Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Saturday, April 1

[livvy]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News

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 new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

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.



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




Click here to go back to the main forums.

[livvy]

1. Legislature Comes Close to Fisticuffs in Voter ID Fight

Legislature Comes Close to Fisticuffs in Voter ID Fight

KELSY BADANEWS
Assinine Press

Washington. - Legislation requiring photo identification to vote was argued in a joint session of the House and Senate on Friday, with both supporters and opponents almost coming to blows over the recommendations from a commission co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter to justify their positions.
The bill would require voters to show a government-issued photo identification to cast a ballot - a change supporters say is necessary to prevent voter fraud. Critics say government required photo identification would be a hassle that discourages people from voting, and be very expensive as well. Supporters of the bill say that $100 per identification is a small price to pay for the right to vote.
Carter’s commission called for states to require photo identification at the polls. ID cards should follow a federal law requiring people to prove without a doubt they are legally in the country before obtaining driver's licenses or state ID cards. DNA testing was mentioned as one possible way for people to prove who they are, if fingerprints failed to return an identity. The costs of the testing would be the responsibility of the applicant.
"I just don’t understand what the problem is. Americans have to remember you have to have the equivalent to what we're requiring to cast a ballot to cash a check or board a plane," the former Democratic president said.
During the heated session on Friday, Senator Kennedy exchanged barbs with Representative Miller who later challenged him to a duel.

>more...

I promise....this will be the only one.....I just couldn't help myself...











---

[nicknameless]

19. !

:spank:

Seemed almost credible at the beginning, after having read Carter's Kos diary in which he referred to James Baker as
an "honest man".

[EFerrari]

21. livvy, check your pms.

:hi:

[livvy]

2. Excellent Post by Land Shark

Be sure to catch this post and add your thoughts to the thread. It's a good one!



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x420067

[livvy]

3. NYT: Editorial - New Orleans Needs a Leader

April 1, 2006
Editorial
New Orleans Needs a Leader

Everyone who lived in New Orleans on the day that Hurricane Katrina struck should have the opportunity to vote in the coming mayoral election. Those who fled the storm and its aftermath did not choose to move away. Many early evacuees thought they were leaving for a single day, never expecting that the levees would break and turn them into long-term exiles overnight.

It is the job of state and local officials to do everything reasonable to make sure that as few people as possible are disenfranchised. To raise awareness, the Louisiana secretary of state's office has organized a publicity blitz with newspaper advertisements and television and radio spots. There will be polling places for the New Orleans election in 10 other parishes around the state. Right now the state budget for this election is $3 million — a figure that the secretary's office expects to climb to as much as $4 million — compared with the $400,000 spent to hold a normal election.

Such efforts tell us that officials are taking the task seriously and making a good-faith effort to do the best job possible in the messy wake of a historic disaster. Yet with hundreds of thousands of city residents spread across the state, the region and the country, the election will invariably be imperfect.

Some civil rights advocates have gone to court to challenge the fairness of this month's election, especially for underprivileged African-Americans. They have called for satellite polling places in cities with large populations of displaced New Orleans residents, like Houston. The ruling that the city election should take place as scheduled, on April 22, was issued this week by Judge Ivan Lemelle of Federal District Court in New Orleans, himself an African-American and a former resident of the hard-hit New Orleans East neighborhood. A runoff is likely to be held later in the mayoral race. The judge declined to require voting centers out of state; the very legality of such polling stations is in doubt.

>more

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/01/opinion/01sat1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

[livvy]

4. FEC Ordered to Rethink '527' Rules

FEC Ordered to Rethink '527' Rules

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 31, 2006; A05

U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has rejected requests by the Bush-Cheney campaign and by two advocates of campaign finance legislation to order the Federal Election Commission to impose tough regulations on "527" political committees that put more than $400 million into the 2004 elections.

Instead, in a ruling issued late Wednesday evening, the judge gave the FEC a choice: Either explain in detail why regulations are not needed or begin proceedings to develop such rules.

In the 2003-04 election cycle, 527 committees active in federal elections raised $424 million, according to the Campaign Finance Institute. Pro-Democratic groups spent $314.4 million and pro-Republican groups spent $84.1 million.

The judge warned that if the FEC continues to treat 527 committee complaints on a case-by-case basis instead of issuing encompassing rules, it will have to explain how the interests of complainants will be protected under time-consuming processes that often do not produce any action until the election is over.

>more

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/30/AR2006033001746.html

[livvy]

5. NYT: G.O.P. Is Taking Aim at Advocacy Groups

March 31, 2006
G.O.P. Is Taking Aim at Advocacy Groups
By CARL HULSE and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

WASHINGTON, March 30 — To many Republicans, the liberal activist organization MoveOn.org is a political boogeyman that they hope to chase off with new restrictions on so-called 527 groups.

But the pursuit may turn out to be fruitless. Like other major groups planning to inject themselves aggressively into the midterm elections through advertisements, voter drives and issue fights, MoveOn.org has already figured out what it thinks is a better, and less controversial, way to spend its millions. Its 527 — named for a section of the tax code — is being put on ice.

"Our 527 is dormant," said Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org. He said his group would predominantly operate as a conventional political action committee, allowing it to more freely mix explicit political support and issue advocacy in a way that Mr. Pariser described as "squeaky clean."

MoveOn.org might be moving on from its 527, but Congress is not. Two years after 527's burst onto the political scene, gaining notoriety by raising unlimited amounts from private donors, Congressional Republicans are moving to rein in the groups — just in time for the November midterm elections. Leading Democrats are threatening a fight.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Representative John A. Boehner, the House majority leader, sees advocacy groups as a "gaping loophole" in overhauling campaign finance.


>much more (There was much I really wanted to post, but following the rules, I've only given you the first four paragraphs. Good read though...
Pelosi makes a good point about the huge amounts Repubs collect from large corporations, which aren't part of the issue. I think the reason the Repubs are so afraid of the 527's is they reflect the will of the people, and that just won't do, not with this "administration", anyway.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/washington/31groups.html

[livvy]

6. Judge Says FEC Failed to Curb Soft Money

Judge Says FEC Failed to Curb Soft Money

By TONI LOCY, Associated Press WriterThu Mar 30, 11:58 AM ET

The Federal Election Commission failed to give a good reason for refusing to rein in nonprofit political groups that spent huge sums in the 2004 presidential elections, a judge has ruled in a case brought by President Bush's campaign and lawmakers.

In a 34-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said the FEC failed to give "a reasoned explanation" for its decision not to issues rules to require so-called "527" groups to register as federal political action committees and face the same strict fundraising, spending and disclosure rules PACs do.

But Sullivan stopped short of saying the FEC had abused its discretion. Nor did he order it to develop rules to crack down on the groups' fundraising and spending.

