Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Tuesday 7/25/06

[Melissa G]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Tuesday 7/25/06

(Texas Governor's mansion- Help Chris Bell kick Rick Perry's re re re districting behind out!)

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).

[Melissa G]

1. Congo church says abstain if vote fraud not tackled

Congo church says abstain if vote fraud not tackled

By Daniel Flynn

KINSHASA, July 23 (Reuters) - Powerful Catholic leaders in Congo's capital urged voters on Sunday to boycott historic elections next week unless allegations of fraud were addressed, raising concerns over the first multi-party polls in 40 years.

A statement from the Catholic hierarchy in Kinshasa read to packed churches said confusion over the number of registered voters and the high number of spare printed ballots confirmed attempts to rig the July 30 vote in the former Belgian colony.

"The members of the Episcopal Council invite the people, if these irregularities are not corrected, to abstain from the elections," Father Leon de Saint Moulin told an 800-strong congregation in Saint Joseph's church, to a burst of applause.

The country's influential Catholic bishops said on Friday that all necessary conditions did not exist to hold fair elections and warned the Church would not recognise their validity unless this was addressed.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23165583.htm

[Melissa G]

2. Mexican leftists push for vote recount

July 24, 2006, 7:04PM
Mexican leftists push for vote recount


By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

Mexican leftists push for vote recount



MEXICO CITY — A top adviser to the leftist candidate in Mexico's presidential vote said Monday the election should be annulled unless there is a full recount, arguing that conservative Felipe Calderon won't have a mandate strong enough to govern otherwise.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sent a letter to Calderon urging him to support a re-count while his supporters continued their increasingly combative protests, blockading the entrance of the Mexican stock exchange before marching to the residence of President Vicente Fox. Stock trading was not affected.

The protests aim to pressure Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal to order a re-count of all 41 million ballots cast on July 2, and thereby resolve allegations of fraud involving the ballot box tally sheets. Those sheets _ and not the votes inside the boxes _ were tallied up in the official but still uncertified count that put Calderon ahead by less than 0.6 of a percentage point.

"I think that an illegitimate president won't be able to govern. It's better to correct this by declaring the elections invalid," said Arturo Nunez, one of those representing Lopez Obrador's Democratic Revolution Party in court appeals.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4068795.html

[Melissa G]

3. NEW LOCAL: Storage units keep track of voting machines

NEW LOCAL: Storage units keep track of voting machines


By John K. Manna
New Castle News


Lawrence County is a pioneer of sorts, and other western Pennsylvania counties are following its lead.


The county has purchased a system to store its new touch-screen voting machines. While it’s a relatively routine purchase, the system not only offers security but allows the county to keep track of its machines.

A few weeks after the May primary, the elections office learned two of its machines had not been picked up from an Ellwood City church. Frank Piccari, county maintenance superintendent, said it was an oversight on his part.

The two machines did not contain the personal electronic ballots and tape that record the votes. Those devices had been removed on election night.

All 215 machines are stored at Second Presbyterian Church, across the street from the courthouse. The shelving was purchased from Record Systems of Boardman for $19,572.60, according to elections director Marlene Gabriel. Another $1,684 was spent for wiring and carpeting.

http://www.ncnewsonline.com/local/local_story_205083832.html

[Melissa G]

4. Ethics complaint targets Daniels

Ethics complaint targets Daniels
Brochure Available Since 2004 Cited As Campaign Aid
This article was published on Monday, July 24, 2006 7:12 PM CDT in News
By James Jefferson
The Morning News

LITTLE ROCK -- Secretary of State Charlie Daniels is named in an ethics complaint filed Monday alleging that a state-financed voter guide that Daniels' office produced is little more than an ad for his re-election campaign.

The back cover of the "Voting 101 Pocket Guide" distributed to county courthouses statewide bear the words "Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels" beneath "ELECT," an acronym for "Energetic Leadership Educating Citizens Together," which is included in smaller type.

The guide is billed by Daniels' office as part of a voter education program, but self-proclaimed gadfly Jim Parsons of Bella Vista called it "virtually a campaign brochure supporting Charlie Daniels."

