Election Integrity News - January 9, 2006

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

http://votetrustusa.org/

From today's newsletter:

Action Alert: Say No to Prohibited Software In Voting Machines!


http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=VTUSA&hotissue=4

"VoteTrustUSA's Open Letter to the Election Assistance Commission

What's All the Fuss About Diebold in Florida and California?

VoteTrustUSA has launched a campaign to hold the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) accountable for ensuring that all Diebold software is re-inspected and decertified until it can be shown that all prohibited code has been removed. We also urge the EAC to initiate the re-inspection of the election software of other vendors, which may also include software that is expressly forbidden in the FEC Voting System Standards. Please go to our action page and send an email to the EAC voicing your concern about the use of prohibited software on voting machines. Read More
Concerned Citizens have already sent over 13,000 emails and 1725 letters to the EAC! "



"The Top Five Stories from the Past Week's Daily Voting News by John Gideon, VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA

The selection of this week's "Top Five Stories from the Past Week's Daily Voting News" has been very difficult. In fact, there is one "Honorable Mention" story this week.

Honorable Mention: In Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer had intended on gathering her backers and the media together to announce that she is going to run for re-election. The Arizona Republic reports that she got all of that plus a large, loud group of voters who let her know how unhappy they were with her choice of Diebold voting machines for the state's voters.

#5 Voting activists in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania announced that they were not going to just allow the county to make a choice of what voting system the voters would use in the future. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Ten Westmoreland County residents and state Sen. Jim Ferlo filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to block the county's recent purchase of 750 computerized voting machines." According to the group's media release Pennsylvania's Constitution and Election Code provide that electors have the right to make this decision at the ballot box prior to moving to electronic voting.

#4 Cheshire, Massachusetts, with 3500 residents, has stood up to the federal government and told them that they will not comply with the Help America Vote Act. In the words of one town selectman, "if it ain't broke for over 213 years, don't fix it." As reported by The North Adams Transcript the town uses, and will continue to use, absentee ballots for their disabled citizens.

#3 As part of a law suit in New Mexico a temporary restraining order was filed to stop the Secretary of State from going through with a purchase of Sequoia Edge Direct Recording Electronic voting machines. As attorneys for both sides were meeting to come to an agreement over stopping the purchase, the Secretary announced that she would put a hold on any further purchases until the court decides.

#2 Connecticut has been riding a roller-coaster. They fully intended to continue using their lever voting machines in the future but then the Election Assistance Commission told them that their lever machines had to go. The Secretary of State then made a deal with Danaher to buy their newest federally qualified DREs. Then this week the Secretary had to announce that they would continue, for the time being, using their lever machines and that the EAC and Department of Justice would allow this. It seems that Danaher is not able to get a voting system through the qualification system.

#1 We are always happy to announce that another state has joined the growing list of "Green States" which require a voter verified paper audit trail. The list became 26 strong this week with the addition of Wisconsin when Governor Doyle signed Assembly Bill 627 into law."