Instead, the judge in his ruling Wednesday sent the issue back to the FEC and ordered the commission to "articulate its reasoning," or come up with a rule for the groups "if necessary."

>more



http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2629&ncid=2629&e=22&u=/ap/20060330/ap_on_go_ot/shadow_parties_1

[livvy]

7. Utah Aims to Alter Primary Calendar

Utah Aims to Alter Primary Calendar



By BROCK VERGAKIS, Associated Press WriterFri Mar 31, 4:16 AM ET

Utah is fed up with presidential candidates who get no closer than 30,000 feet as they fly over the state. The state isn't necessarily blaming the candidates, but rather a primary calendar that puts it months behind Iowa, New Hampshire and states that typically settle the Democratic and Republican nominations long before the Utah even writes its ballot.

Determined to change the status quo, Utah wants to hold a 2008 presidential primary the first week in February, which would put it on par with about a half dozen states that trail Iowa and New Hampshire, but still are in the thick of the contest.

Gov. Jon Huntsman, who earlier this month signed legislation to finance an earlier date, hopes it touches off a Western wave, with seven states joining Utah to create a super primary that stretches from Montana to the Mexican border.

"They can choose to compete here or they can choose to avoid or neglect us all together," Huntsman said. "If we are positioned early enough, it does have consequences in terms of the message sent to the region and indeed the rest of the country."

>more


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060331/ap_on_el_pr/western_primary_1;_ylt=AuJqUVsEzzn7_6hArc7BPuLJ76Mv;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[livvy]

8. Progress Since 2000 Voting Debacles Questioned

MSNBC.com

Progress since 2000 voting debacles questioned
Will reforms instituted since the Florida recount six years ago work?
By Huma Zaidi
NBC News
Updated: 4:16 p.m. ET March 30, 2006

WASHINGTON - Almost six years after the numerous recounts, hanging chads, and legal challenges that marred the 2000 presidential race, voters and lawmakers will soon see if reforms enacted as a result of the infamous election have been effective. While much progress has been made, some experts worry that it could get worse before it gets better.

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA), passed by the federal government in 2002 in reaction to the Florida 2000 recount, has changed the way voting and vote-counting takes place in America.

On Wednesday, more than two dozen experts in election management and reform gathered at American University here for a conference -- hosted by the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform -- to examine whether or not HAVA is working. The answer to the question is... good question.

Since Jan. 1 marked the deadline for states to meet all of HAVA's requirements, the first real test of whether it has made any difference in the efficiency and accuracy of elections will be seen in this year's contests. But many are worried -- and with cause.

>more

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12083134/from/RSS/

Unfortunately they forgot to mention the issue of transparency in elections, and voter confidence in election results. But, it is a MSNBC piece, so what more could one expect?

[livvy]

9. CA: New Voters Being Rejected

New voters being rejected
Many didn't provide the identification that's now required

John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writer

Friday, March 31, 2006

Problems with a new statewide voter registration system could keep tens of thousands of Californians from showing up on election rolls this June.

More than 25 percent of the new registration forms sent to the state since Jan. 1 have been returned to the counties, most because they lack the driver's license, state identification or Social Security numbers now required by federal law.



In San Mateo County, more than a third of the registrations turned in to the state since the first of the year have been rejected. The number is even higher in sprawling Los Angeles County, where 43 percent of the registrations this year have been sent back to the county.


On Wednesday, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson announced a monthlong effort to educate voters about the new registration rules. When asked about the county registration woes, he said it would be unacceptable for eligible voters to be turned away at the polls because of a technicality.

more


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/31/MNGC1I1ARQ1.DTL

[livvy]

10. AL: Legislature Appears Poised to Delay Primary Runoff Elections

Posted on Fri, Mar. 31, 2006


Legislature appears poised to delay primary runoff elections

BOB JOHNSON
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - While two different bills are pending, the Alabama Legislature appears poised to vote to delay the June 27 primary runoff elections until July 18 to give time for military service members overseas to cast ballots.

The U.S. Justice Department has sued the state, claiming there is not enough time between the primary election June 6 and the runoffs on June 27 for military personnel overseas to receive and return absentee ballots. State officials have said it currently takes 10 to 15 days for mail to reach soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Alabama Senate and the House have divided on how to solve the problem. The Senate on Thursday passed a bill to move the primary runoffs back to July 18 and to allow overseas military ballots to be counted if they are received up to a week after the runoffs. The House earlier approved legislation that would keep the runoffs on June 27, but would allow soldiers overseas to use special ballots in the June 6 vote allowing soldiers to mark their runoff preferences in races with three or more candidates.

Attorney General Troy King said Friday that the Justice Department has expressed reservations about allowing use of the special ballots. King said he believes the House will go along with the Senate and vote to delay the runoffs until July 18.

>more


http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14235317.htm

[livvy]

11. FL: Earlier Primary Touted As Aid to Florida

Posted on Fri, Mar. 31, 2006

ELECTIONS
Earlier primary touted as aid to Florida
Tired of Florida not counting when it comes to picking presidential nominees, state lawmakers say they want to move up its presidential primary.
BY LESLEY CLARK AND MARY ELLEN KLAS
[e-mail]

Florida Republicans want to move the state's 2008 presidential primary up to just after New Hampshire's, giving the state a major boost in picking the next occupant of the White House.

Under the plan, Florida's presidential primary, often a largely meaningless contest held in March, would be moved up to just seven days after the New Hampshire primary, giving the state a greater say in anointing candidates, said Rep. Marco Rubio, a Miami Republican who is backing the proposal.

''Florida is the microcosm of the entire nation,'' said Rubio. He said he will push the idea next legislative session, when he becomes speaker of the House. ``What issue is there nationally that is not an issue in Florida?''

The political irrelevance of large states like Florida in picking presidential candidates has long been a point of contention. By the time of the Florida primary, the candidates have been chosen by smaller states -- including New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina -- that Rubio argues lack Florida's size and diversity.

>more

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14228183.htm

[livvy]

12. FL: (State Attorney General) Crist Goes After Voting Firms

Posted on Thu, Mar. 30, 2006

TALLAHASSEE
Crist goes after voting firms
State Attorney General Charlie Crist wants to know if the three companies authorized to sell voting machines in Florida have conspired to keep new machines out of the hands of a maverick elections supervisor in Tallahassee.
By MARC CAPUTO AND GARY FINEOUT
[e-mail]

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's attorney general is pursuing anti-trust and civil-rights investigations of three voting-machine companies to see if they conspired in their refusal to sell equipment to the top elections official in Florida's capital.

Charlie Crist issued subpoenas to the companies Wednesday and demanded documents in response to 20 questions about their communications with each other, their marketing plans and why they refused to sell voting machines to Ion Sancho, Leon County's maverick elections supervisor. Responses are due May 5.


Crist said the companies need to explain their reasons for not selling the ATM-style, touch-screen voting machines that Leon County needs to comply with federal law to make it easier for blind people to vote. If Leon County is not in compliance, the entire state could face a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice as early as May 1.


The companies -- Diebold, Elections Systems & Software and Sequoia Voting Systems -- all denied colluding and pledged to cooperate with the civil investigations. ES&S supplies Miami-Dade and Broward's touch-screen voting machines, which Sancho did not test.

>more


http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/14218870.htm

[Algorem]

13. Thai protesters want election called off

http://www.newstoday-bd.com/international.asp?newsdate=3/31/2006

BANGKOK, Mar 30: Thousands of Thai protesters marched on the offices of the country''s election commission Thursday demanding the last-minute cancellation of this weekend''s polls, reports AFP.
The latest protest in two months of political turmoil followed a Bangkok sit-in overnight that drew around 50,000 people onto the streets calling on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to step down before Sunday''s vote.

"This is a very critical moment. Only people power can force Prime Minister Thaksin to quit," rally leader Chamlong Srimuang told the crowd, which waved banners calling the commission members "political criminals."...

Thaksin seems guaranteed to win the vote, which he called three years early in hopes of ending the street protests calling for his resignation over allegations of corruption and abuse of power...

Public anger erupted in January after Thaksin''s family pocketed nearly two billion dollars in the tax-free sale of its stake in Shin Corp, the telecoms giant Thaksin founded before entering public office.

[livvy]

14. Is the (MSM) Finally Getting Half the Rigged Voting Machine Story?

Elections & Voting
Is the mainstream media finally getting half the rigged voting machine story?
By Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
Online Journal Guest Writers


Mar 31, 2006, 20:31

The fact that electronic voting machines don't work may finally be sinking into a segment of the mainstream media. The fact that e-voting machines can, have been, and will be used to steal elections, continues to go unreported.

At least the corporate media have moved from framing the allegations of e-voting fraud as “conspiracy theory” into reporting epic errors in election results.

Both USA Today and the New York Times have run recent articles on the mechanical problems surrounding electronic voting that mirror much of what happened during the theft the presidential election in Ohio 2004.



But the fact that these publications are finally acknowledging the obvious, overwhelming mechanical "glitches" with these machines is at least a start. Now that the Government Accountability Office has confirmed electronic voting equipment is easily hackable for mass vote stealing, and now that the Times and USA Today have reported that there are serious mechanical problems, maybe somebody at one of these media outlets will finally come to the obvious conclusion: electronic voting machines are merely high-tech devices designed to steal elections. And that is precisely why George W. Bush is in the White House today.

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_650.shtml

[livvy]

15. Repost: The New Face of Apartheid: J. Kenneth Hackwell

This was in yesterday's thread, but I thought it worth posting again for the weekend only readers.

Columns
Bob Fitrakis

The new face of apartheid: J. Kenneth Hackwell
March 30, 2006

The most unprincipled and opportunistic man in the history of Ohio, Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, stands poised to claim the Republican primary for governor. Blackwell and his far-right theocratic “rapture-ready” Christian dominionists will doom the Buckeye State to further despair.

It should come as no surprise that the Free Press is the only newspaper in Ohio willing to out Blackwell for appearing before white supremacists in the secretive Council on National Policy. Blackwell understands power; he understands that there’s plenty of money in putting a black face on the new politics of high-tech Jim Crow. Blackwell also understands that in order for his strategy to succeed, he must convince a significant number of black ministers to join him in his open bigotry against gays and lesbians.

This is simply the old apartheid politics of divide and conquer. Blackwell wants to rule the new Buckeye State Bantustan.

Blackwell’s recent trip to Cleveland to appear before members of the United Pastors Mission at the Antioch Baptist Church seemed to be scripted by Karl Rove. Blackwell – the notorious co-chair of the Bush-Cheney Re-election Committee, who was shameless and blatant in his partisan suppression of minority and poor voters while mugging for the camera and claiming he was just like “Gandhi and King” – told the big lie. He blamed the suppression on black voters in Columbus on the likeable but lame William Anthony, Chair of the Franklin County Democratic Party and the County Board of Elections.

>more

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2006/1343

[livvy]

16. Tennessee: A Vote That Can be Verified

Tennessee: A Vote That Can Be Verified
by Opinion, The Tennesseean
March 30th, 2006

Many Tennessee counties are about to spend millions of dollars to purchase voting equipment. Officials have a duty to ensure that the new machines will be reliable.



A grass-roots group Safe Vote Tennessee is urging counties to purchase equipment using Voter Verifiable Paper Ballots, or VVPB, instead of touch-screen machines. These electronic machines allow the voter to manually mark a ballot that is then read by an optical scanner.



State Election Coordinator Brook Thompson says that touch-screen voting machines are reliable. In most cases, that's probably true. Yet when a technology glitch does occur with computerized voting equipment, it's a lulu. In an election in Texas this month, computerized equipment lost 100,000 votes of some 150,000 cast.

The botched 2000 president election and the subsequent passage of HAVA forced this nation and its experts in voting technology into a thorough search for the voting equipment that was the most reliable. The growing consensus among those experts is that equipment that produces a verifiable paper trail is the safest way to go. Given the stakes, why wouldn't Tennessee go with the system with the least possibility of mistakes and the means to audit votes if a problem does occur?



http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6347

[livvy]

17. Voting System Purchases and HAVA: VVF Commentary

Voting System Purchases and the Help America Vote Act: Verified Voting Foundation Commentary
by Pamela Smith, Nationwide Coordinator, and Robert Kibrick, Legislative Analyst, The Verified Voting Foundation
March 30th, 2006

Some California counties have interpreted the Help America Vote Act’s requirements to the effect that: as of January 1, 2007, every single piece of equipment to be purchased would have to be accessible. In some cases it has been interpreted that such a requirement would necessitate the exclusive use of direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines, effectively precluding obtaining equipment for a paper optical scan ballot system or for a blended voting system (e.g. DREs for disabled and language accessibility, and paper optical scan ballots). In at least one case, this interpretation appears to set specific limitations on the type of voting system the county should obtain at this time as well as into the future. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) has several pertinent sections which appear to refute that interpretation.

The Verified Voting Foundation’s research<1> indicates that prior to January 1, 2007, HAVA permits the acquisition of an ACCESSIBLE optical scan voting system (i.e., one that includes accessible ballot-marking devices for each polling place, or that includes accessible DREs for each polling place, as in a blended system) regardless of the source of funds used to acquire such a system—including HAVA Title II funds.

On or after January 1, 2007, HAVA continues to permit the acquisition and use of such ACCESSIBLE optical scan voting systems so long as HAVA Title II funds are used only for the purchase of the accessible components (i.e., accessible ballot marking devices or accessible DREs, as in a blended system) of such systems. Even after January 1, 2007, HAVA clearly continues to permit the acquisition and use of optical ballot scanners (which by themselves are not accessible), so long as HAVA Title II funds are not used for purchases of such scanners.<2>

Thus, after January 1, 2007, jurisdictions can continue to acquire and use optical ballot scanners using county or state funds (e.g., California Proposition 41 Voting Modernization Funds) or any non-Title II HAVA funds, and they can continue to buy and use accessible optical scan components (e.g., accessible ballot marking devices) regardless of the source of funds.

>more

http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6346

[Wilms]

29. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x420244

[livvy]

18. Touch-Screen Voting Isn't The Right Answer

Published on Friday, March 31, 2006 by the Baltimore Sun
Touch-Screen Voting Isn't The Right Answer
by John Schneider


A debate over the use of electronic voting machines in Maryland generally has focused on words such as "security," "interpretive code" and "hacking."

The arguments tend to pit the reliability and safety of one machine against the other and compare the veracity and experience of expert vs. expert. They are earnestly written, articulately defended and, in many cases, factually accurate.

Unfortunately, they are also largely beside the point.

This isn't surprising: There are powerful commercial and political interests vying for the upper hand, with much prestige and profit at stake. Still, the debate has been incorrectly framed, and voters are the poorer for it.

>more

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0331-29.htm

[Wilms]

27. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x420241

[livvy]

20. Electionline's Annual Report PDF File Election Reform 2000-2006

This is the 4th edition of electionline.org annual report, "Election Reform: What's Changed, What Hasn't, and Why 2000-2006". It is a PDF file of 85 pages. I haven't read it yet, since I just found it, so no recommendations or thoughts one way or the other.
This is a snip from the Press Release (Feb. 7)
Links to report and release below.

January 1, 2006 marked the deadline for states to comply with the election reform goals established by Congress in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to replace antiquated equipment and enhance the ability to register and track voters.

“Across the country, steps are being taken to modernize the nation’s elections systems, but a number of problems – expected and unforeseen – have stalled some of these efforts,” said Doug Chapin, director of the nonpartisan, non-advocacy electionline.org. “The lack of progress in nearly half of the states throws into doubt whether HAVA’s goals can be achieved in time for the November 2006 vote.”

“What’s Changed, What Hasn’t and Why: Election Reform 2000-2006” issued today by electionline.org, the nation’s leading nonpartisan and non-advocacy source for election reform analysis and information, provides an overview of the state of the American electoral system a month after the HAVA deadline for significant changes.

The report details specific election changes in each of the 50 states over the past five years, highlighting key problems in states that missed one or more of HAVA’s deadlines or faced other challenges, including California, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri.
>more

Here is the......

Table of Contents (for the report)

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . 5
Voting Systems . . . . . . . . . . 9
Map: Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trails, 2006 . . 12
Voter ID . . . . . . . . 13
Map: State Voter Verification Requirements, 2000 . . . . . . 16
Map: State Voter Verification Requirements, 2006 . . . . . . . 17
Statewide Registration Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Map: Statewide Voter Registration Databases, 2000 . . . . . . . . . 22
Map: Statewide Voter Registration Databases, 2006 .. . . . . . . 23
Chart: Statewide Voter Registration Database Contracts/Developers . . 24
Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Litigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Map: Absentee Voting By Mail, 2000. . .. . . . . . . . . . . 28
Map: Absentee Voting By Mail, 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Map: Pre-Election Day In-Person Voting, 2000 . . .. . . . . . . . 30
Map: Pre-Election Day In-Person Voting, 2006 . . . . . 31
Provisional Voting . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 32
Map: Provisional Balloting, 2000 . . . . . . . . . . .. 34
Map: Provisional Balloting, 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Map: HAVA Fund Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Election Reform in the States . . .. . . . . . . . . 39
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Link to the PDF file:
http://www.electionline.org/Portals/1/Publications/2006.annual.report.Final.pdf

Link to the page on electionline's site:
http://www.electionline.org/
Scroll down and the link to the report is under "New Report".

The press release is dated Feb. 7. I don't recall seeing the report before, but it could be old news for some.
Press release (PDF)
http://www.electionline.org/Portals/1/Publications/Final.Release1.Electronic.Letterhead.pdf

[EFerrari]

22. CA: False GOP converts (voter reg fraud )

False GOP converts
Petitioners lie, cajole and commit forgery while duping more than 100 O.C. residents into joining the Republican Party.

By TONY SAAVEDRA, KIMBERLY KINDY and BRIAN JOSEPH
The Orange County Register

More than 100 Orange County residents who thought they were simply signing petitions to cure breast cancer, punish child molesters or build schools were duped into registering as Republicans, an Orange County Register investigation found.

The ruse took place over several days in December and January at shopping centers throughout Anaheim, Santa Ana, Buena Park, Westminster and Garden Grove, where paid petitioners begged, cajoled, lied and committed forgery to get so-called Republican converts. Petition circulators were paid as much as $7 for each GOP registration.

Orange County election officials have received complaints from 167 people who were flipped to the Republican Party without their permission. The Register found the problem was far wider, interviewing 112 others who were not only switched, they were tricked and deceived. Among the victims is a lifelong Democrat who was pressured to fill out forms even though she didn't have her glasses and couldn't see what she was signing.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1083406.php

[EFerrari]

23. CA: Technology, star power energize youth vote

Technology, star power energize youth vote
Bands and S.F. organization turn to music, cell phones to generate interest in politics

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Saturday, April 1, 2006

Billie Joe Armstrong, the unabashedly political lead singer for the band Green Day, spoke to a crowd of friends, fans and supporters in San Francisco recently, noting that in the world of politics, "the word liberal has been looked on as sort of weak."

But, Armstrong defiantly told his young audience, not any more. "To me,'' he said, "it's more of a sense of empowerment.''

With that in mind, the Berkeley-based Grammy Award-winning trio -- Armstrong, drummer Tre Cool and bass player Mike Dirnt -- are asking hundreds of thousands of fans and potential young voters to take out their cell phones at Green Day concerts and register to vote via text messaging.

And Green Day concert fans also are likely to hear from volunteers driving home a message about political activity with information on issues, candidates, events, blogging and Internet forums.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/01/MNGTRI1V2A1.DTL&hw=voting&sn=001&sc=1000

[EFerrari]

24. AP: 1965 Voting Rights Provisions to Expire

1965 Voting Rights Provisions to Expire

By MARCUS FRANKLIN, Associated Press Writer

Friday, March 31, 2006


(03-31) 03:59 PST NEW YORK, (AP) --

On what would become known as "Bloody Sunday," voting rights marchers in March 1965 reached the highest point on the Edmund Pettus Bridge near Selma, Ala., and saw a blue sea of uniforms awaiting them at the end of the bridge.

