Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News WEDNESDAY, 9/14/05

[autorank]

NEW ORLEANS…Simply the Best

Never forget the pursuit of Truth.
Only the deluded & complicit accept election results on blind faith.

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News WEDNESDAY, 9/14/05

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

If you can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233

3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

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All previous daily threads are available here:
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Please

"Recommend"

for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

[autorank]

1. VotersUnite.Org -- Free Book to Gove to Your Board of Elections -- 5 Stars

Want a free book on the basis of our democracy. Down load this book, read it and share it with outers. It’s profound work from a trusted source, VotersUnite.Org.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. DOWNLOAD MythBreakers AND DELIVER IT TO YOUR LOCAL BOARD OF ELECTIONS.

MythBreakers: Facts About Electronic Elections by Ellen Thiesen

http://www.votersunite.org/MB2.pdf

Give them the real scoop about:

- HAVA misunderstandings
- Examples of 2004 e-election disasters
- The truth about our testing processes
- Price comparisons of voting systems
- hidden costs of DRE voting machines
- (paperless Direct Record Electronic)
- Election complexities added by DREs
- Increased human error with DREs
- Other HAVA-compliant voting systems
- and more ...

Join with other activists throughout the nation to hand-deliver copies of this eye-opening information to your county and state decision-makers. Help distribute "Myth Breakers," second edition, to ALL local election officials in the country.

To be part of this nation-wide education campaign:

CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

[texpatriot2004]

2. Thanks for the new book. I love books. n/t

[autorank]

9. It's a "good book"...your Board will appreciate the effort.

[knowbody0]

7. thanks autorank

nice timing
truth is all ways golden

[autorank]

8. MY PLEASURE

:evilgrin:

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3. OH: Clermont County Quoted as Experts for Major Purchase

Check out the first sentence. Dan Bare, Board of Elections Director, Clermont County…the county that turned the election from Hackett to Schmidt in August (Ohio’s 2nd District) after stopping the vote count due to “humidity.” This is the same Dan Bare who was described in the affidavits below The Enquirer article. The Enquirer knows this. It’s all a big joke. People who have a reputation for poor election practices get quoted as experts by a newspaper that knows better on a topic that makes no sense. Just buy paper ballots, it’s easy and cheap.

Hamilton Co. picks optical-scan voting
$10M system to make debut with 2006 elections

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050913/NEWS01/509130374/1056

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

By Kimball Perry
Enquirer staff writer
Dan Bare loves the optical-scanning voting system that Clermont County has used for more than a decade.

"It's great. It puts the ballot in the hand of the voters from cradle to grave," said Bare, director of the Clermont County Board of Elections.

That's the kind of experience Hamilton County hopes to have for its more than 573,000 registered voters when it switches to a $10 million optical-scanning voting system next year.

"The whole point of this is, what is the voter's intent (and) giving the voter total control of the ballot," said John Williams, director of Hamilton County's Board of Elections.

The board last week selected the eScan optical-voting system made by Hart InterCivic of Austin, Texas.
The optical scanners will replace the punch-card voting system in effect since 1974.

<snip>

Warren County also plans to use an optical-scanner voting system.
Butler County has opted for a touch-screen system.


From “Scoop” Independent Media re: Don Bare, the Enquirer’s expert, and the 2004 Clermont County Recount (consider the expertise the Enquirer chooses to lead with)

The Veteran Of Fallujah Defeated By OH's Humidity

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0508/S00186.htm
“Witness Carolyn Betts attended the Clermont Board of Elections meeting on December 16, 2004, when the recount was certified. As she describes it, then and current Board Director Dan Bare was intent on certifying the recount by the December 20. He was also intent on accommodating his staff members’ desire for a holiday vacation. According to Betts’ account, Bare “would not discuss providing ballot books, uncounted absentee ballots and uncounted provisional ballots until the hand recount was complete.” “Ballot books” are the large bound printouts that poll workers use to check off names as voters enter the polling place. If there are 1000 votes cast in a precinct and only 800 signatures in the ballot book, there are serious problems. If any of the names on the ballot book cannot be confirmed as residents of the precinct, there are serious problems. For these reasons, ballot books are vital in determining the legitimacy of an election.

