Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Wed 9/27/06 Just A Comma?

[kpete]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Wed 9/27/06 Just A Comma?

WOULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED IF WE HAD HAD FAIR ELECTIONS IN 2000 OR 2004?



My personal respect and admiration to EVERYONE working hard everyday to make Elections Count

Link: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0609/S00346.htm
Print version: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/print.html?path=HL0609/S...

ZOGBY POLL:
VOTERS QUESTION OUTCOME OF 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Only 45% of Voters “Very Confident”
Bush Won Election “fair and square”

People have the power
people have the power
people have the power
people have the power
to dream to rule
to wrestle the earth from fools
it’s decreed the people rule
it’s decreed the people rule
I believe everything we dream
can come to pass through our union
we can turn the world around
we can turn the earth’s revolution
we have the power
People have the power …

Patti Smith People Have The Power
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wr7RKBcfAo


All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.
2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.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).

[Donnachaidh]

1. the du link isn't working for me

[kpete]

2. BOXER, DODD INTRODUCE 11th HR EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOT LEGISLATION IN SENATE

BREAKING EXCLUSIVE:
BOXER, DODD INTRODUCE 11th HOUR EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOT LEGISLATION IN SENATE!

Calls for 'Contingency Paper Ballots' in States, Counties this November to be Paid for by Feds!
Co-Author of HAVA is Co-Sponsor of New Bill Answering Our Call for a 'LET AMERICA VOTE ACT', Makes Paper Ballots Optional to States Rather Than Mandated…But We'll Take it! Sources Say House Bill to Follow Soon!
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced emergency legislation to amend the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) this afternoon to offer funding to states and counties who make 'contingency paper ballots' available to voters to be used at the voter's option instead of electronic voting systems.

The so-called contingency paper ballots are intended to be counted as normal ballots, as opposed to Provisional Ballots which must be vetted first to determine the integrity of the voter's registration. Provisional ballots are frequently counted only several days after Election Day, and often, not at all. The Senate legislation as filed, however, does not spell out the intended difference between "contingency" and "provisional" ballots specifically.

The BRAD BLOG has learned from a source currently working on similar legislation in the House, said to be filed there shortly, that the House version will include such specific language if possible to ensure such contingency ballots are counted as normal ballots on Election Night. Several Capitol Hill sources have confirmed that such legislation is currently in the works. We hope to have more details on the House version later today.

The inclusion of Dodd as a co-sponsor on the Senate legislation is no small coup, as he was one of the original co-sponsors of the HAVA legislation of 2002 which this bill would amend. Until now, he and the other bi-partisan co-sponsors of that original legislation have been reluctant to open HAVA to amendment.

The legislation, filed just after 4pm ET this afternoon, would refund state and county voting jurisdictions that offer paper ballots as an option to voters, and requires such jurisdictions post "in a conspicuous manner at the polling place, a notice stating that contingency paper ballots are available at the polling place and that a voter may request to use such a ballot at the voter's discretion."

Election integrity advocacy groups and citizens alike have been rallying members of both the U.S. House and Senate to pass such legislation since The BRAD BLOG initially called for what we had called, the "LET AMERICA VOTE ACT" last Tuesday. The act we called for would mandate emergency paper ballots at all polling places this November in light of thousands of voters having been sent away without having been able to cast a vote in primary after primary election so far this year when new electronic voting machines either malfunctioned or were otherwise unavailable.

much more at:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3531
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=451011&mesg_id=451011
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2531294&mesg_id=2531294

[kpete]

6. Senators Propose Funds for Paper Ballots to Back Up Electronic Ones

Senators Propose Funds for Paper Ballots to Back Up Electronic Ones

By IAN URBINA
Published: September 26, 2006
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 — Two Senate Democrats proposed emergency legislation today to reimburse states for printing paper ballots that can be ready at polling places in case of problems with electronic voting machines on Nov. 7.

Politics Blog
News, updates and insights on the midterm elections, the race for 2008 and everything in-between.

Go to Election GuideMore Politics NewsThe proposal is a response to grass-roots pressure and growing concern by local and state officials about touch-screen machines. An estimated 40 percent of voters will use those machines in the election.

“If someone asks for a paper ballot they ought to be able to have it,” said Senator Barbara Boxer of California, a co-sponsor of the measure with Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut.

