The Voting News Daily: Are Tennessee Election Officials Competent Enough to Implement Paper Ballot Law?

Is the Tennessee Secretary of State afraid that he isn’t competent enough to enact Tennessee’s new paper ballot law in time for the 2010 election? Could it be that he doesn’t have what it takes to get the job done, so he has to keep making excuses to cover his inadequacies?

County may have to use paper ballots in 2010 Voting machines may not be up to standard in timeBy MARK HICKS • The Leaf-Chronicle • July 18, 2009 Montgomery County residents might be using paper ballots in the 2010 elections, unless the state Senate votes in January to delay the use of new voting machines until the 2012 elections. Secretary of State Tre Hargett said the reason for delaying implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act is no optical scan voting systems are available from vendors to place in each of the state’s 95 counties.The SOS’s new big scary threat…

[SCARE TACTICS]. OMG OMG if you don’t amend the law to delay implementation, then – GASP – we will have to count paper ballots by hand! Shriek!

Citizens, E-voting activists, let me tell you from experience here in North Carolina, the SOS knows that this threat of hand counting paper ballots scares politicians more than anything! They associate HCPB with fraud and ballot box stuffing. They also tend to believe what election officials tell them (no matter how stupid).

So here comes SOS “Tre” Hargett creating a new excuse to try to kill or delay paper ballot law – if if TN doesn’t amend the law to delay implementation, then – GASP – TN officials will have to count paper ballots by hand! Seems like he has a new excuse every day, its like whack-a-mole trying to correct his misinformation and trickery.

Tennesseans need to write letters to the editor, op/eds, write their County Commissioners and County Boards of Elections, and demand that they DO THEIR JOB and implement the law.

NC got the job done in less than 8 months, once we got the whining and the lawsuits done.

Aren’t Tennessee’s top election officials competent enough to do the job?

The Voting News Daily: 7/20/2009 War over paper in Tennessee, New Mexico may ditch ES&S, Undervotes in 08,

Tennessee has 5 different election cases pending in Federal Court, which may be more than any other state. Meanwhile, Tennessee lawmaker Gary Odom’s oped today states that the law doesn’t require 2005 system guidelines and Tennessee should use federal HAVA funds to purchase paper ballot/machines now. Meanwhile Tennessee SOS Hargett claims that the law requires 2005 standards and tries to scare officials with claim they’ll have to hand count paper ballots in 2010. What excuse will SOS Hargett come up with next – the dog ate the paper ballots? New Mexico wants to ditch its new ES&S machines because of the exhorbitant maintenance costs the general unreliability. Yet another reason to ditch voting vendors. NM is thinking of leasing Diebold/Premiere to avoid being tied to either vendor permanently.
Paper ballots are back in style in some Utah cities in order to save money.
Also a Voter Turnout Report by state for the 2008 Presidential Election, how did your state do?

GA. Analysis: Georgia unlikely to end machine voting system
Attorney Walker Chandler wants the High Court to end Georgia’s machine voting.
A decision is due in about three months.
http://www.jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2009-07-20/story/analysis_georgia_unlikely_to_end_machine_voting_system

NM. (Diebold alert!)New Mexico elections officials voice dissatisfaction over voting equipment
Jul 17, 2009 – …state and county elections officials are so frustrated with the cost of maintaining New Mexico’s fleet of new voting tabulators and voting machines for the disabled that they’re considering scrapping the equipment in favor of leasing new machines….Trujillo mentioned Premier Elections as the firm that the state is contacting to see if it could supply such services.
http://newmexicoindependent.com/32041/n-m-elections-officials-upset-over-voting-equipment

PA. Seventh person to face trial in Pa. ACORN case
PITTSBURGH – A seventh person has been ordered to stand trial in connection with former ACORN workers charged with illegally filling out voter registration cards in the Pittsburgh area before the 2008 general election.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20090720_ap_seventhpersontofacetrialinpaacorncase.html
TN. Integrity on line in paper ballot brawl
Voting-machine controversies rage on as 2010 elections creep up
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jul/19/integrity-on-line-in-paper-ballot-brawl/

TN. Law doesn’t insist on 2005 guidelines By state Rep. Gary Odom
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090719/OPINION01/907190358/1007/OPINION/Law+doesn+t+insist+on+2005+guidelines

TN. County may have to use paper ballots in 2010
Voting machines may not be up to standard in time
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20090718/NEWS01/907180331

TN. Tennessee Has Five Election Cases Pending in Federal Court
Probably no other state has so much constitutional election law litigation now pending.
The minor party ballot access case…disenfranchisement of ex-felons…A case on whether county election administrators may be fired because they are Democrats
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/07/20/tennessee-has-five-election-cases-pending-in-federal-court/

UT. Paper ballots back in style
FARMINGTON — Many cities in Weber and Davis counties are choosing paper over progress in an attempt to lower election costs this fall in a tight economy….
Only five of the 15 cities in Davis County will use the electronic voting equipment used in the 2008 presidential election.
http://www.standard.net/live/news/178840/

WA. Washington Supreme Court suit alleges secret ballot threatened, takes aim at bar codes
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/812335.html

US. Voter Turnout by State. MN had highest voter participation in 2008 election
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/07/20/daily6.html?page=3

US. Looking Abroad For Answers On Voter Registration
Advocates Find Models For Reform From Australia To Peru, But The Public Remains Apathetic
http://www.nationaljournal.com/njonline/rg_20090720_2526.php