REPORT: Minority Undervote Rate Plummets After New Mexico Switches to All Paper Ballots...

[BradBlog]

REPORT: Undervote Rate Plummets 85% in New Mexico's Native American Precincts after Statewide Switch from Touch-Screen Voting to Paper Ballots
Comparison of Voting Data from 2004 to 2006 Shows Hispanic Undervote Plunged 69% as the 'Civil Rights' Case for DREs Continues to Fall Apart
ALSO: New Concerns Emerge About Racial Profiling vis a vis Touch-Screen Voting Systems...

"We were looking for any impact the change to paper ballots may have had on New Mexico’s historically high undervote rate. When we found the dramatic drop in Native American precincts, we were shocked," says New Mexico's Theron Horton. The Election Defense Alliance (EDA) activist added, "something was going on with the DREs in those precincts in 2004."

Something indeed.

Details now out from New Mexico reveal that undervote rates dropped precipitously in both Native American and Hispanic areas after the state moved from DRE's in 2004 to paper-based optical-scan systems in 2006. In Native American areas, undervote rates plummeted some 85%. In Hispanic communities, the rate dropped by 69% according to the precinct data reviewed by the Election Defense Alliance, VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.org.

Ellen Theisen, then Executive Director of VotersUnite.org, reviewed the original high undervote rates in the state after the 2004 elections, but hadn't broken it down to compare DRE vs. Op-Scan precincts. "When I heard of Theron’s work," Theisen says in today's press release, "I performed the comparison, and found that it’s the paper ballots that made the difference in the minority precincts.”

New Mexico banned the use of DREs across the state after their disastrous experience with Sequoia touch-screen voting machines during the 2004 Presidential Election. They now require a paper ballot for every vote cast statewide.

As he signed the bill which banned DREs into law in early 2006, New Mexico's Gov. Bill Richardson wrote a letter to Election Officials in all 50 states, warning that while "some believe that computer touch screen machines are the future of electoral systems...the technology simply fails to pass the test of reliability."

"One person, one vote is in jeopardy if we do not act boldly and immediately," Richardson implored, while decrying the failures of DREs in his state and in support of paper ballots. "When a vote is cast, a vote should be counted," he wrote...



COMPLETE STORY, FULL PRESS RELEASE, LINK TO NM REPORT, DATA:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4193

---
Brad Friedman
THE BRAD BLOG - The uprising continues...
http://www.BradBlog.com
VELVET REVOLUTION - The revolution begins...
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us

[robinlynne]

1. funny thing about those dres...

[helderheid]

2. REC #1

[lovuian]

3. Thats what democracy is all about

Wow incredible study Always knew in my heart there was something wrong with these elections

[Warpy]

14. The numbers just didn't add up in 2004

17,000+ New Mexicans got their votes recorded in the judges' races but not in the national election.

Thanks again to Brad Blog for giving us local news that the local news won't touch.

[all.of.me]

34. oh, it's not in the journal?

;)

[dkofos]

4. If this is true (and I'm sure it is) does it mean that fewer repubes

if any will be elected in the future??

[blm]

20. and fewer Dem strategists will be meet their DC mortgage payments....they are the ones

who needed to pooh-pooh the voting machine problems, because the biggest problem Democratic candidates REALLY had was getting the votes they earned counted.

But strategists make BIG BUCKS by telling candidates to move to the right or center or to adopt the position of their largest donor or 'values' voters or whatever.

Democrats would have been winning just fine in 2000, 2002, and 2004 if the party worked to secure the election process.

[tbyg52]

43. And we only won in 2006

because the Republicks underestimated the wrath of the voters. Junk the DRE's before 2008!

[all.of.me]

33. repubes - that is the BEST word yet!

bwahahahahaha i love it.

[thereismore]

5. Just goes to show that

DRE's fuck with people's votes. No further proof needed. Get them out everywhere!

[AndyA]

6. So how many GOPers are in office today that weren't legitimately elected by the people?

It's obvious that votes haven't been counted properly.

It's obvious that an overwhelming majority of miscounted votes are of minority voters, which usually tend to vote for Democrats.

It's terrifying to consider how many people are in office that shouldn't be there. Where is the justice?

[Horse with no Name]

9. Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that it was only the GOP

After all, Richardson was a Democratic Governor who REFUSED to allow the machines to be looked at when this issue came up even though the evidence was compelling and even went so far to order them wiped when there was pending lawsuits.
There are plenty of Democrats in bed with the GOP. Let's not pretend they aren't.

[bigtree]

13. pfft!

the sad thing about this argument is it has to presume Richardson wanted Kerry to lose in his state after spending the year preparing for his nomination as chairman of the national convention. Just a simple search will pull up all of the instances where Bill Richardson carried water for Kerry.

It makes no sense at all to continue to bash Richardson for his conduct in that recount in which NM's votes - would have made absolutely NO difference at all in the final overall electoral count - because HE is the one who presided over, and helped enact the impressive remedies which have made his state a leader in election reform.

[Horse with no Name]

15. I really don't care how much you apologize for Richardson

The FACT is that he impeded the counting of the votes. You might not care about it, but after all, your vote wasn't discarded.
Regardless of WHY he did it, WHOM it benefited or any other myriad of excuses you want to proffer is not relevant.
HE IMPEDED THE VOTE.
It doesn't matter that YOU don't think it would have made a difference in the overall electoral count...and the fact that you seem to think it is okay for the minority undervote is troubling as well.
Every citizen deserves their vote to be counted. Every elected official has an OBLIGATION to ensure that happens.
Richardson didn't care and you obviously don't care either. What a pity.

[bigtree]

18. it's not an apology at all

I just don't buy the argument that he didn't want votes counted in his state. I think the argument is absurd in the face of his solid support of Kerry throughout the campaign, and in the face of his excellent efforts in obtaining remedies to the paperless voting machine problems in his state just two years after the problems occurred.

edit: for you to sit wherever you are and claim that I don't care about 'the counting of the votes' or the minority undervote is the same smear you're trying to paint Richardson with. He obviously cared about the counting of the votes and the problem with the minority undervote, because, unlike many folks, HE ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM!.

[Horse with no Name]

19. He didn't count them when it mattered

He only did it to bow under the pressure of the voting rights activists and now the asshat is using it as his accomplishment.:puke:
RICHARDSON DIDN'T WANT THE VOTES COUNTED! The million dollar question remains as to WHY?

[bigtree]

21. yeah, why? a 'million dollar question', which you haven't yet answered

You have to stretch this Democratic governor's persona (and mine) pretty far to come up with the meme that he 'didn't want votes counted'.

edit: as governor, he would likely benefit from the additional votes recorded in these precincts, so I don't think he needed 'activists' to convince him of that.

[Horse with no Name]

22. "I" can't answer his motivations

but he did it and he is accountable to his actions regardless of the reasons.
THIS Democrat will educate EVERYONE on his nefarious inaction and let them make up their own mind if they want to vote for him or not.

[dogday]

46. That is why I don't trust him

I remember thinking why would he do that? Kerry was his good friend??

[bigtree]

47. this is a ridiculous premise which has to overcome the fact that they are STILL friends

Again, it makes absolutely NO sense that he didn't want Kerry to win. I think it's a bald-face lie which has NOTHING to back it up. You have to bend over backward and twist everything he did in the year preceding the election for Kerry and his campaign to come up with this boner.

Folks are entitled to their opinion, but to say that he wanted Kerry to lose is beyond reason and not supported by ANYTHING but opinion.

Here's Richardson before the election about Kerry's prospects in his state:

Interview With Bill Richardson.

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Thank you. HANNITY: Latest Mason Dixon, and it's been trending President Bush, has the president up by five. It looks like a state that went 366 votes for Al Gore is very likely to go to George Bush this time. What do you think?

RICHARDSON: I respectfully disagree, Sean. I think it's going to be a one percenter. Senator Kerry wins. Here's why.

Two indicators. Forty-six thousand more Democrats have already voted more than Republicans in New Mexico. Forty percent of the voters out there. We've got 10,000 new registered Navajo, Native Americans that almost for sure will go for Senator Kerry.

And then lastly, in terms of in person voters, absentee voters, we're ahead of the Republicans by about a 5-4 margin.

I know my state, Sean.

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/pdinventory.pl?pdlanding=1&referid=2930&purchase_type=ITM&item_id=0286-14241893


Besides, the article in the OP has more than enough evidence of why Kerry lost NM. And Bill Richardson presided over the solution which has made his state a leader in election reform.

[dogday]

48. I can only respond as to what I felt

and this is what I feel... I don't dispute that they are still friends, they are... I just wondered at the time why? I am still wondering why? I didn't say he wanted Kerry to lose, I only asked why?

[bigtree]

49. my answer (*opinion*)

the worst thing I can imagine is that he was not willing to open investigations in the minority districts in his state which may have focused on alleged non-resident voting (illegals). Recounts can backfire that way by producing irregularities on both sides which happen in EVERY election.

Don't expect me to repeat this over and over. There is no way to know what he was thinking, but he wasn't a dictator in his state. He has a strong legislature, and the election rules aren't just governed or monitored by Democrats. He just wasn't able to overcome his own state's election rules. I think it may have been to his credit that he didn't use a heavy hand in pushing the recount from the perspective of the opposition party in his state. I can't see how it would have served him to push past the state regs or past the recommendations of the election board which has obligations to the other parties, not just to dig for Democratic votes.

Did the Greens and Libertarians who pushed for the recount really want to find Kerry votes?

[OnyxCollie]

27. And don't forget Chris Dodd's input in HAVA. nt

[Czolgosz]

37. Who, besides Bush, benefited from Richardson cutting off the recount? Richardson must have had some

reason to wipe the machines before the issue could be resolved - it was so deliberate there must have been some reason.

[bigtree]

38. so you're saying that Richardson WANTED Bush to win his state

that's why your argument is so bankrupt. It's absurd on its face.

Keep trying though. It's a myopic view which isn't supported at all . . . by anything

[Czolgosz]

45. No. I'm asking what motive Richardson had in wiping the voting machines when the controversy was

heating up.

