Daily Voting News July 2-3, 2009 Holt, Iran, Phillipines e-voting snag

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

While the goals of the U.S. and the Philippines seem to be the same regarding elections -- fair and fraud-free, their methods are diametrically opposed. The Philippines is desperate to get away from paper ballots and automate their elections, and the U.S., having been there done that, is heading in the opposite direction.

Happy Independence Day! We're taking the weekend off.


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iUpoNBZyaBc/R1S0rGL0mwI/AAAAAAAAAhE/jbFbDVoww_w/s1600-R/electronic+voting.gif
National: New York Times, Rep. Holt, Still Misrepresenting Contents of Controversial Election Reform Bill
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7273

IL: Judge to decide if uninitialed ballots count in RI race
http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_f709c5c6-66b8-11de-a392-001cc4c002e0.html



MI: Clerks say overseas military balloting needs fix
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20090703/NEWS01/907030331/1002/NEWS01 (A sensible solution in our opinion.)

MN: Another "winner" in a tied election
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/028772.html

TX: Texas Legislature begins special session
http://www.athensreview.com/local/local_story_182232901.html
(Voter ID bill will not be included.)



Iran: Unfolded Ballot Slips in the Boxes
The publication of new images and documents regarding the election fraud during the phony recount of the votes has brought new questions to the planners and managers of the June 12 presidential elections.
http://www.roozonline.com/english/news/newsitem/article/2009/july/02//unfolded-ballot-slips-in-the-boxes.html

Philippines: Enrile raises more election questions
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/july/04/yehey/top_stories/20090704top2.html
(Quote from the article: But Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said, "Under the Constitution, Congress is supposed to be the canvasser for president and vice president. But if the election is automated, what will we canvass?")

Philippines: Enrile warns poll officials
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090703-213710/Enrile-warns-poll-officials
(Quote from the article: Election officials will end up in jail if they fail to either automate or prepare for the manual balloting next year, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile warned on Friday.)

Philippines: 'Automation only way vs. poll fraud'
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090703-213674/Automation-only-way-vs-poll-fraud

Philippines: Catholic schools pray for miracle to save poll automation
http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/9450

Philippines: Comelec readies charges against automation firm
The Commission on Elections has given Total Information Management Inc. and its Dutch partner, Smartmatic International Corp., until Friday to patch up their differences after the Filipino company said it would pull out of the project.
...Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body would tighten procedures for manual counting to avoid cheating.

He said there was time enough to print out manual system ballots and buy the needed ballot boxes if the automation project was scrubbed.
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news1_july2_2009

Published by VotersUnite.Org
Ellen Theisen ([e-mail]), Director and Managing Editor
Dave Klein ([e-mail]), Editor
John Washburn ([e-mail]), Editor

Daily Voting News was founded on February 6, 2004 by John Gideon (1947-2009). To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to [e-mail]. To donate, click here: http://www.votersunite.org/donate.asp.

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**Articles and commentary included in "Daily Voting News" do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors of Daily Voting News, VotersUnite.Org, or its allied organizations. Articles are selected for inclusion to inform subscribers' ability to draw their own conclusions based on noteworthy and credible news, research, legislation, and debate bearing on the integrity of elections. **

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[Peace Patriot]

1. The Philippines is where far rightwing e-voting mfr ES&S produces our touchscreens

in sweatshops. See Dan Rather's excellent documentary, "The Trouble With Touchscreens" at www.HD.net. (It also includes a segment about 2000 and the soggy punchcards that produced "hanging chads".)

Don't ya love how the fatcats fuck up elections with money and lobbyists and all manner of corruption among politicians and the media, then use those fucked up conditions to assert that the only remedy is to let fascist corporations tally the votes electronically with 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code.

That's what happened here, with the 2000 fiasco, followed by a $3.9 billion electronic voting machine boondoggle from the Anthrax Congress. 'TRADE SECRET' code. Unbelievable! And it's still in place.

Compare and contrast with Venezuela, which uses electronic voting, but it is OPEN SOURCE code--anyone may review it--and they ADDITIONALLY handcount a whopping 55% of the votes, as a check on machine fraud. We use 'TRADE SECRET' code and, in many cases, do no audit at all, and, in others, a measly 1% audit (if there is a paper trail).

It is mind-bending to try to think how 'TRADE SECRET' code ever got inserted into our voting system, here in the "land of the free/home of the brave." Even more mind-bending, that it's still there--with 0% or 1% auditing!

:wow: