Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Friday 9/16/05

[Wilms]

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.


If you want to know how post "News Banners" or other images, go here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=371233#371391

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

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=371114&mesg_id=371114


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

[Wilms]

1. CT: State may have to (lever) scrap voting machines

State may have to scrap voting machines

Gregory B. Hladky, Capitol Bureau Chief

09/16/2005

HARTFORD — A new federal ruling could force Connecticut to replace all 3,300 of its mechanical lever voting machines by November 2006, but state officials warned Thursday such a move could cause mass confusion.


Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said she doesn’t know if it’s even possible for Connecticut to buy enough machines that comply with the federal mandates by Election Day 2006.

Advertisement

Bysiewicz said New York City and states such as Pennsylvania would also be forced to replace their mechanical voting machines by the same deadline, creating a huge demand for new, computerized machines.

"This decision will create havoc in the election of 2006 if it is implemented," said state Sen. Donald J. DeFronzo, D-New Britain, co-chairman of the legislature’s Government Administration and Elections Committee.

-snip-

"This is a stunning decision," said Bysiewicz, explaining that the states have been waiting for years for the EAC to provide guidance. She said the new ruling comes just four months before the federal deadline for compliance with the Help America Vote Act.

-snip/more-
http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15221810&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=517515&rfi=6

[Wilms]

2. CT: Feds bar state's voting machines, prompting uncertainty

Feds bar state's voting machines, prompting uncertainty

By Tobin A. Coleman
Staff Writer

Published September 16 2005

Connecticut's lever-operated mechanical voting machines don't meet new requirements for paper backup, handicapped accessibility and multilanguage capabilities and can't be used in 2006, a federal agency has ruled.

The Election Assistance Commission's ruling could cause havoc for voters in next year's state and federal elections and may require replacement of all of the 3,308 lever operated machines in the state with new electronic technology, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said.

-snip-

"One of the reasons this decision is stunning is because we, in 2003, submitted our plan to the federal government, the federal government approved it and sent us $33 million to put it in place and our plan included using lever machines in 2006," Bysiewicz said in a telephone interview.

-snip-

"The commission's opinion is only advisory, not binding on any state or the Department of Justice," Blumenthal said in a statement. "The authority to decide whether, when, and how to enforce the statute belongs to the Department of Justice."

-snip/more-

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.machines5sep16,0,463633.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines

[Wilms]

11. (EAC) finds CT's lever booths inaccessible to the disabled, prone to error

Voting machines may be history

Federal panel finds Connecticut's lever booths inaccessible to the disabled, prone to error

2005-09-16

By Fred Lucas
THE NEWS-TIMES

-snip-

State officials are scrambling to find out the ruling by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is binding.

-snip-

Though the commission's rulings do not have the force of legislative decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that administrative commissions carry deferential weight when courts interpret laws.

EAC spokeswoman Jeanie Layson said it's up to the U.S. Department of Justice to decide whether to enforce the ruling. A U.S. Justice Department spokesman on voting matters reached Thursday said he would research the decision, but did not call back and could not be reached later for comment.

-snip-/more-

http://news.newstimeslive.com/story.php?id=74485&category=Local

[Wilms]

3. TX: County adopts budget, rescinds electronic voting contract

Friday September 16, 2005

County adopts budget, rescinds electronic voting contract

By Denton Ramsey / Staff Writer

-snip-

"We've been waiting two months for the Patriot System to work out bugs," Beard said. "I suggest the first step is to rescind the contract with Unilect."

That motion was approved unanimously by the commissioners.

"Before the end of the month, we need to move forward with something," Beard said.

The court then approved a motion to go forward with the second choice, ES&S, for the county's electronic voting system, which is federally mandated.

"I'm going to call for an adoption of a multi-purpose resolution which cancels the Unilect contract and substitutes ES&S as our election system vendor," Beard said.

-snip/more-

http://www.alpineavalanche.com/articles/2005/09/15/news/news04.txt

[Wilms]

4. Should election software be open source?

ZDNet

September 16, 2005

Should election software be open source?

-Posted by Dana Blankenhorn @ 8:32 am

General Applications Government

-snip-

I ask this because I really don't know who has been getting elected in my home state of Georgia these last three years. There is no paper audit trail. The software is all closed-source. They tell me who has won each time, and they publish numbers in the newspaper, but the point is there is no way to check.

-snip-

Here in Georgia elections are run under a 2002 contract with the Diebold Corp., using a program called GEMS that runs under Microsoft Windows. Everything is closed-source. I don't know what is going on.

The Secretary of State who signed this contract, Cathy Cox (above), is now a candidate for Governor. I notice that the State Elections Board is now being careful to strip her of all authority for elections, and eliminate her name from election-related releases to the press and public.

Maybe, at the next election, she will understand my unease about all this.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=442

[MissWaverly]

9. I don't have a clue in Maryland either

I myself saw the voting machine I used in 2004 default to Bush
5 times, there has been little progress in getting voting reform
legislation past our Republican governor. I believe that the only
real progress has to come on the National level.

[texpatriot2004]

5. The date at the top of your post says 8/16/05 should be 9/16/05

Right?

[Wilms]

6. n/t

;)

[FogerRox]

7. Jaco wins voting-machine deal

Jaco wins voting-machine deal
Hauppauge-based manufacturer to make electronic displays that may be used throughout the state




BY RICHARD J. DALTON JR
STAFF WRITER

September 15, 2005

Hauppauge-based Jaco Electronics Inc. has secured a contract from voting-machine maker Sequoia Voting Systems to manufacture the final prototype of electronic voting machines that may be used in counties throughout New York State, executives from both companies said yesterday.

The electronic voting machines would be the first in the country to display an entire ballot and provide a paper trail, said Alfie Charles, spokesman for Sequoia, a voting-machine company based in Oakland, Calif. Other machines require voters to scroll through several pages. New York State requires the entire ballot to appear on the screen.



Jaco also secured a contract with Sequoia to make 3,000 15-inch, flat-panel, voting displays. Jaco spokesman Robert Rinderman said the deal is worth millions of dollars but wouldn't be more specific.

Several investors voted that the deals would be a boon for Jaco: Shares closed at $3.999, up 8 percent, on the Nasdaq.

full story http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzjaco4426631sep15,0,7556036.story?coll=ny-business-headlines

[Wilms]

8. Carter-Baker Commission to Release Final Report

Bi-partisan Carter-Baker Commission to Release Final Report on Federal Election Reform

9/16/2005 2:37:00 PM

To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor

Contact: Larry Farnsworth of the Office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, 202-225-2800

News Advisory:

American University's Center for Democracy and Election Management (CDEM) has organized the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform. This special Commission has been made up of 21 leaders of various political, academic and civic non-partisan groups.

On Monday, Sept. 19, former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker and other members of the Commission will be on Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and present the Commissions findings.

After Former President Carter and Former Secretary Baker meet with members of Congress to notify them of the Commissions findings, the two leaders will hold a press availability announcing the contents and recommendations of the final report.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=53512


COMMISSION ON FEDERAL ELECTION REFORM
http://www.american.edu/ia/cfer


Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x393779

[Wilms]

10. WY: State moves on voting upgrades

State moves on voting upgrades

By JOAN BARRON
Star-Tribune capital bureau

CHEYENNE

-snip-

As a result, 20 counties will have the AutoMark system, which is a combination of an optical scanner and a touch screen, Deputy Secretary of State Pat Arp said.

-snip/more-

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/09/15/news/wyoming/3279e6dca34d84f88725707c007ed815.txt

[Wilms]

12. Actual link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x393530

It was wrong in the OP.

[Wilms]

13. .