Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Thursday 10/27/05

[Wilms]

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

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

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).

[Wilms]

1. Democrats support bill to allow absentee voting by evacuees

Democrats support bill to allow absentee voting by evacuees

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

MARY ORNDORFF

News Washington correspondent

WASHINGTON - Rep. Artur Davis' proposal to give displaced hurricane evacuees a chance to vote absentee in their home state elections has gained support on Capitol Hill but so far only from Democrats.

The legislation, if approved, would treat evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi like military personnel and let them vote back home in the 2006 and 2008 federal elections.

Since its introduction Sept. 13, Davis' bill has attracted 33 co-sponsors, all of them Democrats, and a Senate version of the bill has three Democratic supporters.

While many hurricane evacuees are from the strongly Democratic areas of New Orleans, Davis said it is wrong to assume that the bill would only benefit the Democratic Party by preserving the Democratic majorities in those districts.

"It is not a partisan bill," Davis said Tuesday. "It may allow Democrats to vote in Louisiana but it may also preclude Democrats from voting in Tom DeLay or Richard Baker's districts."

snip/more

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1130318564254920.xml&coll=2

[Wilms]

2. Congress likely to renew vote act

Congress likely to renew vote act

By Brian DeBose

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

October 26, 2005

Congress appears poised to reauthorize the 1965 Voting Rights Act, in some form or another, for an additional 25 years, said the chairman of a House subcommittee holding hearings on the legislation's renewal.

Rep. Steve Chabot, Ohio Republican and chairman of the Judiciary Constitution subcommittee, was bolstered by comments from Justice Department officials that President Bush would support it, regardless of any changes to "strengthen the act."

"I think it is more likely than not, and it is good to see, what seems so rare now, that we are working in a strong bipartisan nature," Mr. Chabot said.

The hearing yesterday focused on the most contentious part of the act -- Section 5, which requires some states and counties to clear any changes in their voting procedures with either the Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

snip/more

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20051026-124552-5489r.htm

[Wilms]

3. Commissioner Martinez Opines on DREs

Election Updates

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Commissioner Martinez Opines on DREs

In an editorial today in Roll Call, EAC Commissioner Ray Martinez wrote about the need for all electronic voting software to be filed with the National Software Reference Library at NIST. We have reproduced the opinion piece below. When Mike and I were in Travis County, we watched the county conduct hash code tests, comparing the voting system software they were using with the software on file at NIST. Unfortunately, not all voting systems currently support hash code testing because the software is not on file.



How to Ensure Accurate, Secure Voting Systems

October 25, 2005

By Ray Martinez III,
Special to Roll Call

Preparations are now under way for another busy midterm election. While much has been written since last year’s presidential election about the need for additional election reform, the Help America Vote Act of 2002, passed by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, is poised to deliver further improvements in the administration of elections in 2006.

Among the changes spurred by HAVA is the greater prevalence of electronic voting systems throughout the country. In 2004, approximately 30 percent of registered voters were able to record their candidate preference by using a computer-based voting system — a significant increase from only 12 percent in 2000. And yet the change to electronic voting machines has raised concern among some as to the accuracy and security of these systems.

The Election Assistance Commission, created by HAVA, will soon vote on a series of recommendations to improve the voluntary standards by which we assess the overall integrity of electronic voting systems, including the security capabilities of these systems.

One proposal the EAC will consider stands out as a significant step in the right direction toward ensuring greater security of electronic voting machines.

snip/more

http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/2005/10/commissioner-martinez-opines-on-dres.html

[Wilms]

4. Grading State Disclosure

34 STATES PASS CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE ASSESSMENT --
13 STATES IMPROVE THEIR GRADES;
16 FAIL TO MEET BASIC STANDARDS

Washington State Ranks First; Virginia Makes Greatest Improvement with Jump from “D+” to “B”


For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Contact: Saskia Mills or Kim Alexander at [phone];

[e-mail]

Davis, CA – States across the country provided better access to candidates’ campaign disclosure records in 2005 and particularly improved the usability of their official disclosure web sites, according to Grading State Disclosure 2005, a comprehensive, comparative study of candidate campaign finance disclosure laws and practices in the 50 states. Grading State Disclosure 2005 follows two prior annual reports, and is online at: www.campaigndisclosure.org

Washington State ranked number one in the country for the third year in a row, followed by Florida and California. Overall, 34 states’ disclosure programs passed the assessments earning a grade of D or better, while sixteen states' disclosure programs failed. The assessment was conducted by the Campaign Disclosure Project, which seeks to bring greater transparency and accountability to money in state politics. The project is a collaboration of the California Voter Foundation, the Center for Governmental Studies and the UCLA School of Law and is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

“The number of positive changes states are making to their disclosure web sites is encouraging,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, which produced the study. “Since 2004, 14 state disclosure agencies have redesigned their web sites, making them easier for the general public to access and navigate. This activity shows a number of agencies are increasingly responsive to the public’s demand for meaningful access to campaign data.”

The Campaign Disclosure Project evaluates, grades, and ranks all 50 states’ performance in four campaign finance disclosure areas: the strength of campaign disclosure laws; availability of electronic filing programs; the degree of public access to campaign finance information; and the usability of state disclosure web sites.

snip/much more

http://www.campaigndisclosure.org/gradingstate/pressrelease.html

Index:
http://www.campaigndisclosure.org/gradingstate/index.html

Clickable Maps:

http://www.campaigndisclosure.org/gradingstate/map.html

[Wilms]

5. GAO report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings

Powerful Government Accounting Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings

by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

October 26, 2005

As a legal noose appears to be tightening around the Bush/Cheney/Rove inner circle, a shocking government report shows the floor under the legitimacy of their alleged election to the White House is crumbling.

The latest critical confirmation of key indicators that the election of 2004 was stolen comes in an extremely powerful, penetrating report from the General Accounting Office that has gotten virtually no mainstream media coverage.

The government's lead investigative agency is known for its general incorruptibility and its through, in-depth analyses. Its concurrence with assertions widely dismissed as "conspiracy theories" adds crucial new weight to the case that Team Bush has no legitimate business being in the White House.

Nearly a year ago, senior Judiciary Committee Democrat John Conyers (D-MI) asked the GAO to investigate electronic voting machines as they were used during the November 2, 2004 presidential election. The request came amidst widespread complaints in Ohio and elsewhere that often shocking irregularities defined their performance.

snip/more

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1529

Discuss and Recommend:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5183345

[Breeze54]

13. This should be on the FIRST PAGE!! The Election WAS stolen!!

http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6308">GAO report raises concerns about electronic voting security and reliability

They stole the election!
They should be impeached,arrested and thrown out of office!
Post haste!!
The whole lot of them!

"...raises concerns..." is an understatement!

gheesh!

sorry if I wasn't supposed to post here.
I'm still learning the ropes....

Recommended!

[Wilms]

6. AZ: Is Arizona's Speaker of the House afraid...

Pandora's Box

Is Arizona's Speaker of the House afraid of what might happen if the truth is learned about a local election?

By John Dougherty

Thursday, October 27, 2005

State Republican Senator Jack Harper's enraging a powerful legislator with his determined effort to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive vote-counting scandal at the Maricopa County Elections Department.

The second-term senator from Surprise plans to hold legislative hearings early next year into the controversial September 7, 2004, District 20 recount, where the inexplicable appearance of nearly 500 new votes between the primary and the recount challenge the accuracy and integrity of elections in the nation's fourth-largest county.

Harper's plan to hold the hearings before the Senate Government Accountability and Reform Committee, which he chairs, is upsetting some key Republican legislators, including Arizona Speaker of the House Jim Weiers.

Weiers took the unusual step of summoning Harper to his office on June 16 to berate him for planning to investigate the District 20 recount. Weiers told Harper that the issue doesn't belong before the Legislature.

snip/more

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/Issues/2005-10-27/news/dougherty.html

[texpatriot2004]

9. AZ Speaker of the House Jim Weiers, says the issue doesn't

belong before the Legislature. Hmm, where else would it belong?

[Wilms]

7. CA: Legislators appear cool to instant-runoff voting

10/26/2005

Legislators appear cool to instant-runoff voting

Committee member argues system may allow 'lesser candidates' to slip into office

By Ian Hoffman, STAFF WRITER

Instant-runoff voting — approved by voters in Alameda County's largest cities and growing in popularity from Santa Monica to Humboldt County — looks dead on arrival in the state Legislature.

Voting-reform activists and local politicians made their case Tuesday during a Senate Elections and Reapportionment Committee hearing in Oakland but failed to garner more support.

Committee Vice Chairman Jim Battin, R-La Quinta, was not persuaded that letting voters rank their top candidates for local seats would improve California-style democracy by broadening representation of minorities and third parties. Rather, he suggested that such a system might elect candidates who otherwise might not be the top vote-getters.

"That's pretty much the goal of everybody who's behind it. They want lesser candidates or third-party candidates towin," Battin said.

snip/more

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_3152666

[Wilms]

8. NM: State mandates voting changes

State mandates voting changes

By Tonya Garner: CNJ staff writer

Although the next Curry County election isn’t until June, local officials are already preparing for nearly two dozen state-mandated changes.

The most drastic will be in the voter-identification process. Curry County Voting Administrator Coni Jo Lyman said voters will be required to show proof of identity using at least one of 25 acceptable documents, which range from a driver’s license to a utility bill.

“This is obviously going to slow down the process,” Lyman said. “In previous years we were not required to ask for ID.”

Lyman said the 2000 presidential election hanging-chad debacle has had a “long-lasting effect” on election laws.

http://cnjonline.com/engine.pl?station=clovis&template=storyfull.html&id=13632

[goldfever]

10. GAO Report

We gotta get this report out to the main stream media. It's time all the people of this Country know that Bush is not the President. It's a great time with Bush's numbers being very low.

http://www.freepress.org/department...ay/19/2005/1529

Powerful Government Accounting Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings

by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
October 26, 2005

As a legal noose appears to be tightening around the Bush/Cheney/Rove inner circle, a shocking government report shows the floor under the legitimacy of their alleged election to the White House is crumbling.

The latest critical confirmation of key indicators that the election of 2004 was stolen comes in an extremely powerful, penetrating report from the General Accounting Office that has gotten virtually no mainstream media coverage.


(i'm new here hope I did this right)

[Wilms]

11. (Federal Appeals) Court Blocks Ga. Photo ID Requirement

AP Top News

Court Blocks Ga. Photo ID Requirement

By Associated Press

October 27, 2005, 2:20 PM EDT

ATLANTA -- A federal appeals court Thursday refused to let the state enforce a new law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Earlier this month, a federal judge barred the state from using the law during local elections next month, saying it amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax that could prevent poor people, blacks and the elderly from the voting. The state asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to lift the stay, but the court declined.

Under the law, voters could show a driver's license, or else obtain a state-issued photo ID at a cost of up to $35.

snip/more

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-voter-id,0,471789.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

Thanks to Judi Lynn

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1882037

[Wilms]

12. (Uh) OH: Noe indicted in Bush money-laundering case

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Noe indicted in Bush money-laundering case

BLADE STAFF

A federal grand jury has indicted Tom Noe, the former Maumee coin dealer suspected of laundering money into President Bush’s reelection campaign, Mr. Noe’s attorney told The Blade today.

Jon Richardson said he was called this afternoon and informed of the indictment. The details of the indictment are being withheld until a press conference at 4:30 p.m.

Mr. Richardson said there were no negotiations between Mr. Noe and prosecutors.

“I was told today,” he said.

snip/more
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051027/BREAKINGNEWS/51027023

Thanks to swag
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1882114