<snip>

In addition, the Clermont recount was not done as a random sample. The 3% of votes recounted came from smaller precincts, because the Clermont board, according to Betts, believed this would create “fewer problems.” Even if none of the problems described had occurred, the use of a non random sample for a 3% recount meant that the recount was inherently flawed and invalid.”
And now, for a some advice on disaster planning from former FEMA Director Brown…give me a break!
CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

[autorank]

4. Upstate NY: Republican Pushes Machines with Clever Strategy

Spin-meister of Upstate New York. This is a genius at work. The Republican Board of Elections Director in Erie creates a false crisis…paper ballots when the people expect machines. Then he says it’s because he lacks the requisite budget for machines. Then he said it will be until October before some primary races are decided. Oh, guess what, they will have machines by the regular election in 2006, just in time…for a Republican sweep. There is noting wrong with paper ballots. WE had elections nationwide with them for decades. This is a set up, but it’s clever. Deep…

Tonight's Top Story
Busy Primary Election Night in Erie County
Sept 13, 2005, 8:08 PM

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=3846443&nav=0RapeUPv

Sept 13, 2005, 8:08 PM

(September 13, 2005) - - This promises to be one of the busiest primary nights in recent years for Erie County. Dozens of newcomers are on the ballot, with very few incumbents going unchallenged, and, as News 4's Lorey Schultz reports, thousands of ballots will take weeks to count.

One polling site in Hamburg was supposed to feature new electronic voting booths.

But instead, voters are going back in time, to the days of paper ballots, on this primary day.

Walter Lukaswicz of Hamburg said, "Where's the machine? What? No money? No money. Well that's a shame, you know."

Donna Suto of Hamburg said, "Well, my opinion, we're going backward, not forward; going to paper rather than automated machines."

Thirteen towns in Erie County have been forced to return to paper ballots.

While some county leaders say the board of elections created this artificial hardship to spin their need for more patronage jobs, the Republican Board of Elections commissioner blames it on county budget cuts which forced him to trim his staff, leaving few workers to prepare the voting machines.

<snip>

Board of Elections commissioners expected some challenges, but insist the paper ballot process will have the same checks and balances as the mechanical voting machines.

As a result of the paper ballots, an official winner may not be declared in close races until mid-October.

The Board of Elections expects the machines to be up and running in all towns come the November election.

CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

[autorank]

5. SD: Voting Rights for Native Americans - but when the Act goes...

Next victim…the Voting Rights Act. Make no mistake about it, if wishes were horses, they’d ride this one into the ground. But we won’t let them.

Panel holds hearing on voting rights

http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/12619253.htm

Posted on Sun, Sep. 11, 2005

Associated Press

RAPID CITY, S.D. - Provisions still are needed to protect American Indians in South Dakota from discrimination at the polls, according to testimony at a hearing on the 40-year-old Voting Rights Act.

"Indian people still face significant hurdles when they try to participate in the electoral process," said Dan McCool, a political science professor at the University of Utah. Those obstacles include getting to the polls and not having a photo identification, he said.

<snip>

The hearing in Rapid City was one in a series being held nationwide by the National Commission on the Voting Rights Act. The group is preparing a report to Congress on discrimination in voting since 1982.

Several provisions of the act are set to expire in 2007 unless they are reauthorized by Congress.

Panelists said a hostility remains in South Dakota between Indians and non-Indians. They also said more education is needed for Indian voters, government workers and poll workers.

Raymond Uses The Knife, vice chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said he knows of voting problems firsthand. He told of an elderly aunt who couldn't get to the polls and was not allowed to vote.

"Things like this are going on the reservations," he said.

<snip>

Among the provisions set to expire in 2007 is one that requires language assistance in communities where a significant number of voters speak limited English. The rule applies to 18 South Dakota counties where many people speak Lakota.

Another one, called Section 5, requires areas with a history of voter discrimination to get pre-approval from the U.S. Department of Justice before changing polling places, redistricting or making other changes that could discriminate against minority voters or dilute the power of Indian votes. That applies to Shannon and Todd counties in South Dakota.

Former Sen. Daschle also was among those testifying during the hearing.

Daschle said that in 2004, American Indians in South Dakota voted at a 30 percent higher rate than four years earlier.

He said some of the credit goes to the Voting Rights Act.

