Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 07/07/08

[tbyg52]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 07/07/08


Happy one-year anniversary to me, more or less...! (I don't usually keep track of these things, but I just happened to notice that the text I copy-and-paste says "07/02/07".... ;) )

Esteemed DUer's, please consider taking a moment (or more)
to graciously participate by posting Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.


If you can:
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.



2. Post stories using the new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x407240

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!

[tbyg52]

1. States nt

[tbyg52]

10. NV: RISING REGISTRATION: New voter sign-ups up

How do you register 60,000 new voters? One at a time.

At the Department of Motor Vehicles office on East Sahara Avenue last week, Ana Ramos was following Mike Wilson into the parking lot. The 24-year-old Wilson admitted he wasn't registered to vote, but didn't stop walking by Ramos and her clipboard.

For Ramos, 22, a canvasser for the social advocacy group ACORN, it was another small victory. Signing up voters, not the $8 per hour she earns, is what makes it worth her while to spend the day in 100-plus-degree heat chasing people down, she says.

As for Wilson, he was warming to the idea of voting for the first time.

"It's time for a change," the Las Vegas audio engineer said after filling out the form. "I've been avoiding it for a long time. I might as well try and make a difference."

More:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/24004424.html

[tbyg52]

11. ME: Yarmouth recount: A tale of three ballots

The Maine Supreme Court could have a decision as early as today in the case between Melissa Innes and Kimberly McLaughlin, the Democratic candidates for the Yarmouth state House seat whose primary battle ended in a tie.

In the June 10 primary, both got 485 votes. A recount put Innes ahead by two votes. Then Innes challenged two ballots and McLaughlin challenged one, sending the case to the court.

The court heard arguments in the case this afternoon. Harold Pachios, representing McLaughlin, argued that the original count - administered by an optical scan machine - should stand.

More:
http://www.politickerme.com/jessicaalaimo/1916/yarmouth-recount-tale-three-ballots

[tbyg52]

12. NY: Nassau County Refuses to Accept More Failing Systems

You would have thought that since there have been so many documented problems in other states over the years that voting machine vendors would have gone out of their way to make sure new systems being deployed in the Empire State were thoroughly tested, met all state requirements, and worked flawlessly.

At a minimum, you would expect that any business fulfilling a enormous, multi-million dollar contract to a new client would make sure the systems were, well, at least operational. But, incredibly, you would be wrong. The machines which ES&S and Sequoia are providing to New York State are failing initial testing at a rate which would astound anyone – unless you’ve been following the voting machine industry for the last 10 years.<

I discussed these problems on my July 2, 2008 Voice of the Voters radio program with my guest, Bill Biamonte, Election Commissioner of Nassau County, the second largest Board of Elections in the state which serves over 870,000 voters. In a letter to Judge Gary Sharpe on June 26, who ordered New York State to complete its Help America Vote Act implementation by 2009, Nassau County reports the unbelievably high failure rates they’re finding in the systems they’ve received:

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2898&Itemid=113

[TreasonousBastard]

21. This is misleading, since the article...

says the problems were mechanical breakages, some in shipping, and not software problems or counting errors.

Not that this is good, of course, and you're right that any supplier shipping such shoddy goods has a lot to answer for. But, we're still using the lever machines in most of NY state for this year, and have until next year to fix the problems with Sequoia.

[tbyg52]

24. I just post the headline and the first few paragraphs

Perhaps this one should have gone under "editorial," or I should have read it completely and posted a disclaimer myself, but I'm trying to get done before bedtime.

Thanks for the info.

As the character in _Some Like It Hot_ said, "Well, nobody's perfect".... ;)

[tbyg52]

13. CO: Election to put systems to test

The Aug. 12 primary will test two major voting system changes - the new statewide voter registration database and the new paper ballot system in Denver.

Colorado is one of the last states to implement its voter database, required by a 2002 federal law. The $13 million system, known as SCORE (State of Colorado Registration and Election), will be used for the first time statewide in an actual election during the primary.

The database, which is meant to ensure that only eligible citizens vote, is more than two years late because of problems with the first vendor, Accenture.

Election watchers also are concerned about Denver, which has been plagued by long lines at the polls and delayed results.

More:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/07/election-to-put-systems-to-test/

[tbyg52]

14. SC: Horry County on 'Election Protection Watch List'

According to a national elections watchdog group, Horry County has been put on the watch list for 2008.

Black Box Voting has put the county on it's Election Protection Watch List this year, due to computer malfunctions, late opening of polling places, failure to test voting machines properly and other electioneering complaints received in the January presidential primary as well as the June 10 primary election.

Sandy Martin, Director of voter's registration and elections, said that they always have to keep the watchdog groups like Black Box aware of any problems that they are having, but that they didn't have any precinct problems on June 10.

"We had some complaints about the candidates, but there was nothing major," Martin said.

Martin said that since the problems they had in January; there have been no major problems, but that they still receive complaints.

More:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19833808&BRD=1164&PAG=461&dept_id=98756&rfi=6

[tbyg52]

15. FL: Florida voters to use new voting system beginning with August primary

Florida voters will begin using a new optical scan voting system beginning with the August primary.

Votes will be cast on paper ballots that will be counted using a scanner.

This week, the Pasco County Elections Division will hold demonstrations of the new system at all of the county libraries, and the Zephyrhills and New Port Richey libraries.

The demonstrations will let voters know what to expect.

Tomorrow, Sarasota County will hold a mock election to test out the new system.

More:
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=2940611c-f9e7-4b22-a3bc-865db6cf9de3

[tbyg52]

18. Palm Beach County: Voting Machines

PALM BEACH COUNTY VOTERS WHO WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW OPTICAL-SCANNER EQUIPMENT HAVE TWO CHANCES AT OPEN HOUSES TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AT THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS' OFFICES. THE OPEN HOUSES WILL BE AT THE NEW TABULATION FACILITY, 3200 BELVEDERE ROAD NEAR THE AIRPORT, FROM 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M. AND 6 TO 8 P.M. TUESDAY AND FROM 10 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY. VOTERS WILL BE ABLE TO TEST THE NEW SYSTEM, WHICH INVOLVES MAKING PENCIL MARKS ON PAPER BALLOTS AND RUNNING THEM THROUGH OPTICAL-SCAN MACHINES THAT READ THE VOTES. FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT THE ELECTIONS OFFICE AT 561-656-6200.

(That's the whole thing - it's just an announcement.)
Link:
http://www.wjno.com/pages/news_local.html?feed=120981&article=3919495

[tbyg52]

22. TX: Texas election officials looking for workers for polls in November

Swamped by voters in the spring presidential primary, Texas election administrators are looking to recruit more poll workers for the big showdown in November.

Among the ideas to help fill the ranks: higher hourly rates, split shifts and younger, more tech-savvy workers.

"We are going through and contacting people as fast as we can," said Denton County election administrator Don Alexander, who wants to double his Election Day roster.

It's not always an easy sell, with long hours required – up to 12 hours or more for one day's work – and relatively little pay.

Rosemary Rodriguez, chairwoman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, said 2 million poll workers will be needed nationwide to ensure a smooth operation – about 1.3 million more than in the last presidential election.

More:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/070708dnpolpollworries.42c8ec9.html

[tbyg52]

25. IN: Johnson Co. needs more time to study voting machine bids

Recent flooding in Johnson County is having an impact on the upcoming election.

The high water destroyed more than 500 voting machines. As a result, election officials hope to lease 478 touch-screen machines for the November 4th election.

(A little) more:
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=8628762&nav=9Tai

[tbyg52]

26. IL: Vote centers could change 'politics as usual'

The concept of vote centers in Kane County could have an unusual effect on local politics.

That possibility came to light last week as members of the County Board's Executive Committee discussed last-minute changes to a resolution to split one precinct in Rutland Township's 2nd Precinct. The resolution is due for discussion and vote Tuesday.

Board member Michael Kenyon, R-South Elgin, wants to add two more precincts to the list of those being split -- Rutland's 7th Precinct and Blackberry Township's 5th Precinct.

Kane County could split many more precincts countywide, based on the size of voter registration in those precincts. But the county clerk's office has held off on that for several years now because of the cost for election judges and equipment.

Enter the vote-center concept, which would combine precincts into a single polling place.

More:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/stcharlessun/news/1042579,2_1_AU07_KCTALK_S1.article

[tbyg52]

36. PA: Dauphin County investigates registration drive

A voter registration drive recently conducted by a national organization is being investigated by Dauphin County authorities after election officials raised questions about more than 100 of the forms.

Charles Jackson, a spokesman for ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, confirmed his organization fired a temporary employee involved in collecting registrations and said it has been cooperating with Dauphin County detectives in the investigation.

Dauphin County District Attorney Edward M. Marsico Jr. said last week the investigation by county detectives is "still ongoing." John Goshert, head county detective, said a former ACORN worker had been questioned, but has not been charged with any criminal offense.

The investigation began late last month after county elections head Steve Chiavetta challenged the validity of between 100 and 150 voter registration applications.

More (plus comments):
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/07/voter_registration_drive_being.html

[tbyg52]

37. FL: Ex-Felons Unaware Of Rights Restored

Florida restored civil rights to Coleman Felts, 67, of Miami on May 23, but the former construction worker had no idea.

"I really want to vote this year, it's an important year," said Felts, a potential Barack Obama supporter who lost civil rights 20 years ago after felony convictions.

Felts is one of tens of thousands of former felons now eligible to vote under Florida's slimmed-down process for restoring civil rights for nonviolent offenders. But the cumbersome bureaucracy lags far behind in letting the potential voters know.

