lection Reform, Fraud, & Related News MONDAY, 10/24/05

[autorank]

I am dedicated to free and fair elections and the elimination of election fraud.
I want easy access to registration and voting for myself and others.
I want to cast my vote for Tim Kaine, D, VA (Governor) knowing that it
will count and that all others who do so will know the same. Autorank

Never forget the pursuit of Truth.

Only the deluded & complicit accept election results on blind faith.

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News MONDAY, 10/24/05

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

If you can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:

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



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

Please

"Recommend"

for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

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1. NM: Voter Action Moves to Heavy Duty Depositions in Suit

VoterAction is one of the best election integrity organizations out there. They have litigation ongoing in NM to ensure that voters get their votes counted accurately in 2006 and beyond. This isn’t a recount suit, it’s a voting rights and voter protection effort. Could be quite a precedent when they win…maybe other states will have to get their act together. Imagine that.


Las Vegas, NM, site of the Voter Action suit to ensure
the right of all citizens to free and fair elections.
http://voteraction.org/

Breaking News - Lopategui v. Vigil-Giron Lawsuit Update

Our initial discovery process is revealing startling evidence of serious voting machine problems, top-to-bottom incompetence in the administration of elections, cover-up by election officials of major errors they know have gone uncorrected, and the ceding by election officials of oversight and control over our elections to unaccountable private companies.

Examples of this evidence, gleaned from two weeks of depositions, include:

- A voting machine vendor has admitted under oath that the design of machines used by many New Mexico counties probably causes the unintended erasure of presidential votes, contrary to the voter’s intent.

- The owner of the private New Mexico company that has been paid commissions by Sequoia Voting Systems on sales of their AVC Edge touch screen voting system to New Mexico counties testified that the system lost votes in a Bernalillo County election and that he is suspicious of Sequoia’s claims that all of the lost data was successfully “recreated.”

- The state and county post-election canvass processes are incapable of detecting most types of voting machine error or fraud.

- Contracting out key parts of the canvass process to unaccountable private contractors and subcontractors has increased vote-counting errors and heightened security risks.

A closer look at the “independent audit” of the 2004 general election touted by the Secretary of State reveals that:

- It consistently under-reports as single “errors” common mistakes and irregularities even when the “error” results in the miscounting of hundreds of votes.

- The audit examines only a small percentage of precincts, leaving undetected -- and uncorrected -- similar widespread and large-scale errors in between 80% and 90% of precincts statewide.

Our next step will be a thorough examination of several types of voting machines and central tabulators used in the 2004 election by our academic computer security and voting machine experts. Later we will need to take more key depositions, but the machines are our primary focus now.

Thanks for your continued support. Should you have any questions, always feel free to contact us. [e-mail] - 505 823 6362

Sincerely,

Holly Jacobson, Lowell Finley

& the entire Voter Action Team

Voter Action is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing financial, legal, research and logistical support for grassroots efforts with the goal of ensuring the integrity of elections in the United States.

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2. Australia: Vote or Else!

Ready, set, vote…or you go to jail. Still want to move to Australia.



Ballot boxing match
http://www.theage.com.au/news/education-news/ballot-boxing-match/2005/10/21/1129775959347.html

October 24, 2005

“Australia's compulsory voting system is again the subject of debate,” writes Vikki Leone.

1. What's the situation in Australia?

Compulsory voting means all eligible Australians are legally obliged to cast a vote at election time or risk being fined. Australia was the first English-speaking country to have compulsory voting. It was introduced in Queensland in 1915 and at federal elections in 1924.

Australia is among 20 nations with some form of compulsory voting. Prime Minister John Howard says proposed changes to the Electoral Act will not include the system of voting, but some MPs think it is time for a change. Liberal backbencher Tony Smith, Finance Minister Nick Minchin and Special Minister of State Eric Abetz have reopened the debate.

2. Should Australians be legally compelled to vote?

Senators Abetz and Minchin are among the strongest proponents of scrapping compulsory voting. They argue that in a democracy citizens should be permitted not to vote and that our system of compulsory voting impinges upon civil liberties. If people are apathetic or undecided about who to vote for, why should they be forced?

If participation at elections was optional, people who were uninterested in politics would not be coerced into voting, which might reduce the number of "donkey" and informal votes.

Senator Minchin suggests voluntary voting does not necessarily mean low voter participation, offering evidence from a recent New Zealand election where an 80 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

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3. CT: Just say “No” to HAVA

There are more and more articles in the press regarding municipalities and other jurisdictions who are flat out saying, “Machines, what machines, we don’t need your stinking machines.” Well God bless them and may they have a very blessed day. Say no to the stupidity of HAVA.


MULLANE: NEW VOTING DEVICES NOT NECESSARY
http://www.thewesterlysun.com/articles/2005/10/23/news/news2.txt

By Ryan Blessing - The Sun Staff 10/24/05

N. STONINGTON - The town's first selectman has joined Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in criticizing a federal decision that could force Connecticut to replace up to 3,300 lever-style voting machines before the 2006 election.

The town has five lever machines that are stored in new Town Hall where the Board of Selectmen holds its weekly meetings.

"They work and have never failed us," First Selectman Nicholas H. Mullane II said, pointing to the large, metal, aqua-colored machines. "Now, we're going to be given one new one, and have to buy four more at $7,000 to $10,000 each."

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission announced last month that the mechanical voting machines don't comply with federal law.

The commission, which advises states on complying with the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) found several problems with the lever voting machines.

They do not produce printed records as required by the act, the commission said. Such paper records are necessary for recounts.

Also, the lever machines can only provide ballots in a limited number of languages and don't allow private voting for many people with disabilities, according to the commission.

Blumenthal argues that the machines do comply, and should not be replaced before next year's election. He has written to the U.S. Department of Justice concerning the state's position and argues that the commission misinterpreted requirements under the federal act.

"The EAC did not analyze Connecticut's present voting systems or the relevant provisions of Connecticut's election laws," he wrote. "Were the EAC to do so, it could not reasonably conclude that Connecticut's lever voting technology does not meet HAVA standards and must be replaced."

<snip>

Blumenthal also argues that it would be "manifestly unfair" to require the replacement of nearly all of the state's voting equipment before Jan. 1.

Mullane said that North Stonington has no need for the new machines.

"It's a waste of money," he said.

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4. NM: More Rush to HAVA News

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/34072.html#

In brief, 10/23/2005


By THE NEW MEXICAN
October 23, 2005

Deadline on voting machines nears

New Mexico is not alone in its struggle to find reliable voting machines that meet state standards and are accessible to disabled and non-English-speaking populations.

The state hasn't settled on a machine, and it is nearing a federal deadline to do so.

A 2002 federal law requires all states to purchase a certain number of machines for use by disabled voters.

New Mexico was allotted $9 million for the purchase.

The machines must be in place by Jan. 1 or the state risks a lawsuit by the U.S. Attorney General's Office that would force the purchase, officials said.

"We're running out of time," said Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera. "They are not going to come in one month. They will take three months."

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5. FL: CM (corporate media) Review of "How the Right Stole, etc..."

This Dodson guy needs to see “Good night and good luck” about Edward R. Murrow. Miller seems partisan, which is the only real criticism, because he’s opposed to people who he knows stole the election. Still, not too bad a review for CM (corporate media)

When the votes don't add up
Making a case for how the religious right hijacked the '04 election.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/booksmags/sfl-bktimmilleroct23,0,1064045.story?coll=sfla-features-books

NONFICTION (Review of Miller Book)
By Timothy Dodson
Staff Writer
October 23, 2005
Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election & Why They'll Steal the Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them). Mark Crispin Miller. Basic Books. $24.95. 284 pp.
What would it do to Americans' image of themselves, their country and their democracy if it turned out that a presidential election had been stolen?
That's the question Mark Crispin Miller, author of The Bush Dyslexicon, challenges Americans to ask themselves in his latest book, Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election & Why They'll Steal the Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them).
Miller has done his homework, and his sources are numerous and scrupulously footnoted. He comes close to convincing an open-minded reader that the 2004 election was a gigantic fraud. His exhortation to Democrats "not to milk it for partisan advantage but to use it to promote, and realize, electoral reform" is the book's stated purpose, and Miller does make a strong case for reform.

Among other things, he recommends doing away with electronic voting, which he says "can never be entirely secure," and using standard paper ballots instead. He also would federalize the electoral system so as to replace "local bigots or politicos" with trained civil servants at the polls.

Miller makes it clear that there is much to dislike and distrust about a political movement -- evangelical conservatism -- that pretends to get its politics directly from God. Unfortunately, this is an unabashedly partisan book that is often as overwrought as its title. That tends to undermine Miller's credibility to a degree that can frustrate the reader.

Still, he provides considerable evidence to support his argument, and while it is mostly circumstantial, that kind of evidence isn't necessarily inferior, especially when there's a lot of it. And Miller doesn't scrimp.

<snip>

It's hard to read Fooled Again without becoming angry, for it presents considerable evidence of democracy gone haywire. But you're never quite sure whether to be angry at the right wing for stealing an election or at Miller for building a strong case that is nonetheless undermined by his own bias and partisanship.

The book is full of invective, innuendo and rancor. Disregarding his own advice, he milks it for partisan advantage. The book's tone is that of a polemic, which is fine in itself, but its posture is investigative. The two don't mix.

In the end, Fooled Again may accomplish little but to serve as raw meat for those who already hate and distrust President Bush and the right wing. That's too bad, because if even half of what this book alleges is true, then a serious offense has been committed against our system of government and the American way of life. And if so, then Miller's call for electoral reform becomes an urgent clarion call to all Americans, one that should not be ignored.

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6. Iraq: Commission Certifies Election, Violence Erupts

Is this strange or what? Iraq’s Electoral Commission says the vote was OK and then there is more violence. BushCo, thanks for nothing (and thanks to you too Judy Miller)


<[h2> Iraq Insurgent Attacks Kill At Least 11
http://www.christianiraq.com/news/2005/10/23/iraq-insurgent-attacks-kill-at-least-11/

— News Feed @ 12:27 pm
Insurgents have killed at least 11 people in attacks across Iraq.
In the deadliest attack, a roadside bomb killed a police officer and his four children in Tikrit. Another roadside bomb killed at least one person in Kirkuk.
In Baghdad, a suicide car bomber killed four people, included two police officers. Other attacks across the city wounded five U.S. soldiers. And in Baquba, a police officer was killed in a drive-by shooting.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military says soldiers killed two suspected members of al-Qaida in Iraq and detained 22 others during raids in Mosul and Ramadi.

The violence comes after Iraq’s Independent Electoral Commission said it found no serious election fraud in Iraq’s recent constitutional referendum. Official results have not yet been announced.

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7. DC: Somebody Wants to Say a Special Good Morning to You...

At least she's smiling.

Go visit BradBlog to find out more, maybe get a hot cup of Joe

[kster]

8. K-n-R...nt

[IndyOp]

9. Autorank Rocks!

:yourock: