Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Thursday 10/26/06

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Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Thursday 10/26/06

Poll workers for Democracy urges anyone who's not nailed down to pledge, right now, to work the polls with us this November. (And get paid.)

Because you – the informed, the concerned, the on line – are needed in the front row seats on Election Day. You'll be helping voters, assisting elections officials, taking firsthand notes, and leaving with a new understanding of American elections.

More at link: http://www.pollworkersfordemocracy.org/





All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

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

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.

Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

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1. National: Registered voter list errors might impede some

Registered voter list errors might impede some

Act requires state registration lists' accuracy by Nov. 7
DEBORAH HASTINGS
Associated Press

Between every registered voter and the voting booth is The List. And if you're not on it, you might not be able to cast a ballot.

One of the biggest changes wrought by the Help America Vote Act is the mandate that every state must have a voter registration database up and working by the Nov. 7 general election. But a dozen states missed the Jan. 1 deadline for finishing their databases, which produce lists of registered voters for every precinct. And four states have been sued by the Justice Department.

That leaves a confusing array of systems that may or may not work come Election Day, voting rights groups say. And it creates a growing anxiety that registered voters with every right to cast a ballot will be turned away because their names are not on the list for a variety of reasons, including something as innocuous as a typo.

"No issue is more important on Election Day than the quality of the list," said Doug Chapin of the nonpartisan reform group electionline.org. "Those databases are the final say on whether a person gets to vote."

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/15848698.htm

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2. National: Election troubles foreseen

Election troubles foreseen
New equipment, shaky voter lists could set stage for big problems

June Kronholz
Wall Street Journal Writer
October 26, 2006
Nov. 7 may be the most problem-free Election Day ever — or maybe not.

Four years ago, still stinging from the "hanging chad" troubles of the 2000 presidential vote, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act. The new law gave the states $3.8 billion to replace punch-card and mechanical-lever voting machines, and to set up statewide voter lists to resolve election-day questions over who could vote and where.

States and counties bought a variety of new voting systems with the federal money, including optical scanners that read paper ballots and, in at least 34 states, touch-screen machines.

Two weeks before elections, voting-equipment makers and many election clerks say the new technology will eliminate lost or spoiled ballots and buoy voter confidence. "It gets better each time" voters use the new equipment, says Betty Ireland, West Virginia's secretary of state.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061026/NEWS/610260344

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3. AZ: Tiny typo, big effect on ballot

Tiny typo, big effect on ballot
Language calls for '.80 cent' tax hike on cigarettes, not 80 cents, or about $186 mil less than intended

Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 25, 2006 12:00 AM

Early-childhood-education and health programs on next month's ballot could lose millions of dollars if a misplaced decimal point is interpreted technically.

Proposition 203 is built around an 80-cent-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes to pay for the programs. But the ballot language calls for an ".80 cent/pack" tax increase, or 1/100th of what backers say they intended. That's less than 1 cent per pack.

Backers of the First Things First campaign always have promoted it as an 80-cent-per-pack tax increase. Even opponents have agreed it calls for an 80-cent hike. Proponents say a typo is to blame.

"We think it is very clear and voters understand and read that it is an 80 cents tax on tobacco," campaign spokesman Steve Roman said.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1025ballot1025.html

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4. AR: Additional ballots ordered for SFC in general election

Additional ballots ordered for SFC in general election
Commission errs on side of caution with high early vote turnout expected

Published: October 25, 2006
Kendall Owens, T-H Staff Writer

High early voting numbers are forcing the St. Francis County Election Commission to order additional ballots for the upcoming general election.

Election Commission chairman Frederick Freeman told commissioners Tuesday that he felt additional ballots would be needed for a precinct in Wheatley, during a meeting of the election commission. This morning, Freeman confirmed that ballots had not only been ordered for that precinct, but for others as well.

“From the first few days, it seems that turnout for this election is going to be up and we’re anticipating the possibility that we may have the largest early voting turnout that we’ve ever had in St. Francis County. For that reason, we felt it would be best if we ordered additional ballots to cover for early voting, even if that means we have some left after election day. It would be best if we erred on the side of caution,” said Freeman.

According to election coordinator Judy Armstrong, 1,300 additional ballots were ordered from Election Systems & Software this morning. The order included 100 additional ballots for both the Wheatley county box and the Palestine city box; 200 additional ballots for the Forrest City Ward 2 box and 300 additional ballots for the Ward 1-1, Ward 3-1 and Ward 4-1 boxes in Forrest City.

http://www.thnews.com/article.php?id=703

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5. CA: Bowen calls McPherson's suit over funds a 'stunt'

(Go, Debra! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: )



Bowen calls McPherson's suit over funds a 'stunt'
Challenger says the secretary of state has conflicting numbers for cost of Shelley misdeeds. He says he was looking out for the taxpayers.
By Seema Mehta, Times Staff Writer
October 26, 2006

When Secretary of State Bruce McPherson recently called on the state to sue his predecessor, he said disgraced Democrat Kevin Shelley's misdeeds would cost California taxpayers nearly $3 million in misspent federal election dollars. But in appeals from his office to a federal elections commission nearly a year ago, McPherson's staff argued that a third of that amount was properly spent.

McPherson said his office at that time was trying to lower the amount the state would be forced to repay. Ultimately, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission ruled this month that the Shelley administration misspent $2.9 million in federal funds, and taxpayers should not be on the hook for the money, he said.

"We wanted to hold the people of California the least vulnerable as possible," he said. "Would Californians want me to sit on my hands and do nothing, or say, 'OK, that's good enough'? I don't think that's what they want, or what they deserve."

But McPherson's challenger for secretary of state, state Sen. Debra Bowen, said the contradictory statements prove that McPherson's call to sue Shelley was posturing in advance of the Nov. 7 election.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-state26oct26,1,6349296.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=1&cset=true

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6. CA: California clarifies voting rights for immigrants

California clarifies voting rights for immigrants

By Martin Wisckol

The Orange County Register

(MCT)

SANTA ANA, Calif. - California Secretary Of State Bruce McPherson sent a letter Wednesday to foreign-born registered voters who had earlier received an intimidating mailer from a congressional campaign.

The mailer, which has been traced to U.S. House candidate Tan Nguyen's campaign, sparked a state investigation and bipartisan condemnation. McPherson's letter assures recipients that they can vote despite warnings in the earlier mailer.

Outrage over the Nguyen mailer - sent to 14,000 voters in central Orange County - has been focused primarily on the assumption that most recipients are U.S. citizens legally registered to vote.

But it is not a fail-safe assumption. In 1996, some 743 non-citizens were found to have voted in the controversial congressional race in which Loretta Sanchez upset Bob Dornan - the same seat for which Sanchez and Nguyen are now vying. Since then, only a few safeguards have been put in place to prevent non-citizens from registering and voting.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/nation/15848576.htm

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7. CA: (L.A.) Couonty to Audit touch-screen voting systems

County to audit touch-screen voting systems
Handful to be tested in wake of concerns about accuracy
BY TROY ANDERSON, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:10/25/2006 09:10:34 PM PDT

Amid growing national concern about the accuracy of touch-screen voting systems, Los Angeles County will conduct a random audit of 5percent of the machines used in early voting, officials said Wednesday.

Touch-screen voting at 17 county locations began Wednesday and will continue through Nov. 3. At the Norwalk Registrar-Recorder's Office headquarters, it's available through Election Day.

But last month, an election watchdog group and others raised concerns that the maker of the county's new $25million InkaVote Plus system - which includes a ballot reader and an audio ballot booth - had ties to an international gambling company.

Citizens and various organizations also have questioned whether the system is secure and accurately records cast ballots.

http://dailynews.com/news/ci_4550897

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8. CA: Missing: Absentee ballots (San Mateo Co.)

Missing: Absentee ballots
County Elections Office a week behind; A toll-free number has been set up for voters' missing ballots
By Rebekah Gordon, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated:10/26/2006 05:05:49 AM PDT

San Carlos resident Vivian Hendrickson, 64, has health ailments that would make going to a polling place to vote a huge effort. So she said she usually votes by absentee ballot.

There's only one problem: Her ballot, which was supposed to be mailed Oct. 10, still has not shown up in her mailbox, despite two phone calls to the Elections Office. She's not alone; other absentee voters have complained that their ballots appear to be absent.

"There seems to be a whole lot of apathy about it — and the fact that I'm not the only one — it makes it all the worse," Hendrickson said. Many people, she said, vote absentee for good reason. "If a big portion of those people don't get to vote, that's a real serious problem."

After a probing by the Times Wednesday about the delay, the county Elections Office set up a toll-free number to call.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_4552405

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9. Il: How safe is your ballot?

How safe is your ballot?

BY ROBERT SANCHEZ
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Using a screwdriver and a memory card, a Princeton University professor set out to show how quickly vote-stealing software could be uploaded into an electronic voting machine.

The so-called "Princeton hack" sparked controversy as soon as video of the demonstration hit the Internet last month.

Diebold Election Systems - the maker of the touch-screen election machine tested - blasted the casual study as "unrealistic and inaccurate."

Nevertheless, the findings have fueled claims that electronic voting machines across the nation are vulnerable to tampering.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=242166

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10. MD: State elections board cited for nine shortcomings

State elections board cited for nine shortcomings
Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006

by Janel Davis
Staff Writer

The state Board of Elections did not adequately supervise local elections boards in implementing voter registration changes, did not obtain a required audit of the statewide voter registration system, did not fully review local boards’ compliance with election laws and failed to maintain sufficient internal network controls and bookkeeping, according to a state report released last week.

The Department of Legislative Services examined the board’s performance from April 17, 2003, through Feb. 28, 2006, in its report. It cited three deficiencies in the board’s oversight of the statewide voter registration system: The board did not verify changes made to the system, monitor which statewide elections staff could access the system and obtain an audit of the system from the contracting company, Saber Consulting.

The voter registration system database, MDVOTERS, was implemented as part of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, which overhauled the elections process and replaced punch card voting systems.

‘‘The first three findings were all new because the voter registration system got put under state control by state and federal laws. Before that, each locality had control of its registries,” said Bruce A. Myers, an auditor with the DLS’s Office of Legislative Audits. ‘‘We were hopeful for more progress. We thought the board’s draft plan looked good.”

http://www.gazette.net/stories/102606/fredcou182133_31947.shtml

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11. MD: Voting Machines Had Defective Part

Voting Machines Had Defective Part
Key Component Was Replaced in Touch-Screen Units After Repeated 'Freezes'

By Cameron W. Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 26, 2006; Page B05

The maker of Maryland's electronic voting system replaced a flawed electronic component in several thousand touch-screen voting machines in 2005, state election officials acknowledged this week.

To eliminate unpredictable "screen freezes" that have occurred since the machines were first used in Maryland in 2002, Diebold Election Systems installed new system boards in about 4,700 voting machines from four Maryland counties: Allegany, Dorchester, Montgomery and Prince George's.

The screen freezes do not cause votes to be lost, officials said, but they confuse voters and election judges who sometimes wonder whether votes cast on a frozen machine will be counted.

The acknowledgment of the repairs came in response to queries from The Washington Post and sheds further light on Maryland's troubled transition to electronic voting. Critics said it raises concerns about whether the state and company officials have kept the public adequately informed about problems with a system that cost taxpayers $106 million.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501907.html

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12. MD: Late Paper Ballots Create Problems For Md. Election Boards

Late Paper Ballots Create Problems For Md. Election Boards

By Megha Rajagopalan, Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS - After electronic glitches made a mess of primary elections in some places, voting officials vowed that general elections would progress without a bump.

But with less than two weeks remaining before the Nov. 7 general election, many county elections boards have received only a small fraction of the paper ballots they need for use as absentee ballots or standby provisional ballots - a troubling turn in a year that has brought the most requests for the ballots in the history of non-presidential races in Maryland.