The lag suggests the full impact of Gov. Charlie Crist's bold push to reverse a history of disenfranchisement won't be seen this November.

A St. Petersburg Times analysis found that while some 88,000 former nonviolent felons are newly eligible to cast a ballot for the first time in this presidential election, less than 10 percent, or roughly 8,200, were registered to vote as of the end of May.

More:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20080707/NEWS/807070340

[tbyg52]

38. OH: Foreclosures could snarl election

The thousands of Ohio voters who have moved because they lost their homes to foreclosure could cause an election snag come November, experts say.

Although federal law ensures most still will be able to cast a ballot Nov. 4, voters with outdated addresses risk pre-election challenges and trips from polling place to polling place, the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Sunday.

Voters with out-dated addresses could also be forced to cast provisional ballots that might not be counted.

"It's a real issue," said Daniel Tokaji, an Ohio State University law professor.

More:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/06/Foreclosures_could_snarl_election/UPI-67291215380742/

Discussion (different source, same topic):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=505179&mesg_id=505179

[tbyg52]

40. FL: Voting league sharpening its battle ax

The commonly held image of the League of Women Voters — and please forgive us for any unintended ageism or sexism here — seems to have been that of a group of genteel elderly ladies, properly sipping tea while stuffing candidate questionnaires into envelopes and politely urging their neighbors to do their patriotic duty.

Granny in the old Warner Bros. Tweety Bird cartoons with, perhaps, a neatly crocheted flag pin on her cardigan, might have been a typical member.

If that were ever accurate, it certainly isn't today. Think Granny on steroids. Think hatchet-wielding Carrie Nation breaking down the doors, not of Prohibition-era speakeasies seeking temperance, but of smoke-filled rooms in the state capital, demanding political and governmental reform.

This is the new League of Women Voters, energized — as well it should be — by a third-party voter registration law that inhibits their ability to do something they have done for 88 years! Its latest mailing to a political figure is not a question about Social Security reform, but a lawsuit, and it was filed against no less a figure than Kurt Browning, Florida's Secretary of State.

More:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-womenvoters07forumpnjul07,0,2876027.story

[tbyg52]

2. National nt

[tbyg52]

16. PSA: Don't sell your vote on eBay

Nineteen-year-old Max P. Sanders probably through it all in good fun when he decided to sell his 2008 Presidential election vote on eBay, asking for a minimum of 10 dollars in exchange for a ballot marked with the President of the buyer's choice.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office in Minnesota isn't laughing. That office subpoenaed eBay for his personal information and served Sanders with papers charging him of felony bribery under a state law that makes offering a vote for sale illegal.

Sanders had already removed the auction, which got no bids and which he claimed was a joke, by the time the charge was made, but the prosecution isn't budging. If convicted, Sanders could be fined $10,000 and end up in prison for five years. The law was primarily used in the 1920s during the Prohibition era.

More:
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/97775

[tbyg52]

41. Tamper-Evident Seals, Closures enforce ballot box security.

Company press release.

Used for tamper-evident and security applications, Model PSW-97 plunger seal locks come pre-numbered with 7 sequential digits and 12 in., 3-Ply galvanized wire (pre-inserted or loose). High security tamper evident self-locking plastic seal, designed for use with wire, is made with styrene or acetate plastic with stainless steel locking plunger and supplied with lettering and numbering. All colors available, including clear.

More:
http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/546435

[tbyg52]

44. Election pollsters face new challenges

Every four years, Americans are bombarded with polls measuring the race for the White House and public opinion on seemingly every flare-up on the campaign trail.

The numbers are cited by political experts, run endlessly on television and can help candidates focus their messages.

But the polls may not be as reliable this year as they have been in previous presidential elections. Polling is getting more difficult for a host of reasons, from the increasing use of cellphones and declining polling-participation rates to the potential for racial bias among participants who are asked about the contest between Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama, the first Black person to top a major-party ticket.

"There are a lot of challenges this year," said Scott Keeter, the director of survey research for the Pew Research Center in Washington. "The credibility of the polling profession is tied to how we do in elections."

That credibility took repeated hits in the early stages of the Democratic primary and remains a concern:

More:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0707polls0707.html

[tbyg52]

45. Presidential election in 2000 paved the way for electronic voting

Early in the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000, editors at The Citizens’ Voice called out the newspaper industry’s most dramatic phrase:

“Stop the presses!”

The race for the presidency between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore was one of the closest contests ever. Difficulties with the vote count, particularly in Florida, resulted in the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002.

As a result of the new law, Luzerne County had to get rid of the lever-and-curtain voting machines that had been used in every election since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first term in 1932. The lever machines recorded their last election in 2005, and in this year’s presidential race, people will cast their votes on electronic touchscreen machines.

“The most important thing about the 2000 election was it really set off a chain reaction in the election process. For the first time in history, counties were given federal assistance to change their voting systems,” Luzerne County Director of Elections Leonard Piazza III said. “I can’t think of any other situation where such a tectonic shift in the way we conduct elections has taken place since the 1930s.”

More:
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19833046&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=571464&rfi=6

[tbyg52]

55. GOP Looks To Redistrict Itself Back Into Power

For months, a sense of dread has been percolating within Republican circles over potentially massive congressional losses in 2008. Facing the possibility of a more pronounced minority status in the House and more than a couple seats lost in the Senate, the GOP has begun setting its sights on a contingency plan: redistricting.

Republican officials now believe that the party's best hope for retaking seats in Congress may come during gubernatorial elections in 2010. Should the GOP win back the majority of these seats (Democrats currently occupy 28 state capitols), they would be extremely well positioned to influence the redistricting of the political map that will come after the 2010 census.

"The 2010 elections are almost as important or equally important as the elections this year. After redistricting in 2011, the governors are going to have a huge influence in determining the political makeup of this country," said Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for the Republican Governors Association. "We could feasibly see 25 to 30 congressional seats swing as the result of redistricting. And the state legislatures and governor could determine that swing. Can the National Republican Congressional Committee make a statement like that with a straight face? It would be harder for them."

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/07/gop-looks-to-redistrict-i_n_110632.html

[tbyg52]

3. Foreign nt

[tbyg52]

8. Ghana: Electoral fraud in Tamale; Police, BNI arrest two

Two people have been reportedly arrested in the Northern Regional capital Tamale for electoral fraud.

The two, one graphic designer and the other a photographer were caught over the weekend, according to Tamale Police and BNI sources, for unlawfully possessing equipment used in registering voters; and had posed as EC officials from the region, authorised to register voters for the forthcoming elections.

They were arrested in the possession of some computers and laminating machines, which have all been impounded by the police to be used as exhibits.

Police checks with regional and district EC officials following their claim established that the regional and district EC had no hand in the purported registration exercise.

More:
http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/200807/17971.asp

[tbyg52]

23. India: Delhi police register FIRs against bogus voters

The Delhi police have registered 100 FIRs against bogus voters following complaints by election officials who had raised doubts over the authenticity of 10 lakh applications, filed in the last three weeks, seeking inclusion of additional names in the electoral rolls.

Election officials became suspicious of about 25 per cent of the 40 lakhs additional names added during a month-long door-to-door verification as part of the electoral roll preparation in sync with new Assembly constituencies being re-drawn after the delimitation order.

"The roll reviewed in March had 1.2 crore people listed. Another 40 lakhs were added.

"But when we began to investigate, we found that around 10 lakh applications were incomplete and did not have requisite documents," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satbir Silas Bedi said.

More:
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200807071550.htm

[tbyg52]

33. Sudan paves way for vote by approving electoral law

Sudan's parliament on Monday approved a new electoral law, a crucial step toward scheduled national elections and a democratic transition laid out in peace arrangements after a 21-year civil war.

For the first time in Sudan, the law grants women 25 percent of seats in the national assembly and introduces proportional representation into the biggest country in Africa by enshrining quotas for political parties.

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed by north and south after a devastating two-decade civil war, calls for elections no later than 2009, although efforts to implement the accord have hit major delays.

Under the timetable of the accord, the electoral legislation should have been in place by January 2006, making the law two and a half years late.

After long-drawn out political negotiations, members of parliament finally carried the bill on Monday with 350 votes to 14 objections and two abstentions, said state news agency SUNA.

More:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h8-beNLvPweltcL7H1nx0qCIFbtA

[tbyg52]

34. UK: Consider voting rights for long-term residents

British MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee want the UK Government to urge Overseas Territories to think about extending voting rights to long-term residents or "belongers"

The issue was raised in a number of jurisdictions and the FAC quoted submissions from several long term residents (LTRs) complaining about Bermuda's strict immigration laws.

The report said: "We received many submissions about rights of non-Belongers. Of most concern was the lack of voting rights."

It quoted Jonathan Suter, from Bermuda, who described the fact that Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) holders in Bermuda did not have the vote as an "absolute embarrassment" and called for the UK Government to advise Bermuda to extend the franchise.

More:
http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d873af30030000§ionId=60

[tbyg52]

39. Philippines: Comelec holds public tests of poll machines

STARTING today, Metro Manila voters will have the chance to find out how the automated voting machines work.

They will be treated to a free test of the machines courtesy of the Commission on Elections before this new technology is put to actual use in the Aug. 11 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“If they want to know how automated voting machines work, then they should visit the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila to learn more,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.

Service providers Smartmatic-Sahi Technology and Avante International will make available their machines for the public demo.

More:
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics3_july7_2008

[tbyg52]

42. The History of the Chaos Computer Club

I've been enjoying Bre Pettis's great history of the Chaos Computer Club, a hacker posse from Germany that is quite possibly the coolest group of hackers anywhere. Founded in 1981, it has grown to an astounding 2,000 members.

With causes like ensuring secure voting machines, protecting privacy, defeating censorship and governmental obfuscation, and promoting hacker ethics, the CCC has become something of a hacktivist powerhouse. They hold an annual "Chaos Communications Congress" gathering and also a very cool hacker camp every four years. In 2007 the CCC camp coincided with Defcon 15 (the US's biggest hacker gathering) and a lot of people went to both on a special chartered flight, dubbed "Hackers on a Plane."

More:
http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2008/07/the-history-of.html

[tbyg52]

47. Finland: Dr DRE Says:

Sadly, in Finland, DREs will now also be piloted in municipal elections. The Finnish system (based on Scytl products integrated by TietoEnator) was audited by University of Turku, and the audit report found many glaring issues not unlike those that have been found in the US.

Interestingly, like in Texas, this does not seem to stop the use of the systems but they will be taken into use with known vulnerabilities.


# Joe Kiniry Says:
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:56 am

Nice post Dan.

I’m sorry to hear that your frustration with Those Who Should Listen continues.

Here in Ireland, there essentially continues to be no public discussion about the use of computers in voting, and our most recent (notorious) referendum used good ‘ol paper and pencil, much to our ex-Prime Minister’s chagrin, I suppose… :)

Joe

More:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=1304#comment-386916

[tbyg52]

56. Canada: Taft urges election probe

The Liberal party received reports of voters being directed to incorrect polling stations in constituencies across the province. One such account from a scrutineer said at least 100 people were directed to two or three separate polling stations on election day, in a frantic effort to cast a ballot.

Some estimates from election workers suggested the voters list was only about 50-per-cent correct, and that hundreds of vexed voters left certain polling stations without marking an X.

Further impediments to voting, the Liberals argue, included more than 7,000 students at the University of Lethbridge not having a mobile poll, despite repeated requests for one.

Beyond front-line election day problems, the Grits also highlight that about half of the 83 returning officers appointed in Alberta had partisan connections to the Progressive Conservative party.

Gibson, the chief electoral officer, noted the Tory government has ignored all of the 99 recommendations he made to the province nearly two years ago on how to improve the electoral system.

More:
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=6700e725-fb26-4a05-8c46-578cb50ccea5&p=2

[tbyg52]

4. Blogs, Editorials, LTTEs, etc. nt

[tbyg52]

7. Avi Rubin Has Some Optimistic Words About E-Voting

Short blog post with quite a few interesting comments:

http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/07/07/0232234

[tbyg52]

28. E-voting activist more optimistic about voting systems

Related interview.

For more than a decade, Aviel "Avi" Rubin, a professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University in the US and an e-voting activist, has been a vocal critic of e-voting systems. In 2006, Rubin wrote the book, Brave New Ballot: The Battle to Safeguard Democracy in the Age of Electronic Voting, which heavily criticized e-voting machines for security and reliability shortcomings. Rubin talked with Computerworld about the recent US presidential primary election cycle and his thoughts on e-voting going into the November US elections. The following is an edited version of that interview.

Now that we've finished our presidential primaries, how do you think e-voting went this election season?

E-voting is really dangerous and unpopular with security people, not because of how the election is likely to go in what's perceived, but with the problems that might happen that are not perceived.

For example, if the concern is that the electronic voting machines are going to record votes incorrectly, in a way that might not be noticeable, then you can run an election and say that it appears to have gone fine, but we don't really know. And so, given that I have the concern that we have voting machines that we can't audit and we can't have confidence that they got the answer right, then the answer is, "Well we think it went OK, but we don't really know."

More:
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1622094118;fp;2;fpid;4

[tbyg52]

9. The Latest Spin From Voting Machine Makers: What Problems?

By Dan Wallach, Freedom to Tinker. Posted July 7, 2008.

Last week, I testified before the Texas House Committee on Elections (you can read my testimony). I've done this many times before, but I figured this time would be different. This time, I was armed with the research from the California "Top to Bottom" reports and the Ohio EVEREST reports. I was part of the Hart InterCivic source code team for California's analysis. I knew the problems. I was prepared to discuss them at length. Wow, was I disappointed. Here's a quote from Peter Lichtenheld, speaking on behalf of Hart InterCivic:

Security reviews of the Hart system as tested in California, Colorado, and Ohio were conducted by people who were given unfettered access to code, equipment, tools and time and they had no threat model. While this may provide some information about system architecture in a way that casts light on questions of security, it should not be mistaken for a realistic approximation of what happens in an election environment. In a realistic election environment, the technology is enhanced by elections professionals and procedures, and those professionals safeguard equipment and passwords, and physical barriers are there to inhibit tampering. Additionally, jurisdiction ballot count, audit, and reconciliation processes safeguard against voter fraud.