I'm asking who benefits from wiping the voting machines under the peculiar circumstances when Richardson wiped them.

I am not saying Richardson wanted Bush to win - while Richardson's relationship with Big Oil and the energy lobby is too close for my comfort level, I don't believe Richardson was flipping the race to Bush and that's why I asked who would benefit from the unfortunate and odd timing of Richardson's decision to wipe the machines because I'm looking for some motive other than flipping the election to Bush.

You have heard me say that Richardson would make a good Secretary of State - surely you must perceive that I wouldn't advocate such a position for Richardson if I believed that he deliberately flipped the election to Bush, don't you?

[orleans]

39. let's guess what the reason could be that richardson wiped the machines

before a recount...

hummm... if kerry was president then chances are he would run for a second term in 08--which would leave any dem candidates out in the cold, should any other dems want to run for president in 08...

now, let's see...who do we know that has said they are running for president in 08? hillary, obama, edwards.....they wouldn't have much of a chance running against a democratic incumbent would they? but they didn't order the machines to be wiped in new mexico....bill richardson did. now...why would he want to do that? i wonder.....

oh, wait. isn't richardson running for president? why, i do believe he is.

[bigtree]

44. first you'd have to produce the EVIDENCE that RICHARDSON 'wiped the machines'

Evidence, not just innuendo, rumor, and, in this case, gossip.

[jaksavage]

51. Proof ?

With my tin foil crown worn at a jaunty angle, I wonder what you folks are wasting your time bickering over. All of the afore mentioned polititions are part of a closed society which pays little attention to the sheeple. Kerry and Bush are more peers then we would like to think.

Al Gore is riding high because the sheeple got scared about the environment after the tsunami and hurricanes and melting ice caps of late. But our nation has been ignoring global warming evidence and doing as we damn well please for 50 years. Still we do very little to correct our wasteful ways.

We are all just consumers, sheeple.

Good Luck !

[duhneece]

50. Not true--our SOS, Rebecca Vigil-Giron bought into Sequoia

While I agree SOME Democrats are in bed with the GOP, Richardson isn't one of them. NM's Secretary of State, Rebecca Vigil-Giron was the official designated to make calls about elections. Her Election Bureau Director, Denise Lamb (both Democrats) had been elected President of the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) and they believed the machines were infallible, as did some very progressive computer nerds in my county. It would have been wrong for Richardson to dismiss two women's professional opinions (even though WE all knew they were wrong), two good Democrats and attempt to override their decisions. That's not the way state officials work, nor is it the way the Democratic Party works.

[gratuitous]

7. "When a vote is cast, a vote should be counted"

"What kind of commie propaganda is that? Don't people realize that the Founding Fathers wanted white people's votes to count, but other votes should count only 3/5 as much? And with the DREs, they're getting well over 90% of their votes counted! That's a 50% increase over what they should count! Arrest my case!"

Thank you, Bob Boudelang, making a brief return to posting from his undisclosed location, which is not the county jail, so stop saying that.

[OnyxCollie]

28. Free Bob Boudelang

with every $25 food purchase!

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Amzing ain't it?

[Botany]

10. Funny how that works

The computer needs of a voting machine are very small
it is simple addition .... except where "they" want subtraction
or under votes.

The machines have been just doing what they were programed
to do.

[Kurovski]

11. Perfectly astonishing, and makes the past thefts obvious.

Eventually only the paid bullshitters will be left to defend E-voting.

(HCPB) Hand counted paper ballots now, please.

K&R

[kaygore]

12. Great information

Thank you and recommend

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. And they wonder why we don't trust them.

[tanyev]

17. Gosh, nobody could have anticipated that.

[MissWaverly]

23. Where's the naysayers who say Bush won by a mile in 2004

come out, come out whereever you are & face the facts.

:-)

[unblock]

24. this proves that minorities are so stupid they can't operate simple machines.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:
:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:
:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:
:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:
:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:
:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[Divine Discontent]

25. this is something

the Dems HAVE to publicize in commercials about how our vote needs protected... this is AMAZING

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- antibush prodem stickers/shirts

[BradBlog]

32. PLEASE SEND THIS LETTER TO DEMS WHO THINK HOLT TAKES CARE OF THIS!

http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=9406781&type=CO

[Kurovski]

26. Kick.

Just so obvious. Dang!

[VP505]

29. In NM

for the last few years, the Republicans have been whining about not requiring voter ID, dead people voting, voter fraud in general. This study should shut them up as it's likely that THEY (Republicans) have benefited the most.

[puebloknot]

30. K&R from Santa Fe. Thanks for this! nt

[glitch]

31. drop kick me jesus! nt

[BlooInBloo]

35. Well... that's the end of paper ballots....

[Wilms]

36. But, but, but...

DRE's are supposed to help minorities vote. Or so 'they' say.

Time for DRE supporters to come up with another excuse.

Pretty soon, we'll have to go to a museum to see a DRE.

[Forkboy]

40. Well there's a shocker!

[Kurovski]

41. Kick.(nt)

[livvy]

42. The chart alone is astounding. Excellent report. K&R n/t