Election Reform, Fraud and Related News, Thursday, 2/8/07

[EFerrari]

Election Reform, Fraud and Related News, Thursday, 2/8/07

Kick ass and take names, Mr. Waxman.


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=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.

[EFerrari]

1. National: Paper Trail' Voting a Challenge for 2008

Paper Trail' Voting a Challenge for 2008

Morning Edition, February 8, 2007 · Two bills have been introduced in Congress that would require a paper trail for electronic voting in future elections. The measures follow disputed midterm races. But some experts say changing the voting system by the 2008 presidential elections will be difficult.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7260611

[EFerrari]

2. CO: Veterans Support Absentee Ballot Bill

Veterans support absentee ballot bill
Soldiers overseas focus of measure

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News
February 7, 2007
Secretary of State Mike Coffman, a leading opponent of Referendum C, revealed Tuesday he didn't vote against the tax measure in 2005.

But the conservative Republican didn't vote for it, either.

Coffman at the time was serving in Iraq with the Marines, and realized too late he needed to find a way to vote absentee.

The state eventually remedied the glitch that prevented Coffman from voting by allowing absentee ballot applications to be sent by e-mail instead of just fax.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5333509,00.html

[EFerrari]

3. FL: Feinstein wants federal audit of Sarasota's voting machines

Feinstein wants federal audit of Sarasota's voting machines

By JEREMY WALLACE

[e-mail]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Wednesday she will call on the federal General Accounting Office to investigate Sarasota County’s voting machines.

Senators are frustrated that the court system is taking too long to resolve whether faulty touch-screen machines failed to record votes in the District 13 congressional election on Nov. 7.

Feinstein, D-Calif., is chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee. She made her remarks during a hearing about touch-screen voting on Wednesday morning.

Rep. Vern Buchanan won the 13th district by 369 votes, but Democrat Christine Jennings is challenging the results, saying voting machine malfunctions are to blame for the 13 percent undervote in Sarasota precincts, which was higher than the undervotes in other counties, two of which did not use the machines.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/BREAKING01/70207009&start=1

[EFerrari]

4. FL: Paper trail needed for electronic ballots, Nelson says

Paper trail needed for electronic ballots, Nelson says


By Christine Grimaldi

Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau
Thursday, February 08, 2007

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bill Nelson urged a Senate panel Wednesday to require states to have a paper trail for all electronic ballots.

As evidence of the need for such a trail, Nelson, D-Fla., and others cited the controversy over Florida's District 13 congressional race in which more than 18,000 ballots in Sarasota County did not show any choice for a candidate.

Democratic hopeful Christine Jennings, who is challenging the election outcome in which she lost by 369 votes, sat in the Senate Rules Committee hearing but did not testify. Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan of Sarasota has been seated in the House while Jennings' challenge continues.

Nelson told the committee he would sponsor a bill in the Senate to require a paper trail. Still in the drafting stage, the bill could use whatever money remains from a $3.8 billion authorization five years ago to help states improve their voting systems

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/nation/epaper/2007/02/08/a4a_evoting_0208.html

[EFerrari]

5. IN: County aims to avoid vote center mistakes

County aims to avoid vote center mistakes

By BRIAN WALLHEIMER
[e-mail]

Long lines, failing technology and confusion over polling places are some of the issues Tippecanoe County is hoping to avoid with its maiden voyage into voting centers.

Tippecanoe County is abandoning the precinct system of voting for vote centers. The 12 or so centers will replace dozens of precincts where voters were assigned to only one polling place in the past. Voters will be able to vote at any vote center in the May primary election.

The idea is to streamline the voting process, make it easier for people who work far away from their home precincts to vote and reduce costs for the county through hiring fewer poll workers.

But experts and advocates of the system said the county will likely have to learn from its mistakes after the first try.

http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070208/ELECTION01/702080344/1152

[EFerrari]

6. KY: WC clerk opposes election system change

WC clerk opposes election system change
Wednesday, February 07, 2007

A Kentucky County Clerks Association survey of county clerks across the state raises the question: should Kentucky change the way it allows people to vote?

The survey, a series of seven questions that target the concept of early “in-house” voting and voting by mail, was sent to each county clerk in the state.

Webster County Clerk Valerie Franklin said she doesn’t think either concept is a good idea.

“My survey was against it,” she said regarding the possibility for early voting. “It would be a huge expense for us.

http://www.journalenterprise.com/articles/stories/public/200702/07/election02072008_news.html

[EFerrari]

7. Miss. Senate votes to require ID to cast election ballot

Miss. Senate votes to require ID to cast election ballot

By Halimah Abdullah
The Commercial Appeal
February 7, 2007

JACKSON, Miss. — After a lengthy and emotional debate that highlighted Mississippi??s tumultuous racial history, state senators today passed a bill to require voters to show government-issued identification before casting ballots.

The bill was seen by several African-American members as a partisan attempt in an election year to intimidate black voters.

"Why is your party pushing voter ID," Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, asked bill author Sen. Terry Burton, R-Newton. "Do you understand what African-Americans have gone through to get the right to vote?"

Other opponents said the bill was motivated by undercurrents of racism that still permeate Mississippi politics.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/article/0,2845,MCA_25340_5334917,00.html

[EFerrari]

8. NC: Elections office bound for new home this year

Elections office bound for new
home this year- 2/7/07


By NEAL F. RATTICAN, Courier-Times Editor

Person County commissioners this week reaffirmed their December decision to refit the former Home Health & Hospice building for use by the Person County Board of Elections by authorizing a $6,800 change that will push the cost to just under $175,000.

County Attorney Ron Aycock also reminded commissioners, during their regular February session Monday night, that moving the county elections office from the Person County Office Building across South Morgan Street to the renovated facility will require preclearance by the U. S. Department of Justice, in accordance with provisions of Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. >>

In December, commissioners voted to negotiate with Bar Construction Co., the firm already at work renovating the former Person County Health Department building, to extend Bar’s contract to include renovations for the former hospice building, which sits directly behind the vacated health department building. The latter is being readied to accommodate relocation of the county’s planning, inspections and environmental health departments.

On Monday, County Manager Steve D. Carpenter advised commissioners that Bar Construction was ahead of schedule on the current work and expected to be finished by May at which time the firm could start work on the second building. Carpenter indicated that Bar had agreed to expand the existing contract at a cost of $167,789. Most of that expense, he noted, was tied to changes in some interior walls and millwork for shelving to accommodate storage of elections office materials. Work will include bringing the facility in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

http://www.roxboro-courier.com/newsnowstories/ts020707-1.htm

[EFerrari]

9. OH: Glitch hits Cuyahoga County election...again

Glitch hits Cuyahoga County election...again :eyes:


Created: 2/6/2007 11:33:21 PM
Updated:2/7/2007 7:21:28 AM

CLEVELAND -- Not many people knew there was a special election Tuesday.
But even with two school issues and one municipal amendment on the ballot, election officials in Cuyahoga County found themselves faced with a technical glitch.

Board of Elections Director Michael Vu says there was a problem with memory cards used by Independence voters.

The city had a school levy on the ballot.

Vu said officials implemented alternative methods of counting the votes while workers tried to pinpoint exactly what went wrong.

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=62754

[Joe Chi Minh]

16. "Malfunction" sounds so much better....

[EFerrari]

10. PA: Voting Machines questioned

Voting machines questioned
Panel wants to know if machines same ones that were certified.
Thursday, February 08, 207
By SARAH CASSI
The Express-Times

EASTON | A citizen advisory committee is investigating whether the voting machines Northampton County used in the past two elections are the same machines certified by the state.

"I am very concerned we are voting with machines that are not certified by the state. It's a possibility," said Nazareth resident Bernie O'Hare. "Pop it open and let's look under the hood."

O'Hare raised his concerns during a Wednesday night meeting of the citizen advisory committee charged with reviewing the county's voter registration office.

The committee is comprised of Democrats Russell Shade and Richard Benner, Republicans L. Jack Bradt and Peg Ferraro, and Green Party member Greta Browne.

http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1170911213190500.xml&coll=2

[EFerrari]

11. WI: State voter registration system is further delayed

State voter registration system is further delayed
JASON STEIN
608-252-6129
[e-mail]
A much-delayed system to register voters statewide and help prevent voting by felons or impostors using names of dead people won't be finished in time for the April 3 election, state Elections Board officials said.

The system, which is already a year past its federal deadline, will have no new functions for the spring election beyond those it had for the November general election, said Elections Board spokesman Kyle Richmond.

That means the system still won't be able to determine voters' eligibility by checking lists of voters against state lists of felons, deaths and driver's licenses, Richmond said. Instead, clerks will have to do that with printed lists.

The system now has 3.4 million active voter records and is being used by clerks in all municipalities in the state for at least some election functions, such as printing poll books. But in the spring election, at least some municipalities, including Madison, won't be able to use the system to print absentee ballots.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=118121&ntpid=2

[EFerrari]

12. Nancy Tobi. New Version of Holt Bill: A Giant Step Backwards

New Version of Holt Bill: A Giant Step Backwards

by Nancy Tobi

Article by Nancy Tobi, Chair, Democracy for New Hampshire and co-author of "Request by Voters" letter, a plea to Holt and the co-sponsors of his HR 550 bill to consider democratic modifications and accountability features in the modifications to this bill.


"Request by Voters" was signed by 1500 individuals and organizations. Our voices were ignored.




You can keep arguing the merits of this audit method or that, this paper trail or that, but the Holt Bill has two poison pills in it that can not be argued away:

1) huge unfunded mandate for text-to-audio conversion technology

2) consolidation of Executive power and control over Federal elections.

We must fight this treasonous bill and call it for what it is: ANTI-DEMOCRATIC.

It is bad enough that the authors of this bill, two years following the NASS resolution to sunset the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and after more than a years' worth of activist pleadings to get rid of this growing little monster, the EAC, cement it as a permanent Executive agency in his new bill.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_nancy_to_070207_new_version_of_holt_.htm

[EFerrari]

13. John Rauh: Great News from DC! Congress introduces Legislation for Public Funding

Great News From DC! Congress Introduces Legislation for Public Funding for Presidential Races

by John Rauh

We have great news from Washington! Representatives Marty Meehan (D-MA), Christopher Shays (R-CT) and David Price (D-NC) introduced legislation last week to fix the presidential public funding system. Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI) has also introduced companion legislation in the Senate to fix the system.

This legislation will make public funding a viable option for any presidential hopeful. The Just $6 campaign has announced their support of the legislation. Please show your support for the legislation now.

http://www.just6dollar.org/support-legislation

The public funding levels included in this bill are sufficient for a publicly funded candidate to get his or her message out to the voters, and sufficient for a publicly funded candidate to run a competitive race against any candidate who opts to use unlimited private money.

http://www.just6dollar.org/support-legislation

If passed, the legislation would take effect on January 1, 2009 and be effective for presidential elections following the 2008 election. Read more about the new legislation.


http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_john_rau_070208_great_news_from_dc_21_.htm

[Wilms]

14. .

[livvy]

15. :>)Thanks! :>)

Just $6 mainpage:
http://www.just6dollars.org/

:hi: