7/27 CalTech on voter roll gaps. NY Group - test all scanners. The Hacker advantage

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

CalTech on voter roll gaps. NY Group - test all scanners. The Hacker advantage

July 27 2010

How does your state rate in CalTech report? Hint - Arkansas is worst. "Huge Variation in "Unmailable" Voter Registration Materials"...Colorado SOS Seeks to "Protect" Ballots from Owners' Inspection...NY groups want outside test of Dominion scanners...Oregon redistricting initiative fails...The Disclose Act in Senate...EAC final versions of 2010 Election Admin & Voting Survey...WV will test internet voting on overseas military again..Do they know that
"a fundamental truth of cyber-security: attackers always have the advantage."~ Aldo Vasquez...

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

AZ: Push to get voters Permanent Early Voting List (vote by mail)
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=12874031 The Pima County Democrats are canvassing, trying to get as many registered voters as they can to get the Permanent Early Voting List.

CA: Former Bell police officer alleges serious voting irregularities in 2009 election*
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/former-bell-cop-alleges-serious-voting-irregularities-in-2009-election.html A retired Bell police sergeant claimed in a lawsuit filed this week that off-duty Bell police officers in the 2009 election distributed absentee ballots to voters and told them which candidates to select.

The allegations are contained in a lawsuit filed by James Corcoran, who says he was forced out of his job for informing authorities about the officers' actions as well as for a variety of other actions that he says top city leaders did not like

CA: Schwarzenegger to call election to fill open Senate seat
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/07/schwarzenegger-to-call-election-to-fill-open-senate-seat.html California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has until Tuesday to call an election to replace state Sen. Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks), who died earlier this month after a battle with cancer

CO: Colorado SOS Seeks to "Protect" Ballots from Owners' Inspection
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/07/colorado-sos-seeks-to-protect-ballots.html

CO: News: Memo details unclear law on public records (radio or podcast)
http://www.kdnk.org/article.cfm?mode=detail&id=1280241798407 Now those trying to get access to the ballot images here in Colorado say they want to reform the process, arguing the ballots are the property of the people, not the government. KDNK's Conrad Wilson reports.

CO: Boulder County to provide election service centers
http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=22830 BOULDER — Beginning Tuesday, Boulder County voters can get replacement primary-election mail ballots or cast their votes in person on electronic voting machines at two service centers.

CT: Another Connecticut Public Funding Dispute Goes to Court
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/26/another-connecticut-public-funding-dispute-goes-to-court/

FL: One approach to campaign finance reform
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/07/27/one-approach-to-campaign-finance-reform/
An editorial in the St. Petersburg Times advocates replacing Florida’s campaign finance rules with four new rules

GA: Until south Georgia voter fraud inquiry is settled, Terry Coleman says he’ll hold off on concession (suspects absentee ballot fraud, no evidence cited)
http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2010/07/26/until-south-georgia-voter-fraud-inquiry-is-settled-terry-coleman-says-hell-hold-off-on-concession/?cxntfid=blogs_political_insider_jim_galloway

IA: Misspent federal money and DNR audit in Iowa raise questions
http://www.examiner.com/x-43639-Central-Iowa-Politics-Examiner~y2010m7d26-Misspent-federal-money-and-DNR-audit-in-Iowa-raise-questions The state of Iowa will be required to repay $576,000 in federal money in which an independent audit commissioned by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) found was misspent. The questionable spending was related to the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

The audit revealed that at least one contract associated with the federal grant was never put to a lawful competitive bid.

MA: Mass. Legislature approves plan to bypass Electoral College
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/07/mass_legislatur.html
Under the law, which was enacted by the House last week, all 12 of the state's electoral votes would be awarded to the candidate who receives the most votes nationally.
...
Illinois, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, and Washington have already approved the legislation

MI: Split ticket will mean spoiled primary ballot
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20100725/NEWS16/7250491 With the primary election 10 days away, township Clerk Garth Christie has a note of caution for voters: Don't split your ticket.

MN: Dan McGrath: Photo ID at polls won't work magic
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/99143219.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ Talk of felons voting is now fodder in the race for secretary of state, but let's consider how elections actually work.
...
A photo ID requirement certainly would not prevent people serving a felony sentence from voting. If you have a Minnesota driver's license or state ID card, look at it. Does yours indicate anywhere whether or not you have a felony conviction?

NY: NY Court Allows Optical Scan Inspection by Nassau's Experts
http://re-mediaetc.blogspot.com/2010/07/ny-court-allows-optical-scan-inspection.html
Most of the twenty counties that passed resolutions expressing concerns about the optical scan voting systems and petitioning to retain their lever machines are scheduled to use Dominion Optical Scanners in fall elections. ETC urges these counties to join the Nassau suit so that all the voting machines will be subjected to independent professional scrutiny.

NY: HAVA Doesn't Ban Lever Voting Machines
http://www.newrochelletalk.com/content/did-you-know-about-new-voting-machines#comment-9187
...HAVA offers money for new machines to states that retire punch card and lever machines, but it does not ban them.
...
The view that HAVA requires lever retirement was recently refuted in court where US District Court Judge Joseph Bianco ruled that, "HAVA does not prescribe a particular type of voting machine nor does it have anything to say about any specific requirements on how New York officials must carry out their duties."

NY: You'll be Voting on Paper This Fall with new Voting Machines
http://www.whiteplainscnr.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8205
Westchester County.

OH: Nearly 700,000 Voters To Receive Ballot Applications For The September 7th County Executive/County Council Primary Election
http://www.citynewsohio.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=104418&sID=16&ItemSource=L
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is conducting a county-wide mailing of 691,970Vote by Mail ballot applications for the September 7th Primary Election.

OR: Redistricting initiative fails to qualify for ballot
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/
2010/07/redistricting_measure_fails_to.html http://bit.ly/cLxjEc
The measure's backers – including Kevin Mannix – were also in court Monday, claiming that some signatures had been thrown out illegally.
...
Of the 125,948 signatures submitted, Brown's office tossed out about 10 percent last week, saying they didn't meet legal requirements


TN: Election judge refuses to sign challenge
Eldridge seeks misconduct investigation
http://crossville-chronicle.com/local/x871674933/Election-judge-refuses-to-sign-challenge
Mickey Eldridge on Monday, accompanied by her husband, John, went to the election office to vote and asked for a Republican Primary ballot. She was given one but then her right to vote in the Republican Primary was challenged by Linda Thompson, a poll watcher for Eric Swafford.

TX: Dallas County justice of the peace who lost primary requests criminal probe of rival's actions http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/
stories/072710dnmetjpsuit.40454c2.html http://bit.ly/aVRxTX Judge Luis Sepulveda said in a motion filed Friday that his opponent, Carlos Medrano, violated the Texas Election Code by coercing people to vote for him when they were not eligible to do so in the primary

VA: New Memo Assesses the State of Voting in Virginia
http://www.projectvote.org/component/content/article/495-new-memo-assesses-the-state-of-voting-in-virginia.html

Internet Vote Watch

PDA, Internet voting raises legal questions in California (press release?)
http://sandiegonewsroom.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42503:pda-internet-voting-raises-legal-questions-in-california&catid=46:san-diego-business&Itemid=54

WV: Putnam commissioners approve online ballots for voters abroad
http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/201007270746
WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Putnam County residents out of the country during the state's upcoming elections will be able to vote online, county commissioners said Tuesday

Google hacked or why the Cyber world can get m.a.d
http://protection151.blogguza.com/2010/07/26/google-hacked-or-why-the-cyber-world-can-get-m-a-d/
So if it came to Google, it could have happened to any organisation is private, governmental or foreign. This exposes a fundamental truth of cyber-security: attackers always have the advantage.



National

Huge Variation in "Unmailable" Voter Registration Materials
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016522.html

State of the Nation (more on unmailable)
http://bostonreview.net/BR35.4/ansolabehere.php
...Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project issued the first comprehensive, nationwide analysis of the quality of information stored on voter registration lists.
...
Nationwide, approximately 1 in 16 entries on the registration lists is unmailable. The magnitude of the problem varies greatly throughout the country. In California, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., about 1 in 50 entries is problematic, but in Arkansas, that number is 1 in 5.

FVAP News Release #17: Military and Overseas Voters, Submit your Ballot Request for the August and September State Primaries and the General Election!
http://www.fvap.gov/global/news/nr17-2010.html

EAC has issued final versions of the 2010 Election Administration and Voting Survey
http://bit.ly/c4uHi9 (EAC link too long)

It's the Senate's turn to pass the Disclose Act
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/26/AR2010072604862.html
SENATORS ARE facing a simple, fateful decision: Do they want to allow millions of dollars from corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals to pour, undisclosed, into U.S. elections? The key word is undisclosed.

"One Republican senator said the expectation was that no one would break ranks to support the measure." (DISCLOSE) http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016525.html

Happy Birthday ADA!
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2010/07/26/724 Verified Voting joins with Civil Rights and Accessibility/Usability advocates across the country in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990

"Win or Lose." New Yorker Magazine Book Review
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2010/07/26/100726crbo_books_gottlieb

Progress Update: Uniformed Military and Overseas Voters Act
https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/UMOVA The ULC promotes the adoption of identical legislation, i.e. uniform laws, to promote national unity

International

Albania to test electronic voting in selected zones
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/
setimes/newsbriefs/2010/07/26/nb-12 http://bit.ly/9zJajy TIRANA, Albania -- The government is working on a pilot project to test fingerprint technology in elections.

Australian Voting System Could Catch Up With Technology
http://www.zgeek.com/content.php/3524-Australian-Voting-System-Could-Catch-Up-With-Technology

Bulgarian Democrats Propose Electronic Voting Again
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=118517
“This is the only way to prevent trading with votes and falsification of the electorate lists,” said Boris Markov, chair of the campaign headquarters of the party.
...
Markov has explained that the idea is for the voting to happen through election terminals (machines that look like ATMs) and with the ID card of the voter. The vote would be registered on paper for a better security.

Election Day Bombing Mars Thailand Vote
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia/july-dec10/thai_07-26.html

UK: Same-day referendum and election ‘would be difficult’
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/politics/same-day-referendum-and-election-would-be-difficult-1.1043864 Holding a referendum on voting reform on the same day as the Scottish Parliament elections could cause major difficulties, according to election officials.

Some voters could be forced to travel to two polling stations on the same day, a group that represents constituency returning officers has cautioned.

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