4/16.WVA 1st in military i-voting. Boise U internet election voided. DC voting rights. ACORN epitaph

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Comparing internet voting to online financial transactions

WVA 1st in military internet voting. Boise U internet election voided. DC voting rights. ACORN epitaph

April 16 2010

A bill has been revived that would give District of Columbia representation in Congress...Will there or won’t there be a special election NY's 29th?...The economy is causing cuts in elections in Tennessee...West Virginia will be first state to hold internet election for overseas military. What could possibly go wrong? Boise State University's internet election was voided after a "glitch" resulted in 109 blank ballots. Boise can hold a new election but what happens when internet votes are lost in a state or federal election?......Epitaph for ACORN: Done In by Its Friends?

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

CA: Citywide: Oakland council may reach compromise on campaign contributions, spending http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_14893761 Their rationale: With Oakland's switch to ranked-choice voting, which precludes the need for separate runoff elections, the city is essentially folding two elections into one. They also argued candidates should be allowed to raise and spend more money to help educate voters on the new voting system.

CA: Officials begin shipping election ballots to military and overseas voters
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2010-04-16/Community/Officials_begin_shipping_election_ballots_to_milit.html
California military and overseas voters may use a Federal Post Card Application to register to vote and simultaneously request a vote-bymail ballot.

CA: UPDATE: 641 Votes Remain In Santa Clarita City Council Race
http://hometownstation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19957:city-council-showdown-continues-as-exact-number-of-uncounted-votes-still-unknown&catid=26:local-news&Itemid=97

CA: More than 2,000 ballots still uncounted in Long Beach election
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_14891894
...With two incumbent write-in candidates, plus a third lesser known write-in candidate, ballot tallying was slow Tuesday night, but Herrera said the count was accurate and had few problems.

Herrera added that the slow pace at which results were posted was also due to his decision to check by hand every over-vote

CT: Columnist Calls for Elimination of the Secretary of the State
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3045

DC: Is Congress Getting Closer to Granting D.C. Voting Rights?
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002733-503544.html
The bill changed dramatically when the Senate added an amendment to its D.C. Voting Rights bill sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) that would force the District of Columbia to weaken its gun control laws. It stated that the District of Columbia could not "unduly burden" residents from owning guns.
...Since the Senate passed the bill last year, House Democrats have lost a key Republican ally in Utah, Sen. Orrin Hatch, over a provision in the House bill that would make the new Utah congressman represent the entire state instead of allowing the Utah state government to draw a new district.

FL: Changes Proposed To Voting Precincts
Eleven Precincts Will Be Moved Or Combined
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23165984/detail.html

KY: Kentucky plan to amend campaign finance law dashed
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/04/16/kentucky-plan-to-amend-campaign-finance-law-dashed/
added language to House Bill 152 — a routine elections bill — to increase the sums that candidates and political parties can collect; let the parties take money from corporations; and let legislators take donations from lobbyists

MA: Petitioners make last pitch before Town Meeting (finances prevent adoption of electronic voting)
http://www.wickedlocal.com/wayland/topstories/x998220748/Petitioners-make-last-pitch-before-Town-Meeting Finally, Alan Reiss, lead petitioner for Article 20 on electronic voting, made his presentation.
...
The Finance Committee voted unanimously against Article 20. For more information on this article go to “ www.electronicvoting.info ” (Reiss' website).

ME: Commission moves to separate two mayoral questions on ballot (PORTLAND)
http://www.pressherald.com/news/commission-moves-to-separate-two-mayoral-questions-on-ballot_2010-04-16.html commissioners in attendance voted 5-4 to separate the question of creating the position of an elected mayor from the question of whether to have ranked-choice voting to elect the mayor.

MI: School closures leave city searching for polling places (Farmington)
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20100415/NEWS06/4150579

NJ: Error on Jersey City school budget question forces Hudson County to reprint sample and vote-by-mail ballots in advance of Tuesday's school board election *
http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/jerseycity/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1271399205306430.xml&coll=3

NY: Computer programmer at Board of Elections is king of overtime in New York City again
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/04/15/2010-04-15_untitled__ot15m.html

NY: Reed ‘frustrated’ over Paterson’s handling of special election
http://www.eveningtribune.com/homepage/x1042535336/Reed-frustrated-over-Paterson-s-handling-of-special-election
Will there or won’t there be a special election held for the 29th Congressional District?

OH: Switchers must sign a form before they vote
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20100416/NEWS01/4160311/1002
NEWARK -- Republicans who switched parties to vote for presidential candidates Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary might be switching back this year

TN: Economy causing cuts in elections
http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/90948829.html?ref=829

WI: Van Hollen warns against voting overhaul
http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/226629-van-hollen-warns-against-voting-overhaul

WI: Sponsor of voting bill denies charges of fraud risk
http://www.wtaq.com/news/articles/2010/apr/15/sponsor-voting-bill-denies-charges-fraud-risk/

Internet Voting Watch

ID: Boise State voids election results after voting glitch
http://www.ktvb.com/news/Boise-State-voids-election-results-after-voting-glitch-90891764.html
When the voting was over, the student run election board found out that at least 109 ballots were blank because of a computer glitch.

WVA: Internet Voting New For 2010
http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=36559
West Virginia is the first state in the nation to offer Internet voting. Five counties were selected to be part of the pilot program offering overseas workers and absent military personnel the ability to cast their ballot on-line.
Kanawha, Monongalia, Jackson, Marshall and Wood counties were chosen to participate.

Overseas internet voting

Albania: Albania mulls on introduction of electronic voting for local elections, minister of state says http://www.balkans.com/open-news.php?uniquenumber=54136

Canada: Better Ballots casting for ideas to improve elections
Forum in North York showed concern over phone-in and online voting
http://votes.insidetorontoblogs.com/2010/04/better-ballots-casting-for-ideas-to-improve-elections/ The 14 options being explored by Better Ballots include extending the vote to permanent residents; voting on weekends; online and phone voting; lowering the voting age from 18 to 16; creating political municipal parties; term limits; at-large council; at-large council and wards; ranked ballots; borough councils; prohibition of paid volunteers; pre-election contribution disclosure; and prohibiting self-financing campaigns.

Qatar interested in Estonia's e-voting system
http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/Technology/?doc=25818 A delegation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Qatar is on a three-day visit to Tallinn in order to learn about e-developments in Estonia, in particular the e-voting project, writes LETA/Postimees Online


National

Investor groups take action in wake of Citizens United ruling
After Supreme Court opens donations floodgates, investors eye more disclosure
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/investors-take-action-after-citizens-united-ruling-2010-04-16?reflink=MW_news_stmp

The Obamas, Bidens, and the $3 Presidential Public Funding system
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/04/16/the-obamas-bidens-and-the-3-presidential-public-funding-system/

Epitaph for ACORN: Done In by Its Friends?
http://www.laphilanthropywatch.com/2010/epitaph-for-acorn-done-in-by-its-friends/

International

Canada: Electronic voting system use planned for fall municipal election
http://www.devondispatch.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2536222
Devon Town Council gave first — and then second — reading to Bylaw 829/2010

Israel: Israeli RFID-based voting system shown to be insecure
http://avi-rubin.blogspot.com/2010/04/israeli-rfid-based-voting-system-shown.html
It's deja vu all over again for those of us who dealt with issues like this in the US.

Nigeria: E-voting, panacea to election rigging in Nigeria — Senator
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2010041414475444

Philippines: U.S. SOLON FEARS POLL FRAUD IN RP ELECTIONS
http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/hl/hl109617.htm
A United States lawmaker has expressed concerns on the upcoming nationwide automated polls in the Philippines, expressing fears of fraud and massive disenfranchisement of voters during election day on May 10.

Sudan: Fourth day of voting is accompanied by violence, intimidation, and irregularities
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article34781

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