4/8. Fairfax VA now English only voting forms. Webb Co TX disabled denied secret ballot? Online Vote

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Fairfax VA now English only voting forms. Webb Co TX disabled denied secret ballot? Online Voter Reg Debate.

April 8 2010

Aspen Transparency Litigation: What's being hidden and why?...Kinston, North Carolina voters challenge Section 5 of Voting Rights Act....von Spakovsky Votes to End Fairfax County Distribution of Voting Materials in Languages other than English...An advocacy group filed a complaint against Webb County,Texas saying voters with disabilities do not have access to a secret ballot...Advocates and Legislators Debate the Promise (and Potential Problems) of Online Voter Registration...British democracy: no better than Uzbekistan's...

Correction: Yesterday we mistakenly said that 89 Maryland voters may have voted twice in 2008, but prosecutor's office can't afford to investigate.The correct number was 189. Our apologies.

All this and more in today's voting news below...

AK: Poll mistake complicates Midtown Assembly election *
http://www.adn.com/2010/04/07/1216620/poll-mistake-complicates-midtown.html
The tight Midtown Assembly race took an odd twist Wednesday when the city clerk said she'll have to throw out as many as 175 votes in the race between former Assemblyman Dick Traini and conservative Andy Clary because of a mix-up at a downtown precinct.

AR: Pope Co. election commission considers purchases (iVotronics)
http://www.couriernews.com/story.php?ID=24372
Commission decides no new computers for voting
The Pope County Election Commission won’t be buying any new voting machines to use in the upcoming election because no company had any in stock as of Tuesday’s meeting.

CA: Electronic Signature Not Valid
http://warrenslocum.blogspot.com/2010/04/electronic-signature-not-valid.html
AN ELECTRONIC signature that was submitted on a statewide initiative petition does not comply with California's election code, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge George Miram's ruled on April 2.

CA: California Legislative Committee Passes Election-Day Voter Registration
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/04/08/california-legislative-committee-passes-election-day-voter-registration/

CO: What’s being hidden, and why? (Letter to Editor by Al Kolwicz) Aspen Transparency Litigation
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/04/whats-being-hidden-and-why-letter-to.html
Does anybody know why the City of Aspen is fighting so desperately to prevent public review of the May 2009 election files?

CO: Wrongly denied, again. Public seeks scanned ballot image files from HART InterCivic system.
http://coloradovotergroup.blogspot.com/2010/04/wrongly-denied-again-public-seeks.html

CO: Carroll announces bipartisan team to weigh election-reform legislation
http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_14841228

FL: Is Fla. Gov. Crist's Veto of an Election Bill Tied to a Possible Independent Run for U.S. Senate?
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015658.html

IL: Clerk addressing audit concerns (Iroquois County)
http://newsbug.info/articles/2010/04/07/watseka_times_republic
/local_news/doc4bbc08d5b0f7d352844176.txt
http://tinyurl.com/yjy2dmt
...the state's election board is auditing all counties that purchased something with grant monies.

MD: General Assembly bills could impact election officials
http://times-news.com/local/x552034904/General-Assembly-bills-could-impact-election-officials

MD: Election integrity
Our view: Irregularities unlikely serious but deserve state prosecutor’s scrutiny
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-0409-voting-20100408,0,1135907.story

ME: Man accused of voting twice pleads not guilty
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/140742.html ...He allegedly voted in Dixmont on Nov. 3, then, registered and voted in nearby Newburgh.

NC: New challenge to Sec. 5
http://www.scotusblog.com/2010/04/new-challenge-to-sec-5/
Voters in the town of about 23,000 people had approved a ballot measure that would end city elections based on party candidates, and switch to non-partisan elections. The measure could not go into effect, however, because Kinston is a part of Lenoir County, North Carolina, and that county is covered by Section 5.

NC: Local citizens' group sues in federal court for nonpartisan voting
http://www.enctoday.com/news/voting-64557-kfpress-citizens-local.html
Five Kinston citizens have banded together in an effort to challenge the constitutionality of Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act and bring nonpartisan voting to local municipal elections.

ND: RAC Commissioner Bresso shares observations from North Dakota conference
http://www.eac.gov/about/commissioners/Gineen%20Bresso%20Beach/notes-from-the-road

NY: Green critical of voting lawsuit
http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/538388.html?nav=5047
MAYVILLE - Chautauqua County's Democratic Election Commissioner is criticizing a lawsuit which aims to stop new voting machines from being used.

TN: Registered to vote, felons get investigated
http://www.corrections.com/news/article/24123-registered-to-vote-felons-get-investigated

TX: Complaint filed against county
http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/90178647.html
Advocacy incorporated filed the complaint with the secretary of state, alleging that the agreement to only use paper ballots, singles out voters that must use an electronic voting machine.

TX: Dallas vote fraud allegations multiply (video, Dallas County)
http://www.wfaa.com/news/Vote-Fraud-Allegations-Multiply-90125377.html
Now there is new evidence of a more orchestrated campaign by so-called "vote harvesters" allegedly tampering with mail-in ballots.

VA: Will Redistricting Muddle Virginia's 2011 Legislative Elections?
http://ballotbox.governing.com/2010/04/will-redistricting-muddle-virginias-2011-legislative-elections.html

VA: TPM: von Spakovsky Votes to End Fairfax County Distribution of Voting Materials in Languages other than English
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015661.html

VA: Vote-Suppression Guru Spakovsky Is Back At It
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/04/vote-suppression_guru_spakovsky_is_back_at_it.php?ref=fpb
Chap Petersen, a Democratic state senator whose district is in Fairfax County, called the move "a step backwards." He told TPMmuckraker: "It's pretty clear that the effect will be to limit opportunities for non-English people to register to vote even if they are citizens."

"My district has a high population of Korean, Middle Eastern, and South-East Asian immigrants," Petersen added, noting that his wife is Korean. "We have a lot of people that are citizens, that pay taxes first languages are Korean" or others, he said. "And everyone gets that."

WI: Budget Blog: JFC approves election reform bill (next to floor at end of month)
http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=191940
...The election reform legislation would, in part, enable the Government Accountability Board to use select state agency records to automatically register voters, reform the procedures for both overseas and pre-Election Day absentee voting, and take steps to prevent voter intimidation at the polls.

WI: The truth about Wisconsin election reform
http://www.lwvwi.org/cms/content/view/433/129

National

Update: Options for Reining in Corporate Election Cash in Wake of Citizens United Supreme Court Decision
http://www.progressivestates.org/node/24895
...requiring shareholder approval for corporations spending election cash, tighter public disclosure and attribution in ads, public financing of elections, and calling for a federal constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United decision.

Advocates and Legislators Debate the Promise (and Potential Problems) of Online Registration
http://www.projectvote.org/blog/?p=326

Online voter registration
http://nonprofitvote.blogspot.com/2010/04/online-voter-registration.html
Some indicated a fear that the Internet was "not safe" for online registration.
Why the hate?

"55% Say Media Bias Bigger Problem in Politics Than Big Contributions"
A new Rasmussen poll. http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015659.html

Internet Voting Watch

Elections highlight low campus voter turnout (U of Tenn)
http://media.www.utcecho.com/media/storage/paper483/
news/2010/04/08 /News/Elections.Highlight.Low.Campus.Voter.Turnout-3901617.shtml
http://tinyurl.com/yjpe6xm
A new online voting system was used. Jim Hicks, dean of students said there were some issues with the voting software that may have contributed to the low voter turnout.

Canada: Changes in store for voters but online voting isn’t one
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1010299
Brunswick voters will be able to cast their ballot in this fall’s provincial election the moment the writ is dropped, says chief electoral officer Michael Quinn.
...
“Electronic voting is still in its trial stages,” ...


International

UK: British democracy: no better than Uzbekistan's Postal ballot-rigging, partisan officials, censorship of candidates … no independent observer could call our elections free and fair
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/08/craig-murray-general-election

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[Stevepol]

1. Who's unrec-ing this post for heaven's sake?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. no worry. could be anything

maybe someone thinks that the title implies endorsement, which it does not.

It makes sense to provide voting materials in foreign languages because even for bilingual citizens, it helps to have important legal documents like voter reg forms and ballots in the native language.

We are a melting pot, after all, and voting is so important.