Election Reform and Related News: Sunday, June 15, 2008

[livvy]

Election Reform and Related News

Sunday, June 15, 2008



Everyone is welcome to participate. Feel free to:

:graybox: Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

:graybox: Post stories using the new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph ...

:graybox: Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

:graybox: Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.



Recommendations for the Greatest Page are always welcomed. It's the best way to share the news with members who don't frequent this forum. It's the link below.

[livvy]

1. Editorials, OpEds, Opinions, Blogs, etc. (And a 'toon!)

[livvy]

2. ELECTION NON-REFORMS: New, Useless Paper Trail

ELECTION NON-REFORMS: New, useless paper trail
Click-2-Listen
Palm Beach Post Editorial

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Florida voters are promised that the third voting system in eight years will be the charm. Now, there will be a paper record of every vote cast. So, every vote can be counted in case anything as unlikely as a tight race to determine the presidency comes along, right? Wrong.

Florida law doesn't allow all of those paper ballots - in a statewide race there would be millions - to be recounted by hand. Not under any circumstances.

It doesn't matter that Gov. Crist and the Legislature forced 15 counties, including Palm Beach and Martin, to abandon perfectly good electronic machines for fill-in-the-line optical-scan ballots. The first area test of the system will come June 24 with West Palm Beach's special city commission election. It doesn't matter that the state made the switch for one overriding reason: to ensure a paper trail in the event of disputed elections.

In fact, the paper trail leads nowhere. In the closest elections, decided by less than a quarter of a percent, laws written after 2000 call for election officials to review a small percentage of ballots, just those that were not counted because no vote appeared - an undervote - or too many votes appeared - an overvote. Legitimate votes found among those undervotes and overvotes would be added to the appropriate candidate's total.

more...

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/06/15/a2e_elections_edit_0615.html

[livvy]

3. ELECTION NON-REFORMS: Watch the Undervotes

ELECTION NON-REFORMS: Watch the undervotes
Click-2-Listen
Palm Beach Post Editorial

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Optical-scan voting, new this year in Palm Beach, Martin and 13 other counties, does nothing to keep voters from skipping a race. Election supervisors say it can't. Too many voters routinely skip races - think constitutional questions or judicial choices - making it too hard to set off alarms to stop them as they leave the polling place.

Alarms will sound for voters who make no mark at all on the entire ballot or vote for too many candidates in a given race. Scanners will spit out the ballot, and voters will be given a second chance.

But the pesky undervotes that undermined confidence in punch-card and touch-screen systems will not go away. Now, Floridians are being told, optical-scan voting is better because it has a paper trail. But the paper trail is of little use, since state law limits recounts, as the editorial above shows.

When voters go to the polls in the single-issue West Palm Beach commission special election June 24, casting an undervote will be possible. For instance, a voter could circle the candidate's name instead of filling in the space between the arrows. A single undervote in this race would mean a blank ballot, triggering the alarm.

more...

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/06/15/a2e_undervotes_edit_0615.html

[livvy]

10. NJ: The Voting Machine Verdict

The voting machine verdict
Posted by Star-Ledger editorial board June 14, 2008 10:30PM

After much legal wrangling, the question of whether the state's 10,000 electronic voting machines accurately record votes is headed into the courtroom, with a trial slated for September.

Long before that, experts will have performed tests and reached conclusions about the reliability of the machines.

Yet New Jerseyans walking into voting booths on Nov. 4 may be casting their ballots without knowing what those tests found. They will make a choice for president uncertain whether their votes will be properly recorded.

Why? Judge Linda Feinberg has imposed a gag order preventing anyone connected with the case from disclosing what the testing of the machines reveals. The lawyers and experts have to remain mum until the case -- including any appeal -- is completed. Most likely that will be well after the presidential election.

more...

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2008/06/the_voting_machine_verdict.html

[livvy]

11. Should the Side With the Most Votes Win?

Should the side with the most votes win?

By Howard Troxler, Times Columnist

Published Saturday, June 14, 2008 3:19 PM


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You gotta admit, it is a little weird that the United States — every four years — goes through this drawn-out rigmarole of a presidential campaign, building to a climax on Election Day in November …

… only then to turn over the real election of the president to the Electoral College, a dusty and obscure outfit.

