Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sunday, Feb. 26

[MelissaB]

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x414482

[MelissaB]

1. Bowen slams voting systems in S.C. speech

Bowen slams voting systems in S.C. speech

By Nancy Pasternack
sentinel staff writer

SANTA CRUZ — State Sen. Debra Bowen ventured onto Bruce McPherson's home turf Saturday to let voters know she's gunning for his job.

The tech-savvy legislator, D-Marina del Rey, spoke to a group of 20 Santa Cruz Democrats in the basement of the Veterans Hall about inconsistencies and a lack of security in American and California voting systems.

"You cannot maintain a democracy where a significant number of people have doubts about the legitimacy of an election," Bowen said. She criticized Secretary of State McPherson for certifying on Feb. 17 voting systems made by Diebold Election Systems of Canton, Ohio, whose CEO made campaign contributions to the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign.

"This is not a company we ought to be doing business with," she said.

Conflicts of interest, she said, abound throughout the voting system, including the ways in which ballots are processed, counted and verified, and in partisan oversight of the system.


More: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/February/26/local/stories/05local.htm

[MelissaB]

2. How secure is open source?

How secure is open source?

By Chris Bell, Auckland | Monday, 27 February, 2006

Received wisdom would have it that transparency makes systems more secure by allowing anyone to view the underlying software code, identify bugs and make peer-reviewed changes.

Computer security and cryptography expert Bruce Schneier certainly adheres to that theory. He’s been saying engineers should “demand open source code for anything related to security” since 1999. But not all security experts agree.

...snip

The controversy surrounding the security and integrity of electronic voting machines in the 2004 US elections first brought the argument about open source security to the public eye. It was hoped that the introduction of Diebold’s electronic touch-screens would simplify voting and remove the potential for fraud. But the lack of a paper trail made the machines contentious, amid complaints that there was no way to tell if they had been rigged, were insecure or faulty. Commentators claimed Diebold Systems’ proprietary GEMS voting software was hopelessly compromised.

Memos leaked to voting activists and journalists by a hacker who broke into an insecure Diebold server contained information about the manufacturer’s internal workings. The memos revealed that the Microsoft Access database used by the Diebold system to count votes was not password-protected, and votes could be altered by anyone entering the database through an insecure backdoor, the machine itself or even the phone system.
In its October 2001 election, the Australian Capital Territory used open source software for its voting machines to prevent similar backdoors and security loopholes, and now the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is hoping to move completely to open source, once it has completed a difficult migration from legacy, green screen technology.

Dave Lane, director of Egressive, a Christchurch-based open source developer, recognises that building a truly secure electronic voting system presents a significant challenge. “Reports I’ve read indicate that the Diebold systems in the US were unbelievably badly designed. The only way for such a system to succeed is for the public to trust it. That can only be achieved if its development is open and subject to extensive peer review, just as any important scientific theory or legal case must be.”

...snip

Being able to view the underlying software code can improve security, the information technology strategy and policy consultant at the University of Otago, Neil James, acknowledges. “The more people who spend time looking through the code, the better potential there is for finding holes.”


More: http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/PrintDoc/38856F521C723CC7CC25711F001106A8

[MelissaB]

3. AK: Election officials reject file request

Election officials reject file request
RESULTS: Democrats say accuracy of 2004 vote is in question.

By ALEX DeMARBAN
Anchorage Daily News

Published: February 26, 2006
Last Modified: February 26, 2006 at 02:37 AM


The state Division of Elections is once again refusing to give its electronic voting files to the Democrats, arguing that doing so presents security risks to state government and the election system.


Releasing the files could allow someone to use an easily available data-management program, like Microsoft Access, to manipulate the data without the knowledge of the Division of Elections, said director Whitney Brewster.

The state denied the request in a letter dated Feb. 22, more than two months after the Alaska Democratic Party filed a public records request seeking the data file, which contains the final vote tallies for the 2004 general election.

The accuracy of the vote is in question, the Democrats said. Even the division's Web site contains glaring errors, with huge discrepancies between the number of votes cast statewide for each candidate and the number of votes cast district by district, they said.

"The public deserves clear, accurate data about the election," said Democratic spokeswoman Kay Brown. "We wonder why they're so determined not to shed light on this."

The Division of Elections initially said Jan. 19 that the file could not be released because it was proprietary information belonging to Diebold Election Systems, the contractor hired to provide Alaska's electronic voting machines.

Several days later, Diebold consented to the release of the records. But the Division of Elections, after two extensions totaling more than two weeks, denied the request.


More: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7482792p-7392875c.html

[MelissaB]

4. Ohio: IRS chief sees more churches in politics

IRS chief sees more churches in politics
Official won’t discuss status of complaint against local groups

Saturday, February 25, 2006
Joe Hallett
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


CLEVELAND — The head of the Internal Revenue Service said yesterday that there has been "a disturbing amount of intervention" in politics by churches, but he declined to discuss whether his agency is investigating two central Ohio megachurches for political activities.

In an interview after a speech to the City Club of Cleveland, IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said the level of church political activities in the 2004 presidential election cycle concerned him and he wants "to make sure that we address it fairly and firmly and it doesn’t grow in the coming cycle."

Everson said he could not comment on whether his agency is acting on a complaint filed Jan. 16 by 31 Columbus pastors against the World Harvest Church, of Columbus, and the Fairfield Christian Church, of Lancaster, headed by the Rev. Rod Parsley and the Rev. Russell Johnson, respectively.

The pastors want the IRS to determine whether the two evangelical megachurches, along with three affiliated organizations, should lose their tax-exempt status for participating in partisan politics.

The complaint alleges numerous instances in which the churches promoted Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican candidate for governor, at religious events, in voterregistration drives and in educational materials.


More: http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/25/20060225-A1-01.html

[MelissaB]

5. Church, politics often mixed

Church, politics often mixed

Many charitable groups improperly advocate, IRS investigators findBy Mary Dalrymple
Associated Press

IRS exams found nearly three out of four churches, charities and other civic groups suspected of violating restraints on political activity in the 2004 election actually did so, the agency said Friday.

Political activity by two central Ohio churches has become an issue in this year's gubernatorial campaign.

At least two dozen ministers from across the country have asked the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Rev. Rod Parsley's World Harvest Church in Columbus and the Rev. Russell Johnson's Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster.

The complaint alleges that the two evangelical pastors have illegally endorsed a political candidate by featuring only Kenneth Blackwell, the secretary of state seeking the Republican nomination for governor, at church-sponsored events.

More: http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/13959987.htm

[MelissaB]

7. IRS Delivers Warning To Ohio Pastors Mixing In Politics

IRS Delivers Warning To Ohio Pastors Mixing In Politics
Commissioner Wants To Put End To Illegal Political Campaigning

POSTED: 6:27 pm EST February 24, 2006

CLEVELAND -- The IRS Friday sent a warning to Ohio pastors who are crossing the line from preaching to politics.

IRS Commissioner Mark Everson came to Cleveland to deliver the warning about the crackdown, reported investigator Ron Regan.

This announcement came just a week after a 5 On Your Investigation into two Ohio groups accused of mixing politics and preaching.

5 On Your Side went inside a meeting of a group called Restoration Ohio, led by a Columbus pastor.

The group insists it doesn't endorse candidates, only educates voters. On this day, it gave an award to Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell for his support on banning gay marriage.

Another group comprised of 31 Ohio pastors believes Restoration Ohio is breaking the law, and has asked the IRS to investigate.

"They crossed the line and they're not acting as a church, in my mind. They're acting more like a political organization to elect a single candidate," said the Rev. Eric Williams.


More: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/7413510/detail.html

[MelissaB]

8. IRS finds 'disturbing' political activity by charities in 2004

IRS finds 'disturbing' political activity by charities in 2004

MARY DALRYMPLE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - IRS exams found nearly three out of four churches, charities and other civic groups suspected of violating restraints on political activity in the 2004 election actually did so, the agency said Friday.

Political activity by two churches in Ohio has become an issue in the governor's campaign. At least two dozen ministers from across the country have asked the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of two central Ohio churches over repeated allegations that their evangelical pastors have illegally endorsed a political candidate. The pastors denied the allegations.

Most of the examinations that the IRS has concluded from the 2004 election found only a single, isolated incidence of prohibited campaign activity.

In three cases, however, the IRS uncovered violations egregious enough to recommend revoking the groups' tax-exempt status.

The vast majority of charities and churches followed the law, but the examinations found a "disturbing" amount of political intervention in the 2004 elections, IRS Commissioner Mark Everson said.


More: http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/13954599.htm

[MelissaB]

6. Ohio: Support for Strickland Improves in Ohio

Support for Strickland Improves in Ohio

February 25, 2006

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – United States congressman Ted Strickland has extended his lead in the early stages of Ohio’s gubernatorial race, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. At least 44 per cent of respondents in the Buckeye State would support the Democrat in head-to-head contests against two prospective Republican rivals.

Bob Taft—a Republican—has acted as Ohio’s governor since 1999. The former state secretary defeated Tim Hagan in the November 2002 election with 58 per cent of the vote.

In August 2005, Taft was convicted of four misdemeanour crimes after failing to report $3,500 U.S. worth of golf outings and gifts received from political and business leaders. The governor was fined $4,000 U.S. plus court costs.

Strickland holds a 12-point advantage over state secretary Ken Blackwell, and a seven-point edge over former U.S. congressman and current television host John Kasich.

...snip

No Democrat has won a gubernatorial election in the Buckeye State since Dick Celeste in 1986. The election is scheduled for Nov. 7.

More: http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/10997

[MelissaB]

9. Ohio: Dirty, dirty, dirty

Dirty, dirty, dirty

No wonder Bob Bennett wanted to avoid a primary. The Ohio Republican Party chairman knew an internal competition could only end in bloody noses for all involved, further debilitating a party coming apart at the seams after the scandalous reign of the Taft administration. Bennett was right - the gubernatorial primary is going to be a mess.

Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell launched a smear campaign Monday against his opponent in the Republican primary, state Attorney General Jim Petro, and Bennett did little to save face for anyone, including himself.

"I expect this kind of negative campaigning from the Democrats, but Ken Blackwell should have a better strategy for winning this primary than simply burning down the house," Bennett told The Columbus Dispatch.

...snip

As Blackwell continues to slam Petro, he should expect retribution. Petro already showed how low he can go when he ran a series of ads last year that tastelessly pandered to conservative Christians by exploiting their religious beliefs. Even if Petro does not fight back, Blackwell will emerge from the primary having burned bridges and established himself as a mudslinger. And even if Petro manages to survive Blackwell's onslaught, his candidacy will remain tainted by Blackwell's attacks.

Either way, by the time the Republicans have a candidate, he is bound to be stained by the down-and-dirty dealings of the primary campaign, giving likely Democratic candidate Ted Strickland, who faces minimal competition is his party's primary, a serious head start.

More: http://thepost.baker.ohiou.edu/E.php?article=E1&date=022306

[MelissaB]

10. Storm poses election hurdles

Storm poses election hurdles
Heavy influx of Louisiana residents could change the politics of the Magnolia State

By Ana Radelat
Clarion-Ledger Washington Bureau


WASHINGTON — Gayle Parker, the Harrison County voter registrar, wonders where many of the county's voters are and whether they'll be able to cast ballots in the next elections.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed 17 of the 66 precincts in the county. But the killer storm's impact on the state's political system is greater than that.

...snip

The county and the other four coastal counties battered by the storm also need money to replace damaged voting machines. The Mississippi secretary of state's office estimates it will cost $4.2 million to rebuild voting precincts and another $3.3 million to replace the voting machines Katrina destroyed.

Another new expense: the cost of sending material to displaced voters and running public notices to tell people how they can cast absentee ballots. But there's little time to straighten things out. Mississippi will hold primary elections in June.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., has won Senate approval of a $50 million bill that would give Mississippi and Louisiana money to restore their electoral systems.

"Voting equipment was destroyed, voter records were lost and polling places were leveled," Lott said. "If this infrastructure is not restored in a timely manner, the voting rights of thousand of citizens of this region will be substantially impaired."


More: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/NEWS0110/602260372/1002

[MelissaB]

11. LA: Butler didn't do it, judges complain

Butler didn't do it, judges complain

Clerk of court ordered to turn over authority
Sunday, February 26, 2006
By Gwen Filosa
Staff writer

The clerk of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court is a wanted woman.


Chief Judge Calvin Johnson on Friday issued what amounts to an arrest warrant for Clerk Kimberly Williamson Butler, saying she violated the court's order to formally grant another official sole authority over the court's evidence and property room in dealing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Butler was ordered by the entire 13-judge court Thursday to send a letter to FEMA advising it that Judge Edwin Lombard would supervise all negotiations with the federal government on issues of restoration, decontamination and remediation of all files and court records in the basement storage room at Tulane and Broad.

The court order gave Butler a deadline of Friday at noon to send the letter to FEMA and a copy of it to Johnson.

No such letter arrived, court officials said.

...snip

Butler's office presided over a Sept. 18, 2004, election debacle when voting machines arrived late in about 90 precincts, delaying voters for hours and causing a judge to order one election rerun.

Butler recently said she so far has recruited and trained 1,300 poll commissioners for the April 22 city elections. She said she needs a total of 1,610 commissioners and wants 2,000 just to be safe.


More: http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-13/114093966064570.xml

[MelissaB]

12. NY: Advocacy group promotes paper ballots for state

Advocacy group promotes paper ballots for state

A new regional group has formed to advocate for the use of paper ballots in elections held in New York.

MidHudson Verified Voting has been formed by a group of local activists interested in what type of voting machines New Yorkers will use in future elections. The organization is a regional chapter of New Yorkers for Verified Voting.

The chapter covers Dutchess, Ulster, Columbia, Greene and Putnam counties.
Visit the group’s Web site at www.mhvv.org for more information.


Link: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/NEWS01/60225003/1006/NEWS01

[MelissaB]

13. GA: Three candidates, one seat: Cathy Cox

Three candidates, one seat: Cathy Cox

By HARRIS BLACKWOOD
The Times

Cathy Cox is planning a party for her 48th birthday. She hopes it will be a victory party as well.

Cox, Georgia's Secretary of State since 1998, is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. The primary will take place July 18, the day Cox was born in the Southwest Georgia town of Bainbridge in 1958.

Politics is ingrained in the Cox family. Her late father, Walter Cox, was the town's mayor and later served in the state House.

...snip

She touts her efforts in bringing electronic voting to the state following the 2000 presidential election.

"We did a very methodical look at what the better equipment was around the country," she said. "We did a pilot project all over the state and we moved ahead of everybody in the nation to electronic voting." She added that the state went from the second worst to second best in voting accuracy between the 2000 and 2004 elections.



More: http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20060226/localnews/71025.shtml


Second best? Where did she get that info?

[MelissaB]

14. US says e-votes need paper

US says e-votes need paper

Richard Oakley

AMERICAN states which are considering buying the same electronic voting system as Ireland are demanding that it be able to produce a paper record of votes.
The absence of such paper proof has been cited as a significant flaw in the Irish system, which is in storage pending further tests. Nedap/Powervote, the system’s developer, and the Department of Environment say that a paper record is unnecessary.


The Dutch-based Nedap/Powervote company has joined forces with Liberty Election Systems, an American company, and is attempting to sell its electronic voting system in US states where paper trails are required by law.

Nedap is engineering its voting modules for the American market so a print copy can be made of each electronic vote recorded. A printer will be fitted to the voting module, which records votes and stores them. The information is then counted on another machine.


More: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2091-2059159,00.html

[MelissaB]

15. VIDEO- Sharpton on Civil Rights and The Vote

http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=17167

Thanks to liveoaktx here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x519146

[MelissaB]

16. VIDEO- Tavis- Republicans Invited that didn't show up to Black SOTU

Wonder why Blackwell didn't show up????

here: http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=17169&mid=101927#M101927

[MelissaB]

17. VIDEO- Sharpton-When Did they Free You and Keep Me?

http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=17168&mid=101926#M101926

[MelissaB]

18. VIDEO- Henderson on the Vote

http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=17166&mid=101924#M101924

[MelissaB]

19. Former Florida Secretary of State (2000 Election) Got Illegal Donations

Tampa Tribune
Harris Got Illegal Donations
Feb 25, 2006

http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBQ34QE3KE.html

TAMPA - A defense contractor who pleaded guilty Friday to bribing a California congressman told federal authorities he also funneled illegal campaign contributions to U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris of Longboat Key, who's running for the U.S. Senate.

Representative Katherine Harris
Republican, Florida

Biography

Answers.com

http://www.answers.com/topic/katherine-harris

While she was Secretary of State, Harris presided over the contested Presidential election of 2000 in Florida. It was Harris who certified that the Republican candidate, George W. Bush, had carried the State of Florida, thus giving him the election over Al Gore. Her ruling was challenged, and was overturned on appeal by the Florida Supreme Court, but was upheld upon further appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. There were allegations of a conflict of interest since she was prominent in the Florida Bush campaign.

Thanks to PhilipShore here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x515461

[MelissaB]

20. 2006 will not be our salvation - they CONTROL the voting machines

I truly don't get it. We have had TWO Presidential elections STOLEN. Rigged. Fixed. How many congressional race & senate races? Who knows?

Why on earth would anyone believe that the Republicans won't fix the elections, AGAIN? They stand to not only lose power, but face CRIMINAL charges. Why would they stop now? Bush stands to face impeachment and criminal prosecution.

People say - The American people wouldn't tolerate it. B.S. What are the American people going to do. The majority of the population doesn't even believe election fraud EXISTS! 2006 may serve as a wake-up call, but don't expect mass protests in the streets. Fascist dictatorships don't ALLOW the people to choose their leaders. I think people here need to wake up that we still have some kind of legitimate voting system. We don't.

I have suggested several times organizing on this board to form local education groups on the problem of voter fraud & push for a national campaign through Move On, but I received very little interest and feedback on the idea.

This is not a problem that will be resolved with e-mails or on-line petitions. This is a problem that needs local grass roots education stemming from a national movement. This is going to be a very long journey to wrench power away from these tyrants. 2006, at best, will be an education.



Thanks to debbierlus here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x524042

[MelissaB]

21. A strategy for October

Well, it's pretty obvious to the average citizen now that this administration, and their Congressional lackeys, that they're not particularly concerned with representing anything but their own interests.

If the Repugs in Congress okay this port deal, they're going to alienate the very group of people they've been trying to rile up against Arabs and Islam in general. Look at the public response to this issue. It's a killer. But the administration needs this deal, and is going to bully its lackeys into supporting it regardless of how the commoners feel about it.

I believe this is going to keep a lot of people home this November. The "Gays, Guns, and God" meme is going to fall a little flat because a lot of these people are going to remain disgruntled that their voices went unheard on this matter. (Join the club, folks. How does it feel?)

If WE, the progressive voters, push for the best turnout yet (which means talking to everyone we know who hates this administration yet doesn't bother with politics, the fence-sitters, and even the people we know who would ordinarily vote Repug) we can overwhelm the mid-terms.

I know, I know...but what about electronic voting? What about the Deibold hacks? This is actually where the strategy comes in. In mid-to-late October the various orgs need to take out a series of ads telling people to watch the results very carefully, that the voting machines aren't trustworthy, and why. That it's a proven fact. When you hit that button, you don't know HOW that machine's going to record your vote.

Those who can, vote absentee. Those who can't, pay very close attention to the exit polls this time. And the election results. If thousands of Repug voters sit this one out, and those wanting to see a change in policy show up in droves, any attempt to manipulate the results will be obvious.

Warn the people ahead of time.

"WARNING! Your votes can be hacked! Stay alert. Don't fall for smooth deceptions. Ask questions. Are the machines trustworthy? Do the results match the exit polls? If not, why not?"

Send the people to the polls with these questions in mind.

"If you believe in America, if you believe we're headed the wrong direction, don't let them steal the future from you and your children. Stand up and speak up. Vote for a change and make sure your vote counts."

(This message sponsored by Americans for Truth.)



Thanks to Mythsaje here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x524341

[Wilms]

22. EAC issues FY 2005 Annual Report

EAC issues FY 2005 Annual Report

Outlines activities and goals for 2006

January 31, 2006

WASHINGTON

snip

The annual report covers guidance and assistance EAC issued to states, which includes information about implementing the statewide voter registration lists, provisional voting and complying with Section 301(a) of HAVA. In FY 2005, EAC distributed $927,241,903 in HAVA funds to 25 states, and the report includes procedures for recordkeeping, reporting, and auditing HAVA funds as well as the establishment of an inspector general’s office.

The report includes the findings from several research projects and clearinghouse activities conducted in 2005 such as the 2004 Election Day Survey and the Impact of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. It also outlined clearinghouse projects initiated in 2005, including the Legal Resources Clearinghouse, Election Management Guidelines, Vote Counts and Recounts, and Best Practices for Recruiting, Training and Retaining Poll Workers.

Goals for 2006 include establishing the national voting system certification program, conducting research and studies about election administration issues, developing future iterations of the voting system guidelines, and continuing to offer guidance, research findings and assistance to states.

snip

http://www.eac.gov/news_013106.asp

pdf
http://www.eac.gov/docs/EAC%202005%20Annual%20Report.pdf


Discussion (or not)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x414631