County elections officials, many of whom say that paper ballots have never been this late in coming before, are increasingly worried that they will not be able to get absentee ballots out to voters on time. Some are so desperate they have begun photocopying paper ballots on office copiers so they will have something to give to voters.

"It's really terrible," said Robert J. Antonetti Sr., elections administrator in Prince George's County. "Time is running out. It's going to deny people the right to vote."

http://somd.com/news/headlines/2006/4663.shtml

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13. MO: More bogus election forms found

More bogus election forms found
By Jo Mannies
POST-DISPATCH POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
10/25/2006

Hundreds of bogus address changes have surfaced at the St. Louis County Election Board, which is warning voters to make sure they get a polling-place notification card in the mail next week.

If the card doesn't show up, a voter's address may have been fraudulently changed without their knowledge, said Joseph Goeke, the county's Republican elections director.

Voters who don't get a card can call the election board or bring valid identification and proof of residence to the polls on Nov. 7, Goeke said.

"If you're at the correct polling place for your (correct) address, then you can vote," Goeke said.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/metroeast/story/52F68CD4CC22161F86257212000E8300?OpenDocument

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14. NJ: Awaiting the exit poll on electronic voting machines

Awaiting the exit poll on electronic voting machines

Thursday, October 26, 2006

By ERICA ZARRA
of The Montclair Times

On Nov. 7, Essex County’s 421,218 registered voters will have an opportunity to cast ballots in the first general election that will use electronic voting machines.

Every November, most citizens are usually focused on the political candidates, platforms, and issues such as the economy, Social Security, and property taxes. But when voters enter the polling stations in two weeks, these matters may be somewhat upstaged by concerns of whether their votes will count at all.

In response to the hotly contested 2000 presidential election that had to be determined by the Supreme Court, Congress approved the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and subsequently, provided $3.9 billion to technologically upgrade America’s voting system. The old-fashioned lever machine was replaced with a touch-screen model, complete with a selection button, larger names of candidates and other features.

State law mandates that by 2008, all electronic ballot boxes must comply with HAVA, which stipulates that all machines have voter-verifiable printed receipts, disability access and multiple-language capabilities.

http://www.montclairtimes.com/page.php?page=13281

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15. OH: Blackwell Rules Out Scanning Absentee Ballots Early

Blackwell Rules Out Scanning Absentee Ballots Early

Reported by: A.P.
First posted: 10/26/2006 12:42:27 AM

CLEVELAND (AP) -- County election boards facing a surge in absentee ballots from voters concerned about polling-place lines and problems were warned by the state Wednesday against counting or even computer-scanning absentee votes before Election Day.

Some local election boards facing heavy absentee-ballot use have pressed for permission to scan ballots into computers before Election Day, while holding off on tallying votes until the state-mandated start of 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

"Ohio law simply does not allow ballots to be counted prior to Election Day," said James Lee, spokesman for Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Ohio's chief election officer and the Republican candidate for governor in the Nov. 7 election.

"Boards of elections can open up absentee ballots, lay them flat in order to get the creases out," Lee said.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/10/25/oh_ballots.html

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16. PA: Probe ends with no voter registration fraud found

Probe ends with no voter registration fraud found
Some Social Security numbers were flagged this month when they couldn’t be verified.
By JOHN DAVIDSON [e-mail]

“I cannot prove whether these individuals made an attempt to illegally register to vote. There’s simply not enough evidence to risk disenfranchising voters in this election.”
Leonard Piazza Election Bureau director

WILKES-BARRE – An investigation into suspicious voter registration applications has yielded no evidence of wrongdoing and will not proceed to the federal level, according to county officials.

Earlier this month, about 50 Social Security numbers listed on voter registration applications were flagged after they could not be verified through a database, prompting a probe into possible voter registration fraud.

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/15842260.htm

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17. TX: Voting machines chop off candidates' names

Voting machines chop off candidates' names
Computer glitch affects eSlate machines used in Travis, Hays counties; error cannot be fixed by Nov. 7.

By Tara Copp, Corrie MacLaggan
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, October 26, 2006

WASHINGTON — It's conventional wisdom in politics that it's good to have a short, simple last name to build identification with voters.

Seems Austin's electronic voting machines think so, too.

As voters review their ballots, they may be surprised to see that the Hart InterCivic Inc. eSlate voting machines chop off candidate names longer than about 15 letters. So Kinky Friedman becomes "Richard 'Kinky' F." Carole Keeton Strayhorn: "Carole Keeton St."

And Texas' senior senator? Just call her "Kay Bailey Hutch."

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/10/26/26glitch.html

(warning: this site is a pita)

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18. VA: Lawmakers Pushing for Paper Trail As Backup

Lawmakers Pushing for Paper Trail As Backup

By Leef Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 26, 2006; Page B02

A computer glitch that alters the names of some candidates on electronic ballots in three Virginia cities helps prove the need to create a paper record of each vote cast, two state lawmakers said yesterday.

Del. Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax) and Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-Fairfax) said at a news conference in Fairfax County that the computer errors in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville show that legislation is necessary to ensure the accuracy of electronic voting throughout Virginia.

Alexandria officials said earlier this week that a change to a larger type size on the summary page of the electronic ballot distorts candidates' names. U.S. Senate candidate James Webb (D), for example, appears as "James H. 'Jim' " on the summary page.

Officials stressed that the page on which voters actually make their selections contains the full names; the summary page shows voters all their selections before they cast their ballot. State election officials say the glitch will not affect the outcome of races and have pledged to correct the problem by the 2007 statewide elections.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501918.html

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19. WV: Votes to be counted by precinct

Votes to be counted by precinct

Matthew Thompson
Daily Mail staff

Thursday October 26, 2006

Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick said the county will go ahead with plans to provide precinct-based counting for the Nov. 7 election.

"It's just going to go as it was originally intended," McCormick said today. "We are following the guidelines of the recent House bill and state code."

The decision comes after a recent memorandum from the Secretary of State's office recommended the county run its ballots through a central count tabulator at Voter's Registration headquarters.

"We feel it's imperative that you send each ballot of every precinct through the central count tabulator, to ensure accurate results," the memo said.

http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2006102617/

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20. Will Ken Blackwell find the ways to steal Ohio 2006 as he did in 2004?

Will Ken Blackwell find the ways to steal Ohio 2006 as he did in 2004?
by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
October 26, 2006

The man who stole Ohio for George W. Bush in 2004 is now trying to steal it for himself in 2006. The question is: who will stop him, and will he also affect the balance of power in the U.S. Congress?

As election day approaches, Blackwell's dirty tricks sink ever deeper.

Blackwell is now using "push polls" made infamous by Karl Rove. True to form, child molestation charges are front and center. He has also escalated the mass disenfranchisement of Ohio voters, trashing the ballots of some ten percent of absentee voters. He has eliminated the state-wide ballot initiative meant to save workers rights and wages. He's even tried to strike the Democratic gubernatorial nominee from the ballot altogether. All of which could affect not only his race for governor, but key U.S. Senate and House races as well.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_harvey_w_061026_will_ken_blackwell_f.htm

[phoebe]

21. Kick - appreciate all your hard work on this - used to do it myself

thank you - it is a valuable service and hope that you are keeping backup/paper files of all these stories for future reference.

[EFerrari]

22. Bruce O'Dell: Pull the Plug on E-Voting

October 25, 2006 at 14:55:46

Pull the Plug on E-Voting

by Bruce O'Dell

Part 1 of 2

The FBI is investigating the "possible theft" of the Diebold touch screen voting software in Maryland. Excuse me... but I fail to see what all the fuss is about. I certainly don't condone theft; it's just that I don't understand why anyone would bother with stealing the Diebold source code - or why anyone would take the time to read it.