Television would show images of Alabama state troopers armed with guns, night sticks, bull whips and tear gas severely beating marchers. Days later, President Lyndon Johnson promised to bring Congress an effective voting rights bill, and that August he signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965, considered one of the most significant laws in the nation's history.

Now, more than four decades later, sections of the act are set to expire. The looming expiration date — Aug. 6, 2007 — has ignited debate over the provisions' effectiveness and relevance, and over whether they should be extended.

It also has generated rumors, mostly on the Internet, that black Americans will lose the right to vote en masse next year. The rumors have prompted officials at the U.S. Justice Department to post a notice on their Web site.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/03/31/national/a035924S56.DTL&hw=voting&sn=002&sc=560

[EFerrari]

25. CA: ( Sacto)Proposal could ease counties' voter-registration concerns

SACRAMENTO Proposal could ease counties' voter-registration concerns

John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writer

Saturday, April 1, 2006


Faced with the possibility that tens of thousands of new California voters could be left off the rolls for the June primary election, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson announced plans on Friday to ease the state's tough new voter-registration requirements.

A story in Friday's Chronicle reported that more than 25 percent of the registrations turned in this year have been rejected by the state's brand-new voter-registration database, forcing county election officials to track down each individual and verify the information on the rejected voter card.

Most of the problems involved voters who had not included either their driver's license, state identification or Social Security number. Under current state rules, at least one of those numbers is needed so that the state can verify the identity of a would-be voter.

McPherson wants to change the law so that the driver's license or other numbers would not be needed if the name and birth date on the voter-registration card was an exact match to the name and birth date already in the Department of Motor Vehicle computers.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/01/BAGANI1TS91.DTL&hw=elections&sn=001&sc=1000

[EFerrari]

26. As Politicos Race to Match Voter Data to E-mail Data, Reactions Vary

As Politicos Race to Match Voter Data to E-mail Data, Reactions Vary
› › › ClickZ News

By Kate Kaye | March 31, 2006

Long before CAN-SPAM legislation was enacted in 2003, sending e-mail to people who hadn't opted-in to receive it was already taboo among respectable commercial marketers. Not so for political campaigners.

Not only is the sending of unsolicited e-mails legal under CAN-SPAM, but it's also an accepted practice, with none of the ethical baggage that spamming carries in the private sector. In such a climate, it's probably no wonder that more and more political campaigners are taking advantage of services that append e-mail addresses to voter data.

In recent weeks, "There's been a swell" of interest in Political Media's voter file e-mail appending services, observed the Web consulting firm's president, Larry Ward. This seems to be what most firms offering such services are experiencing right about now. So, as campaigns put their data houses in order for the '06 elections, voters can expect more messages in their inboxes from local and statewide candidates, political action committees and advocacy groups, whether or not they gave them their e-mail addresses.
http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3595631

[EFerrari]

28. CA: Casting Vote for Easier Registration

Casting Vote for Easier Registration
The California secretary of state pushes for a law to reduce the number of rejected forms, but some local officials still see June 6 primary woes.
By Jordan Rau, Times Staff Writer
April 1, 2006

SACRAMENTO — Under fire from county registrars and voter advocates, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said Friday that he would press for changes in state election law to avert widespread voting troubles that some elections officials have predicted for the June 6 primary.

Trudy Schafer, program director for the League of Women Voters of California, said the changes would be a step in the right direction but do not resolve all concerns about voters' being kept off the election rolls.

The dispute concerns California's new method for confirming the identities of people who register to vote or those already registered who change their addresses or other information.

In January, McPherson established a statewide database to double-check registration forms by comparing names and driver's license numbers with state and federal records. Congress required the statewide database as part of a 2002 overhaul of election laws.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-reject1apr01,1,3103192.story?coll=la-headlines-california

[EFerrari]

30. WA: Convicted felons shouldn't vote till they're all paid up

Convicted felons shouldn't vote till they're all paid up

Secretary of State Sam Reed and Attorney General Rob McKenna said Wednesday the state will appeal a King County Superior Court ruling that says convicted felons who have served their time, but still owe court-imposed fines, have the right to vote.

Like Reed and McKenna, we disagree with the court's findings and think an appeal is the proper course of action. Until all legal obligations of a convicted felon are satisfied, his or her debt to society has not been paid.

State law prohibits felons currently on probation, in prison or on parole from voting. As Reed and McKenna noted in a joint statement Wednesday, the issue is whether felons who have served their prison sentences but still have outstanding legal fines, victim's restitution payments or other financial obligations, should remain ineligible to vote.

Washington law, they said, provides felons the opportunity to restore their civil rights, including the right to vote, either through a governor's pardon or upon issuance of a certificate of discharge, indicating they have fulfilled "all requirements of their sentences, including any and all legal financial obligations."

http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/286361051388082

[EFerrari]

31. IL: Election officials see room for improvement

Election officials see room for improvement
Primary's glitches considered minor

By Kathy Cichon
STAFF WRITER

Although there were a few bumps in the road early election morning and again in the evening, March 21's primary otherwise ran a smooth course, election officials said.

"I think it went well," said Bob Saar, executive director of the DuPage County Election Commission. "It certainly wasn't without some later openings for the TSX on election morning."

Technical support was sent out to some precincts where judges were having problems setting up the new touch-screen machines. But once they were up and running things went well, he said.

"We went through the same thing with optical scan back in 2001," Saar said.




http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/wheaton/news/du31glitch.htm

[EFerrari]

32. MO: Secretary of State Refers Boone County to U.S. Department of Justice

Secretary of State Refers Boone County to U.S. Department of Justice to Enforce Help America Vote Act
PoliticsSecretary of State Robin Carnahan's office announced that the Secretary of State's office has referred Boone County to the United States Department of Justice for enforcement of the federal law known as the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

Jefferson City, Mo. - infoZine - The federal law requires each state to implement a "single, uniform, official, centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter registration list defined, maintained, and administered at the state level..." Previously, each county and local election authority was responsible for keeping their own, separate list of the registered voters in their jurisdiction. However, under the federal Help America Vote Act, the State of Missouri is required to have one list of all the registered voters in the state.

So far, 115 of Missouri's 116 election jurisdictions have agreed to be part of this voter registration database. Boone County is the only jurisdiction not participating in the statewide system.

"Federal law requires Missouri to have one, comprehensive list of all the registered voters in the state," said Carnahan. "With one county refusing to participate, it could jeopardize the integrity and accuracy of the entire statewide voter list. Therefore we are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to step in and take the appropriate legal action."

