Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, FRI. Oct. 13, 2006 -

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Indian Country Today

'Operation Indian Country'

Posted: October 13, 2006
by: Philip Burnham / Indian Country Today

GALLUP, N.M. - Wilson Skeet doesn't have a shred of evidence he was born in 1922. Nobody was passing out birth certificates when his Navajo mother bore him under a summer shade shack in Breadspring.

http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413841

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

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1. CA: Action Alert! Los Angeles

Action alert from StudyCaliforniaBallots.org
StudyCaliforniaBallots.org will also send another alert to ask for
people to go to Board of Supervisors Meeting Oct.17, 2006 9:30am to
speak out on this

ACTION ALERT FOR UPCOMING NOVEMBER ELECTION LA COUNTY 2006

Please WRITE or FAX to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,
and your elected officials and CALL FOR EARLY VOTING to be STOPPED.

 "Michael Antonovich"
[e-mail]
[phone] office [phone] fax

"Yvonne Burke"
[e-mail]
[phone] office [phone] fax

"Don Knabe"
[e-mail]
213-974-4444 office 213-626-6941 fax

"Gloria Molina"
[e-mail]
[phone](213) 613-1739 fax

"Zev Yaroslavsky"
[e-mail]
[phone] office [phone] fax


Dear Supervisors Antonovich, Burke, Knabe, Molina and Yaroslavsky:

I. Please cancel Early Voting On Electronic Machines

I am writing to urge you to cancel early voting (which is set to begin
October 25, 2006) in Los Angeles County.  The LA County Registrar has
been offering Early Voting with the Diebold Accuvote-TSx machines
which have a well- documented history of failure in security,
accuracy, and function. (1), (2)

II. LA County Registrar of Voters Continues to advocate for Electronic
voting systems (DREs & GEMS Tabulators) despite overwhelming evidence
of problems

Despite the evidence that these machines are a blight to our elections
process, the LA County Registrar continues to use them and actively
promote their use by the voting public.

As recently as June 21, 2005, in testimony before the U.S. Senate
Committee on Rules and Administration hearing on "Voter Verification
in the Federal Electoral Process," the LA County Registrar testified
that she has expanded the use of DREs ("Direct Record Electronic" aka
electronic voting machines) in LA County "due to extremely positive
voter response." The Registrar further stated that "voters
overwhelmingly express great enthusiasm and preference for voting on
electronic equipment."

During the Early Voting period for the November 2005 election, the
Registrar distributed leaflets at Early Voting locations that stated
that "the DRE equipment tested on March 2, 2004 recorded the votes
cast with 100% accuracy" while omitting existing information that
documents numerous failures and high potential for security breaches
with the very same equipment, the Diebold Accuvote-TS. The situation
is so dire that Voter Action, a citizen nonprofit election justice
group, is pursuing lawsuits in eight states including California,
against the continued use of these machines. (8)

The current Early Voting Touchscreen FAQ sheet for the November 2006
election, again fails to inform voters of the known failure and
security problems with the Diebold Accuvote-TSx model and the Diebold
GEMS tabulator used for Early Voting in Los Angeles County. In
addition to the documented software problems (2), (6), it has been
confirmed that the TSx paper trail printers experience printing
failures as often as 30% of the time (7). The LA County Registrar,
actively advocating for DREs to be used without a paper trail at the
above mentioned June 21, 2005 Senate hearings, herself, compiled a
list of problems with these machines:

"Significant Costs - The initial cost of attaching printers to DREs
adds 25-30% to the already significant DRE purchase price. This does
not take into consideration the ongoing costs to purchase paper for
every election and the cost of storage (22 months is required for
federal elections) of tens of thousands of paper ballot receipts. Talk
about trees dying in vain! 2-13 hours of continuous usage on election
day- undoubtedly this will result in printer/paper jams. Even if such
problems are miniscule, a small percentage of equipment failure will
impact the ability to use the VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail)
for auditing or recount purposes and undermine confidence in the
accuracy of election results...Difficulty for Poll Workers -
Simplicity, not complexity, assures successful elections. Additional
poll worker training requirements invites problems.

The Registrar values convenience and streamlining over an auditable
record of the vote, and perhaps unintentionally makes the case against
DREs altogether while attempting to argue that paper trails serve no
purpose:

"Voter Delays - Adding another step to the voting process will require
additional time to print out the results for each voter even if the
voter does not glance at or review the printout. Anecdotal evidence in
Nevada indicates that very few voters looked at the printout as voter
review occurs conveniently and more easily on the DRE screen. The
voting process needs to be streamlined, not delayed..." (9)
"Receipts are Meaningless - If DRE programming can be manipulated,
that same logic dictates that the programming could be surreptitiously
altered to change election results after the paper ballot receipt is
printed. "(9)

The paper trail is supposed to be the auditable record of the vote and
is of such great importance that SB 370 was passed into law in
California as of August 2005. The fact that "fully electronic systems
do not provide any way that the voter (or election officials) can
truly verify that the ballot cast corresponds to that being recorded,
transmitted, or tabulated "(10) is of dire consequence and is a prime
reason why these machines, with or without a paper trail, should not
be used for our elections.

