Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sunday 8/21/05

[Melissa G]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sunday 8/21/05

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Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

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Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below

[Melissa G]

1. Questions remain over new voting machines

Questions remain over new voting machines

By BUTCH WEIR/Special to the Item
Saturday, August 20, 2005 5:56 PM CDT



POPLARVILLE - Despite approval by county supervisors last Wednesday afternoon to accept the new touch-screen Diebold voting machines, Circuit Clerk Vickie Hariel said questions about cost and efficiency still remain.

According to press releases from the Mississippi Secretary of State's office, replacing antiquated voting systems state-wide is mandated as part of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. Currently only two counties, Hinds and Rankin, are using touch-screen systems.

snip


There are 34 precincts in the county and figuring two machines per precinct means 68 machines, Hariel said, leaving only 16 extra for the entire county. As some precincts have over 2,000 voters, Hariel says there should be more than 16 machines available as extras.

"If you get in a seven o'clock rush hour and the polls just opened, and a system goes down, you have nothing. You never put yourself in a position where you don't have a backup in any one precinct."

http://www.picayuneitem.com/articles/2005/08/20/news/06voting.txt

[Melissa G]

2. Paul Krugman: Whatever it takes to win a race?

Paul Krugman: Whatever it takes to win a race?
Paul Krugman, New York Times
August 21, 2005 KRUGMAN0821


By running for the U.S. Senate, Katherine Harris, Florida's former secretary of state, has stirred up some ugly memories. And that's a good thing, because those memories remain relevant. There was at least as much electoral malfeasance in 2004 as there was in 2000, even if it didn't change the outcome. And the next election may be worse.

In his recent book, "Steal This Vote" -- a very judicious work, despite its title -- Andrew Gumbel, a U.S. correspondent for the British newspaper the Independent, provides the best overview I've seen of the 2000 Florida vote. And he documents the simple truth: "Al Gore won the 2000 presidential election."

Two different news media consortiums reviewed Florida's ballots; both found that a full manual recount would have given the election to Gore. This was true despite a host of efforts by state and local officials to suppress likely Gore votes, most notably Harris' "felon purge," which disenfranchised large numbers of valid voters.

But few Americans have heard these facts. Perhaps journalists have felt that it would be divisive to cast doubt on the Bush administration's legitimacy. If so, their tender concern for the nation's feelings has gone for naught: Cindy Sheehan's supporters are camped in Crawford, and America is more bitterly divided than ever.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5569692.html

[Melissa G]

3. HAVA and the Rush to Poor Judgment;;

HAVA and the Rush to Poor Judgment;; A Scam to Replace More Trustworthy, Older Technology Voting Machines with Hackable Computerized "Vote Theft" Machines
by Vickie Karp

http://www.opednews.com

8/20/05
If you liked the Orwellian-named “Clear Skies Initiative”or the “No Child Left Behind” Act, you should really love the “Help America Vote Act”, another farce brought to you by our esteemed leaders in the White House and Congress.

How was HAVA created and what is its purpose? Here’s some history:

If someone took a poll today among average Americans on the street and asked them what was the most memorable snafu regarding the 2000 Presidential election, my bet is that overwhelmingly the response would be: the “hanging chad” debacle in Florida.

The media’s coverage of hanging chads created one of the most widespread and effective smokescreens ever devised to fool the American people into believing that chads were the reason for all the hub-bub in Florida, which ultimately led to the Supreme Court selecting our President-- rather than allowing the state to continue to count ballots and determine the real winner of that election.

But hanging chads and the problems that they caused pale in comparison to the REAL reason for the election screwup: intentional matching of over 50,000 minority voters’ names with a list of convicted felons in such a way as to effectively (and illegally) disenfranchise them. The state gave specific instructions to the company executing the voter roll purge to assure that accuracy was not important. These non-felon voters’ ballots would likely have gone to Gore, giving him a clear margin of victory. All this was spearheaded by then - Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who doubled as head of the state campaign to elect Bush. (No conflict of interests there.) The plan began implementation in 1999, a year before the election. While happy voters slept in their beds, Harris plotted to remove their most valued right as American citizens—and she succeeded.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_vickie_k_050820_hava_and_the_rush_to.htm

[Melissa G]

4. The Board of Elections is another casualty in Erie County's Budget Crisis.

Erie County, NY, August 20, 2005) - - The Board of Elections is another casualty in Erie County's Budget Crisis. Polling machines will not be available at all stations. News 4's Barbara Pinson has more on paper ballots.

