The Voting News Daily: Voting-machine merger sparks FL anti-trust probe, Funding Hawaii election
Florida Atty Gen investigates voting-machine company merger: “Florida counties are negotiating their contracts now to prepare for the 2010 elections,” McCrea said. “They can suffer the potential damages for dealing with a monopoly now. So intervention needs to happen now.”~ Dan McCrea, president of the Florida Voters Foundation…Hawaii may be able to use HAVA funds to pay for special elections….Maryland Governor being pressured to delay switch to paper ballot voting systems…Comment to a Tennessee newspaper: “You get a receipt when you buy a burger and fries; isn’t your vote more valuable than that? Or are the people of Tennessee really content to drop their vote into a black hole and assume that there’s absolute certainty that it will be counted?”. The voting news might look slightly different today as we adjust the format slightly.
All this and more in today’s voting news….
FL: Voting-machine firms’ merger sparks Florida anti-trust probe
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/80830.html
…Under Florida’s 1980 anti-trust law, McCollum could persuade a court to levy fines against ES&S or prevent the company from operating in the state…
FL: Voting-machine merger investigated
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/1385770.html
Dec 17, 2009 – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is conducting an anti-trust investigation of a voting-machine company merger that would create a near-monopoly over the levers of democracy in Florida and much of the United States
HI: Federal money may fund election
http://twi.cc/CPAq
HI: Salvage the special election
http://www.starbulletin.com/editorials/20091216_Salvage_the_special_election.html
Dec 16, 2009 …Cronin said one way to deal with the problem is to conduct an election by ballots to be mailed in or dropped off at central locations to reduce costs. That system was used successfully in April to conduct a special election in Windward Oahu to replace the late Barbara Marshall on the City Council.
IL: Injunction Denied
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2009/12/17/injunction-denied/
Champaign County Clerk- Judge Jones today agreed to a lot of our arguments, but in the end, disagreed with the argument that our office would suffer irreparable harm should we go forward with the election with the undervote provision in place.
MA: The debate voters deserve: Coakley vs. Brown
http://twi.cc/tAxK
MD: O’Malley: Questions Raised About Voting Scanners
http://wjz.com/local/voting.scanners.paper.2.1374714.html
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Gov. Martin O’Malley says more and more people are asking about the wisdom of changing to a new voting system with optical scans of paper ballots for upcoming elections….
MT: Voters voice concern over plan to shutter Missoula polling places
http://www.missoulian.com/news/local/article_38a0ff68-eacb-11de-a145-001cc4c002e0.html
Dec 17, 2009 – Dozens of voters turned out Wednesday afternoon, most of them opposing the proposed closure of several polling places – including at the Missoula County Courthouse and on the University of Montana campus – saying the plan would hurt the democratic process…
ND: Ramsey County votes to go to one polling place, fewer precincts
http://www.devilslakejournal.com/news/x967377813/Ramsey-County-votes-to-go-to-one-polling-place-fewer-precincts
Dec 16, 2009. “We expect more and more people will be participating in the Vote by Mail Program,” said County Auditor Elizabeth Fischer at the regular Ramsey County Commission meeting held Tuesday evening.
NY: Election Officials Hold Voting Machine Test Run (video available)
http://ny1.com/7-brooklyn-news-content/top_stories/110601/election-officials-hold-voting-machine-test-run
TN: What They Said
http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/what-they-said/Content?oid=1867114
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