Exclusive: Impossible Election Results in Monroe County, Arkansas Puzzle State, Local Officials...Garland Co Arkansas voters will have 2 polling places instead of 42...Pennsylvania Gov nominates Merenda as Secretary of State...Overseas Voter Foundation's 2010 Primary Report: Last Chance to Vote States AR, CA, ME, MT, NJ, ND, SC, VA, UT...Citizens United: The Aftermath...Let's Hear It: Do You Want to Email Your Ballot?...Emailed Ballots: A Security Assessment...
All this and more in today's voting news below...
AR: Exclusive: Impossible Election Results in Monroe County, Arkansas Puzzle State, Local Officials
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7875 1000s of votes inexplicably disappear after 'Super-ish Tuesday' election, as county plans expanded use of oft-failed, 100% unverifiable ES&S touch-screen voting systems for upcoming primary run-off…
AR: Swing State Project -Garland County to have 2 polling places instead of 42
http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/7024/ssp-daily-digest-64-afternoon-edition The county, with a population of 80,000 and 42 precincts, will have a total of two polling places for the upcoming runoff election. Worth noting: Garland County (home of Hot Springs) is the most populous county in Arkansas that went for Bill Halter in the primary.
AR: County Won't Get More Voting Machines (iVotronics)
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/jun/03/county-wont-get-more-voting-machines/ ($ only) Voters Unite has full article @
http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=8536 (thank you Ellen Theisen). The Benton County Election Commission hoped to purchase 200 refurbished electronic voting machines this year.
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“We are extremely disturbed over the problems with the PEBs we got with the last machines, and we are not happy with ES&S at this point,” said Election Commission Chairman E.J. Miller.
AZ: Critics asking the secretary of state for an investigation
http://www.yumasun.com/news/ballots-61487-state-secretary.html SAN LUIS, Ariz.. Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla published an open letter to the secretary of state, questioning his findings and stating that there is no voter fraud but that there is an error factor in the way signatures are checked, which is leading to the high error rate.
CA: County offers coastsiders voting options for lost ballots (Santa Mateo)
http://www.montarafog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=603:county-offers-coastsiders-voting-options-for-lost-ballots&catid=1:latest-news CA: In Case You Missed It: It’s Our Duty To Help Our Troops Vote From Overseas
Commentary: By Marty Block Assemblymember, 78th District
http://laprensa-sandiego.org/editorial-and-commentary/commentary/in-case-you-missed-it-it%E2%80%99s-our-duty-to-help-our-troops-vote-from-overseas/ My bill, AB 2369, will permanently allow these voters to return completed ballots by facsimile transmission...
MT: Secretary of state launches Twitter page ahead of election
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100603/NEWS01/100603010 /Montana+launches+Twitter+page+ahead+of+election
http://is.gd/cCXRD NH: New Hampshire Secretary of State Agrees to Accept Libertarian Petitions Collected in 2009 for 2010
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/06/04/new-hampshire-secretary-of-state-agrees-to-accept-libertarian-petitions-collected-in-2009-for-2010/ NY: Bloomberg readies for fight to make elections nonpartisan
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/06/03/2010-06-03_fight_vs_nonpartisan_elex_renewed.html NY: Instant runoff voting in New York?
http://www.observer.com/2010/politics/instant-runoff-voting-ny OR: Will several legislative races hinge on Independent endorsement?
http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2010/06 /will_several_ legislative_races.html
http://is.gd/cCXUO Unlike in some fusion-voting states, candidates won't be listed separately under each party label (which gives you at least a rough sense of how many voters are attracted by the individual nomination).
PA: Rendell Nominates Basil Merenda as Secretary of Commonwealth
http://gantdaily.com/2010/06/04/rendell-nominates-basil-merenda-as-secretary-of-commonwealth/ SC: SC legislators agree on voter ID, early voting
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20100603/ARTICLES/100609878?Title=SC-legislators-agree-on-voter-ID-early-voting- Legislators have reached agreement on a bill that would require South Carolina voters to show photo ID at the polls and allow early voting. Both chambers still must approve it.
SC: How much does a vote cost?
http://www.wyff4.com/news/23785126/detail.html VA: Virginia Libertarians Sue over Residency Requirement for Circulators
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/06/04/virginia-libertarians-sue-over-residency-requirement-for-circulators/ WV: Official says Lincoln County voters not dead
http://www.dailymail.com/News/201006030830 "After a thorough investigation, I have concluded that each individual on the list is in fact alive
National
Citizens United: The Aftermath
ACS is pleased to distribute “Citizens United: The Aftermath.”, an Issue Brief by Monica Youn, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School.
http://www.acslaw.org/node/16287 "By holding, for the first time, that corporations have the same First Amendment rights to engage in political spending as people, the Supreme Court re-ordered the priorities in our democracy-placing special interest dollars at the center of our democracy, and displacing the rightful role of voters."
Overseas Vote Foundation 2010 Primary Report: Last Chance to Vote States AR, CA, ME, MT, NJ, ND, SC, VA, UT
https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/Primary-Deadlines Did you request your ballot? Did you get it? It is not too late if you act RIGHT NOW.
Is 'Compulsory Voting' The Answer?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/politicaljunkie/2010/06/01/127348895/is-compulsory-voting-the-answer ...Australia had voting participation at around 60 percent before it instituted mandatory voting, and now it's up to 95 percent.
...But...ABC News poll indicated that 72 percent of Americans are opposed to compulsory voting.
Prison-Based Gerrymandering Dilutes Blacks’ Voting Power
http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/prison-based-gerrymandering-dilutes-blacks-voting-power-16880 Internet Voting Watch
Let's Hear It: Do You Want to Email Your Ballot?
https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/Emailing-Ballots Emailed Ballots: A Security Assessment - by Overseas Vote Foundation
https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/Email-Ballot-Security Private email over the Internet is not a secure method of transfer for documents containing your confidential identity information. This is why Overseas Vote Foundation recommends that voters return their ballots by regular mail and fax.
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Dr. Jefferson on the differences between email balloting and paper VBM...
CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: SWISS EVOTING CONFERENCE
http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/?p=3232