Election Reform, Fraud and Related News. Sunday 03/09/08

[EFerrari]

U of O guest speaker talks about electronic voting

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Will electronic voting make U.S. elections more accurate and fair?

A guest speaker at the University of Oregon may make Oregon voters embrace their by-mail ballots a little longer -- especially in a year when the state's primary may be important.

Barbara Simons is a computer scientist who served on a national panel that reviewed electronic voting. She also scrutinized security concerns.

She will speak about progress and technical problems involving electronic voting methods at 7 p.m. on Thursday, (March 13) in Room 110 of the William W. Knight Law Center on 1515 Agate St.

http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=374c174d-78c8-449a-a7d2-8699f12a5720&rss=191

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.



Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread. If you can:


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[EFerrari]

1. National.

[EFerrari]

19. Vote Rescue Radio. Sunday, 3/9/08

This Sunday, March 9th on VoteRescue Radio, airing from 2-4pm CST, we are very excited to have three fantastic guests:

Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D., holds a B.A. in politics from the State University of New York at Potsdam, an M.A. in geography and an M.A. in history from the University of Oklahoma, and a Ph.D. in geomorphology from the University of Oregon. A former college professor, he has taught twelve different courses in geology, geography, and history.

Richard began investigating the 2004 Ohio Presidential election when he received an unsolicited e-mail containing obviously erroneous election results from Cleveland. He quickly found that hundreds of votes in certain precincts had inexplicably shifted from John Kerry to other presidential candidates. This made him a witness to a crime, with a duty to investigate further and to present his findings publicly. The result is his upcoming book, “Witness to a Crime”, an investigative report and eyewitness history, the document of record for what really happened in Ohio. Phillips wrote and submitted 21 papers to the Ohio Supreme Court as an expert witness in the Moss v. Bush lawsuit. He presented evidence of voter suppression, failure to count ballots cast, and alteration of the vote count sufficient to question the alleged victory of George W. Bush in Ohio.

Richard has also turned his attention to last Tuesday's primary elections in Texas and Ohio, and will share some of his observations on the results available so far.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_vickie_k_080308_voterescue_radio_sun.htm

[EFerrari]

2. States.

[EFerrari]

5. NM Election Bureau director retires three months ahead of primary

NM Election Bureau director retires three months ahead of primary
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 03/09/2008 12:09:22 PM MDT

SANTA FE—The director of the state Election Bureau has retired, leaving two top administrators who have little experience running elections just three months before the New Mexico primary election.

Daniel Ivey-Soto, a lawyer who served as Secretary of State Mary Herrera's Election Bureau chief, stepped down to seek a judicial appointment. His last day was Friday.

Ivey-Soto's departure leaves newly hired Election Administrator Daniel Miera as the next in line at the bureau.

Ivey-Soto downplayed the importance of the bureau in running elections.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_8513666

[EFerrari]

6. OH Brunner first opposed voting machine overhaul

Brunner first opposed voting machine overhaul
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - The state's chief elections official was adamant in a letter to Congress last summer that a quick voting machine overhaul would be bad for voters. Six months later, she ordered exactly such an overhaul.

In the June 13 letter, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner lobbied against a federal effort to change how voters who use electronic touch-screen machines can read a paper record of their ballots.

Brunner wrote elections officials were just becoming comfortable with changes resulting from a 2002 federal mandate.
ADVERTISEMENT

In December, Brunner ordered Ohio counties with touch-screen systems to switch to paper ballots because of security concerns raised in a study of the electronic touch-screen machines.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080309/NEWS01/803090342

[EFerrari]

8. PA: With primary day in six weeks, voting official remains stalwart

With primary day in six weeks, voting official remains stalwart
BY DAVID SINGLETON
STAFF WRITER
03/09/2008

Ms. Young prefers to look at the date she has circled in green, April 22, and work backward. From that perspective, she said, there are still six weeks until Election Day.

“I’ve constantly been reminding myself that we still have time between then and now,” Lackawanna County’s new director of elections said.

Not even a full month into her new job, Ms. Young finds herself at the center of an electoral maelstrom.

There is new voting technology to be mastered in the Election Systems & Software optical-scan system the commissioners finally decided on last week. There is a Voter Registration Office staff that still has several vacancies to be filled.

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19374552&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6

[EFerrari]

9. AL: Riley creates task force on voting system for troops

Riley creates task force on voting system for troops

Special to the Ledger
Enterprise Ledger
March 9, 2008

MONTGOMERY - Governor Bob Riley has created a bipartisan panel and tasked it with developing a plan that will allow deployed military troops and other Alabamians overseas to vote in elections using the Internet.

“If there is any group of people who understands the importance of voting, it is the men and women of our armed forces. But the very people who defend our freedom to hold elections are often faced with a bureaucratic and slow-moving process when it is their turn to vote,” said Riley.

“They deserve better. They deserve an absentee ballot system that is easy to navigate with no time-consuming hassles standing in their way.”

By executive order, the Governor has created the Alabama Military and Overseas Voting Task Force that will be chaired by the Secretary of State, the chief elections officer of the state.

http://www.eprisenow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=ENT%2FMGArticle%2FENT_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354890193&path=!news!localnews!index.shtml

[EFerrari]

11. OH: Despite challenges, primary ran smooth

Despite challenges, primary ran smooth
03/09/2008

Many Ohioans expected the worst.

No one could brag about Cuyahoga County's track record on recent Election Days.

When election officials in Ohio's most populous county had changed methods of casting ballots in the past, the democratic process at polling places and for counting votes disintegrated into utter chaos.

The switch to electronic machines three years ago and problems with two consecutive elections cost former Director Michael Vu his job. It also forced Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to oust the entire county Elections Board last year.

http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19374143&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=220548&rfi=6

[EFerrari]

12. CO: Counties Can't Afford Voting Machine Upgrades

Counties Can't Afford Voting Machine Upgrades
By Colleen Slevin, AP Writer

DENVER (AP) ― Nearly 40 small Colorado counties can't afford the new software they need to use their electronic voting equipment under restrictions set by the secretary of state, county clerks said Friday.

The clerks estimated it would cost the 38 counties a combined $1.9 million.

It's the latest obstacle to arise as Colorado prepares for the 2008 elections.

In December, Secretary of State Mike Coffman decertified most of the electronic election equipment used in Colorado, citing accuracy and security concerns. He has since recertified it after more tests and consultations, but he imposed new conditions.

http://cbs4denver.com/local/voting.machines.paper.2.672820.html

[EFerrari]

13. FL: Online vote discussed for Florida

By MARTIN MERZER
[e-mail]


The solution to the state Democratic Party's primary problem could be just a click away.

Advocates of Internet voting say they could conduct a Democratic do-over presidential primary that would offer security at least equal to that of an equally rare ballot by mail, while attracting more voters -- and at about half the cost.

Ballpark estimate: around $3 million, roughly equivalent to the money raised by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during an average day last month.

Though still controversial, Internet voting played a major role in the 2000 Democratic primary in Arizona, the 2004 Democratic primary in Michigan and -- just last month -- a presidential primary for Democrats living in 164 countries and territories. ''Not only can we save the party money, we can get it done faster and we can increase access significantly,'' said Lori Steele, chief executive officer of Everyone Counts Inc., a San Diego company that ran the primary for Democrats Abroad, which represents party members living outside the United States.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=post&forum=203&topic_id=498776&mesg_id=498778

[EFerrari]

17. SC could be 2nd state to make would-be voters prove citizenship

Mar 9, 3:01 PM EDT

SC could be 2nd state to make would-be voters prove citizenship

By SEANNA ADCOX
Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Anyone registering to vote in South Carolina would have to show a passport, birth certificate or naturalization documents under a bill being pushed by Republican lawmakers.

Supporters of the bill say it will protect elections by ensuring illegal immigrants or other noncitizens can't cast a ballot. Critics say it's just a GOP move to hassle people who might vote for Democrats.

The measure would apply only to people registering after it becomes law, not voters already on the rolls.

"The only people stifled from voting are those who can't legally vote," said Rep. Alan Clemmons, who leads a subcommittee that approved the measure earlier this year.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SC_XGR_VOTER_REGISTRATION_SCOL-?SITE=SCFLO&SECTION=US

[EFerrari]

20. IL: Dem. wins election to fill Hastert seat

Dem. wins election to fill Hastert seat

By DEANNA BELLANDI, Associated Press Writer Sun Mar 9, 3:07 AM ET

CHICAGO - A longtime Republican district fell to the Democrats Saturday when a wealthy businessman and scientist snatched former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's congressional seat in a closely watched special election.
ADVERTISEMENT

Democrat Bill Foster won 53 percent of the vote compared to 47 percent for Republican Jim Oberweis. With all 568 precincts reporting, Foster had 52,010 votes to Oberweis' 46,988.

"Tonight our voices are echoing across the country and Washington will hear us loud and clear, it's time for a change," Foster told cheering supporters Saturday evening.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen said Foster's win is a rebuke of the Bush administration and of the GOP's apparent presidential nominee, John McCain, who helped raise money for Oberweis.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080309/ap_on_el_ge/congress_hastert_s_seat_23

[EFerrari]

3. International.

[EFerrari]

14. India: Congress surges ahead in Nagaland vote-count

Congress surges ahead in Nagaland vote-count

March 08, 2008 10:52 IST
Last Updated: March 08, 2008 15:37 IST

Congress on Saturday surged ahead of its rival Nagaland People Front in Nagaland assembly polls, bagging 11 of the 15 seats declared till 1500 hours.

The four other seats have been shared evenly by the NPF and independents.

Trends available from 35 other constituencies showed that Congress was ahead in 14 seats and the NPF in 13, NCP, BJP and JD(S) in two each and RJD and independent in one seat each.

Polling for the 60-member assembly was held on March five and counting was taken up for 57 seats as re-polling was ordered in three constituencies.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/mar/08nepoll.htm

[EFerrari]

15. Spain: Socialists Celebrate Election Victory in Spain

Socialists began celebrating their win soon after polls closed on Sunday, March 9.

"It is a great victory," the Socialist Party's secretary general, Jose Blanco, annnounced on television. "It is a victory for all citizens."

Blanco estimated the party would capture between 168 and 171 spots in the 350-seat lower house.

With 73 percent of Sunday's vote counted, Zapatero's Socialist party had 44.3 percent, versus 39.7 percent for the conservative People's Party, according to the Interior Ministry.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3180958,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf

[EFerrari]

16. Spain's Zapatero Reelected, Gains Seats in Parliament (Update3)

Spain's Zapatero Reelected, Gains Seats in Parliament (Update3)

By Ben Sills

March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero won a second term as Spanish prime minister after pledging tax cuts and more government spending to weather an economic slowdown.

Zapatero's Socialist Party won 44.6 percent of the vote compared with 39.5 percent for the opposition People's Party with 67 percent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said on its Web site. That will give Zapatero 168 seats out of the 350 in the parliament compared with 154 for the PP, according to projections. Zapatero currently has 164 seats.

The Socialists overcame fallout from slowing economic growth and also Zapatero's failed peace negotiation with Basque terror group ETA to defeat People's Party leader Mariano Rajoy for the second time. His second term begins with unemployment rising, economic growth slowing and the inflation rate at a 12-year high.

``The Socialist Party has won the election and will increase its representation in parliament,'' party secretary Jose Blanco said at a press conference in Madrid. Zapatero ``will begin a new program of progressive change.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aO0BbLdXxvJI

[EFerrari]

4. Opinion.

[EFerrari]

10. Worries About a Florida Primary Do-Over Through Vote By Mail

Rick Hansen -- HuffPo

There are strong reasons, both equitable and political, to do something about the current standoff over whether Florida's delegates to this summer's Democratic National Convention should be seated. But the idea currently floated by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) of conducting a "do-over" via an all vote-by-mail primary makes me very concerned about the security and accuracy of such a vote. A far better option would be to award delegates 50-50 to Sens. Clinton and Obama.

Politically knowledgeable people know the relevant background. As I recently explained at Slate, "Florida and Michigan famously held their primaries too early this year, violating the scheduling rules set by the Democratic National Committee. None of the Democratic candidates campaigned in those states, and Obama's name did not even appear on the Michigan ballot. ("Uncommitted" got 40 percent of the votes, compared with Clinton's 55 percent.) Clinton won both of these contests, and she has taken the position that the Florida and Michigan delegates should be seated, a position rejected by the DNC chair, Howard Dean."

Certainly seating Florida and Michigan delegates elected from these early states a very bad precedent for the Democratic Party. It would only encourage states in future elections to buck party rules and increase the race to the front of the line in an already front-loaded primary system. But Michigan and Florida voters didn't make this choice of when to vote; politicians made if for them, and it seems unfair to punish these voters by not allowing their votes to count or their delegates to be seated. And in any case, these states are too important to the Democrats in the November general election to risk angering them now.

One possibility some have suggested is simply seating Florida and Michigan delegations with an even split between Clinton and Obama delegates. That's not what the Florida and Michigan voters chose, but that seems fairer than approving the results of a contest run under unfair rules and conditions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-hasen/worries-about-a-florida-p_b_90583.html

[EFerrari]

18. Veterans For Peace Chapter 56 Supporting Hand-Counted Paper ballots

March 9, 2008

PRESS RELEASE: Veterans For Peace Chapter 56 Supporting Hand-Counted Paper ballots; "No justice in secret vote counting"

By Jim Sorter

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Jim Sorter, [phone]; and Dave Berman [phone]

Veterans For Peace Chapter 56 Reiterates Support For Hand-Counting Paper Ballots
Peace Group Says No Justice, No Peace, and No Justice With Secret Vote Counting

(March 8, 2008) -- Veterans For Peace Chapter 56 has adopted a resolution (below) calling for Humboldt County to abandon its Diebold optical scanners in favor of hand-counting paper ballots beginning with the June 2008 primary election. VFP-56 joins the Voter Confidence Committee (VCC), Redwood ACLU, and Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee (HCDCC) in an emerging coalition that also boasts more than 250 individual community members who have signed on to indicate their willingness to hand-count paper ballots on election night once the County makes the change.

"We have a saying that goes 'No Justice, No Peace; Know Justice, Know Peace,'" said VFP-56 Secretary Jim Sorter. "There is no justice in secret vote counting."

VFP-56 support of election reform goes back as far as 2004, when the earliest versions of what became the Voter Confidence Resolution were being circulated. The Arcata City Council later adopted that resolution in July 2005.

"We are repeating and amplifying our past calls for election reform," said Sorter, "by joining with these other groups in calling for hand-counting all the paper ballots."

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_jim_sort_080309_press_release_3a_veter.htm

:woohoo:

[Patsy Stone]

7. Frist! :)

K&R!

[EFerrari]

21. Thank you, Patsy!

:hi:

[FogerRox]

22. KNR, I got the 4th vote, whose got the 5th rec ?

[tbyg52]

24. 9th here, fwiw - important topic nt

[Kurovski]

23. Thanks!

:thumbsup:

[FogerRox]

25. SO many problems, not enough god enough DEms

[Kurovski]

26. Goddem it!

:hi:

[FogerRox]

28. er . . . ah . . .good.

[Kurovski]

27. Kick to the top. (nt)