Information from: The Rapid City Journal


CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

[autorank]

6. Wash.. DC: Bidbold to buy Federal Election Commission

I got in trouble on GD for a satire that was a little too subtle (imagine that). This one is an unmistakable satire. However, the next bogus release from this wonderful site should be, “Soros Buys Diebold” … now that would make us smile.

Diebold to buy Federal Election Commission

http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/?itemid=761&catid=3

Washington DC – 4 hours ago.
by Kamal El-Din

Unconfirmed sources report the Bush administration is ready to sell off the FEC to Diebold, maker of touch screen voting machines. Diebold will pay an undisclosed amount for the government commission and assume all of its functions and responsibilities.

Diebold and the White House refused to comment on the impending purchase but one industry watcher shared his observations.

"This is a very shrewd move by both Diebold and the Bush Administration. By selling the FEC the administration gets rid the headache of having to take any responsibility for election reform. For Diebold it makes sense to get in on the decision making process. The combination of Diebold and FEC will streamline the transition to new and untested voting technology without public comment. It will also quell any controversy over voting security standards. With Diebold writing the standards their equipment will automatically be in compliance."

One unnamed critic of the deal gave this comment to US. "Diebold will acquire a big headache by acquiring the FEC, the federal agency that enforces contribution and expenditure restrictions in federal elections. Diebold came inside the beltway looking for a smart acquisition, but got fleeced by a lobbyist who steered the company to the FEC. Diebold would have done much better had it been able to locate the Elections Administration Commission, the new federal agency that was set up to distribute several billion dollars to state and local election agencies so they could buy new voting machines from Diebold."

The Sale of the FEC will be yet another step in the administrations goal of privatizing nonessential governmental functions. Budget hawks are applauding the sale, yet it is unclear how much money will be saved as the government will be buying all Diebold equipment.


CLICK HERE to get quick access to Election Results and Discussion Forum on your “Latest” page.

[GuvWurld]

10. Lone Star Iconoclast: Arcata Leads Way With Voter Confidence Resolution

Original thread here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x393444

This is awesome coverage!

[Wilms]

11. Electronic Voting Systems Show Promise, But Require Bigger Commitment...

Date: Sept. 13, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Electronic Voting Systems Show Promise, But Require
Bigger Commitment by Federal Government and States

WASHINGTON -- While electronic voting systems have improved, federal and state governments have not made the commitment necessary for e-voting to be widely used in future elections, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council. More funding, research, and public education are required if e-voting is to become viable, said the report's authoring committee, which was co-chaired by two former governors. And because electronic voting systems, like all complex computer systems, are fallible and may be compromised -- whether deliberately or by accident -- backup systems will be needed in the event of malfunctions or allegations of fraud.

"Electronic systems are expected to supplant traditional voting techniques, but this will happen only if more resources are dedicated to understanding how these systems work and to training election officials and the public on their use," said committee co-chair Dick Thornburgh, former Pennsylvania governor and U.S. attorney general, and now counsel to Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP, Washington, D.C. "In an election environment with great variability in state electoral laws and in the qualifications of local election officials and poll workers, such an effort will be critical to realizing the full potential of electronic systems."

Election officials are concerned that the voting controversy in Florida during the 2000 presidential contest and other real or perceived voting mishaps have shaken the public's confidence in the election process, and more locales are turning to e-voting in their search for a more-foolproof alternative. The report, however, emphasizes that decisions about using electronic systems need to be based on whether they will significantly improve the reliability and efficiency of elections -- an obvious consideration but one often overlooked in the public debate. Decisions about the ultimate desirability of e-voting systems should not be limited to assessments of their performance to date, the committee warned, noting that e-voting technologies are continually improving. Election officials should ensure that these systems are reliable, user-friendly, and in compliance with election laws. In the end, elections that are trusted by the public should be considered the gold standard of election administration, the committee added.

To help election officials gauge the robustness of an e-voting system, the committee posed a series of questions on matters such as computer security and voter privacy, system usability, and the life cycle of software and availability of upgrades. The answers should be made widely and easily available to officials and the public, who will need them to make sound decisions about when and if to adopt e-voting.

-snip/more-

http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309100240?OpenDocument

Full Report (or somthin')
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309100240/html/

[Wilms]

12. Harwood wins GOP primary; count errors found

Harwood wins GOP primary; count errors found

By Bill Yelenak, Record-Journal staff

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

MERIDEN — While former City Council and state Senate candidate David Parian was originally thought to be the winner of a Republican primary for the Area 1 City Council seat, an error in recording vote totals appears to have given the nomination to Republican Town Committee nominee Todd Harwood.

Votes totals were flipped in two of the four Area 1 precincts, leading election officials to originally declare Parian the victor. But minutes later, Registrar of Voters Lillian Soboleski and chief moderator Bruce Fontanella discovered the error and said it would be Harwood on the ballot in November, opposing the Democratic nominee for Area 1, Hilda Santiago.

"I think when (Soboleski) wrote them down, she had Dave's name on top and Todd's underneath," Fontanella said shortly after figuring out the new totals. The voting machines were reversed, with the endorsed candidate, Harwood, on top, and the challenging candidate, Parian, on the bottom.

In the end, Harwood received 31 of the 55 votes cast in the election, or 56.36 percent. Only 9 percent of the 609 registered Republicans who live in Area 1 cast ballots in Tuesday's primary. However, since fewer than 20 votes separate the two candidates, a mandatory recount will take place in the next three days, according to Fontanella and Soboleski.

-snip/more-

http://www.record-journal.com/articles/2005/09/14/news/news06.txt

[Wilms]

13. FL: Touchscreen voting machines raise concerns in area

Touchscreen voting machines raise concerns in area

By CINDY SWIRKO

Sun staff writer

September 14. 2005 6:01AM

The purchase of controversial touchscreen voting machines that do not produce a paper record is raising concerns among residents and Alachua County commissioners, who said they were not fully informed about the machines when they approved the purchase.

Diebold TSX machines, which have been banned in California and elsewhere, have been bought by Alachua County Elections Supervisor Pam Carpenter to comply with laws to aid disabled voters.

The vast majority of voters will continue to use the current paper ballot system.

Among the critics of the paperless machines who spoke at Tuesday's commission meeting was Vincent Lipsio, an engineer who has served on various national panels regarding voting machines.

-snip/more-

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050914/LOCAL/209140314/1078/news

[Wilms]

14. NY: November election could be the last time for old style voting machines

November election could be the last time for old style voting machines

9/13/05

New voting machines

The general election in November could be the last for the old-style lever action voting machines in Monroe County. The state is under a federal mandate to have new voting machines in place for the federal election in 2006

NEWS 10NBC learned that Monroe County election officials are looking at two basic types of voting machines. One is called direct electronic recording that uses a computer touch screen. It's similar to the newest atm machines at banks.

The other is called optical scan. It requires the voter to fill in the dot on paper with a black pen or pencil like a college entrance exam.

-snip/more-

http://www.10nbc.com/news.asp?template=item&story_id=16189

[Wilms]

15. Opinion: Pennsylvania took a shameful step backward with voting rights

Pennsylvania took a shameful step backward with voting rights

Playing Games With Voting Rights

Published: September 14, 2005

The State of Pennsylvania took a shameful step backward when the State House passed a bill that could potentially deprive tens of thousands of parolees and probationers of the right to vote. Even if the bill fails to be passed by the State Senate - as many people predict - it will inevitably suppress the vote in the poor and mainly minority communities where ex-felons tend to live. People in those communities are already confused about their rights under the law, and many who are actually eligible to vote don't do so out of fear that they may be penalized or turned away at the polls.

The Pennsylvania bill comes at a time when the rest of the country is moving in the opposite direction. Over the last decade, a dozen states have softened or revoked disenfranchisement laws, understanding that voting rights are integral to the mission of reintegrating ex-offenders into the community. Indeed, the American Correctional Association, which represents prison officials, recently called on states everywhere to stop barring ex-offenders from the polls because that practice was inconsistent with the goal of rehabilitation.

The Pennsylvania bill represents an odious attempt by lawmakers to undo a state court ruling overturning a law that required newly released prisoners to wait five years before getting the right to vote. Republican lawmakers who disliked the court ruling liked it even less when community activists in Democratic parts of the state began to inform ex-felons that they now had the right to return to the polls. Legislators are also trying to direct public attention away from a hugely unpopular pay raise that they voted for themselves earlier this year. That makes the attack on voting rights all the more reprehensible.

-snip/more-

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/opinion/14wed3.html?th&emc=th

Thanks to dajoki for posting:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=175x7207

[Wilms]

16. .