There have been a lot of criticisms of the college over time. But what seems to bother most modern critics is the notion that a U.S. president can be elected even without getting the most popular votes nationwide, as in 2000.

To a "federalist" — someone who still thinks of the U.S. at least somewhat as a union of individual states — that is not such a shocking or unnatural outcome.

But to many citizens of our modern, homogenized, nation, it makes no sense. Why shouldn't the president be the person who gets the most votes nationwide?

more...

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/article625098.ece

[livvy]

23. NV: Audit Report Won't Tell You Much

ANSWERS: CLARK COUNTY:

Audit report won’t tell you much
Election Department data redacted to ensure privacy
By Tony Cook

Sun, Jun 15, 2008 (2 a.m.)

If you’re looking for a quick read this summer — and we mean real quick — check out the recently released audit of the Clark County Election Department’s information systems.

What will I find? Harrowing tales of vote rigging and voting machine tampering?

No, sorry. It’s a quick read for an entirely different reason. The majority of the report is redacted with large black boxes.

The audit is intended to ensure department data are secure. The report lists five “high-priority issues,” those that create an “immediate risk to the availability, confidentiality or integrity” of the data, but four of them are redacted. So are all four “medium-priority” issues and two of four “low-priority” issues.

So what does the report tell us?

The one high-priority issue that is detailed reveals that temporary election workers had the ability to upgrade their access levels, which could allow a tech-savvy temp to download remote access software or a virus onto the computer.

more...


http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jun/15/audit-report-wont-tell-you-much/

[livvy]

33. Richard Hayes Phillips,Author of "Witness to a Crime: A Citizens' Audit of an American Election"

June 12, 2008

Richard Hayes Phillips,Author of "Witness to a Crime: A Citizens' Audit of an American Election"

By Joan Brunwasser

Exclusive with Richard Hayes Phillips
Part One: Why I was able to become an Election Fraud Investigator

In the sphere of election integrity, Richard Hayes Phillips stands out. For the last several years, he has dedicated himself to investigating the forensic evidence of the 2004 presidential election in the state of Ohio. Why Ohio? Because it was key to the Bush “victory,” and because he saw disturbing anomalies, he threw himself into what would turn out to be a three-year project “to find out for self” (p. 1). Long after most people had reluctantly returned to their normal lives, Phillips soldiered on, studying the election records to a degree that they had rarely, if ever, been studied before. He requested, photographed, and analyzed “126,000 ballots, 127 poll books, and 141 voter signature books from 18 counties in Ohio.”

The result, Witness to a Crime: A Citizens’ Audit of an American Election was just published some weeks ago. The story Phillips unfolds is a fascinating one. This book is an indispensable aid to understanding the 2004 election in general, and Ohio specifically. Because Kent State University Press reneged on its contract, Witness to a Crime almost wasn’t published at all. But, this mild-mannered holder of four degrees, former college professor, talented musician, and seasonal Adirondack trail-clearer simply refused to allow this story to slip away.

In this series, Phillips will lay out the intriguing story behind the story. I am honored that he chose me and OpEdNews as the vehicle for his tale. I urge you to check this book out, pass it around, buy it for your local library, and write letters to the editors of your local newspaper about it. We need to break through the media blackout. As Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. says:


This landmark investigation is a testament to what private citizens can accomplish when government officials fail to protect our right to vote and to count those votes as cast. Every American – Republican and Democrat – should read this book, and join the fight for democracy’s most fundamental right.

more...

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Exclusive-with-Richard-Hay-by-Joan-Brunwasser-080612-229.html

[Wilms]

35. Stanislevic : So Now Can We Talk About Hand Counts?

Election Integrity: Fact & Friction

So Now Can We Talk About Hand Counts?

Friday, June 13, 2008

Howard Stanislevic

snip

Thanks to the Honorable Gary L. Sharpe, the judge in the case of US v. The New York State Board of Elections who has previously stated that he gets his information about electronic vote counting from reading the newspapers, the State Board of Elections is now required to send the Court weekly status reports on the progress of, among other things, lever machine replacement testing, also known as "Plan A." According to the report dated June 6, 2008:

SysTest reports that Sequoia/Dominion has 279 open source code discrepancies and ES&S has 915 open source code discrepancies.

snip

Not that source code is the only way to screw up an election. Far from it! Those of us actually paying attention know that ballot programming, also known as election configuration, is much more accessible and dangerous than mere source code. Anyone with access to an Election Management System such as GEMS, Unity or WinEDS (the big 3) already has all the tools necessary to manipulate election results, even BEFORE the election, by tinkering with ballot programming. But voting system source code certainly has the potential to do just as much damage if it doesn't work the way it's supposed to after it's complied and run a voting system.

As New York prepares to dismantle its lever voting system (which, for some uninformed folks, just can't happen soon enough), the fact is to date, there is still no suitable replacement available. With a total of over 1,000 standards violations, even based on the weak Federal standards, it's hard to imagine how they can all be corrected in time for a 2009 election (2008 is already officially out of the question, except for deployment of electronic ballot markers to comply with HAVA's well-motivated Accessibility requirements).

It's the vote counting (stupid)! That's what needs to be checked by counting enough ballots by hand to see who really won our elections. To that end, the State Board of Elections have proposed some new election auditing regulations. Unfortunately, they are still inadequate, but they can be salvaged if the Board would exercise some due diligence and consult with those who, for years, have been studying the problem of confirming electoral outcomes without having to depend on source code, ballot programming or election configuration and management software. Maybe they will.

snip

http://e-voter.blogspot.com/2008/06/so-now-can-we-talk-about-hand-counts.html


Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x504343

[livvy]

4. National and 'toon

[livvy]

5. Court Says Campaign Finance Rules Too Weak

Court says campaign finance rules too weak
By PETE YOST – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday invalidated campaign finance rules that give wealthy donors broad latitude in underwriting expensive political ads.

Limits on coordinated campaign spending apply too narrowly to time frames just before elections and should be toughened, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in the decision.

Judge David Tatel said in the ruling that interest groups often engage in early advertising, in some cases more than a year before an election.

The restrictions the Federal Election Commission imposed apply only to spending within 90 days of a congressional election and 120 days before a presidential primary.

Tatel said the FEC rule frustrates the purpose of the campaign finance reform law enacted in 2002.

more...

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i2ywlvnqLggNu6osKpCJ-kQVMKkQD919GR080

[livvy]

6. States and a....yes, another 'toon!

[livvy]

7. UT: Fraud Charges: Strange Turn in Daggett Vote Case

Fraud charges
Strange turn in Daggett vote case
By Christopher Smart

The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 06/14/2008 12:29:45 AM MDT


MANILA - Daggett County's voter-fraud scandal took a strange turn Friday when County Attorney Bryan Sidwell abruptly left the case in the wake of "prosecutorial misconduct" allegations before 20 more defendants could be arraigned.

Sidwell would not say whether he was forced from the case or quit.

The Utah Attorney General's Office now will step in or appoint another prosecutor. The office's spokesman, Paul Murphy, had no further comment Friday.

On Thursday, a defendant, Corby J. Raddon, filed a motion in Manila's 8th District Court accusing Sidwell of prosecutorial misconduct and seeking dismissal of the fraudulent-voter-registration charge he faces.

Raddon and six members of his family are among 51 charged with class A misdemeanors after the attorney general's investigation into the November 2006 election.

Those 51 may have been enough to swing a tight sheriff's race.

more...


http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9583433

[livvy]

8. OH: Sit down and have a chat with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner

06/15/2008
Sit down and have a chat with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner


Editor's note: Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat serving her first term in office, sat down this past week with News-Herald Staff Writer John Arthur Hutchison to discuss election-related issues while she was in Painesville visiting the Lake County Elections Board. In today's edition is the first half of the interview. The second half runs Monday.

The News-Herald: What do you think the biggest challenge for your office is for the upcoming November election?

Brunner: I think for our office and the boards, it will be turnout. But we'll be prepared for it.
If we prepare for 80 percent turnout, then we should be very prepared for the election.
I think it should be very possible and within the realm of possibility or probability that we'll have a turnout that is at least close to 80 percent, if not hit that amount. In the 2004 election, Clark County was over 80 percent turnout.
When you have an average of 75 percent, some counties are higher and some are lower.



Would that be a record high for Ohio?

For Ohio, at least in my lifetime, I think so.



How do you balance the need for perceived voter fairness of conducting an election with the cost for change that might be necessary?

