Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 05/19/08

[tbyg52]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 05/19/08

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[tbyg52]

1. States nt

[tbyg52]

9. KY: Election Fraud Complaint Hotline Opens

Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway is reminding citizens that his office will once again operate the Election Fraud Hotline May 20.

"Investigators from my office will be patrolling precincts and polling places throughout the Commonwealth, but we need citizens to join with us to ensure that all Kentuckians have a chance to make their vote count on election day," Conway said.

The Election Fraud Hotline is (800) 328-VOTE. The hotline is available throughout the year during normal business hours. On May 20, calls will be received from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.

More:
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-0&fp=4832690c9bdd3e91&ei=QQAySOWeCqOg-wGGi4hx&url=http%3A//www.kypost.com/news/local/story.aspx%3Fcontent_id%3Db356f90b-4dd3-42ce-98a7-6b0fec533dc4&cid=1214152595&usg=AFrqEzenmL1Xy7vZHiOg7ChpfZhVfQOyZQ

[tbyg52]

10. MO: Stringent Voter ID Law Dies in Missouri Legislature

On May 16, Missouri ended its legislative session before passing a controversial bill that would have required Missourians to demonstrate proof of citizenship to vote. The measure passed the House, but amidst strongly voiced local and national opposition, never reached a vote in the Senate. The bill's failure comes less than three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana's voter ID law, which requires voters to present a valid photo ID, not proof of citizenship. Currently, Arizona is the only state to require proof of citizenship, a mandate that has led to the rejection of over 38,000 voter registration applications, according to the New York Times. 70 percent of rejected applicants stated under oath that they were born in the U.S.

Before the bill failed, the NYT quoted Jon Greenbaum, a former voting rights official at the Department of Justice and now the director of the voting rights project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:

Everyone has been focusing on voter ID laws generally, but the most pernicious measures and the ones that really promise to prevent the most eligible voters from voting is what we see in Arizona and now in Missouri.

Today, the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader published a scathing assessment of the failed bill, and the Missouri legislature-- which it recommended should hold itself to its own ID laws for anonymous pork barreling:

More:
http://blog.nola.com/newsouth/2008/05/stringent_voter_id_law_dies_in.html

[tbyg52]

11. KY, OR: May 20 Snapshot: Kentucky and Oregon

Oregon and Kentucky are both moving in the direction of both paper ballots and post-election audits. The two states make an interesting contrast at this stage. All of Oregon's votes will be cast on voter-marked paper ballots, but the state's new post-election audit law affects general elections only, so the May 20 primary election will not be audited. In Kentucky, most of the votes will be cast on paperless electronic machines, but the state requires a post-election audit of 3-5% of the ballots cast in elections.

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2859&Itemid=113

[tbyg52]

12. OH: 3 Ohio counties want to keep central ballot counting

The three Ohio counties that were allowed to count primary election votes in a central location are asking the state for permission to continue the practice in November's general presidential election.

The counties say the central tallying of ballots using optical scan machines has worked well and they don't want to buy other equipment.

(A little) more:
http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=533834&c=y

[tbyg52]

13. MD: Maryland Taxpayers Pay Big Money for Controversial E-Voting System

A new study based on data collected from Maryland state government agencies reveals the state's elections now cost 10 times what they did in 2002, almost entirely because of the operating costs of the state's direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machines.

According to the study from the Maryland voting rights organization SaveOurVotes, the DRE machines cost Maryland taxpayers $10.7 million per year. As recently as 2003 the total cost of voting equipment, including lease payments, was less than $4 million annually. State voting costs broke $20 million in 2007, and the State Board of Elections budget neared $30 million.

The study, "Cost Analysis of Maryland's Electronic Voting System," released on February 25, aims to make Maryland taxpayers feel the "sticker shock" of the state's switch to electronic voting.

More:
http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=23255

[tbyg52]

15. KS: Kansas Governor Sibelius Vetoes Voter ID Bill

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sibelius issued the following statement on her veto of Kansas HB 2019

We have a rich history and tradition in Kansas of working to increase citizen participation in our democracy. Voting has become easier and more convenient in our state over the past decade due to measures like advance voting.

Here in Kansas and across the country, we have seen a record number of new voters active in the election process. Secretaries of State across the country are anticipating record-breaking turnout in November. We must take advantage of this opportunity to engage the next generation of leaders and decision makers in the political process, and ensure their participation continues throughout their lifetimes.

Additionally, no elected official should support enacting new laws discouraging or disenfranchising any American who has been legally voting for years. I cannot support creating any roadblock to prevent our citizens from adding their voices to the democratic discourse that makes our nation great.

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2857&Itemid=113

[tbyg52]

38. Sebelius vetoes photo ID for voters; Republicans call decision slap in the face

To no one's surprise, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has vetoed photo ID for the state's voters.

Here's what she said about it.

Here's part of a GOP reaction release:

“The Governor has taken fear mongering to a whole new level with her latest veto,” said Christian Morgan, Executive Director of the Kansas Republican Party.

(A little) more (plus comments):
http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/11853

[tbyg52]

43. People For the American Way Praises Governor Sebelius’ Veto of House Bill 2019

Today, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed House Bill 2019. If signed by the govenor, the bill would have instituted a burdensome proof of citizenship and identification requirement, potentially disenfranchising thousands of Kansas’ elderly, disabled, minority, and low-income voters.

People For the American Way Senior Vice President and National Field Director Mary Jean Collins today praised Gov. Sebelius for standing up for the rights of Kansas voters, and hailed the veto as a victory for all voters. Collins’ statement follows:

“Kansans need election reform legislation that makes voting more accessible, prevents voter intimidation and increases voter participation. Instead of making it easier for Kansans to cast their votes, this bill would have made it harder for many eligible voters. Gov. Sebelius took a principled stand in favor of Kansans’ right to vote and vetoed House Bill 2019.

“The problem is not voter fraud. There’s simply no evidence that in-person voter fraud is a widespread problem, or that ineligible voters are going to the polls to vote. The problem is that too few people vote.

More:
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=25172

[tbyg52]

16. OR: Oregon's Post Office Primary

Barack Obama made jaws drop when he drew 75,000 people to a rally in Portland, Ore., on Sunday afternoon, making it the largest such event of his campaign and among the largest political rallies in the country's recent history. But the electoral boost he got from drawing so many people two days before primary day -- not to mention from the media coverage of the event -- could be less than expected: tens of thousands of Oregonian votes are already in the mail.

Oregon is the only state in the country to have adopted 100 percent vote-by-mail balloting for its elections, eliminating all polling locations and voting machines. The reform, now in its 10th year, comes with several potential ramifications for a Democratic primary whose outcome may help determine just how much longer Hillary Clinton battles on against Obama.

More:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/19/oregons_post_office_primary.html

[tbyg52]

19. KY: Grayson Says Beware Of Poll Watchers

Secretary of State Trey Grayson announced today that his office and the Kentucky State Board of Elections has reason to believe that some campaigns and outside groups plan to use "poll watchers" on election day. "Poll watchers" are representatives of a campaign or outside group who enter polling locations to determine who has already voted by looking at the precinct roster or talking to poll workers. The campaign or group then uses that information to call supporters who have not yet shown up to vote. This practice is used in many states around the country, but in Kentucky it is illegal.

(A little) more:
http://www.wkyx.com/local-news-details.asp?NewsID=6052

[tbyg52]

20. TX: The GOP War on (Democrats) Voting

Since its inception, TPM has been chronicling the Republican party's efforts to push bogus or wildly exaggerated claims of vote fraud to suppress voting among predominantly Democratic constituencies like the old, the poor and the non-white. And here we have another installment from the GOP vote fraud bamboozlement file.

Two years ago Texas' Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott declared war on what he claimed was rampant vote fraud in Texas. He set up a special vote fraud unit and got a $1.4 million grant from the feds for the work.

Now, two years on, courtesy of the Dallas Morning News, we have a run-down of what Abbot came up with -- 26 cases.

The details tell the story: All 26 cases involved Democrats, and almost all were either blacks or Hispanics.

More:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/195725.php

[tbyg52]

25. Abbott's voter fraud cases all against Democrats

Republican Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has prosecuted nothing but Democrats since he began cracking down on voter fraud.

The 26 cases have involved mostly blacks or Hispanics, and mostly resulted in small fines, The Dallas Morning News reported.

In 18 of the 26 voter fraud cases, the voters were eligible and their votes were properly cast.

But the people who gathered the ballots for mailing were prosecuted since state law prohibits carrying someone else's ballot to the mailbox unless the carrier's name and address are on the envelope.

More:
http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/212516-abbotts-voter-fraud-cases-all-against-democrats

[tbyg52]

22. IN: Poll worker says 'tight pants' contributed to gaffe

The poll worker who called a polling place "Obama's house" in front of a television news crew apologized -- then accused the local TV station of altering its footage to incriminate her.

Kim Minor also told the Vanderburgh County Election Board that her "tight pants" were partly to blame for the remarks broadcast by WTVW-FOX7 and posted on YouTube.

Afterward, Election Board members Tom Massey, David Shaw and County Clerk Susan Kirk voted 3-0 to turn over WTVW-FOX7's unedited tape of the incident to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office for investigation.

Bob Walters, news director of WTVW-FOX7, called Minor's remarks "totally ridiculous" and her theory of videotape manipulation impossible for the local station.

More:
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/33306

[tbyg52]

23. CA: 2 plans created to reform districts

If you need to know why redistricting reform matters, take a look at next month's primary ballot.

Around the Northern San Joaquin Valley, there isn't a single contested seat in any of the party races. What's more, many politicians face only token or no opposition in November.

Political districts have been drawn to favor whoever's in power, and that benefits ... well, whoever's in power.

California voters likely will get to have a say on redistricting later this year, in the form of potentially two ballot initiatives.

More:
http://www.modbee.com/columnists/vandermeer/story/302920.html

[tbyg52]

26. NC: Same-day registration a hit in North Carolina

This year was the first "big election" test of North Carolina's new same-day registration and voting law, and results show it was a huge success.

The law, which passed last year, allows voters to register and vote at over 200 one-stop voting centers across the state after the voter registration deadline has passed and up until a few days before the election.

(A little) more:
http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/05/same-day-registration-hit-in-north.asp

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

60. Same Day reg did go really well - no bottlenecks!

NC had same day reg during early voting only, where we have "retrievable" ballots.

Voters who needed to register went to tables set up for that purpose
and didn't impeded other voters.

I checked my county's early voting site - open on Sunday - and the director
said about 200-300 people an hour were able to vote.

[tbyg52]

31. OH: More Ohio schools tell students to stay home on Election Day

School officials worried about student safety and congested hallways on Election Day, when many school buildings double as polling places, are canceling class or scheduling teacher training days for the Nov. 4 general election.

Many polling places in Ohio featured long lines of voters during the 2004 election, when Ohio decided the election for President Bush over Democrat John Kerry. Voter turnout is expected to also be heavy this fall, when Ohio could again be pivotal.

"With these presidential elections, people start lining up and down the hall," Bexley Superintendent Michael Johnson said. "We almost have to put up guardrails, like at the airport."

School will be canceled for students and staff members this year in the Columbus suburb of Worthington, the first time the district has canceled classes for a presidential election.

More:
http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=533254&c=y

[tbyg52]

32. TN: Memphis Voters Will Decide Whether to Use IRV

On May 15, the Memphis, Tennessee Charter Commission decided to ask the voters whether they wish to use Instant-Runoff Voting for city elections. The Charter Commission has the power to suggest various changes to the Memphis Charter, and added IRV to the list of proposals that will be considered by the voters in November.

(A little) more:
http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/05/19/memphis-votes-will-decide-whether-to-use-irv/

[tbyg52]

33. MN: Landmark Election Recount Bill Becomes Law in Minnesota

Minnesota continues to improve its election transparency and accountability standards with passage of an innovative law allowing losing candidates to call for manual recounts in select precincts. Called the “partial discretionary recount,” the law believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, is a cost-effective way for candidates to have the election results in specific precincts verified.

The law expands on provisions of Minnesota’s recount law which provides for recounts in races within a margin of victory of 0.5%. Under the new added provision, candidates in any contest with a 5% margin of victory may call for a hand recount, at their expense, of up to three precincts. If the requested recount shows a difference greater than 0.5% compared to the Election Day results, there will be hand recounting of additional precincts. That could lead to a contest-wide recount if more disparities between the reported results and the hand counts are discovered.

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2858&Itemid=113

[tbyg52]

35. TN: Tennessee Passes Paper Ballot Legislation

Tennessee Voter Confidence Act Will Also Establish Random Post-Election Audits and Prohibit the Use of Wireless Devices in Voting Systems

On May 15, the Tennessee State Senate unanimously passed SB 1363 The Tennessee Voter Confidence Act, a sweeping reform of the state’s voting technology. Minor differences between the Senate bill and the House companion HB 1256, passed earlier in the week, are expected to be easily resolved and the bill sent to Gov. Phil Bredesen for his signature next week. The overwhelming support for the bill resulted from the steadfast efforts of state and national voting advocates and a report from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) that recommended many of the measures in the legislation.

The bill would require that any voting system purchased and deployed in the state after January 1, 2009 use precinct-based optical scanners. The bill as amended in the Senate would use Federal funding provided to the state as a result of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to fund the replacement of currently deployed direct recording electronic (DRE) voting systems. The bill explicitly calls for counties to purchase ballot-marking devices to meet the Federal requirement to provide voters with disabilities a means of voting privately and independently.

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2856&Itemid=113

[tbyg52]

41. TX: Voters Will Be Able To Cast Their Ballots Anywhere

Lubbock voters in November's presidential election will have more to decide than which candidate to support.

You'll have a choice of 50 locations to cast a ballot on election day.

Lubbock County elections administrators are expanding the super precinct pilot program from 2006 to what is now called vote centers.

More:
http://www.myfoxlubbock.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6576085&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1

[tbyg52]

46. CT: Dealing With 'Dead Voters'

The bad news is that many registrars have done a poor job of keeping voter rolls updated, leaving dead people on the voting lists.

The good news is that it appears no one abused the outdated lists to commit voter fraud.

The best news it that Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz takes the matter seriously and appears committed to making changes to fix the problem, or at least mitigate it as much as possible.

An April 20 Hartford Courant story, describing the results of an investigation by University of Connecticut journalism students, raised questions about the accuracy of state voting rolls. The story claimed 8,558 dead people remained on voting lists and voting records showed 300 had voted.

Were people abusing the system by voting in the place of dead people? After an extensive investigation, Bysiewicz said the answer is no. Voting officials took a close look at the“dead voters” and determined record-keeping errors, not fraud, were to blame. In some cases poll workers had checked off the wrong family-member name. In other instances staffers entered the wrong name into computer voting records.

More:
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=b62d48ab-1771-4e01-a195-c5f9a833a594

[tbyg52]

2. National nt

[tbyg52]

7. Hans Off! Scourge of Voters is Booted Off FEC

The GOP still has a shot at trying to fix the 2008 elections, but it will have to do it without that scourge of American voters, Hans von Spakovsky.

After three years of protests from Democrats (and small-D democrats), George W. Bush's handlers withdrew von Spakovsky's name from formal nomination to another term on the Federal Election Commission. (Von Spakovsky was a recess appointment to the FEC at the end of 2005.)

Who he? As I noted last September in "Tally Ho! The GOP's Hounding of Voters":

Before his FEC appointment, von Spakovsky was the chief civil-rights violator in the Justice Department's civil-rights division, leading the move to suppress minority and poor voters.

More:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/bushbeat/archives/2008/05/hans_off_scourg.php

[tbyg52]

18. Voting Rights advocates say America is unprepared for massive turnout Nov. 4

Record turnouts at polling places across the nation during the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton battle for the Democratic nomination have revealed a continuation of serious flaws in America's electoral process that could cause a fiasco Nov. 4, according to a non-partisan report.

"The report demonstrates that most of the state and county and local election machinery was unprepared for a real heavy turnout," says Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, a primary partner in the Election Protection Coalition that has manned voter protection hotlines since January. "It really demonstrates that our democracy has deep fault lines and is not being administered well...We are not prepared. We actively count on a low voter turn out and count on voter apathy."

The 15-page, "Election Protection 2008 Primary Report", jointly compiled and distributed by the Lawyers Committee and the National Campaign for Fair Elections, says lawyers and other volunteers who manned voter question and complaint hotlines over the past five months fielded more than 5,000 calls that include complaints and charges revealing everything from serious mechanical flaws to apparent intentional shenanigans and voter intimidation at the polls.

More:
http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20080519c

[tbyg52]

21. BBC journalist warns against voter irregularities

The BBC journalist who uncovered possible voter fraud in the 2000 and 2004 U.S. presidential elections told a South Florida crowd Sunday those same forces that led to President Bush's victories will not "steal" this year's election.

"They've already stolen it," Greg Palast told a crowd at the Palm Beach Democratic Club on Sunday. "But, you can steal it back."

More:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/local_news/epaper/2008/05/18/0519votestealing.html

[tbyg52]

57. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=502881&mesg_id=502881

[tbyg52]

28. Bush, Gore and the Florida 'Recount'

When screenwriter Danny Strong started interviewing the protagonists of the 2000 presidential recount two years ago for his HBO movie on the subject, Ron Klain had one request.

"I told him that my only real interest in this film is if you tell me it's going to have a different ending," said Klain, who was then-Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore's senior legal advisor in Florida.

But Strong was not interested in rewriting history. He conceived of "Recount," which premieres Sunday on HBO, as a dramatic retelling of the 36-day legal battle between Gore and his Republican opponent, George W. Bush, through the varied perspectives of the players in both camps. The movie would not take sides; it would hew to the historical record.

"The film is not about who should have won," said Strong. "This movie is about our electoral process and gives us an intimate look at how this process went down in one particular state. And then it sort of asks the American people: Is this how you want to elect a president?"

More:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-recount19-2008may19,0,7270059.story

[tbyg52]

30. Laura Dern plays it straight in 'Recount' role

Laura Dern vividly recalls her impression of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris during the 2000 recount.

"I remembered how paralyzed we all felt when we first saw her," Dern said. "Oh my God, she's going to make a decision?"

But Dern began thinking a bit differently about the pilloried politician after researching her role as Harris in HBO's "Recount."

"She surprised me with her intellect," the actress said.

Much-derided at the time for her heavy makeup and partisan ties, Harris was the character who presented the biggest challenge in the film, said director Jay Roach.

More:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-harris19-2008may19,0,4139250.story

[tbyg52]

47. 'Recount' Writing Doesn't Add Up to Responsible, Historical Script

Hollywood is messing with our national past again, and this time, the potential for confusion, cynicism and paranoia about our politics and shared sense of history seems greater than ever.

Next Sunday, HBO will premiere "Recount," a docudrama starring Kevin Spacey and Tom Wilkinson that purports to tell the "story behind the headlines" of the contested 2000 presidential election in Florida. Of course, the real-life wounds from that bare-knuckled political battle between the operatives of Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic candidate, and Republican George W. Bush, have not yet healed. Millions of Americans still believe that the presidency was stolen from Gore by GOP partisans in the Florida state government who rigged the count -- and then, the recount.

Remember hanging chads, butterfly ballots and "purging" the voter rolls?

Adding more zeitgeist grist to the milieu in which Recount will make its debut on May 25th is the very real decision that current Democratic Party officials must make in the coming weeks. They must decide whether or not to count -- and if they do count, how to apportion -- votes and delegates from the primaries held earlier this year in Michigan and Florida. Again a drama, albeit a lesser one in its potential effect on the American presidency, will in all likelihood be played out behind closed doors in the Sunshine State -- with talk of disenfranchisement and conspiracy sure to follow.

More:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1392545/recount_writing_doesnt_add_up_to_responsible_historical_script/

[tbyg52]

3. Foreign nt

[tbyg52]

27. Dutch government bans electronic voting

The government of the Netherlands has banned electronic voting machines from future elections because of a risk of eavesdropping. The nation will return to paper voting.

"Research indicates that a secure voting machine that is immune to the risks of eavesdropping can't be guaranteed. Developing new equipment furthermore requires a large investment, both financially and in terms of organization. The administration judges that this offers insufficient added value over voting by paper and pencil," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said Friday evening.

More:
http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=003AE63C-17A4-0F78-31DDDC0DCFA62609

[tbyg52]

44. Nigeria president vows to resign if high court upholds election challenge

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua told AFP Sunday that he would resign if the Supreme Court of Nigeria invalidated his victory in the disputed 2007 presidential election . In March, Nigerian opposition leader and presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari asked the Supreme Court to review a February decision by the country's election tribunal to uphold the results of the contested elections. Buhari alleges that the election was marred by rampant fraud , but the Nigerian Presidential Petitions Election Tribunal ruled that there was no evidence of malfeasance and upheld results showing victory for Yar'Adua. From Nigeria, This Day has local coverage.

(A little) more:
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/05/nigeria-president-vows-to-resign-if.php

[tbyg52]

45. Finland: Prime Minister regards election campaign funding mess as serious

Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre), who arrived in Finland late on Saturday evening after travel abroad, says that the uncertainties of campaign financing are shaking faith in the Finnish political system.

Speaking to reporters at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, Vanhanen said that the stage is set for a very serious situation. “Legislation is drafted so that it would be followed. The best way to fix the situation is that disclosures should be revised quickly”, Vanhanen commented.

The Prime Minister himself insisted that he had drawn up his own campaign finance disclosure meticulously, and that he has no need to give further information.

“I have noticed that this past week some experts in Finland have claimed that my opinion could be bought somehow. I feel that this is a rather unsavoury allegation.”

More:
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Prime+Minister+regards+election+campaign+funding+mess+as+serious/1135236467724

[tbyg52]

49. Nigeria: Group Alleges Plot to Rig Election in Sokoto

The National Association of Nigerian Youth Leaders has accused members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State of hatching plans to rig the forthcoming election rerun in the state. The association said their members uncovered the plot it rig the by-election, and therefore, deemed it necessary to inform Nigerians.

In a press statement signed by Ikechukwu Obinna (Nigerian Youth), Olatunji Sowemimo (Labour Unions), Hamed Mustapha (NANS), and Idris Dalhatu (Civil Societies ) and made available to Leadership Sunday, the association said, "We want to use this medium to inform Nigerians about the plot by some members of the PDP to rig the rerun election in Sokoto. This plot was uncovered by members of our association, and we think it is high time the Nigerian populace were informed of this dastardly act by some disgruntled elements in the PDP".

More:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200805190911.html

[tbyg52]

4. Blogs, Editorials, LTTEs, etc. nt

[tbyg52]

8. Dave Zweifel's Plain Talk: GOP's voter ID an attack on democracy

There was a time in the not too distant past that state governments did all they could to encourage people to vote.

Here in Wisconsin when Patrick J. Lucey was governor, we not only reduced the age of majority to 18, but enacted a law that allowed voters to register the day of the election as long as they had proof of their residence with them -- a driver's license, utility bill or some other form of simple identification.

Now, and with the blessing of the U.S. Supreme Court to embolden them, state governments are stumbling over themselves to find ways to make it harder for American citizens to exercise their right to vote, the very foundation of our treasured democracy.

More:
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/287039

[tbyg52]

14. E-Voting Machines Short Circuit Election Transparency, But the Danger is Even Worse

Than You May Realize...

The software most likely to steal elections is the BALLOT DEFINITION SOFTWARE loaded onto paper-based optical-scan and DRE (usually, touch-screen) voting machines in county elections offices across the U.S. just before the machines are sealed with security tape and transported to election polling locations.

And yet, the frightening reality is that there is little or no oversight of that software itself, nor of the people --- usually sub-contractors, who could be anyone from a non-U.S. citizen, to a criminal, to a political party operative --- who program that ballot definition software. Moreover, there is little or no testing of such software, despite the fact that it stores the ballot positions for all candidates and initiatives on every ballot, on every voting machine, and tallies the votes for all of them on election day.

For all of the concerns about election fraud, via the electronic voting systems in use across the nation today, and the eye on the source code for the software itself, few seem to have their eye on the ballot definition software, which can --- even on e-voting systems where the hardware, and main program software has been tested, certified, and audited --- succeed in flipping an election without detection, either by error, or on purpose.

Concerned yet? Read on...

More:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5971

[tbyg52]

24. Some things lost when voting by mail

The voting season is upon us, and when my ballot arrived I looked at it with the same ambivalence I’ve felt since voting by mail became the fashion in Oregon.

Something has been gained and something lost in the conversion to postal suffrage. And while the gains are obvious and immediate, the losses are far more insidious.

First, we’ve traded anonymity for ease — a harmless trade when honorable people govern, but dangerous when those in power are hostile to opposition. If there is anything we should have learned these past seven years, it is that government can not be trusted. Who could have predicted that in such short order the executive branch would claim supra-constitutional powers, punish dissent and move to privatize our vote?

Nationally, the vote tampering in Florida and Ohio is well documented. We’ve seen anomalies such as two candidates in different races receiving identical vote counts, and historically accurate exit polls wildly deviating from reported results. Although these abnormalities were related to voting machines, the vote-by-mail process is equally open to shenanigans.

More:
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=101846&sid=5&fid=1

[tbyg52]

29. People who can't read can still make voting decisions

In response to Fred Peterson's May 15 letter regarding a correlation between illiteracy and voter turnout: I have a master's degree in English education and am one credit shy of an associate in engineering. Yet, even I can't fully comprehend monetary theories, understand the Iraq war, know economic ramifications of football stadiums, realize complexities of private vs. public education, or grasp biofuels' effects.

I, like people unable to read, still have to fill a gas tank, send sons and daughters to war, pay out the nose for a Colts football ticket, and anything over a billion dollars makes our eyes turn glassy with incomprehension.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist, or someone able to read, to look into a billfold and see it empty, or to understand how his life is impacted by crime, greed, politicians' promises, economic recession, and unaffordable insurance. They do, however, know how to cast a vote that affects their lives and families. (Indy Reads teaches a class on this process.)

More:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080519/OPINION01/805190308/1002/OPINION

[tbyg52]

34. Providing paper trail for ballots makes sense

A bill that would require a paper trail for voters' ballots in Tennessee has passed both the House and the Senate. The next stop for the bill is a conference committee, where differences in the two versions must be worked out. We urge lawmakers to move quickly to iron out their differences and send the legislation on to Gov. Phil Bredesen. Then, the governor should sign it into law.
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The legislation would require that a process for maintaining a paper trail of voters' ballots be in place no later than 2010. Currently, two of Tennessee's 95 counties keep a paper trail of ballots, but a report released this year by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations recommended that every county adopt the practice.

To some, it might seem like a step backward to maintain a paper trail of ballots, especially in today's high-tech environment. And the idea is hardly perfect. Remember the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election, when the term "hanging chad" entered the common vernacular?

But Americans must be able to fully trust their electoral system.

More:
http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080519/OPINION/805190301

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37. Editorials : Missouri proposal will hurt real voters

The Issue: Officials in Missouri propose a state constitutional amendment that would require proof of citizenship for anyone going to vote.

Our Opinion: The measure, designed to keep illegal aliens from influencing elections, more likely will keep legitimate voters from going to the polls.

The latest indication that the federal government has lost control of immigration is a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would require voters show proof of citizenship before casting a ballot.

That would go far beyond the Indiana law, recently ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. That law simply requires potential voters to prove who they are with a government-issued photo identification card, such as a driver’s license.

More:
http://www.readingeagle.com/blog.aspx?bid=4&id=16146&t=Missouri-proposal-will-hurt-real-voters

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48. Photo ID can protect elections

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an Indiana state law that requires photo identification following a recent constitutional challenge. Twenty-five states require some form of identification for voting.

In Wisconsin, efforts to establish photo identification for voting have been vetoed by Gov. Jim Doyle and most recently blocked by the state Senate's Democratic majority leadership.

Past reports from the Milwaukee area have raised alarms about the prevalence of voter fraud. I believe Wisconsin should take proactive steps to protect against fraud and not wait for an electoral crisis to make prudent reforms. When fraudulent votes are cast in any part of the state, it effectively disenfranchises those who legitimately cast their ballots throughout Wisconsin. Also, the best way to safeguard Wisconsin's same-day voter registration is with voter identification.

More:
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-opinions.asp?id=BGHPAHS2CK1

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51. CA: Polarizing on purpose: Barely scratching the surface on redistricting

Since 1911, the number of seats in the U.S. House has been set by Congress, basically at 435. The calculation results in one congressman representing roughly 600,000 of us who constitute a congressional district. Every 10 years, based on the census, seats might move in response to population shifts from one state to another. This is important.

In addition to its 80 state Assembly and 40 state Senate districts, California currently has 53 congressional districts. The map looks like it was drawn on an Etch-a-Sketch during an earthquake.

(If you really want to understand how redistricting happens, click here.) It's a game by the University of Southern California Game Innovation Lab that will do more to show how the system can be abused than words -- even mine! -- can ever explain.)

More:
http://www.politickerca.com/abenes/964/polarizing-purpose-barely-scratching-surface-redistricting

[tbyg52]

53. Victories in Kansas and Missouri for Freedom at the Polls

There were two good pieces of news for an engaged electorate in the last few days.

On Friday, Missouri efforts to pass a constitutional amendment that would require voters to bring proof of citizenship to the polls failed to make it to a final vote. Activists opposing the measure estimated that it would have stopped more than 200,000 citizens from voting.

Today, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed a bill that that would have required photo identification to vote. As she rightly said, the bill was allegedly designed to solve a problem that doesnt' exist."

There are serious challenges facing states as they try to count votes accurately, design easily comprehensible ballots, and create a workable bureacracy to make the most profoundly important democratic act as simple as possible--in a constantly moving and very diverse population. It is critical for states to keep good records, and invest in good administration procedures.

However, the efforts to require identification at the polls are cynical, undemocratic shams. The last thing we need, at this point, is for voters to feel scared, humiliated, or uncertain about whether they belong at the polls.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080519/cm_thenation/769322145

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5. The Youth Vote nt

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36. Young people flock to the polls — as workers

Alys Pledger's mother has been a poll worker. Her grandmother still works the poll at Brown Elementary School in Smyrna. So it didn't take much convincing to get Alys, a 16-year-old sophomore from Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, to follow suit.

"You get paid, and you get to meet a lot of people, and it gives kind of a view of what it's like when you get older," she said. "You see how things work when you're dealing with managers in the work world."

Pledger is one of dozens of young people in metro Atlanta who will spend the July 15 general primary and presidential Election Day in November at the polls. Some will be following in their elders' footsteps, like Pledger. But many — in an unusual move — will have been recruited by county election officials.

In recent months, officials have gone to high schools and colleges, seeking to infuse the poll worker pool with tech-savvy youths who can handle the polling site computers more easily than some older poll workers might be able to.

More:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/05/19/pollworkers_0519g.html

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55. A younger style of politics

About 100 Minnesota schools participated in the Project Citizen program this year, which encourages youth involvement in state and local government.

The four nervous eighth-graders set up two large display boards decorated with American flag bouquets on Sen. Sandy Pappas' desk. The John Glenn Middle School students were at the Minnesota State Capitol one recent Friday morning to propose a constitutional amendment lowering the voting age to 16.

"We think 16 is the appropriate age to vote because people have, um. ... " Haley Husom, 13, paused to find the most appropriate word.

More:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/19021054.html?location_refer=Homepage

[tbyg52]

6. Campaign Finance nt

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39. McCain's Top Fundraiser Leaves Campaign

The CBS Evening News reported last night that Sen. John McCain's national finance chairman, former Texas Congressman Thomas Loeffler, resigned yesterday "as the McCain campaign continues to distance itself from lobbyists." The AP notes Loeffler, "one of McCain's key fundraisers, resigned after the campaign last week instructed staff members to disclose all lobbying ties and to make certain they are no longer registered as lobbyists or foreign agents."

The development is being cast as a sign of trouble for McCain, whose campaign is built on the senator's image as an outsider. The Politico says McCain's "appeal to independent voters rests in part on his reformist image." The candidate "recognizes that he will be held to a high standard in the coming campaign and wants to clean house before the general election formally kicks off, sources say." On its front page, the Washington Post notes Loeffler "is the fifth person to sever ties with the campaign amid a growing concern over whether lobbyists have too great an influence over the Republican nominee." McCain "has built his reputation in Congress on fighting special interests and the lobbying culture, but he has been criticized for months about the number of lobbyists serving in key positions in his campaign. Until recently, his top political adviser, Charles R. Black Jr., was the head of a Washington lobbying firm."

More:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080519.htm

[tbyg52]

40. MO: Lawmakers vote to repeal state campaign finance limits

Big bucks could start flowing to Missouri politicians again, just in time for the fall elections. Lawmakers gave final approval on Friday to legislation that would repeal Missouri's campaign contribution limits.

If signed by Gov. Matt Blunt, politicians could take contributions of unlimited amounts beginning Aug. 28.

(A little) more:
http://www.ky3.com/news/political/19022129.html

[tbyg52]

42. MI: Retailer Meijer fined for campaign violations

Michigan fined big-box retail chain Meijer Inc. more than $190,000 Tuesday for campaign law violations in its effort to build a superstore in a northern Michigan suburb.

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land said an investigation found Meijer violated state law last year by donating to an effort to recall seven elected Acme Township officials who objected to the chain's development plans, and by failing to report its activities.

The company also did not file required reports of its spending on a 2005 ballot initiative that overturned a moratorium on big-box store construction in Acme, a community near Traverse City, a Lake Michigan resort town.

"Our campaign finance laws are about openness and disclosure, and in this case Meijer tried to avoid both," Land said.

More:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j48sFl6GENhy6cc2ShkRbSW9OzogD90L24002

[tbyg52]

50. Three face charges in SoCal campaign violations

Three people face misdemeanor charges in connection with alleged campaign finance violations in a city recall election.

City prosecutors said Kenny Evans, a city clerk candidate in 2006, and two others who were associated with his campaign, were involved in an attempt to recall then-Councilman Frank Scotto. Prosecutors claim David Gould and Michelle Moore Sanders transferred about $1,900 from a group that sought Scotto's recall to Evans' campaign committee.

The alleged transfer violated the city's municipal code that has a $1,000 cap on campaign contributions from a person or group.

None of the three have yet been arraigned on the charges.

More:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/18/state/n100921D53.DTL&type=politics

[tbyg52]

54. The Small Donor Revolution

Mark Kleiman argues today that for the past couple of decades the Democratic Party has been in hock to corporate interests. Not as much as Republicans, maybe, but enough to prevent Dems from pursuing lots of worthy public policies that a party of the common man ought to be pursuing. I assume he'll get little argument on this score from the lefty blogosphere, but then he muses about how this might change in November:

Assume for the second that November goes well, with a big win for Obama and increased majorities in both Houses. Assume in addition that the Obama money machine can keep cranking even after he becomes President, and can substantially replace the usual big-money interests as a source of campaign funding for Congressional Democrats.

One implication of that ought to be that some popular (and in some cases populist) programs that Democrats have been shying away from since 1974 because they can't afford to lose the donors suddenly become possible.

Mark has a list that includes things like copyright reform, hedge fund taxation, credit card regulation, and so forth, but it strikes me that he's putting the cart before the horse here. I chatted with him about this on Friday, and his basic argument is that Obama has created a spectacular money machine that he can call on at will. Got a congressman who's nervous about voting for healthcare reform because he'll lose the support of the insurance industry? No problem. President Obama can send out an email to his list, raise a couple mil overnight for the guy's reelection campaign, and there are no more worries about the insurance industry. Ditto for telecommunications, entertainment, and high tech cash.

More:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/18/politics/animal/main4105467.shtml

[L. Coyote]

17. Updated: How Kerry Votes Were Switched to Bush Votes In Ohio

Updated: How Kerry Votes Were Switched to Bush Votes In Ohio
By JQ - May 19th, 2008 at 9:09 am EDT
Updated with new evidence of election fraud:

http://www.progressohio.org/page/community/blog/jimjacobs

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52. Thanks!

:hi:

[tbyg52]

56. That's all, folks!

Hey, five rec's before I even finished! Thanks, y'all! :woohoo:

[Wilms]

58. .

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59. Cute graphic!

Looks kinda like the logo from my old Agent newsreader.