Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Friday 6/3/05

[MelissaB]

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.
If you can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233

3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.


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Link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x374358

All previous daily threads are available here:

http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_2004erd_el_ref_fr_thr_calenders.htm
(This is a new source. Please check it out.)



Please consider recommending this thread for the "greatest".

[MelissaB]

1. Two excellent speeches: Dean and Huffington

Yesterday, today and tomorrow, there's is all sorts of coverage of the Take Back America conference hosted by the Campaign For America's Future (www.ourFuture.org ) ... the conference has had numerous excellent speakers with some great ones still to come ... keep checking C-Span2 ... they periodically cover the conference either live or in reruns ...

coming up either later this evening or tomorrow, Katrina vanden Heuvel and George Lakoff ... they should be very interesting as well ...

Howard Dean reached out this morning to third party voters when he gave his support to Instant Run-off Voting (IRV) ... Dean made a very solid speech outlining the importance of developing a strategic vision to communicate to the American people.

Dean was followed by Arianna Huffington. Her speech started off a bit slowly and then burned down the barn ... if you consider yourself a progressive, don't miss this one ... it really was something ... one of the best i've heard in a long time ...

You can hear the speeches at the following url's (Note: copy and paste the url's below into your media player or go to www.ourFuture.org to see the "live" links to the audio):

Dean: mms://cdncon.wmod.llnwd.net/a277/o2/fotf/conf05/dean.wmv
Huffington: mms://cdncon.wmod.llnwd.net/a277/o2/fotf/conf05/huffington.wmv


Thanks to welshTerrier2 here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1825077

[MelissaB]

2. (Arkansas) County moves toward federal voting guides

County moves toward federal voting guides

by Ed Galucki
staff writer

Election night watch parties of the future will not mean an overnight stay at the courthouse, but for Lonoke County the hours-long wrestling matches with precinct boxes and a balky optical scanner will likely continue for some time to come. Budget constraints mean the county will have to continue with the current system, though with some improvements, JPs agreed at a failed special meeting on Thursday.
Charlie Troutman, county judge, and JPs Gina Burton, Joe Gunter, Richard Kyzer, Mike Dolan, Jeanette Minton and Sonny Moery attended the meeting. With 13 members on the court, a minimum of seven members must be present for a vote to be taken.

...snip

Option B, perhaps the most popular, is also the most expensive. Under this option, the county would install a full electronic voting system of touchscreen units. However, the estimated cost is more than $500,000, Clark said.

Burton said she liked the promise of speed in computerized voting. “Wouldn’t that be faster?” she asked.

Percefull replied that computers would be faster, but the idea of electronic voting is not comfortable for her. “One of the things that comes to mind is one polling station had the transformer go out – they were voting by candlelight,” she recalled from last election.

More: http://www.cabotstarherald.com/Pages/06-01-05/County%20moves%20toward%20federal%20voting%20guides.htm

[MelissaB]

3. Maybe one 'Beers' is enough

Maybe one 'Beers' is enough

Jim Clark
Special to the Bonanza
June 3, 2005

...snip


Sporting a $5 political themed tie he bought in Washington, D.C. Beers shared some "inside Nevada politics" information with his audience. One thing about the 2004 election that has puzzled observers is why GOP assembly candidates did so poorly. There were 19 assembly Republicans before the election and only 16 after. Beers has a theory based on two seemingly independent facts. First, a cabbie told him that he went to Elko last fall and found the motel was full of California union members. Second, Nevada had the second lowest undervote in the United States in 2004. Conclusion? Union volunteers from California came to Nevada, a swing state, called people and told them to vote for Kerry and to boost the minimum wage ... nothing on other contests. However, with the new electronic voting machines, if you didn't vote in every race, the machine bleeped a warning making you feel unpatriotic so people voted whether they knew the candidate or not.

Beers' also pointed out that the Nevada Republican Party raised $4.2 million in the 2004 election cycle compared to $7.4 million for the Nevada Democratic Party, $1.4 million of which came from U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D Ð Nev.).

"What Nevada Republicans need," Beers concluded "is a governor or senator who will help raise money for state and local races." Amen.



Jim Clark is president of the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Republican Advocates and a vice chair of the Washoe County Republican Party. He also serves as chair of Independent Incline.

More: http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20050603/Opinion/106030009

[MelissaB]

4. Brad Johnson stands alone in Helena politics

Brad Johnson stands alone in Helena politics

Johnson decided to run for secretary of state in 2004, and in the primary election again faced someone favored by many party insiders: Todd O'Hair, the natural resource adviser to then-Gov. Judy Martz.

But in something of an upset, Johnson won the three-way primary, defeating O'Hair and Bob Werner of Helena. He then edged Democrat Bill Kennedy in the general election by 8,000 votes.

...snip

"I think a secretary (of state) can make as much out of this job as he or she wants to," he said. "To me, that's all exciting stuff."

As the state's chief election officer, Johnson also worked closely during the Legislature on key bills updating Montana's voting processes.

One of those bills makes it possible for Montanans to register to vote on the day of elections, makes it easier to obtain absentee ballots and creates stringent testing requirements for new electronic voting machines that will be required by federal law.

More: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050603/NEWS01/506030305/1002

[MelissaB]

5. Elections director in Ohio retiring at year's end

Article published Friday, June 3, 2005

Elections director retiring at year's end Fulton Co. official on job since 1992

By JANE SCHMUCKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER

WAUSEON - Gloria Marlatt, director of the Fulton County Board of Elections, plans to submit her resignation at Wednesday's elections board meeting, where discussion also is expected on new voting machines.

Ms. Marlatt, whose resignation is effective at year's end, turns 65 on June 10. She has been director since 1992.

"I want to enjoy life," said Ms. Marlatt, who started part-time work with the board in 1984 and is paid $33,666 yearly. She is a Republican.

Sandra Barber, chairman of the county Republican Party's central committee, said she will call a meeting of its executive committee this month to recommend a replacement for Ms. Marlatt.

More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050603/NEWS08/506030376

[MelissaB]

6. CT: Voting Bill Clears Last Legislative Hurdle

Voting Bill Clears Last Legislative Hurdle

By NOREEN GILLESPIE
& THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published on 6/3/2005

Hartford— Electronic voting machines will have to create a paper trail backup of computerized votes under legislation that overwhelmingly passed the state House Thursday.

The bill was crafted in response to fears that the new technology was subject to hacking, freezing or otherwise “eating” votes, leaving no way to verify how votes were cast in elections.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell will sign the bill, spokesman Rich Harris said.

“It's essential. There's a lot of mistrust of new technology,” said Andy Sauer, executive director of government watchdog group Common Cause, a chief advocate of the bill. “You only need to look at what's happened in Florida and Ohio to worry about voting issues.”

...snip

Some lawmakers questioned if the plan will give voters a false sense of security. There is no guarantee that the machine won't make a mistake and create a flawed paper receipt if it is programmed incorrectly, said state Rep. Robert Farr, R-West Hartford.

“As difficult as it is to try and improve the voting system, it's also important to point out to the public there probably is no perfect system,” he said.


More: http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=50236324-29D1-4A8E-908B-993240AA2DD4

[MelissaB]

7. Ireland: E-voting back on agenda as new tests planned

E-voting back on agenda as new tests planned

03.06.2005 - The Government has issued a new tender to test its e-voting system, indicating that it is determined to press ahead with the controversial technology.

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which handled the original introduction of e-voting, has published a tender for additional assessment, testing and validation of the system. The department will undertake this task in consultation and co-ordination with the Commission on Electronic Voting (CEV), the independent body set up last year to examine the viability of the technology.

Backed by a multi-million euro publicity campaign, e-voting had been scheduled for nationwide introduction at the local and European elections in June 2004. However, this was postponed indefinitely when the CEV issued a report saying that the testing of the system had been insufficient and that it could not verify the accuracy and secrecy of votes recorded.

Even after the system was shelved for last year’s election, officials at the department had expressed the hope that it could be resurrected for use in future campaigns. Legislation to allow electronic voting has been on the statute books since 2001 and the system was piloted during the May 2002 general election and the Nice referendum in October of that year.


More: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single4914

[MelissaB]

8. Voting "yes" for democracy

Voting "yes" for democracy

Published in the Asbury Park Press 06/3/05

With a majority of registered voters getting to the polls in New Jersey only for the presidential or a hotly contested gubernatorial election, anything state officials can do to encourage greater turnout is welcome. A package of bills that cleared a state Senate committee last week can help entice more people to take part.
The bills (S-2461 through S-2165) are designed to "increase voter participation . . . and ensure that all votes are properly cast, counted and protected," said Sen. Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr., R-Monmouth, who is sponsoring the bills with Sen. Thomas H. Kean Jr., R-Union.

They cleared the Senate State Government Committee unanimously last week and deserve a similar reception from the full Senate. Assembly members who represent Monmouth and Ocean counties should urge their house's leaders to introduce companion bills.

...snip

Another bill focuses on training election officials — county clerks, boards of election and poll workers — on distributing polling information and voting machine instruction. The Internet has not been forgotten, with officials required to maintain a Web site offering similar information.

The last piece of the package responds to voters concerned that their electronic vote may not be counted. This bill would require all voting systems to issue a paper record, available to the voter on the spot and kept by election officials for use in any recount.

Machines would have to be updated to provide the paper record, one of the obstacles to approval of comparable legislation sponsored in Congress by Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J. The mechanism adds 10 percent to the $2,000 to $3,000 cost of the machine, Holt says. But it's a price worth paying to instill voter confidence that every vote counts.

Link: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050603/OPINION/506030390/1029

[MelissaB]

9. NC: Panel to study purchase of voting machines

Panel to study purchase of voting machines

GASTON COUNTY

Gaston County plans to form a committee to study the purchase of new voting machines.

About 100 of the county's 339 voting machines were damaged by water from a malfunctioning toilet in January, causing $500,000 in damage. The county received a settlement of about $150,000 from its insurance company to replace machines.

County Manager Jan Winters said no decisions have been made about replacing the machines because the committee has not been formed and the Board of Elections wants its new director, Frances Pinion, who started Wednesday, to help choose the machines.

-- KAREN CIMINO

LInk: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/states/north_carolina/counties/gaston/11802862.htm

[MelissaB]

10. Democrats seek election holiday

Democrats seek election holiday

Conference hopes to increase turnout
June 3, 2005

BY STEWART M. POWELL
HEARST NEWSPAPERS


WASHINGTON -- Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean called Thursday for presidential election days to be designated national holidays or be moved to a weekend -- steps he said would boost voter participation.


Dean, joined by prospective 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards, urged changes in the nation's presidential election system in remarks to an audience of progressive activists at a "Take Back America" conference sponsored by the liberal Campaign for America's Future.


Dean, a physician and former five-term governor of Vermont, called for Congress either to make the first Tuesday of November a federal holiday in presidential election years or move Election Day from a workday to a weekend day to make it easier for voters to cast ballots.


Edwards called for broad election overhaul to increase voter participation, without calling specifically for a national holiday.


"While we're working on democracy over there" in Iraq, "we've got more work to do on democracy right here,' " said Edwards. The former one-term senator from North Carolina ran as the Democrats' vice presidential candidate last November.

More: http://www.freep.com/news/nw/holiday3e_20050603.htm


Also, see John Edward's speech here: http://www.dembloggers.com/main/2

The end of the speech on part 2 is where Edwards made these remarks.

[Wilms]

12. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x374789

[Wilms]

11. CA Election Protection takes on vendors! Help spread the word. June 16th.

1) Press release regarding the California Election Protection Network to Oppose Diebold and ES&S at a June 16th Sacramento Hearing. Everyone is invited for the fun:
http://www.dfa-marin.org/June16HearingPressRelease.pdf


2) Here is a short blurb on the 6/16 event in a Word doc format:
http://www.dfa-marin.org/DriveDiebold.doc


3) Here is the California Election Protection Network’s position statement submitted to the Election Assistance Commission in response to their request for input (before May 25, 2005) on how to implement the Jan. 1 2006 Centralized Voter Registration as mandated by HAVA: http://www.dfa-marin.org/CEPN_sm.pdf

Drive Diebold and ES&S, partisan GOP contributors, out of California!
The California Election Protection Network (“CEPN”) invites you to join them at the Voting Systems & Procedures Panel (“VSPP”),
Thursday, June 16th, 9 AM, in front of the Secretary of State's office, 1500-11th Street, Sacramento, 95814. Testify in favor of open and clean elections at the 10:00 am VSPP hearing. The VSPP certifies voting systems for California.

Rock the boat.
Protect our vote!

For more info & to read CEPN's full press release,
contact Sherry Healy: [e-mail]

Thanks to Amaryllis for posting:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x374795

[Wilms]

13. (OH) Bush to give back $4,000 in Noe cash

Article published Friday, June 3, 2005

RARE-COIN CASE
Bush to give back $4,000 in Noe cash; Democrats want GOP to return over $100,000

By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS

COLUMBUS — President Bush will return $4,000 in campaign contributions donated by Toledo area coin dealer Tom Noe and his wife, officials said yesterday.

A spokesman said the Republican National Committee will also return $2,000 contributed by Mr. Noe, who is facing multiple investigations for allegedly misappropriating at least $10 million in state money and possible federal campaign finance violations. The money will be refunded to charity.

But President Bush will not — at least for now — return more than $100,000 raised by Mr. Noe for his re-election bid last year, said Aaron McLear, a spokesman for the RNC. Democrats continue to call on the President to return all of the “tainted” money raised by Mr. Noe.

On Wednesday, Gov. Bob Taft as well as U.S. Sens. George Voinovich and Mike DeWine, three Republican gubernatorial candidates, and several GOP leaders tried to cleanse their hands of Mr. Noe’s cash by announcing they would direct the money to charities and organizations.

-snip/more-

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050603/NEWS24/50603001



Thanks to OurVotesCount-Ohio for posting:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x374745

[Wilms]

20. Coin dealer contributions went to Schwarzenegger

Coin dealer contributions went to Schwarzenegger

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, AP Statehouse Correspondent

Friday, June 3, 2005

(06-03) 18:57 PDT Columbus, Ohio (AP) --

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won't return $10,000 in contributions he received from a coin dealer at the center of an Ohio investment scandal, a spokesman said Friday.

Coin dealer Thomas Noe gave the money last year to a Schwarzenegger fund that supports the Republican governor's legislative priorities, such as limiting state borrowing to balance the budget.

Ohio's Inspector General is investigating Noe's investment of $50 million in state money in rare coins, while federal authorities are investigating whether Noe bypassed election laws in donations to Bush.

Noe's attorney said May 26 that $10 million to $12 million is missing from the fund, which was given to Noe by the state's Bureau of Worker's Compensation to raise money for the bureau by investing in rare coins.

-snip/more-

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/06/03/state/n185729D83.DTL

Thanks to DemGirl for posting the LBN discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1522083

[Wilms]

14. John Edwards: "I gotta get this off my chest.

While we're working on democracy over there, we've got a little work on democracy to do over here. (Standing ovation) You know, I don't know about you, but I've seen about enough of vote challengers and vote protectors. You know, it is an outrage that in America, in America, any voter should have reason to doubt their vote. So here's a new idea. How about if we actually build the best election system money can buy so that the next time you choose the leader of the free world you don't have any doubt that when you go to the polls you're going to be able to vote, you gonna to be able to vote quickly, and you have absolutely no doubt that your vote was counted in the election. That's what we believe in.

Source: CSPAN

Thanks to MelissaB for posting the discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x374472

[Wilms]

15. Democrats say changes needed in voting system

Posted on Fri, Jun. 03, 2005

Democrats say changes needed in voting system

By Stewart M. Powell

Hearst Newspapers

WASHINGTON - Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean called Thursday for presidential election days to be designated holidays or during the weekend, steps he said would boost voter participation.

Dean, joined by prospective 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards, urged changes in the nation's presidential election system in remarks to an audience of progressive activists at a "Take Back America" conference sponsored by the liberal Campaign for America's Future.

Edwards called for broad election overhaul to increase voter participation, without calling specifically for a national holiday.

"While we're working on democracy over there , we've got more work to do on democracy right here," said Edwards. "How about if we actually build the best election system money can buy so that people don't have any doubt they will be able to vote, they will be able to vote quickly and they will have absolutely no doubt their vote was counted properly?"

-snip/more-
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/11803694.htm

[MelissaB]

16. WA State dems and Governor Gregoire need YOUR help!

Dear fellow Democrat,

We need your help here in Washington. As you may know Rossi has been trying to steal the governor's election in the courts for quite a while now. The state Democrats won't tell you this but I will: Rossi has no chance at becoming governor unless he is elected in 2008. He simply doesn't have a good enough case that the election was stolen from him. But the fact is he does have a good enough case that we have to continue to fight it in court and the fact is that fighting his case in court costs $$$$ and we only have so much. This has been a huge drain on us and we all know that Republicans don't seem to have major problems with money. That doesn't mean they always raise more money than us but we always have to work harder because we have to raise our money from a grassroots level. I'm not at all afraid that we will lose Governor Gregoire because of Rossi's insane lawsuit. But I am afraid that we are going to have to spend so much money defending her that we will lose the House and/or Senate in 2006. So, this is the part where I ask you for money. If you gave $20 it would make my day.
https://secure.wa-democrats.org/contribute.php

Caleb Hayes
Vice-chair, Mason County Democrats
DUer CalebHayes


Thanks to CalebHayes (who is 14 years old) here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1827441#1827574

[MelissaB]

17. Governors' ex-aide linked to campaign probe

Governors' ex-aide linked to campaign probe

Friday, June 03, 2005
John Caniglia, Sandy Theis and Becky Gaylord
Plain Dealer Reporters

H. Douglas Talbott, a former top aide to two Ohio governors, told federal authorities that Republican coin dealer Tom Noe persuaded him to contribute $2,000 to President Bush's re-election campaign - then reimbursed him for the donation, The Plain Dealer has learned.

Talbott appeared Wednesday before a federal grand jury in Toledo that is investigating whether Noe illegally reimbursed as many as two dozen contributors to a Bush fund-raiser in October 2003. The grand jury is looking into whether Noe made the reimbursements to circumvent campaign finance laws, which limit individual contributions to $2,000.

Repeated attempts to reach Talbott were unsuccessful.

His appearance before the grand jury marked the first time a former top aide to Gov. Bob Taft and former Gov. George Voinovich has been linked to the federal investigation of possible laundering of Bush campaign money.

Jon Richardson, an attorney for Noe, could not be reached for comment.

In a separate investigation, the Ohio Ethics Commission is looking into a personal loan that Talbott received from Noe in 2002 to buy a home in Lakeside, near Port Clinton.


More: http://www.cleveland.com/budgetscandal/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1117791231263120.xml&coll=2

[MelissaB]

18. Ohio Officeholders Return Noe Money

Ohio Officeholders Return Noe Money

Two U.S. Senators and Governor Taft are among several Republican officeholders who plan to return campaign contributions they received from a coin dealer under state and federal investigation.

In statements coming within hours of one another Wednesday, Taft and three other statewide officeholders said they were returning contributions from coin dealer Tom Noe, saying he's done a disservice to Ohioans. Contributions totalling almost $60,000 went to House lawmakers, Auditor Betty Montgomery, Attorney General Jim Petro, Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, and the state Republican party.

U.S. Senator George Voinovich says he'll return nearly $14,000 contributed to his campaigns since 1990 and Senator Mike DeWine is donating $7,500 in contributions to charity.

Noe is under investigation for his handling of $50 million in workers' comp money he invested in rare coins.

Link: http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=3428303&nav=LQlCadBK

[Wilms]

19. Overseas Vote Foundation Survey

Media Information June 1, 2005

Global Post Election Survey Reveals ‘Disenfranchised’ Overseas Voters

The results of a worldwide survey of US citizens living abroad has highlighted an urgent need to overhaul the existing complex mechanism of overseas voter registration and balloting in favor of a simple-to-use online system.

The 2004 Post Election Survey of overseas voters published today, June 1, 2005, by Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), a non-partisan organization which aims to improve the electoral experience of Americans living and working outside the United States, reveals that:

a combined total of 43% of the respondents received late ballots or none at all 19% received their ballot after the election had taken place or not at all 24% received their ballots in the period of 2 weeks prior to the election there is a crisis in confidence: 42% of overseas Americans who voted in the 2004 US elections are not confident that their ballot was counted by election officials

The survey, which sought the views and opinions of approximately 65,000 US citizens across the world, received over 11,000 responses (17 percent response rate). 52 percent of the respondents were ‘first time’ overseas voters and 27 percent indicated that this election was the first time they had ever voted. Voters were not asked about party affiliation or which way they cast their ballot.

-snip-

http://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/press/announcements/001

Thanks to FULL_METAL_HAT for posting the discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x374824

[Wilms]

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[Wilms]

22. .