The secretary of state, who is up for re-election this year, said more than 100,000 of the booklets have been printed in both English and Spanish and distributed since before the 2004 election -- his name was not on the ballot then -- as an election tool to attract young voters.


http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/07/24/news/14lrdaniels.txt

[Melissa G]

5. Candidate dismisses election complaint

Candidate dismisses election complaint

By Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star

Rockville — A candidate in the Republican Parke County sheriff’s race agreed to dismiss his complaint seeking a special election after the parties reached a settlement Monday.

Terry Conrad asked Special Judge Matthew Headley to dismiss his petition, and Michael Eslinger remains the Republican candidate for sheriff.

As part of the settlement, the Parke County Election Board has agreed to address several issues to make sure problems that occurred during the primary don’t reoccur in November. Among the issues to be addressed include thorough testing of voting machines and software before the election; an adequate number of voting machines to allow for efficient operation of the polls; and thorough training for all poll workers on the use of electronic voting machines. Also, the parties acknowledged that several votes on one of the machines had not been counted election night because of a “systemic failure,” as described by attorney Robert Hellmann, who represented the election board.

snip



Conrad said he was satisfied with the outcome. “We brought out a lot of major flaws in the system,” he said, and the settlement outlines ways to address those problems.

http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_205221115.html

[Melissa G]

6. 'Daily Voting News' For July 24, 2006

BLOGGED BY John Gideon ON 7/24/2006 5:04PM
'Daily Voting News' For July 24, 2006
Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

One result of the exorbitant cost of purchasing and maintaining DRE voting machines is that counties must now find ways to save money. Texas will have a pilot project in Lubbock Co. that will allow voters to vote in any of 35 super precincts within the county in November. This is already being done in states across the nation and it may open up a new set of, as yet unforeseen, problems. / "Most computer scientists have long viewed Diebold as the poster child for all that is wrong with touch screen voting machines. But we never imagined that Diebold would be as irresponsible and incompetent as they have turned out to be." From "The Diebold Bombshell"…


NAtional: The Diebold Bombshell LINK
AL: Federal judge alters voting plan LINK
AL: Editorial - Voter act compliance train wreck looms over state elections LINK
AR: Report On Primary Meltdown Rips ES&S LINK
AZ: Pima County – Opinion - Touch-screen voting machine needs an OK (Diebold) LINK
CA: San Diego County - Challenge to county procedures unfounded LINK
CA: San Joaquin County - Work under way for November vote LINK
IA: Buena Vista County - BV precinct leaders among first in nation to be cerified LINK
OH: Blackwell's dual role criticized. As voter ID rule takes effect, candidate is also election chief LINK
PA: Lawrence County - Storage units keep track of voting machines LINK
TN: Bedford County - Last week for early voting LINK
TX: Casting your vote may get easier with proposed election changes LINK
**"Daily Voting News" is meant as a comprehensive listing of reports each day concerning issues related to election and voting news around the country regardless of quality or political slant. Therefore, items listed in "Daily Voting News" may not reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or BradBlog.Com**

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3112

[Melissa G]

7. ALASKA REFUSES — AGAIN — TO RELEASE 2004 ELECTION DATA!

BLOGGED BY John Gideon ON 7/24/2006 3:41PM
ALASKA REFUSES — AGAIN — TO RELEASE 2004 ELECTION DATA!
Guest Blogged by John Gideon

snip
As readers of The BRAD BLOG know, Diebold and the State of Alaska have been doing all they can to keep the State Democratic Party from looking at the data from the machines used by the voters to register their choices and by the local officials to tally the votes. The BRAD BLOG has reported that questions began to arise about results from the 2004 election, including the reported revelation that "district-by-district vote totals add up to 292,267 votes for President Bush, but his official total was only 190,889." The Democrats asked for election data from the Diebold machines and the state has 'flip-flopped' on whether they would release it or not. This resulted in claims by the state that any data they released would be proprietary and would belong to Diebold Elections Systems Inc. (DESI).

The above led the state Democratic party to file a lawsuit to get the data they have been requesting.

snip
Diebold gave the state permission to release the files.