III. LA County Board of Supervisors should have been provided with
better information so they could make more informed decision as to
whether to approve budget for Early Voting

The LA County Registrar has a responsibility to include the
detrimental information on the FAQ sheet and at CVOC meetings,
national hearings, and all other public business. Provided with this
information, it would be unconscionable for the Board of Supervisors
to approve a budget for Early Voting using DRE voting machines and the
GEMS Tabulator. The fact acknowledged by the registrar, that voters
cannot even be assured that the paper trail printed by a DRE
necessarily reflects their true vote, means that DRE machines are
noncompliant with SB 370. The responsible action with this information
alone would be to return these machines to the vendor for a full
refund, plus compensation for the costs incurred by their use thus
far.

IV. LA County Registrar claims no tabulation problems yet leaves Early
Voting and Absentee results out of 1% Mandatory Manual Audit and does
not sort according to precinct


Making matters much worse, the LA County Registrar claims that "
Equally important is the fact that we have experienced no technical
problems with the tabulation of votes with the DRE equipment.
Electronic voting has proven to be reliable, accurate and
well-accepted by our voters" (9) yet the Registrar never conducts
audits according to the California election which would need to be
done to support this claim. Early Voting ballots are not sorted
according to precinct, nor are they included in the mandatory 1%
manual audit. Because the early voting totals are mixed in with
absentee totals, irregularities could go undetected in a pool of votes
large enough to swing an election. Also, the Registrar never prints
out or posts results of Early Voting at the early voting sites and
never posts them publicly anywhere else. Also, no chain of custody for
the TSx machines or memory cards has been published for the public to
see.

IV. LA County DREs have experienced high rate of paper jams.
Registrar shuts down 1 and only audit ever of a DRE in LA County.
Violates California Election Code.


An attempt to audit results from only one of the Diebold TSx machine
used in the June 2006 Primary Election revealed that the printer,
which is supposed to create an auditable record of the votes, had
jammed 5 times. Considering that this particular machine had a mere 63
ballots cast on it, this high printer failure rate (8%) does not
inspire confidence. The Registrar's action in this case was to stop
the audit of that machine. In violation of California Election Code
15360, the Registrar then, as in previous elections, excluded all the
votes cast on absentee ballots as well as, in violation of California
Election Code 19253(b), all early voting ballots cast on the TSx
machines, from the mandatory 1% manual audit.

V. With low voter turnout in LA County, no need for Early Voting.
Dangerous Diebold GEMS Tabulator used with TSx can change votes in
seconds without leaving a trace.


In addition to the issues presented above, we do not believe our tax
money should go to support a service for which there is no need.
Approximately 1.02% of LA County voters who voted on June 6, 2006
(about 20,000 voters) actually cast their votes at an Early Voting
location. That is the equivalent of about 20 precincts out of the
5000+ precincts in LA County. Not only is this service very costly --
it has been reported that there is possibly as high as a 1000%
increase in the cost of conducting elections with new computerized
voting wares (3)--, but it is unnecessary-- with 27% voter turnout in
the last election (4); and, most significantly, it threatens the
accuracy and legitimacy of our election results. As if that's not bad
enough, the voting results gathered from the Diebold-TSx machines are
transferred to the Diebold GEMS tabulator in which votes may be
changed by unexamined software without a trace (5), (6). 

VI. Cancellation of Early Voting would improve accuracy and security
of elections in LA County.

Cancellation of Early Voting would remove the need for the use of the
Diebold GEMS tabulator, and the Diebold Accuvote-TSx equipment, and
thus significantly decrease the cost and potential security problems
for our elections in the largest jurisdiction in the United States.

 It is an outrage that voters should have to navigate this mine field
of voting "choices." 
PLEASE CANCEL EARLY VOTING NOW!

Footnotes:

(1) "Initial report undersold e-vote snafus", by Ian Hoffman, Oakland
Tribune, 08/03/2005.

(2) http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/19673.html?1144430968

(3) http://www.votetrustusa.org/
index.php?optionfiltered=com_content&task=view&id=1111&Itemid=113.

(4) Voter turnout in the June Primary was 27.44%. 314,824 absentee
ballots (which includes both mail-in, and early voting) out of a
total of 1,050,076 total votes were cast. Approximately 20,000
voters voted on Early Voting TSx machines.

(5) Devastating Hack
Proven http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/ 1954/15595.html

(6) Compuware Corporation. Diebold Direct Recording Electronic (DRE)
Technical Security Re-Assessment Report (prepared for  the Ohio
Secretary of State, August 2004).
http:// www.sos.state.oh.us/sos//hava/files/DieboldReassessment.pdf

(7)
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=30

(8) http://www.voteraction.org

(9) Testimony of Conny McCormack, June 21, 2005 to the U.S. Senate
Committee on Rules and Administration hearing on Voter Verification
in the Federal Electoral Process

