Election Reform & Related News, Friday 3/16/07 D.C. Voting Rights Passes Committee

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ABC News:

Washington - Thursday March 15, 2007 4:52 pm

A bill giving D.C. a vote in Congress is heading to the House floor.

The House Judiciary Committee passed the measure Thursday by a vote of 21-to13. If the bill passes the full House, it would then go to the Senate.

The bill, sponsored by D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and northern Virginia Congressman Tom Davis, would add two seats to the House.

One of the seats would go to overwhelmingly Democratic D.C., while Republican-leaning Utah would pick up an additional seat.

However, it remains unclear whether the proposal will pass constitutional muster. Foes of the proposal note membership to the House is limited to states, and the District is not a state.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0307/405941.html

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1. MA: Mapping expert testifies at trial on voting rights

Friday, March 16, 2007
By STEPHANIE BARRY
[e-mail]

SPRINGFIELD - As late House Speaker Thomas J. "Tip" O'Neill famously said: All politics is local.

But in Springfield, not local enough, according to dozens of witnesses testifying for the plaintiffs in an ongoing federal voting rights trial.

John E. Harmon, a geographer and computer mapping expert, yesterday testified that a district-based City Council would increase chances for candidates of color to get elected by vastly reducing advertising costs, fund-raising minimums, door-to-door canvassing and other stumping tactics.

"Districts by themselves increase opportunity," said Harmon, a professor at Central Connecticut State University, who reviewed district-based maps submitted by plaintiffs who filed suit against the city to replace the current at-large system. They argue the current method hinders fair representation of blacks and Latino residents by favoring the "white bloc" vote.

http://www.masslive.com/chicopeeholyoke/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-8/117402970023480.xml&coll=1

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2. CA: Elections and Politics Must Be ‘Clean’ of Special Interests

The Daily Californian

BY Aseem Padukone
Friday, March 16, 2007

Students and other voters across the country went to the polls in record numbers this past November, demanding change in Washington D.C. We were fed up with business as usual in our nation’s capital, especially with the way special interest money has corrupted and gummed up our political process. We spoke loudly and clearly that it was time for reform. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois has heard that call and now is standing up to the powers that have controlled Washington for too long.

For years, politicians chose to neglect the negative ramifications that result from special interest campaign contributions. After all, if they won their seat under a system with weak contribution limits, they have little or no incentive to challenge the status quo without public pressure. However, as a result of the rising public awareness of the power that special interests possess in shaping the national agenda, there has been progress in recent years. In 2002, Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Russ Feingold teamed up to create the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. While the bill helped restrict soft money, the rampant spending on political campaigns continues.

http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=23876

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3. PA: Voting machines not state certified

The Express Times

They weren't checked after software change. But official says they were federally certified.
Friday, March 16, 2007

By SARAH CASSI
The Express-Times

EASTON | The state did not certify the electronic voting machines Northampton County voters used in the 2006 general election.

The machines, manufactured by Advanced Voting Solutions, were federally certified, said county Administration Director John Conklin.

Problems developed when the state required AVS to change the machines' password program so the passwords would be encrypted.

The new software changed the operating system from WINVote 2.0.2 to WINVote 2.0.3, and that change required new state certification, Conklin said.

Conklin said the state reviewed election results in December and found no problems. State officials are currently examining the machines to certify them for the May 15 primary.

County officials are waiting for a letter from Harry Van Sickle, the state's commissioner of elections.

Conklin said AVS will not face any penalties or fines for the mistake. Conklin said he also doubts any race results could be challenged because state officials approved the election results.

http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-10/117401799523600.xml&coll=2

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4. NY Times: Phony Fraud Charges

Published: March 16, 2007

In its fumbling attempts to explain the purge of United States attorneys, the Bush administration has argued that the fired prosecutors were not aggressive enough about addressing voter fraud. It is a phony argument; there is no evidence that any of them ignored real instances of voter fraud. But more than that, it is a window on what may be a major reason for some of the firings.

In partisan Republican circles, the pursuit of voter fraud is code for suppressing the votes of minorities and poor people. By resisting pressure to crack down on “fraud,” the fired United States attorneys actually appear to have been standing up for the integrity of the election system.

John McKay, one of the fired attorneys, says he was pressured by Republicans to bring voter fraud charges after the 2004 Washington governor’s race, which a Democrat, Christine Gregoire, won after two recounts. Republicans were trying to overturn an election result they did not like, but Mr. McKay refused to go along. “There was no evidence,” he said, “and I am not going to drag innocent people in front of a grand jury.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/opinion/16fri1.html

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5. FL: Memo surfaces about Sarasota election machines

FOX NEWS Channel 13

Last Edited: Thursday, 15 Mar 2007, 6:30 PM EDT
Created: Thursday, 15 Mar 2007, 6:30 PM EDT

SARASOTA - Vern Buchanan beat Christine Jennings by a few hundred votes in the 13th congressional district, but some 18,000 voters didn't appear to choose either candidate.

Before the votes were even counted, Jennings supporters lined up outside the courthouse, saying the touch-screen machines weren't working, that their selection wasn't registering.

"I pressed the pressed the Christine Jennings button and Vern Buchanan came up," said voter Jennifer McArthur.

Months later FOX 13 News has learned that the makers of the touch screen machines sent a warning letter about a possible glitch in the machine's software involving a slow response time.

That letter was sent before the election, but nothing was done about the warning in Sarasota.

"I was extremely shocked when I found out about this," Christine Jennings said.

Jennings says if elections supervisor Kathy Dent had reacted to the warning, she wouldn't have lost the race.

"I'm disappointed, but I'm also gratified to know what the voters have been saying that the machines were malfunctioning," Jennings said.

But Dent calls this '"much ado about nothing."

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2682641&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

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6. OpEd: Riverside Rides Again...

March 15, 2007 at 18:08:11

by Bev Harris

http://www.opednews.com

Tell A Friend

Black Box Voting : Latest Consumer Reports from Black Box Voting: 3-14-07:

Riverside Rides Again ...

Posted by Bev Harris on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 04:47 pm:

Tom Courbat is an ordinary guy who consistently commits extraodinary acts of citizenship along with several other salt-of-the-earth types who assemble in Riverside County, California under the name "SAV R VOTE." They are part of a growing number of American citizens who have discovered that a handful of common-sense individuals can literally move mountains to improve election integrity.

Riverside County has a reputation when it comes to elections. A somewhat pungent reputation. A reputation of the type that has featured candidates showing up at the door threatening would-be competitors. Riverside has a reputation for vapor-voting, information blockades and secrecy.

In the new DVD release of the HBO film Hacking Democracy)

( http://www.hackingdemocracy.com ), look for never-before-seen footage of the rogues in Riverside. NEXT TIME YOU'RE WONDERING WHAT TO DO ON ELECTION NIGHT IN YOUR COMMUNITY...

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_bev_harr_070315_riverside_rides_agai.htm

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7. CO: State tackles local voting ills

By The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 03/14/2007 08:03:50 PM MDT

Voters last November had plenty of reason to lose confidence in our election system. Counties with king-sized headaches ranged from urban Denver and Pueblo to suburban Douglas and sparsely populated Montrose.

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Mike Coffman placed these four counties on what he called an "election watch list" and offered assistance to ensure better voting- day performance.

The four counties said they would cooperate with Coffman, who cited mismanagement in Denver and Douglas counties and violation of state law in Montrose and Pueblo counties. It's important that counties identify their problems and take steps to avoid a recurrence. If they don't, Coffman can seek a court order to take over the administration of the elections - at the county's expense.

Last year's problems ranged from the failure of an electronic pollbook inadequately tested ahead of time to underestimating the number of voting machines needed. The flaws caused long lines in Denver, Douglas and Montrose counties and disenfranchised thousands of voters who could not endure the wait.

http://origin.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_5436304

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8. GA: Voting machines left in leaky warehouse

The Telegraph

Revelation raises serious questions about integrity of Georgia voting process
Posted on Wed, Mar. 14, 2007
By Shannon McCaffrey
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA - Thousands of moisture-sensitive Diebold voting machines have been left under tarps in a leaky DeKalb County warehouse, more than a year after officials learned of the problem, county officials told the state Election Board on Tuesday.

Board members said the revelation raised serious questions about the integrity of Georgia's voting process. Officials with the Secretary of State's Office said counties across the state are being ordered to conduct audits to ensure their voting equipment is intact and being housed appropriately. They plan to inspect each audit.

"It's outrageous," David Worley, a Democratic appointee to the board, said of conditions at the Decatur warehouse.

The leaky storage for the 2,758 voting machines came to light on Tuesday after embarrassing news earlier this year that about 40 voter access cards and three electronic ballot encoders belonging to DeKalb County had shown up for sale on an Internet auction site.

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/16897348.htm

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9. TX: Counties forced to call joint elections

The Oldest Newspaper in Central Texas · Last Updated Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - 07:58:05 am CDT

By Curtis Chubb, Special to The Herald

Elections, specifically who will administer county elections, was the main topic of interest at Monday's Milam County Commissioners Court meeting.

The elections discussion was sparked by Texas Governor Rick Perry's proclamation that there will be a Texas Constitutional Amendment Special Election on May 12.

Milam County was not notified about the special election until February 22; weeks after the county had signed agreements to lease their voting machines to Milam County cities and school districts for their elections also scheduled for May 12.

To compensate for the lack of enough voting machines and to reduce expenses, the commissioners court passed a resolution to consolidate ‘early voting' polling places for the May 12 special election with locations used by the cities and schools. The consolidation plan will have to be approved by the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

At this point in the meeting, Milam County Clerk Barbara Vansa strongly requested the court to “move forward with the establishment of a County Elections Administrator position.” She provided an overview of the extensive amount of time needed not only to prepare for the special election, but for all elections.

http://www.cameronherald.com/articles/2007/03/15/news/news03.txt

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10. TPM Cafe: Mo' Money-- And End All Contribution Limits

By Nathan Newman

I'm trying to boil down to a headline what I think progressives should take from Mark Schmidt's Fresh Start for Campaign Reform. Essentially, the thirty year project to limit "bad" campaign contributions should be dropped, kaput. It's close to hopeless, given the First Amendment and the endless loopholes big money finds.

Instead, focus on putting MORE MONEY into the system, "good" money representing those with less financial resources. Instead of trying to limit the speech of the wealthy, amplify the voices of poor and working families through public financing.

But let me add a few observations and points beyond Mark's:

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2007/mar/16/mo_money_and_end_all_contribution_limits

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11. WA: King County investigates apparent forgery of hundreds of voter cards

The Seattle Times

Friday, March 16, 2007 - Page updated at 01:32 PM

By Mike Carter

Seattle Times staff reporter

King County prosecutors are investigating apparent voter-registration fraud in the 2006 general election.

Dan Satterberg, chief deputy to King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng, confirmed late Thursday that attorneys from his office will meet later this week to brief their federal counterparts regarding evidence that hundreds of voter-registration cards submitted in King County were forged.

Satterberg said "there are significant irregularities" among a batch of more than 1,800 voter-registration cards submitted to the county by canvassers for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a national group that represents the interests of low- and moderate-income citizens.

County prosecutors, aided by King County sheriff's investigators, have been looking into the allegations of forgery since election officials noticed that hundreds of the cards submitted by ACORN canvassers appeared to be in the same handwriting.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003621500_webfraud17m.html

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12. FEC dismisses complaint against Reid

Meadow Free Press

2007/3

2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Federal Election Commission h, , ) over his use of campaign money to pay holiday bonuses at the hotel where he lives.

Reid, D-Nev., reimbursed the money to his campaign committee after The Associated Press reported on the matter last October.

The amounts paid were $600 in 2002, $1,200 in 2004 and $1,500 in 2005.

http://www.meadowfreepress.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=75896&source=2

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13. White House opposes bill that would give Utah a 4th congressional seat

By Suzanne Struglinski

Deseret Morning News

WASHINGTON - With President Bush now saying the District of Columbia should not get a voting seat in the U.S. House, U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett says if he was a betting man, he'd wager against Utah getting a fourth seat as part of the deal before the 2010 Census.
A White House spokesman confirmed Friday morning that Bush believes it is unconstitutional to give the district a voting House member because the Constitution says only representatives from states may sit in the 435-member House, and the District of Columbia is not a state.
Bennett, R-Utah, told the Deseret Morning News Friday that while he supports another seat for Utah now, "if the president issues a veto threat, then I'm fairly certain there are not 60 votes in the Senate" for a bill moving through the House that would give the district one voting member and add a fourth voting member in Utah.
A spokesman for Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. was also disappointed.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660203827,00.html