Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News MONDAY, 9/26/05

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National Summit To Save Our Elections
A Call to Rescue Our Democracy

PORTLAND, OREGON 9/30-10/2
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/info

Registration:
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/registration

Never forget the pursuit of Truth.
Only the deluded & complicit accept election results on blind faith.

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News MONDAY, 9/26/05

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.

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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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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=371233#371391



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CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

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1. OBAMA Lays the “Smack Down” on Carter-Baker’s National Voter ID

We may have our first prominent spokesman. Voting Rights are vital to all Americans. Senator Obama has spoken clearly and for the record stating the case against a National voter ID card. For those in the media who make a big deal out of President Carter’s support of this the National Voter ID, please remember two things: (1) President Carter lent his considerable prestige in general and on elections to a commission co-chaired by the “brains” behind the Florida 2000 post election fiasco—Baker begat Bolton who begat the “preppy riot” at the Miami, FL BoE which ended the Miami Dade recount; (2) President Carter must have heard about the controversy and harsh criticism of the new Georgia Voter ID Card requirement arising form citizens and civil rights leaders all over the state and country. Obama is crystal clear on the subject. He covers all the bases. He is a great Democratic leader and the very first nationally prominent Democratic heavy weight to speak out on voting rights and election fraud in clear and unambiguous terms THANK YOU SENATOR OBAMA!!!

Obama voices opposition to photo voting requirement

http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/local.cfm?ArticleID=2377


by Karen E. Pride, Chicago Defender
September 26, 2007

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) filed a resolution last week opposing a recommendation that would require all eligible voters to show photo identification before casting a vote.

Obama reacted to the findings of the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal
Election Reform released a week ago.

During a teleconference Friday, Obama told reporters there were several good ideas coming from the commission but the call for the photo ID was a really bad one.

"It may seem to make sense on the surface, " he said. "But the problem is you have a large proportion of people who don't have driver's licenses. So, they would have to pay to get state-issued ID cards, which might cost money and cause hardship for minorities."

He offered the state of Georgia as an example of how this mandate could be dangerous, especially for African Americans, Hispanics, seniors and disabled persons.

Georgia has already proposed a law requiring the photo ID.

"There are 159 counties in Georgia and only 56 locations throughout the state where you can get the state-issued ID, and none of them is in Atlanta," said Obama.

The idea of having a state ID so people can cash checks or travel on airlines makes great sense, he told the Chicago Defender.

"But don't tie it to the right to vote," he said. "If every state in the country wants to issue free ID's or even charge for one, that's terrific. But don't put them up as barriers for voters."

He said according to the Georgia chapter of the American Association of
Retired Persons, 36 percent of residents over the age of 75, or one third of them, don't have a driver's license.

In the United States, Obama said, more than three million people with disabilities don't have a government issued identification card.

"And a study done in Wisconsin in June found the rate of license possession by African Americans was half that of whites," he said. "What's most disturbing is this is a solution in search of a problem. There has been no documentation that voter fraud resulting from a person going to a polling place pretending to be someone else is a problem."

Right now, said Obama, if you want to vote in Illinois, you can register by mail or at your library or City Hall.

On Election Day, you show up, give your name and cast your ballot.

If you don't have an ID or proof of residence, you can use something else that matches a name to an address.

"What we've done is set up this resolution, which I introduced in the Senate, to oppose the commission's recommendation,” said Obama. "There are 21 supporters so far. If we can get all 45 Democrats in the Senate, which I'm hoping we can, to indicate their opposition to this, then it sends a strong signal that any attempt to move this forward would potentially meet with a filibuster."

CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

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2. PORTLAND, OREGON: National Summit to Save Our Elections 9/30-10/2

If you are at all able to attend this conference, do! This is a major event in the voting rights and fair elections movement, as you will see form the list of speakers and activities. If you’re unable to attend, please check for daily updates on the proceedings and breaking news.

National Summit to Save Our Elections
A Call to Rescue Our Democracy

http://summit.oregonvrc.org/info

Registration:
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/registration

Our Goal: Rescue Democracy

This Summit arises out of the need to rescue our democracy by restoring the right of "We the People" to vote and to oversee the counting of our votes. The objective of this conference is to bring together all the latest information on efforts to restore public ownership and oversight of elections, and to ensure the fundamental right of every American citizen to vote and to have each vote counted as intended in a secure, transparent, impartial, and independently audited election process. There are many facets to this effort and it will take everyone to get involved in order to achieve the goal.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Workshop: How to Engage, Educate & Elect <60 min.>
---Jefferson Smith
2:15 PM - 3:15PM]

Panel Discussion: Working with the Media <60 min.>
---Blair Bobier, Media Director, Green Party 2004 Presidential Campaign
---Penny Little, People to People TV, Producer of “Electile Dysfunction”

3:30 – 5:00 PM

Workshop: How Can I Make a Difference? <90 min.>
---Kat L'Estrange
---Warren Linney

FIRST UNITARIAN - Main St. Sanctuary, Saturday, 10/1--------Return to Index

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8:30 – 9:00 AM

Corporate Ownership of Our Elections: The Threat to Our Democracy <30 min.>
---Thom Hartmann, The Thom Hartmann Radio Program

9:00 – 10:30 AM

Panel Discussion: Corporate Ownership of Our Elections – Current Developments <90 min.>
---Thom Hartmann, moderator
---John Gideon, Voters Unite
---Nancy Price, Alliance for Democracy
---Matthew Pascarella, Investigative Journalist and assistant to Greg Palast
10:45 AM – 12:15 PM

Workshop: Digital for Dummies - The Perils of Electronic Elections <90 min.>
---Kip Humphrey
---Clint Curtis

Registration:
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/registration

1:30 – 2:00 PM

Voter Owned Elections <30 min.>
---JoAnne Bowman, Former Oregon House Representative

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Keynote Speaker: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. <30 min.>

2:30 – 3:00 PM

Lessons learned from the 2004 Presidential Election & the Ohio Recount <30 min.>
---David Cobb (introduced by Blair Bobier)

3:15 – 4:00 PM

Verifying Election Results Panel <45 min.>
---Oregon VRC election audits
---Judy, Alter Parallel Elections
---__________________, Exit Polls

4:00 - 4:30 PM

---Ronnie Dugger, Founder, Alliance for Democracy and author of “How They Could Steal the Election This Time.” <30 min.>

4:30 - 5:00 PM

What have we learned? Where do we go from here? <30 min.>
---Thom Hartmann, Author
---Paul Lehto, Attorney at Law

Registration:
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/registration

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7:00 – 8:00 PM

Democracy Revival <60 min.>
---Paul Lehto, Attorney at Law

FIRST UNITARIAN - Fuller Room, Saturday, 10/1--------Return to Index

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10:45 AM - 12:15 PM

Workshop: From Good Intentions to Powerful Action: How to Make a Difference
---Emily Levy
FIRST UNITARIAN - Chapel, Saturday, 10/1--------Return to Index

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1:30 - 2:00 PM

Workshop: Building the “New Generation” Voting Rights Movement - A Two-front Strategy <30 min.>
---Alyssa Macy, Center for Civic Participation
---Patrick Barrett, Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution
---Nell Greenberg, Global Exchange
PSU Track #1, Sunday, October 2--------Return to Index

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8:00 – 9:00 AM

Thinking Patriotically, Acting Locally (and NOW) <60 min.>
---Bernie Ellis

Registration:
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/registration

Workshop: Local Strategies for Election Reform <60 min.>
---David Berman

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10:20 – 11:20 AM

Workshop: The Money Trail <60 min.>
---Black Box Voting

Registration:
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/registration

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

Closing Thoughts on Where do we go from here? <45 min.>
---Paul Lehto, moderator
---Rady Ananda, citizen activism
---Brad Friedman, be the media
---Ellen Thiesen, verifying election results

12:15 PM –12:30 PM

Wrap-up, Next Steps & Thank Yous <15 min.>
---Oregon VRC and AfD
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ADJOURN

Summit Agenda - PSU Sunday Track #2

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PSU Track #2, Sunday, 10/2--------Return to Index

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9:10 - 10:10 AM

How to Test Voting Machinery Software <30 min.>
---John Washburn, CSQE

Open Source Voting <30 min.>
---Will Illingworth, Open Sourcery
---Ellen Thiesen, VotersUnite

Registration:
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/registration

10:20 - 11:20 AM

Workshop: Citizen Audit Parallel Election Project <60 min.>
---Judy Alter

Summit Agenda - PSU Sunday Track #3

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PSU Track #3, Sunday, October 2--------Return to Index

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9:10 - 10:10 AM

Workshop: The Pollworker, Eyes on the Polls<60 min.>
---Marybeth Kuznik

10:20 - 11:20 AM

Workshop: How to Teach and Election Reform Teach-In <60 min.>
---Lara Shaffer and Penny Little


Registration:
http://summit.oregonvrc.org/registration

CLICK HERE to get quick access to the 2004 Election Fraud & Research Forum[/b

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3. CA: Board of Elections Officials State-wide Oppose Paper Trail—Not Conven

This is simply too pathetic for comment. Read it and weep!

California must retain election transparency

http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/oped/ci_3058434
OpEd Alameda Times-Star 24 September 2005

OUR elections are held to transfer political power between the voters and the government, not for the convenience of local election officials.

That's the belief of Kim Alexander, president of the nonprofit California Voter Foundation. Her comments came after members of the California Association and Clerks and Elections Officials wrote to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger claiming that computerized touch-screen voting has made the state's manual recount law obsolete.

The clerks don't want to resort to recounts, as they have for 40 years, if the accuracy of the vote comes into question.
State Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey, chairwoman of the Senate Elections and Apportionment Committee, said that doing away with protections and vote recounts that check accuracy is "an enormous mistake."

The clerks and election officials say the paper printouts required by state law in California and 25 other states are jam-prone and create administrative nightmares that would be "onerous and time consuming."

Instead, they propose "parallel monitoring," a system that tests the touch-screens by conducting a scripted mock election on Election Day and then checking to see if the votes were recorded properly. It does not, however, check whether the votes are recorded or tallied properly.

They also admit that computerized voting alone is vulnerable to fraudulent programming.
<snip>
Computer scientists voiced concerns as early as 2003 about relying entirely on computers for voting, as it opens the door to new problems with programming error and fraud. Their solution was the voter-verified paper trail.

But the election officials, whose responsibility it is to check and make sure that the votes are recorded and tabulated correctly, say that is what makes their job "onerous." They would prefer to do parallel monitoring. Editorial comment (first ever within a story). “Parallel monitoring” simply monitors separate machines. It is totally meaningless to say you are monitoring an election when you don’t check the machines used for voting and when you don’t have a paper record to check against the machines. There should be a law against this level of stupidity. If they continue, for one more second, to find the recount process "onerous" then I suggest that they all resign collectively and be replaced by citizens who value free and fair elections and respect democracy. These people are beyond the pale and lack the fundamental abilitiy to reason through a problem or the fundamental commitment to democracy we should demand out of elections officials.

<>

We need more — not fewer — checks on the accuracy of votes and tabulations. In this new era, we must preserve California's manual recount law.

CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

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4. OH: Miami Tries to Prevent Another Disaster Election. Good Luck.

Tonight’s quiz will get you a free subscription to this daily online publication for at least a month. “What is the hidden irony on the following page. Please append your answers to this post. The decision of the judges is final. Please note that this contest is considered a “game of chance” in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Users form those states are not allowed to play. Hint, Miami (right town, wrong state!). I award myself the prize. Please do not respond to this question. The contest is over.”

Miami County plans to avoid election mishaps
Board trying to decide on machine placement

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0923election.html
By Nancy Bowman Dayton Daily News 23 September 2005

TROY | Miami County election officials don't want any more Election Day nightmares.

Election board members asked the staff Wednesday to come up with a plan by Oct. 3 on how the more than 300 new electronic voting machines will be deployed to 52 voting locations.

Board members said having the machines ready for voting at 6:30 a.m. is the first consideration, not the cost. Some expressed concern about reliability of outsourcing the set up and tear down, particularly if those hired are not familiar with polling locations.

"You talk about egg on your face ... if these machines are not out there and set up," board member Kelly Gillis said.

<snip>

At $2,700 each, the machines must be handled differently, Quillen said.

Board member Richard Adams said the election, although not the largest since the elections board was replaced in 2002, could be the most complicated because of "so many unknowns."

The board resigned, new administrators hired and elections operations placed on state administrative oversight after a chaotic November 2001 election in which 29 of 82 precincts had ballot shortages.

The oversight was lifted last year.

CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

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5. NY: Boards of Elections Discover Voting Machines Cost Real Money

We’ve discussed the new role of Boards of Elections, going from bureaucratic back waters to major players in county governments. Here’s a great example. This new Board of Elections is finding out that compliance with all the “helpful HAVA electronic hedonism” has a price, in real dollars. I wonder what simple paper ballots with appropriate accommodations for handicapped voters would cost?

Elections will cost counties

http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/09/24/vote24.htm
By Paul Brooks Times Herald-Record 24 September 2005

The curse of the hanging chad is striking towns in the mid-Hudson. It could cost millions of dollars.

Voters will remember the hanging chad from the 2000 presidential election in Florida. The debacle prompted Congress to pass the Help America Vote Act.

In New York, the law puts county boards of elections in charge. They take over the job from town officials, the ones who have run elections locally for years.

The new job means the county boards are in charge of buying, storing, maintaining and moving the voting machines. New ones are supposed to be coming, but the purchases are behind schedule. The county has to hire and train election staff, manage and keep more records. All that means more staff, six in Ulster County, for example, according to Tom Turco and Kathy Mihm of the county's Board of Elections. They outlined the impact at a meeting of town supervisors this week.

"It's huge," Mihm said.

The tab is big, up to $600,000 in Ulster and $797,000 in Orange. Sullivan Republican Election Commissioner Fran Thalmann said her office will not meet with budget administrators until Oct. 5 and has not yet figured out the HAVA impact. Given the population of the county, though, it will probably be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

<snip>

CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

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