Republican leadership aides were skeptical about the prospects for the measure. It would have to advance without opposition from any senator and then make it through the House in the short time available before Election Day.

more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/26/washington/27ballotscnd.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1159329600&en=b2f2e743dcc35c3e&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin

[kpete]

3. VoteTrustUSA Strongly Endorses S.3943

Senators Boxer, Dodd, and Feingold Introduce Emergency Paper Ballot Legislation In Senate
By Warren Stewart, VoteTrustUSA
September 26, 2006

VoteTrustUSA Strongly Endorses S.3943 - Legislation That Would Provide Voters With The Option Of Casting A Paper Ballot - Rep. Rush Holt Introduces A Companion Bill In The House


Text of S. 3943
http://www.votetrustusa.org/pdfs/Bills/MCG06556_xml.pdf

In response to widespread concern about the reliability of electronic voting systems, legislation was introduced today by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) Chris Dodd (D-CT), and Russ Feingold (D-WI) that would provide funding to jurisdictions for the printing of emergency paper ballots. Growing out of an effort initiated by Brad Friedman of BradBlog and Velvet Revolution, and endorsed by Common Cause, VotersUnite.org and numerous other election integrity and public interest groups, this emergency provision offers incentive for counties to provide paper ballots in the case of machine malfunction and for voters that prefer to vote on paper ballots.



VoteTrustUSA strongly endorses this important bill and encourages immediate action in Congress to pass this bill quickly to allow states tiime to prepare for the November general election.



Rep. Rush Holt has introduced a companion bill HR 6187 in the House.

The legislation cites the report of the National Reserach Council, headed by former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh and former Governor Richard Celeste that concluded that "it will be essential this year that jurisdictions have backup and contingency plans that anticipate awide range of possible failures in their electronic voting systems". Following from this conclusion the bill calls for contingency paper ballots to provide a sufficient backup plan for the gailure of uch systems.


The legislation is structured as an amendment of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and would provide 75 cents for each backup paper ballot that local officials print.

more at:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1825&Itemid=26

[kpete]

4. What Would Real Election Integrity Mean?

Evan Frisch and Arianna Siegel:
What Would Real Election Integrity Mean?
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Tue, 09/26/2006 - 1:25pm. Guest Contribution
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Evan Frisch and Arianna Siegel of the Rockridge Institute

The "Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006" (H.R. 4844) passed by the House of Representatives last week challenges us to think about the meaning of the words "election integrity," just as it would challenge citizens who wish to exercise the right to vote. The Act would impose increasing burdens, which by 2010, would require all voters to provide proof of citizenship in order to apply for a state-issued voter ID. Only a birth certificate, a passport, or a certificate of naturalization would be acceptable proof, documents that a great many Americans do not possess. As we examine the hurdles that this legislation would impose, particularly upon Americans who have already faced unfair barriers to voting, let us also set forth a positive vision of what real election integrity would mean. The chasm between this vision and the House bill reveals much about the values that divide progressives from conservatives.

Voting is the central and defining function of our democracy. There have been numerous, well-documented accounts of voting irregularities since the 2000 election, serious enough to cast doubts on the integrity of our voting process. These include faulty tabulation of electronic voting machines, where votes for one candidate were registered to the opponent, or more votes were counted than the number of registered voters in some districts; insufficient numbers of machines, causing long lines with large numbers voters being turned away; breakdowns of machines with insufficient paper alternatives; no verifiable record of votes. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has most recently written on Diebold machines in Rolling Stone Magazine. As a recent New York Times article noted, an increasing number of state and local officials of both parties lack confidence in the integrity of electronic voting machines and are taking steps to limit or reverse the use of these machines in the November elections. The issues these reports raise have not been adequately addressed by Congress. Most calls for reform have been blocked by conservatives and few changes have been implemented. Some of these changes have even exacerbated the problems, such as mandates in the Help America Vote Act for computerization of voter rolls and use of the problematic electronic voting machines across the nation.

much more at:
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/433

[kpete]

5. House Committee To Hold Hearing On Verification, Security & Paper Trails

House Committee To Hold Hearing On Verification, Security, and Paper Trails
By CHA Press Release
September 26, 2006

The Committee on House Administration has announced a hearing entitled "Electronic Voting Machines: Verification, Security, and Paper Trails". The hearing will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, September 28, 2006, in room 1310 of the Longworth House Office Building. The hearing is open to the public and citizens concerned about the integrity of America's elections who are able are strongly urged to attend. The hearing will be available via live webcast on the Committee website, http://cha.house.gov.

The panel will feature six witnesses: Edward W. Felten, Professor, Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Gary Smith, Election Director, Forsyth County, Georgia, Barbara Simons, Member, U.S. Public Policy Committee, Association for Computing Machinery, Keith Cunningham, Election Director, Allen County, Ohio, James Dickson, Vice President of Government Affairs, American Association of People with Disabilities, and Michael I. Shamos, Professor, Institute for Software Research Director, Carnegie Mellon University.

For more information, please contact the Committee press office at [phone].

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1824&Itemid=26

[kpete]

7. Australian - Not voting is Brethren's right, says Howard

Not voting is Brethren's right, says Howard
September 27, 2006
THE beliefs of the Exclusive Brethren Christian sect, which includes a refusal to vote, should be respected, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

The sect has been criticised, particularly by the Greens, in recent times for its alleged activities in elections but Mr Howard says he has seen more fanatical groups in his time.

"The Exclusive Brethren as an organisation within the law, a Christian sect, is entitled to put its view," Mr Howard told ABC Radio.

"I did make the observation that I've met a lot more fanatical people in my life than the Exclusive Brethren.

"They have a different, a more disciplined, perhaps some would say a more narrow interpretation of the Christian religion than others, but I respect their right to have (this interpretation)."

Mr Howard, who yesterday said he had met with the group, said the more unorthodox views of the sect, such as not voting, did not means its members should be vilified.

"I have to say that strikes me as what you might call an unorthodox Christian ... it strikes me as a little unusual, but that is their right and it should be respected," he said.

"It shouldn't be the subject of some vilification campaign against them."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20484332-29277,00.html

[kpete]

8. CO: Election Commission To Manually Program Machines

Sep 26, 2006

Election Commission To Manually Program Machines
(CBS4) DENVER The Denver Election Commission has decided not to use part of its controversial new voting system for the November election.

In the August primary election many voters were given wrong ballots. Election judges also complained the training on the machines was confusing.

As a result, 50 card activators which produce cards that are programmed to load the voting machines with the correct ballot for each voter, will not be used in November.

Instead, the election commission will manually program the machines.

http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_269160336.html

[kpete]

9. CO: Glitches take toll

Glitches take toll
Election commission to mothball part of new voting system
Officials urge Coloradans to vote by absentee ballot
By Lou Kilzer, Rocky Mountain News
September 26, 2006

Denver's election commission has decided to mothball part of its controversial new voting system because of troubles that surfaced during August's primary.
The 50 card activators slated to be decommissioned - at least for the November election - came from Chicago, which sold them at a discount to Denver after a problem- plagued election there in March.

Denver paid $35,000 for the activators after Chicago began updating its voting system, said Alton Dillard, election commission spokesman. They are used in the city's 240 new Sequoia Voting Systems machines.

The election commission conceded that a significant number of problems surfaced in August - mainly with voters being given the wrong ballots.

more at:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_5021679,00.html

[kpete]

10. CA: San Mateo County Scales Back Electronic Voting

Posted: Tuesday, 26 September 2006 10:45AM
San Mateo County Scales Back Electronic Voting

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. (KCBS) -- Only a quarter of the electronic voting machines purchased by San Mateo County will be installed in polling places for the November election, after elections officials chose to implement electronic voting gradually instead of all at once.

The enormity of the task would have made full-scale implementation extremely difficult, said Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum. Poll workers at all 2,000 polling locations will need training, as will elections staff and the voters themselves.

“Basically it changes the entire operation of an election office,” Slocum told KCBS reporter Mike Colgan. “We have a choice. We can do it in scaled back roll outs or we could do the full implementation, and we just thought it prudent to do the scaled-back version.”

That means counting will go slower, since paper ballots must be transported to a central office for counting.

Slocum anticipates returns will be available by 4:00 a.m. the next morning, instead of 11:00 p.m. on election day.

http://kcbs.com/pages/92321.php?contentType=4&contentId=212300

[kpete]

11. CA: SAN MATEO CO DELAYS FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF E-VOTING FOR NOV 7 ELECTION

SAN MATEO CO. DELAYS FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF E-VOTING FOR NOV. 7 ELECTION
09/26/06 3:30 PDT

As San Mateo County voters weigh their choices for the many federal, state and local candidates, propositions and ballot measures to be decided upon in this November's general election, they now have one more choice to make as they head to the polls: paper or electronic voting?

The San Mateo County Elections Office on Monday announced that it has decided not to go all-electronic quite yet, but will transition from paper ballots to electronic voting by keeping both options open for voters this year.

San Mateo County elections officials had been ready to fully implement the eSlate voting system, approved by the Board of Supervisors in August, for the Nov. 7 election, but decided that polling locations will now be provided with one eSlate voting device as well as paper ballots.

Citing several reasons for the change just seven weeks before the election, Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum said the integrity of the election came foremost in his decision-making.

more at:
http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/09/26/n/HeadlineNews/ELECTRONIC-VOTING/resources_bcn_html

[kpete]

12. AZ: STRICTER VOTING LAWS CARVE LATEST PARTISAN DIVIDE

STRICTER VOTING LAWS CARVE LATEST PARTISAN DIVIDE
Written by JOYCE PURNICK
Tuesday, 26 September 2006

Eva Charlene Steele, a recent transplant from Missouri, has no driver’s license or other form of state identification. So after voting all her adult life, Mrs. Steele will not be voting in November because of an Arizona law that requires proof of citizenship to register.


“I have mixed emotions,” said Mrs. Steele, 57, who uses a wheelchair and lives in a small room in an assisted-living center. “I could see where you would want to keep people who don’t belong in the country from voting, but there has to be an easier way.”


Russell K. Pearce, a leading proponent of the new requirement, offers no apologies.


“You have to show ID for almost everything — to rent a Blockbuster movie!” said Mr. Pearce, a Republican in the State House of Representatives. “Nobody has the right to cancel my vote by voting illegally. This is about political corruption.”


Mrs. Steele and Mr. Pearce are two players in a spreading partisan brawl over new and proposed voting requirements around the country. Republicans say the laws are needed to combat fraud, especially among illegal immigrants. Democrats say there is minimal fraud, if any, and accuse Republicans of suppressing the votes of those least likely to have the required documentation — minorities, the poor and the elderly — who tend to vote for Democrats.


In tight races, Democrats say, the loss of votes could matter in November.

more at:
http://www.amhersttimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2890&Itemid=27

[kpete]

13. IN: Voting machines to be repaired

Voting machines to be repaired

By RICK YENCER

MUNCIE -- Software problems on new electronic voting machines that would prevent voters from casting straight-party ballots will be fixed before the Nov. 7 election.

"I believe we will be OK," said Delaware County Clerk Karen Wenger, a member of the Delaware County Election Board.

The Indiana Election Commission last week approved a software upgrade for MicroVote General Corp. that allows straight-party ballots on its Infinity voting system. MicroVote's system is used in 47 counties, including Delaware, Jay, Blackford and Wells.

During a Sept. 8 hearing, the election commission learned from a MircoVote executive that the company knew about the problem before the May 2 primary election, but did not inform the state until it applied for a software upgrade last month.

The software problem allowed voters in split precincts to cast ballots for candidates outside of their voting residency. MicroVote decided to disable the function that permitted straight party voting so the software could pass national laboratory testing in time to be certified for the primary election, according to testimony from Steve Shamo, a MicroVote executive.

"I am disturbed by their lack of candor," said commission chairman Tom Wheeler, who recently informed local election officials of the issue.

more at:
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060926/NEWS01/609260329/1002

[kpete]

14. IN: Glitch means Fayette Co. voting machines need upgrade

Glitch means Fayette Co. voting machines need upgrade
Statewide, 5,000 require repairs in 47 counties
BY PAM THARP
CORRESPONDENT


CONNERSVILLE, Ind. -- Fayette County Clerk Melinda Sudhoff didn't know there was a problem with her county's voting machines until she heard it on television.

Now she's waiting for MicroVote technicians to upgrade the county's 48 voting machines so voters can cast straight-party ballots. Fayette County needs the work by Oct. 10, when absentee voting begins.


MicroVote General Corp. has 5,000 Infinity voting machines to upgrade in 47 Indiana counties.

After hearing about the problem on television, Sudhoff received an e-mail from the Indiana Election Commission confirming it. Sudhoff said she's yet to be notified by the company.

more at:
http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060926/NEWS01/609260303/1008

[kpete]

15. Mississippi: Students to test voting machines

Students to test voting machines
From staff reports

Students around the Pine Belt on Thursday will have a chance to try out the automated voting machines that make their Mississippi debut during this November's general election.

Staff from Secretary of State Eric Clark's office will be on hand at the University of Southern Mississippi, Jones County Junior College and Pearl River Community College to answer questions as students and staff familiarize themselves with the machines. Voter registration information will also be available.

Machines will be available for practice at Southern Miss' R.C. Cook University Union from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.; at JCJC's Neal Student Center from 10 to 11 a.m.; and at PRCC's Crosby Hall from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060926/NEWS01/609260311/1002

[texpatriot2004]

16. K & R for Transparent Democracy nm

[autorank]

17. KR...that about sums it up...excellent post. n/t

[AtLiberty]

18. Daily Herald: Did election commission break the law?

http://www.dailyherald.com/search/searchstory.asp?id=230376

[Land Shark]

19. Good soing; people have the power k&r

it isn't necessarily exercised in an effortless way, but they do have the power as Patti Smith says.

[Kurovski]

20. Kick to the top!

Thanks kpete.

Patti Smith, :thumbsup: