Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Friday 6/10/05

[MelissaB]

Everyone is encouraged to participate.

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=203x371233

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.



Link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376293

All previous daily threads are available here: http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_2004erd_el_ref_fr_thr_calenders.htm

[MelissaB]

1. "Something Rotten in the State of Ohio" -- Gore Vidal

Something Rotten in Ohio

by Gore Vidal

Outside the oil and gas junta that controls two and a half branches of our government (the half soon to be whole is the judiciary), there was a good deal of envy at the late British election among those Americans who are serious about politics. Little money was spent by the three parties and none for TV advertising. Results were achieved swiftly and cheaply. Best of all, the three party leaders were quizzed sharply and intelligently by ordinary citizens known quaintly as subjects, thanks to the ubiquitous phantom crown so unlike our nuclear-taloned predatory eagle. Although news of foreign countries seldom appears in our tightly censored media (and good news, never), those of us who are addicted to C-SPAN and find it the one truly, if unconsciously, subversive media outlet in these United States are able to observe British politics in full cry.

I say “subversive” not only because C-SPAN is apt to take interesting books seriously but also because of its live coverage of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the only look we are ever allowed at the mouthpieces of our masters up close and, at times, most reflective of a government more and more remote from us, unaccountable and repressive. To watch the righteous old prophet Byrd of West Virginia, the sunny hypocrisy of Biden of Delaware—as I write these hallowed names, I summon up their faces, hear their voices, and I am covered with C-SPAN goose bumps.

At any rate, wondrous C-SPAN has another string to its bow. While some executive was nodding, C-SPAN started showing us Britain’s House of Commons during Question Time. This is the only glimpse that most Americans will ever get of how democracy is supposed to work.

These party leaders are pitted against one another in often savage debate on subjects of war and peace, health and education. Then some 600 Members of Parliament are allowed to ask questions of their great chieftains. Years ago the incomparable Dwight Macdonald wrote that any letter to the London Times (the Brits are inveterate letter writers on substantive issues) is better written than any editorial in the New York Times.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0609-21.htm


Thanks to GreenPartyVoter here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376455

[MelissaB]

11. Collective Bellaciao, France

http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=6414

[MelissaB]

2. A Young Defender of Democracy Faces Chávez's Wrath

A Young Defender of Democracy Faces Chávez's Wrath

By Mary Anastasia O'Grady | The Wall Street Journal

...snip

Súmate's charges that Venezuela is losing its democracy have ample supporting evidence. It is a matter of record that the Chávez-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) had custody of the electronic voting machines in last year's recall referendum and refused to allow an independent audit of the paper ballots. It is also a fact that the president has packed the highest court by adding 12 new seats to what was formerly a 20-seat bench.

Perhaps most alarming, Ms. Machado reminded me Tuesday, is the fact that the 3.5 million Venezuelans who signed petitions in favor of holding a recall vote are now on government lists. Those lists, she said, have been used to fire workers and to discriminate in the disbursement of government benefits.

More: http://www.vcrisis.com/index.php?content=letters/200506100831

[Wilms]

21. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376724

[MelissaB]

3. What we lose when voters act more like consumers

Posted on Fri, Jun. 10, 2005

What we lose when voters act more like consumers

BY JANE EISNER
Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT) - Should voting in America be supersized?

That's the provocative suggestion offered by a national task force of state and local election officials charged with reforming the voting process.

Unfortunately, it's not clear that this proposed cure will strengthen civic participation, or - as Wal-Mart did to the five-and-dime store - drive it into bankruptcy.

Here's the situation: Running a clean and efficient election is ever more difficult. Weak political parties and citizen apathy have made it harder to recruit poll workers and election officials.

Ensuring that polling places and voting machines are accessible to the disabled places an added burden. And then there's lifestyle: Americans accustomed to iPods and TIVO don't take kindly to being told to vote at a specific place, on a specific day, often at polls that close earlier than some banks.

More: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/11862842.htm

[MelissaB]

4. CA: Diebold machine's flaws have been fixed since tests in spring, offi

State expected to OK new voting system
Diebold machine's flaws have been fixed since tests in spring, official says

By Ian Hoffman, STAFF WRITER

In less than a week, state officials are poised to approve a new Diebold electronic-voting system that several large counties, including Alameda, want to use. But the system showed problems in security, protection of voter privacy and printing of a paper trail during testing this spring.