It is a balance and everyone has a different degree of importance that they place on one or the other.
However, if we're talking about our form of government, which is a democracy, which is how we elect our leaders, how we decide our issues, I think we want to ensure that we've built an infrastructure that gives us completely transparent, fair, verifiable elections.



Why should voters here in Lake County potentially switch from using the electronic voting equipment they're comfortable with to optical scan paper ballots?

This county is further ahead of other counties in terms of its use of paper ballots.
When voters come to the board of elections to vote absentee early, they vote a paper ballot, even before I had required that provisional ballots to be paper ballots they already were doing that. ... Our voting machines study showed security problems that were engineered into how the systems were built. It's not a criticism to any degree of the election officials or boards of elections as to how they conduct the elections.
There are inherent problems with the design of the equipment that leave the equipment prone to tampering.
With the experts, we used both corporate and academics who are security experts who do the highest security testing for the government and industry in the country.
Their assessment was that no amount of procedures can cure the problems that are inherent in the design of the machines. My concern is if it's my job to administer elections that people can have confidence in, then it's not right for me when I know this information to not do anything about it.
It's difficult because this is something that was imposed upon the states and the counties of this country by the federal government.
Millions and over a billion dollars was spent in buying voting machine technology that wasn't adequately tested.
There were no federal standards for certification. It was done privately by the National Association of State Election Directors.
So you had Congress move forward with a completely new voting system nationwide and not having the government infrastructure in place to make sure that what was required to be purchased with this federal money had the kind of integrity we need to ensure the security of our elections.
We're in a different phase of the history of our country post 9/11. I certainly don't want to be an alarmist, but if I know that potential exists, I think I have a duty to do something about it.

more...

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19774790&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=6

[livvy]

9. FL: Ballot Audits Don't Get A Vote Of Confidence

Ballot Audits Don't Get A Vote Of Confidence
By CATHERINE DOLINSKI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 15, 2008

Updated: 12:14 am

TALLAHASSEE - What's the use of paper ballots if no one looks at them?

That's the question that election watchdogs continue to press, even as the state's election supervisors race to implement the 2007 election law requiring every Florida county to vote on paper ballots.

Kindra Muntz of Sarasota was among the activists who cheered last spring as Gov. Charlie Crist signed the paper-trail legislation. She also warned, however, that the job would remain half-finished until the state beefed up its standards for auditing ballots by hand after elections to ensure against tampering and foul-ups. It's a safeguard that Florida still lacks.

"A paper trail is one thing, but paper alone is not the answer," Muntz, president of the Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections, said last week. "We're not looking for something to wallpaper our walls with."

more...

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/15/me-ballot-audits-dont-get-a-vote-of-confidence/

[livvy]

12. PA: Batteries Backup to Backup

Article published Jun 15, 2008

Batteries backup to backup
Officials will buy 100 extra to ensure voting machines work Nov. 4

By John Guerriero
[e-mail]

When the batteries on your camcorder or camera run out, you might miss capturing the moment during a wedding, graduation or other milestone.

Election officials want to make sure the batteries don't fail for a milestone of national significance -- the election of the next president of the United States.

The touch-screen voting machines used in Erie County, Crawford County and many other voting jurisdictions are powered by electricity, but come with batteries as a backup in the event of a power failure.

That happened in Erie County when a storm knocked out power at some of the 153 voting precincts during the municipal election on Nov. 6, 2007, said Doug Smith, the county's clerk of elections. The backup lithium batteries in the machines kicked in until the power came back on.

Erie County will buy another 100 lithium batteries -- at $80 each, or a total of $8,000 -- for the roamers who work as Election Day problem solvers from precinct to precinct, Smith said.


more...

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080615/NEWS02/806150394

[livvy]

13. AZ: Pima Scales Back Election Changes

Published: 06.14.2008

Pima scales back election changes
By Erica Meltzer
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Pima County is backing away from its commitment to scan ballot images for display online and to discontinue use of touchscreen voting machines.

County officials blamed legal and regulatory hurdles for the reversal.

But the county is considering a number of other measures to beef up election security, including running background checks on many elections workers, increasing the size of hand recounts, taking control of elections software away from the elections division and using outside computer experts to test the county's systems.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry laid out a number of steps he said could restore public trust and prevent tampering with elections results in a draft memo to the Board of Supervisors.

But before finalizing his recommendations for the supervisors' July meeting, Huckelberry shared the draft with the heads of the county political parties at a meeting with the Division of Elections earlier this week.

"We really want to do this with the county chairs, and we want to move forward cooperatively," Huckelberry said. "We'll alter our final product accordingly."

The heads of the county Dem-ocratic and Republican parties said they had not had a chance to go through all the recommendations yet, but they praised the county administrator for including the parties in the process.

more...
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/243756

[livvy]

14. CO: Electronic Voting Figure Takes New Job

Electronic voting figure takes new job
Gardner snared in lawsuit over qualifications
By Myung Oak Kim

Saturday, June 14, 2008

An employee in the secretary of state's office who was a controversial figure in a lawsuit filed by activists opposed to electronic voting has left for a post in the El Paso County clerk's office.

John Gardner, of Colorado Springs, worked in the elections division for three years under three secretaries of state and managed the testing of electronic voting and tallying machines used statewide.

It does not appear Gardner left under negative circumstances.

He said Friday he left because he was offered his old job back by El Paso County Clerk Bob Balink.

more...

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/14/electronic-voting-figure-takes-new-job/

[livvy]

17. SC: Horry May Buy Laptops For Quicker Poll Check-in

Posted on Sat, Jun. 14, 2008
Horry may buy laptops for quicker poll check-in
By Mike Cherney
[e-mail]

The paper poll books used to check in voters before they cast ballots could be relegated to the electoral dustbin. Horry County's elections office is considering replacing them with computers that workers can use instead to check in voters.

Six of the county's 118 precincts received laptops from the S.C. State Election Commission to test the electronic check-in system for Tuesday's primary election for the first time, and elections officials and poll workers said the laptops made the election run smoother.

The computers allow poll workers to direct voters to the correct precinct if they show up at the wrong one, ensure voters are given the right ballot and eliminate the need for workers to flip through pages of names to check in each voter.

"A bottleneck's usually not happening at the voting machines because there's usually multiple machines," said Chris Whitmire, a spokesman for the state commission. "Usually where the holdup is, if there's ever any lines, is at the sign-in desk because each individual needs to be flipping through pages."

To implement the system countywide, the county would have to purchase laptops for every precinct, said Sandy Martin, the county's elections director. But the software, paid for by the state election commission and developed by Greenville, S.C.-based TiBA Solutions, would be free.

more...


http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/story/486385.html

[livvy]

20. ND: Election Shift Suggestion to Ease Cost and Worker Shortage

Jun 15, 2008 - 04:06:17 CDT
Compiled by LAUREN DONOVAN
Bismarck Tribune

snip of other news bits....

Election shift


The McLean County Commission may have some precincts cast their election ballots by mail.

State law allows new options where counties have cost or election worker problems.

County auditor Les Korgel said costs are going up and it’s getting more difficult to find and train poll workers, partly because of changes in technology.

Korgel said his office has looked at potential savings in seven of the county’s 11 precincts. All have fewer than 650 potential voters.

Korgel said with that number, it’s cheaper by up to $3,000 per precinct to have mail-in ballots.

The possible mail-in precincts are Wilton, Riverdale, Mercer, Butte, Max, White Shield and Roseglen. Wilton is iffy.

more...

You have to scroll down to get to this segment
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2008/06/15/news/local/158065.txt

[livvy]

31. CT: Probe: Voting Numbers Don't Add Up

Probe: Voting numbers don't add up
BILL CUMMINGS
Article Last Updated: 06/14/2008 11:59:12 PM EDT


BRIDGEPORT — In the midst of a heated court battle over last fall's Democratic mayoral primary, state Rep. Christopher Caruso's legal team asserted there were more votes than voters.
City officials and their lawyers scoffed at Caruso's contention, calling it untrue and irresponsible.

However, a Connecticut Post examination of election records from the Sept. 11, 2007, primary shows there were more votes than voters — 105 more.

Not enough to change the outcome — state Sen. Bill Finch defeated Caruso by 270 votes — but enough to raise some electoral eyebrows.

The Post found 105 more ballots were run through the optical scan voting machines than there were voters who checked into polling places. A total of 9,804 voters cast ballots for mayor.

more...

http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_9589925

[livvy]

32. PA: State Considers Vote-By-Mail System

State considers vote-by-mail system
By RICHARD FELLINGER
Staff Writer

Lebanon Daily News


HARRISBURG — All Pennsylvanians will be able to vote by mail someday if a ranking lawmaker has her way.
The key word in that sentence: someday.

“It’s a vision, and I think we will get to it, but I don’t know when,” said Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Philadelphia, chairwoman of the House State Government Committee.

The committee recently looked at the issue in a public hearing, but it will be at least several years before Pennsylvania has a vote-by-mail system like a handful of other states. No bills have been introduced in either chamber calling for it.

Oregon has all-mail voting, while Washington State allows counties to decide, and California gives voters the choice to sign up as a permanent mail voter.

It took a decade of work before Oregon officials enacted their system, and Pennsylvania has some built-in hurdles that will prevent swift approval here, Josephs said.

more...

http://www.ldnews.com/news/ci_9589737

[livvy]

15. Political Finance Issues...oh, and another 'toon....

[livvy]

16. Washington: Lawmakers reveal wealth in finance disclosures

Washington: Lawmakers reveal wealth in finance disclosures
Saturday, June 14, 2008

By:
Herman Wang (Contact)
WASHINGTON — Tennessee and Georgia senators revealed holding hundreds of thousands of dollars — and in some cases millions of dollars — in assets in their 2007 personal finance disclosures released Friday.

The annual disclosure forms require members of Congress to list their financial assets, liabilities, reimbursed travel expenses and income sources beyond their congressional salaries, which are $165,200 annually for rank-and-file members.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., disclosed a net worth of between $13.2 million and $42.1 million, mostly in real estate, mutual funds and privately held stock. He also reported between $250,000 and $565,000 in liabilities, mostly bank promissory notes. He is receiving a pension from his service as Tennessee governor, though the disclosure did not list that amount.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., disclosed a net worth of between $246,000 and $565,000, mostly in investment funds and stock.

more...

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/14/washington-lawmakers-reveal-wealth-finance-disclos/?local

[livvy]

30. IL: Pay-To-Play Ban Not a Done Deal

Updated: Jun 15, 2008 - 02:52:15 am CDT

Pay-to-play ban not a done deal


By JOHN O'CONNOR - Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD - In most states, tight controls on political fundraising are the norm.

Yet in Illinois, with its reputation as the Wild West of campaign finance, legislation to limit pay-to-play politics by barring some contributions is a big deal.

But it's not a done deal.

After months of wrangling, the General Assembly approved in May a ban on contractors with state deals of $50,000 or more from giving campaign contributions to the officeholders who hired them. Whether it becomes law depends on the signature of a governor who has been held up as the primary example of why such a ban is needed.

“Illinoisans have a right to expect that state contracts are awarded based on quality of services and not quantity of campaign contributions,” said the bill's sponsor, Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago. “I can't think of a state in this country that more desperately needs to have its faith restored in state government.”

From the Chicago maxim to “vote early and often” to the 61/2-year federal prison sentence former Republican Gov. George Ryan is serving for racketeering, Illinois has long been a hearth for political corruption. Patronage for politicians' relatives and cronies has seemingly been a right.

more...

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2008/06/15/news/news01.txt

[livvy]

18. World and of course a 'toon, too!

[livvy]

19. Macedonia Hopes To Avoid Violence In Poll Re-Run

Macedonia hopes to avoid violence in poll re-run
15/06 13:59 CET

Macedonia is holding a partial re-run of parliamentary elections marred earlier this month by fraud, intimidation and violence.

A free and fair ballot is key to the country’s chances of joining the European Union.

Around 10 percent of the population have a chance to cast their votes today, mainly in ethnic Albanian areas where the election was flawed. In the village of Aracinovo, one person was killed in a shootout.

The violence surrounding the original poll could perpetuate a Western impression that the Kalashnikov is still part of the political process in Macedonia, seven years after it was pulled back from the brink of all-out ethnic war. The EU and US pressured the country to conduct a partial re-run.

more...

http://euronews.net/en/article/15/06/2008/macedonia-hopes-to-avoid-violence-in-poll-re-run/

[livvy]

25. India: Armed Forces' Voting Rights To Be Discussed With Poll Panel

Armed forces’ voting rights to be discussed with poll panel

June 15th, 2008 - 1:41 pm ICT by IANS

By Ritu Sharma

New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) India’s defence ministry will take up the issue of voting rights of armed forces personnel with the Election Commission to remove anomalies in the postal ballot and proxy voting systems that often result in their exclusion from the poll process. A majority of Indian armed forces personnel have never voted during their service tenure. And with Lok Sabha elections due next year, armed forces personnel expect the issue to be resolved as soon as possible.

“We have been getting a lot of complaints from soldiers as they have been unable to cast their votes. We will soon hold a meeting with the Election Commission in this regard,” Minister of State for Defence M. Pallam Raju told IANS.

Theoretically, soldiers can vote through postal ballots or by proxy - but there are deficiencies in both systems.

The postal ballot system has proved inadequate and inefficient due to the long delays involved in sending out voting sheets to the different towns where defence personnel are posted.

more...

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/armed-forces-voting-rights-to-be-discussed-with-poll-panel_10060421.html

[livvy]

27. Sadr Group To 'Boycott' Iraq Polls

Sadr group to 'boycott' Iraq polls

Top_news
By Agencies

June 15, 2008

Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shia leader, have said they will boycott provincial elections due in October.

The announcement by Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, a spokesman for al-Sadr in the city of Najaf, is the latest blow to the embattled Iraqi political process.

"The Sadr group will not take part in the elections as we did in the parliamentary election," al-Obeidi said.

"This is the decision as of now by Muqtada and the Sadrists. We want to avoid making the same mistakes of being part of the sectarian divisions."

Iraq is due to hold elections in its 18 provinces on October 1, a move intended to give more power to local provincial councils.


more...

http://mwcnews.net/content/view/23258&Itemid=1

[livvy]

28. Africa Seeks Mugabe Assurances On Poll

Africa Seeks Mugabe Assurances On Poll

Zimbabwe Standard (Harare)


NEWS
14 June 2008
Posted to the web 15 June 2008
Harare

FORTY prominent Africans have asked President Robert Mugabe for assurances the 27 June Presidential election run-off will be free and fair, as Botswana called in Zimbabwe's envoy in Gaborone to protest the arrests of MDC leaders.

Pressure continues to mount on Zimbabwe ahead of the arrival tomorrow of the United Nations envoy, Haile Menkerios.


Meanwhile, the University of Massachusetts' Board of Trustees on Thursday voted unanimously to strip Mugabe of an honorary degree bestowed on him in 1986 calling his politics "egregious" and his leadership an "assault on human rights".

The group of African leaders, including former UN chief Kofi Annan and Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, urged an end to violence and intimidation ahead of the run-off.

Former leaders Ghana's Jerry Rawlings, Mozambique's Joaquim Chissano and Nigeria's Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar added their names to the letter.

more...

http://allafrica.com/stories/200806150013.html

[livvy]

21. Election '08, and guess what...surprise, surprise...a 'toon!

[livvy]

22. WI: Election Weekly

June 15, 2008


Election weekly


U.S. Atty. Gen. Doyle?

Gov. Jim Doyle publicly endorsed Sen. Barack Obama and has actively campaigned for the Illinois senator this year in his successful drive to sew up the Democratic presidential nomination.

During Obama's stop in Kaukauna on Thursday, The Post-Crescent of Appleton asked Obama: if he wins in November, might there be a spot in his administration for Wisconsin's governor?

"Jim's a great friend and a great supporter and has been a great governor for Wisconsin," Obama said. "I'm not at the state yet where I'm looking at all these positions, but I can tell you that there aren't too many public servants out there that I admire and like more than Jim Doyle."

Youth vote emerges

As Democratic and Republican presidential candidates entered the primary and caucus season, one question on the minds of observers was whether the under-30 voting bloc would materialize.

Youth voters are dismissed because they typically do not turn out days before an election. But with the primary season now concluded, it is clear that Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona will not soon count them out.

more....


http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080615/GPG0101/806150701/1207/GPG01

[livvy]

24. Political Realignment Doesn't Leave Out Marin

Political realignment doesn't leave out Marin
Staff Report
Article Launched: 06/15/2008 12:02:17 AM PDT


AMERICA is witnessing a fundamental realignment of its two major political parties. Marin is a prime exhibit of this new dynamic.

Thirty years ago, political consultants expressed bewilderment that this formerly Republican wealthy suburban county was consistently voting Democratic. Today, it's no longer an oddity that upper middle class suburbanites are Democrats. Marin and similarly situated communities are the new Democratic heartland.

Until the early 1970s, the two major parties were easily defined. Urban blue-collar workers, blacks and academics voted Democratic. The wealthy, Main Street business people and suburbanites leaned Republican. It was a matter of class, race and heritage. Those remain key factors, but the mix has radically changed.

Today's Democrats tend to live in cities with substantial numbers of blacks, Hispanics and unionized public employees or in upscale suburbs and college-dominated communities.

more...

http://www.marinij.com/opinion/ci_9591727

[livvy]

26. NC: Juneteenth Fete Takes On a Political Flavor

Published: Jun 15, 2008 12:30 AM Modified: Jun 15, 2008 02:25 AM

Juneteenth fete takes on a political flavor
Vicki Lee Parker, Staff Writer
Comment on this story

DURHAM - The sign in front of the crowd welcomed people to the fourth annual Durham Juneteenth Celebration and Unity March, but at times the event felt more like a Barack Obama rally.
The few hundred people who braved the heat to celebrate Juneteenth -- often cited as the African-American Independence Day -- erupted into applause and cheers every time Obama's name was mentioned or when anyone referred to the possibility that the United States could elect its first African-American president.

"This Juneteenth celebration is even more special because we can say we have a black presidential nominee for the United States," said Audrey Cox, Miss Black North Carolina, who performed.

People huddled under a tent and the few trees along Fayetteville Street in front of the Hayti Heritage Center or at the edge of vendor tents as they listened to gospel groups, poets and inspirational speakers.

Durham for Obama volunteers stayed busy at their tent answering questions about the election, talking politics, registering voters and signing up volunteers.

"It's been a herd of people," said Akin Turan Akinli, a volunteer with Durham for Obama. He said 14 people had registered to vote by 2 p.m., and dozens signed up to volunteer.

more...

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1108739.html

[livvy]

29. "What About Afghanistan?"

"What About Afghanistan?"
June, 15 2008

By Robert Naiman
Source: Common Dreams

Robert Naiman's ZSpace Page
Join ZSpace


At the height of the Reagan Administration, it was not uncommon to see a bumper sticker promoted by the College Republicans: "What About Afghanistan?"


The implied argument was along the lines of: those who object to the Reagan Administration's efforts to overthrow the government of Nicaragua should be dismissed as hypocrites, since they are apparently unconcerned about the Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.


It was a silly argument. The citizens of every country have a primary responsibility to concern themselves with the crimes of their own government, and what the Soviet Union was doing in Afghanistan in no way justified what the U.S. was doing in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.


But today this bumper sticker seems far more appropriate. Perhaps we can scoop some up for cheap at a College Republican remainder shop and put them on our cars.


What about Afghanistan? A majority of the U.S. population and the Congress - like the majority of Iraqis and Iraqi parliamentarians - want the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq by a date certain. Senator Obama, the Democratic nominee, is expected by his supporters to get the U.S. out of Iraq if he is elected President.



But about our other war, the war in Afghanistan, there is little public debate. Why not?

more...

http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/17916

[livvy]

34. A Few More 'Toons

And one more wish for a...



Have a great week ahead!

[cal04]

36. Voting commission plagued by problems, limited funds

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080615/ap_on_re_us/election_commission

It was not an auspicious beginning. The year was 2004 and the newest federal agency had no desks, no computers, and no office to put them in. It had neither an address nor a phone number. Early meetings convened in a Starbucks near a Metro stop in downtown Washington.

Somehow, Congress had neglected to fund the Election Assistance Commission, a small group with a massive task: coordinating one of the most sweeping voter reform packages in decades.

"It sounds incredible, but it's true," said Paul DeGregorio, a Republican from Missouri and former commission chairman. "All we wanted to do was hit the ground running."

But from the beginning, the commission stumbled. Now, long after Congress passed the Help America Vote Act — designed to prevent a repeat of the Florida recount fiasco of 2000 — the four-member, bipartisan commission still struggles under its heavy workload and accusations of playing politics, foot-dragging and whitewashing reports that could appear detrimental to Republican interests.