The state still refused. The Democrats went to court, the state asked for extension after extension. Their final extension expired Thursday and they replied to the Court, in a 200 page document, that since it is a month from the primary election, they can't release the database without compromising the primary. There is not enough time to rebuild the central tabulator file if they release the data before the election.

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3111&print=1

[Czolgosz]

8. K & R

[Melissa G]

9. Kate Nash: Madrid-Wilson fight isn't the only race to watch

Kate Nash: Madrid-Wilson fight isn't the only race to watch
By Kate Nash
Tribune Reporter
July 24, 2006

SANTA FE - It's mean and it will get worse, though the race between Heather and Patsy hasn't come down to an outright catfight yet.

snip
Wilson's ad, the first negative in the race, suggests Madrid should have done more to stop corruption in Santa Fe.

In her ad, Democrat Madrid lambastes Wilson, a Republican, for accepting money from indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and for a vote her campaign says would have made it harder to investigate DeLay.

"That's being ethical?" the ad asks, shortly before the "I'm Patricia Madrid and I approved this message."
http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_columnists/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19856_4866359,00.html

[Melissa G]

10. Civil rights hiring shifted in Bush era

Civil rights hiring shifted in Bush era
Conservative leanings stressed
By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff | July 23, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is quietly remaking the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, filling the permanent ranks with lawyers who have strong conservative credentials but little experience in civil rights, according to job application materials obtained by the Globe.

The documents show that only 42 percent of the lawyers hired since 2003, after the administration changed the rules to give political appointees more influence in the hiring process, have civil rights experience. In the two years before the change, 77 percent of those who were hired had civil rights backgrounds.

In an acknowledgment of the department's special need to be politically neutral, hiring for career jobs in the Civil Rights Division under all recent administrations, Democratic and Republican, had been handled by civil servants -- not political appointees.

But in the fall of 2002, then-attorney general John Ashcroft changed the procedures. The Civil Rights Division disbanded the hiring committees made up of veteran career lawyers.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/07/23/civil_rights_hiring_shifted_in_bush_era/

[Melissa G]

11. DeLay to run again?

http://insider.washingtontimes.com/

DeLay to run again?

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s secret desire is to pursue his brand of conservatism as a private citizen rather than campaign this fall for his old U.S. House seat, Republicans who remain close to him say.

“He can’t see himself ever becoming majority leader again, let alone House speaker — and he sees no point in crawling over glass to get elected only to be a backbencher after so many years as a member of the House leadership,” a Republican confidante of Mr. DeLay says.

snip
After evaluating bad poll results and facing a daunting fundraising task for his reelection campaign, Mr. DeLay resigned the suburban Houston seat earlier this year. But he did so in the belief the GOP would be able to name a strong candidate in his place. A federal judge nixed that, however, and the Texas GOP is appealing that decision.

Mr. DeLay’s resignation came after several years of negative publicity over redistricting in Texas and after his indictment there on charges that he violated state election laws and after the guilty plea earlier this year by the lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Two former DeLay aides have pleaded guilty in the Abramoff matter.

http://blogs.washingtontimes.com/insiderpolitics/?p=565

[Melissa G]

12. The Supreme Court's Recent Decision on Texas' Redistricting Plan

Voting Rights Why You Should Care
Status Report

Buzz Clip | Op-Ed
The Supreme Court's Recent Decision on Texas' Redistricting Plan: How It Supports Congress' Authority to Renew the Voting Rights Act
July 24, 2006



Kristen Clarke-Avery
FindLaw


On Thursday, July 20, the Senate renewed the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) with virtually unanimous consent (98-0). After extensive debate and hearings, with significant input from practitioners, advocates and scholars, Congress restored vitality and strength to Section 5 of the Act, which had been significantly weakened in the wake of recent Supreme Court rulings. (Section 5 requires that certain jurisdictions "preclear" voting changes before they are put into effect to ensure that they are not "retrogressive" -- that is, free of discriminatory purpose or effect.)