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/13936/

[EFerrari]

33. Democrats threaten to sue EC!

Democrats threaten to sue EC

On top of making last-minute candidate changes yesterday for today's vote, the Election Commission faced another headache when the Democrat Party threatened to take it to court.

"After the vote, the EC will be taken to court if it refuses to rule on campaign fraud involving the minor parties," Democrat deputy secretary-general Thaworn Senniam said in reference to the Thai Rak Thai Party's alleged funding of candidates from small parties.

Thaworn warned the EC it was fast losing its credibility due to its perceived favouritism towards the ruling party.

In regard to disqualifications, two Trang candidates were removed from the race by a Supreme Court ruling.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/02/politics/politics_30000721.php

;-)

[livvy]

34. The Election's Off: Bruni Claims Voting Errors, Seeks "True" Results

04/01/2006
The election's off: Bruni claims voting errors, seeks 'true' results
By JULIE DAFFERN , LAREDO MORNING TIMES

County Judge Louis Bruni has filed a petition to contest the Democratic primary election, causing the runoff for county judge to be postponed until after a court rules on allegations of voter fraud.

Bruni came in last of four candidates in the election, with 18 percent of the vote. Justice of the Peace Danny Valdez came in first with 37 percent of the vote, and local rancher Carlos "C.Y." Benavides III came in second with 23 percent of the vote. Close behind Benavides was Commissioner Judy Gutierrez with 22 percent of the vote.

Valdez and Benavides had been expecting to face each other in the runoff, set for April 11. Early voting begins Monday for all other runoffs, but voting in the county judge race now has to wait.

"The reason I'm doing this is for the truth to come out," Bruni said Friday afternoon. "I don't have any intentions to run for county judge. I still support C.Y. Benavides. What I don't support is all the proof I have of voter fraud."

>more

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16415761&BRD=2290&PAG=461&dept_id=569392&rfi=6

[EFerrari]

35. HuffPo: Run in with Hannity (glitches)

Run in with Hannity


By Huffington Post

snip:‘Glitch’ ruins primary

Last week’s primary election fiasco here in Chicago and Cook County — a fiasco of such ballot-eating magnitude that the city and county, which each had separate deals with Sequoia Voting Systems, are withholding more than $30 million remaining on their respective contracts with that company — should have generated howls of outrage. Instead, the tone of the local coverage of the chaotic transition from punch cards to optical-scan and touch-screen voting struck me more as tepid bemusement.

Most infuriating was the scattershot use of the trivializing, blame-avoidance word “glitch,” which reduces disenfranchisement to oh well, gosh, just one of those things. The media can live with glitches. They still get their numbers to report. They still get “results,” which, in our world of breathless headlines and two-second sound bites, are all that matter. The operative assumption is that, despite the chaos, vulnerability to fraud and enormous cost, electronic voting is inevitable, “modern.” And once you eliminate the human-error factor, it’s, you know, infallible.

This, of course, is preposterous; every line of code in a voting program was written by a human. Our vote is hostage to a flawed, secret system of counting that almost no one understands.

http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/04/01/opinion/opinion/doc442e0f2bc249c036338779.txt

[livvy]

41. Faith-Based Voting - Robert Koehler

Faith-Based Voting
by Robert Koehler

Oh, those glitches!

For some reason we tolerate them a lot more in an election -- that is to say, in the mechanics of democracy, something we affect to believe in so fervently we're willing to go to war to make sure other countries have it -- than we would in, let's say, our banking system.



One person who insists we talk about this -- about what happens to our ballots once they are surrendered to the proprietary software programs of the voting machine companies -- is Paul Lehto, a lawyer from Snohomish County, Wash., which adopted Sequoia's voting system in 2002. Lehto is suing Snohomish County to invalidate its contract with Sequoia on the grounds that the company's ballot-counting software is not public knowledge.

Do you get this? Sequoia, like the other companies peddling electronic voting systems to local and state election officials, insists it has the right not to make its source codes, or any other information about its equipment, public. Nor, as Ion Sancho, election supervisor of Leon County, Fla., learned, do the companies even tolerate having their equipment tested. (Sancho demonstrated that you can modify an election without leaving evidence, which Lehto called "the nuclear bomb of election fraud.")

"In the suit, I'm saying if you hide the ball from the public, the contract is void," Lehto said. The suit is a direct challenge to a quiet outrage that we, or our elected representatives, seem to be too befuddled and enervated by to oppose: the loss of a public, open counting of our votes.

>more

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-koehler/faithbased-voting_b_18132.html

[EFerrari]

36. CCAGW Opposes 527 Reform Act of 2005

CCAGW Opposes 527 Reform Act of 2005

Friday March 31, 5:51 pm ET

WASHINGTON, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today sent a letter to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) in opposition to the increased regulation of 527 organizations. The letter from CCAGW President Tom Schatz follows:

On behalf of the more than 1.2 million members and supporters of CCAGW, I am writing to let you know of our opposition to H.R. 513, the 527 Reform Act of 2005. Although CCAGW may oppose the philosophical beliefs of many 527 organizations, they have a right to exist and participate in the political and election process without additional regulations.

H.R. 513 is another dangerous encroachment on Americans' essential right to organize, engage, and make their feelings known in the political arena. The more Congress "reforms" campaign finance laws, the more difficult it becomes for American citizens to band together and raise money to support or oppose a candidate. The end result is that incumbents will be protected from any challenges and a governing "royal class" will be created. Furthermore, the only people that will be able to run for Congress will be wealthy individuals that use their own money to finance a campaign.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060331/dcf066.html?.v=1

[EFerrari]

37. CA: Verifying voters a concern for county election officials

Verifying voters a concern for county election officials

Verifying voters a concern for county election officials
By Judy Lin -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:17 pm PST Friday, March 31, 2006


Local election workers are fretting over the state's new voter registration database for kicking back thousands of presumably valid registrations simply because the information isn't matching with other state records.

Election officials say they are having to spend more time calling by phone and mailing out letters to verify each registration - an undesirable situation that has the potential to hold up absentee ballots

"Thirty three percent of my voters are permanent absentee voters," said Yolo County Clerk Recorder Freddie Oakley. "Some of those people are going to get kicked off and not get an absentee ballot and these are likely seniors and young voters. These are not people we want to marginalize."

Verifying a voter's identity is now a necessary step as the state tries to comply with the 2002 U.S. Help America Vote Act, which was intended to limit voter fraud.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14237505p-15058169c.html

[EFerrari]

38. TX: AG's Office Investigating 2004 Hidalgo County Election

EDINBURG
AG's Office Investigating 2004 Hidalgo County Election
March 17, 2006, 12:34 PM

Reported by Ray Pedraza

The Texas Attorney General's Office is investigating 12 Texas counties, including Hidalgo, over allegations of fraud in a recent democratic primary.

Could politiqueras have changed the outcome of a big race?

On Thursday, there was a swarm of activity at the Hidalgo County elections department as workers sorted through three thousand mail-in ballots from the 2004 democratic primary.

Elections Administrator Teresa Navarro says Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot has requested the ballots because of allegations of fraud.

http://www.team4news.com/Global/story.asp?S=4644834&nav=0w0vWkde

[Wilms]

47. TX: Counties at Mercy of ES&S

Texas Counties at Mercy of ES&S

By Veronica L. Castro, Texas Coalition for Voting Integrity

April 01, 2006

The elections drama that unfolded this week in Jefferson County, TX is an example of what can happen when an extraordinary amount of power is placed in the hands of a few. Democratic and Republican primary elections were being ‘held hostage’ by iVotronic manufacturer ES&S. Jefferson county purchased iVotronic machines in order to comply with federal law by the first primary election of the year. On March 7, the iVotronics were in place, but the system was not. Database components were missing. The programming was flawed. There were equipment failures. County Clerk Carolyn Guidry stated tabulation errors led to votes being counted twice. She added that the ES&S personnel were ill-informed. The Jefferson County Commissioner’s Court reviewed what happened on March 7 and concluded that ES&S was not fulfilling its contractual obligations. They decided to withhold payment until ES&S held up their end of the bargain. This is a standard practice; when homeowners or businesses hire a contractor, they do not pay the entire sum in advance but pay a portion when work begins. The remainder is paid when work is satisfactorily completed. Even though the March 7th election was problematic and far from satisfactory, ES&S demanded payment. The company stated that they would not provide programming and technical support for the run-off election until they were paid $1.95 million.

County officials knew they could not conduct the run-off election on iVotronics unless they had ES&S support. Assistant District Attorney Tom Rugg told the Beaumont Enterprise, “They are refusing to do things only they can do. Without ES&S programming, "the system they say they've sold to us is essentially worthless."

snip

Although the county has reached an agreement with ES&S late Wednesday afternoon, it appears they had no choice. The county was between a rock and a hard place. The rock: they could pay ES&S for sloppy and incomplete work. The hard place: use paper ballots and face possible sanctions for violating federal law. County commissioners chose the former. They will pay ES&S, but the iVotronics will not be ready for early voting, and the county will have to use optical-scan ballots. The touch-screens will be added whenever programming and testing has been completed. Hopefully that will be before the end of early voting.

Jefferson County is not alone. Several Texas counties who use the iVotronic are at the mercy of ES&S. Angelina, Brewster, Briscoe, Caldwell, Jefferson, Navarro, and Webb counties are among those. None have received ballot programs, some have not received training or software, and all are hoping that someone from ES&S shows up on Friday. Otherwise, they will not be ready for Monday. As one County Clerk put it, “We are going to use whatever we have.” Election officials must rely on the expertise of software programmers provided by the company and cannot program their own ballots. Without ES&S ballot programs, the iVotronic is as useless as a door-less refrigerator.

snip

Ms. McGeehan acknowledged, “We recognize that this kind of service from our certified voting systems vendors is completely unacceptable and disturbing.” Indeed, it is disturbing when elections cannot go forward without the help of a small number of people from a handful of companies.

snip

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1149&Itemid=51


Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x420291

[livvy]

39. NYT: Timeline of Rudy/DeLay/Abramoff Key Events

March 31, 2006
Key Events in the Tony Rudy Investigation
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 6:33 p.m. ET

A timeline of key events outlined by federal prosecutors in their investigation of Tony Rudy, one-time aide to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. DeLay is referred to as ''representative number 2'' in court documents.

------

1995:

-- Rudy begins working for DeLay. He serves as press secretary and chief of staff, resigning in December 2000.

1997:

-- January: Rudy begins accepting things of value from Abramoff and others to influence legislation, enhance Abramoff's reputation and assist his clients.

------

1999:

-- Rudy helps start a lobbying firm called Liberty Consulting. His wife heads it.

------

2000:

-- March: Lobbyist Jack Abramoff treats Rudy to an expenses-paid trip to the U.S. Open golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif.

>more of timeline

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Rudy-Timeline.html

[EFerrari]

40. PA: Voting software vulnerable to hackers

Voting software vulnerable to hackers
The flaw affects Montco's central election computer. Officials are scrambling for a fix before the May primary.

By Jeff Shields and Nancy Petersen
Inquirer Staff Writers

Elections officials in Montgomery County are working on contingency plans for the May 16 primary after a state expert said an updated voting system is vulnerable to hackers.

The primary vote could be held using the existing equipment provided by Sequoia Voting Systems, though that would not comply with federal handicapped-accessibility requirements, said Joseph Passarella, the county's director of voter services.

State officials plan to retest the new Sequoia software - an upgrade necessary to add an audio option for visually impaired voters - on April 11.

The problem arose not in individual voting machines, but in a central control unit that compiles votes from each precinct.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/chester_county/14229311.htm?source=rss&channel=inquirer_chester_county

[EFerrari]

42. PA: New voting machines ready to review

New voting machines ready to review

By Michael Cope
Daily Courier Staff Writer
Saturday, April 1, 2006

Voters have more than a month before the May 16 primary election to become acclimated with Fayette County's new electronic voting system, according to a county official.

Angela Zimmerlink, chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors, said the public can check out the system on the county's Web site, www.co.fayette.pa.us.

"Fayette County will implement a voter education program in the upcoming weeks," she said, "and in the meantime, I linked two 'How To Vote' videos using the eSlate voting system for the voters of Fayette County."

There also is a printable version of the instructions on the site accompanied by pictures.

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/s_438937.html

Pictures like these?

[EFerrari]

43. LA: DNC Makes Plans to Reach Displaced Voters

(03-30) 17:41 PST New Orleans (AP) --

The Democratic National Committee is setting up toll-free phone lines and airing ads on black radio stations, hoping to spur participation in next month's municipal election.

The DNC is the latest group to get involved in the city's April 22 election. Besides the mayor's race, city council seats, tax assessors and other key city offices are up for grabs.

Black activists and civil rights groups worry that many evacuees living outside New Orleans may find it hard to vote.

The DNC said its effort was nonpartisan and that it was not supporting any particular candidate. The radio ads will air in Atlanta, Houston and Baton Rouge, major cities with hurricane evacuees.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/03/30/national/a174124S11.DTL&hw=vote+New+Orleans&sn=002&sc=626

[EFerrari]

44. NV: $1 million not enough for Heller (voter reg)

$1 million not enough for Heller
By Cy Ryan <[e-mail]>
Las Vegas Sun

CARSON CITY - Secretary of State Dean Heller says he wants more than $1 million returned from a company that failed to produce a new voter registration system to comply with federal law.

And he wants Covansys Inc. of Farmington Hills, Mich., to pay for the statewide voter system that is now being installed.

"Our starting position is we want the money back and costs," he said.

Heller signed a contract with Covansys in January 2005 to develop a statewide computer registration system by Jan. 1, well before the 2006 election. He suspended the contract in February because there were too many problems with Covansys' system.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/apr/01/566637592.html

(The states have galloped to be HAVA compliant to get Federal funds -- but there is story after story about how they are being underfunded. :wtf: )

[EFerrari]

45. TN: Registration of voters turned into politics

Registration of voters turned into politics, says Wal-Mart Bybee Babes bounced; but unfairly, they claim

By: DAVID POPIEL
Source: The Newport Plain Talk
04-01-2006

If you visited the Newport Wal-Mart this week looking for the voter registration table and didn't find it, you may have wondered if what you read in the Newport Plain Talk was correct.

In the Tuesday, March 28, edition, the Plain Talk published an announcement submitted by Susan Ashmore, queen mother, of the Bybee Babes, a chapter of the Red Hat Society. It stated that the tables would be operated through March 31. The Bybee Babes were to operate county voter registration tables as a public service at the entrances to the store on Wal-Mart property-this has been done in past years by both local Republican and Democrat parties to register voters. Wal-Mart received several complaints that the persons running the voter registration booth were wearing buttons for political candidates and soliciting support. There was at least one candidate seen at the store campaigning.

Shortly after the complaints to the local store manager, Eddie Shelton, those operating the registration table were asked to leave, and they did. Reportedly, some of the complaints came from Mayor Iliff McMahan Jr. supporters and others who were not. Wal-Mart Spokesperson Sharon Weber, at the company headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., said the company has a "no solicitation policy." "We noticed solicitation of votes and politicking. We don't allow that," she said. These activities were different than the stated reason for the table setup to "register voters." "We strive to provide a politically neutral position" at the Wal-Mart stores, she said, and Wal-Mart "fully supports voter registration."

However, during the Cocke County Republican Party meet-the-candidate event on Thursday night, Ashmore presented a different picture of what happened. "We registered about 50 people at Wal-Mart," she said, in addition to answering many questions by voters and potential voters on registration. But after about an hour, the women were asked to leave because of several phoned-in complaints alleging that the Bybee Babes were allowing the venue to be used for political campaigning by Charles Lewis Moore, who is running for county mayor,

http://www.cocke.xtn.net/index.php?template=news.view.subscriber&table=news&newsid=129493

[EFerrari]

46. TX: County looks at needed voting equipment

County looks at needed voting equipment
By Marilyn Tennissen/The News staff writer Posted: 03/20/06 - 11:20:18 am CST

After the recount of votes from the March 7 primary elections last week, the county is still trying to work out equipment problems and purchases relating to the new electronic voting system.

On Monday's agenda of the Jefferson County Commissioners Court, there is an item to execute a sales agreement with Election Systems & Software in the amount of $58,764 for additional equipment.

Deputy Chief County Clerk Theresa Goodness said the item relates to an ongoing effort to get all of the proper equipment for the new system.

“After we made the purchase of the equipment and the system, we discovered that there was some equipment that we had that we didn't need, and others that we needed but didn't have,” Goodness said.

http://www.panews.com/articles/2006/04/01/news/recent%20news/moncounty.txt

[Wilms]

48. VoteTrustUSA: The Long Road to a Reliable Voting System

The Long Road to a Reliable Voting System

By Warren Stewart, VoteTrustUSA

April 01, 2006

Among their many activities, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) chairs the Election Assistance Commission's Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC). The TGDC is responsible for the development of the nation's Voluntary Voting Systems Guidelines (VVSG), which although optional for the states, are pretty much mandatory for e-voting vendors who are expected to build to these standards. This is one reason why Diebold's use of interpreted code which is in violation of these standards, has come under so much scrutiny.

As previously reported one aspect of the VVSG itself that is severely deficient is its Hardware Reliability spec that allows almost 10% of e-voting systems to fail in any 15-hour Election Day. Such failures, especially of touch screen machines, have resulted in voter disenfranchisement, possibly even affecting the outcome of elections.

Suggestions for improving this standard (which dates back to 1990) made by experts such as Dr. Stanley A. Klein, Dr. Rebecca Mercuri and Alfred DuPlessis (a bona fide Reliability Engineer) as early as 2002, appear to have fallen on deaf ears in both the IEEE Voting Systems Standards Committee as well as the EAC itself as recently as last year when this issue was raised in public comments on the 2005 VVSG.

snip

Howard Stanislevic, a computer network engineer and research consultant for the VoteTrustUSA E-Voter Education Project said of the recent opinion by NIST, "I am very happy that the voting systems Reliablity issue was raised by Dr. Goldfine, who stated that there is now a consensus within NIST that this standard should be improved. The issue now is by how much, at what cost, and most importantly, when? Clearly, the current standard is inadequate."

snip/links

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1151&Itemid=26


Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x420339

[Wilms]

49. Vote-PAD: Letter to State Elections Board

Vote-PAD: Letter to State Elections Board Re: Survival Coaltion of Wisconsin Disability Organizations

3/15/2006

March 15, 2006

Wisconsin State Elections Board
17 W. Main Street, Suite 310
P.O. Box 2973
Madison, WI 53703

Dear Members of the State Elections Board:

We are writing to respond to the concerns expressed by the leaders of the Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations and to their request that you reconsider your approval of the Vote-PAD for use in Wisconsin.

To our knowledge, none of the Coalition leaders who signed the letter have had an opportunity to use the Vote-PAD. Your staff invited twenty disabilities organizations to the mock election held during their examination of the product, and only three people attended. Two of them were invited by us on the day of the mock election; both were blind, and both said in their questionnaire that they were able to vote independently and privately on the Vote-PAD. The third was dexterity impaired and indicated that not only was she able to vote independently and privately, but she was also very pleased with the experience.

The Coalition leaders provide no evidence of the failure of the device to provide independent voting for people with disabilities, and their concerns show a lack of understanding about the way the Vote-PAD is used. Evidence contrary to their concerns has been collected by your staff, the Ramsey County staff, our own testing, and subsequent examinations by Yolo County, California and Nevada County, California.

We have found that many people are skeptical of the Vote-PAD until they see how it is actually used by people with disabilities. But once the people for which the device is intended have an opportunity to use it, they have a positive experience of voting independently. The concerns the Coalition leaders expressed to you are speculation born of an uninformed skepticism, as well as an incomplete understanding of HAVA. We address their concerns specifically below:

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http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=57362

[Wilms]

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