You can count on a primary election September 13th, but don't count on having the traditional voting booths available. Board of Elections Commissioners are estimating that at least 14 municipalities will have to use paper ballots. Here's why. Erie County Elections Commissioner Ralph Mohr: "Because of the budget shortfall that we've experienced, unfortunately we don't have the manpower to set up voting booths throughout all of Erie County."

Board of Elections Commissioner Ralph Mohr says the last time paper ballots were used as the main method of voting was around the turn of the century, but commissioners say it's the only way to get things done this year.

News 4 Political Analyst Joe Crangle: "It's just another demonstration of the most fundamental right that we have in this country. The right to to vote, and to now make it more complicated for people is really a great inservice that the county legislature and the county executive have imposed on the people of this county."

The Board of Elections had already fallen behind schedule reviewing petition challenges. Mayoral Candidate Darnel Jackson's case is in court today. Commissioners are trying to wait on the outcome to even print the ballots.

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=3745530&nav=0RapdYb7

[Melissa G]

5. Report: AOL Blocking Emails From USCountVotes

DU Discussion
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=390144&mesg_id=390144

Report: AOL Blocking Emails From USCountVotes
Is The Pro-Democracy Movement Under Attack From AOL?
Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Hot on the heels of a recent item about Comcast blocking email containing the address of Cindy Sheehan's website, I have received a report from US Count Votes saying that that they are no longer able to reach AOL customers via email.

UPDATE: Since this item has been posted I have received more specific information. The email that is being blocked comes from the Announcements List at US Count Votes, a.k.a. [e-mail]. According to our source,

AOL blocked it once and an AOL customer got it unblocked but then it was blocked again very shortly and has stayed blocked.

snip
Fast Symptomatic Relief:
If you are an AOL subscriber, you want to set up an additional email account. Hotmail and gmail come to mind; both are free and both allow you to access your account easily from any browser. No doubt there are other options, perhaps better options. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment for us below. Once you have your account set up, you can visit US Count Votes and ask to have your new address added to their mailing list.

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001737.htm

[Melissa G]

6. Ohio election chief can't certify how federal money was spent

Ohio election chief can't certify how federal money was spent

By Wayne Madsen
Online Journal Contributing Writer


August 19, 2005 (waynemadsenreport.com)—Ohio Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell cannot certify how federal election assistance money was spent.

Documents from the Ohio Secretary of State's office and the federal General Services Administration (GSA) provided to WMR indicate that some $30 million provided to Ohio as part of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was not spent on preparations for the 2004 presidential election, as required by the law. In addition, of another $10,384,931 of Section 101 HAVA funds allocated to Blackwell, only $6,870,659.47 was obligated as of December 31, 2004.

Even though the Section 101 funds were for education and training of Ohio voters and poll workers, accessibility for voters, reporting vote fraud, and other administrative requirements, some of the money spent went to firms whose owners were top Ohio GOP political contributors.

An Ohio Secretary of State Financial Status Report shows that as of December 31, 2004, $30,667,664 of HAVA Section 102 funds, money required to be spent on replacing punch card or lever voting machines in precincts that used them in November 2000, was unspent.

Even more astounding is a December 24, 2003, letter from Blackwell to Deborah Schilling at GSA complaining that Ohio had only received $41 million of an expected $155 million in authorized HAVA funds allocated to Ohio. The complaint is contained in a list of reasons why Blackwell could not meet the November 2004 deadline for compliance with HAVA.

http://onlinejournal.com/evoting/081905Madsen/081905madsen.html

[Melissa G]

7. Supervisors say no to secretary of state's plan

Supervisors say no to secretary of state's plan
8/19/2005 11:25:39 PM
Daily Journal

BY LEESHA FAULKNER


Daily Journal


TUPELO - Lee County supervisors took less than 20 minutes Friday to vote 4-1 against Secretary of State Eric Clark's plan for touch-screen voting machines.


The vote means the county will have to buy the machines from another vendor


Lee County was one of six that voted against the plan. Seventy-six of Mississippi's 82 counties decided to participate, 72 by saying yes and fourby taking no action, which effectively meant they opted in. The deadline to decide wasl 5 p.m. Friday.


snip

Before he voted, Ivy said several people had told him they couldn't use the touch screen. "I think we ought to have freedom of choice," he said, "especially in this time frame. We haven't had enough time."


In June the state contracted with Diebold Election Systems to purchase up to 5,164 voting machines using $15 million in federal and state funds provided under the federal Help America Vote Act.

http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=200016&pub=1&div=News

[Melissa G]

8. 76 counties sign up for voting machines (Mississippi)

76 counties sign up for voting machines


Remaining six turn down offer since they already have machines that comply with law

By Laura Hipp
[e-mail]
And Josh Cogswell
[e-mail]

Only six Mississippi counties chose to opt out of a $22.5 million state contract with Diebold to buy voting machines. The contract, signed in July, is part of the state's effort to comply with the Help America Vote Act.
Counties that opted out were: Hinds, Rankin, Desoto, Jackson, Lee and Yalobusha.

Most of Mississippi's 82 counties joined a $22.5 million state contract to purchase voting machines after the deadline for a decision passed Friday.

Secretary of State Eric Clark said in a statement that 76 counties had enlisted. "They will produce the most accurate election results in the history of Mississippi," he said.

But five of the state's most populated counties — Hinds, Rankin, Jackson, Desoto and Lee — chose not to participate in the state program. Rural Yalobusha County in north Mississippi also chose to opt out.


http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050820/NEWS01/508200364/1002

[Melissa G]

9. County not sold on voting receipts

County not sold on voting receipts

By Michael Wright
The Facts

Published August 19, 2005

ANGLETON — Brazoria County officials saw a demonstration Thursday of electronic voting machines that leave a paper trail, but they aren’t sold on the idea.

The machines, made by California-based AccuPoll, would print out the voters’ list of choices. Once the voter verifies the names are correct, he or she would put the letter-sized paper in a locked box

http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=d9ce740a7857f130

[Melissa G]

10. Montgomery and Other Counties May Not be Ready For Voters

Montgomery and Other Counties May Not be Ready For Voters
Aug 21, 2005, 09:46 AM

There's an election battle brewing in Alabama and it has nothing to do with the candidates. A deadline is looming for the entire state to change its voting system. Dozens of counties may not be ready when the next election rolls around in June. Those are the fears of probate judges across the state who are now trying to get an extension. Why won't we meet the deadline and who's responsible?

While voters are waiting to cast their ballots little do they know what's been going on behind the scenes in the election offices. Probate Judge Sherrie Phillips who is president of the Probate Judges Association says "It's very frustrating." The frustration she and other probate judges say they feel is over new voting equipment they should be using for the upcoming primary next June. Phillips says "We're not ready because the system that the majority of the state is using is not ready. It's not compliant."

After all the controversy over Florida's hanging chads Congress passed laws requiring all states to have a paper trail for each voting machine at each precinct by January 1st 2006. Three counties don't have a paper trail at all - Montgomery, Mobile and Dekalb. There are 9 other counties that have a paper trail once the machines get to the courthouse, but not at the precincts. And, 51 other counties don't have a clue yet if their equipment will have to be changed. Alabama's had three years to meet the deadline. Now, with only four months left, there don't seem to be any quick answers. Secretary of State Nancy Worley explains why. "Certainly there's still a delay in certifying voting equipment in the state because we're deadlocked in a two to two vote."

All electronic voting machines in the state must be first certified by a committee of 5. So far, that committee's deadlocked on what the standards should be. State Senator Jeff Enfinger from Huntsville would cast the tie-breaking vote, but he hasn't attended a meeting all year. But, Phillips says the probate judges are pointing a finger at the Secretary of State. "She's the chief election official for the state of Alabama. She has some responsibility..to try to get this all worked out."

http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3730939