In an earlier column for this site, Laughlin McDonald argued that the VRA's renewal should easily withstand constitutional scrutiny despite federalism concerns that have arisen following the Court's ruling in City of Boerne v. Flores. After that column appeared, the Supreme Court, on June 28, issued its ruling in League of United Latin American Citizens, et al. v. Perry, a case concerning the hotly-contested and partisan-driven redistricting plan adopted for Congressional seats in the state of Texas.

In this column, I'll argue that the LULAC ruling bolsters McDonald's argument that the Court will uphold the renewed VRA if and when it faces constitutional challenge.

http://www.civilrights.org/issues/voting/details.cfm?id=45721

[Melissa G]

13. Austin loses in AG's redistricting plan

Austin loses in AG's redistricting plan
7/24/2006 12:20 PM
By: Harvey Kronberg

snip
What may well be the beginning of the final chapter of this sad saga began last week when interested parties submitted a variety of congressional maps for the appeals court to consider.

But clearly the most important map was the one submitted to the court by Attorney General Greg Abbott on behalf of the State. In its redistricting ruling, the United States Supreme Court gave great deference to the Legislature. Since Abbott speaks on behalf of the Legislature, his map will probably be the starting point for the court's deliberations.

snip
Abbott submitted a redistricting map that some say would deny Austin its own congressman.
Having said all of that, Abbott's map is breathtaking in what it does to largely Democratic Travis County. The Legislature merely divided Travis County into three congressional districts two of which were Republican.

Abbott did the Legislature one better. He made all three districts Republican. In court filings, he argued that it was the inevitable result of fixing a Laredo-based problem the Court said was a violation of the Voting Rights Act. Abbott also said his new map kept the same number of Democrats and Republicans intended by the Legislature.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=167246&SecID=2

YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!(comment mine!!!!)

[Melissa G]

14. We need 5 assistant news editors to help with the daily thread!

See discussion Here! and Help keep it kicked!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1726269

[Melissa G]

15. 9 000 to be arrested in Zambia for electoral fraud

9 000 to be arrested in Zambia for electoral fraud

July 25, 2006, 36 minutes and 2 seconds ago.

By ANDnetwork .com

Lusaka (AND) About 9 000 people who registered twice in Zambia's 2006 voter registration exercise have been identified by local police and will be arrested this week reports the Zambian Electoral Commission.

By Edward Mulenga

Justice Mambilima, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has also announced that the ECZ would release the final voter’s register within a week following the completion of the voter registration exercise.

In Livingstone on Monday at a three-day Zambia police commander’s workshop held in collaboration with the ECZ, Mambilima said the commission’s voter’s roll clean up had exposed certain people who would be arrested this week.

Mambilima said that with sufficient funding from government, supplemented by cooperating partners, the commission was ready for the elections.

The ECZ chairperson said over $12 millon, mostly from the local treasury, had been spent on equipment and paid tribute to the government for its commitment to smooth elections.

http://crime.andnetwork.com/index?service=direct/1/Home/top.titleStory&sp=l46607

[Melissa G]

16. News Analysis: Why So Many Public Opinion Polls?

The Berkeley Daily Planet
Issue Updated:
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
8:55 AM

News Analysis: Why So Many Public Opinion Polls?
By Marc Sapir, Special to the Planet


They are everywhere, trying to grab our attention. And they succeed. Public opinion polls claim to adapt statistical research methods to the measuring of beliefs. Scientific? Perhaps, but polling also operates with hidden goals because it is part of the marketplace.
In 2003 Retro Poll investigated how this works with a poll comparing knowledge and opinions before the invasion of Iraq. The poll found that the media-promoted government misinformation about Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction conditioned public responses about going to war. Those who believed the hype that Iraq had WMDs and was linked to Al Qaeda terrorism favored war by 2:1, but 75 percent of people who could see through that charade opposed U.S. aggression.


snip
An ongoing discussion among members of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) reveals how polls may constrict options in any debate or discussion. Back in late 2003 Retro Poll first asked people’s views on impeachment. When the question was posted on the AAPOR List, some argued that impeachment was not a legitimate issue to ask about because no one in Congress or the media was discussing it.

Other AAPOR members criticized the question as “leading” because we asked people whether or not “misleading the public and Congress on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq” was grounds for impeachment of the President? These polling gurus did not want the factual presentation to go beyond the media parameters at a time when the media was only just beginning to expose the truth.

So the market-based approach to opinion research leads polling, in general, to reflect the restricted media discourse and to limit the public’s ways of responding—the range of choices. In other words what you see is what you get—in the worst sense when what you see is incomplete. Or “garbage in, garbage out.”

http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=07-25-06&storyID=24698

[Melissa G]

17. The DLC Won't Talk About Corporate Power

The DLC Won't Talk About Corporate Power

The Democratic Leadership Council has, once again, shown why it cannot be trusted with the future of America’s workers. It has rolled out yet another poll-tested, slogan-filled program/manifesto that is neither bold, visionary, and, more important, simply perpetuates a massive fraud on hard-working Americans.

snip
And to deal with the economy we face today, what does the DLC propose as its key solution? College. Yes, apparently, the main reason Americans are struggling with anemic wage hikes, no pensions, dwindling health care coverage, record-high debt and poor, secure and decent-paying job opportunities is that we are too dumb. “College is the key to whether America will get ahead in a competitive world, and whether we can expand and strengthen the middle class here at home,” says the report authored by Sens. Hillary Clinton and Tom Carper and Gov. Tom Vilsack. “We propose a plan to produce one million more college graduates a year by 2015—so that within a decade, more than half our young people will finish college with a degree.”

snip

Here are some facts. There is no college gap. We’re over-educated. That point has been made repeatedly (see for example Michael Handel’s book on education and skills). The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that post-secondary school training will be required for only 30 percent of openings occurring through 2010. And if you look at all jobs—new and old—the BLS statistics for the years 2000-2010 (the most recent ten-year study) projects that the jobs requiring more than a high school education will grow only from 29 to 31 percent over 2000-2010. Yes, two percent. At least in the short term, that two percentage point increase will easily be met by the 59 percent of the workforce that will have post-secondary training by that time, even if the DLC proposal never existed.

snip
The problem is, as I pointed out that more than a year ago (and others have pointed out as well), is that there has been a break between productivity and wages. Meaning, we are working harder than ever but that increased productivity is not showing up in wages. Joel Rogers, director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, made a stunning calculation that we should all emblazon as tattoos on our foreheads: Had wages tracked productivity as they have over the past 30 years, “median family income in the U.S. would be about $20,000 higher today than it is.” Or, think of it another way, if we had gotten our fair share from our sweat, the minimum wage should be $19.12—which would make it almost 50 percent above today’s median wage (not to mention the pathetic $5.15 current minimum wage or the miniscule hike that we’re arguing over).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-tasini/the-dlc-wont-talk-about-_b_25768.html

[Melissa G]

18. Election night could be no more

Election night could be no more

By Ollie Stone-Lee
Political reporter, BBC News

The traditional election night could come to an end because of new voting laws, the elections minister has said.
The new laws mean election officials have to check signatures and dates of birth of postal voters - something they say cannot be done in one night.
snip

Delaying counts would mean the end of the "did you stay up for Portillo" moments. (referring to the surprise defeat of the then high flying Tory MP Michael Portillo in 1997)
snip

The Electoral Administration Act was passed earlier this month after a protracted battle between the government and the House of Lords.
The new checks on postal voting follow cases of fraud in 2004 - when an elections judge said he had heard evidence which would disgrace a banana republic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/5212542.stm

[Melissa G]

19. All of Mexico waiting to see if tribunal will order recount

All of Mexico waiting to see if tribunal will order recount

By Kevin Diaz
McClatchy Washington Bureau
MEXICO CITY - The drab-cement building of fortress-like towers, surrounded by a tall steel fence of spiked poles, reveals little hint of the momentous history that's about to unfold inside. Only the colorful sidewalk camp of hunger strikers suggests its importance: They're vowing not to eat again until they see a recount.

The seven justices who'll decide Mexico's bitterly disputed presidential election work here. They're so concerned about being pressured that they've announced they'll take no phone calls. They're documenting every government contact, down to a note from President Vicente Fox acknowledging their condolences for the recent death of his mother.

Mexico's future hinges on how well the judges, largely unknown until now, do their job. A decision widely regarded as fair and honest would confer political legitimacy on the next president. But if many Mexicans dismiss the court's action as corrupt and biased in favor of the ruling National Action Party (PAN), allegations of fraud could cripple the new government, plunge Mexico into political chaos again and encourage more people to head for the United States.

For the 10-year-old Electoral Court of the Federal Judiciary -- as well as for Mexico's nascent democracy -- this is uncharted territory: Left-leaning populist Andrés Manuel López Obrador refuses to concede defeat to conservative candidate Felipe Calderón, claiming fraud in a July 2 election that left them separated by barely a half-percent of the 41 million votes.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/15116341.htm

[Melissa G]

20. Prominent names vying for Nevada secretary of state post

Prominent names vying for Nevada secretary of state post


Sons of famed coach and a governor seek nomination


BRENDAN RILEY
Associated Press Writer
July 25, 2006



Two candidates with big name recognition are running in Nevada's secretary of state race - but a prominent name might not be enough in one of next month's primary contests.

Republican Danny Tarkanian, son of former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, is in a tough primary battle against businessman Brian Scroggins, former chairman of the Clark County Republican Party.

Tarkanian, who lost a state Senate race two years ago, may have the well-known name. But Scroggins, a Brigham Young University graduate, has the backing of some elected Republican officials.

Democrat Ross Miller, son of former Gov. Bob Miller, also is in the race for secretary of state - but has an easier primary against Roderick Boyd, a convention coordinator and former cabbie who is described in the state party's candidate information as a political "little guy."

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20060725/ELECTIONS/107250069

[Melissa G]

21. Delay Used Government Staff for Politics AFTER Leaving Congress

This was a political mailing i received from the Lone Star Project.. not an article... so i will post it in full.



[phone] - Fax [phone]
July 25, 2006
Contact: Matt Angle
On the web at www.LoneStarProject.net

Delay Used Government Staff for Politics AFTER Leaving Congress
Email details government staff helping DeLay explain ballot charade

Almost a week after Tom DeLay delivered a bitter and partisan farewell speech from the House floor and abandoned his 22nd District Texas House seat, he was still using government staff and equipment to craft political strategy and respond to media inquiries.

Email reveals government staff still working for DeLay

An email sent by Tom DeLay’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Flynn lays out the strategy and message to deal with media inquiries regarding the Texas Democratic Party’s lawsuit challenging Republican efforts to declare DeLay ineligible and replace him on the ballot. The communication discussed using government resources to assist the DeLay campaign and the Republican Party of Texas.

DeLay resigned from Congress on June 9, 2006. The email was sent June 15, 2006 from Flynn’s official government email account.
Both Flynn and Flaherty were full-time employees of the U.S. House of Representatives and under the supervision of the Clerk of the House, NOT Tom DeLay. Government staff members are specifically prohibited from using government resources for campaign related activities.
Flynn’s email was sent to former DeLay Press Secretary Shannon Flaherty and to DeLay attorneys James Bopp and Don McGahn. A copy was sent to Tom DeLay himself, and a blind copy was sent to Republican Party of Texas Chair Tina Benkiser.
The email was surrendered under subpoena by Benkiser and is an exhibit in the Texas Democratic Party’s complaint.
Hill Staffer still called the shots for DeLay
In the email, Dan Flynn gives blunt and direct orders.

Fellow government staffer and former DeLay Press Secretary Shannon Flaherty is told by Flynn to stop “pitching” to reporters and is notified that the Texas GOP and DeLay attorneys will handle press questions.
Flynn directs DeLay attorney James Bopp to refer requests for comment from Tom DeLay himself to DeLay’s daughter and campaign manager Danielle DeLay Ferro.
Within the email, Ferro is given an already drafted and vetted statement from DeLay to issue to the press.
What are the Rules?
House rules are direct and clear. Government staff are prohibited from using official resources for political purposes.

When a Member of Congress dies or resigns from office, all Congressional Staff are then supervised by the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. As government employees they are specifically prohibited from engaging in political activity. (Source: Rules of the House of Representative, Sec 653)
The House Ethics Campaign Booklet specifically states that office computers and staff time may not be used for political purposes such as drafting campaign statements.
Official resources of the House must, as a general rule, be used for the performance of official business of the House, and hence those resources may not be used for campaign or political purposes..., among the resources that generally may not be used for campaign or political purposes are congressional office equipment (including the computers, telephones and fax machines) … and congressional staff time. Among the specific activities that clearly may not be undertaken in a congressional office or using House resources (including official staff time) are, for example, the solicitation of contributions; the drafting of campaign speeches, statements, press releases or literature; (Souce: The House Ethics Campaign Booklet, emphasis added)

A Memorandum to All Members, Officers and Employees of the House issued by the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct dated June 22, 2004 also gives straightforward direction that “Any campaign work done by staff members must be done outside the congressional office, on their own time, and without using any congressional office resources…” (Source: Memorandum For all Members, Officers, and Employees, June 22, 2004)






The Lone Star Project is an activity of the Lone Star Fund.
Contributions or gifts to the Lone Star Fund are not tax deductible. All contributions are subject to the prohibitions and limitations of the Federal Election Campaign Act. Federal Law requires us to use best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year.

Paid for by The Lone Star Fund, 6 E St, SE, Washington, DC 20003.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

[sonias]

22. K & R

For fraud busting strength and the cutie in the pic. ;)

Sonia

[Melissa G]

23. Hi Sonia, I was there protesting at the time and I can confirm

that he was a cutie as well as astutely creative!:evilgrin:

[livvy]

24. Evening kick

:kick:

[Melissa G]

25. Key Component of Voting System Undergoes No Review

Thanks to John Gideon for this post!!!

Key Component of Voting System Undergoes No Review
By VotersUnite.org
July 25, 2006
Every voting system includes a key component, called the ballot definition file (BDF), that is never subjected to an outside review. Given that BDFs determine the way votes are recorded and counted, the lack of independent oversight of these files is a major security vulnerability. If BDFs are incorrectly prepared, the wrong candidate could be elected. Furthermore, while BDFs may be primarily data, they also include logic and perhaps even other software that could change the outcome of an election.


BDFs are unique for each election and define all the races and candidates for each precinct. BDFs tell the voting machine software how to interpret a voter's touches on a screen or marks on an optical scan ballot (including absentee ballots), how to record those selections as votes, and how to combine them into the final tally.

Programming election data is a very complex process, especially in counties with hundreds of different ballot styles, and a single error can jeopardize the outcome of an election. Some election districts lack the technical expertise to prepare BDFs, and instead depend on the vendor or outside programmers for the preparation. Others prepare the BDFs themselves. In both cases, however, BDFs undergo very little testing and no independent audit before being used to determine the results of an election. Little wonder that many serious election disruptions have been caused by ballot definition errors. Other BDF errors have probably gone unnoticed, and some may have affected election outcomes.



Virtually all of the proven ballot definition errors occurred on optical scan equipment and were caught by a manual recount of the ballots.

A few examples:
• 67,000 absentee and early-voting ballots were counted incorrectly. (New Mexico, Nov. 2000)
• A difference in ballot data on different machines resulted in miscounts in 18 races. (Texas, April 2002)

• 2,642 Democratic and Republican votes were counted as Republican. (Florida, Sept. 2002)

• Victories for two commissioners were initially given to the wrong candidates. (Texas, Nov. 2002)

• 5,500 party-line votes, both Republican and Democrat, were uncounted. (North Carolina, Nov. 2002)

• Loss reported for a candidate for County Board of Supervisors was really a win. (Iowa, June 2006.)

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1573&Itemid=26

[Melissa G]

26. DU Discussion in Honor Of Bill Bored Here..

With thanks to John Gideon!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203

[rumpel]

27. Nice OP!

:hi: