Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Thursday 4/06/06

[Wilms]

[Peace Patriot]

1. There's an important discussion of Holt's HR 550 at this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x421136

Land Shark and Amarylls point out some serious perils in HR 550, and I have amended my election reform resource recommendations as follows: See **Congression Bills, below.

-------------------------

SOME RESOURCES FOR AMERICAN REVOLUTION II:

Hopeful signs - latest news:

California voters sue the state over Diebold:
www.VoterAction.org--just announced--is suing the state of California and 18 Calif county registrars on behalf of 25 California voter/plaintiffs, on the illegal Diebold "certification" by Schwarzenegger appointee Bruce McPherson.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2180496

Maryland rejects Diebold:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x418263

Florida - anti-trust accusations against Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia, re: heroic Florida election official Ion Sancho:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2183630
http://www.tbo.com/news/politics/MGBKSY8W8LE.html

Utah county clerk fights back!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x419226

-----

More resources for American Revolution II:

www.votersunite.org (MythBreakers - easy primer on electronic voting--one of the myths is that HAVA requires electronic voting; it does not.)
www.verfiedvoting.org (great activist site)
www.votetrustusa.org (news of this great movement from around the country)
www.UScountvotes.org (statistical monitoring of '06 and '08 elections)
www.solarbus.org/election/index.shtml (fab compendium of all election info)
www.freepress.org (devoted to election reform)
www.bradblog.com (also great, and devoted to election reform)
www.TruthIsAll.net (analysis of the 2004 election)* :patriot: :applause: :patriot:
www.votepa.us (well-organized local group of citizen activists in Pennsylvania, where important legal issues are at stake, including state's rights over election systems)

The Voter Confidence Resolution
http://tinyurl.com/rlnr2 (“We Do Not Consent”)
http://guvwurld.blogspot.com (GuvWurld blog main page)
http://tinyurl.com/amryg (Voter Confidence Resolution

www.debrabowen.com (Calif Senator running for Sec of State to reform election system)
www.johnbonifaz.com (running for Massachusetts Sec of State on strong election reform and antiwar platform)

*Some tributes to TruthIsAll, who is very ill:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x417007
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x417231
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x675477

**Congressional bills:

**Russ Holt's HR 550 requires a paper ballot, bans secret software in "voting machines", and has 169 sponsors, but the audit required is too weak, it promotes centralized power over elections, it promotes electronic voting, and the secret software might be permitted to continue in the central tabulators (the bill is not clear). To sign the HR 550 petition: http://www.rushholt.com/petition.html
**Discussion of the dangers in HR 550 or any bill by the current Congress:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x421136
(Note: Senate Bill-SB 330 and House-HR704 simply require a "voter verified paper audit trail" (VVPAT), which may be best for the moment.)


Also of interest:

Bob Koehler (-- four recent election reform initiatives in Ohio, predicted to win by 60/40 votes, flipped over, on election day, into 60/40 LOSSES!--the biggest flipover we've seen yet; the election theft machines and their masters are now dictating election policy!)
www.tmsfeatures.com/tmsfeatures/subcategory.jsp?file=20051124ctnbk-a.txt&catid=1824&code=ctnbk

Bob Koehler's latest: "Take this box and stuff it" (3/16/06)
http://commonwonders.com/archives/col337.htm

Amaryllis (Diebold, ES&S, Sequoia lavish lobbying of election officials - Beverly Hilton, Aug. '05)
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x380340

------------------------------------------------

Paper ballots hand-counted at the precinct level!

Throw Diebold, ES&S and ALL election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW!

:think: :patriot: :woohoo: :patriot: :think:

-----------

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it." --Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

[OnyxCollie]

3. Today I heard

that the reason the memory cards failed for 30% of the ES&S machines here in Summit County (Ohio), was because of a switch from an Asian to an American manufacturer. I was told not to worry, 'cause it's all fixed now.

They're stealing elections right in front of our eyes.

[Wilms]

2. Land Shark: The HOLT BILL, major major problems in Election Reform-Land

The HOLT BILL, major major problems in Election Reform-Land

by Land Shark

Wed Apr-05-06

The following is why I think the Holt Bill (HR 550) does much more harm than good. Regardless of whether or not you are a "paper ballot" person, I think my arguments below apply with equal force. I've not heard most of these arguments before, myself, so I hope I'm not wasting anyone's time.

Please Understand: I'm not trying to rain on anybody's lobbying parade: But I would recommend that we lobby for our VALUES not for specific bill language subjected to future word-smithing and changes anyway....

I don't think one can fairly use the terms "floor" or "bulwark" or "first steps" to describe the Holt bill, at least not without any major qualification. My attack (if you will) is on the notion that the bill accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish, and also whether "gold standard" is a fair description. (I agree with the Holt bill's advertised goals, but I don't think the language meets the advertising) The fact that more and more people are getting involved in the movement and asking for most or all of the right things does not at all tell us whether a particular bill actually delivers those things.

Election systems are like systems that act kind of like kaleidoscopes, and amendments turn the kaleidoscope and force patterns to rearrange.

Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=421136&mesg_id=421136




What's wrong with the Holt Bill? Part 1

The Holt bill has been called "the Gold Standard" by voting rights activists all over the country. It has been co-sponsored by leading political figures, and many voting activist groups are aggressively working towards the passage of this legislation. Now, with the obstructionist Bob Ney gone, proponents of the bill are gearing up to get it a hearing in Ney's former House Administration Committee.