Don't get me wrong: I've spent twenty five years in the financial services industry helping to protect billions of dollars of other people's money. I designed internet security services as an employee of American Express to protect the online financial identities of hundreds of thousands of people, and recently spent a year at one of the twenty largest companies in America as chief architect of a project to replace the foundation of all their internal and external security systems. I understand risks from thieves and embezzlers - I've designed financial audit and control systems. In the world I work in, there's no room for excuses.

Source code is irrelevant

I'll let you in on a dirty little secret of the computing profession: in the real world, there's simply no way to ensure that any program alleged to be written by Programmer Bob on June 24th bears any relationship whatsoever to what actually runs on computer "X" thousands of miles away on November 7th. Even if Programmer Bob's corporate public relations and sales reps swear up and down that it must be so.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bruce_o__061025_pull_the_plug_on_e_v.htm

[EFerrari]

23. NE: Omaha Prints Own Ballots As Others Wait

Omaha Prints Own Ballots As Others Wait

By TIMBERLY ROSS
The Associated Press
Thursday, October 26, 2006; 10:39 AM

OMAHA, Neb. -- As election officials across the country struggle to get ballots in time for Nov. 7 elections, county employees in Omaha are printing their own.

Douglas County used to buy ballots from Omaha-based Electronic Systems & Software _ one of the three main suppliers of election equipment and ballots in the United States.

But this year, the county bought a printer to produce the 425,000 optical-scan ballots it needs.
(snip)

But the county also may have saved itself a headache by ensuring it will have ballots on Election Day, said Doug Lewis, director of the Election Center, a national association of election officials.

Omaha "may be ahead of the curve," he said

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/26/AR2006102600597.html

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24. Judy Lynn's LBN thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2581297

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25. HuffPo: OAS Criticizes US Interference in Nicaragua's Election

OAS Criticizes US Interference in Nicaragua's Election, But the New York Times and the Washington Post Don't Think It's Newsworthy

Robert Naiman, Just Foreign Policy, October 25 2006

Last weekend, election monitors from the Organization of American States criticized the Bush Administration's interference in Nicaragua's upcoming presidential election.

Here's how you would have known this if you follow mainstream news sources in the United States: if you saw the Reuters story on Yahoo News.

Here's how you wouldn't have known it: from reading the New York Times or the Washington Post, even on their web sites, even though they both subscribe to Reuters, and carry lots of Reuters articles on their web sites. Go to their web sites and try to find it.

Of course, you could have heard it on Democracy Now. Or you perhaps you saw the story in on the Chinese Xinhua.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-weisbrot-and-robert-naiman/oas-criticizes-us-interfe_b_32455.html

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26. Gideon: CNN's Lou Dobbs: Maryland Trains Poll Workers So Diebold Can't Bla...

CNN's Lou Dobbs: Maryland Trains Poll Workers So Diebold Can't Blame Them For Diebold's Failures

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.Org

Last night Kitty, sans Lou who is in Texas, reported on election judge training in the state of Maryland. Taking place at the University of Maryland, all election judges, whether experienced or not, are subject to the new training. However, with elections less than two weeks away, officials are questioning the preparedness of the volunteer poll workers who must learn the new Diebold e-voting system. Let's hope Diebold will not be able to blame all of their failures on the voter and the poll workers. (That's probably too much to wish for though)

The text-transcript of Wednesday's segment on Lou Dobbs Tonight follows in full . . .

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3666

[kpete]

27. Another Stolen Election Headed Our Way?

Go to Original

Another Stolen Election Headed Our Way?
By Andy Ostroy
The Ostroy Report

Thursday 26 October 2006

An interview with Mark Crispin Miller about what voters can do to prevent it.

Mark Crispin Miller is a very serious guy. We met recently over coffee at a quaint little cafe near New York University, where he teaches communications and media. Mark's been sounding the alarm on election fraud for years, convinced that both Al Gore and John Kerry were robbed of the presidency in 2000 and 2004. And he's afraid, very afraid, that the problem these days is worse, not better. Listening to him talk, watching his gestures, hearing his doomsday scenarios, it's easy to get caught up in it. And it makes you angry to think he's right. We vowed to riot in the streets should Democrats lose again in November. What I love about Mark is that you get the feeling he'd actually do it.

While I firmly believe that part of the Repugs' strategy to win elections is to steal them, I don't profess to be an expert on voting fraud. There's plenty of very dedicated folks like Mark, Brad Friedman and Bobby Kennedy Jr. who've thankfully been carrying that torch, making the rest of us painfully aware that the problem exists and that if, unchecked, it can and will happen again. If you don't believe that, all you need to do is monitor the blatantly corrupt actions of people like Kenneth Blackwell-Ohio's Secretary of State, gubernatorial candidate and loyal Bushevik-to get a greater sense of the threat facing Democrats at the polls.

So what I asked Mark was not to simply rehash the infuriating tales of fraud from the Gore/Bush and Bush/Kerry elections, but to clearly define for us what Americans can do to prevent a repeat in 2006 and 2008.

First and foremost, Americans must vote. And vote in record numbers. Sounds simple, right? Well it is. The ability to vote in this country is not just a right but an obligation. The more Democrats that vote, the less likely that fraud would impact the outcome of an election. 96-million, 105-million and 121-million people voted in the '96, '00 and '04 elections respectively. In '04, overall turnout was a record 61%, but the GOP's highly efficient "72-hour" program delivered more voters than the Democrats' get-out-the-vote efforts. But as we now know, we still need even greater turnout.

more at:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102606D.shtml

[autorank]

28. Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!! KR

[katinmn]

29. Here's a motherload of stories for the past couple days

Two weeks before the elections, the media is finally covering election problems.

http://electionline.org/ElectionlineToday/tabid/84/Default.aspx

October 26, 2006

National News: Election troubles foreseen | List errors might impede voters

Alabama: Sheriff candidate presses for ballot probe

Arizona: Tiny typo, big effect on ballot

Arkansas: Additional ballots ordered for St. Francis County in general election

California: Bowen calls McPherson's suit over funds a 'stunt' | California clarifies voting rights for immigrants | Closer look at illegal voting | Letter debunks intimidating flier | Los Angeles County to audit touch-screen voting systems | Missing: Absentee ballots | Prepare for new voting machines on Election Day | Tulare County election workers could get raises

Illinois: How safe is your ballot?

Maryland: Late paper ballots create problems for Md. election boards | Maryland elections board cited for nine shortcomings ( Report ) | Voting machines had defective part

Mississippi: New voting machines await general election voters, many for a first time

Missouri: More bogus election forms found

Montana: Voting machines aid disabled

New Jersey: Awaiting the exit poll on electronic voting machines

Ohio: Blackwell rules out scanning absentee ballots early

Pennsylvania: Probe ends with no voter registration fraud found

Texas: Voting machines chop off candidates' names

Virginia: Lawmakers pushing for paper trail as backup

West Virginia: Votes to be counted by precinct


October 25, 2006

National News: Election Day already passed for many | Report warns of potential voting problems in 10 states

National News: E-voting problems might infest mid-term elections

Arkansas: Absentee ballots arrive in Benton County | Commission rejects new voting machine distribution date

California: Alameda County brings mobile booths to voters | Calif. candidate won't quit if charged | San Mateo County officials see significant errors in electronic voting test run

Colorado: Big trial for new ways of voting | Vote security sets Denver back

Florida: Judge Rules on Exit Polls in Florida

Georgia: State escapes election group’s trouble-spot list | Voters comfortable with voting machines

Illinois: Chicago withholds voting machine pay | Cook County voters will have touch-screen option | Site's data vulnerable at least 5 years, say city election officials

Maryland: Younger election judges sought

Massachusetts: New voting machines could cause some confusion come election day

Mississippi: Officials let Miss. voters practice on new electronic machines

Missouri: Elections office wants probe into voter registration | St. Louis election officials see no cause for concern | Voting problems likely in state, observers warn

North Carolina: State: Computer voting safe

Ohio: Election board angered by absentee ballot delay | Official calls for probe in ballot delay | Scattered woes in the forecast for Election Day | Suit calls Ohio's voter ID law a mess, asks court to void it ( Complaint )

Oklahoma: Easy does it - Ballot concerns few in Oklahoma

Pennsylvania: Centre County tries to ease voting jitters

Texas: Harris County's machines pass test

Utah: Early voters have easy time


October 24, 2006

National News: Expect Nov. 7 election to have modern complications | New voting systems, rules may spell trouble at polls

Arizona: Challenger is critical of voting procedures

California: New instant runoff voting less costly? | Advocates fight for a stamp of approval | Embattled candidate blames translation

District of Columbia: Investigation launched after votes allegedly not counted

Florida: Palm Beach County computer glitches mean slow going for early voting

Georgia: Politicians slam letter to voters

Illinois: Chicago voter information open to hackers | Kane County voting practices called into question | Parents concerned about polling places at schools

Indiana: Absentee ballots latest in Union County struggles | Marion County voting machines put to test in dry run | Rep. says you can count on Randolph voting equipment | Voter fraud prevention | Voter Registration Office ready for election | Voting machines pass test; Marion County still has concerns

Kansas: Seward County ahead of state with Spanish translators for elections

Maryland: Governor, others denounce state’s electronic systems | Maryland officials running out of absentee ballots

Missouri: Legislators ponder next step with voter ID law

New Jersey: Fears about vote hinge on new machines | System enables blind to vote on Ocean County machines

New Mexico: Judge: Voting sites to stay | New system awaiting voters

New York: Advocates blast Westchester plan to keep some lever voting machines | League of Women Voters to show film on voting machines

Oregon: Interest in Oregon's vote-by-mail system spreads | Native hits roadblock applying for state ID

Pennsylvania: Northampton grants pay increase to elections workers | Rochester takes part in test of voting machines

Texas: Ballot glitch could affect thousands of Houston votes | Dallas County using new voting machines | Lack of machines means problems for Palmview, Peñitas | Lack of paper trail makes some voters leery

Virginia: Some voting machines chop off candidates' names

Washington: Officials prepare for election

Wisconsin: Woman gets probation in fraud case


October 21-23, 2006

National News: Old election glitches lead to new worries | Researchers blast voting machine strategy | Rush for voting machines, training before midterm elections

Alabama: Worley blames nickel for delay in statewide voter registration

Arizona: Supreme Court allows Arizona to use new voter-ID procedure ( Supreme Court Decision )

Arkansas: Absentee ballots still missing | Few counties report problems leading up to early voting

California: Where to put voting booths can anger voters | Write-ins no joke to election officials

Florida: Election left off Jupiter ballots | Mistake fractures district's voting method | Poll workers can't tell voters why Foley's name is on ballot | Supervisors, poll watchers brace for upcoming elections

Kansas: New machines alter way we vote

Maryland: Baltimore lagging in preparation for election | Computer voting disks likely made for testers | Diebold declares machines secure for voting in Maryland, elewhere | Ehrlich predicts close election, 'a lot of challenges' | Election judge banned from polls for double voting | Lawyers sought as election volunteers

Massachusetts: Clerk gets 3 ballot machines | Pol pushes for ID’ing at polls

New Jersey: Absentee ballot reforms could increase fraud | N.J.'s voting system to get first true test

New Mexico: GOP campaign upset over New Mexico absentee voting problem

Ohio: Summit County should mail reprinted pages Monday after printer fixes mistakes

Pennsylvania: Luzerne County is ready for Nov. 7, says election director | Suit over Butler County's touch-screen voting dropped

Tennessee: Cast aside, old voting machines need a job

Texas: November vote in Travis County should be a snap, study finds

Virginia: U.S. asked to watch election in Chesterfield

Washington: Registration forms sent via UPS make 1,100 ineligible to vote | Washington loves vote-by-mail; is online voting next?

[EFerrari]

30. Thank you!

:)