You can find the whole hearing online (via RealAudio streaming), where you will hear the Diebold/Premier representative, as well as David Beirne, the director of their trade organization, saying essentially the same thing. Since this seems to be the voting system vendors' party line, let's spend some time analyzing it.

More:
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/90656/?ses=0caee2a722cec36dd306bf393884e76e

[tbyg52]

46. Dan Wallach on Electronic Voting Machines

It's been a while since I've written about electronic voting machines, but Dan Wallach has an excellent blog post about the current line of argument from the voting machine companies and why it's wrong.

A little more and many comments:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/07/dan_wallach_on.html

[tbyg52]

17. Three Ways to Protect America's Democracy

Three key ways YOU can help protect the 2008 election
by Harvey Wasserman
The world has now endured the horrific consequences of two consecutive stolen presidential elections.

So millions of Americans are asking how to stop it from happening again.

There are many things the average citizen can do. But much of it boils down to three simple phases.

1) BEFORE THE ELECTION: REGISTER PEOPLE TO VOTE, CONFIRM THEIR REGISTRATIONS, AND HELP THEM GET PHOTO ID

There are millions of eligible American citizens who have never voted. They are young and old, black and white, men and women, ethnic and native, Republican and Democrat, green and otherwise.

More:
http://pacificfreepress.com/content/view/2814/81/

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19. Obama's FISA Statement is a Mess (Just like his Stand on Faith-based Programs)

This *does* belong here, honest.....!

snip

Those who counsel silence on these matters seem to place their party, and its candidate, above the Constitution; and that posture is not just immoral, but gratuitous. All those anxious efforts to explain away Obama's cave-ins, and to halt all critical discussion of them, come from the conviction that he'll lose if there's a whisper of dissent within his camp, or if he doesn't pander to the right.

That conviction is completely groundless—based, as it is, on the persistent myth that Gore and Kerry lost to Bush & Co., because of Karl Rove's "genius" at "hardball politics" and "mobilizing Bush's base," etc. Traumatized by those "defeats" (and others, like Max Cleland's), those now shouting down Obama's (friendly) critics can't perceive that the Republicans are finished, and that John McCain cannot legitimately win. Only through election fraud and vote suppression can he possibly prevail (as it was only through such means that Bush & Co. prevailed, not once but twice).

And such a victory is in the works, unless we act against it now. (Rove is working for McCain—who, moreover, lately hired an A-Team of veteran anti-democratic operatives.)

More:
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2008/070708Miller.shtml

Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6465245&mesg_id=6465245

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20. CA: Our View: Perata won't fool us again

We need a truth- in-labeling law for politics.

That might prevent Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata from lying about Proposition 11, the redistricting reform measure on the November ballot. He's trying to kill the initiative because it would make legislators more accountable to voters.

Perata won't debate the issue on its merits, and is resorting to distortion. His campaign is being funded by lobbyists and special interests who get government goodies from California taxpayers.

Perata has begun a campaign against the measure that suggests he's for good government in his opposition to Proposition 11. As has been amply demonstrated during his legislative career, he isn't.

In fact, Perata, and others of his ilk are the reasons that there's so much cynicism about the political process.

More:
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/177/story/335729.html

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32. Editorial: A lot of money is needed to fight redistricting lies

Perpetual gridlock over the state budget is annual proof of the corrosive partisanship in the California Legislature. The best long-term hope for breaking through that divide is to change the way we draw legislative districts: By creating fewer safe seats for each party, politically moderate Republicans and Democrats will have a chance at winning office and restoring a spirit of compromise.

The California Voters First Initiative on the November ballot is the latest promising plan for redistricting reform. Some big-name Republicans and Democrats, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis, the Democrat he displaced, are fully behind it.

More:
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_9806312

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27. "Paper Ballots" not "Paper Trails"

By Avi Rubin, Johns Hopkins University

I've noted some confusion in discussions with reporters recently, and I have to assume that this confusion is somewhat widespread. The issue is whether or not a "paper trail" resolves the problems with electronic voting. The term "paper trail", in my opinion, is an unfortunate one. When I first got seriously involved in this issue in 2003, many of us advocated paper trails as a solution to paperless DREs. The thinking was that if every vote is recorded on a piece of paper and that paper was audited by the voter, then a correct tally could be produced by counting the papers. This could be used to audit the machines, or as the definitive ballots. In theory, this seems reasonable, but it doesn't work in practice, and the theory is a bit flawed as well.

As I describe this, keep in mind that the underlying premise is that the software-only DREs should not be trusted. Software often fails in unexpected and unexplainable ways, and in the case of national public elections, there is a threat that the software could have been rigged or modified, or just be plain old buggy. The bottom line is that elections are more trustworthy if we don't have to trust the software. So, given that premise, paper trails only provide some benefit if the papers are actually counted. Otherwise, the machines are just as vulnerable as ones that don't have paper trails. Unless there is a policy for checking the ballots, and unless voters actually inspect the paper trails, we might as well just use DREs because the paper trails are useless under those circumstances. In practice, things are actually worse. Vendors have developed paper trails that are unwieldy, difficult to count, printed with fading ink, and prone to failure and paper jams.

More:
http://votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2897&Itemid=26

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29. How Obama Could Radically Alter the Election Map This Fall

Nineteen ninety-two was a crucial election year in Illinois. Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton was hoping to carry a swing state that President George H.W. Bush had won by a scant 2 percentage points four years earlier, and Illinois' Cook County Recorder of Deeds Carol Moseley Braun was attempting to become the nation's first African-American female senator. Close observers believed that a swell in black turnout could make the difference in both contests, but activists feared that the leadership of Chicago's Democratic Party -- which historically hadn't pushed registration in majority-black wards -- would squander the opportunity.

In stepped a young organizer named Barack Obama. Fresh out of Harvard Law School, Obama moved to Chicago to head up the local branch of Project Vote, a D.C.-based non-partisan voter registration organization focused in low-income communities of color. Recruiting staff and volunteers from community groups and black churches, he helped train 700 deputy registrars and devised a comprehensive media campaign based around the slogan "It's a Power Thing." His volunteers hit the streets and registered more than 150,000 black voters in only six months. According to a 1993 report from Chicago magazine, the elections "turned on these totals."

More:
http://www.alternet.org/election08/90413/?ses=2341e3dcf0f3bf9d3e137f76552caa47

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30. CA: Smart voters going absentee

Dear editor,

On June 28 the Register published a most interesting letter to the editor, written by Mr. Jack Rannells. In the letter, titled “Dump the ballots in the river,” Mr. Rannells suggests that folks who cast absentee ballots are “lazy” and “dumb.”

Mr. Rannells tells us that as of election night, 9,500 ballots hadn’t been counted, and he is probably correct. That tells me 9,500 ballots were sent in to the Registrar of Voters office. If you take that 9,500, divide by two, and assume that there were two people per car that didn’t drive to their polling place, that was 4,750 cars that weren’t used to drive to take people to vote — a lot of gasoline saved. Sorry, Mr. Rannells, I wouldn’t call those folks dumb.

(A little) more:
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/07/07/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/doc4871ac05803ab615997632.txt

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31. America Is in Major Need of Electoral Reform

Democracy in America made a surprising -- and welcome -- comeback this spring. Many of us assumed the front-loaded primary season meant the contest would be less democratic than ever, but instead Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were forced to fight the longest and most nationally inclusive race for a presidential nomination in history. About 3.5 million new voters registered and cast ballots, boosting participation among young people and people of color to new highs. More people voted in the Democratic primaries in North Carolina and Indiana than turned out for John Kerry in those states during the 2004 presidential race. The previously untapped potential of our democracy was on full display.

No candidate has spoken to this potential more directly than Obama. Millions of Americans embraced the presumptive Democratic nominee's "firm conviction...that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union."

Obama's audacious hope is intoxicating, but that hope must be sustained by a vision of what a more perfect union would look like.

Essential to realizing that vision in the twenty-first century is a transformation that doesn't rank high in any poll or list of probable reforms.

More:
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/90288/?ses=2341e3dcf0f3bf9d3e137f76552caa47

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35. MI: Remove some obstacles to voter participation

Michigan could make it so much easier for you to vote. Lawmakers aren't likely to do it, though, unless someone -- that is, you -- tells them it's time to admit a new millennium has dawned.
Advertisement

Two things need changing.

First, Michigan should allow anyone to use an absentee ballot. Now, in order to get one, you have to swear that you're over 60 or there is some other reason you can't get to the polls on Election Day. A reasonable number of people simply lie because they prefer filling out their ballots at home or have a hard time juggling their daily routine to get to the polls.

More:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080707/OPINION01/807070310/1069/OPINION

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5. The Youth Vote nt

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43. Generation Y Had Better Do Their Homework

We find ourselves going into this fall’s general election as we have with many in the past. We’ve been told to respect the youth vote at our peril. We’ve been told the youth opinion matters. We’ve been told they’ll turn the election if their concerns aren’t addressed. And they’ve seldom turned out on Election Day in numbers that mattered; in fact their turnout has been downright embarrassing.

This time we’re told all will be different. Should we be concerned? Are they going to cast informed votes, and if their candidate wins and our nation suffers, should we hold them solely responsible?

They DO assume they know everything. As an experienced father, I can remember the many times explaining something to my kids, while they consistently respond, “I know….” Yet when asked why they did something wrong, their response is almost always, “I dunno….”

Watching today’s youth representations on venues like MTV, we see a generation that truly believes it’s all about them, and I’m not alone in my observation.

More:
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/3859

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51. SSU Students Encourage You to Register to Vote

Several Savannah State University students spent this weekend encouraging others to vote. Some of the SSU Democrats spent time at the Kroger on Gwinnett Street today, registering Savannah neighbors who haven't yet done so.

Carry Smith, SSU College Democrats:
"That's why we're offering the service to register people to come out and vote because we feel it is important, it is a right that every American has at least the chance to register to vote and have that option on election day."

More:
http://www.wsav.com/midatlantic/sav/news.apx.-content-articles-SAV-2008-07-06-0004.html

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6. Campaign Finance nt

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48. AK: Young shows that campaign finance reform is needed

"Contrary to Representative Young's belief, this is the business of Alaska's people and we Alaskan's do have a right to know where the money comes from..."

Diane Benson put out a press release Friday ripping Congressman Don Young for not explaining his problems with the FBI t the people of Alaska.
Diane Benson

Young, under multiple criminal investigations for bribery and extortion, has spent more than $35,000 between October 2007 and April on lawyers for his campaign manager Steven Dougherty.

More:
http://www.alaskareport.com/news78/x61417_benson_young.htm

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49. LTTE: Campaign finance

I AM AMUSED at John McCain and the Republicans being upset that Barack Obama is not taking public campaign funds.

Republicans have never been in support of public financing, although they have taken public money for presidential runs the past however many years.

More, plus comments:
http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2008/jul/05/campaign_finance/

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50. McCain Allies Find Finance-Law Holes

Allies of Sen. John McCain have found new loopholes in the campaign-finance law he helped write -- and they're using them to reel in huge contributions to help him compete with Sen. Barack Obama.

In one method, a Republican Party fund aimed at electing governors has started marketing itself as a home for contributions of unlimited size to help Sen. McCain. His 2002 campaign law limits donations to presidential races to try to curtail the influence of wealth.


The Republican Governors Association isn't subject to those limits, and has long gathered up large donations from individuals and companies. Now it is telling donors it can use their contributions to benefit Sen. McCain in some key battleground states.

More:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121503532000824249.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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54. Blog: July 7, 2008 by Kingston

Forget everything you have been told about McCain and the myth of the maverick. Mr. campaign finance reform has carted that out to the curb with the rest of the rubbish.

And now that we actually have something resembling a working FEC again, they have plenty of things to keep them busy, but there is one especially egregious shell game that I hope they get to promptly.

There is a plan afoot by the Republican Governors Association to raise large amounts of "soft" money for McCain - the very man who made a lot of noise not so very long ago about the evils of that very way of financing campaigns.

Using a fund set up to elect governors to support a presidential candidate smacks of impropriety on it's very face. Indeed, it looks like it crosses the legal line prohibiting federal electioneering. Now - will the F.E.C. scrutinize this issue thoroughly and promptly, or dither until the second Tuesday after the second Monday in November?

And this little tidbit ought to make one and all feel a sense of comfort and magnanimity about the governor's fundraising scheme...The scurrilous curs who bankrolled the Swift Boat Liars are writing checks to the governors fund.

More:
http://letsgogirl.com/2008/07/07/john-mccain-and-campaign-finance-chicanery/

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52. Untying a Knot in Campaign Finance

WHEN Barack Obama announced his decision to reject public financing for his presidential campaign, he caught heavy flak from all sides. Critics, including some of his most ardent supporters, complained that he was willing to abandon the cause of good government to gain a financial edge.

What the critics have ignored is that truly effective campaign finance reform has been precluded by First Amendment concerns. Given that constraint, the Obama campaign's approach may offer the only realistic possibility of limiting the corrupting influence of money in politics.

Many champions of good government say they favor public financing because campaign spending is wasteful. It's a fair point. After all, campaign spending is driven by the same logic that governs a military arms race. But while the competition to amass bigger and more powerful weapons generates waste on a truly grand scale, the waste from campaign spending is relatively trivial - at most, a small fraction of 1 percent of national income. The spending itself is not the problem. The far more compelling rationale for campaign finance reform is to prevent the conflicts of interest that produce bad laws and policies.

More:
http://www.hillaryclintonclub.com/2008/07/untying-knot-in-campaign-finance.html

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53. Court ruling could threaten NM campaign-finance reform effort

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month to strike down a law designed to level the playing field for non-wealthy political candidates could have a dramatic impact on other campaign-finance laws, the Washington Post believes.

In striking down the Millionaire’s Amendment, the court could threaten state public-financing systems and restrictions on corporate and union spending, the Post stated in a June 29 editorial.

New Mexico is one of five states with no campaign contribution limits for corporations, unions or anyone else, but there’s been a strong push in recent years by Common Cause and other groups to change that. If the Post is right, the high court’s ruling could further hinder their so-far unsuccessful efforts.

New Mexico has also created a public-financing system in recent years for the Public Regulation Commission, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Advocates want to further expand the program in the next few years.

More:
http://nmindependent.mypublicsquare.com/view/court-ruling-could

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57. That's all, folks!

A few more rec's for the news would be appreciated! :hi: