Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Saturday 7/23/05

[MelissaB]

All members welcome and 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.



If you want to know how post "News Banners" or other images, go here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=371233#371391

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

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x384985

All previous daily threads are available here:

http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_2004erd_el_ref_fr_thr_calenders.htm

[MelissaB]

1. FL: Judge: No Voting Machines for Blind

Published Saturday, July 23, 2005
ORLANDO

Judge: No Voting Machines for Blind

A federal judge denied a request by blind voters for touchscreen voting machines in Volusia County that would have allowed them to cast their votes in secret.

U.S. District Judge John Antoon II issued a six-page ruling Thursday that said previous court cases and existing federal law do not require equipment for visually disabled people to vote independently.

The National Federation of the Blind sued the county's election supervisor earlier this month after a majority of County Council members voted against a grant-funded contract to spend $776,935 for 210 touchscreen machines and related equipment from Diebold Election Systems.

Link: http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050723/NEWS/507230423/1004

[MelissaB]

2. Disabled advocates fight vote ruling

Disabled advocates fight vote ruling
Judge erred in refusing to order Volusia to buy accessible touch-screens, lawyers say

By Kevin P. Connolly | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted July 23, 2005


DELAND -- A federal judge misread a state law and incorrectly applied previous court rulings when he refused to order disability-accessible touch-screen voting in Volusia County this fall, attorneys for the National Federation of the Blind and others said Friday.

Attorneys for the NFB, its state affiliate and five blind voters from Volusia filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta seeking to overturn U.S. District Judge John Antoon II's decision on Thursday.

In their 13-page motion, attorneys for the NFB and other plaintiffs asked the appellate court to force Volusia officials to purchase the paperless touch-screens by Monday.

...snip

County leaders have said they support accessible voting but oppose the machines, which allow visually disabled people to vote independently with "audio ballots" and headphones, because they don't use paper ballots.

Paper ballots, such as the ones now used in Volusia's optical-scan voting system, are essential for double-checking results of close elections or recounts, most County Council members say.

More: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-locvvote23072305jul23,0,7886028.story?coll=orl-news-headlines

[MelissaB]

3. Colo. face on elections panel

Colo. face on elections panel

We congratulate Colorado Secretary of State Donetta Davidson on her appointment to the federal Election Assistance Commission.

While her tenure here was not without flaws and controversy, Davidson, a Republican, revamped the office after the death of Secretary Vikki Buckley and brought much of its technology into the 21st century.

She knows plenty, too much perhaps, about election pitfalls, stumbling in 2004 with a unilateral rule change that prevented voters who showed up at the wrong precinct from casting ballots on any race except president, and waiting until nearly half of Colorado's 16,000 election judges were trained before issuing a uniform rule manual.

Davidson learned some hard lessons in an intensely partisan atmosphere, and then worked with Democrats this spring on legislation that corrects the mistake involving wrong-precinct voters and smartly requires counties to back up electronic voting machines with verifiable paper trails.

Link: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_2883471

[MelissaB]

4. MS: Hernando: Local officials voice strong support for current voting mach

Hernando: Local officials voice strong support for current voting machines

Posted by: will on Saturday, July 23, 2005 - 01:02 AM

HERNANDO — Officials in DeSoto County are anxious to meet with Secretary of State Eric Clark to voice their strong opposition to a plan that calls for adopting touch screen voting machines in Mississippi.


A meeting had been set up for Friday but had to be canceled when a number of county officials said they were unavailable.
The U.S. Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) following the voting fiasco that occurred in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. Much of Florida’s problems resulted from punch card voting machines. DeSoto County was using the same machines then.
County officials, including Circuit Court Clerk Dale Kelly Thompson and the Election Commission, realized that the punch card system was doomed and began a search for a new machine. After a lengthy evaluation they agreed to purchase an optical scan system that reads a paper ballot that is marked by pencil.
The county purchased the Election Systems & Software Model 100 machine for each of its 35 precincts for $270,000.
Kelly, the election commissioners and the board of supervisors were told at the time they were considering the machine that it would meet federal requirements and would be eligible for federal funds through HAVA to offset the cost.
Earlier this month Clark awarded a state contract to Diebold Corp. to purchase 5,174 touch-screen machines for Mississippi’s 82 counties.
DeSoto County would receive 173 machines, a number which election officials say would be woefully inadequate and would cause long lines at the polls.
County Election Commission Chairman Paul Beale said the commission drafted a letter this month that was sent to Legislators, Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck and the board of Supervisors listing a number of questions about the Diebold system.
Beale said the Diebold system does not have a paper back up, will require double the maintenance as will the ES&S machines, and is much slower to use. He said the county will need at least 100 additional machines than the 173 allotted to avoid long lines .


More: http://www.godesoto.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=7817&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

[MelissaB]

5. Momentum for paper trail in elections gets a welcome boost in N.C. legisla

Momentum for paper trail in elections gets a welcome boost in N.C. legislature

...snip


On Thursday a Senate committee laid out new voting machine standards to help remedy the problem. Among the steps: sample hand counts, and a paper record that can be reviewed by voters to correct errors.

Another key component is that companies that make voting machines will have to make the codes used in the machines available for review by state officials and political parties. That should help resolve some worries about electronic voting, which is for lack of a better term, hope. You have to hope there aren't bugs in the system, intentionally or accidentally. That 4,000 votes can vanish shows we're a ways off from that utopia.

The measure would allow hand-counted paper ballots, electronic machines and optical scan ballots only. It will head to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

It should be expedited. Voting is the most important thing we do in a democracy, and we have to know that the system works. The lingering hangover from 2004 has shaken the faith of many voters. That faith has to be restored.

More:
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050723/OPINION01/507230306/1039

[MelissaB]

6. MO: State OKs company with touch-screen voting

State OKs company with touch-screen voting

Published Friday, July 22, 2005
JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - The secretary of state’s office said yesterday that it has approved the first company to offer touch-screen voting machines in Missouri.

The company, AccuPoll Inc., was the first to be fully qualified by the state, though a couple of others are awaiting a final step to also be qualified.

Polling places are required by federal law to have at least one voting machine for use by those with disabilities by Jan. 1, and the AccuPoll touch-screen machines will meet that requirement, the secretary of state’s office said.

The machines also will create paper printouts so voters can immediately check to ensure that their votes were recorded correctly, another requirement to be approved for use in the state.

More: http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/Jul/20050722News012.asp

[MelissaB]

7. LA: New secretary of state describes himself as a 'redneck farmer'

New secretary of state describes himself as a 'redneck farmer'

By MARSHA SHULER
[e-mail]
Capitol news bureau

Al Ater calls himself "a redneck farmer."

But now he's also called state government's third-highest-ranking official.

The former state legislator from Ferriday, who loves farming and talking politics, is Louisiana's new secretary of state.

...snip

First and foremost on Ater's plate is upgrading of the state's voting machines to meet new federal standards. He has requested proposals from private companies to purchase nearly $50 million in new voting machines that must be ready for use by next fall's federal elections.

more: http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/072205/pol_ater001.shtml

[MelissaB]

8. VotersUnite: A New EAC Advisory And What It Means

VotersUnite: A New EAC Advisory And What It Means

Friday, 22 July 2005, 3:17 pm
Press Release: www.votersunite.org

The New EAC Advisory And What It Means

By John Gideon, www.VotersUnite.Org and www.VoteTrustUSA.Org
EAC Advisory 2005-004: How to determine if a voting system is compliant with Section 301(a) – a gap analysis between 2002 Voting System Standards and the requirements of Section 301(a)
http://www.eac.gov/docs/EAC%20Advisory%2005-004%20(%204%20page%20fit%20).pdfDuring recent public forums, the Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) has been hearing from state officials, and others, that there is confusion over the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) Section 301(a). Section 301(a) sets forth the requirements that must be met by voting systems. Due to those concerns the EAC has published an advisory that explains more fully the requirements of Section 301(a).

The following is a discussion of that advisory. It must be noted that the author is not an attorney and any discussion of the legal aspects of the advisory are only the author’s opinion. For the reader’s convenience the author has incorporated into this document the contents from many of the references included in the advisory.
It is clear from this advisory that the 2002 Voluntary Voting Systems Standards are the only standards recognized by the EAC. Nowhere are the 1990 standards even mentioned. Yet almost all presently NASED qualified voting systems, including most of those qualified in the past two years, are only qualified to the 1990 standards.

The basis for the information contained in the EAC advisory is the following (re-formatted for easier reading):



More: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0507/S00382.htm

[MelissaB]

9. Is Your Vote Your Vote? A perspective on optical scan voting machines

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/atf/cf/{1B6B0B5F-87AA-4272-BDBC-D99ABED5D7E0}/logo.gif

Is Your Vote Your Vote?
A perspective on optical scan voting machinesk

By BRUCE SIMS
Voice Guest Columnist
Friday, July 22, 2005

On June 1, 2005, I received a consumer alert from www.Blackboxvoting.org. It indicated that when the Diebold optical scan voting machines in Leon County, Fla., were tested, they were "hacked" (altered) in three different ways. The complete report is at http://www.blackboxvoting.org/BBVreport.pdf.

I had been aware of the hacking problem, as well as other problems, with the touch-screen voting systems from Diebold and that the state of California had decertified such machines. San Diego County has spent about $31 million on such touch-screen systems, which still have yet to be certified. The contract specified a printer be associated with the touch-screen systems and that hasn't occurred either.

My opinion is that all of these machines should be subject to a product return because the system design could lead to vote manipulation, which means that votes would not be counted accurately. But I had thought that the optical scan voting machines were secure. What really disturbed me in reading the report was that the machines could be hacked by one person and that such vulnerabilities had not been caught by those entrusted with certifying such machines. So I decided to investigate what occurs with getting a voting machine certified.

When Congress passed the Help America Vote Act, it didn't provide funds for testing the electronic voting machines. Instead, there are three private companies -- whose main business is with the defense industry -- that are paid by the vendors of this equipment to test them. Those companies will not divulge what steps or procedures are used for the testing, and they indicate that all inquires are to be directed to the Election Assistance Commission via the National Association of State Election Directors.


More: http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=euLTJbMUKvH&b=312470&ct=1210721

[MelissaB]

10. Coin Dealer, Wife Questioned About Gifts To Taft, Staffers

Coin Dealer, Wife Questioned About Gifts To Taft, Staffers

Embattled Republican donor Tom Noe and his wife have been answering investigators' questions about gifts to Governor Bob Taft and his former staffers.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that the Noes were interviewed separately Friday for about three hours by members of a task force investigating whether state officials failed to properly report gifts.

Prosecutors are hurrying to build an ethics case against Taft's former chief of staff before the statute of limitations runs out at the end of the month.

Brian K Hicks is being investigated for failing to disclose his use of the Noes'Florida home for vacations.

More: http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=3631096&nav=LQlCcUJt

[MelissaB]

11. Editorial: Connecting the political dots (Coingate)

Connecting the political dots

MORE evidence of the arrogance endemic to one-party rule in Columbus: Republican Chief Justice Tom Moyer, of the Ohio Supreme Court, has disqualified the entire roster of Cuyahoga County judges from presiding over a "pay to profit" lawsuit against top GOP officials.


The chief justice's justification for taking the unusual action was that the Cleveland judges might be perceived as being biased since the plaintiff in the case is Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan, who has authority over the judges' budgets.

More likely, Mr. Moyer wanted to give the public the chance to connect the political dots: Since Mr. Hagan is a Democrat, and 31 of the 34 common pleas court judges are Democrats, the fix would be in.

But the action also delivered a sharp slap in the face to the entire Ohio judiciary, whose judges work hard - and mostly successfully - to ensure that their work on the bench is fair and impartial, regardless of the politics of the plaintiffs or defendants who appear before them.


More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050723/OPINION02/507230316/-1/OPINION

[MelissaB]

12. Noe transferred $3.18M to own firm, review finds

OHIO INVESTMENT SCANDAL
Noe transferred $3.18M to own firm, review finds
Checks being examined as part of coin probe

By STEVE EDERand JOSHUA BOAK
BLADE STAFF WRITERS


COLUMBUS — A seemingly endless stream of cash flowed into Tom Noe’s personal business, Vintage Coins and Collectibles, from Ohio’s $50 million rare-coin ventures that the former Toledo-area coin dealer managed, documents show.

During the last 18 months of the failed venture, Mr. Noe authorized at least $3.18 million in checks to Vintage Coins from the coin funds, a Blade review of 15,000 pages of transaction records show.

A spokesman for Attorney General Jim Petro’s office confirmed yesterday that the checks are being examined as part of the investigation into the coin funds.

On Thursday, Mr. Petro charged that Mr. Noe stole nearly $4 million from Ohio beginning on the same day the Toledo-area coin dealer received his first installment of $25 million from the state in 1998.


More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050723/NEWS24/50723002/-1/NEWS

[MelissaB]

13. Coingate? Hold your nose (Editorial)

Coingate? Hold your nose

GOV. Bob Taft has had a tough time lately on the editorial pages of Ohio's major newspapers, including, certainly, our own. But surely he had to be especially dismayed by the rather harsh tone of an editorial the other day in the Cincinnati Enquirer.


The Enquirer editorial was significant for two reasons: It took a tough stance against the whole Coingate scandal, and it made clear that the governor's circle-the-wagons attitude and official secrecy didn't impress his hometown paper.

Just one day later, in fact, the governor decided to release the weekly reports from the Bureau of Workers' Compensation that he had been trying to protect on the grounds of "executive privilege."

At one point in its editorial, the Enquirer called the BWC scandal a "debacle of statewide proportions," and said the whole affair "just plain stinks."

More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050723/OPINION02/507230336

[MelissaB]

14. Petro: Noe stole millions Coin deals described as 'Ponzi' scheme

Petro: Noe stole millions
Coin deals described as 'Ponzi' scheme

By JAMES DREW
and STEVE EDER
BLADE STAFF WRITERS


COLUMBUS — Tom Noe stole millions of dollars from the state and used a “Ponzi” scheme to fabricate profits within the state’s $50 million rare-coin investment, Ohio’s attorney general said yesterday.

“There was an absolute theft of funds going on,” Attorney General Jim Petro said.

Mr. Petro said there is evidence that Mr. Noe pocketed nearly $4 million in money invested with the coin fund through the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation since 1998.

Mr. Petro asked a judge to further restrict the former Toledo-area coin dealer from selling personal assets because he believes they may have been purchased with state money.


More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050722/NEWS24/50722003/0/NEWS33

[MelissaB]

15. In memory of Andy: Remember 18181

DANNY SCHEEL (Texas): 18,181 votes (Comol County)
CARTER CASTEEL (Texas): 18,181 votes (Comol Country)
JEFF WENTWORTH (Texas): 18,181 votes (Comol County)
CANDICE MILLER (Michigan): 18,181 Votes (Lapeer County)
MICHAEL SMIGIEL (Maryland): 18,181 Votes (St. Anne's)
In addition, all five won and all five were Republicans. Even odder 3 of the 5 came from not just the same state but the same county!

Link: http://www.okka.biz/Whats_so_special_about_18_181-1525330-284-a.html

and: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%2218%2C181+votes%22&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t&fl=0&x=wrt

[MelissaB]

16. kick...