over voting record following new ad
http://politicmo.com/2010/08/22/skelton-hartzler-clash-over-voting-record-following-new-ad/
Regarding HB 1381, a bill focused on Internet Voting, Walsh said it “raised security concerns – not only with Vicky Hartzler but with the Democrat-controlled Senate – where the bill died.”
The Skelton campaign points to the 1998 Journal of the House of Representatives, which called the bill “a pilot project to allow persons in federal overseas service,” including the military, “to vote via the internet.”
Walsh says, “It was also of great concern to then-Secretary of State Bekki Cook, a Democrat, over security issues.”
[Hartzler attacked by opponent because of opposition to internet voting]
National
The BRAD BLOG Informs NBC's Chuck Todd That Ballots Are Not Actually
Counted by Humans http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8003
Pac-Man for president: Hack highlights e-voting flaws
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6771
University researchers remind people that electronic voting machines are still easy to manipulate by loading the venerable Pac-Man video game
Citizens United aftershocks
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/24/AR2010082405642.html
In the mean time, corporations are free to do a lot more than just donate to less-regulated 527's. They have a blank check.
Statelight: Transparency in a Box, Pt. 3
http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2010/08/24/statelight-transparency-in-a-box-pt-3/
As we set the stage for advocating on local and state transparency issues and highlight some policies issues of note, inevitably the question comes:
How exactly do you go about learning more about policies in your state?
International
Afghanistan: Afghan vote runs up against fear, disenchantment
http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?fmId=11530880
"I'm not going to vote. I can't risk my life for nothing," says 31-year-old Hekmatullah as he calls out prices for lipstick and nail polish to women shuffling through the store in burqas.
...
"We don't know if we will be alive tomorrow and you are talking about the election?"
Australia: 'Too close to call': Australian election result won't be known for days as hung parliament looms http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1304959/Australian-election--Hung-parliament-looks-increasingly-likely.html
Australia is heading for its first hung Parliament since WWII after both British-born
party leaders failed to gain enough votes for victory.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews
and at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
All this and more in today's voting news below...
CO: On Aspen's November ballot: Runoff elections vs. IRV
Council rejects winner-take-all method
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100825/NEWS/100829906/1077&ParentProfile=1058
FL: Broward elections supervisor Dr. Snipes neglects to tell voters about polling place change* http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2010/08/broward_elections_supervisor_d_1.html
Dr. Brenda Snipes admitted Monday that her office did not advise voters in precinct R31 in Fort Lauderdale that they no longer vote at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC) on Andrews Avenue
FL: Suspicious package closes Brevard precinct* (Brevard)
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/24/1789727/suspicious-package-closes-brevard.html
MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. -- A precinct on Florida' Space Coast was shut down for several hours after a suspicious package was found outside it.
FL: Three polling places report minor issues; voting not affected* (Alachua Cnty)
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100824/ARTICLES/100829745/1002
When Fred Posner walked up to the ballot machine at Precinct 22 at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, he was disturbed when a poll worker told him the machine wasn't working and then slid his ballot into what's known as an "emergency bin" inside the machine.
...
a metal bar on the ballot box, which was in place to prevent vote fraud, had not been unlocked. Once poll workers realized that, they switched the key to the proper position and ran through Posner's ballot, along with several others that had not been counted.
FL: 4 Palm Beach County Voters Given Wrong Ballot* (at 6 or 7 precincts?)
Supervisor Of Elections Says Poll Workers Reassigned, Relieved Of Duties
http://www.wpbf.com/r/24747331/detail.html
"Regretfully, we have about six or seven locations where voters were supposed to be issued a partisan ballot and, unfortunately, they were issued a non-partisan ballot," Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher told WPBF 25 News' Meredith McDonough.
FL: Elections Chief Edwards Rolls to Victory in Primary
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100824/NEWS/8245068/1338?p=1&tc=pg
BARTOW Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards refrained from handling ballots Tuesday night, but she manhandled her opponent in their primary race for a congressional seat.
FL: Audit to help decide 'two very close races' (PANAMA CITY — Bay County)
http://www.newsherald.com/news/panama-86444-audit-races.html
... Andersen said the county didn’t know how many provisional ballots were out.
“That’s what tomorrow’s audit is for,” Andersen said.
IL: Auditor Referendum Will Not Be on November Ballot
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2010/08/24/auditor-referendum-will-not-be-on-november-ballot/ Champaign County Clerk
I have determined that the County Board’s action to place a referendum on the ballot eliminating the elected County Auditor’s office does not conform to the requirements of Illinois Election law and will thus not be on the November Ballot.
This is a difficult decision because refusing to certify a question or candidate is an extraordinary remedy. However, no other one exists.
KY: Two Kentucky Republicans Sue to Remove Libertarian and Constitution Party Nominees http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/25/two-kentucky-republicans-sue-to-remove-libertarian-and-constitution-party-nominees/
NC: A few more reasons not to elect judges
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/22/1636392/a-few-more-reasons-not-to-elect.html
Belk, heir to a fortune, had never practiced law before his election in 2008, when he ran hoping to oust one of the judges who presided over his divorce.
NC: Filing begins for vacated NC appeals court seat
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/25/1642801/filing-begins-for-vacated-nc-appeals.html
Voters would rank candidates by preference if more than three people seek the job through a process called instant runoff voting. It would be the first time instant runoff voting has been used statewide.
[there is no IRV software certified to state standards]
NC: Ex-candidate for mayor accused of voting twice* (LUMBERTON)
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/08/24/1024521?sac=Home
TN: Shelby County Democrats file new Chancery Court lawsuit challenging election
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/24/shelby-county-democrats-file-new-chancery-court-la/
WA: Primary turnout breaks modern record
http://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner/index.php/2010/08/primary-turnout-breaks-modern-record/ The word from the State Elections Division is that voter turnout for last week’s Primary Election cracked the 40 percent mark today, exceeding the 38 percent turnout that Secretary of State Sam Reed predicted.
Internet Voting Watch
MO: Skelton, Hartzler, clash over voting record following new ad
http://politicmo.com/2010/08/22/skelton-hartzler-clash-over-voting-record-following-new-ad/
Regarding HB 1381, a bill focused on Internet Voting, Walsh said it “raised security concerns – not only with Vicky Hartzler but with the Democrat-controlled Senate – where the bill died.”
The Skelton campaign points to the 1998 Journal of the House of Representatives, which called the bill “a pilot project to allow persons in federal overseas service,” including the military, “to vote via the internet.”
Walsh says, “It was also of great concern to then-Secretary of State Bekki Cook, a Democrat, over security issues.”
[Hartzler attacked by opponent because of opposition to internet voting]
National
The BRAD BLOG Informs NBC's Chuck Todd That Ballots Are Not Actually
Counted by Humans http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8003
Pac-Man for president: Hack highlights e-voting flaws
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6771
University researchers remind people that electronic voting machines are still easy to manipulate by loading the venerable Pac-Man video game
Citizens United aftershocks
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/24/AR2010082405642.html
In the mean time, corporations are free to do a lot more than just donate to less-regulated 527's. They have a blank check.
Statelight: Transparency in a Box, Pt. 3
http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2010/08/24/statelight-transparency-in-a-box-pt-3/
As we set the stage for advocating on local and state transparency issues and highlight some policies issues of note, inevitably the question comes:
How exactly do you go about learning more about policies in your state?
International
Afghanistan: Afghan vote runs up against fear, disenchantment
http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?fmId=11530880
"I'm not going to vote. I can't risk my life for nothing," says 31-year-old Hekmatullah as he calls out prices for lipstick and nail polish to women shuffling through the store in burqas.
...
"We don't know if we will be alive tomorrow and you are talking about the election?"
Australia: 'Too close to call': Australian election result won't be known for days as hung parliament looms http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1304959/Australian-election--Hung-parliament-looks-increasingly-likely.html
Australia is heading for its first hung Parliament since WWII after both British-born
party leaders failed to gain enough votes for victory.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews
and at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
DOJ approves GA voter check system. Rutherford TN election official fired
Brennan Center report: "Voting After You Move: A Guide"...Hawaii cuts 97 polling places..Tennessee mis-fires: The Rutherford TN election chief was fired for not having early voting on 1 Saturday, but has anyone been fired for the Shelby Co fiasco where e-poll books blocked thousands of voters?...Deputies of "Houston Votes" submitted thousands of fraudulent voter registration apps...
all this and more in today's voting news below...
AZ: Are Arizona's Political Leaders Deliberately Blocking Electronic Voting Machine Transparency? http://www.truth-out.org/are-arizonas-political-leaders-deliberately-blocking-electronic-voting-machine-transparency62569
Bill Risner, Democratic Party attorney for Pima County, is no stranger to election procedure battles. In 41-years of practice, he says the central problem of the current computerized systems is they are easy to cheat. "When the fact of 'easy to cheat' is combined with the 'impossibility of challenge' and 'nobody is looking,' the seriousness of the present vulnerability of our election system is obvious," he says.
CA: Ballot creates security fray (SAN FRANCISCO)
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Ballot-creates-security-fray-101356429.html
The Sheriff’s Department could be barred from protecting November ballots because the results of a measure could effect the personal income of the deputies
CO: Aspen narrows in on how voters will vote
Runoff and ‘winner-take-all' likely options for November ballot question
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100824/NEWS/100829929/1077&ParentProfile=1058
CO: Voting on how to vote, again
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/142147
FL: A few glitches reported as Floridians cast votes*
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/24/1789548_p2/few-glitches-reported-as-voting.html
Problems surfaced first thing in the morning in Miami Shores, where a mix-up delayed a precinct's opening, and again throughout the day.
At Arcola Park in Miami, 46 voters waited into the early evening in an unmoving line for 90 minutes, delayed by what at first was said to be technical problems, Michael Graham said.
Then at about 6:30 p.m., a voter in the front of the line announced the precinct was out of ballots, he said.
...
n Miami Shores, the Catholic Community Center polling place located at 9900 NE Second Ave. was up and running normally after a morning mix-up that delayed its 7 a.m. opening.
...
But Miami Shores resident Christopher Bellows said he went to the polling place at about 7:20 a.m. and it was still closed, with no voting booths set up inside.
``They're lying,'' Bellows said of elections officials. ``There was a lady there who was leaving, who said she's not going to be able to vote now.''
...
Some voters in South Florida complained Tuesday that they were given the wrong ballot.
Richard J. Curry, a Democrat from Dania Beach, said he was given the ballot for unaffiliated voters.
FL: CBS4 I-Team Reveals Early Voting Is Costly
http://cbs4.com/local/early.voting.florida.2.1874936.html
GA: Justice Department clears Ga. voter checks system
http://www.sfexaminer.com/nation/doj-clears-ga-voter-checks-system-101309359.html
ATLANTA — The Justice Department has given Georgia approval to again verify voters' identity and citizenship, Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced on Monday.
...
The modified plan that won DOJ approval includes all first-time voter registration applicants, including those seeking to register in person. It eliminates those who've already registered but are seeking to make changes, Carrothers said.
HI: Hawaii: State cuts 97 polling places
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/hawaiinews/20100823_State_cuts_97_polling_places.html
MI: County clerk claims McManus pressured her to approve flawed election forms
http://michiganmessenger.com/41220/county-clerk-claims-mcmanus-pressured-her-to-approve-flawed-election-forms Grand Traverse County Clerk Linda Coburn, a Republican, claims that Secretary of State candidate Michelle McManus, the Republican state senator from Lake Leelanau, and her father Mike McManus, tried to pressure her into approving flawed affidavits from candidates seeking election as precinct delegates.
MO: Royster Campaign Files Voter Fraud Lawsuit
http://www.kctv5.com/news/24746993/detail.html KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Allegations of voter fraud have arisen in the race for District 40 state representative.
...
The lawsuit claims a Somali interpreter went into the voting booth with voters and influenced their votes.
NY: Will New Voting Machines Oversimplify New York Ballots?
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/23/will-new-voting-machines-oversimplify-new-york-ballots/
New election machines making their debut in citywide elections next month may sharply limit how many questions the New York City Charter Revision Commission can fit on the ballot this November. The issue is prompting serious concerns that voters won’t be able to pass individual judgments on the myriad issues slated for review this fall.
TN: BREAKING: Election Commission fires Penuel over early voting mistake
http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20100823/NEWS01/100823034/BREAKING++Election+
Commission+fires+Penuel+over+early+voting+mistake http://tinyurl.com/2fsxa87 Rutherford County .
The firing comes after Penuel's admission that his office erred in not holding early voting on July 17 as required by state law. However, Rutherford County offered early voting hours well above the minimum required by state law.
TX: Allegations of voter fraud in Harris County* (voter registration applications)
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7627656
The investigation found 1,597 instances of multiple applications for the same voter, 1,014 applications for folks already registered to vote, 325 for teenagers who are too young to register and even 25 from folks who admitted on the application they are not even US citizens.
"My office has been forced to expend countless hours and thousands of dollars of taxpayer money trying to sift through the garbage being dumped into our voter registration system," Vasquez explained.
Internet Voting Watch
Australia: E-vote gets nod from majority
http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/story/2010/08/24/e-vote-gets-nod-from-majority/
Gwen Petty said no to E-voting. “There’s too much fraud possibility and the net is not secure enough,”
National
"Voting After You Move: A Guide"
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/pages/voting_after_you_move_a_guide
When Americans register to vote, their voter registrations are linked to their residential address
International
India: Electronic Voting Researcher Arrested Over Anonymous Source
http://www.voteraction.org/news-article/2010/electronic-voting-researcher-arrested-over-anonymous-source
Kenya: Sriram and Brown on the ICC and post-election violence in Kenya
http://digest.electionguide.org/2010/08/24/sriram-and-brown-on-accountability-for-post-election-violence-in-kenya/
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and
at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
all this and more in today's voting news below...
AZ: Are Arizona's Political Leaders Deliberately Blocking Electronic Voting Machine Transparency? http://www.truth-out.org/are-arizonas-political-leaders-deliberately-blocking-electronic-voting-machine-transparency62569
Bill Risner, Democratic Party attorney for Pima County, is no stranger to election procedure battles. In 41-years of practice, he says the central problem of the current computerized systems is they are easy to cheat. "When the fact of 'easy to cheat' is combined with the 'impossibility of challenge' and 'nobody is looking,' the seriousness of the present vulnerability of our election system is obvious," he says.
CA: Ballot creates security fray (SAN FRANCISCO)
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Ballot-creates-security-fray-101356429.html
The Sheriff’s Department could be barred from protecting November ballots because the results of a measure could effect the personal income of the deputies
CO: Aspen narrows in on how voters will vote
Runoff and ‘winner-take-all' likely options for November ballot question
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100824/NEWS/100829929/1077&ParentProfile=1058
CO: Voting on how to vote, again
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/142147
FL: A few glitches reported as Floridians cast votes*
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/24/1789548_p2/few-glitches-reported-as-voting.html
Problems surfaced first thing in the morning in Miami Shores, where a mix-up delayed a precinct's opening, and again throughout the day.
At Arcola Park in Miami, 46 voters waited into the early evening in an unmoving line for 90 minutes, delayed by what at first was said to be technical problems, Michael Graham said.
Then at about 6:30 p.m., a voter in the front of the line announced the precinct was out of ballots, he said.
...
n Miami Shores, the Catholic Community Center polling place located at 9900 NE Second Ave. was up and running normally after a morning mix-up that delayed its 7 a.m. opening.
...
But Miami Shores resident Christopher Bellows said he went to the polling place at about 7:20 a.m. and it was still closed, with no voting booths set up inside.
``They're lying,'' Bellows said of elections officials. ``There was a lady there who was leaving, who said she's not going to be able to vote now.''
...
Some voters in South Florida complained Tuesday that they were given the wrong ballot.
Richard J. Curry, a Democrat from Dania Beach, said he was given the ballot for unaffiliated voters.
FL: CBS4 I-Team Reveals Early Voting Is Costly
http://cbs4.com/local/early.voting.florida.2.1874936.html
GA: Justice Department clears Ga. voter checks system
http://www.sfexaminer.com/nation/doj-clears-ga-voter-checks-system-101309359.html
ATLANTA — The Justice Department has given Georgia approval to again verify voters' identity and citizenship, Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced on Monday.
...
The modified plan that won DOJ approval includes all first-time voter registration applicants, including those seeking to register in person. It eliminates those who've already registered but are seeking to make changes, Carrothers said.
HI: Hawaii: State cuts 97 polling places
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/hawaiinews/20100823_State_cuts_97_polling_places.html
MI: County clerk claims McManus pressured her to approve flawed election forms
http://michiganmessenger.com/41220/county-clerk-claims-mcmanus-pressured-her-to-approve-flawed-election-forms Grand Traverse County Clerk Linda Coburn, a Republican, claims that Secretary of State candidate Michelle McManus, the Republican state senator from Lake Leelanau, and her father Mike McManus, tried to pressure her into approving flawed affidavits from candidates seeking election as precinct delegates.
MO: Royster Campaign Files Voter Fraud Lawsuit
http://www.kctv5.com/news/24746993/detail.html KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Allegations of voter fraud have arisen in the race for District 40 state representative.
...
The lawsuit claims a Somali interpreter went into the voting booth with voters and influenced their votes.
NY: Will New Voting Machines Oversimplify New York Ballots?
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/23/will-new-voting-machines-oversimplify-new-york-ballots/
New election machines making their debut in citywide elections next month may sharply limit how many questions the New York City Charter Revision Commission can fit on the ballot this November. The issue is prompting serious concerns that voters won’t be able to pass individual judgments on the myriad issues slated for review this fall.
TN: BREAKING: Election Commission fires Penuel over early voting mistake
http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20100823/NEWS01/100823034/BREAKING++Election+
Commission+fires+Penuel+over+early+voting+mistake http://tinyurl.com/2fsxa87 Rutherford County .
The firing comes after Penuel's admission that his office erred in not holding early voting on July 17 as required by state law. However, Rutherford County offered early voting hours well above the minimum required by state law.
TX: Allegations of voter fraud in Harris County* (voter registration applications)
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7627656
The investigation found 1,597 instances of multiple applications for the same voter, 1,014 applications for folks already registered to vote, 325 for teenagers who are too young to register and even 25 from folks who admitted on the application they are not even US citizens.
"My office has been forced to expend countless hours and thousands of dollars of taxpayer money trying to sift through the garbage being dumped into our voter registration system," Vasquez explained.
Internet Voting Watch
Australia: E-vote gets nod from majority
http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/story/2010/08/24/e-vote-gets-nod-from-majority/
Gwen Petty said no to E-voting. “There’s too much fraud possibility and the net is not secure enough,”
National
"Voting After You Move: A Guide"
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/pages/voting_after_you_move_a_guide
When Americans register to vote, their voter registrations are linked to their residential address
International
India: Electronic Voting Researcher Arrested Over Anonymous Source
http://www.voteraction.org/news-article/2010/electronic-voting-researcher-arrested-over-anonymous-source
Kenya: Sriram and Brown on the ICC and post-election violence in Kenya
http://digest.electionguide.org/2010/08/24/sriram-and-brown-on-accountability-for-post-election-violence-in-kenya/
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and
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=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Florida voter alert! After India EVM expert arrest. Dan Rather on voting machines
CTVoter on reforms intended to tweak turnout -"Fighting the last [election]war – Be careful what you ask for!" Florida Voter Alert: 2008 Absentee Voters May Have Problems at Polls...Dan Rather on Chris Matthews today, "Electronic voting machines still alot of problems..."...India electronic voting machine update: The ‘story’ behind Hari Prasad’s arrest and its aftermath
News is brief today, we'll catch up tomorrow...
AK: Primary election features three ballot choices for some voters
http://newsminer.com/bookmark/9238126-Primary-election-features-three-ballot-choices-for-some-voters FAIRBANKS — As an election-week reminder, don’t forget there are three ballot choices for some voters Tuesday during the state primary election.
CO: Ask for single question to repeal IRV
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/142140
CT: Fighting the last [election]war – Be careful what you ask for!
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/fighting-the-last-electionwar-be-careful-what-you-ask-for/
There are several recent stories about the low turnout in the August 10th primary and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz suggesting the primary date be changed from August to June
...
This is not a voting integrity issue, yet we place it in the category of “Fighting the last [election] war” (i.e. Changes/reforms that look good when attempting to correct a recent, assumed election problem, without looking at all the consequences. )
FL: Voter Alert: 2008 Absentee Voters May Have Problems at Polls*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13848
If you voted absentee in the 2008 general election, but were planning to vote at the polls this Tuesday, you may be in for a surprise when you get there. You may be told that you cannot cast a regular ballot because you have already received an absentee ballot in the mail. This could happen even though you didn't specifically request an absentee ballot for this election and even though you haven't actually received one in the mail.
FL: Ballot mess still casts pall over election
http://www.bocabeacon.com/?p=4893
Calls have stll been coming into the Lee County elections office in connection to scores of mail-in boomerang ballots that were returned to sender.
...
If you believe your voting rights have been violated, contact Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, (877) 868-3737. To check the status of your ballot, go to BocaBeacon.com and click on the link provided.
NC: Instant runoff voting, here we come ... ready or not
http://www.news-record.com/blog/54431/entry/97310
When they see the ballot for this special election, voters will wonder what the state legislature was thinking when it created this system. It's going to be a joke, and not only for voters who will be asked to mark a first, second and third choice on their ballots. The election workers don't know how to handle these ballots, either.
NC: Time to Shorten the Ballot
http://www.carolinajournal.com/jhdailyjournal/display_jhdailyjournal.html?id=6746
Every two years, the state asks millions of voters to choose among candidates for North Carolina’s supreme court and court of appeals. The vast majority of voters have no personal experience with the lawyers or judges in question. They have no significant information about the candidates’ qualifications and legal philosophies.
TN: Rutherford election official says no coverup
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100821/NEWS02/
8210343/1009/NEWS02/Rutherford+election+official+says+no+coverup
http://tinyurl.com/2d239va Rutherford County's top election official says there was no attempt to cover up the fact that the county failed to hold early voting for the Aug. 5 election on the first Saturday it should have been held, a violation of state law that was not revealed until two weeks after the election
National
News is brief today, we'll catch up tomorrow...
AK: Primary election features three ballot choices for some voters
http://newsminer.com/bookmark/9238126-Primary-election-features-three-ballot-choices-for-some-voters FAIRBANKS — As an election-week reminder, don’t forget there are three ballot choices for some voters Tuesday during the state primary election.
CO: Ask for single question to repeal IRV
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/142140
CT: Fighting the last [election]war – Be careful what you ask for!
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/fighting-the-last-electionwar-be-careful-what-you-ask-for/
There are several recent stories about the low turnout in the August 10th primary and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz suggesting the primary date be changed from August to June
...
This is not a voting integrity issue, yet we place it in the category of “Fighting the last [election] war” (i.e. Changes/reforms that look good when attempting to correct a recent, assumed election problem, without looking at all the consequences. )
FL: Voter Alert: 2008 Absentee Voters May Have Problems at Polls*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13848
If you voted absentee in the 2008 general election, but were planning to vote at the polls this Tuesday, you may be in for a surprise when you get there. You may be told that you cannot cast a regular ballot because you have already received an absentee ballot in the mail. This could happen even though you didn't specifically request an absentee ballot for this election and even though you haven't actually received one in the mail.
FL: Ballot mess still casts pall over election
http://www.bocabeacon.com/?p=4893
Calls have stll been coming into the Lee County elections office in connection to scores of mail-in boomerang ballots that were returned to sender.
...
If you believe your voting rights have been violated, contact Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, (877) 868-3737. To check the status of your ballot, go to BocaBeacon.com and click on the link provided.
NC: Instant runoff voting, here we come ... ready or not
http://www.news-record.com/blog/54431/entry/97310
When they see the ballot for this special election, voters will wonder what the state legislature was thinking when it created this system. It's going to be a joke, and not only for voters who will be asked to mark a first, second and third choice on their ballots. The election workers don't know how to handle these ballots, either.
NC: Time to Shorten the Ballot
http://www.carolinajournal.com/jhdailyjournal/display_jhdailyjournal.html?id=6746
Every two years, the state asks millions of voters to choose among candidates for North Carolina’s supreme court and court of appeals. The vast majority of voters have no personal experience with the lawyers or judges in question. They have no significant information about the candidates’ qualifications and legal philosophies.
TN: Rutherford election official says no coverup
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100821/NEWS02/
8210343/1009/NEWS02/Rutherford+election+official+says+no+coverup
http://tinyurl.com/2d239va Rutherford County's top election official says there was no attempt to cover up the fact that the county failed to hold early voting for the Aug. 5 election on the first Saturday it should have been held, a violation of state law that was not revealed until two weeks after the election
National
Dan Rather on Chris Matthews today, "Electronic voting machines still alot of problems..." http://video.thechrismatthewsshow.com/player/?fid=31183#videoid=1245262 On Chris Matthews show Sunday, in last 3 minutes of show, Dan Rather makes a brief comment about voting machines. In "Scoops, predictions... tell me something I don't know" :
"ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES still alot of problems with them, as we near the November elections your gonna hear alot of complaints, probably alot of lawsuits, Germany has done away with them, the Dutch have done away from them... but so many counties have them..."
"Lobbying is a necessary part of democratic society based on the First Amendment of the United States Constitution." And: "Lobbying is paying off politicians and government officials to get them to do something." http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016787.html
Interesting Kevin Lee Blog Post on CU over at "Mirror of Justice"
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016789.html
International
India: The ‘story’ behind Hari Prasad’s arrest and its aftermath
http://www.indianevm.com/blogs/?p=412 For most of you concerned about the plight of Hari Prasad, let me give you the good news. He is doing fine. On the legal front, the father-son duo of Ram Jethmalani and Mahesh Jethmalani, India’s ace criminal lawyers whom I met yesterday in Mumbai agreed to defend Hari Prasad in the case. Mahesh Jethmalani will appear in court on behalf of Hari Prasad. Both the lawyers were horrified that a technologist with good intentions of strengthening democracy was being harassed in this manner raising serious question marks about the motives. Watch out for one of the most fascinating battles for saving democracy from one of the country’s finest lawyers.
I made a day’s trip to Mumbai yesterday to have a ‘feel’ of the ground situation, to tie up the legal help and to explore other factors leading to the arrest. Some shocking facts have surfaced.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
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at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
India E-voting expert arrested. TN voters deserve answers. Australia Bush v Gore?
CTVoter on India's arrest of Hari Prasad: "So as governments do to whistle blowers and those who bring uncomfortable facts, they have arrested the Indian member of the research team in an effort to determine the source of the voting machine and to intimidate."..Sarasota FL voting machine meltdown proves value of paper ballots, no thanks to Kathy Dent..LTE: "Tennessee needs to join the 21st century with the majority of the rest of country and move to a verifiable, auditable paper trail/ballot."..2010 Australian Election Results a Bush vs. Gore Repeat...
All this and more in today's voting news below...
Editor's note: The PacMan Voting Machine story and video has become viral.
One voting news reader writes: "My hair exploded about the pac man program!!"
AZ: Maricopa County Elections Sued Over Alleged Voting Violations
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com/2010/08/maricopa-county-elections-sued-over.html
A group of diverse individuals including Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Barry Hess, former Republican state Senator Karen Johnson, and voting activist John Brakey are suing Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, alleging that Maricopa County Elections is involved in various voting shenanigans.
CA: California's online voter registration plan on hold
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-voter-registration-20100821,0,3294207.story
The start of the program has been pushed back to June 2014 as the secretary of state seeks a new contractor.
...
She (SOS Bowen) said other states' efforts are not comparable to California's. "There is no precedent in any other state for this, because California is enormous," she said.
CT: Greenwich picked - yet again - to audit primary results
http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Greenwich-picked-yet-again-to-audit-primary-622620.php Six of the seven times since the state started mandating audits three years ago, the town has been picked for a recount, irking its two registrars of voters.
...
Despite the hassle of conducting frequent audits, DeCaro said it was much better than the alternative of no checks and balances.
(Fred DeCaro III, Stamford's Republican registrar).
FL: Early-voting machine malfunctions* (Sarasota - Dominion opscan machines)
http://www.yourobserver.com/news/sarasota/Front-Page/081920107656/Early-voting-machine-malfunctions ...One of the inspectors noticed this week that the system count on the machine was different than the number of ballots that had been inputted.
...
But Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, said he is concerned.
“This proves the need to have paper ballots, so there’s concrete evidence, so no one could question the outcome,” he said. “Two thousand votes could decide a race.”
Rita Ferrandino, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Sarasota County, said issues such as this are why she has election observers watching every step of the process.
NV: The incredibly true, bizarre story of Tea Party candidate Scott Ashjian and $35
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2010/aug/19/incredibly-true-bizarre-story-scott-ashjian-and-35/ ...
Wrong. Colorado ain’t nothin’; in Nevada, Ashjian needed only need 250 signatures to get his name on the ballot for national office.
NY: Democracy, the Hard Way *
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/nyregion/22critic.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
The new system compounds the shortcomings of print media with those of electronic media — and makes matters worse with hard-to-read, hard-to-understand instructions and a lot of extraneous nonsense.
OH: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections posts bilingual ballots
http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/08/cuyahoga_board_of_elections_posts_bilingual_ballots.html
In response to a recent U.S. Department of Justice push for bilingual ballots, 70 precincts in council districts 2, 3, 4 and 7 will offer instructions, political parties and offices in both English and Spanish.
State elections officials say a programming error accidentally sent most of the Web traffic to just one of the state's six servers at the digital archives in Cheney. While the other five sat essentially idle, the overload slowed and then overwhelmed the single server.
WA: Top 2 system produces some all-in-the-family races
http://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner/index.php/2010/08/top-2-system-produces-some-all-in-the-family-races/
National
Pac-Man Hacked Onto a Touch-Screen Voting Machine Without Breaking 'Tamper-Evident' Seals http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7998
International
2010 Australian Election Results a Bush vs. Gore Repeat
http://thenewsoftoday.com/2010-australian-election-results-a-bush-vs-gore-repeat/1240/
In what is clearly the closest election for Prime Minister in Australia in over 70, the results could take weeks to decipher.
AUSTRALIA DOES NOT HAVE A SECRET BALLOT SYSTEM (interesting paper in pdf)
http://www.hschapman.org/pdfs/Styles%20of%20Voting/postal%20voting%203.pdf
So long as we are disposed to consider ourselves a great democracy, we should ensure that our secret ballot is in every respect a secret ballot; and not yield that secrecy to an ever increasing number of postal and declaration votes that cannot by any stretch of imagination be considered to be secret. ~ Dr. Amy McGrath, President H.S.Chapman Society
India: Electronic Voting Researcher Arrested Over Anonymous Source *
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/jhalderm/electronic-voting-researcher-arrested-over-anonymous-source By J. Alex Halderman - Posted on August 22nd, 2010
About four months ago, Ed Felten blogged about a research paper in which Hari Prasad, Rop Gonggrijp, and I detailed serious security flaws in India's electronic voting machines. Indian election authorities have repeatedly claimed that the machines are "tamperproof," but we demonstrated important vulnerabilities by studying a machine provided by an anonymous source.
The story took a disturbing turn a little over 24 hours ago, when my coauthor Hari Prasad was arrested by Indian authorities demanding to know the identity of that source.
India: Governments Hide Information; People Take Risks for Democracy
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/governments-cover-up-people-continue-to-take-risks-and-pay-for-democracy/
India: Indian e-voting expert Hari Prasad arrested for exposing flaws in a "stolen" voting machine * http://www.indianevm.com/blogs/?p=402
Today, at wee hours Maharashtra police landed up at the residence of Hari Prasad in Hyderabad, a technologist and Technical coordinator of VeTA to arrest him. The arrest was made on the flimsy charge of ‘theft of EVM’ used for vulnerability demonstration by Hari Prasad and a team of security researchers that included Alex Halderman, professor of computer science, University of Michigan and Rop Gonggrijp, a security researcher from Netherlands along with a team of their colleagues
...
Over the past one year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been lying blatantly and willfully to ensure continued use of EVMs at all costs. It attributed all kinds of qualities to its EVMs: “totally tamper proof, perfect, fail safe and requiring no improvement” etc. etc. When Hari Prasad agreed to meet the ECI’s challenge to demonstrate tamperability of EVMs, the ECI backed out imposing silly, unscientific restrictions.
India: Naidu wants consensus on EVM ban
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyderabad/naidu-wants-consensus-evm-ban-385
The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, asked the Election Commission (EC) to convene an all-party meeting on banning the use of Electronic Voting Machines after doubts were raised by political parties.
Mr Naidu preferred use of traditional ballot papers in the elections. He also criticised the EC for the arrest of Mr Hariprasad, who had showed, on a stolen EVM, how the device can be manipulated
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and
at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
All this and more in today's voting news below...
Editor's note: The PacMan Voting Machine story and video has become viral.
One voting news reader writes: "My hair exploded about the pac man program!!"
AZ: Maricopa County Elections Sued Over Alleged Voting Violations
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com/2010/08/maricopa-county-elections-sued-over.html
A group of diverse individuals including Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Barry Hess, former Republican state Senator Karen Johnson, and voting activist John Brakey are suing Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, alleging that Maricopa County Elections is involved in various voting shenanigans.
CA: California's online voter registration plan on hold
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-voter-registration-20100821,0,3294207.story
The start of the program has been pushed back to June 2014 as the secretary of state seeks a new contractor.
...
She (SOS Bowen) said other states' efforts are not comparable to California's. "There is no precedent in any other state for this, because California is enormous," she said.
CT: Greenwich picked - yet again - to audit primary results
http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Greenwich-picked-yet-again-to-audit-primary-622620.php Six of the seven times since the state started mandating audits three years ago, the town has been picked for a recount, irking its two registrars of voters.
...
Despite the hassle of conducting frequent audits, DeCaro said it was much better than the alternative of no checks and balances.
(Fred DeCaro III, Stamford's Republican registrar).
FL: Early-voting machine malfunctions* (Sarasota - Dominion opscan machines)
http://www.yourobserver.com/news/sarasota/Front-Page/081920107656/Early-voting-machine-malfunctions ...One of the inspectors noticed this week that the system count on the machine was different than the number of ballots that had been inputted.
...
But Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, said he is concerned.
“This proves the need to have paper ballots, so there’s concrete evidence, so no one could question the outcome,” he said. “Two thousand votes could decide a race.”
Rita Ferrandino, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Sarasota County, said issues such as this are why she has election observers watching every step of the process.
NV: The incredibly true, bizarre story of Tea Party candidate Scott Ashjian and $35
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2010/aug/19/incredibly-true-bizarre-story-scott-ashjian-and-35/ ...
Wrong. Colorado ain’t nothin’; in Nevada, Ashjian needed only need 250 signatures to get his name on the ballot for national office.
NY: Democracy, the Hard Way *
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/nyregion/22critic.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
The new system compounds the shortcomings of print media with those of electronic media — and makes matters worse with hard-to-read, hard-to-understand instructions and a lot of extraneous nonsense.
OH: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections posts bilingual ballots
http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/08/cuyahoga_board_of_elections_posts_bilingual_ballots.html
In response to a recent U.S. Department of Justice push for bilingual ballots, 70 precincts in council districts 2, 3, 4 and 7 will offer instructions, political parties and offices in both English and Spanish.
OH: The price is wrong
http://toledoblade.com/article/20100822/OPINION02/8210358
"We all expect judges to be accountable to the law rather than political supporters or special interests. But elected judges in many states are compelled to solicit money for their election campaigns, sometimes lawyers and parties appearing before them. Whether or not these contributions actually tilt the scales of justice, three out of four Americans believe that campaign contributions affect courtroom decisions.
TN: Any Election Review Should Benefit Voters
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=52259
The problems voters experienced Aug. 5 were serious, although probably doesn’t change the beating the Democratic slate endured. Voters of all political persuasions appear to have been told they had already voted early when they hadn’t.
TN: EDITORIAL: Voting mistake hurts trust*
http://www.dnj.com/article/20100822/OPINION01/8220301
The Rutherford County Election Commission's failure to meet state guidelines for early voting guidelines is an embarrassing mistake, one the county can hardly afford to ensure elections are fair and balanced
TN: 'Hot Button' readers respond: Do you have faith in the elections system? *
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/22/hot-button-sunday/
I am 80 and have voted in pretty much every election. They finally gave me a paper ballot. Then I received a letter from Shelby County Election Commission administrator Richard Holden saying the vote could not be counted as I was not a registered voter. When I called him asking questions, he was hostile and told me the vote was counted. I later received a new voter card (I still have the previous one) but never got any explanation as to why my voter record vanished.
TN: Dems protesting election mistakes
http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20100821/NEWS03/8210322/Dems-protesting-election-mistakes ...The mistakes come after Republicans replaced the Secretary of State, the state coordinator of elections and dozens of county election administrators after the GOP won control of the state House of Representatives in the 2008 elections. These election officials replaced long-serving Democrats who had more experience and were more even-handed, party officials say.
"It's either incompetence or some sort of plan," said Chip Forrester, the state Democratic Party chairman.
TN: Devaney Sees Democratic Plot in Election Protests
http://blogs.knoxnews.com/humphrey/2010/08/devaney-sees-democratic-plot-i.html
State Republican Chairman Chris Devaney suspects Democrats are protesting "a handful of errors" in the Aug. 5 elections to set the stage for challenges to the losses they anticipate in November, reports Chas Sisk.
UT: State to promote online voter registration in September
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700058947/State-to-promote-online-voter-registration-in-September.html
WA: Software glitch blamed for delay in primary results in Whatcom County, across state* http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/08/18/v-lite/1306365/software-glitch-blamed-for-delay.html
State elections officials say a programming error accidentally sent most of the Web traffic to just one of the state's six servers at the digital archives in Cheney. While the other five sat essentially idle, the overload slowed and then overwhelmed the single server.
WA: Top 2 system produces some all-in-the-family races
http://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner/index.php/2010/08/top-2-system-produces-some-all-in-the-family-races/
National
Pac-Man Hacked Onto a Touch-Screen Voting Machine Without Breaking 'Tamper-Evident' Seals http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7998
International
2010 Australian Election Results a Bush vs. Gore Repeat
http://thenewsoftoday.com/2010-australian-election-results-a-bush-vs-gore-repeat/1240/
In what is clearly the closest election for Prime Minister in Australia in over 70, the results could take weeks to decipher.
AUSTRALIA DOES NOT HAVE A SECRET BALLOT SYSTEM (interesting paper in pdf)
http://www.hschapman.org/pdfs/Styles%20of%20Voting/postal%20voting%203.pdf
So long as we are disposed to consider ourselves a great democracy, we should ensure that our secret ballot is in every respect a secret ballot; and not yield that secrecy to an ever increasing number of postal and declaration votes that cannot by any stretch of imagination be considered to be secret. ~ Dr. Amy McGrath, President H.S.Chapman Society
India: Electronic Voting Researcher Arrested Over Anonymous Source *
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/jhalderm/electronic-voting-researcher-arrested-over-anonymous-source By J. Alex Halderman - Posted on August 22nd, 2010
About four months ago, Ed Felten blogged about a research paper in which Hari Prasad, Rop Gonggrijp, and I detailed serious security flaws in India's electronic voting machines. Indian election authorities have repeatedly claimed that the machines are "tamperproof," but we demonstrated important vulnerabilities by studying a machine provided by an anonymous source.
The story took a disturbing turn a little over 24 hours ago, when my coauthor Hari Prasad was arrested by Indian authorities demanding to know the identity of that source.
India: Governments Hide Information; People Take Risks for Democracy
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/governments-cover-up-people-continue-to-take-risks-and-pay-for-democracy/
India: Indian e-voting expert Hari Prasad arrested for exposing flaws in a "stolen" voting machine * http://www.indianevm.com/blogs/?p=402
Today, at wee hours Maharashtra police landed up at the residence of Hari Prasad in Hyderabad, a technologist and Technical coordinator of VeTA to arrest him. The arrest was made on the flimsy charge of ‘theft of EVM’ used for vulnerability demonstration by Hari Prasad and a team of security researchers that included Alex Halderman, professor of computer science, University of Michigan and Rop Gonggrijp, a security researcher from Netherlands along with a team of their colleagues
...
Over the past one year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been lying blatantly and willfully to ensure continued use of EVMs at all costs. It attributed all kinds of qualities to its EVMs: “totally tamper proof, perfect, fail safe and requiring no improvement” etc. etc. When Hari Prasad agreed to meet the ECI’s challenge to demonstrate tamperability of EVMs, the ECI backed out imposing silly, unscientific restrictions.
India: Naidu wants consensus on EVM ban
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyderabad/naidu-wants-consensus-evm-ban-385
The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, asked the Election Commission (EC) to convene an all-party meeting on banning the use of Electronic Voting Machines after doubts were raised by political parties.
Mr Naidu preferred use of traditional ballot papers in the elections. He also criticised the EC for the arrest of Mr Hariprasad, who had showed, on a stolen EVM, how the device can be manipulated
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and
at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
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=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Shelby CO TN certifies flawed election. Are election audits worth it? Pac-Man II
Bell, CA may give ballot control to county after investigation into massive corruption and election fraud...CTVoter answers question: "Greenwich Audit: Is it worth $1,200?"...Shelby Co Tennessee election board voted 5-0 to certify flawed election after blaming all problems on a single "human error". Some lawsuits in the works and TBI is investigating...Moreon impact of Citizens United -see "Pay 2 Play - Democracy's high stakes"..Probe into Philippine's May poll irregularities ongoing...No tamper seals were broken in programming the AVC Edge voting machine to run Pac-Man...
All this and more in today's voting news below...
CA: Bell council discusses reforms as residents continue angry protests *
(absentee ballot fraud)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bell-reforms-20100817,0,1083036.story
City must roll back property tax hike that the state controller says was illegal and cut its 'retirement tax.' Amid alleged election fraud, council also considers giving ballot control to the county.
...
The potential for fraud in Bell is heightened because of of low voter participation in the largely immigrant town of 40,000. Fewer than 400 voters cast ballots in a 2005 special election that cleared the way for council members to significantly increase their salaries, for example. More than half were absentee ballots.
CT: Greenwich Audit: Is it worth $1,200?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/greenwich-audit-is-it-worth-1200/
Greenwich registrars and Secretary of the State debate value of audit and random selection of Greenwich
CT: Ballots from 2 polling places to be recounted
http://www.thehour.com/story/490462 Overall, 73 or 722 voting precincts -- 10 percent of all polling precincts statewide -- from the Aug. 10 primary election will have ballots hand-counted and matched against machine totals to ensure the integrity of voting, and comply with the Act Concerning the Integrity and Security of the Voting Process, according to the Secretary of the State's Office.
FL: 200+ Absentee Ballots Disqualified * (absentee ballots)
Absentee Voting Down, But Early Voting Up 20% Over 2006
http://www.news4jax.com/politics/24691862/detail.html
JACKSONVILLE, Fla...Channel 4 has learned that nearly 250 of absentee ballots have been thrown out, mostly because they lack signatures, or the signature doesn't match the one on file at the Supervisor of Elections Office.
NC: ‘Instant runoff’ injects more mystery into judicial elections
http://nclawyersweekly.com/oyez/2010/08/18/%E2%80%98instant-runoff-injects-more-mystery-into-judicial-elections/#comment-209 It’s yet another electoral process that I’m unfamiliar with. And in a system where there are ridiculous things called hanging chads that can lead to court battles, I really hope that this instant runoff thing doesn’t exacerbate the problem that voters don’t know Judge X from Judge Y.
NJ: Atlantic City vote fraud suspects seek dismissal of charges
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_20729af6-a983-11df-a945-001cc4c03286.html
Most of the defendants were indicted on nine counts, including conspiracy and four counts of election fraud. Small and three others were also accused of lying to law enforcement in an effort to cover up their crimes.
In October, Ronald Harris, 24, of Atlantic City, admitted he and others conspired to submit false documents involving messenger ballots in the primary. Harris, a registered Democrat, later told a reporter he only pleaded guilty out of fear.
NY: Design a Better Ballot
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/design-a-better-ballot/
This is where you come in. City Room, in partnership with the New York chapter of the AIGA, the professional association for design, invites you to imagine a better format, or to just have fun completely reinventing it.
OH: County to debate to take voting machine settlement or go it alone
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/county-to-debate-to-take-voting-machine-settlement-or-go-it-alone-870254.html Butler County is seeking roughly $5 million in damages, which is about what the county paid for the machines.
OH: Stow ballot issues in doubt
http://www.ohio.com/news/101140329.html STOW: An apparent glitch in the ballot language for two proposed Stow charter amendments could mean the mayor and law director can run for re-election despite hitting term limits.
OH: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason says elections board should not cave to Justice Department on bilingual ballots http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/cuyahoga_county_prosecutor_wil.html
TN: Aug. 5 election results certified, but unfinished business remains *
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/20/aug-5-election-results-certified-but-unfinished/ ...With the 5-0 vote, the commission cleared the way for those elected candidates to take office, commission chairman Bill Giannini said.
...
Also, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is inspecting the election process, but it's uncertain when their results will be made public.
TN: Official defends election system
Glitches mostly result of 'human error,' Goins says
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/aug/19/official-defends-election-system/
NASHVILLE - Multiple problems in the first statewide voting since Republicans took control of Tennessee's election apparatus were mostly the result of simple "human error," state Election Coordinator Mark Goins said Wednesday.
TN: Election Commission Rules "Human Error" Caused Glitch, Clears Way for Certification http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2010/08/19/election-commission-rules-human-error-caused-glitch-clears-way-for-certification
The causative mistake, documented in a report prepared jointly by Meyers and Johnson, was a freely acknowledged one by the commission’s I T director, Dennis Boyce, a civil servant, who told commission director Rich Holden on the morning of election day, Thursday, August 5, that “he had made an error in selecting one of the data files” that were loaded into the Electronic Poll Book (EPM) used for voting that day.
TN: Ill will brews in Nashville election office
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100819/NEWS02/8190335/1009
A dispute between two Davidson County Election Commission employees has raised questions about the day-to-day involvement of the commission chairman, and whether he is offering favoritism to a friend he helped get hired.
WA: Voter Apathy by Mail?
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/15545-1
The statewide average is about 30 percent, which means more than two-thirds of registered voters did not mail in their ballots. Allison Feher, president of the League of Women Voters of Seattle, says some believe changing the primary date from September to August has had a negative effect on voting.
...
The state Elections Division says the primary date was moved in 2007 to ensure that military and overseas voters got their ballots on time
National
Pay 2 Play - Democracy's high stakes
http://pay2play.tv/
PAY 2 PLAY follows the cycle of money and corruption in politics, examining how the cost of running for office invites big-money influence and breeds corruption, shutting out concerned citizens and empowering those running for the wrong reasons.
[ John Wellington Ennis filmmaker (Free For All documentary and Video The Vote) has new movie that covers Citizens United and campaign finance with a big focus on Ohio footage.]
Design Recommendations (ballot design checklist)
http://www.brennancenter.org/index.php/ballots/pages/design_recommendations
The authors and task force reviewed dozens of ballots from electoral jurisdictions across America and identified 13 general categories of design problems that most frequently interfered with clarity and usability.
PAC-MAN on the Sequoia AVC-Edge DRE voting machine
http://www.cse.umich.edu/~jhalderm/pacman/
Why PAC-MAN?
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the iconic arcade game, we reprogrammed the AVC Edge to run Pac-Man. It uses MAME to emulate the original hardware. (We own the electronics from a real Pac-Man machine.) We could have reprogrammed it to steal votes, but that's been done before, and Pac-Man is more fun!
[No tamper seals were harmed in the filming of this video.]
How Polling Places Can Affect Your Vote
http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/how-polling-places-can-affect-your-vote-20318/
Researchers argue the physical location of the polls not only affects how many people vote; it may also influence last-minute decisions regarding which box to mark or lever to pull.
...
. J.G. Gimpel of the University of Maryland found that “for each 1-mile increase in proximity to the polling place, turnout jumps by 0.453 percent, or nearly half a point.”
International
Australia: Get the Australian 2010 Elections Guide free
http://www.australianbusinesstimes.com/news-australia/get-the-australian-2010-elections-guide-free/
((((( Voting is compulsory for Australian citizens ))))
Philippines: DOJ asked to hasten probe on ‘Hello Nico’, Susano CF cards
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/199054/doj-asked-to-hasten-probe-on-hello-nico-susano-cf-cards The government’s poll body on Friday asked the Justice Department to expedite its probe on two cases related to the May 2010 elections: one involving a lawmaker’s possession of compact flash (CF) cards from the last elections, and the alleged involvement of an election official with poll irregularities.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at
http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
All this and more in today's voting news below...
CA: Bell council discusses reforms as residents continue angry protests *
(absentee ballot fraud)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bell-reforms-20100817,0,1083036.story
City must roll back property tax hike that the state controller says was illegal and cut its 'retirement tax.' Amid alleged election fraud, council also considers giving ballot control to the county.
...
The potential for fraud in Bell is heightened because of of low voter participation in the largely immigrant town of 40,000. Fewer than 400 voters cast ballots in a 2005 special election that cleared the way for council members to significantly increase their salaries, for example. More than half were absentee ballots.
CT: Greenwich Audit: Is it worth $1,200?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/greenwich-audit-is-it-worth-1200/
Greenwich registrars and Secretary of the State debate value of audit and random selection of Greenwich
CT: Ballots from 2 polling places to be recounted
http://www.thehour.com/story/490462 Overall, 73 or 722 voting precincts -- 10 percent of all polling precincts statewide -- from the Aug. 10 primary election will have ballots hand-counted and matched against machine totals to ensure the integrity of voting, and comply with the Act Concerning the Integrity and Security of the Voting Process, according to the Secretary of the State's Office.
FL: 200+ Absentee Ballots Disqualified * (absentee ballots)
Absentee Voting Down, But Early Voting Up 20% Over 2006
http://www.news4jax.com/politics/24691862/detail.html
JACKSONVILLE, Fla...Channel 4 has learned that nearly 250 of absentee ballots have been thrown out, mostly because they lack signatures, or the signature doesn't match the one on file at the Supervisor of Elections Office.
NC: ‘Instant runoff’ injects more mystery into judicial elections
http://nclawyersweekly.com/oyez/2010/08/18/%E2%80%98instant-runoff-injects-more-mystery-into-judicial-elections/#comment-209 It’s yet another electoral process that I’m unfamiliar with. And in a system where there are ridiculous things called hanging chads that can lead to court battles, I really hope that this instant runoff thing doesn’t exacerbate the problem that voters don’t know Judge X from Judge Y.
NJ: Atlantic City vote fraud suspects seek dismissal of charges
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_20729af6-a983-11df-a945-001cc4c03286.html
Most of the defendants were indicted on nine counts, including conspiracy and four counts of election fraud. Small and three others were also accused of lying to law enforcement in an effort to cover up their crimes.
In October, Ronald Harris, 24, of Atlantic City, admitted he and others conspired to submit false documents involving messenger ballots in the primary. Harris, a registered Democrat, later told a reporter he only pleaded guilty out of fear.
NY: Design a Better Ballot
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/design-a-better-ballot/
This is where you come in. City Room, in partnership with the New York chapter of the AIGA, the professional association for design, invites you to imagine a better format, or to just have fun completely reinventing it.
OH: County to debate to take voting machine settlement or go it alone
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/county-to-debate-to-take-voting-machine-settlement-or-go-it-alone-870254.html Butler County is seeking roughly $5 million in damages, which is about what the county paid for the machines.
OH: Stow ballot issues in doubt
http://www.ohio.com/news/101140329.html STOW: An apparent glitch in the ballot language for two proposed Stow charter amendments could mean the mayor and law director can run for re-election despite hitting term limits.
OH: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason says elections board should not cave to Justice Department on bilingual ballots http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/cuyahoga_county_prosecutor_wil.html
TN: Aug. 5 election results certified, but unfinished business remains *
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/20/aug-5-election-results-certified-but-unfinished/ ...With the 5-0 vote, the commission cleared the way for those elected candidates to take office, commission chairman Bill Giannini said.
...
Also, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is inspecting the election process, but it's uncertain when their results will be made public.
TN: Official defends election system
Glitches mostly result of 'human error,' Goins says
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/aug/19/official-defends-election-system/
NASHVILLE - Multiple problems in the first statewide voting since Republicans took control of Tennessee's election apparatus were mostly the result of simple "human error," state Election Coordinator Mark Goins said Wednesday.
TN: Election Commission Rules "Human Error" Caused Glitch, Clears Way for Certification http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2010/08/19/election-commission-rules-human-error-caused-glitch-clears-way-for-certification
The causative mistake, documented in a report prepared jointly by Meyers and Johnson, was a freely acknowledged one by the commission’s I T director, Dennis Boyce, a civil servant, who told commission director Rich Holden on the morning of election day, Thursday, August 5, that “he had made an error in selecting one of the data files” that were loaded into the Electronic Poll Book (EPM) used for voting that day.
TN: Ill will brews in Nashville election office
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100819/NEWS02/8190335/1009
A dispute between two Davidson County Election Commission employees has raised questions about the day-to-day involvement of the commission chairman, and whether he is offering favoritism to a friend he helped get hired.
WA: Voter Apathy by Mail?
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/15545-1
The statewide average is about 30 percent, which means more than two-thirds of registered voters did not mail in their ballots. Allison Feher, president of the League of Women Voters of Seattle, says some believe changing the primary date from September to August has had a negative effect on voting.
...
The state Elections Division says the primary date was moved in 2007 to ensure that military and overseas voters got their ballots on time
National
Pay 2 Play - Democracy's high stakes
http://pay2play.tv/
PAY 2 PLAY follows the cycle of money and corruption in politics, examining how the cost of running for office invites big-money influence and breeds corruption, shutting out concerned citizens and empowering those running for the wrong reasons.
[ John Wellington Ennis filmmaker (Free For All documentary and Video The Vote) has new movie that covers Citizens United and campaign finance with a big focus on Ohio footage.]
Design Recommendations (ballot design checklist)
http://www.brennancenter.org/index.php/ballots/pages/design_recommendations
The authors and task force reviewed dozens of ballots from electoral jurisdictions across America and identified 13 general categories of design problems that most frequently interfered with clarity and usability.
PAC-MAN on the Sequoia AVC-Edge DRE voting machine
http://www.cse.umich.edu/~jhalderm/pacman/
Why PAC-MAN?
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the iconic arcade game, we reprogrammed the AVC Edge to run Pac-Man. It uses MAME to emulate the original hardware. (We own the electronics from a real Pac-Man machine.) We could have reprogrammed it to steal votes, but that's been done before, and Pac-Man is more fun!
[No tamper seals were harmed in the filming of this video.]
How Polling Places Can Affect Your Vote
http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/how-polling-places-can-affect-your-vote-20318/
Researchers argue the physical location of the polls not only affects how many people vote; it may also influence last-minute decisions regarding which box to mark or lever to pull.
...
. J.G. Gimpel of the University of Maryland found that “for each 1-mile increase in proximity to the polling place, turnout jumps by 0.453 percent, or nearly half a point.”
International
Australia: Get the Australian 2010 Elections Guide free
http://www.australianbusinesstimes.com/news-australia/get-the-australian-2010-elections-guide-free/
((((( Voting is compulsory for Australian citizens ))))
Philippines: DOJ asked to hasten probe on ‘Hello Nico’, Susano CF cards
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/199054/doj-asked-to-hasten-probe-on-hello-nico-susano-cf-cards The government’s poll body on Friday asked the Justice Department to expedite its probe on two cases related to the May 2010 elections: one involving a lawmaker’s possession of compact flash (CF) cards from the last elections, and the alleged involvement of an election official with poll irregularities.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at
http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to us at votingnews@earthlink.net
=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn
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.
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