(10) Testimony by Rebecca Mercuri, Ph.D. Presented to the U.S. House
of Representatives Committee on Science Subcommittee on Environment,
Technology, & Standards Tuesday, May 22, 2001, Room 2318, Rayburn
House Office Building


thanks to diva77

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2. On DU: "Emergency Paper Ballots" will sink Dems in Nov (& I'm a paper

ballot guy)

thanks to Landshark

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2384945

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3. Illinois Ballot Integrity Project News Release:

thanks to orleans

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x452849

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4. ELECTION LAW AND SECURITY VIOLATIONS IN SHELBY COUNTY, TENNESSEE

thanks to diva77

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x452770

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5. Blackwell to decide if opponent Strickland stays in the race

thanks to Ms. Toad

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=452783&mesg_id=452783

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6. We can't afford more fraudulent elections ( Velvet Revolution links)

thanks to jarnocan

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x452831

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7. Republican McPherson (CA SOS) Favors Emergency Paper ballots

thanks to Land Shark

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x452782

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31. Screwing Minority Voters in Florida 2006 – Katherine Harris Style

thanks to autorank

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2380202&mesg_id=2380202

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8. CA: Election reform brings together strange bedfellows

Inside Bay Area

By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated:10/13/2006 08:16:22 AM PDT

Barring an eleventh-hour surge, it does not look good for the Oakland-based California Nurses Association's crusade to reform money in state politics.
A Public Policy Institute of California poll conducted in mid-September showed 61 percent of likely voters opposed Proposition 89, the CNA-sponsored "clean money" measure, while only 25 percent supported it and 14 percent were undecided.
Pollster Mark Baldassare said that it's odd, considering 61 percent of likely voters believe money has a bad effect on policy.
"Voters clearly cast a jaundiced eye on the current system of campaign contributions," he said. "It's likely that opposition to Proposition 89 has more to do with distrust of how the state manages taxpayer money, skepticism over whether such changes would do any good, and possibly — because likely voters are more involved in the system — a reluctance to change the status quo."
The nurses' union and other supporters have stepped up their campaign, rolling out first a short film and later a rap song, "About Time for 89," to win the hearts and minds of voters.
Modeled on systems in Maine, Connecticut and Arizona, Proposition 89 would raise the corporate tax rate by 0.2 percent — to a level still below that at which it stood from 1980 to 1996 — to bankroll campaigns for candidates who reject private fundraising and limit spending to the public dollars provided, show public support by gathering signatures and some $5 qualifying

http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_4486488

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9. UT: Voting Rights Act applies now more than ever

the Daily Utah Chronicle
The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

By: Rochelle McConkie

Issue date: 10/13/06 Section: News

In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was instated, barring discrimination against one's right to vote because of race, religion, color or creed. Now, more than 40 years later, many Americans of minority status are still fighting for this basic democratic right.

Sponsored by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the 10th-annual Rocco C. and Marion S. Siciliano Forum, titled, "Considerations on the Status of the American Society," was held Thursday at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

The forum honored the Sicilianos and included a keynote speaker and two panels on the Voting Rights Act. Rocco Siciliano has been honored nationally for his life of public service and received an honorary doctorate at the U in 2001.

Rocco Siciliano stressed education as a catalyst for change. "Once people hear the facts, not just opinions or hunches, people will realize that there is a real need for this statute-the need is still here today."

http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/paper244/news/2006/10/13/News/Voting.Rights.Act.Applies.Now.More.Than.Ever-2349247.shtml?norewrite200610131448&sourcedomain=www.dailyutahchronicle.com

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10. CO: In latest ballot flub, postage is misfigured

The Denver Post

The post office pledges to deliver the completed absentee ballots, billing Denver for the difference.
By George Merritt
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Launched:10/13/2006 01:00:00 AM MDT

In the second major mistake by Denver's voting-machine vendor to surface this week, absentee ballots have gone out instructing voters to mail them back with insufficient postage.

As of Wednesday, the Denver Election Commission said about 44,000 ballots had been sent to residents. Each of those had a return envelope that instructed voters to affix postage of 63 cents.

But the 2.3-ounce package costs 87 cents to mail - 24 cents more than the instructions indicate.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4484716

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11. TX: Secretary of state committed to fighting voter fraud

BY EMMA PEREZ-TREVIÑO

The Brownsville Herald

October 13, 2006 — Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams on Thursday reaffirmed his commitment to stem voter fraud.

“There are a lot of people that just don’t want to touch it, but we’ll touch it,” Williams said during a meeting at the The Brownsville Herald.

As the Nov. 7 election approaches, Williams also met with other groups in the city, touting VOTEXAS, his voter education initiative.

While much has been accomplished in securing the vote with electronic equipment, gaps remain, Williams said. Voting fraud is far from being eradicated.

“Voter fraud is very important to me,” Williams said. “We’re working very closely with the attorney general’s office. As concerns come to our office, we forward them to the attorney general’s office, and we’ve had some convictions. ... Voter fraud is not going to be accepted.”

In Cameron County and other locations, the paper mail-in votes significantly impact the outcome of an election contest. A common complaint is that elderly voters are pressured by campaign workers, commonly referred to as politiqueras.

Williams said voters should be aware, careful and not allow themselves to be pressured.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ts_comments.php?id=P73238_0_10_0

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12. NJ: State looks to old rolls for election

Friday, October 13, 2006
BY RICK HEPP
Star-Ledger Staff

Under a deal between state and federal authorities, New Jersey will rely on existing county voter registration rolls for the Nov. 7 election after determining a new statewide computer system could threaten the integrity of the vote.

The agreement between the U.S. Attorney's Office and the state Attorney General's Office stalled the full implementation of the statewide voter registration system, as required under provisions of the federal Help America Vote Act. The system, which was supposed to be ready by last January, has had significant programming problems during testing that could disenfranchise voters, officials said.

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-4/116072099557820.xml&coll=1

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13. OH: Strickland vote challenge splits on party lines

Friday, October 13, 2006 — Time: 2:56:54 PM EST

By MARY ANN GREIER


Salem News staff writer

LISBON — The issue over Democrat U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland’s voting status now rests with the office of his Republican opponent for governor, Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell.

The voter registration challenge couldn’t be decided by the Columbiana County Board of Elections Thursday after four separate votes on the issue itself and related issues followed political party lines, ending it ties.

“It’s going to go to a 2-2 vote no matter what we do. Let the Secretary of State break the tie,” board member and county Democrat Party Chairman Dennis Johnson said.

The board already had two tie votes on motions Republican board member Al Fricano described as housekeeping measures. They also had a pending motion by Johnson to deny the challenge and a pending motion by Fricano to amend Johnson’s motion to postpone any action until the housekeeping motions could be decided.

http://www.salemnews.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=3125

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14. NAACP president: Voter ID law violates '64 voting act

11:18 PM October 12, 2006

By Kevin O'Neal
[e-mail]

The national president of the NAACP linked Indiana voting rights law with a need to revitalize the civil rights movement of the 1950's and 1960's.


Speaking to a life membership banquet of the civil rights organization, Bruce C. Gordon criticized the state law that requires voters to present a photo identification before they can cast a ballot. "Your state violates the spirit of the voting rights act of 1964 with the voter ID requirement," said Gordon, who lobbied Congress to extend that act. "We don't have a problem with too many people who vote, we have a problem that not enough people vote."
Gordon, 60, who has been at the NAACP's helm for just over one year, said the association needed to ". . . define a single focused mission that we can get excited about" in the same way that sports fans get excited about their favorite team. Otherwise, "We will not be celebrated in 2050 if we keep doing what we are doing -- we are not doing our jobs."

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061012/LOCAL/61012052

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15. GUAM: 11:15 a.m. Election director testifies about commission meetings

Pacific Daily News

By Steve Limtiaco
Pacific Daily News

11:15 am, Oct. 13 - Guam Election Commission Executive Director has been on the stand again this morning in the Superior Court of Guam, answering questions about the commission's meetings since July.

The Office of the Attorney General wants the court to order a new Primary Election, alleging that the commission met illegally in connection with the Sept. 2 Primary Election.

Guam law states boards and commissions must adjourn meetings to a specific time and place, and Deputy Attorney General Joseph Guthrie this morning asked Taitano whether that happened during the meetings in question.

Taitano said that did not happen.

Commission attorney Cesar Cabot currently is questioning Taiitano.

http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061013/NEWS01/61013012/1002

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16. SD: South Dakota Voter Registration Down From 2004

News Channel 4
KTIV

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota's election office says almost four thousand fewer people are registered to vote for this election than in the 2004 contest.
Election supervisor Kea Warne of the secretary of state's office says she expects that number to increase. But Warne is warning people to register soon. The deadline is October 23rd.
She says compared to this same time two years ago, the number of people who have cast absentee ballots also is down.

http://www.ktiv.com/News/index.php?ID=5627

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17. VoteTrustUSA: Report on Voter Fraud and Voter Intimidation Released

By Warren Stewart, VoteTrustUSA
October 12, 2006
Download the Status Report on the Voter Fraud-Voter Intimidation Research Project (May 17, 2006)



A report to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) on voter fraud and voter intimidation was released yesterday by USA Today over four months after is had been presented to the commission. The report confirmed that there is little verifiable evidence to support anecdotal accounts of polling place fraud involving voters voting more than once, non-citizens or otherwise ineligible voters voting, or voters voting in the name of deceased voters. Though, the final report of the study has yet to be released, the findings of the preliminary report could have informed the heated debate over restrictive voter ID requirements that has raged in the past months.

At a hearing on September 27, 2005, EAC executive director Tom Wilkey announced that the commission had awarded a $110,000 grant to Tova Wang, an elections expert at the Century Foundation, and Job Serebrov, an Arkansas attorney to provide a comprehensive report on voter fraud and voter intimidation. Section 241 of HAVA requires the EAC to conduct research on election administration issues. Among the tasks listed in the statute is the development of nationwide statistics and methods of identifying, deterring, and investigating voting fraud in elections for Federal office. The EAC's Board of Advisors recommended that the agency make research on these matters a high priority.

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1874&Itemid=26

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18. MO: Missouri election-reform progress gets mixed review

By Adam Sichko
POST-DISPATCH WASHINGTON BUREAU
10/12/2006

WASHINGTON

With critical midterm elections drawing near, a new study of key states says Missouri has taken the strongest steps to prevent deceptions, such as spreading misinformation about voting.

But the report also found that Missouri still has its shortcomings and must resolve confusion surrounding a proposed voter identification law, currently under review at the state Supreme Court.

Even if voter ID or other proposed procedures aren't in effect on Election Day, the prior debate and uncertainty surrounding such issues is likely to dampen voter turnout, said Barbara Burt, director of election reform programs for the advocacy group Common Cause.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/A309F7B584D3E3A08625720600158E03?OpenDocument

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19. NC: Group's backers praise study on election reform

Friday, October 13, 2006

Changes might open doors to more diversity

By Titan Barksdale
JOURNAL REPORTER

Give your opinion on this story

A community group in Winston-Salem called on Forsyth County legislators, commissioners and school-board members yesterday to support the reform of local elections to increase voter participation and make campaigns more racially diverse.

Leaders with CHANGE, or Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Empowerment, presented results from a study they say supports switching to non-partisan elections for the city-county school board and for the redistricting of voters in county-commissioner and school-board races.

According to the study, the racial and political profile of election winners in specific districts has remained largely the same for 14 years.

The General Assembly created District 1 in 1992 in central and eastern Winston-Salem to guarantee black representation on the school board. Before 1992, Forsyth County elections were all for at-large seats.

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149191127525&path=!localnews!elections!&s

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20. IL: High-Tech Voting System (Another Early Voting)

23 WIFR Freeport-Rockford

If you are looking to get your vote in early now is the time to do so. But before you vote, there is some new equipment you'll need to know about. Instead of the traditional voting methods we're used to, Winnebago County is introducing TSX Voting machines. They'll help to reduce vote counting errors and eliminate people voting twice in one election. These machines will only be used for early voting this year, but that will soon change.

http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/4388921.html

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21. LA: Federal elections commissioner to discuss voting rights

October 12, 2006
From Staff Reports

U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner Gracia Hillman will deliver the keynote address at the 13th annual Creole Heritage Celebration and Exposition banquet Friday.

Hillman will discuss advancements and recent developments regarding voting rights in America during the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m., in Room C of the Natchitoches Events Center, 750 2nd St. in Natchitoches.

Hillman was nominated to the commission by President George W. Bush and confirmed by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate on Dec. 9, 2003, to serve an initial two-year term. The Massachusetts native was chairwoman of the panel in 2005 and first vice chairwoman the preceding year.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061012/BREAKINGNEWS/61012018

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22. Report Shows Many Voting Problems from 2004 Still Unresolved

and Threaten to Mar Midterm Elections

Century Foundation, Common Cause, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund Release 10-State Study Showing Slow Progress on Election Reform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2006
Christy Hicks, The Century Foundation, 212-452-7723
Mary Boyle, Common Cause, 202-736-5770
Mistique Cano, LCCR, 202-263-2882

With the critical midterm elections just weeks away, a new report from The Century Foundation, Common Cause, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund shows that most problems exposed in the 2004 election remain unresolved, and some have been exacerbated and threaten to mar the mid-term elections in just four weeks. Progress has been made in resolving only a small number of the shortcomings.

The report, "Voting in 2006: Have We Solved the Problems of 2004?" is a follow up to a report on voting problems issued in 2004 by the three organizations that had closely monitored voting on Election Day 2004. The groups revisited these problems in time for Election Day 2006 to determine to what extent they had been addressed. The results on the whole were troubling. For example, some states have made it harder to register to vote, rather than easier. This is critical because problems with voter registration were among the most common complaints of voters in 2004. Another critical problem two years ago -- long lines for voters -- is likely to recur because few states have dealt with that issue. New voter ID laws in certain states are likely to disenfranchise voters and only one state has acted aggressively to address voter intimidation tactics. In every state, there is much room for improvement.

http://www.civilrights.org/issues/voting/details.cfm?id=47756

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23. CO: More Denver voting problems

By Lou Kilzer, Rocky Mountain News

October 12, 2006
For the second day in a row, problems have popped up with Denver's absentee ballots.
The city's voting machine contractor, Sequoia Voting Systems, said Thursday that thousands of absentee ballots sent to voters this week give the wrong price for return postage.

On Wednesday the firm said it had mistakenly transposed the "yes" and "no" boxes on one ballot referendum.

"We’ve made two very unfortunate errors," said Sequoia vice president Michelle Shafer. "We are very disappointed in our performance in Denver."

Denver City Auditor spokesman Denis Berckefeldt, whose office has conducted a running battle with the commission in recent months, was pointed in his assessment.

"Regardless of who's taking the blame, mistakes keep happening," he said. "It’s like a circus, and we’re waiting for the clowns to get out of the car."

The mistake happened when Sequoia workers weighed the ballots, she said. They didn’t include the ballot stubs, which would have increased the necessary postage from 63 cents to 87 cents.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5062060,00.html

[rumpel]

24. NM: Official lashes back at Perea

The Albuquerque tribune

By Michael Gisick (Contact)
Friday, October 13, 2006

A Bernalillo County election official lashed out this week at Vickie Perea, Republican candidate for secretary of state, over comments she made at a candidate forum last week.

But Jeff Carbajal said Perea's attacks on his past don't matter because his boss, Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera, is "going to win anyway."

Herrera and Perea are vying for secretary of state in a race that has grown increasingly contentious in recent weeks.

At a forum in Socorro on Oct. 5, Perea told the audience that Herrera has a "convicted embezzler" working in her office.

Carbajal, a Bureau of Elections coordinator, pleaded guilty in January to embezzling money when he was Grant County clerk. He was ordered to pay about $16,000 in restitution.

But Carbajal said he accepted a conditional discharge and never was technically convicted.

http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2006/oct/13/official-lashes-back-perea/

[rumpel]

25. Businessweek: Beware The High-Tech Ballot

OCTOBER 23, 2006

Untested technology and poor training can lead to disaster

Even by the standards of Washington newspeak, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) is in a class by itself. For more than 200 years, the U.S. ran elections quietly, efficiently, and mostly honestly. But since passage of the 2002 law, the simple act of casting a ballot has become the stuff of high drama. There's a lesson here about the use and abuse of technology.

HAVA was a response to the 2000 Presidential deadlock in Florida. But it was based on a misdiagnosis of the problem. The inescapable fact in Florida is that the outcome was a tie. George W. Bush's official margin over Al Gore was 0.009% of the votes cast, and since any method of casting or counting ballots involves error, that difference was just too fine to split. But images of butterfly ballots and hanging chads convinced politicians and the public that the problem was bad technology and that the solution lay in changing how the nation votes. HAVA provided more than $3 billion to pay for high-tech systems, and vendors rushed to fill the demand. Although there was no money for training, "states were forced to go out and buy equipment," says Jim Adler, president of VoteHere, a Bellevue (Wash.) firm that develops ballot auditing systems.

THE RESULT HAS BEEN CHAOS in one election after another, with worse likely in store for November. Much attention has been given to the fact that electronic voting machines, especially those made by Diebold Election Systems, may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers. And Princeton University computer scientist Edward Felten recently showed that the physical lock that protects Diebold machines from tampering can be opened with keys easily purchased on the Internet.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_43/b4006045.htm?sub=techmaven

[rumpel]

26. MS: Vote responsibly this year

Nathan Alday
October 13, 2006

Tuesday, Nov. 7, is Election Day. Shockingly neglected given their importance to our society and our nation, our votes are literally the reins with which we direct society. But elections and the entire democratic process are in a sad state. Every election year there are substantial accusations of voter fraud, such as Florida's hanging chad fiasco in 2000, and every year a new travesty mars the democratic process.

For instance, in the past year alone, Reps. Randall Cunningham, Tom DeLay and Mark Foley all resigned from the House of Representatives amid criminal accusations.

Such a level of corruption in Congress is insufferable, but it's not surprising. As a society, we practically ignore Election Day, particularly in years between presidential elections.

Election Day is not recognized as it should be-the cornerstone of our democratic government. We don't even take the day off, nor is there a period leading up to Election Day where we as a society focus on gathering information and making the best decision possible in the election.

And our government suffers. Even officials who are not criminal may be unfit for their appointed duties. Sen. Ted Stevens, president pro tempore and chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, once claimed that "an Internet was sent by my staff" and described the Internet as "a series of tubes."

Given the obvious level of corruption and incompetence in our elected officials and how vital an informed, well thought-out vote is to good government, there clearly should be a greater societal focus on ensuring that voting is well thought-out and informed.

http://www.reflector-online.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/10/13/452ef2f138259

[rumpel]

27. CA: County picks new ballot for voters

Inside Bay Area

By Chris Metinko, MEDIANEWS STAFF
Article Last Updated:10/13/2006 02:35:29 AM PDT

For the second time in five months, Alameda County voters will see a different paper ballot when they go to their polling places Nov. 7.
The county's decision to purchase a new voting system, manufactured by Oakland-based Sequoia, means voters will be asked to fill out a different ballot from the one used in June's election — one that may seem unusual to some. Instead of the old, standby, fill-in-the-oval ballots, the Sequoia paper ballot features a complete-the-arrow marking to cast a vote.

"We were concerned about it," said David Macdonald, the county's acting registrar of voters. "However, so far people seem to have caught on."
The concern, he said, has faded somewhat after no problems were reported during the first days of early voting this week.
The ballot, four pages long on two sheets of paper in Alameda County, features the head and tail of an arrow next to each candidate's name. The voter must connect the head and tail of the arrow with a single line to indicate their candidate of choice.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_4486245

[rumpel]

28. CA: McPherson : This Time it Affects Absentee Voters

Campaign 2006: McPherson's Lack of Leadership Once Again Puts Up More Barriers to Voting

Yuba.net

By: Debra Bowen for Secretary of State
Published: Oct 13, 2006 at 09:12

"As our Chief Elections Officer, the Secretary of State, should be a leader in developing contingency plans for everything that could possibly go wrong in an election. Instead, days after thousands of absentee ballots have been sent out across the state, McPherson is now trying to figure out how to let absentee voters know that they may need extra postage to mail in their ballots."

That's how Senator Debra Bowen, the chairwoman of the Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee and the Democratic nominee for Secretary of State,responded to the news that many counties will require voters to pay 63 cents -- or in at least one case, 87 cents -- to return their absentee ballot, yet many absentee voters may not be aware of the change.

"The Secretary of State knew the state portion of the ballot was unusually long for this election,so counties with a large number of local measures on their ballot would have to require their voters to use extra postage to get their ballot back to the county on time," continued Bowen. "A detailed plan to let absentee voters know about the increased postage rates should have been developed two months ago when the November ballot was finalized. Instead counties are scrambling to make deals with the post office to deliver ballots that don't have sufficient postage on them and are sending out additional mail, all wasting valuable tax dollars."

http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_43789.shtml

[rumpel]

29. ZDNet: Another voting official ’satisfied’ with e-voting

Government technology

Elections
Despite criticism that they didn't look hard enough, supervisors in a California county approved an outside report saying the county's electronic voting systems are secure, reports The Oakland Tribune.
Sequoia Voting Systems of Oakland made a deal with Alameda County that the voting system must get a green light before they would get paid $13.3 million for e-voting machines.

Voting rights advocates say that Sequoia didn't complete a "hack test" and fear the equipment is still open to an attack. They are suing the county over concerns about the security and accuracy of the machines.
Acting Registrar of Voters Dave Macdonald and county supervisors said Alameda has gone beyond other counties' security measures. Federal and state officials need to take it from here.

"I'm sure it's true more testing could be done," Macdonald said. "I'm not sure where it ends."

The firm did find a number of problem such as computer user names and passwords beng sent unencrypted to the county's vote tally server. The voting software system security was not up-to-date. The firm made suggestion to rectify these problems.

ttp://government.zdnet.com/?p=2647

[rumpel]

30. Lunch break with Mark Fiore

GOP 2.0

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/messaging.html

[rumpel]

32. FL: Democrats sue to stop Negron ballot signs

By Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, October 13, 2006

The Florida Democratic Party filed a lawsuit today in hopes of keeping notices out of polling places that would inform voters that ballots cast for former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley will count for fellow Republican Joe Negron.

The eight-county elections supervisors who will record the outcome in the 16th Congressional District agreed this week to print a notice that would be posted at registration tables and handed to voters who had questions about the race.

Foley resigned Sept. 29 - too late to print new ballots - and was replaced as the Republican candidate by Negron, a state lawmaker from Stuart. Negron will receive any votes cast for Foley, according to state law.

When Negron was picked as Foley's replacement, Florida Division of Elections Director Dawn Roberts asked the supervisors to mail a notice about the change with absentee ballots and to post the notice inside individual voting booths.

Supervisors decided against her recommendation, but agreed this week to make a notice available in case of voter confusion.


http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2006/10/13/1013foley_signs.html

[rumpel]

33. WI: Wisconsin needs improvement in some voting areas, study says

Gazette Extra

(Published Friday, October 13, 2006 10:18:54 AM CDT)

By Frederic J. Frommer
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Wisconsin needs to improve the way it deals with training poll workers and voters showing up to the wrong precinct during elections, according to a study released Thursday.

The survey of 10 sample states with past election problems called "Voting in 2006: Have We Solved the Problems of 2004?" was released Thursday by The Century Foundation, Common Cause, and The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

The report said that Wisconsin was "unsatisfactory" in two areas: for not providing provisional ballots to people who show up at the wrong precinct, and for its training of poll workers. But it rated Wisconsin's performance as "acceptable" in most areas, and "exemplary" in distribution of voting machines and same-day registration.

"I think we're better off than most states in the survey," said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin. "We don't have the same problems with regard to electronic voting machines. We don't have chads. People have a higher degree of confidence."

http://www.gazetteextra.com/eln_wisvoting101306.asp

[rumpel]

34. International: Electronic voting: two contributions

Written by Fukami and Tomaz Macus
Friday, 13 October 2006

In order to accommodate each citizens' right (or better duty) to vote, many countries have adopted electronic voting machines to make such operations faster and easily accomplished, not mentioning the much faster vote computations. But, as many other new technologies the voting machines are facing pangs of childbirth. Zone-H has reported several times in the past about the effective (in)security of this technology and nowadays they are facing similar problems in Germany, Netherland, France and other countries using the Nedap ES3B voting machine.

Today we are proposing a double vision that will present the matter from the point of view of two experts on this field: the first article has been published on Zone-H German mirror, whereas the second analysis has been specifically worked out as a commentary to such a topic .

http://www.zone-h.org/content/view/14241/31/

[rumpel]

35. BradBlog: E-Voting Toon of the Moment…

'Candorville' Skewers 'Liebold' and the Mainstream Media…

Kudos, btw, to Candorville cartoonist, Darrin Bell who has had his sharp eye on this issue for a while. His strip is widely syndicated (it's in our copy of LA Times for one), so his coverage of "Liebold" should be receiving quite a few eyeballs today.

He contacted us this morning to alert us to today's toon, along with the promise that "there will be more to this storyline as the election approaches".

He asks that we also point folks to the main Candorville website. We're happy to oblige!

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3619

[rumpel]

36. BradBlog: TOM FEENEY CAMPAIGN SCRUBS 'CRAZY CLINT CURTIS' SMEAR BLOG!

BLOGGED BY Brad ON 10/13/2006 6:35AM PT

Main Smear Website Remains, But Blog Featuring Unsubstantiated Attacks, Lies — Initially Posted Without 'Paid for by Feeney' Disclaimer — Now Removed, Redirected!
Hapless, Corrupt Congressman's Sad Attempt at Discrediting Whistleblower Curtis Continues to Backfire…
Poor, poor, corrupt, ethically-challenged, morally bankrupt Tom Feeney (R-Abramoff). Can't even run a smear campaign without getting into trouble, screwing it up and seeing it backfire.

As we reported several weeks ago, the feckless Florida Republican launched a "Crazy Clint Curtis" smear website and blogsite, to attack his whistleblower-turned-congressional opponent with doctored photos and doctored facts.

http://www.bradblog.com/

[rumpel]

37. San Diego Union Tribune: Mexican leftist faces fresh defeat on home turf

By Monica Medel
REUTERS
6:53 a.m. October 13, 2006

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico – Mexican leftist leader Andres Manuel López Obrador, with his presidential dream thwarted and his supporters gone quiet, faces another defeat this weekend in an election in his home state of Tabasco.
Opinion polls predict López Obrador's party will lose the Tabasco state governor's race in a new hard-to-swallow blow to the former Indian rights activist, who at the beginning of this year was expected to sweep the July presidential election.

After his lead evaporated in a race marked by mud-slinging, López Obrador lost by a whisker to conservative Felipe Calderón. The raucous protest camps he set up in Mexico City to claim massive election fraud have now disbanded and his protest movement has faded.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20061013-0653-mexico-leftist.html

[rumpel]

38. AZ: Sides debate vote-by-mail proposition

AZ Central

Chris Ramirez
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 12, 2006 12:00 AM
Proposition 205 has been dubbed the "Your Right To Vote by Mail Act."

But critics say that, if approved, it would shut down all but a minimum number of polling places in Arizona, severely curtailing the long-standing tradition of voting in person on Election Day. And they worry that the new approach would do away with safeguards against voter fraud in Arizona.

During an election season dominated by the debate over smoking initiatives, congressional races and the campaign for governor, Proposition 205 has received little attention in Arizona.

It could have important ramifications for the future of voting in the state.

If the measure passed, voting by mail would become the norm in Arizona. All voters would automatically receive a ballot and a return envelope with prepaid postage. But passage of the initiative also would mean shutting down most of the state's 2,200 or so polling stations, which critics say would disenfranchise voters. Those who chose to cast their ballots in person could do so in any of the small number of voting places that remained.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/topstories/articles/1012voter1012.html

[rumpel]

39. New Jersey Enters Order with U.S. Justice Department Regarding Voter Regis

Registration System

Government Technology


Oct 13, 2006 News Release
A stipulation and order agreement between the state and federal governments provides New Jersey additional time to implement a statewide voter registration database while ensuring that the November 7 general election operates fairly and guarantees all eligible voters the right to vote, Attorney General Stuart Rabner announced today.

The agreement allows the postponement of full implementation of the statewide voter registration system, which was scheduled to be in effect under provisions of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and a related state law. Instead, the state will use the existing county voter registration rolls as the official system for this fall's election.

The state today also sought a declaratory judgment in Superior Court delaying the full implementation of the statewide voter registration system because exclusive use of the statewide system that could result in problems that could threaten the integrity and orderly administration of the election.

http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/101667

[rumpel]

40. US may bequeath Bush a hostile Congress

Financial Times

By Holly Yeager and Edward Luce
Published: October 12 2006 19:07 | Last updated: October 12 2006 19:07
Republican party leaders in the US have lately been making it on to the television talk-show circuit not as guests but as jokes.

A year ago it was President George W. Bush’s “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job” praise for Michael Brown, the subsequently disgraced head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Variations on that Hurricane Katrina blunder kept audiences entertained for weeks.

Then, last week, America’s late-night comedians got another windfall when staff of Dennis Hastert, Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, described as merely “over-friendly” the lewd e-mails sent by Mark Foley, a congressional colleague of Mr Hastert’s, to teenagers who worked on Capitol Hill. Some have charged that Mr Hastert had known of this behaviour long before the story broke.

Given that at least one-third of the Republican vote comes from self-described evangelical Christians, and given Mr Hastert’s dogged refusal to resign as speaker amid plummeting public confidence in his party, that choice of words could look even more inept following polling day next month.

According to the first opinion polls taken since the Foley scandal hit the front pages, the Democrats lead the Republicans by between 11 and 23 percentage points in the campaign for midterm congressional elections on November 7, a significant increase over previous weeks.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9709791e-5a18-11db-8f16-0000779e2340.html

[rumpel]

41. OH: Absentee voting a big hit

The Enquirer

Last Updated: 5:26 am | Friday, October 13, 2006

With no reason needed, SW Ohio requests soar
BY ANNIE HALL | ENQUIRER COLUMBUS BUREAU
COLUMBUS - The joke among politicians used to be, "Vote early and often." But voting early is no joke in Ohio anymore.

Voters are flooding Greater Cincinnati boards of elections with absentee ballot requests - the result of a new law that allows anyone to vote absentee, no excuse needed. Previously, voters had to sign an affidavit saying they would be housebound, out of the county or had some other reason for being unable to get to the polls on Election Day.

"I think it's great," said Nathan Held, 23, of West Chester. "The past two or three Election Days it's rained and this absentee voting is a great convenience."

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061013/NEWS01/610130375

[Kurovski]

42. Kick to the top.

Thanks! :thumbsup: