Election Reform Fraud & Related Events for Sunday, Feb., 19th, 2006

[FogerRox]

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

PLEASE, please

will you please:

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=203x397093

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

for MAC users-- IIRC its hold down control- and click on the image to view its source.

[MelissaB]

1. MD: Our say: Voting system changes cannot be hurried

Our say: Voting system changes cannot be hurried

By THE CAPITAL EDITORIAL BOARD

Until last week, Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. backed the state Board of Elections' decision to spend $56 million on new electronic voting machines that don't generate a paper trail. He even vetoed a bill mandating a study of a paper backup.

So why did the governor make a dramatic flip-flop? Did he notice that many states have passed legislation to require paper trails? Perhaps, but you don't have to be a hard-core State House cynic to think that what's really annoying him is the General Assembly's decision to override his vetoes of election legislation. He's particularly upset by a new law that will allow voters to cast ballots at a limited number of precincts during the week before the September primary and the general election.

So he wrote the Board of Elections that "right now, the state of Maryland is not prepared to conduct an election, let alone early voting" and that he has no confidence in the board's "ability to conduct fair and accurate elections in 2006."

If Mr. Ehrlich wants to worry that the new rules make chicanery easier, that's his prerogative. But the Board of Elections didn't deserve the governor's blast. What in the 2004 elections justified it? The new machines functioned smoothly, and there was no evidence of fraud or abuse.


More: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/02_19-34/OPN

[MissWaverly]

12. I weep for my state

The Board of Elections has been backed by Maryland State Assembly to retain the status
quo. The evidence presented by Maryland activists to the State Assembly has quietly been
swept under the rug.

[MelissaB]

2. Diebold, lobbying firm, and ethics

...snip

Problem is, The Tetris Group, the county's six-figure lobbying firm, is playing dealer. Its lobbyists represent the county's Democratic mayor and Sandy, home to powerful Republican House Speaker Greg Curtis and GOP Mayor Tom Dolan, who wooed and won the stadium.

Multiple calls to Tetris lobbyists were not returned for this story.

Questions about Tetris' dual loyalties first arose last summer when The Salt Lake Tribune revealed that the firm lobbied for Diebold Election Systems, manufacturer of electronic-voting machines, and the county, which must implement the new technology.

Tetris averted a county ethics violation - it faced loss of its business license and a potential class B misdemeanor - by eventually posting its client list on the county's Web site, albeit late.

More: http://www.sltrib.com/realsaltlake/ci_3525697

[MelissaB]

3. ‘Party first' politics rule

Opinion

‘Party first' politics rule

By Kenneth Moll

We “America First” Republicans have a greater concern today about where our once-great nation is headed than the “Party First” Republicans who control the White House, the Senate, the House and the U.S. Supreme Court. It was during the 12 years of Reagan and ‘H' Bush (1980-1992) that many of these Court appointments were made. James Baker held several positions in both these administrations. He was very much involved in the U.S. Supreme Court Justice appointments during those 12 years; several of those justices owed Baker a favor and seven were appointed by the Republican Party.

James Baker was ‘W' Bush's campaign manager in 2000, when the Florida voting machines failed to count 850,000 ballots. Baker petitioned the Federal District Court in Atlanta, Ga., which has jurisdiction over the State of Florida, to keep them from counting those 850,000 ballots. The court refused on the grounds that a federal court has no jurisdiction. Elections are a state's right and obligation. This left the highest court with jurisdiction, the Florida State Supreme Court. That court had already ordered the ballots to be counted.

Baker then petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene. They stopped the count. That ruling created another problem for ‘W' Bush, because without the Florida count, the election was over. Bush was trailing by 24 electoral votes and needed all 25 Florida votes to win.

Baker then petitioned the Supreme Court to rule how Florida should choose their electors. They ruled that the Florida State Legislature should choose the electors. Both those bodies were controlled by the Republican Party, and the governor was Jeb Bush, brother to ‘W' Bush. The Supreme Court violated the same law they took an oath to uphold. There is no appellate process to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. This is why both parties get into a fight every time a Supreme Court justice retires.


More: http://www.journalstandard.com/articles/2006/02/19/opinion/opinion02.txt

[MelissaB]

4. California "Disclosed Source Code" Voting Bill Submitted

California "Disclosed Source Code" Voting Bill Submitted

Sunday February 19, 2006 (01:00 PM GMT) - 4 minutes ago


California State Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach) has submitted bill AB 2097 to that state's assembly, which would require public source-code visibility of the voting application so that we can see how trustworthy our voting machines are. The actual voting software would not necessarily be Open Source licensed, so this is more what we would generally call "Disclosed Source Code".


LInk: http://trends.newsforge.com/newsvac/06/02/19/0250234.shtml

[MelissaB]

5. discussion

here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x413567

[MelissaB]

6. CA: Diebold machines get state approval

Diebold machines get state approval
Decision is likely to set off a buying spree for as many as 21 counties

By Ian Hoffman, STAFF WRITER


After almost three years, Diebold Election Systems won approval Friday to sell its latest voting machines in California, despite findings by computer scientists that the software inside is probably illegal and has security holes found in earlier Diebold products.

The scientists advised Secretary of State Bruce McPherson this week that those risks were "manageable" and could be "mitigated" by tightening security around Diebold's voting machines.

McPherson gave conditional approval to Diebold's latest touch-screen voting machines and optical scanners Friday, while his staff ordered the McKinney, Texas-based company to get rid of the security holes as quickly as possible.

"After rigorous scrutiny, I have determined that these Diebold systems can be used for the 2006 elections," McPherson said in a statement.

The decision is likely to set off a buying spree for as many as 21 counties, more than a third of the state, as local elections officials rush to acquire one of only two voting systems approved for use in the 2006 elections. Registrars and clerks prefer having voting systems for at least six months before conducting a statewide primary like the one in June, partly because it is California's most complicated and error-prone type of election.


More: http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_3526049

[MelissaB]

7. Judge Dismisses Penultimate Ohio Lawsuit

Judge Dismisses Penultimate Ohio Lawsuit

Staff and agencies
19 February, 2006

By JOHN McCARTHY, Thu Feb 9, 10:42 PM ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit over Ohio‘s recount of the 2004 presidential election, leaving only one court challenge remaining from the state‘s role in the re-election of President Bush .

The judge‘s ruling came in a challenge by the National Voting Rights Institute to the recount that showed Bush beat Democratic challenger John Kerry by about 118,000 votes out of 5.5 million cast.

The institute complained that the recount would not be finished until after the Electoral College vote made Bush‘s election official Dec. 13 and thus violated federal law. The recount was completed Dec. 28.

States generally are exempt from election lawsuits unless a plaintiff can prove that a state‘s policy could affect future races, which the institute said Blackwell‘s interpretation could do.


More: http://www.heraldnewsdaily.com/stories/news-00145465.html

[MelissaB]

8. Counting votes

opinion

Counting votes

Originally published February 19, 2006

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. says he now supports requiring Maryland's voting machines to produce paper receipts. And while that's a good idea, it's a shame the governor's endorsement is a day late and probably millions of dollars short.


Elections officials believe the state would have to scrap its current touch-screen system and spend as much as $65 million to bring in replacement machines to do this. And that's not even the worst of it. Replacing a statewide voting system normally takes one to two years, so there wouldn't be enough time to test the equipment or train elections personnel before September's primary. It's a shame Mr. Ehrlich vetoed legislation last year to study such reform. The state might have been positioned to do something about it today.



Nevertheless, the politicians in Annapolis need to take some deep breaths and calm down before voters start taking their rhetoric seriously. Yes, paper receipts would have been helpful as a means to audit election results, but it doesn't mean Maryland's current system is inaccurate - in fact, it's likely never been more exact or secure. And certainly there's no reason to lose confidence in "the State Board of Elections' ability to conduct fair and accurate elections," as the governor now claims to have.

What probably bothers Mr. Ehrlich most are the recent efforts by Democrats to expand voter turnout. Conventional wisdom is that these kinds of reforms almost always favor Democratic candidates. Mr. Ehrlich is right to be concerned about early voting because the elections office doesn't yet have a way to be absolutely certain a person doesn't vote twice - once in an early voting precinct and a second time in his home precinct on Election Day. But unlike the absence of paper receipts, this shortcoming is entirely correctable. Off-the-shelf technology is available that can keep a statewide database up to date, elections office employees say - if the governor will put the money needed to pay for such a system in the state budget.


More: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.voting19feb19,0,1532743.story?coll=bal-opinion-headlines

[MelissaB]

9. PA: Voting-machine race still up in the air

Voting-machine race still up in the air

By Anne Danahy and Mike Joseph

Centre Daily TimesTime is running out for Centre County and dozens of other Pennsylvania counties to decide exactly how residents will cast ballots in the May 16 primary election.

But Centre County Board of Commissioners Chairman Chris Exarchos is happy to put off choosing a new voting system.

"The rational thing to do is to delay implementation (because of) all these lawsuits and other issues," he said. "We should wait until the air is clear so we know what direction to follow."


More: http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/13908634.htm

[MelissaB]

10. Who Are the Enemies of Democracy?

Who Are the Enemies of Democracy?

by Rob Kall


http://www.opednews.com

who are headlong rushing the US ever faster towards becoming a fascist anti-democratic state.

It is important to identify who these despicable saboteurs As the United States drifts closer and closer towards fascism we must recognize that it is no accident. Democracy has been assaulted on many fronts by many individuals and organizations. If there is to be any hope of halting the drift toward fascism, it is essential that we identify the Enemies of Democracy of freedom are and what they do and how they operate to do their dirty work and damage. Some will be obvious-- like Ken Blackwell and Katherine Harris, two election corrupters who did all they could to erase the possibilities for honest elections in Ohio and Florida. Their machinations helped George W. Bush to steal two elections. The corruption of elections is tantamount to murder of democracy. This pair deserves the same criminal punishment that first degree murderers receive in Texas, and nothing less.

...snip

Diebold Corporation Officers and Board, particularly CEO Walden O'Dell, this company has been promoting paperless voting machines, when they could be including printers for probably under a cost of $100 each. There have been repeated proofs that their technology is not secure nor reliable. They have intentionally foisted technology that sabotages, justifiably, the trust in the voting process by millions of Americans and many of the people in other nations.

John Ashcroft abused office of Attorney General, taking the US closer to a fascist state than ever before in its history since the 1950s. Illegally used his power to detain thousands of people without charges, without rights. Criminal actioin against him should include investigation and release of information of how many victims he illegally incarcerated.

Ken Blackwell Election head for Ohio 2004 elections. Played all kinds of hanky panky with Ohio elections, doing all he could to prevent people from voting.

Glenda Hood Election head for 2004 Florida Elections

Swift Vote Veterans for Truth and their primary Financers. these lying traitors attacked all the soldiers who ever received medals for wounds, valor or honor when they attacked John Kerry.



More: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_060219_who_are_the_enemies_.htm

[MelissaB]

11. Blackwell watch

is here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x413575


I pulled it out in hopes of more people seeing it.

[Wilms]

13. .