Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Saturday, Feb. 18

[livvy]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News


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 new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x407240

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

4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.


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

[livvy]

1. Lawmakers Vote to Put Levees in LA's Care

February 18, 2006
Lawmakers Vote to Put Levees in La.''s Care
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 1:49 a.m. ET

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Lawmakers voted Friday to merge the levee boards of southeast Louisiana, hoping to ease concerns in Congress that the state lacks effective oversight of its flood-control system.

The Senate voted unanimously to accept the plan, which would merge the five levee boards into two regional agencies, one for each side of the Mississippi River, that would report to the state.

''It's been a great day for Louisiana when it comes to levee reform,'' said Sen. Walter Boasso, the bill's sponsor. ''We've met all the requirements for the federal government.''

The House approved the bill Thursday. It now goes to Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who is expected to sign the measure. If approved by voters in a statewide election in September, the reforms would take effect next year.>more

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Louisiana-Levees.html

[livvy]

2. PA: Brightbill Kicks Off Re-election Campaign

Brightbill kicks off re-election campaign
The state Senate majority leader is running for a seventh four-year term in the 48th Senatorial District.

By Kori Walter
Reading Eagle

Senate Majority Leader David J. “Chip” Brightbill has tried to put last summer's legislative pay-raise disaster to rest by apologizing for using bad judgment in supporting the raises and voting in November to repeal the increases.

On Friday night, Brightbill formally started a re-election campaign that could test whether voters are ready to leave the pay-raise issue in the past.>snip

Brightbill, a Lebanon County Republican, is running for a seventh four-year term in the 48th Senatorial District.>snip


Brightbill said that during his 24 years in Harrisburg he has done a lot of good things and some not-so-good things that have taught him a few lessons.>more

http://www.readingeagle.com/re/news/1487441.asp

[livvy]

3. OH: Candidate Under FBI Probe Urges Reform

ELECTION 2006
Candidate under FBI probe urges reform
Upbraided by opponent Ken Blackwell for '11th-hour conversion'
Posted: February 18, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern


Responding to what he dubbed an "11th hour conversion" by his opponent in the Ohio Republican gubernatorial primary, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell dismissed Attorney General Jim Petro's proposed legislation in the face of campaign-finance allegations, calling him a "fraud on issues of reform" in an interview with WorldNetDaily.

Blackwell, who drew national attention during the 2004 presidential campaign in his role as vote supervisor in the crucial swing state, charged Petro has cost Ohio taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars for his role in an extensive "pay-to-play" scheme in which lawyers allegedly have been awarded unbid contracts in exchange for campaign contributions.

"Jim Petro is a clear and present danger to the well-bring of our state and good government," said Blackwell, seen by some pundits as a rising GOP star in the mold of President Reagan. "He has created an elaborate pay-to-play scheme that is his own personal ATM for campaign cash."

Petro has denied any wrongdoing, calling charges the Ohio Republican Party is awash in a pay-to-play culture "largely a misperception." He, nevertheless, yesterday said if elected governor, his first initiative would be a bill to bar vendors from contributing to officeholders who award them contracts, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. >more

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48891

There are links at the bottom to previous articles on the same topic.

[livvy]

4. CT: Briefs From the State Capitol

Connecticut News

Briefs from the state Capitol

Associated Press

Published February 17 2006
A little from the first article:

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A coalition of election reform groups said Friday that state lawmakers need to make some changes to the campaign finance reform law that passed in December.

Even though the 50-organization group considers the legislation the strongest set of reform laws in the nation, the Clean Up Connecticut Campaign said certain loopholes should be closed, such as rules regarding in-kind contributions to campaigns.>more

And a bit of the second:

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The leader of the House of Representatives said Friday that he believes support is waning for Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's plan to eliminate the local property tax on automobiles.

"As far as I'm concerned, the car tax is starting to lose air out of its tires," said House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford. "It's kind of a retread from an old idea.">more

http://www.norwalkadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-17181751.apds.m0954.bc-ct-xgr--feb17,0,2905323.story?track=rss

[livvy]

5. CT: Election Rules...Lamont's Use of Own Money Against Lieberman

Another Snag In An Uphill Struggle

Election Rules Likely To Inhibit Lamont's Use Of Own Money Against Lieberman

By MARK PAZNIOKAS
Courant Staff Writer

February 18 2006

Anti-war activists embraced Greenwich millionaire Ned Lamont for his money and his politics, but a recent campaign filing indicates Lamont might not spend too freely to underwrite a Democratic primary against U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.

Some critics of Lieberman's support of the war in Iraq have been drawn by Lamont's willingness to challenge a three-term incumbent and encouraged by his ability to self-finance at least a portion of a steep, uphill challenge.

But under the "millionaire's amendment" to the federal campaign reform act of 2002, Lamont cannot spend more than $514,000 of his own money without providing a potential windfall for Lieberman.

Lieberman's donors would be able to triple their maximum contributions from $2,100 to $6,300 if Lamont's personal spending hits $514,000. The contribution limit for Lieberman donors would double again to $12,600 if Lamont's personal spending reached $1,028,000.>more

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-ctlamont0218.artfeb18,0,6087042.story?track=rss

[livvy]

6. MD Offictial Resists Call to Change Voting System

Md. Official Resists Call to Change Voting System

By Ann E. Marimow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 17, 2006; B08

The state's top elections official declared her confidence in Maryland's voting machines yesterday and said that changing systems seven months before the primary election would be a "catastrophe" and a waste of money.

Elections Administrator Linda H. Lamone's comments came one day after Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) questioned the reliability of the state's touch-screen machines and called for a system that provides a paper record to verify election results.>snip

Top Democratic lawmakers also criticized what they called Ehrlich's "last-minute endorsement" of paper ballots and called the governor's concerns inconsistent with his prior support for the Diebold machines.

At issue is voter confidence in election results in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election and the adoption of new electronic voting machines across the country. More than two dozen states now have some requirement for paper vote verification.>more

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/16/AR2006021602185.html

[livvy]

7. Voter Databases Must Be Secured, Report Says

February 17, 2006
Voter databases must be secured, report says
Declan McCullagh, for News.com
American history does not lack political entrepreneurs who invented novel ways to manipulate the results of elections, from Tammany Hall in the 19th century to Richard Daley's Chicago Democratic machine a century later.

But those party bosses never dreamed of computerized databases of voter records that would be vulnerable to even more stealthy and undetectable forms of manipulation by political operatives. Such centralized databases are now mandated by a federal law, and state election officials are scrambling to digitize reams of paper documents to meet its deadlines.

A professional organization of computer scientists warns, though, that state election officials may not have taken proper security precautions to guard against fraud. In a report released Thursday, the scientists call for more aggressive steps to protect the security, privacy and reliability of those databases. >snip

The 60-page report (click here for PDF) recounts security and usability techniques known to computer scientists for decades, but often not well-understood by state election officials and bureaucrats who have been tasked with designing massive databases of millions of registered voters.>more

http://www.nytimes.com/cnet/CNET_2100-7348_3-6040781.html

[livvy]

8. CA Sec. of State Certifies, With Conditions, Diebold Touch Screen....

California Secretary of State Certifies, With Conditions, Diebold Touch Screen and Optical Scan Voting Systems for 2006 Elections

ALLEN, Texas, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, the California Secretary of State's Office certified, with conditions, use of the AccuVote- TSx and AccuVote-OS from Diebold Election Systems for use in California elections in 2006. The decision comes on the heels of a report by the University of California at Berkeley and the Voting System Technology Assessment Advisory Board (VSTAAB) relating to the AccuBasic code found in the firmware of the Diebold AccuVote-OS and AccuVote-TSx.

After the completion of the state and federal certification requirements, as well as a detailed study of the voting components, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson requested that Diebold undergo an additional security analysis of the source code resident on the system's memory card. Computer scientists at UC Berkeley conducted the additional security review of the memory card code for both systems. The independent reviews concluded that the voting systems can be securely used for upcoming elections, but the report did suggest additional enhancements that Diebold will include with the system during 2006.>snip

Secretary of State McPherson has introduced a 10-point Statewide Electronic Voting System Standards requirement which is part of the very thorough state certification process. These standards include escrowing Diebold's system software, and conducting a high-volume system accuracy and reliability test. Diebold has met these standards and Diebold's touch-screen system with a voter-verifiable paper audit trail printer passed the high volume test with 100 percent election result accuracy, and is the only such system to pass this stringent testing requirement.>snip

...Moreover, Diebold will immediately implement the following enhancements:

- Vote counter arithmetic checks in the AV-OS firmware, providing further security to protect against memory card tampering. - Incorporation of strong cryptography to digitally sign the AccuBasic reporting script on the AV-OS memory card in order to detect any attempted tampering, similar to the protection used in the AV-TSx system. >more

http://sys-con.com/read/185377.htm

[livvy]

13. Discussion Links

2-17-06: BREAKING: Calif. Sec. State certifies entire Diebold product line
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x459307


SHIT!!! Diebold to be certified in CA ... with yet-unstated conditions.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x413258


Alert to all of DU: Diebold/Bush junta to rig elections in California
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x459769

[livvy]

14. New Discussion Thread "Golden Lining re: Diebold Cert. in CA

GOLDEN LINING re: Diebold Certification in California >>>>>>
Thread started by helderheid

While the initial reaction to the late afternoon Press Release of
California Secretary of State McPherson could be characterized as
disgust and disbelief, there does appear to be a golden lining. If
Diebold is smart , they will immediately withdraw their application and
refuse to do further business in California, especially as it relates
to the use of any of their voting systems, including optical scan and
touchscreen. The reason is legal responsibility and financial
liability.>more

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x460071

[livvy]

18. Another Discussion Thread and Links to More Info

Despite Illegalities, Diebold Election Machines Certified In CA

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x413457

[livvy]

9. PA: Team 4 Investigates Electronic Voting

Team 4 Investigates Electronic Voting

Fri Feb 17, 6:34 PM ET

The following report by Team 4 investigator Jim Parsons first aired on Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m. on Feb. 17, 2006.

Think about it.

Pennsylvania is working feverishly to run background checks on companies and individuals who want gaming licenses to run slots casinos in the state.

But when it comes to your vote, there are no background checks.>snip

Harry Van Sickle, Pennsylvania Elections Commissioner: "A background check? No I wouldn't say we conduct a thorough background check."

Team 4 did.

* Sequoia Voting Systems

In 1999, a company salesman for Sequoia Voting Systems was granted immunity in a kickback scheme investigation that landed Louisiana's top elections official in prison. Sequoia electronic voting machine salesman Philip Foster got the immunity in exchange for his testimony before a grand jury.>snip

Election Systems and Software

Election Systems and Software reached a one-point-two million dollar settlement with Marion County, Indiana.

The county clerk accused Election Systems and Software of installing uncertified software in its electronic voting machines. >more

The report goes on with their findings on Accupoll, Danaher Controls, and Diebold.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/wtae/20060217/lo_wtae/3276072

[livvy]

16. Discussion Thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x413351

[livvy]

17. Video Link

Thanks to Bill Bored:

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/7161565/detail.html

[livvy]

10. MD: Voting Machine Maker Says New System Doable By Fall

Voting machine maker says new system doable by fall


By Kelly Brewington
Sun reporter

February 18, 2006

Although the state's elections chief said this week that installing a new voting system to satisfy a legislative proposal would be impossible by this fall's elections, a manufacturer of voting machines said yesterday that the company could provide appropriate equipment in time.

Linda H. Lamone, Maryland's elections administrator, said at a Senate hearing Thursday that a bill to require a voter-verified paper ballot would require abandoning the state's touch-screen voting system and that a manufacturer is no longer taking contracts to provide equipment by this fall.

But yesterday, a salesperson for that company said it could implement a new system if the state asked for it soon. The company's spokesman also said that it has not stopped accepting contracts to set up the optical-scan system that produces paper receipts for this fall's election.

"Our position at this point is if they give us the go-ahead, we are prepared to do the job because we have already done it before," said Robb McGinnis, a regional sales manager for Nebraska-based Elections Systems and Software, which leased optical-scan voting equipment to 19 Maryland counties before the state spent $55 million on the electronic voting machines in 2003.>more


http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.voting18feb18,0,7133384.story?track=rss

[livvy]

11. Spy Debate Brings Opportunity For Congress

February 17, 2006
Spy Debate Brings Opportunity for Congress
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 10:01 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It could be campaign-year jitters. President Bush's controversial eavesdropping program has irritated congressional Democrats and even some Republicans.

To some, the shift is pure politics as lawmakers worry about the November elections or look ahead to 2008. They are emboldened by fundamental legal questions about the National Security Agency's monitoring and Bush's weak public support on terrorism, once his bread-and-butter issue.>snip

The diminishing support in Congress is not yet a revolt, in part because terrorism remains a top concern to voters, rating third in importance, behind the war in Iraq and the economy.>snip

Some Republicans also may be questioning whether Bush's strategy of campaigning on terrorism will work. Mirroring declines in Bush's support on terrorism, his job approval, now at about 40 percent in various polls, was around 80 percent in February 2002.>more

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Eavesdropping-Politics.html

[livvy]

12. Padilla Relents, Wants Eminent Domain on Ballot

Padilla relents, wants eminent domain on ballot

Measure would limit what Chula Vista could condemn
By Janine Zúñiga
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

February 18, 2006

CHULA VISTA – Mayor Steve Padilla announced yesterday that he would ask fellow council members on Tuesday to place an eminent domain measure on the June ballot.

If the City Council votes to place the measure on the ballot, which Padilla had initially opposed, a group that has been organizing a ballot petition will not have to scramble to add more signatures the city said were required. >snip

The measure would limit the city's eminent domain authority by requiring the city to use its powers of condemnation only for public use, such as building a school.

It also would require the city to keep eminent domain properties it acquires for at least 10 years before selling them. >more

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060218-9999-6m18padilla.html

[Wilms]

15. CA: (County) Elections chief questions use of electronic voting

Elections chief questions use of electronic voting

Experts call for verifiable paper trail

By Edward Carpenter
Staff Writer

February 16, 2006

MENLO PARK — The accuracy of California elections could be undermined if the state switches to all-electronic voting machines owned by private companies, according to San Mateo County’s chief of elections.

“Maybe the government should develop its own voting system, rather than allow private companies to refuse to turn over their source code for their machines,” Elections Chief Warren Slocum said in testimony Thursday before a state Senate committee hearing on whether federal certification for voting machines has been sufficiently rigorous.

Most, if not all, of the private companies that have so far developed election machine software have refused to turn over their programming code for inspection, citing proprietary concerns. Without the code, the systems are unverifiable and opaque, according to a panel of computer technology experts who also testified before the Senate Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments Committee chaired by state Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach.

“Elections are not the property of any private company or individual,” said Aviel Rubin, Technology Director for the Information Security Institute at John Hopkins University. “They belong to the people.”

snip

http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2006/02/17/peninsula/20060217_pe01_elections.txt