Internet voting debated on Canadian editorial pages; UT discusses voter registration modernization; voter ID bill moves in SC

There are several noteworthy Internet voting stories today. In Canada, two opinion pieces demonstrate increasing knowledge of the challenges of Internet voting: the Vancouver Sun acknowledges the security and ballot-anonymity issues and concludes that both Internet voting and the successful resolution of its challenges are inevitable; in the Globe and Mail, journalist Robert Matas notes the same complexities and points to the ambiguous data on the effect that Internet voting has had upon voter turnout. The European Consortium for Political Research has issued a call for papers on Internet voting for a panel to be held at its August 2011 conference.

In other news, voter ID advances in South Carolina Senate committee; and in California, Indiana, Michigan, Louisiana, and West Virginia, election costs spur discussion of diverse solutions including precinct consolidation, vote by mail, and vote centers.

All this and more in today's Voting News below.

AK: AP Interview: Miller would back election law shift: AP Alaska | adn.com

Joe Miller said he would support a voter intent standard in Alaska election law so long as the state no longer has discretion to determine which votes should count. Read More

CA: Calaveras News - Breaking News for Calaveras County & Beyond!- The Pine Tree .net

Senator Ted Gaines, R—Roseville, today announced that he has introduced a bill that will help cut the cost of special elections in smaller California counties. Senate Bill 109 will give counties with populations under 400,000 the option to hold solely vote-by-mail elections in situations where a special election is called. Read More

CA: Placer County facing $3.25 million in special election costs this year - Granite Bay

The price tag for elections is sky-high in Placer County in 2011.

Estimates are that as many as four special elections could take place before the start of summer and cost the county nearly $3.25 million.

County Clerk-Registrar of Voters Jim McCauley pays the bills when an election occurs in Placer County. This year, with one special election for state Senate District 1 already on the books and costing $600,000 to $650,000, three more could be in the offing for voters by the end of the spring. Read More

CT: The Republican-American Reassurance on state voting

Last week, in one of her first official acts, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, Connecticut's chief elections official, convened a panel to study Connecticut's voting system and recommend changes if necessary. Ms. Merrill's decision to convene this forum was a direct result of the chaos surrounding voting in Bridgeport during the election last Nov. 2. Read More

DC: 3 special elections loom in D.C. - Washington Times

An unusual turn of events means D.C. voters will hit the polls for an unprecedented three special elections this spring, but the consequences run beyond who wins or loses in the three races.

In play as well are the cost of the elections, the failure of Mayor Vincent C. Gray to nominate a third member to the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics (BOEE) and whom Republicans will field as candidates. Read More

IL: Candidates to face ballot challenges » Local News » The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

A late summer change to Illinois election law has caught some Vermilion County village clerks off guard and will cause some municipalities to have no candidates listed on their ballots in the April 5 consolidated election. Read More

IN: Vote centers offer state large savings | pal-item.com | Palladium-Item

Three Indiana counties -- Tippecanoe, Wayne and Cass -- have used vote centers, including early and satellite voting, over the course of the last three election cycles. This pilot program authorized by the General Assembly was an experiment to test whether vote centers in Indiana are feasible. Read More

LA: Eliminating special elections could save millions, La. secretary of state says | thetowntalk.com | The Town Talk

Louisiana could save millions of dollars by getting rid of special elections, Secretary of State Tom Schedler said Wednesday in Alexandria. Read More

MD: 2010's best and worst awards, Part II

State officials scrub new $20 million "paper trail" voting machines, but approve $200 million for 15,000 new slot machines. Read More

MI: Election consolidation, participation urged by officials - News - Source Newspapers

"These off-year elections virtually guarantee a low voter turnout and a city council elected by 11 percent of the voters," Smith said.

He's looking to change that - and he's not alone. The Sterling Heights City Council on Jan. 4 continued to urge legislators to mandate that school board elections take place on the even- or odd-year November date, and that election dates be limited to August or November. Read More

MN: Voters to decide on ranked-choice in 2012 referendum | The Republican Eagle | Red Wing, Minnesota

Voters -- not elected officials -- should decide whether to overhaul Red Wing's traditional election system in favor of ranked-choice voting, the City Council determined Monday. Read More

MN: House Republicans announce push for voter ID | StarTribune.com

Barely a week into the legislative session, House Republicans introduced a plan Thursday that is likely to draw battle lines with the DFL minority – requiring photo identification for Minnesota’s voters. Read More

OH: Board of Elections further debates potentially fraudulent ballots in Ohio race | Examiner.com

The Board of Elections has indicated that they have considered each ballot and done intensive investigations into the matter, and they are now left with about 145 - 200 ballots that are still in question regarding their validity for various reasons. Read More

OH: Hamilton County Vote Counting Decision Likely to Be Appealed - :: Cincinnati news story :: LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV in Cincinnati

An appeal of a decision to whether to recount votes for a Hamilton County Court judge race will likely be filed.

The razor thin battle for the seat is still not decided more that two months after election day. Republican John Williams leads Democrat Tracy Hunter by 23 votes. A federal judge has ordered the board to count several hundred disputed votes which would likely give the race to Hunter. But the Ohio Supreme Court has ordered them not to. Read More

OH: Decision coming in judge race

The Hamilton County Board of Elections remains split about what to do about juvenile court judge race between John Williams and Tracie Hunter that should have been decided in November. Read More

OH: Watch elections board -- The Blade ~ Toledo Ohio

Ohio's new secretary of state, Republican Jon Husted, told The Blade editorial board during last year's campaign that he would monitor the activities of the Lucas County Board of Elections - one of the most dysfunctional parts of the dysfunctional county government. Read More

OH: Lucas County elections board yields provisional ballot data in commissioner race-- The Blade ~ Toledo Ohio

The Lucas County Board of Elections opted Thursday in a unanimous vote not to appeal a judge's order to turn over documents relating to more than 4,000 provisional ballots that were pivotal in Lucas County's board of commissioners race. Read More

OK: Election change | Tulsa World

As with the current system, the new machines will use a paper ballot, which the voter will mark and feed into an optical scanner. Such a system offers not only the speed of an electronic count, but the reliability of a paper ballot for election challenges.

For disabled voters, the new system will feature a new way of voting independently and privately at polling places, replacing a vote-by-phone method in the current system. Read More

SC: WCIV-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Charleston, SC - SC House panel advances voter ID

A judiciary panel advanced the bill Thursday on a party-line 3-2 vote. The meeting initially set for Tuesday was rescheduled after icy road conditions caused the first day of session to be delayed. Read More

TX: Ballot Access News » Blog Archive » U.S. Supreme Court Wants Texas Democratic Party to Respond in Voting Machine Case

On January 13, the U.S. Supreme Court requested the Texas Democratic Party to file a response in Dallas County v Texas Democratic Party, 10-755. Read More

UT: Utah Leads the Way in Voter Registration Modernization

Utah has been active in recent years in improving its voter registration system. The bipartisan Governor's Commission on Strengthening Utah's Democracy recommended last year that Utah repeal its current voter registration deadlines and institute Election Day registration and also recommended that the Lieutenant Governor's Office, which is in charge of election administration, use information submitted to other government agencies (such as driver’s licensing offices and public benefits agencies) to automatically register eligible voters and/or to update the voters’ records. The Commission also encouraged the state to implement online registration, which it has since done, to great success. Read More

UT: Utah To Modernize Voter Registration Statewide | Gov Monitor

The Pew Center on the States and the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics are hosting a conference Friday to discuss Pew’s partnership with the state to modernize voter registration in Utah. Read More

VA: Montgomery Co. registrar, electoral board called to Richmond on complaint - Roanoke.com

State officials have summoned Montgomery County’s electoral board and registrar of elections to Richmond to address a voter’s demand that they be removed from office for incompetence.

The directive from the State Board of Elections went out about the same time the Montgomery County League of Women Voters announced it found "a history of mistakes" by local election officials and predicted more problems at the November General Election without changes. Read More

VA: Christiansburg delegate targets voting problems - Roanoke.com

Nutter said that confidence was shaken by decisions that Montgomery County election officials made when they encountered problems with new electronic poll books in the November elections. The poll books are used to check in voters and confirm their registration and address information. Read More

WA: Whatcom County political party officers dislike court ruling on elections - Local News - bellinghamherald.com

Whatcom County Auditor Shirley Forslof says a recent federal court ruling on the state's primary system could simplify primary election ballots for voters and election officials, if it means removing party precinct officials from those ballots.

But the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties in Whatcom County agree: Direct election of those grass-roots party activists is healthy for the political system. Read More

WV: Loaf of bread and a vote? Super precincts may be future of elections » Columns » Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

County Clerk Verlin Moye said that the latest round of precinct consolidations can save the county up to $6,000 per election. If this had been done last year, the county could have saved about $24,000. In these times of tight finances for governments and citizens, that’s not a bad thing. Read More

WY: Laramie Boomerang | Laramie, Wyoming

A Senate committee has endorsed a proposed bill that would allow voters in certain elections to mail in their ballots. Read More

Internet Voting Watch

Canada: Surrey Leader - COLUMN: Computers and council

Surrey council will be meeting Monday to discuss the possibility of web- and telephone-based voting in municipal elections.

This is a welcome step forward. We use our computers to do many things in this era, from managing our bank accounts to checking out competing prices at various retailers. It is logical and sensible to examine whether computer-based voting can be set up in a safe, secure and efficient manner. If it can, it will likely save a considerable sum as well. Read More

Canada: Online voting problematic but compelling

As with Internet banking, the issues holding back Internet voting will be overcome. The advantages are too compelling to ignore. Until then, however, we need to tread carefully while still getting ready for the change we know is coming. Read More

Canada: Crosscheck - The Globe and Mail

On the issue of voter turnout, the research was inconclusive. The United Kingdom has not consistently noted increases in turnout in elections where online voting was an option, although Estonia and Geneva have.

In Canada, the results have also been mixed. Markham, Ont., was the first municipality in the country to introduce electronic voting in a bid to increase turnout. The option was available on a trial basis, for advance polls only. The turnout at advanced polls in Markham’s municipal election in 2003 rose significantly, but the overall turnout remained unchanged.

Similarly, online voting in advance polls had no noticeable effect on turnout in Peterborough, Ont., in 2006. However, more people voted in a municipal by-election in Halifax in 2009 that offered online voting. The research so far shows the political leaders may need more than online voting to bring people back into the democratic process. Read More

Panel Details - ECPR Reykjavik 2011 - The European Consortium for Political Research - ECPR General Conferences

[via Election Updates] This panel aims at bringing together the most recent papers on internet voting and its effects on politics. We would like to attract papers that have a strong theoretical background and are empirically measuring to what extent the introduction of internet based voting affects modern, liberal democracy. Read More

Voting News archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/Also at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNewsSubscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews

Please send article suggestions to votingnews@verifiedvoting.org

=============================================The Voting News is a free service made possible by the 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-vnDisclaimer: 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.

WA lawmaker expects e-mail voting bill to pass; party officials in British Columbia look at online voting; new Ohio SoS takes office

In British Columbia, Canada, some Liberal Party officials are calling for online voting in upcoming provincial elections. Iowa's new Secretary of State is urging the Governor-elect to rescind an order restoring the voting rights of ex-felons, and Ohio's new Secretary of State took office today.

And in Washington State, sponsors expect passage of a bill allowing all overseas and military voters to cast their ballots via fax or e-mail.

All this and more in today's Voting News below.

CA: Humboldt County officials prepare for the budget hits

Crnich said she'd like to bring the board a formal request for the option to do a vote-by-mail special election in order to save about $100,000 -- about 40 percent of what it could cost to hold the election. Read More

CO: Attorney general opens election probe

Saguache County swore in six newly elected officials Tuesday while the Colorado Attorney General's office confirmed they were investigating complaints about the election. Read More

IA: Ex-felons may have a tougher time voting in Iowa

Secretary of State Matt Schultz wants Governor-elect Terry Branstad to void an order automatically restoring felons' voting rights after serving time. Read More

KS: Kan. election bill to cover mail - El Dorado, KS - El Dorado Times

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach said Wednesday he will include provisions dealing with mail-in ballots as part of his plan to enact the nation's toughest election fraud law. Read More

LA: Civil rights group: La. violating voting law | shreveporttimes.com | Shreveport Times

Louisiana departments aren't complying with a federal law that requires public assistance agencies that serve low-income residents to offer them voter registration, a civil rights group said Wednesday. Read More

MN: Legislature needs to pass measure to fund recount on Faribault Daily News

During the recount after the November election, the state and local governments came up with a plan for the counties to do the recounts and to be reimbursed by the state at a rate of 3 cents a ballot. It didn’t cover the cost of the recount, however, a fact that has led the Secretary of State to push the Legislature to pass a bill funding the full cost. Read More

MT: Online Exclusive: Legislative Roundup - TheWesternNews.com: Local/State News

Hearings are also slated for bills to raise the age of compulsory school enrollment, to allow electronic voter registration and to legalize hunting with a hand-thrown spear. Read More

MT: Washburn wants more stringent rules to vote - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: News

As the law now reads, people can prove they are eligible to vote in Montana by showing bank statements, paychecks or similar documents. Washburn's bill, House Bill 152, would require people to present a Montana driver's license, Montana identification card or tribal photo ID to register to vote. Read More

NC: Be skeptical of both sides in debate over N.C. voter ID law

Although the empirical evidence does not tell us whether voter ID laws are good or bad, it does suggest that we should be leery of the major arguments from both sides of the aisle. When Republicans say that fraud is rampant or that voter ID laws will increase trust in the system, be skeptical. Likewise, when Democrats argue that voter ID laws will depress turnout in large and meaningful ways, be skeptical. Read More

NE: Update: Suttle Says Mistakes Were Made in Busing Efforts

A statement released Thursday afternoon by Mayor Jim Suttle's office states "Mayor Jim Suttle learned that Forward Omaha – one of the groups opposing the recall of Mayor Suttle – made an error in judgment relating to their efforts to oppose the January 25th Recall Election."

It goes on to state: "The decision to bus potential voters to the election commissioner’s office was done as part of Forward Omaha’s efforts to assist individuals without transportation in their attempt to vote. The other facet of Forward Omaha’s actions was the recruitment and training of Election Day get out the vote (“GOTV”) workers. Hiring people to work on Election Day is a long-running and common aspect of modern political campaigns. Unfortunately, someone from Forward Omaha decided to combine the dual efforts to assist voters and recruit Election Day workers. This was a mistake." Read More

NY: RVC board votes to consolidate election districts - LIHerald.com - Nassau County's source for local news, breaking news, sports, entertainment & shopping

During the first village board meeting of the year on Monday night, the Rockville Centre Board of Trustees voted to consolidate its 22 election districts — with voting locations throughout the village — to a single voting location, the Recreation Center on Oceanside Road, for the upcoming village election on June 21. Read More

OH: Husted takes over as Secretary of State

As Ohio looks to be the heart of it all in the 2012 Presidential election, Secretary Husted wants to ensure a fair, transparent, and efficient voting process in which all Ohioans, and voters across the nation, can be confident. Read More

TX: Capitol Digest: Panel picked for Neil ballot inquiry; ban sought on K2

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus named members of the special committee that could help decide the contested race for state House of Representatives District 48.

Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, defeated Republican challenger Dan Neil in November by 16 votes, and her victory stood after a recount, though the margin fell to 12 votes. Neil since has contested the election, and the matter could be decided by the House. Read More

WA: Editorials | State should move primary election to mid-June, speed up mail-in ballots | Seattle Times Newspaper

Reed's other proposal is a perennial, because lawmakers are immune to change. Ballots in Washington take forever and a Sunday to tally because the state foolishly allows voters to postmark them by Election Day. A better idea is to have ballots received by Election Day. Then Washington can join the rest of the country reporting useful results that week. Read More

WA: Better chance this time for vote-by-mail, supporters say | Political Buzz

Olympia Rep. Sam Hunt says he thinks the odds are better this year for his renewed attempt to make the whole state vote by mail. Elections officials in Secretary of State Sam Reed's office, too, are optimistic the effort will succeed. Read More

WA: Overseas ballots might be e-mailed - Northwest McClatchy - bellinghamherald.com

Hurst’s proposal last year for voters overseas to send their ballots electronically passed the House 96-0. But Sen. Eric Oemig blocked it from a vote, heeding the complaints of election-security advocates worried e-mail voting would leave elections vulnerable to hackers.

Seattle-based Voter Action and national group VerifiedVoting.org wrote in a letter to lawmakers Wednesday, “It will be a long time before e-mail or any other form of Internet voting is reliable enough for America’s voters.” Read More

WV: Flick retiring after 24 years - journal-news.net | News, sports, jobs, community information for Martinsburg - The Journal

During her career with the city of Martinsburg, Sharon Flick has seen a lot of changes, from typewriters to computers and paper ballots to electronic voting. Read More

WI: Election Board: Hard To Get ID Ready By April - Politics News Story - WISC Madison

State election officials said that it will be nearly impossible to train poll workers on voter identification requirements by spring. Read More

WI: Our view: Voter ID fixes nonexistent problem

Everyone supports clean elections. It is a fundamental and critical part of democracy. But simply requiring people to show a photo ID will not fix problems with people voting in the wrong precincts or prevent someone from voting twice. Read More

WY: Wyoming HD45 residency issue draws sometimes contentious debate

The debate over who should represent House District 45 began Wednesday, as Seth Carson and Matt Greene faced off before a special legislative committee.

The committee was convened after Carson, a Democrat who lost last November to Greene, his Republican opponent, challenged that Greene had not been a resident of House District 45 for a year preceding his election, as required under the Wyoming Constitution. Read More

U.S. Virgin Islands: St. Croix Board of Elections wrestles with reforms - News - Virgin Islands Daily News

The new dynamics of the St. Croix Board of Elections were in full display Wednesday during its first meeting, as talk centered around election reform and the best way to accomplish it. Read More

Internet Voting Watch

Canada: Online voting would boost participation in elections: Christy Clark

Online voting would bring more people into the political process, B.C. Liberal leadership hopeful Christy Clark told an all-candidates gathering in Vancouver on Wednesday night.

“The public is increasingly disengaged from government,” Clark told a well-heeled, mainly under-40 crowd of about 1,000 people at an event organized by Build 2030 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Read More

Canada: CambridgeTimes Article: Council brings back voter task force

In the hope of getting more voters to the polls in 2014 and making it easier to cast a ballot, Cambridge council is re-establishing its Voters to Vote task force.

“In bringing this forward now, I’m hoping to give the task force as much time as possible to do its job,” said Coun. Ben Tucci in introducing the motion.

The city is already looking at several alternate ways of increasing voter turnout, including online voting. Read More

Canada: B.C. Liberal hopefuls show general support for online vote - The Globe and Mail

Several candidates vying to become B.C.’s next Liberal premier are rallying around a proposal by Christy Clark to look at online voting for the next provincial election. Read More

International

Canada: Recount could set precedent - 570News

Retired University of Waterloo professor Bob Williams says the province will have to watch today's events closely because they could become a landmark in our use of electronic tabulators for elections.

The expert in municipal affairs says ambiguities over manual election counts could be sorted out manually. But the introduction of new technology has changed the game considerably.

"The idea that the municipalities use a tabulator to produce the results and the fact that that produced exactly the same results twice but now a judge says 'oh that's not good enough, when it's close we can't trust it,' I think we're opening up a whole new range of considerations that go far beyond Ward 9 in Kitchener," Williams states. Read More

Voting News archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/Also at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNewsSubscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews

Please send article suggestions to votingnews@verifiedvoting.org

=============================================The Voting News is a free service made possible by the 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-vnDisclaimer: 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.

E-mail voting clears WA House committee; CT watchdogs issue report; Internet voting pushed in Vancouver

In Washington, a bill to allow all military and overseas voters to vote by fax or e-mail cleared cleared its House committee. Connecticut watchdog groups have issued a report on the Bridgeport recount, and Vancouver looks at Internet voting for November municipal elections.

All this and more in today's Voting News below.

CT: Bridgeport Recount Report and Recommendations | CTElectionAudit.org

Luther Weeks of CTVotersCount states, “We found evidence suggesting just about every type of counting and calculation error one would imagine from officials who worked extended days and counted under pressure. We also found differences between numbers of ballots cast and numbers of voters checked-in at the polls.” Read More

IN: Satellite early-vote centers on hold till fall | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN

Allen County residents will still only have one place to vote early this spring, but those options are likely to grow in the fall. Read More

LA: What's Geauxing On: Everybody's Copying Louisiana

In 1976, Louisiana adopted a non-partisan blanket primary system for both its state and its congressional elections. Read More

MN: Republicans pay bill for governor race recount | Alexandria Echo Press | Alexandria, Minnesota

Douglas County can clear an unpaid bill of $204.05 from its books.

That was how much the county charged the Minnesota Republican Party for its request for copies of documents during the recount of the Mark Dayton-Tom Emmer race for governor. Read More

NY: O'Mara named chairman of elections panel | stargazette.com | Star-Gazette

State Sen. Tom O'Mara, R, Big Flats, has been named chairman of the Senate Elections Committee and as a member of 10 other Senate committees. Read More

NC: Voters Continue to Demand Requiring Photo ID to Vote | The Lincoln Tribune

There continues to be overwhelming support among North Carolina voters for requiring photo identification to vote, according to a new poll released yesterday by the Civitas Institute. Read More

NV: Miller appoints elections official - The Political Eye - ReviewJournal.com

Secretary of State Ross Miller appointed Scott F. Gilles to serve as Deputy for Elections, replacing Matt Grifin who resigned in December to go into private practice.

Gilles, 34, is an attorney in Reno and senior associate at Fahrendorf, Viloria, Oliphant & Oster since February, 2006. Read More

NJ: Democrat McCarthy apparent winner in Manasquan | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

A recount of the ballots was conducted in November and when the results came under scrutiny, the case went before Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson on Dec. 8, who decided there should be a run-off election. Read More

NJ: Democrat wins special election in Manasquan | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

The voters have spoken — again.

Two months after originally casting their ballots in the municipal election, residents broke an Election Day tie by choosing 37-year-old Democrat Owen McCarthy. Read More

OH: Judge choice thrown into chaos | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

A federal judge ordered Hamilton County election officials on Wednesday to count more than 150 disputed ballots in the race for juvenile court judge - more than enough to potentially change the outcome. Read More

OH: Ohio.com - Republicans, Democrats square off at Board of Elections meeting

Fourteen Summit County residents whose votes weren't counted in the November election improperly filled out registration cards, but weren't timely notified of the problem by the elections board. Read More

PA: Both Chesco commissioner, husband to take on roles in Corbett's cabinet - pottsmerc.com

Soon-to-be former Chester County Commissioner Carole Aichele will apparently not suffer from lack of company on her commutes between her home in Tredyffrin and her office in Harrisburg after her expected confirmation as secretary of the commonwealth is complete. Read More

PA: Corbett picks PennDOT secretary, general counsel

A day after Gov.-elect Tom Corbett nominated Chester County Commissioner Carol Aichele to be secretary of the commonwealth, he named her husband general counsel to the state. Read More

TX: Speaker names committee to consider contested Travis County House seat | Postcards

Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, defeated Republican challenger Dan Neil on Election Day by 16 votes, and her victory stood after a recount, though the margin fell to 12 votes. Neil since has contested the election, and the matter could be decided by the House.

Neil has said that some of the 51,500 ballots cast were mishandled and that a handful of legal votes were discounted. Read More

TX: Collin County Commissioners Court hears complaints about long voter lines | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Dallas-Fort Worth Politics | The Dallas Morning News

"There are some issues I think the court needs to address," said Chris Freeman, who was an election judge at Valley Creek Elementary School in McKinney. "We had a shortage of equipment. We had software problems." Read More

TX: Star Local News Allen American News Voting centers leave voters frustrated

Even snowy streets and icy roads couldn’t keep the county from getting down to business, and although two discussion items on the agenda were tabled for the next meeting, the Collin County Commissioners received word that their voting center idea didn’t come to fruition as they hoped. Read More

WA: E-mail voting clears committee, has easier path through Legislature - Under the Dome - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

Elections officials and advocates for the military who want overseas Washingtonians to be able to vote by e-mail were thwarted last year, but now see an easier path to their goal.

Their proposal became the first bill filed this year, HB 1000, and today became one of the first to pass a committee vote when the House State Government Committee approved it unanimously. Read More

WA: Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson explains practical aspects of Top Two primary decision | Political Buzz

Tuesday's ruling that the state's Top Two primary is legal both in theory and in application may not end the decade-old litigation on the state primary. But it certainly will make it difficult for the state's political parties to prevail in the argument that the form of the primary violates their rights to free association. Read More

WA: Federal judge upholds Wash. top 2 primary system

A federal judge upheld Washington's primary system against a challenge from the state's Republican and Democratic parties Tuesday, but he struck down the way Washington runs elections for the parties' grassroots organizers. Read More

Internet Voting Watch

U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT PUBLISHES REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEMS IN UNION OFFICER ELECTIONS - TheCypressTimes

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards published a request for information notice yesterday seeking public comments to assist the department in issuing guidance concerning the use of electronic voting systems in union officer elections. Read More

Canada: Online voting coming to B.C. cities as early as fall

The two largest municipalities in British Columbia are looking at the possibility of allowing voters to cast their ballots over the Internet in November's civic election. Read More

Canada: Vancouver, Surrey considering using online voting in November election. - Civic Lee Speaking

If Vancouver and Surrey councils have their way, you will soon have the option of casting your November election ballot while in your skivvies at home sucking on coffee in front of a computer monitor. Read More

Canada: Get voters to the polls, or take the polls to voters? - Report Card

According to the Union of B.C. Municipalities, online voting is prohibited by law and since amendments would take time, it's not likely to happen this November.

But Reimer believes Vancouver may be able to get around that. Read More

International

Pakistan: EC makes computerized ID cards mandatory for voting

Election Commission (EC) of Pakistan has decided to make computerized Identity Cards mandatory for casting vote in next elections.

The high level meeting was held here on Wednesday, the meeting was held in connection with introducing computerized voting machine for polling and making computerized ID cards mandatory for casting vote in next elections. Read More

Pakistan: Law on the anvil for transparent elections through CNIC and EVMs

The meeting will essentially focus on the revision of computerized electoral rolls and the keenly-awaited piece of legislation to make CNIC mandatory with a view to stemming possibility of pre-poll and after poll rigging, and introduction of electronic voting machine (EVM) in elections,” the official maintained. Read More

India: EC examines possibility of EVM printouts

Chief election commissioner SY Quraishi on Tuesday said around 20 million new voters are expected to be enrolled in the country's electoral list this month and the Election Commission was also examining whether printouts could be made available from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) amid allegations of their manipulation. Read More

Voting News archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/Also at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNewsSubscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com
/votingnews

Please send article suggestions to votingnews@verifiedvoting.org

=============================================The Voting News is a free service made possible by the 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-vnDisclaimer: 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.

Missouri Considers Tigheter Thresholds for Recounts, New President of Hart, Provisional Ballots Controvery in Ohio

CA: Report Finds Ranked Choice Voting Causes Confusion, Fatigue In SF's District 10: News: SFAppeal

Ranked choice voting, otherwise known as instant run-off, has been used in San Francisco elections since 2004. This past November's elections marked the first time it was used in Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro. California Watch analyzed the voting data from this district, which includes both Bayview/Hunters Point Housing Projects and middle class homes in Potrero, and came to the conclusion that RCV causes voter fatigue and confusion in especially low-income neighborhoods. Read More

IN: Bill would allow vote centers in all Indiana counties » Evansville Courier & Press

Every Indiana county could ditch neighborhood polling precincts in favor of centralized "vote centers" under legislation the Senate Elections Committee endorsed Monday. If Senate Bill 32 becomes law, it would extend the use of centralized polling places in Tippecanoe, Wayne and Cass counties, which have piloted the use of vote centers since 2007, while giving the state's other 89 counties the same option. Read More

MO: Missouri bill would tighten threshold for election recounts - Columbia Missourian

A Missouri lawmaker has proposed legislation requiring that elections be closer to tied before the loser can request a recount. Currently candidates for public office in the state can request a recount if they lose by less than 1 percent of the total vote. The proposed legislation would lower that to one-half of 1 percent. Sponsoring Rep. Tony Dugger said Tuesday that recounts generally have little effect on election outcomes, and he is concerned about how much they cost local officials. Dugger, the House Elections Committee chairman and a former county clerk, said that local election authorities suggested the legislation. "There's no change normally after you have a recount, and so, it's all associated with the cost of doing the recount," said Dugger, R-Hartville. It was unclear how much money could be saved by lowering the threshold for requesting recounts. Read More

NJ: New Jersey drops required poll-worker training for mechanics following Atlantic County complaint - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Atlantic County News

The state has dropped its requirement that voting-machine mechanics undergo poll-worker training, following a complaint from Atlantic County that the requirement is an unfunded mandate. The state Council on Local Mandates made its announcement Friday, following a complaint from Atlantic County that the requirement is an unfunded mandate. The order said that the council will consider whether the requirement — which states that “any individual whose job duties encompass access to the internal components of a voting machine is mandated to attend training” — is in fact an unfunded mandate, as Atlantic County argued in its complaint. Read More

NM: Legal Issue May Alter Absentee Voting - ABQJOURNAL NEWS/METRO:

Thousands of voters will now have to pick up the phone or turn on their computer to request an absentee-ballot application. Citing legal concerns, the Bernalillo County clerk and some other county clerks around the state will no longer send the applications out automatically before every election. About 6,000 voters in Bernalillo County were on the list to receive the applications automatically, County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver said. Once a person signed up, they automatically received an application before every election, without having to sign up or request a new one each time. The practice has been in place for at least 10 years, but nothing in state election laws specifically allows it, officials said. "We consulted with our county attorney and were advised that it'd probably be a good idea not to continue to do this," Oliver said Monday in an interview. Read More

NM: Locals react to state elections director appointment - Carlsbad Current-Argus

Eddy County Clerk Darlene Rosprim said she believes Secretary of State Dianna Duran and her newly appointed bureau of elections director Bobbie Shearer will make a great team and serve voters well. "I am sure they will make themselves available to county clerks and work with us. I expect great things from this new administration," Rosprim said. "Both the Secretary of State and the bureau of elections director has a good understanding of the responsibilities of the clerk's office and the election codes." Read More

NY: Letter from SD7 Winner Jack Martins: Face it; I won an imperfect yet fair election - Times Union

Back in November, Democrat election lawyer Thomas Garry said "You don't just do a hand-count because you want to do it perfect. You're not entitled to a perfect election. You're entitled to a fair election." His quote illustrates the foolishness of the Dec. 29 editorial, "Time to fix this election law," calling into question the results of the 7th Senate District race on Long Island. As the winner of that race, which took nearly eight weeks of post-Election Day counting to complete, I couldn't disagree more. Read More

OH: New secretary of state: Don't count provisional ballots in contested vote | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

On his first day on the job, Republican Ohio Secretary of State John Husted ordered the Hamilton County Board of Elections to certify the race for juvenile court judge - without counting the 849 ballots that were cast in the right place but the wrong precinct and have been in question since the November election. That supersedes former Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's directive saying that 137 of the 849 ballots must be counted. Bruner, a Democrat, issued that order Friday, her last day on the job. The Hamilton County Board of Elections "must determine now, as it did on Nov. 16, 2010 ... that the (849) ballots cast in the wrong precinct are, according to Ohio statutes, invalid and shall not be counted," Husted wrote. "The Hamilton County Board of Elections is further directed to certify the results of the election and take all additional steps necessary under the law to bring this matter to finality." Read More

TX: Longtime GOP election judge complains to Collin County commissioners about November voting snafus | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

A longtime Republican election judge complained to the Collin County commissioners court today about long voting delays during the November general election. "There are some issues I think the court needs to address," said Chris Freeman, who worked at Valley Creek Elementary School in McKinney. "We had a shortage of equipment. We had software problems." Read More

WA: Top 2 primary ruled OK by federal judge

U.S. District Judge John Coughenour has dismissed challenges by Democrats and Republicans over Washington's "top 2" primary system. Secretary of State Sam Reed said the decision, coming just before a trial over the parties' lawsuit was to begin, ends 10 years of litigation over the issue. "I am absolutely delighted with this great and sweeping victory for the voters of Washington state," Reed said in a statement. "It honors our wonderful political heritage of allowing us to vote for our favorite candidate for each office without regard to party preference." Read More

National

Phillip Braithwaite Named President of Hart InterCivic, Inc. | Business Wire

Hart InterCivic announced today that Phillip Braithwaite has been named president of Hart InterCivic, effective January 1, 2011. Prior to his appointment, Phillip served as senior vice president and general manager for Hart InterCivic, managing daily operations and successfully leading the company to record profitability. Since joining Hart in 2001, Phillip has held a variety of executive roles, including sales and marketing, strategic planning, and general management. He has been a driving force behind the company's product portfolio, strong customer acquisition, passionate customer satisfaction, and profitable growth that has transformed Hart into an established market leader. Phillip’s extensive experience in state and local technology has been invaluable to his contributions at Hart. Read More

International

Denmark: Voters to go digital - A third of councils already planning to use electronic ballot

Local authorities have been given the go-ahead to use digital electoral registers in a general election, and so far 29 of the country’s 98 local councils have decided to make use of digital aids for the forthcoming general election. “We’re seeing a great interest in digital electoral registers,” Karen Nielsen, vice president of IT company KMD, told public broadcster DR. “And so we can expect to see a digital general election.” Read More

India: Quraishi hints at changes in EVMs

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S Y Quraishi on Tuesday indicated that electronic voting machines (EVMs) may undergo some changes and rectifications very soon. “The current EVMs are doing fine. However, keeping in mind the complaints against the use of these machines, we have formed an expert committee to look into what changes and rectifications can be made in the machines. It (the committee) has already held discussions with various political parties on the issue and has taken their suggestions,” Quraishi said here. Read More

Pakistan: Law on the anvil for transparent elections through CNIC and EVMs

The PPP-led government has decided to table a draft bill in the National Assembly (NA) in its next session to make the computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) mandatory at the time of registration of a voter and casting of vote. After the legislation countrywide revision of electoral rolls would kick off, it is learnt. A senior official at the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs told The News that the bill was ready to be moved in the NA, which could not be tabled in the recently concluded session mainly because of the political uncertainty and tension between the treasury and opposition parties. The official was sure that the proposed bill would be adopted by the parliament unanimously, as already all the stakeholders had been taken on board. Read More

Voting News archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Also at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNews
Subscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews
=============================================
The Voting News is a free service made possible by the 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.

Indiana Senate takes step toward vote center approval; new Kentucky SoS named; voter ID debated

We at Verified Voting extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims of the tragedy in Arizona and their loved ones.

Tonight's edition includes an important story about the Department of Labor's new guidelines for electronic voting in union elections; several editorials on the question of voter ID [Editor's Note: the editorials on voter ID in tonight's edition express the same general point of view; please note that we include editorials expressing diverse points of view as they appear]; and news regarding Kentucky's new Secretary of State.

CA: Report: Ranked Choice Voting Causes Confusion, Fatigue In SF's District 10: News: SFAppeal

Ranked choice voting, otherwise known as instant run-off, has been used in San Francisco elections since 2004. This past November's elections marked the first time it was used in Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro. Read More

CT: Our View: A Better Way to Vote?

In the aftermath of November’s election, with a ballot shortage snafu in Bridgeport that delaying naming a new governor for days, newly elected Secretary of the State Denise W. Merrill has started a discussion about how the voting process can be improved. Read More

CT: Special elections mean more expenses, more rhetoric - Connecticut Post

If you thought you had your fill of political elections, think again.

Nine more are slated for March involving 18 municipalities. And if incumbents from other offices seek to elevate their political standing, there will be another round of special elections in May. Read More

IL: Chicago military first to receive municipal election ballots

United States Armed Forces members from Chicago serving around the world were the first to receive ballots on Saturday for the upcoming municipal general election, the Chicago Election Board announced. Read More

IN: Senate Takes Step Toward Authorizing "Vote Centers" Statewide | Indy's News Center - 93.1 WIBC Indianapolis - Live. Local. First.

The Senate Elections Committee voted unanimously Monday to give all counties the vote-center option if local election boards give unanimous approval.

Former Secretary of State Todd Rokita spearheaded the push to test the concept in Cass, Tippecanoe and Wayne Counties. Those counties say they believe discarding multiple precincts in favor of a handful of centralized locations has improved turnout and polling-place accessibility. Read More

KY: Kentucky to Receive New Secretary of State

Governor Steve Beshear has announced that Grayson would be replaced by Bowling Green Mayor Elaine Walker. According to Beshear, Walker will take the position for the final eleven months of Grayson’s term and then file to run in the next election for a regular term as Secretary of State. Read More

LA: Federal approval of Louisiana open primaries expected within a month | NOLA.com

Louisiana is still waiting for federal approval to return to open primaries in the state's congressional and U.S. Senate elections beginning in 2012, though aides to Attorney General Buddy Caldwell say they do not believe the delay suggests the U.S. Department of Justice will reject the request. Read More

MD: Military Spouses Get Residency Relief - Odenton, MD Patch

Now, spouses of active duty military can choose to change their state of residency for taxes and other purposes like voting and car registration. Read More

MS: Yall Politics | Vote could end lengthy voter ID debate

The long-running legislative debate over requiring photo identification at Mississippi polling places could end come November. Read More

MT: Gazette opinion: Vote-by-mail bill offers better plan for state elections

Montana lawmakers can increase voter participation and decrease taxpayer expense by supporting House Bill 130.

This legislation is the result of months of work by Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, a Democrat, and a working group of county election officials of both parties as well as representatives of tribal governments, disabled Montanans and other groups advocating voter rights. Read More

MN: Some counties looking for recount reimbursement - KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports

Some county officials in Minnesota say they're still waiting to be reimbursed for the gubernatorial recount. The state Republican Party says it's paying the bills as they are reviewed. Read More

MS: Vote could end lengthy voter ID debate » The Commercial Appeal

The long-running legislative debate over requiring photo identification at Mississippi polling places could end come November. Read More

NJ: Election Day once again in Manasquan | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

Rather than hold a second recount, Superior Court Judge Lawrence Lawson decided in early December that the borough should hold a special election for the [Borough Council] seat. Read More

NM: Locals react to state elections director appointment - Carlsbad Current-Argus

Rosprim said Shearer has a big job ahead of her. She said the new director's years of experience as an analyst for the state House Voters and Elections Committee for the state House Republican Caucus is a big plus because she is familiar with case law and how bills pertaining to the election process introduced by Legislature will work." Read More

NY: Clinton County to pay towns for election costs » NEW TODAY... » Press-Republican

The Clinton County Legislature has devised a plan to help towns pay for last year's election costs, but it won't be enough, in most cases. Read More

NY: Fired Board of Elections big shows true incompetence after putting in 'comical' $227G comp time bill

The board's 10 commissioners - a Republican and a Democrat from each borough - got Gonzalez's request in late November and treated it like it was radioactive - forwarding it to the city Law Department, where it is still being reviewed. Read More

NY: Rockville Centre to vote on consolidating election districts

The Board of Trustees will vote to consolidate its 22 election districts and 10 polling stations down to one. Village Administrator Frank Quigley said the board will vote on the election districts at tonight's meeting and the polling stations by April. If approved, residents will vote for village officials at the village's recreation center. Read More

NY: No state of pleasure - Wellsville, NY - Wellsville Daily Reporter

The elections board wants to talk more with county leadership about its own space issues in the aftermath of last year’s elections. The board is a“high priority,” according to a space assessment by Deputy County Administrator Mitchell Alger. The assessment was handed out during Wednesday’s county Court Facilities and County Space Needs Committee session. Read More

NY: Face it; I won an imperfect yet fair election - Times Union

My opponent opted instead to seek judicial intervention. As noted, every judge, regardless of political affiliation, rejected his argument that a hand recount was warranted. In the end, my opponent acknowledged in a press release that he had lost the election. Read More

NY: Ballot Access News » Blog Archive » New York Bill for Instant Runoff in New York City Primaries

On January 5, five New York Assemblymembers introduced A582. It provides for Instant Runoff Voting in New York city partisan primaries, and repeals the existing provision that requires run-off primaries several weeks after the first primary, if no one gets at least 40% of the vote. Read More

OH: Outgoing Ohio sec. of state returns to law firm - News, Sports, Jobs - The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

Outgoing Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is returning to work at the law firm that she launched in 1988 to focus on election law. Read More

OH: Board of Elections considers cost-cutting - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com

Stark County Board of Elections members are considering a pair of cost-cutting measures.

One involves reducing the number of voting precincts in the county; the other is a combination of mandatory and voluntary furloughs this year for staff. Read More

OK: Vendor selected for Oklahoma’s new voting system | NewsOK.com

A Texas firm was awarded a contract Friday to replace Oklahoma’s voting machines, which have been in place nearly 20 years.

The new system will be installed in all 77 counties in time for the 2012 elections, state Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said. Read More

OH: Youngstown News, Officials differ on status of elections board move

When asked what he likes about the Oakhill location, McCabe said it has more warehouse space to store voting equipment than the annex. But he added that it’s not an ideal location for voting. Read More

TX: Job well done: Veteran Harris County Clerk Kaufman retires after a crowning achievement | Editorial | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

[Jan. 6] In nearly 17 years in office, freshly retired Harris County Clerk Beverly Kaufman conducted area elections with a no-nonsense, nonpartisan demeanor that won her admirers from the ranks of both local Democrats and Republicans. Read More

TX: Voter ID is far from the most crucial issue to come before the Texas Legislature | Editorials...

Requiring Texans to present photo identification to vote isn't an inherently bad idea. But the drive to impose the requirement rests too much on misimpressions, exaggerations and jockeying for political advantage. Read More

WA: Washington Secretary of State asking Legislature to move primary up two weeks to early August - Covington Reporter

Military and overseas voters have repeatedly asked for the ability to scan and return their ballots by e-mail,” said Reed, noting that 20 other states use this approach and that it’s working well for them. “When you’re a soldier stationed in the hills of Afghanistan or on a ship in the middle of the ocean, you don’t have much time to mail back your ballot, so this bill provides a modern, practical solution that allows military voters to return their ballots in a timely way.”

This proposal, prime-sponsored by Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, is expected to receive a bill number Friday and be referred to the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee. Read More

WI: WisOpinion, Wisconsin's Premier Political News Service

Election reform has been a hot topic of debate in recent years. Too few people vote, polling locations are often understaffed, and special interest spending is at an all time high. While we should be encouraging more electors to participate in our democracy, Republican lawmakers are fast-tracking a bill that would disenfranchise over 100,000 eligible voters by requiring them to show a photo ID at the polls. Read More

WI: State Republicans bring back voter ID push - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

State Republicans are renewing their push to make voters show a photo ID before getting a ballot. Read More

National

TVA's Website Recognized as One of the Government's Top Five -- KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

The publication consulted with Internet designers and other independent professionals in the Washington area to determine the government's best-designed public websites. In addition to TVA, web experts also gave top-five rankings to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission; the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Assistance site; the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, which provides data on countries around the world, and the Obama administration's Recovery.gov site, which tracks how tax dollars are spent. Read More

Internet Voting Watch

A new way to view award nominees: iPhone, iPads or iPod Touch - theenvelope.latimes.com

Tom Sherak, the academy's president, said Fox's iTunes deal might also be the first step toward Internet voting.

"If this works as an experiment, hopefully the studios will all become comfortable, and then the next thing would be how can we secure our voting online," Sherak said. "If those two things can be solved, it would make us more confident to bring a proposal back to move the show up earlier in the year." Read More

U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) - RFI: Use of Electronic Voting Systems in Union Officer Elections

On January 11, 2011, the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) will publish in the Federal Register a Request for Information (RFI) notice seeking public comment to assist the Department of Labor (Department) in issuing guidelines concerning the use of electronic voting systems in union officer elections. Read More

CA: Your votes didn't count - Opinion

The historic event of having Fall 2010 host the first online voting process has been overshadowed by what will probably become known as the most infamous election in LBCC history.

Maybe since voting online is so much more convenient, the committee thinks it's reasonable and acceptable to delete the votes and try again. We hope the inch doesn't become a mile, allowing election re-do's to become more frequent and acceptable. Read More

International

Canada: Counting underway as polls close in partial re-run of general election - Winnipeg Free Press



Philippines: Comelec withholds part of Smartmatic’s pay - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Smartmatic-TIM, the technology provider for the country’s first automated national elections last May, is “not yet off the hook” as far as supposed lapses and flaws in the conduct of the voting were concerned, according to an election official. Read More

Poll watchdog bares list of possible replacements for Comelec officials | The Philippine Star News Headlines

The poll watchdog Consortium on Electoral Reforms (CER) has come up with a list of possible replacements for outgoing Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo and Commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer and Gregorio Larrazabal. Read More

United Kingdom: A new voting system – is it really what Britain needs? - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

With 16 weeks to go before the nation makes a historic decision, the two camps put their cases and Paul Bignell invites leading advertising agencies to devise the billboard posters. Read More

Voting News archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/Also at Twitter http://twitter.com/VotingNewsSubscribe to Voting News at this link: http://tinyurl.com/votingnews

Please send article suggestions to votingnews@verifiedvoting.org

=============================================The Voting News is a free service made possible by the 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-vnDisclaimer: 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.