The bill holds promise, but I am hoping that the authors of the bill are willing to give a good hearing to we the people who oppose those elements of the bill that seek to federalize our election systems through broad empowerment of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC).

snip

http://www.democracyfornewhampshire.com/node/view/2040


Archive Discussion: What's wrong with the Holt Bill? (We ought to talk about this.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=413998


What's wrong with the Holt Bill? Part 2

However, there is a growing contingent of grassroots activists who are challenging the Holt Bill and who would like to see the bill undergo some heavy revisions, although those voices have had difficulty getting heard. In my previous article I raised questions about several provisions in the Holt bill. That article primarily focused on the way in which the bill strengthens the Election Assistance Commission (EAC).

In this article I would like to clarify the concern held by grassroots activists and others about the Holt bill provisions to make permanent and further empower the Election Assistance Commission. I will also add a few words about two other aspects of the bill: paper audit trail and random audits.

snip

http://www.democracyfornewhampshire.com/node/view/2103


What's wrong with the Holt Bill? Part 3

This week Holt Bill fervor hit the election reform movement in a big way. TrueMajority launched an email alert asking its members to support HR550 (aka the Holt Bill, aka the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act) as written. VoteTrustUsa.org posted an article on their website urging the same.

But election activists are not united on this issue, and for good reason.

The Holt Bill is well intended, its origins are pure, but unfortunately, it is not just about paper ballots; it includes several dangerous provisions that are not at all good for our democracy.

snip

http://www.democracyfornewhampshire.com/node/view/2249


TrueMajority's Holt Bill action alert should be reconsidered

snip

I have been in touch with the Holt office, and they have acknowledged but not addressed our concerns. The problem with the bill as written is that it sets us up for a handover of election control to the executive branch.

snip

http://www.democracyfornewhampshire.com/node/view/2243


Archive Discussion: What's wrong with VVPAT? Is Holt good enough?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=359634

[Wilms]

4. VerifiedVoting.org Urges Support HR550 for Voter-Verified Paper Records

VerifiedVoting.org Urges Support HR550 for Voter-Verified Paper Records - Still The "Gold Standard"

By Pamela Smith, Nationwide Coordinator, VerifiedVoting.org

April 04, 2006

This article was posted on VerifiedVoting. It is reposted here with permission of the author.

Recently allegations of shortcomings in the "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act" -- HR550, introduced by Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey -- have been circulated, moments before citizens concerned about verifiable elections nationwide converge on Washington DC to lobby for this particular bill.

The concerns about the legislation are generally unfounded. HR550 remains the "gold standard" of voter-verified paper record (VVPR) legislation, the only one with bi-partisan support and the only one to require mandatory random manual audits that would check for accuracy in every state. The organizations that support it, which run the gamut from partisan at both extremes to non-partisan election reform organizations, do so because it is clear that this legislation would go the furthest to improve election integrity nationwide. Despite the fact that 27 states have passed requirements in one form or another for voter-verified paper records, and another handful have purchased 100% voter-verifiable equipment statewide even without passing a requirement, the sad fact remains that much of our country still lacks a voter-verified paper record and fully three-quarters of the states lack any requirement to audit their elections for accuracy!

In short, HR550 is the best VVPR legislation and has earned the support of those who are concerned about election integrity nationwide.

snip

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1161&Itemid=26

[Wilms]

5. Hundreds of activists to demand paper trail and open tallies

Hundreds of activists to demand paper trail and open tallies on voting devices

By Jessica Alaimo

Hundreds of activists will lobby Congress this week for legislation to make electronic voting more secure and accountable.

H.R. 550, sponsored by Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), has 168 co-sponsors, and proponents are seeking more this week.

The measure would require a paper trail from all electronic voting machines and would take measures to prevent hackers from altering results.

Most of the bill’s backers are Democrats, but it has attracted GOP support from Reps. Mary Bono (Calif.), Tom Cole (Okla.), Tom Davis (Va.), Phil English (Pa.), Michael Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Darrell Issa (Calif.), Randy Kuhl (N.Y.), Tim Murphy (Pa.), Thomas Petri (Wis.), Greg Walden (Ore.) and Frank Wolf (Va.)

snip

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Business/040506_voting.html

[Wilms]

12. HR 550 and the EAC

HR 550 and the EAC

By Warren Stewart, VoteTrustUSA

March 31, 2006

As momentum builds for the passage of The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (HR 550) introduced by Rep. Rush Holt's (pictured at right), some concerns have been expressed about some of the provisions in the bill. They are discussed below. HR 550 is a critical first step in repairing what's wrong with our electoral process. It would establish common sense safeguards - safeguards that have been adopted in many states already. The passage of HR 550 will be especially welcome in states that do not yet have those safeguards like Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, and many others.

Most people reading already know that HR 550 would require all voting systems used in federal elections to produce or require the use of a voter verified paper record of every vote, establish a nationwide requirement for random, unannounced manual audits of those records in 2% of the precincts in every State, and prohibit the use of undisclosed software and wireless communications devices in voting systems.

One aspect of the language of HR 550 that has not received much attention is the fact that it provides an opportunity for citizen-based voting integrity groups to actually conduct those manual audits themselves! It is important for everyone who reads this to know that that opportunity exists.



snip

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1148&Itemid=26

[Wilms]

6. IN: ES&S Breaks State Law -- Again! No Early Voting Ballots Provided

ES&S Breaks State Law -- Again! No Early Voting Ballots Provided, Just Electronic Touch-Screen Voting Machines that Don't Work

by John Gideon

Proving that local TV News stations actually can serve their viewers by actually investigating stuff that matters, and then reporting on it, Indianapolis' WISH-TV 8 does it again. In yet another report on local election problems, WISH-TV has been keeping their viewers informed with a series of stories on voting issues.

"Well, once again, a Voting Machine Company is breaking Indiana law and violating county contracts," the story by reporter Pam Elliot began.

Last night, WISH TV 8 reported on the failure of Elections Systems & Software (ES&S) to perform up to their contract with their customers. That contract: to provide ballots to voters and touch-screen voting equipment that actually works.

Johnson County Indiana was supposed to have their ES&S iVotronic DRE (touch-screen) machines set-up and in use for "absentee voting". However, contrary to their contract and, as WISH TV reports, in violation of state law, ES&S has failed to program the counties "smart cards" with ballot definitions. Which means the voting machines are of no use.

snip

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002653.htm


Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x421086

[Wilms]

7. Take Action for Voter Verified Paper Ballots in Maryland

Take Action for Voter Verified Paper Ballots in Maryland

NEW UPDATE--URGENT: In early April, the Senate committee amended S.B.713 -- but not in a good way. The Senate is set to vote tomorrow - April 5!! - on an unacceptable bill. But you have the power to urge them to make it right.

The amendments to S.B. 713 allow the State to waste even more money on Diebold touchscreen machines, fail to make the voter-verified paper record the official ballot in case of discrepancies between hand and machine tallies, and fails to require "manual" or "hand" counts for the audits.

VerifiedVoting.org joins TrueVoteMD and its other coalition partners in urging the Senators to insist that this gutted bill be amended back to its original, carefully-crafted version, which mirrored the House version and passed that chamber unanimously, along with an excellentamendment to require the use of paper optical scan ballots for 2006 elections.

Stand firm for the best bill. If the Senate passes the exact version the House did, the Governor has promised to sign it, and has already made funding available for it.

This is it. Take sixty seconds and tell the Senators: in its current form, S.B. 713 is unacceptable. PASS H.B. 244's language, as it passed the House. Let's get it right.

snip

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/vevo//campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2333


Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x421072

[EFerrari]

26. MD: Chances Dim for Paper Ballots for 2006 Elections

Chances Dim for Paper Ballots for 2006 Elections

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Senate Wednesday postponed debate on a voting machine bill for two days, further dimming chances that Marylanders will be able to use paper ballots for this year's elections.

The House of Delegates passed a bill unanimously that would require the state to scuttle the electronic touchscreen voting machines for the primary and general elections this year and use paper ballots that would be counted by optical scan machines.

But the Senate version, on hold since last week, would retain the Diebold machines for at least this year and require that the state have some kind of voting system by 2008 that would produce a paper trail that could be used for recounts in disputed elections.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0406/316950.html

That's what they think. :)

[Wilms]

8. PA: Council may set up advisory panel on voting machines

Council may set up advisory panel on voting machines

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Less than a month and a half before Allegheny County must acquire thousands of new voting machines to meet a federal deadline, County Council is considering a bill that would create a panel of computer scientists, voting activists and attorneys to advise them on the contentious subject.

Also, Sequoia Voting Systems, which is selling 2,800 electronic push-button AVC Advantage machines to the county, has developed a revised plan for passing a state certification test.

County Councilman Bill Robinson, D-Hill District, will call on council to establish a nine-member Election System Advisory Panel at tonight's meeting.

The county's elections board has already approved an $11.8 million deal with Sequoia. Most of the machines have to be in place by the May 16 primary election to satisfy the federal Help America Vote Act.

Mr. Robinson said his proposal wouldn't bypass the elections board, made up of county Chief Executive Dan Onorato and council's two at-large members, Republican Dave Fawcett and Democrat John DeFazio.

snip

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06094/679160-85.stm

[Wilms]

9. MI: Voting machines worry clerks

Oakland County officials meet with machine maker over equipment glitches

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Voting machines worry clerks

Maureen Feighan / The Detroit News

PONTIAC -- Oakland County's new $5 million optical-scan voting equipment is slow and prone to jams, say several local clerks who worry the glitches could lead to a headache-filled election next month.

Roughly two dozen clerks met Tuesday with representatives of Omaha, Neb.-based Election Services & Software to air their concerns about jams that occur when ballots are fed through the county's new M-100 machines, in addition to ambiguous error messages that pop up and other problems.

Several clerks who used the machines in elections last fall said their biggest problems are with absentee ballots. Designed to hold up to 2,500 ballots, the machines will read as if they are full after as few as 50 ballots are fed through, they said.

In those situations, election workers have to open the machines and manually pat ballots down.

One city clerk, Tonni Bartholomew of Troy, had election workers read an announcement every time a jam would occur so voters wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"It just doesn't look good when you're opening them up 25 to 30 times," said Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson, who organized the meeting.

snip

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060405/METRO/604050367/1003

[Wilms]

10. OH: More ES&S Memory Card Problems Reported

More ES&S Memory Card Problems Reported In Ohio

Also, Firmware Found to be Buggy on Their Electronic Voting Machines as Well
ES&S To Face Tough Questions From County Elections Board, Others States Need to be Notified of the Problems!

Guest Blogged by John Gideon, VotersUnite.Org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

Summit County has recently had problems with failed memory cards as related by The BRAD BLOG on March 9 and March 10. As reported at the time, as many as 30% of the cards completely failed initial testing in the county. A few days later, corresponding tests in North Carolina found more than 1000 of the cards failed. The memory cards, amongst other things, store the vote tabulations from elections.

New tests now in Summit County have also revealed additional failures on both memory cards, and the voting machines "firmware" as well.

Today the Akron Beacon Journal has revealed that Summit County has discovered 28 more bad cards in a batch of what was supposed to be good cards as sent to them by ES&S specifically to replace the previous bad ones.

snip

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002649.htm

[Wilms]

11. OH: Maker (God? No. ES&S) explains voting system failures

Maker explains voting system failures

By Lisa A. Abraham
Beacon Journal staff writer

Today, the Summit County Board of Elections finally got some answers.

At its meeting this morning, an official from Election Systems & Software, the Omaha, Neb., maker of the county's new optical scan voting system, explained to the board why computer memory cards in the new system have failed repeatedly. The memory cards store vote tabulations data.

Problems with memory cards began when the cards were switched from an Asian manufacturer to one in the United States, Janet Buchanan, director of account services for ES&S, told the board.

Once the problems were discovered, ES&S sent one of its engineers to the Vikant Corp., the Illinois contractor that makes the cards, to help correct the problem.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/14261534.htm

[Algorem]

13. OH-GOP chief asks Republican accused of stalking teenager to resign

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060406/NEWS09/604060426/-1/NEWS

Article published Thursday, April 6, 2006

Ohio GOP chairman tells Baden to resign
Indicted official says he won't step down


By MARK REITER
BLADE STAFF WRITER


The head of the Ohio Republican Party called yesterday for the resignation of Henry County Commissioner Steven Baden, who is accused of stalking a Toledo teenager.

Bob Bennett, chairman of the state Republican Party, said Mr. Baden is accused of a "serious and disturbing" crime, and he urged the 39-year-old Hamler resident to step down immediately and focus on the charges...

The charge against Mr. Baden is a fourth-degree felony that carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine upon conviction...

A former mayor of Hamler, Mr. Baden is accused of chasing a 14-year-old girl on Jan. 31 while she was walking in her South Toledo neighborhood...



Article published Thursday, February 9, 2006

TOLEDO INCIDENT
Henry County leader is held after girl is chased; suspect is accused of abduction try

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060209/NEWS03/602090382

By JANE SCHMUCKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER


NAPOLEON - Henry County Commissioner Steven A. Baden was led out of his office in handcuffs yesterday by county Sheriff John Nye, who arrested him on a warrant charging him with the attempted abduction of a 14-year-old girl in South Toledo on Jan. 31.

Mr. Baden, 39, of Hamler - where he is a former mayor - was booked into the Lucas County jail at 1:30 p.m. and remained there until 8 p.m. when he was released on a $2,500 bond posted by a bondsman. He is to appear this morning in Toledo Municipal Court on the charge, a fourth-degree felony.

"This is a first," Sheriff Nye said of the arrest of a county official during his 25 years in the sheriff's office.

Toledo police accuse Mr. Baden of following a girl in his car and then running after her...

[Algorem]

14. OH-Workers accused of fudging '04 recount,"no evidence of fraud"

Prosecutor says Cuyahoga skirted rules

http://www.cleveland.com/election/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1144312870224340.xml&coll=2

Thursday, April 06, 2006
Joan Mazzolini
Plain Dealer Reporter

After the 2004 presidential election, Cuyahoga County election workers secretly skirted rules designed to make sure all votes were counted correctly, a special prosecutor charges.

While there is no evidence of vote fraud, the prosecutor said their efforts were aimed at avoiding an expensive - and very public - hand recount of all votes cast. Three top county elections officials have been indicted, and Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter says more indictments are possible.

Michael Vu, executive director of the Cuyahoga County elections board, said workers followed procedures that had been in place for 23 years. He said board employees had no objection to doing an exhaustive hand count if needed, meaning they had no motive to break the law.


Internet bloggers have cried foul since 2004 about election results in Ohio, one of the key states in deciding the election. They have been tracking Baxter's investigation with online posts about the indictments...


Chronology of a recount

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1144313142224340.xml&coll=2

Nov. 2, 2004. Election Day:

Nationally, George W. Bush beats John Kerry, 60,693,281 to 57,355,978.

In Ohio, Bush beats Kerry 2,858,687 to 2,740,244.

In Cuyahoga County, Kerry beats Bush 448,503 to 221,600.

After the votes are counted, Cuyahoga County election workers secure the ballots and seal them...

[Algorem]

15. OH-group to file 2nd IRS complaint against radical clerics over Blackwell

Summary Box: Blackwell, pastors draw another complaint

4/5/2006, 8:24 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

(AP) — COMPLAINT: A group of religious leaders plans to file a second IRS complaint against two conservative churches, alleging they improperly support Kenneth Blackwell's candidacy for governor by only featuring him at rallies and other events.

CONTEXT: The group filed a similar complaint in January and plan to allege that political activity on behalf of Blackwell has continued. Newly released records show Blackwell and the pastors started meeting frequently as the pastors supported Ohio's gay marriage ban in 2004.

CHURCH RESPONSE: Fairfield Christian Church and World Harvest Church say they haven't been contacted by the IRS and say they have done nothing illegal.

QUOTE: "Instead of reflecting and saying, 'Maybe our dogma needs to be more aligned with biblical truth,' they turn and blame conservative churches for why they're losing election after election."


Gay marriage debate began frequent meetings by Blackwell, pastors

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/politics-1/114426715369960.xml&storylist=cleveland

4/5/2006, 7:47 p.m. ET
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's 2004 gay marriage debate was the impetus for the frequent contact between Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a candidate for governor, and two conservative pastors whose activities on his behalf sparked an IRS complaint, newly obtained records show.

The records support Blackwell's contention that the meetings with pastors Rod Parsley and Russell Johnson relate only to public policy issues that started with gay marriage and continue over abortion and taxes, rather than partisan politics.

"None of those meetings were about partisan politics," Blackwell said in a recent interview. "I probably hadn't talked with Rod Parsley for five years before 2004."

The records also underscore how, regardless of the reason for meeting, those two ministers achieved a prominence on Blackwell's calendar schedule far above the dozens of other ministers and church groups that Blackwell meets with regularly...

[Algorem]

17. OH-Voters tired of GOP, want change

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1144312782224340.xml&coll=2

Poll shows Ohio scandals, economy fuel frustration

Thursday, April 06, 2006
Sandy Theis
Plain Dealer Bureau Chief

Columbus- Weary from a string of scandals and bad economic news, a majority of likely voters want Democrats to retake control of Ohio government, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

Republican fatigue is particularly evident among the Democrats surveyed. But 62 percent of the important swing voters said they'd like to end the GOP dominance that began 15 years ago, according to a telephone poll of likely primary voters conducted by the University of Akron's Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

"If the desire for change is strong enough, it could affect Republicans up and down the ticket," Bliss Institute Director John Green told a news conference.


The poll showed that 59 percent of respondents prefer a Democratic comeback, 33.6 percent want Republicans to retain control of the Ohio Statehouse and 7.4 percent are undecided...

[Algorem]

16. OH-Ethics panel will look into complaint against Rep. Schmidt

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/politics-1/114430657222520.xml&storylist=cleveland

4/6/2006, 2:39 a.m. ET
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State ethics officials will examine a complaint that U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt deliberately claimed last year to have two college diplomas when she only had one.

A four-member panel of the Ohio Ethics Commission ruled Wednesday that there was enough evidence to have the full commission look into the complaint, filed Monday by a supporter of Schmidt's opponent in the May 2 Republican primary, former U.S. Rep. Bob McEwen.

Schmidt, who won a special election last year to represent southwestern Ohio's 2nd District, repeatedly identified herself in various media and Ohio House publications as having two bachelor's degrees from the University of Cincinnati.

"There's no question she lied," Cincinnati attorney Christopher Finney told the ethics panel. Finney represents Jim Urling, who is president of a group founded by state Rep. Tom Brinkman, a Cincinnati Republican who lost to Schmidt in the primary for the special election...

[EFerrari]

18. PA: Bradblog: Allegheny County, PA Tries Again. (ES&S)

Allegheny County, PA Tries Again...This Time with ES&S
Plans to use Diebold, then Sequoia Fell Through When their Electronic Voting Machines Surprised them by Failing -- So County is Now Turning to KNOWN Failure, ES&S!

Originally Allegheney County, PA had hoped to use Diebold's electronic voting machines -- until they found out that Diebold machines were hackable.

Then they decided instead to go with Sequoia Voting Systems instead -- until they found out that their machines are hackable too.

Yesterday, with just six weeks left before their primary election, and against the wishes of Allegheny County's Chief Executive who felt it was safer to stay with their old lever systems, Allegheny decided instead to go with new ES&S touch-screen voting machines.

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002660.htm

[EFerrari]

22. PA: Allegheny County switches voting machines

Allegheny County switches voting machines
Officials want to dump push-button system that flopped in tests

Thursday, April 06, 2006
By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny County has scrapped a deal to buy electronic push-button voting machines and will instead buy 4,700 touch-screen units from a different supplier, Chief Executive Dan Onorato announced yesterday.

Not all of the machines can be in place for the May 16 primary, and the county is making plans to deal with possible long lines at polling places.

Mr. Onorato also criticized the federal law that is requiring the county to replace its 40-year-old mechanical lever machines.

"If it was up to me, I'd be using the lever machines," he said. "I think this is the biggest waste of federal money I've ever seen."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06096/679896-85.stm

[EFerrari]

19. CA: Demo on Diebold

Demo on Diebold

By SETH FREEDLAND/The Daily Journal

Dozens of Diebold touchscreen voting machines will arrive in Mendocino County this week, but a Daily Journal peek at a pre-sent device Wednesday may allay some of the loudest concerns.

County Clerk-Recorder Marsha Wharff said the most asked question of her staff has focused on the voting accuracy and security, with Diebold machine qualms making state and national headlines.

But Wharff's demonstration of the security functions covered many of the most popular concerns. The memory cards are sealed in an unpenetrable storage unit. A paper report on the voter's selections, to verify accuracy, is visible underneath a plastic slab on the machine's right side. The machines themselves are unhackable because nobody has access to them, Wharff avowed.

(Yeah, right. :eyes: )

http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/Stories/0,1413,91~3089~3284500,00.html

[EFerrari]

20. PA: County to test voting system (Montgomery Co.)

County to test voting system
MARGARET GIBBONS, For The Reporter
04/06/2006


An upgraded version of the electronic voting machines now used by Montgomery County voters will be retested for state certification on April 11.

“I am optimistic that they will pass‚” said county voter services Director Joseph R. Passarella.

That is because tabulation software‚ which caused the voting system to fail the certification testing last week‚ will not be included in this test‚ he said.

Sequoia Voting Systems‚ which manufactured the 1‚050 voting machines that the county has been using since their purchase in 1996‚ issued a statement saying it will resubmit the software for state certification prior to the November general election.

“Adequate time is needed for software development‚ thorough testing and documentation prior to resubmittal‚” the Sequoia statement said.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16438158&BRD=2275&PAG=461&dept_id=466404&rfi=6

[EFerrari]

21. PA: All 268 voting machines have arrived (Fayette Co.)

All 268 voting machines have arrived
By Amy Zalar, Herald-Standard
04/06/2006

All 268 of Fayette County's new electronic voting machines were delivered earlier this week, far in advance of the mid-April deadline the company providing the machines had promised.

Laurie Nicholson, director of the Fayette County Election Bureau, confirmed Wednesday that the eSlate voting systems from Hart Intercivic of Texas arrived on Tuesday morning. She said the receipt of all the machines took about an hour. "It worked out great," Nicholson said of the delivery.

Nicholson said the machines are being housed is a secure location at the Public Safety Building.