State elections authorities have obscured the full nature of those problems by blacking out parts of test reports that have been released under the state public records act and declaring other documents too full of Diebold "trade secrets" for public release.

During tests in late April and early May, a chief feature of Diebold's new computerized voting machine — the ability to print out voters' electronic choices so they can be verified and, if needed, recounted — performed so poorly that the state's testing consultant concluded, "This version is not ready for use in an election."

Assistant Secretary of State Brad Clark, a former Alameda County registrar, said Thursday the problems have been fixed and the Diebold system desired by county elections officials is ready for state consideration.


More: http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2794606

[MelissaB]

5. FL: Equipment test under fire

Equipment test under fire

Manufacturer says its voting system may now be vulnerable

By Bill Cotterell

DEMOCRAT POLITICAL EDITOR


An attorney for the company that makes Leon County's voting equipment told state and county officials Thursday it was "very foolish and irresponsible" for Elections Supervisor Ion Sancho to let an outside group try poking holes in vote-tabulation security systems.

Michael Lindroos, senior corporate counsel for Diebold Election Systems Inc., said the company "cannot confirm at this time whether you can conduct any future elections reliably." He suggested that the county do a complete system evaluation before any future elections.

But Sancho said the equipment recently put through its paces by Black Box Voting will never be used again in a regular election. He said the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization was closely monitored as it tried to "hack" into the system - and that even if Black Box had left some bugs behind, his office has ordered an upgraded model that will be used in the 2006 elections.


...snip

Bev Harris, founder of Black Box Voting in Renton, Wash., said she made three visits to Tallahassee and worked with two computer-security experts between February and May. They tried unsuccessfully to penetrate the computer system from outside the courthouse but Sancho then allowed access to a secure room - where only one of his employees has the codes to operate the computers.

Harris said Black Box Voting demonstrated that a corrupt employee could easily get around security walls, tamper with vote totals and exit the system without leaving any tracks, the Tallahassee Democrat reported Saturday. By changing a memory card, the report said, her team was able to make 65,000 votes disappear in the test.

More: http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/11858709.htm

[MelissaB]

6. FL: Volusia's 'no' to touch-screens on state's radar

Volusia's 'no' to touch-screens on state's radar

By Kevin P. Connolly | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 10, 2005


DELAND -- The state Attorney General's Office confirmed Thursday that it is looking into Volusia County's rejection of controversial touch-screen voting machines -- devices aimed at allowing disabled voters to cast ballots independently.

The interest from the office of Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, a Republican gubernatorial candidate who has touted his commitment to protecting civil rights, marks the latest fallout from the County Council's vote this week against a contract with Diebold Elections Systems for 210 touch-screens.

Monday's vote, which came amid mounting pressure from activists worried about the machines' inability to produce paper ballots, derailed Elections Supervisor Ann McFall's plans to comply with state laws requiring disability-accessible voting for elections after July 1.

It also could make Volusia vulnerable for legal actions after July 1 from Crist's office under a new law that gives the Attorney General's Office the power to fight discrimination at the state level, DougTowne, a disability consultant for the state Division of Elections, said Thursday.


More: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-locvoting10061005jun10,0,4068868.story?coll=orl-news-headlines

[MelissaB]

7. MA: Selectman recount takes place today

Selectman recount takes place today

By Sara Withee / Daily News Staff
Friday, June 10, 2005

UXBRIDGE -- The town will hold a selectman's race recount this afternoon, a year after another recount removed an incumbent from office and revealed problems with voting machines.

The recount, sought by selectman candidate Robert Finnegan, will begin at 2 p.m. in lower Town Hall. Finnegan petitioned for the recount of the Board of Selectman votes in the May 23 election, in which he lost by two votes to James Dwyer. The final tally was 780-778.

The recount will include Finnegan, Dwyer and Scott Cohen. The latter candidate initially sought the office, then stepped out of the race citing work commitments. He garnered 52 votes.

Last year, Finnegan, an incumbent selectman seeking his second term, finished three votes ahead of newcomer Donald Sawyer. A recount, however, revealed Sawyer actually finished five votes over Finnegan. The case landed in court and the town ended up replacing its Accu-Vote machines to avoid repeating the error. Sawyer won the seat.

Link: http://www.milforddailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=72603

[MelissaB]

8. FL: Council wise to reject Diebold bid, look for options

Council wise to reject Diebold bid, look for options

Last update: June 10, 2005

Florida's constitution provides for voters to elect supervisors of elections but gives them no taxing authority. That requires supervisors to go before county councils to seek operating funds and money for large purchases such as voting machines. It's messy but supports the essential principle of checks and balances.

Without that setup, the proposed purchase of touch-screen voting machines for the disabled would never have gotten the public airing it deserved. After full and fair hearings, the Volusia County Council voted 4-3 on Monday to reject a contract for nearly $800,000 to buy the voting machines from Diebold Election Systems. That put the council at odds with Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall, who recommended the purchase. At first, she threatened to sue the council but now says that's unlikely. But she contends that the council is trying to run her department.

The council majority, however, was within its rights not to authorize what it considered a questionable contract. McFall as elections supervisor should be as conscientious.

On several levels, the Diebold deal raised questions. The most critical is that the Diebold machines offered no foolproof mechanism for "voters to verify their votes on the ballot before the ballot is cast" -- as required by the 2002 federal voting rights act. Diebold does not offer paper verification, which is the only way now possible to ensure ballots are accurately cast. There have been too many instances nationwide over the past year in which touch-screen machines, including those manufactured by Diebold, have malfunctioned or misrecorded votes. Voters deserve a paper assurance of accuracy.

More: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/03OpOPN91061005.htm

[MelissaB]

9. Editorial: Maybe it's time for some changes to election system

Maybe it's time for some changes to election system

By the H&R Editorial Staff

Americans like traditions, so it will be difficult to change Election Day.

Even if most of us don't pay any attention to it.

A group of election administrators from a variety of states have proposed virtually eliminating Election Day as we know it and instead focusing on a voting system that more accurately reflects the way Americans live.

The task force of election officials - set up by the Houston-based Election Center - focused more on voters and election workers and less on the machinery of elections.

The key to the group's proposal is to move away from voting in neighborhood precincts on one day when most people are at work and children are in school. Instead, voting would be done over a series of days or weeks at centrally located "election centers." These centers would be in easily accessible areas - hotel ballrooms, state fairgrounds, shopping centers, etc. The centers would be manned by election professionals, reducing the country's reliance on volunteer election judges.


More: http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2005/06/10/news/editorials/1008385.txt

[MelissaB]

10. Grassroots Activists Lobby Against E-Voting (VoteTrustUSA)

Grassroots Activists Lobby Against E-Voting

Some support a House bill that would require a paper record of very vote cast in state and federal elections.


By TechWeb News
June 9, 2005
URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=164302016

More than 200 activist from grassroots organizations in 25 states converged on Washington, D.C., on Thursday to lobby for a House bill that would require a paper record of very vote cast in state and federal elections.

The VoteTrustUSA, a national organization representing local and state election reform groups, organized the lobbying effort for the bill introduced by Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J.

The grassroots effort is against electronic touch-screen voting machines that leave no paper trail. Opponents say the technology is vulnerable to hackers who could compromise the election process. Proponents, however, say that security is tight, and electronic voting is more efficient and produces faster results than paper ballots.

The activists, who are in Washington for two days, are asking Congress to require a voter-verified, manually auditable paper record of every vote in state and federal elections, officials with VoteTrustUSA said.

Link: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=164302016

[MelissaB]

12. CA: State likely to overlook Diebold flaws

State likely to overlook Diebold flaws
Officials expected to OK voting system despite problems on tests

By Ian Hoffman, STAFF WRITER

In less than a week, state officials are poised to approve a new Diebold electronic-voting system that several large counties, including Alameda, want to use.

But the system showed problems in security, protection of voter privacy and printing of a paper trail during testing this spring.

State elections authorities have obscured the full nature of those problems by blacking out parts of test reports that have been released under the state Public Records Act and declaring other documents too full of Diebold "trade secrets" for public release.

During tests in late April and early May, a chief feature of Diebold's new computerized voting machine — the ability to print out voters' electronic choices so they could be verified and, if needed, recounted — performed so poorly that the state's testing consultant concluded "this version is not ready for use in an election."


More: http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2794436

[MelissaB]

13. Bush stops in Ohio, sidesteps coin case

(Note: Please to to the link to look at the signs. They aren't Jpegs and I can't post them here. :( )

Article published Friday, June 10, 2005

Bush stops in Ohio, sidesteps coin case

By CHRISTOPHER D. KIRKPATRICK
BLADE STAFF WRITER


COLUMBUS - President Bush yesterday traveled to Ohio to talk about terrorism, but he arrived in the midst of the biggest statewide scandal in years and to a crowd of angry "Coingate" protesters.


Mr. Bush's motorcade sped by as dozens of protesters held signs proclaiming their frustration over the unfolding scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Some examples of the signs:

"Mr. President, Give back all of my money," "What ethics?" "$50 million for how many favors?'' and "Noe raised over $100,000 and you're only returning $4,000? Sounds like fuzzy math to me."

Gregory Donelson, a 48-year-old Columbus resident, wore two large plastic dimes around his neck - a reference to the $10 million to $12 million that is missing from a state-financed rare-coin fund created by Toledo-area coin dealer and Republican fund-raiser Tom Noe.


...snip

As is typical during Ohio stops, Mr. Bush did not take any questions from reporters. The White House recently said Mr. Bush would not do an interview with The Blade.

More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050610/NEWS24/506100354

[Wilms]

20. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376750

[MelissaB]

14. Judge Allows Cleveland Bank to Seize Noe's Accounts

Judge Allows Cleveland Bank to Seize Noe's Accounts

Jun 10, 2005, 6:22 AM

CLEVELAND (AP) -- A bank that lent $400,000 to the man at the center of investigations into the state's $55 million investment in rare coins can look at recovering money from his accounts, a judge has ruled. Cleveland-based National City Bank claims coin dealer and prominent Republican fundraiser and contributor Tom Noe owes about $203,423 from a business loan he took out in 1997.

Court documents don't state the purpose of the loan to Thomas Noe Inc. The bank sued last month in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, and a judge this week said the bank could take steps to get its money back by seizing it from Noe's accounts.

Jessica Hamner, Noe's lawyer in the National City case, declined comment through a secretary.

Access to Noe's money could be complicated by a Franklin County judge's order last month freezing his assets. That order came in response to Attorney General Jim Petro's lawsuit seeking to return control of the coin investments to the Bureau of Workers' Compensation, which had hired Noe to manage them.

State and federal authorities are investigating Noe, who headed the Bush-Cheney campaign in northwest Ohio, for possible campaign finance violations and other allegations.

Link: http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=3457207&ClientType=Printable

[MelissaB]

15. Democrats pile on GOP with statewide attacks

Article published Friday, June 10, 2005

Democrats pile on GOP with statewide attacks

Party hoping to turn fallout to its advantage

By GARY T. PAKULSKI
BLADE STAFF WRITER


CLEVELAND - Sensing an opportunity to overturn 16 years of Republican dominance of Ohio government and deliver the state to the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008, Democrats yesterday launched coordinated attacks across Ohio.


From a stiflingly hot meeting room in the downtown City Club of Cleveland to the lobby of Government Center in Toledo, party leaders and Democratic elected officials joined to try to tar the leading lights of the state Republican party with the ooze of the unfolding scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Democrats insisted the events, held before a multitude of reporters and news cameras, were prompted entirely by a desire to safeguard the bureau's $14 billion investment portfolio and uncover wrongdoers.



...snip

"Follow the money," said Senator Teresa Fedor, in Toledo, also borrowing Watergate lexicon.

More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050610/NEWS24/506100330

[Wilms]

16. (NJ) NO SEQUOIA In Essex County for Now

DU FogerRox reports

The Essex County Freeholders Voted 5 to 3 to not authorize the bond to purchase voting machines. One Freeholder was not in attendance. Alfie Charles and his 3 other Sequoia cohorts immediately left the chambers.

At one point one of the Freeholders was holding a copy of S29, NewJerseys proposed State Senate VVPR law, As the Freeholder asked SOE Carmine Cascaino that since S29 had been fast-tracked in the Senate and is likely to pass by June 30th does it make sense to buy a machine that has a printer available for it. Carmine said that since there was no standards that he couldnt buy a printer. The Freeholder said "I am holding the standards!".

-snip/more-

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376752

[Wilms]

25. (NJ) It's a no go on new voting machines

It's a no go on new voting machines

County declines to make $7.5M purchase for update

Friday, June 10, 2005

BY JONATHAN CASIANO

Star-Ledger Staff

The Essex County freeholders voted against allocating $7.5 million for the purchase of new electronic voting machines last night, bucking state and federal laws requiring all voting machines to be updated by January 2006.

The vote came after more than four hours of passionate, and at times raucous, testimony from voters' rights advocates, election officials, computer experts and representatives from Sequoia Voting Systems, a California-based company that had negotiated to sell Essex County 700 machines.

-snip-

Confronted with such fervent opposition, five of the nine freeholders said they could not go ahead with issuing bonds for the purchase.

-snip-

As cheers rang out through the Hall of Records in Newark, South Orange activist Roger Fox said the vote at the very least buys him and other advocates some time.

"Hopefully, this will give us an opportunity to work with the attorney general to get some other equipment certified and give and the freeholders a real choice," Fox said.

http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-0/1118381728145950.xml

Discussion posted by Foger Rox:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376849

[Wilms]

17. EFF - Release the Hounds: How does one become a voting lobbyist?

Release the Hounds

June 09, 2005

Posted by Matt Zimmerman at 09:25 AM

How does one become a voting lobbyist? Enthusiastic activists from 26 states are just now finishing up three hours of training from event coordinators that included a briefing on HR 550 and similar Senate legislation, a run-down on how to conduct a successful and effective meeting with Congressional staff, media training, and more. All volunteers received a master schedule of who they have been assigned to meet with and when meetings with Congressional staff will occur. Meetings with over 80 members of Congress, designed to push for passage of the nation's best paper trail bill, now begin.

Bill proponents aren't going into the meetings empty handed. Extensive background materials (prepared by EFF, VerifiedVoting.org, Voters Unite, and others) discussing the bill, the problem with the current generation of paperless voting systems, who supports voter-verified paper records, and other topics are being distributed to members of Congress as I write this.

-snip/more-

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/003644.php

Discussion here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=376636#376812

[Wilms]

18. EFF to Provide Live Reports on Lobbying Blitz for E-voting Reform Bill

June 08, 2005

Transparent Lobbying for E-voting Reform This Week

EFF to Provide Live Reports on Lobbying Blitz for E-voting Reform Bill

San Francisco, CA - Tomorrow and Friday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) will provide a series of weblog reports on a two-day lobbying effort by a coalition of activist groups fighting for transparent, auditable electronic voting.

The lobbying "blitz" is aimed at supporting H.R. 550, the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act. This law would require electronic voting systems used in federal elections to generate a paper trail that could be verified by voters prior to their votes being cast. The coalition includes Common Cause, VerifiedVoting.org, VoteTrustUSA, VotersUnite.org, Rock the Vote, Working Assets, and other election-reform advocates.

More than 200 citizen activists from 25 states have signed up for the blitz, and have already set up at least 80 meetings with their representatives. The coalition will hold a lobbying training session for activists before they fan out across the Hill to lobby the House and Senate for the legislation, which is sponsored by Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.). On Friday, the coalition will hold a press conference with Rep. Holt, after which activists and lobbyists will be available for interviews, blogging, and podcasts, to talk about the importance of voter-verified paper trails.

-snip-

Weblog Reports:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks

Discussion
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376616

[Wilms]

19. EAH: Election Assessment Hearing PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT

June 9, 2005

Contacts:
Kip Humphrey, [e-mail]
Seth Johnson, [e-mail]

For Immediate Release

Attn: Political assignments desk

PRESS RELEASE:

ELECTION ASSESSMENT HEARING ~ JUNE 29TH, HOUSTON, TEXAS
An Evidentiary Hearing of Electoral Process Failures

WHO: A coalition of election stakeholder organizations composed of technical and professional experts, computer engineers and experts, statisticians, researchers, attorneys and journalists who have been investigating and analyzing problems with election processes in the November 2004 elections will gather from around the country for a citizen-initiated Election Assessment Hearing to deliver preliminary testimony of their findings to an independent panel.

WHAT: The goal of this non-partisan event is to bring to light critical election data not previously publicized, but necessary to repair and safeguard our democratic election processes. The Hearing will address critical issues not being covered by the Baker-Carter Commission on Federal Electoral Reform, which will hold its second and final hearing in Houston the following day. Intended as an initial survey offering a more accurate and complete picture of issues observed in our electoral processes, the Election Assessment Hearing seeks to understand the breadth and diversity of concerns, to identify the current quality of election processes, to review and analyze the evidence and to facilitate the sustainable improvement of electoral processes by election administrators, policymakers, advisors, voters and other participants in the production of vote counts.

An initial compilation of prepared statements with supporting documents will be released and distributed the day of the hearing, and will be delivered to the Baker-Carter Commission the next day. In following weeks, a group of information experts, spearheaded by information quality improvement specialist Larry P. English, will survey the testimony and supporting documents, both presented and submitted to the hearing panel, and provide an objective quality assessment that will be distributed to State election officials around the country. Organizers are soliciting submissions from any and all expert sources with information relevant to problems in the election and election systems.

WHY: No comprehensive survey and assessment of 2004 election process failings has yet been presented in a public forum. The Election Assessment Hearing will be the first opportunity for the public to hear preliminary findings in this area. Currently, every State is grappling with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) without the benefit of this vital information, and facing important decisions that may fundamentally affect our election processes. The results of the Election Assessment Hearing, combined with submissions from around the country, will be made available to state election officials to aid them in making more effective and informed decisions.

WHERE: Houston, Texas (location to be announced at a later date)

WHEN: Wednesday, June 29th, 2005, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

SUBMISSIONS: Contact Kip Humphrey at [e-mail]@houston.rr.com

PRESENTERS: To be announced

PANELISTS: To be announced

Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376662

[Wilms]

22. 'Democratic' Election Officials' Feet Held to Fire in Hocking County, OH

UPDATE: 'Democratic' Election Officials' Feet Held to Fire in Hocking County, OH

Whistleblower Sherole Eaton Appears at Hearing to Challenge Her Firing

American Hero Shows up to Fight, Just Days After Undergoing Brain Surgery

Blogged by Brad on 6/9/2005 @ 10:28pm PT...

This evening, the Democratic Central Committee met to call those two Hocking County "Democrats", Susie Hughes and Gerald Robinette, on the carpet in a public hearing concerning the Eaton firing.

-snip/more-

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001450.htm

Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x376621#top

[Wilms]

23. NYTimes Editorial: An Important Election Safeguard

June 10, 2005
NY Times
An Important Election Safeguard

There are many problems with American elections, but none more serious than the rise of paperless electronic voting, whose results cannot be trusted. Grass-roots reformers are in the middle of a two-day lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill in support of a House bill that would require that electronic voting machines in federal elections produce voter-verifiable paper records. It is an important measure that should be passed without delay.

Electronic voting has been rolled out nationwide without necessary safeguards. The machines' computers can be programmed to steal votes from one candidate and give them to another. There are also many ways hackers can break in to tamper with the count. Polls show that many Americans do not trust electronic voting in its current form; such doubts are a serious problem in a democracy.

The solution is to require that each machine produce a paper record that can be inspected and verified by the voter. The paper records are then stored, and can be counted after the polls close. If the results on the machine do not match the tally of the paper records, it will be clear that there is a problem.

-snip-

The House resolution, sponsored by Rush Holt, a New Jersey Democrat, would require not only paper trails, but also random audits of the machines' vote counts, and it would ban the use of undisclosed software. The bill, H.R. 550, has 135 co-sponsors, but it needs more support, especially from Republicans.

-snip/more-

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/opinion/10fri3.html?pagewanted=print

Thanks to lady lib for posting the Editorials and Other Articles discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x130888

[FogerRox]

24. Star Ledger in NJ reports on vote on E-voting

It's a no go on new voting machines
County declines to make $7.5M purchase for update
Friday, June 10, 2005
BY JONATHAN CASIANO
Star-Ledger Staff

The Essex County freeholders voted against allocating $7.5 million for the purchase of new electronic voting machines last night, bucking state and federal laws requiring all voting machines to be updated by January 2006.

The vote came after more than four hours of passionate, and at times raucous, testimony from voters' rights advocates, election officials, computer experts and representatives from Sequoia Voting Systems, a California-based company that had negotiated to sell Essex County 700 machines.


As cheers rang out through the Hall of Records in Newark, South Orange activist Roger Fox said the vote at the very least buys him and other advocates some time.

"Hopefully, this will give us an opportunity to work with the attorney general to get some other equipment certified and give and the freeholders a real choice," Fox said.



http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-0/1118...

thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[MelissaB]

26. kick

[Wilms]

27. .

[Wilms]

28. .