Westmoreland County PA: lawsuit heads to Commonwealth Court

[demodonkey]

Court's voting device ruling to affect state

By David Hunt
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, January 12, 2006

Commonwealth Court will be asked to decide whether Westmoreland County's selection of electronic voting machines violated the Pennsylvania Constitution in a case both sides agreed affects the entire state.

Westmoreland County Judge William J. Ober signed an order on Wednesday that will send the lawsuit filed last week by concerned citizens and state Sen. Jim Ferlo to the higher court.

The suit alleges the county violated the state Constitution when the commissioners decided to buy 750 touch-screen voting machines without first scheduling a referendum on the purchase. A company for those machines has been selected, but a contract has not been signed.

MORE:
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/election/s_412721.html

[demodonkey]

1. Statewide rule sought on voting machines

Statewide rule sought on voting machines

Thursday, January 12, 2006
By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With a federal deadline looming and more than $100 million in aid at stake, the future of high-tech voting in all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties is going before Commonwealth Court.

A judge in Westmoreland County yesterday pushed the issue to the state level, making Pedro A. Cortes, secretary of the commonwealth, a defendant in a lawsuit that seeks more public input as county officials prepare to buy tens of thousands of new electronic voting machines for the upcoming May primary.

Last week, a group of voting rights activists, including state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, sued Westmoreland County to stop commissioners there from buying 750 touch-screen machines -- similar to ATMs -- from Nebraska-based Election Systems and Software Inc.

The lawsuit argues that, under the state constitution, voters must have a chance to decide if they want electronic machines.


MORE:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06012/636545.stm

[nicknameless]

2. I hope the voters win this one.

K&R

[randomelement]

3. Thanks demodonkey!

For all your hard work in getting this done! This action should slow down the "agenda" that seems to be prevalent in the surrounding counties as well.

Now, with any luck, if we can get that shoe to drop on Bob Ney, we might be able to get HR 550 out where it can be voted on - which might help push HB2000 and S977 in Pennsylvania. It's amazing to me, despite all the problems these machines have, how so many of these election officials just can't wait to get their hands on them....... What kind of kick-backs are they getting for these things?

[Wilms]

4. kick