Last month the county commissioners voted to purchase the machines for a contract amount of close to the $1.1 million the county has received in grant money.

http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16437402&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6

[EFerrari]

23. OH:New voting system will resemble standardized school test

New voting system will resemble standardized school test

Thursday, April 06, 2006

— Time: 12:04:48 AM EST

By DEANNE JOHNSON Journal Staff Writer

WELLSVILLE - Voters in the May primary will face a new voting machine when they reach the polling places. However, most of the voting process will resemble standardized tests which are so familiar to schoolchildren.
John Payne of the county election's board was in East Liverpool and Wellsville Wednesday demonstrating the way the new voting device will work.

Voters will be given a thick sheet of paper, double-sided, which will serve as their ballots. They also will be given a black ink pen. The vote for a candidate is made by coloring in the ovals next to the name. A write-in vote can be cast by coloring in the ovals next to the words "write-in" and then writing the name of the person.

Issues similarly will have an oval "for" and an oval "against" the issue.

http://www.morningjournalnews.com/news/story/046202006_new01news06.asp

[EFerrari]

24. WI: Lawmakers order computer contract audit

APR 6, 2006 - 12:10 AM
Lawmakers order computer contract audit
PHIL BRINKMAN [e-mail]
Complaining that they were throwing money into a "black hole," lawmakers Wednesday authorized a broad audit of state computer projects.

The review, approved by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, will examine a series of recent projects that have been beset by delays, cost overruns, and poor performance to better understand what went wrong and recommend measures to prevent future foul-ups.

"We have had grave concerns regarding the fulfillment of contracts," said Sen. Carol Roessler, R-Oshkosh, who co- chairs the committee. "We have huge unacceptable cost overruns - repeatedly."

snip

The state is also struggling to get a $14 million voter database online by the November elections. And in February, the Department of Administration dropped a $2.6 million conversion to a new e-mail system after project staff were unable to overcome persistent mechanical problems.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=79124&ntpid=3

[EFerrari]

25. OH: Blackwell Urges Getting Ohio out of Workers Comp Business

Blackwell Urges Getting Ohio out of Workers Comp Business
Apr 6, 2006 8:18 a.m.
Weather Tite

By George Nelson

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- If elected Ohio governor, J. Kenneth Blackwell said he wants to get the state out of providing workers’ compensation.

The Ohio secretary of state, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, addressed the governmental affairs committee of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. More than 30 chamber members and guests attended the noon luncheon, held at the Youngstown Club.

Blackwell, who is facing Attorney General Jim Petro for the GOP nomination in the May 2 primary, told the audience during a question-and-answer session that Ohio is one of only three states that provides its own workers’ compensation program.

If he is elected, Ohioans would have somebody in the governor’s office “that says it is idiotic to think that a centralized government bureaucracy … can run an insurance company and run an investment fund better than the private sector,” he asserted. The other 47 states have realized that the cost to employers is reduced by “a more efficiently run system” that doesn’t have what he characterized as “governmental red tape” worked into it.

http://www.business-journal.com/BlackwellRecommendsGettingOutWorkersComp.asp


(Just when you thought there were no MORE reasons to hate this felon. :mad: )

[EFerrari]

27. LA: Ron Forman: How to tame a post-Katrina city (NO mayoral election)

Ron Forman: How to tame a post-Katrina city
Thursday, April 06, 2006
By Frank Donze
Staff writer

Within weeks of Hurricane Katrina, the city's corporate powerbrokers were locked in a spirited, behind-the-scenes debate to decide who was best suited to step up and challenge Mayor Ray Nagin, the mercurial incumbent many of them had backed in 2002 but who had begun to seem like a less reliable steward of the city's recovery.

Two names on everyone's lips -- Audubon Institute CEO Ron Forman and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu -- both were reluctant to heed the call. In fact, as Forman tells it, the two men quickly became mutual admirers, each encouraging the other to run.

Their dance continued through the fall and into the new year. As the sign-up period for the April 22 mayoral primary drew near, business leaders looking for a candidate to bankroll grew restless and ratcheted up the pressure on Forman and Landrieu.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1144311700230500.xml

[EFerrari]

28. Campaign Finance Measure Approved (527s)

Campaign Finance Measure Approved
House Bill Would Cap '527' Donations, Used Largely by Democrats

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 6, 2006; Page A01

The House approved campaign finance legislation last night that would benefit Republicans by placing strict caps on contributions to nonprofit committees that spent heavily in the last election while removing limits on political parties' spending coordinated with candidates.

The bill passed 218 to 209 in a virtual party-line vote.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/05/AR2006040501902.html?nav=rss_politics

[EFerrari]

29. CA: (KOS)Thousands of voters dumped off California's voting rolls

Thousands of voters dumped off California's voting rolls

by Senator Debra Bowen
Thu Apr 06, 2006 at 11:33:34 AM PDT

Thanks to resnska, msinla, lorelynn, norm, and so many other members of the DailyKos community for keeping the serious elections problems in California and across America on the front-burner!

As many of you know, there's alarming news in our fight for fair and transparent elections: California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson entered into an agreement with the Bush Administration's Justice Department last year to implement a statewide voter registration database system that will disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters in California.

Please join me in emailing Secretary McPherson now, demanding that he undo his agreement with the Bush Administration and roll back the regulations he adopted to implement it.

The special election to fill the San Diego Congressional seat vacated by Randy "Duke" Cunningham is next week, as well as over 20 municipal elections, and the registration deadline for the June 6 primary is May 22. We don't have much time!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/6/143334/8869




www.debrabowen.com

[EFerrari]

30. CA: Press Release Secretary of State Bruce McPherson Joins CA

April 5 2006

Secretary of State Bruce McPherson Joins CA National Guard to Unveil New Overseas Ballot - Secretary McPherson stresses importance of ensuring Military and Overseas Voters have their vote counted

(PDF)

http://www.ss.ca.gov/executive/press_releases/2006/06_040.pdf

McPherson's PRs here: http://www.ss.ca.gov/executive/press_releases/news_releases.htm

THANKS, BRUCE! :sarcasm:

[paineinthearse]

31. MA: Bonifaz Issues Statement on Katrina Survivors in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has taken in hundreds of Katrina survivors. They were flown to Otis, a National Guard base on Cape Cod, then placed in housing throughout the Commonwealth.

by email



Dear Friends,

Below is the press release we issued today concerning the voting rights of Hurricane Katrina survivors currently residing in Massachusetts. For this and other updates on our campaign, visit our website at www.johnbonifaz.com.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact: Stephanie Sanchez, Campaign Manager, 617-524-5151

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2006

Bonifaz Issues Statement on Katrina Survivors in Massachusetts

Secretary of State Candidate Says That Massachusetts Should
Lead The Way In Protecting Their Voting Rights

BOSTON, MA - Voting rights leader John Bonifaz, Democratic candidate for Secretary of State, issued the following statement today on the voting rights of Hurricane Katrina survivors currently residing in Massachusetts. Municipal elections in New Orleans are scheduled for April 22.

"As elections in New Orleans move forward without many of its residents, Massachusetts needs to take a leadership role in protecting the voting rights of the displaced New Orleanians now living in the Commonwealth.

"For starters, we should widely publicize the availability of absentee ballots through paid media advertising and community outreach to the groups working with these voters. Massachusetts should open up all city and town clerk offices in the state to provide Katrina victims easy access to the absentee ballot process, allowing them to receive applications, submit them by fax to the Secretary of State office in Louisiana, and receive absentee ballots following the approval of their applications.

"With respect to those Katrina survivors who are ineligible to cast absentee ballots, civil rights organizations, including the NAACP-National Office and ACORN, are coordinating an effort to provide transportation back to New Orleans in order to vote. Massachusetts should join this effort and help provide such transportation to Katrina victims in our state.

"In addition, we should be leading a coalition of Secretaries of State to take the same measures to ensure as full participation as possible by Katrina victims displaced throughout the country.

"Hurricane Katrina exposed to the nation and the world the sad reality that too many of our citizens are locked out of the political process and their voices, therefore, go unheard. In the midst of the ongoing struggle Katrina victims face to rebuild their lives, we ought to ensure that we are doing everything possible to protect their right to vote. Massachusetts can and should be leading the way.

"The clock is ticking on this hotly-contested mayoral election. Where is our Secretary of State on these specific matters - advertising, easier access to the absentee ballot process, and transportation where necessary? If I were Secretary of State today, I would have long ago been leading the charge among secretaries of state around the nation to address these exact issues."


P.O. Box 300007, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 - www.johnbonifaz.com - [e-mail]

[rumpel]

32. Hugo Chavez and our voting machines

A conservative site. Interesting that they fear election machine companies being owned by Chavez.
Why the sudden fear? Would Chavez hack? :evilgrin:

The American Thinker
We were among the first to warn of the dangers of Venezuela’s acquisition of Smartmatic, a manufacturer of voting machines. Now, the Chicago City Council is taking up the matter, according to our friends at Vcrisis.

Officials from the City of Chicago Council’s Committee on Finance will be holding hearings regarding the ownership of Smartmatic International on Friday, April 7th at 10 a.m. in the Council Chambers on the Second Floor of Chicago City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street. The committee will ask questions of representatives of Smartmatic and Sequoia Voting Systems, who will be represented by Jack Blaine.

Readers may remember, as reported earlier, that Cook County and Chicago Board of Election officials will withheld payments to Sequoia due to its appalling performance, saying that the company “did not perform adequately.”

Richard Brand from The Miami Herald brought the issue of national security to the fora, arguing that Sequoia, a fully owned subsidiary of Smartmatic, has entered the electoral business in the USA. Smartmartic connection to the Hugo Chavez regime is a matter of public record, having been launched with Venezuelan government’s funds.

Investors Business Daily has an excellent editorial on the subject today as well.

http://www.americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=4814

[rumpel]

33. MT: Cascade County Elections Office in need of more judges

Great Falls Tribune

By KIM SKORNOGOSKI
Tribune Staff Writer

Bob Stubbs signed on as an election judge in 1998, figuring it was a good way to give back to the community.

This year, local election officials would like to find more people who share his civic spirit.

Employees sent out 380 notices telling previous judges about required training. Only 240 people responded.

Elections Office supervisor Debbie Mart said for the upcoming June primary, Cascade County needs at least 300 judges to help voters at 38 precincts.

"We lose judges on a regular basis," she said. "But I don't think we've ever noticed this many all at once."

Starting Tuesday, April 11, the elections office is offering 14 training sessions for all election judges. The training was pushed back as late as possible, giving the county time to find judges.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060406/NEWS01/604060310/1002

[rumpel]

34. MO: New Technology Ensuring Every Scotland County Vote Counts

Memphis Democrat
Serving This Community For 134 Years, Online Since 2001

April 6, 2006

New Technology Ensuring Every Scotland County Vote Counts

Every vote counts. That’s what proponents like to tell prospective voters when they encourage us all to get out and vote. Well, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) has taken huge steps to ensure that every vote actually does count.

For the first time, voters in Scotland County got to witness the results of HAVA when they went to the polls April 4. While the bulk of the process remains unchanged, voters did receive a slightly different ballot, and were handed a special black pen to complete their voting. But the biggest change is the AccuVote Optical Scan machine, which has replaced the old fashioned ballot box.

This new technology has been put into place to insure that each vote is counted. The largest impact comes by insuring second chance voting. That doesn’t mean we get to vote twice, but it does mean that the machine scans each ballot for errors. When a mistake is detected, the ballot is immediately kicked back out to the voter, with a message describing the error. This allows the mistake to be corrected and insures that the ballot is counted. Previously, if an issue was miss-voted, it was not counted.

“We have already witnessed two or three instances of this, this morning,” stated Kathy McCoy of Henry A. Adkins & Sons, the company that installed the new machines. McCoy was on hand April 4th for the initial run of the eight machines.

The county installed an AccuVote Optical Scan at each of the seven voting precincts and one in the county clerk’s office for absentee ballots. In all the project cost a little more than $40,000 but was paid for by federal funding through HAVA.

http://memphisdemocrat.com/2006/news/060406_vote.shtml

[rumpel]

35. PR: Sequoia Voting Systems & Jaco Electronics Unveil Latest Voting Machine

Businesswire

April 06, 2006 06:44 PM US Eastern Timezone

Sequoia Voting Systems & Jaco Electronics Unveil Latest Voting Machine for New York

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 2006--Sequoia Voting Systems:

-- New York Companies -- Creating Hundreds of Local Jobs

-- Sequoia's Advantage L Touch Screen Empowers Disabled Voters

-- Provides Secure, Cost-Effective and Easy to Use Election Technology

Sequoia Voting Systems exhibited its full-face Advantage L Touch Screen Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting machine today. A state-of-the-art technology, the Advantage L Touch Screen offers the most reliable, cost-effective, and user friendly voting solution for New York, while also meeting the requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The new machine was displayed at Jaco Electronics, Sequoia's Long Island-based manufacturer, who produces much of Sequoia's election equipment.

With roots in New York since 1892, Sequoia has consistently provided superior and proven voting machines and election services, and currently maintains unparalleled in-state facilities, which generate hundreds of jobs for New Yorkers. Sequoia manufactures the majority of its equipment right here in New York, at Jaco Electronics in Hauppauge and Harvard Custom Manufacturing in Owego. Sequoia also maintains a major company facility in Jamestown.

"Having employed New Yorkers for over 100 years dating back to the invention of the first lever machine in Jamestown, Sequoia is pleased to offer the most advanced voting technology available, and we look forward to employing New Yorkers for another 100 years," said Jack Blaine, President of Sequoia Voting Systems.

With a 20-year track record, DRE systems are proven technology for secure, reliable, and accurate elections. In fact, jurisdictions throughout the state of Nevada used Sequoia's DRE system with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in the 2004 presidential election -- yielding the most accurate and reliable results of any voting technology surveyed. Moreover, the Advantage L Touch Screen, the latest DRE from Sequoia, meets Section 301 of HAVA and New York State requirements -- including the placement of one handicap accessible voting machine in every polling place. Now, for the first time, many disabled voters will be able to cast their ballots privately and independently by using the Advantage L Touch Screen.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060406005983&newsLang=en

[Bill Bored]

36. Accupoll Exec Speaks Out!

<http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_sean_gre_060406_with_voting_machine_.htm>

Remember Accupoll? The only e-voting compnay to respond to Velvet Revolution's Divestiture for Democracy? Well now they're belly up! Looks like they had a nice machine too. :(

With voting machine company now bankrupt, CEO speaks out: No vendor "has a system that voters can trust"!

Straight from the horse's mouth

by Sean Greene, electionline.org

The market for voting systems has been a perilous one, especially for small companies. While firms can potentially land contracts to sell large numbers of systems to localities across the country looking to replace older voting machines, they must navigate a complex maze of state and federal certification procedures, endure local procurement fights, close scrutiny and meet demand for a large number of voting systems, sometimes in a severely compressed time schedule.

The realities of the market most recently took its toll on the voting-machine maker AccuPoll, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, leaving two counties in Texas using its products with no vendor support and a frustrated former CEO in its wake.

The company, which produced the AVS-1000, a voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT)-equipped touch-screen machine, has ceased all operations.

-snip-

[paineinthearse]

37. MA: SUFFOLK LAW CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT: PANEL DISCUSSION ON VOTING RIGHTS

4/06/06

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SUFFOLK LAW CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT TO HOLD PANEL DISCUSSION ON VOTING RIGHTS

Keynote Speaker: Representative Alisha Morgan, Georgia House of Delegates

When: Thursday April 13, 2006 4:45 pm-7:30 pm
Where: Suffolk University Law School, First Floor, 120 Tremont St.
Includes: Panel Discussion, Hors d’ouerves, & Refreshments

Panelists include: John Bonifaz, National Voting Rights Institute; James Fleischmann, Mass Ballot Freedom Campaign and Atiya Dangleben, Mass VOTE.

The Suffolk Law Civil Rights is dedicated to the study of how racism and
social and economic stratification have oppressed and denied equal
opportunities to large segments of American society. The Project seeks to engage in concrete projects to advocate change by challenging our peers, our institution, and our larger communities to fulfill the promise embodied in the U.S. civil rights movements.

The esteemed panel will discuss the 2005 Georgia Poll Tax which was pre-cleared by the Department of Justice, and the status of voting rights in America today -- 40 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Other topics include racial and political gerrymandering, fusion voting, and the causes of voter apathy.

For more information on The Panel discussion or the Suffolk Law Civil Rights Project please contact:

Professor Frank Cooper
617-573-8530
[e-mail]

Erika Jacobsen White
857-891-1577
[e-mail]



-END-