Yearly Archives: 2009

The Voting News Daily: 7/30 Voting News. Must Tennessee Election Officials pass political or religious test? US Voter Registration lags, Hawaii Vote By Mail?

A Tennessee Supreme Court may decide if election officials must pass a religious or political test. This comes after the May firing of 28 election directors Hawaii considering Vote by Mail as a way to increase voter turnout. Maybe because Honolulu’s recent internet election was quite a dud with 6.5% turnout. Meanwhile, Michael Hamner (University of Maryland) says election reforms have little if any effect on turnout.
India is seeing a movement against paperless electronic voting. Happy Birthday to voting integrity group CTVotersCount, your work on behalf of election transparency is appreciated! A bill for public financing of US Congressional elections was heard in the House Administration Committee today. The US, with only 68% of eligible population registered, falls way behind countries such as Argentina and Belize, who register more than 95% of their eligible population – according to a report by the Brennan Ctr for Justice.

*Note we do not necessarily agree with the ideas put forth in various news articles.

CT. CTVotersCount is Two Years Old
July 29, 2009 Thursday marks the 2nd anniversary of CTVotesCount.
CTVotersCount.org is dedicated to fairness and confidence in democracy, that election results must accurately reflect the intentions of the voters.
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=2222

HI. Voting by mail gets another look
Jul 26, 2009 Hawaii’s consistently dismal voter turnout and a state election system in jeopardy because of a lack of funds has renewed interest in a vote-by-mail balloting…”The vote by mail as a cost saving (step) is not a panacea,” Takahashi said. “You shouldn’t look at it by saying you are going to save money.”
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090726_Voting_by_mail_gets_another_look.html

IA. Iowa caucuses move to Saturday in ’10
The Iowa Republican and Democratic parties together announced Tuesday that they will hold the state’s 2010 primary caucuses on a Saturday, a move that party leaders say is designed to increase turnout in a nonpresidential year.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25555.html

NC. Wake County has 1 new member on their Board of Elections.
Congratulations to Aida Doss Havel.
http://www.wakegov.com/elections/default.htm

TN. Supreme Court may hear election queries in October
July 29, 2009 Supreme Court justices could consider two questions about election administrators during their October or February sessions, the clerk said Wednesday.
…• Does the position of administrator of elections qualify as an “office of public trust” where no political or religious test shall be used as a qualification?
• Is the administrator of elections a county employee or a state employee?
The main issue is a Tennessee Attorney General opinion issued earlier this year, which said it is against state and federal law to fire an employee based on political affiliation, unless they are in a policy-making position and elections administrators are not policy-making posts.
http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=18382

RI. Change on voting rights for ex-convicts wins praise July 30, 2009
http://www.projo.com/news/courts/content/SENTENCING_PROJECT_MAN_07-30-09_57F795U_v27.38abb02.html

WI. **Note from Voting News reader: “The head of Wisconsin’s GAB has not endorsed online voting. It is simply one of many possibilities being explored in the board’s five-year election administration plan. Please see: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/51944772.html

WI. Proceed cautiously with early voting
July 30, 2009 a far loftier and commendable goal for the Board would be to endorse and then work with the Legislature to enact a photo ID requirement for voting.

The Voting News Daily: 7/29 Voting News. Internet Voting for Wisconsin? NY audits enough? TN paper ballot law threatened

The head of Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board wants internet voting for the state. The claim is that this would increase voter turnout, but we know better after Honolulu’s recent internet election with 6.5% turnout. Tennessee’s paper ballot law still under threat and may end up back at the legislature. An Texas County proposes reducing polling places by 35% in order to pay for new voting machines. An Ohio county considers closing 14 polling places to help offset costs of accessible voting facilities.

In New York, Howard Stanislevic of the E-Voter Education Project and Teresa Hommel “Where’s the Paper Save the Levers” release comments on New York’s Proposed Election Auditing Regulations.

FL. Gerrymandered District 28 makes for confusion on early voting’s first day
TREASURE COAST — The gerrymandered boundaries for state Senate District 28 caused some confusion as early voting for the Aug. 4 election kicked off Monday.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jul/27/gerrymandered-district-28-makes-for-confusion-on/

OH. Board may cut 14 voting precincts
FREMONT — The Sandusky County Board of Elections might cut 14 voting precincts to save money and better comply with the American Disabilities Act.
…The board could apply for grant funding to install ramps and make other improvements make precincts comply with the law, she said.
http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/200907290830/NEWS01/907290303

MA. BlackBerries okay at polling places
Abington advocates of a tax over-ride did not violate election law by having BlackBerries at the polls Saturday… the devices were used to track who voted.
http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2009/07/blackberries_okay_at_polling_places.html
NC. North Carolina Board of Elections Will Ask Legislature for Tax Check-Off Liberalization On July 29, Gary Bartlett, Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said he will ask the state legislature to change the law on which parties are listed on the state income tax form
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/07/29/north-carolina-board-of-elections-will-ask-legislature-for-tax-check-off-liberalization/

NY. Advocates to State Board of Elections: Audits Won’t Find Wrong Winners of Elections Our Comments on New York’s Proposed Election Auditing Regulations
By E-Voter Education Project and Teresa Hommel Where’s the Paper Save the Levers. Chair, Task Force on Election Integrity,Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist
“… even if the 3% audit did not find a single miscounted vote, the winners of many elections counted by computerized voting systems could still be wrong — and no one would ever know.”
http://e-voter.blogspot.com/2009/07/ny-advocates-to-state-board-of.html

OH. Elections official under scrutiny
Democrat upset at Republican’s failure to share contents of e-mail sent to city council member
http://www.ohio.com/news/51964017.html

TN. Voting machine law in limbo – State and local leaders are pushing lawmakers to delay implementation of a new law that would require each county to buy new voting equipment, a move election officials say will be expensive and nearly impossible by the deadline.
http://mountainpress.southernheadlines.com/app/printstory.cfm?section=38&story=21991

TX Grayson Co. to apply for new countywide voting system
GRAYSON COUNTY, TX — Another controversial topic on the Grayson County Commissioners’ agenda Monday morning was polling locations.
Commissioners voted to apply for a new countywide polling system that would allow voters to cast their ballots anywhere in Grayson County, but the county would have to cut polling locations by about 35% in the first year.

The Voting News Daily: 7/28 Voting News. Aspen election to get independent audit, an election office’s money woes, online registration, vote renting and illegal voting

Ballots so private you can’t audit them: Colorado Voting Activist Harvie Brancomb leads a team conducting an independent audit of Aspen’s recent instant runoff voting election. The town’s attorney has denied a public info request to obtain the 2,600 ballots, citing that the ballots are “private”. It is ironic that ballots have to be stored for 22 months after federal elections or 6 months otherwise, but then destroyed and never available as public records for the public to review.

Kansas citizens can register to vote online now. Electronic elections are becoming too costly: A Birmingham election office can’t afford to deliver voting machines to the polls. (This is becoming more common, as we saw in Utah some counties switching to paper ballots to save money). Paper verses electronic voting issue went to a top court in India. Vote Renting in Iraq. Restoring ex felons’ voting rights.

# # #

AL. Birmingham employees will deliver voting machines
County has no funds for the task
City of Birmingham employees will deliver voting machines to polling places for next month’s municipal elections because Jefferson County cannot afford to perform many of its usual election-related duties, officials from both governments said Monday.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/1248768915301350.xml&coll=2
CO. Aspen’s May election under review
Independent group conducting audit of Instant Runoff Voting results
ASPEN — A small group of Instant Runoff Voting junkies plan to do an independent review of Aspen’s May election…Part of that information includes Marks’ Colorado Open Record Act request for all, or a portion of, the 2,600 ballots casts by Aspen voters….City attorney John Worcester has denied that request, arguing that voters’ ballots should be private, per the city’s home rule charter and the council’s intent to keep them from public review.

Branscomb told the council Tuesday that he plans to challenge that position because in order to do a full audit of the election, his team must start from the beginning, which are the paper ballots. Individuals’ votes ought to be checked against how the scanning machines interpreted them, he argues.
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20090727/NEWS/907279983/1058

KS. Online voter registration launched in Kansas
Kansas officials have created an online system to help residents register to vote from the convenience of their computers.
The system links the secretary of state’s voter registration process with the Department of Revenue’s driver’s license database. Residents submit their application, which is verified with information already in the state system.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1350675.html

NY. Removed From Ballot — For a Typo?
July 25, 2009 New York City’s election laws are notoriously unfair, and few events make that point as well as what happened on Thursday to City Councilman Bill de Blasio…Mr. de Blasio’s name was removed from the Democratic Party line on the ballot by the New York City Board of Elections. The reason? A cover page on his packet of signatures said that there were 131 folders when there were actually 132.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/opinion/25sat2.html?_r=2&emc=eta1

NY. UPDATE. de Blasio Back On The Ballot
This just in from the city Board of Elections: Councilman Bill de Blasio has been restored to the ballot in the public advocate race.

The Voting News Daily: EAC approves Internet Voting Company as a registered vendor – will Internet Voting be far behind?

The Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) just approved Everyone Counts, an Internet Voting Company to participate in the EAC Voting System Testing and Certification Program. E1C now joins several other EAC registered voting vendors. The whack-a-mole attacks on election transparency have stepped up a level.

In a letter to Everyone Counts, dated July 21, 2009, the EAC states

On behalf of our Commissioners and our Executive Director, let me take this opportunity to welcome Everyone Counts, Inc. to the EAC’s Voting System Testing and Certification Program. We have reviewed your registration package and have found that it meets all of the requirements noted in our Program Manual. As such, this letter is official acknowledgement that Everyone Counts, Inc. is now officially registered and may participate in the EAC’s Voting System Testing & Certification Program.

In addition, Everyone Counts, Inc. will now be included in the EAC’s listing of registered voting system manufacturers publicly available at www.eac.gov.

Everyone Counts (E1C) now has achieved more legitimacy by becoming an EAC approved vendor. This will lend their other products, like Internet voting – some bit of creditability through association.

Is it a conflict of interest for the EAC to register a voting vendor whose COO is a former EAC Chairman? Everyone Counts lists former U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) chair Paul DeGregorio as their Chief Operating Officer? And isn’t it a conflict of interest for a (former) top nations elections officials to go through the revolving door of Election official/voting vendor? See Virtually Voting: Bush’s U.S. EAC Chair Cashes In to Head Company Running ‘All-Digital’ Elections by Brad Friedman of BradBlog.

E1C conducted the 2008 primary for “Democrats Abroad” and also an online election for the city of Honolulu Hawaii. While the Democrats Abroad election was touted as a success, there is no way to ensure the integrity of that election.

The election in Honolulu had the low low voter turnout of a mere 6.3%, killing the claims that Internet voting increases voter turnout.

Low turnout mars Hawaii’s digital vote
Poor turnout in Hawaii election clouds use of digital voting technology
HERBERT A. SAMPLE AP News May 28, 2009

They built a new digital voting system, but the voters didn’t come.

There was some disagreement Wednesday over why only 6.3 percent of eligible voters used a new, first-in-the-nation digital voting procedure to cast ballots for Honolulu neighborhood board seats via the Internet or by touch-tone phone.

“Kevin Poulsen, senior editor at Wired News asks the question “is internet voting safe” and has a poll at the end of the article. Poulson’s background as a former black hat hacker should give added weight his message :

Is Internet Voting Safe? Vote Here
…”Threat Level can imagine someone writing a bot that infects unpatched PCs en masse, watches for interactions with the voting website, then changes the votes in the PDF to whatever the malware writer wants. Reading and interpreting the ballot would require some skillful engineering, but no more than what hackers have already shown in breaking CAPTCHAs like peanut shells, among other things.

The Voting News Daily: 7/27 Voting News: Ditching New York’s levers costly, stringent audits needed, EAC approves Internet Voting Company as Vendor, TN still in the news

Concerns are raised about New York’s Pilot program that allows the use of uncertified computerized vote counting machines. This month citizens learned that a statewide switch from levers to optical scan will cost $200 million, with only $50 million covered by federal funds. Howard Stanislevic of the E-Voter Education Project warns that the increased risk “requires rigorous audits…”and NY Verified Voting urges the NY State Board of Elections to implement “risk-limiting audits as an essential element of public confidence in elections.”

Ditching levers will be expensive – it will cost New York $200 million to trade levers for optical scan machines across the state. Only $50 million will be covered by federal funding. The EAC has approved an Internet Voting Company as a registered vendor, which means the threat of internet voting grows larger. The Federal Government still hasn’t published the 2008 election returns. Tennessee still in the news. The Latino community pushes nationwide for fairer local election rules.

MS. GOP to stage push for voter ID laws
Mississippi Republicans hope to use a ballot initiative to enact voter identification laws, the source of bitter political fighting with Democrats for years…“We had voter ID,” the Democrats’ statement said. “There was a voter ID bill in the Legislature and Republicans killed it. They are trying to get voter ID on the ballot. It is clear that for them it is nothing but a political game. If they really want voter ID, it was done in the Legislature.”
http://www.sunherald.com/politics/story/1498419.html

NC. North Carolina Tax Department Will Honor Taxpayer Requests to Help Libertarian Party
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/07/24/north-carolina-tax-department-will-honor-taxpayer-requests-to-help-libertarian-party/

NY. Computer tallies can’t be trusted
Software-based vote counting is fraught with potential for error, wildly more so than our lever voting system now in danger of being discarded. This immense yet subtle potential for error requires rigorous audits designed to find miscounted votes — with the paper ballots under continuous observation. Without such auditing and observation, there can be no confidence in election results.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=824496&category=OPINION

NY. Uncertified machines do not serve voters
How many candidates running for office this fall know that the votes that will decide their fate will be counted by an uncertified computer program?
And how many of those candidates know that only a small fraction of those votes will be hand counted after the fact to see if that uncertified computer program (which also has not yet proved to be accurate, reliable or tamper-proof) worked as it was intended to and was not hacked into?
“A limited recount.”
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=813733&category=OPINION

NY. Critics question integrity of new voting system
NEW YORK CITY–A group of election experts, including Columbia County Election Commissioner Virginia Martin(D), met earlier this month at St. Mark’s Church in the East Village to discuss their concerns about the state’s impending switch to new optical scanner voting machines….that changeover to the new machines is costing $200 million statewide, of which $50 million comes from federal funding.
http://www.columbiapaper.com/index.php/the-news/378-debora-gilbert

NY. New Yorkers for Verified Voting has released a commentary on the proposed
New York State auditing regulations.

The Voting News Daily: 7/24 Voting News. Cost of Ditching Levers, Texas Vote Centers, Internet Voting, Better Way to Register Voters

Levers, Vote Centers, Voter Registration and Internet Voting in the news today. Voters Unite has a new report on the costs of replacing lever machines with optical scanners. The report finds that the HAVA funds will not cover the first year costs of switching to the Sequoia/Dominion ImageCast. The New York Times has an article about better ways to register voters. Collin County, Texas looks at eliminating 50% of neighborhood polling places — replacing them with “Vote Centers” . Meanwhile, an Arizona judge said there is a legitimate question of whether voting machines there are accurately counting votes. Internet voting pilot for Canada may happen.

AZ. Legitimacy of touch-screen voting gets new legal airing
Judge Philip Hall, writing for the court, said it is proper for courts to consider the issue of whether the machines comply with Arizona law.

Potentially more significant, Hall said there is a legitimate question of whether the machines are accurately counting votes.
http://campverdebugleonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=23805

ME. (correction, we first listed the state as Oregon, our apologies) Commissioners eye voting rights for non-citizens
PORTLAND — Several members of the city’s Charter Commission want to grant non-U.S. citizens the right to vote in city elections.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=269805&ac=PHnws

MN. State supreme court tosses out voting lawsuit
The Minnesota Supreme Court has thrown out a lawsuit filed in late May by the Minnesota Majority, a coalition of conservative legislators and others who claimed that the state’s voter registration system has not been updated adequately.
http://www.politicsinminnesota.com/2009/jul23/3498/state-supreme-court-tosses-out-recount-lawsuit

NY. Report: Lever Replacement Costs: Case Study of a Small New York County (County X) http://www.votersunite.org/info/LeverToOpScanCost_CountyX_NY.pdf
The NY City report was first posted in May. With a recently revised cover sheet, the report is here: http://www.votersunite.org/info/LeverToOpScanCost_NYC.pdf

TX. Public hearing scheduled for Countywide Vote Center plan in Collin County
…The site selection committee will have less than a month to write a plan that will potentially eliminate 50% of neighborhood polling places — replacing them with “Vote Centers” where any voter in the county can vote. Detailed plans must be submitted to the Secretary of State before August 15.

US. The Right Way to Register Voters
…Many of the countries and provinces in the study with the highest registration rates sign people up by using data borrowed from other government agencies….In the American system, state and local officials, who have the primary responsibility in this area, have overwhelmingly failed to put in place the sort of system needed to bring eligible voters into the electorate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/opinion/24fri2.html

US. Absentee voter reform approved by Senate
A long-sought overhaul of the absentee voting process for service members was approved Thursday by the Senate and appears well on its way to becoming law.

The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, or MOVE Act, would require states that accept federal funds to support elections to set up a streamlined process for service members to register to vote and to request, receive and return absentee ballots.
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6703

CA. Elections Canada pushes online votingStudy shows change would increase voter turnout, but observers question security
If everything goes according to Elections Canada’s plans, voters will soon be able to cast their ballots online — even from the comfort of their own beds.With

The Voting News Daily: Voting News 7/23 Hawaii Elections Office is broke, Major advocacy groups release report on 2008 election, election bills gain sponsors

Hawaii’s top election official may need to borrow money to hold elections in 2010 because of state budget restrictions. Lots of US news. Is there a better alternative to election day registration? Several election bills add new co sponsors as there is a big push for electoral reform by 2010. US. Voter Action, NAACP National Voter Fund, and Advancement Project are releasing a joint report today on voting rights concerns emerging from the 2008 election.

If you have voting news, or we missed something, please email us at joyce at ncvoter.net and we will add it to tomorrows news. If you have a blog dedicated to voting issues, we’d love to hear about it.

CT. Is Early Voting A Good Idea For Connecticut?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=2174

HW. Top Elections Official Sounds Alarm
Hawaii’s Chief Elections Officer Kevin Cronin says budget restrictions have severely hampered his ability to plan for the 2010 elections..Cronin told members of the Hawaii Elections Commission Wednesday his office has only $14,440 to complete necessary tasks… Of the $981,014 that was left to fund the Office of Elections, $113,346 was restricted by Gov. Lingle as part of her plan to balance the state budget.
http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Top-Elections-Official-Sounds-Alarm/esuvQsfMZUa7txEz95LGfA.cspx

LA. Gretna violating voting laws, suit says Annexation dilutes districting, it says A group that successfully sued the city of Gretna to force the creation of a majority-black council district 25 years ago is suing the city again, claiming that the Timberlane Estates annexation dilutes minority voting strength.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/westbank/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1248327011226930.xml&coll=1

ME. (correction, we first listed the state as Oregon, our apologies) Commissioners eye voting rights for non-citizens
PORTLAND — Several members of the city’s Charter Commission want to grant non-U.S. citizens the right to vote in city elections.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=269805&ac=PHnws

US. A Better Alternative To Election Day Registration?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=2196

US. Some Election Bills in U.S. House Continue Gaining Co-Sponsors During the last nine days, several election law bills of interest have added new co-sponsors.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/07/22/some-election-bills-in-u-s-house-continue-gaining-co-sponsors/

US. Advocates to push for electoral reforms prior to 2010 midterms
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Armed with anecdotal evidence from thousands of calls placed to voter hotlines last year, a group of voting rights advocates will lobby Congress Thursday for changes to the federal laws relating to the nation’s election administration systems.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/23/advocates-to-push-for-electoral-reforms-prior-to-2010-midterms/

US. Voter Action, NAACP National Voter Fund, and Advancement Project are releasing a joint report today on voting rights concerns emerging from the 2008 election. The report relies on nearly 70,000 problem calls received by two national voter hotlines (CNN and MYVOTE1 hotlines) and recommends that Congress adopt immediate measures to help protect voters in the 2010 election.
http://www.voteraction.org/electionreport
A direct link to the report itself is here
http://www.voteraction.org/files/Report_R5_Final.pdf

US. Press release. Holt Praises Civil Rights Groups upon Release of Report Calling for Voter-Marked Paper Ballots and Elections Audits.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/nj12_holt/072309b.html

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The Voting News Daily: New York voting machines roll, Tennessee ballot pleas, Voting Rights in Wisconsin, IRV in news in 2 cities

The Ohio Secretary of State has just certified the new ES&S’s optical scanner, the DS200 and it is already heading to Cuyahoga County. The DS200 was just certified by the EAC to the 2002 Voting System Standards, the most current in effect by the EAC.

Voter Action’s lawsuit over Arizona’s touchscreen machines is back in the news.

Instant Runoff Voting is in the news as one city, Aspen Colorado considers ditching it, and as another, Minneapolis Minnesota prepares for an IRV election that will involve 22 contests.

Some New York counties roll out new optical scan machines under the guise of a “pilot”, which is a politically correct way of evading current voting machine standards.

Oregon’s gov signs a bill that helps third party voters.
Acorn files a federal suit against Pennsylvania’s State Attorney General

AZ. Voter Action Case. Appeals court OKs group’s challenge to touch-screen voting
PHOENIX — Critics who contend that touch-screen voting machines are
not reliable will get a chance to make their case in court.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/301859
here’s the decision:
http://www.cofad1.state.az.us/opinionfiles/CV/CV060575.pdf

CO. Aspen voters to vote on how they vote — again
The Aspen City Council on Tuesday agreed to put an advisory question to voters on the fall ballot on whether the IRV election method — a system never tried before in Aspen until this past May — should be scrapped or kept in place.
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20090722/NEWS/907219970/1077&ParentProfile=1058

CO. Instant runoff voting going back to voters
Aspen voters will most likely see a question on this November’s ballot to gauge support of instant runoff voting.
…Aspen’s IRV election also suffered an after-the-fact setback when it was discovered that a glitch in the software used to count the votes resulted in 16 fewer votes going to Mick Ireland than should have.
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/135745

MN. New instant-runoff voting could factor in 22 Minneapolis races
Candidates filing for office on last day include man who sued over IRV
http://minnesotaindependent.com/39889/instant-runoff-ranked-voting-irv-minneapolis

MN. A colorful political season ahead in Minneapolis
For mayor alone, they’ll have to sort through 11 names and creative party labels, including “Is Awesome,” “Social Entrepreneurship” and “New Dignity.”
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/51407657.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ

NY. New Voting Process Is Easy As 1-2-3
County Board Of Elections Unveils New Machines
Chautauqua County is one of 16 counties – and only two in Western New York – to be using the optical scan paper ballot voting machines as part of a pilot program.
http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/535845.html?nav=5018

OH. Press release. Secretary Brunner Certifies New voting System for Ohio.
This current level of testing meets the 2002 Voting System Standards which are the most current in effect by the EAC…The upgraded system that includes the new equipment, especially the new DS200 – a precinct optical scan unit…
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/PressReleases/2009/20090722.aspx

OH. Cuyahoga County gets 1,200 new digital ballot scanners
Among the advantages of the new gear: A 12-inch LCD screen shows an image of each ballot and points out any voter errors. The old optical scanners notified voters only if their ballots contained too many marks.
Platten said the machines also are easier for poll workers to set up and take down after an election.

The Voting News Daily: Protecting Tennessee’s vote:Rebutting Giannini’s “Optical Scan Voting Insanity” rhetoric

The facts are NOT on the side of partisan election official Chairman Bill Giannini of Shelby County Tennessee. Mr. Giannini uses the same misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric that we in North Carolina had to disprove when special interests tried to thwart our paper ballot law.

Jul 21, 2009 Optical Scan Voting “Insanity,” Says Election Commission Head
The Voter Confidence Act passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2008 is a creation of “the liberal wing of the liberal party” and a “bad idea,” according to Bill Giannini …The paper costs by themselves would be “astronomical,” said Giannini, who argued further that to carry out the mandate next year requires state-of-the-art optical-scanning devices certified by both the state and federal governments and that” no such animal” exists.

The Voting News Daily: 7/21 Voting News. New Mexico SOS can’t protect assets, Arizona’s voting machine suit in court, Tennessee paper fight rages, EAC certification

Can New Mexico’s Secretary of State protect elections? The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office doesn’t have the technical capability to manage information technology projects, or “protect the assets of the SOS and the people of the State of New Mexico.” according to a Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) evaluation.
The EAC announces several certifications of software and voting systems.
An Arizona lawsuit over voting machines goes back to trial,
Tennessee in the news again as a partisan election official calls Optical Scan voting “Insanity”. I rebut his claims.
US voter turnout in 2008 increased by 5 million over 2004.

AL. Trial date scheduled in Alabama judge’s ethics case
The Alabama Court of the Judiciary has scheduled a trial July 29 on the judicial ethics charges against Hale County Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins.
The state Judicial Inquiry Commission accused Wiggins in May of violating the state’s ethical standards for judges in his handling of a voter fraud investigation involving three of his relatives.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20090721/NEWS02/907210322/Trial+date+scheduled+in+Alabama+judge+s+ethics+case

AR. Arkansas Greens Will Sue Over Definition of “Political Party”
…The party was removed from the ballot in November 2008 because it polled under 3% for president. However, it polled over 20% for U.S. Senate, and its three U.S. House candidates averaged over 19%.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/07/20/arkansas-greens-will-sue-over-definition-of-political-party/

AZ Voting machine case goes back to trial judge
Some individuals who claim that touch screen voting machines are not reliable will get a chance to make their case in court.
…Tuesday’s ruling, unless overturned by the Arizona Supreme Court, sends the case back to a trial judge who three years ago threw the case out of court.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/141960

CA. Special Congressional Election in California Will be 5-Party Race
The California special election to fill the vacant 10th district U.S. House seat on November 3 will be a race between members of five political parties. The Green, American Independent, and Peace & Freedom Parties all will be represented.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/07/21/special-congressional-election-in-california-will-be-5-party-race/

NM. Legislative review: N.M. Secretary of State’s Office lacks technical ability to manage IT projects.
..”The SOS IT capability is significantly lacking in staffing and technical skills. Expectations are far greater than the ability of the people resources to deliver the results required and to provide the necessary and required processes to protect the assets of the SOS and the people of the State of New Mexico.”
http://newmexicoindependent.com/32345/legislative-review-n-m-secretary-of-states-office-lacks-technical-ability-to-manage-it-projects

TN. Optical Scan Voting “Insanity,” Says Election Commission Head
The Voter Confidence Act passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2008 is a creation of “the liberal wing of the liberal party” and a “bad idea,” according to Bill Giannini, the chairman of the Shelby County Election Commission.
http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2009/07/21/optical-scan-voting-insanity-says-election-commission-head

Protecting Tennessee’s vote: Rebutting Giannini’s “Optical Scan Voting Insanity” rhetoric
The facts are NOT on the side of partisan election official Chairman Bill Giannini of Shelby County Tennessee.
http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/07/protecting-tennessees-voterebutting.html

US. “Obama Campaign Returning Foreign Contributions”
President Obama’s campaign committee wants your money — but only if you happen to be an American citizen. But even those who can’t vote and don’t live in the U.S. seem intent on handing him money.

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

The Voting News Daily: Tennessee votes at risk 2010? Wisconsin early vote? Vote By Mail in CA, Iran update,USENIX event

Tennessee still in the news. The Tennessean says the spat is “not what Tennessee voters want” and, “More than sufficient funds are in place to purchase and install the machines, if only the bickering will stop and officials will work in a bipartisan manner to make it happen.” New Hillsboro FL elections chief is a “double dipper” which does not inspire trust in that office. Wisconsin considers early voting, Bush v Gore dead, and Project Vote shows how states that enforce Voting Rights Act see dramatic improvements in voter registraton. I urge activists to work on voter registration issues in addition to voting machine issues. Bloggers rule the world!

CA Editorial: Mail-in elections save money, but at what cost?
While cost is important, it’s not the only or even the most important consideration in the administration of elections.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/story/2017467.html

FL Elections chief Lennard sworn in, becomes latest ‘double dipper’
Earl Lennard officially became Hillsborough County elections supervisor in a 10 a.m. swearing-in ceremony today in the elections supervisor’s office.
At the same time, Lennard also became a “double dipper,” collecting a $132,000 salary as elections supervisor while continuing to collect his $167,468 annual pension from 41 years with the Hillsborough County school system.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jul/15/lennard-sworn-elections-supervisor-becomes-latest-/news-politics/

NV High voter registration in Nevada
Nearly 80 percent of eligible Nevadans are now registered to vote, according to the secretary of state’s office.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12798787

TN A debate over machine politics | In Session: Tennessee Politics
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Rep. Gary Odom, D-Nashville, go at it over the state’s Voter Confidence Act on Sunday’s upcoming editorial page in The Tennessean.
http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2009/a-debate-over-machine-politics/

TN What if Herenton v. Cohen is a Close Election?
http://www.liberadio.com/2009/07/16/what-if-herenton-v-cohen-is-a-close-election/

WI Should Wisconsin allow more early voting?
The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) is asking for opinions from local election officials and the general public during a series of summer listening sessions about the possible implementation of early voting measures for the 2010 elections.
http://www.biztimes.com/blogs/milwaukee-biz-blog/2009/7/17/should-wisconsin-allow-more-early-voting

National. The Untimely Death of Bush v. Gore Richard L. Hasen – Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
“…the promise of election reform inspired by the case is now dead. Indeed, a case could come along some day reviving Bush v. Gore as precedent. Perhaps it is better to think of the case as dormant as a constitutional precedent.”
http://legalworkshop.org/2009/07/17/the-untimely-death-of-bush-v-gore

National. Low-Income Voters Added to the Voting Rolls through Improved NVRA Implementation
When states have decided to prioritize compliance with the federal law, improvements have been startling.
http://www.progressivestates.org/node/23303

National. New Project Vote Report Evaluates Fifteen Years of the NVRA
a comprehensive new report released today by Project Vote, The NVRA at Fifteen: A Report to Congress, voting rights attorney Estelle Rogers finds that lack of enforcement, failures of state and federal leadership, and restrictive court decisions have left the full potential of the NVRA unrealized
http://www.projectvoteblog.org/265/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3365&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=263&cHash=7be648563f

Ghana. “Adopt Open Registration Format”
The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), on Thursday urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to adopt an open registration system to capture statistics for the compilation of the voters’ register for future elections.

The Voting News Daily: UCLA built Rube Goldberg Voting Machine Compared to Dominion ImageCast

Sequoia/Dominion ImageCast below

Which is more complex? Or are they about the same?

The Voting News Daily: 7/16/2009 Voting News. Tenn response to response,MN Lessons learned, Canada company gets NY voting machine contract

The Voting News Daily: Attention Tennessee Election Officials, NC implemented ballot law in less than 8 months

TN officials could implement the paper ballot law in plenty of time if they were anywhere as competent or organized as officials in North Carolina. NC passed a paper ballot law in August 2005 and was ready for early voting beginning in April 2006. And this even includes the time I went to court against Diebold.

Here is the timeline:North Carolina Voting System Implementation and Timeline
August 26, 2005 NC’s Public Confidence in Elections signed into law http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2005/Bills/Senate/HTML/S223v7.html

September 26, 2005 NC State Board of Elections invites comments on request for proposal (RFP)process
http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/hava/voting_equ_memo.pdf

September 30, 2005 NC Verified Voting comments on RFP http://www.verifiedvoting.org/downloads/NC-RFP%20comments.pdf

October 11, 2005 NC State Board of Elections issues RFP, bids to be opened November 4, 2005
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~justin/voting/upload/Voting_Systems_RFP.pdf

Three addenda to the above RFP:
one, http://www.cs.duke.edu/~justin/voting/upload/04454101.pdf
two, http://www.cs.duke.edu/~justin/voting/upload/04454102.pdf
three, http://www.cs.duke.edu/~justin/voting/upload/04454103.pdf

December 1, 2005 the NC State Board of Elections certified Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia(conditionally).
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1895791,00.asp

December 22, 2005. Diebold withdraws as N.C. voting equipment vendor citing that itwasn’t able to meet the software code requirements.
http://www.ncvoter.net/dieboldnews.html

January 26, 2006. The NC Information Technology Services, the Attorney General and State Board Staff finalized an agreement with Election Systems & Software (ES&S).

The State Board of Elections also said it would do “acceptance testing” at a centrallocation before the counties received their equipment. (Counties would still beresponsible to test machines once received).“To facilitate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and provide quality assurance, StateBoard staff will assist ES&S as soon as confirmed orders are submitted and machinesare received at the central warehouse in Raleigh. The State Board of Elections willuse HAVA funds to pay for acceptance testing of the iVotronic, iVotronic ADA,M100 and AutoMark.

This procedure will more efficiently use available time, reduceout of the box error rates and result in an approximate cost savings of $2.4 million tothe county boards of elections. County boards of elections will be encouraged to bepresent for the UAT to monitor or assist as deemed appropriate.”
http://www.ncvoter.net/downloads/The_State_Board_Training_Seminar_Jan26_06.pdf

North Carolina Voting System Implementation and Timeline (page 2)
February 2, 2006. The NC State Board of Elections advises counties that they need to have their voting equipment ordered and received in time for one-stop voting which begins April 13, 2006 and for the primary election scheduled for May 2, 2006.
The SBOE also provides counties a “Grant Acceptance Agreement” and an additional $30,000 in funds if they finalize all orders by April 1, 2006.
http://www.ncvoter.net/downloads/The_State_Board_of_Elections_HAVA_grants_Feb_2_06.pdf

March 28, 2006 list of voting machine orders for NC Counties.
http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/voterweb/Orders%20for%202006%20Primary.htm

One-stop voting begins April 13, 2006.May 3, 2006 First Time Rollout of Voting Machine Successful, Few Problems
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060503/NEWSREC0101/60503019/-1/NEWSRECRSSARKIVE

May 3, 2006 Turnout Mixed, New Equipment Worked Well
http://www.thepilot.com/news/050306voters.html

printable file of the above
http://www.ncvoter.net/downloads/NCVoting_Voting_System_Implementation_Timeline.pdf

The Voting News Daily: Tennessee paper ballot fight heats up, Indiana makes it harder to vote, lawsuit in WA over secret ballot

Tennessee fight brouhau gets wild with one county threatening a lawsuit, state’s GOP chair asks Democrats to recraft paper ballot law, and the SOS fights back using state rep’s own words, Indiana setsnew Drivers license requirements that will make it even harder to vote there. New York will not have undervote notification on machines. A federal judge ruled that Irving, TX’ system of electing City Council members at-large violates the Federal Voting Rights Act. This would make PR (proportional representation) illegal there. A lawsuit was filed in Washington’s superior court over violation of ballot secrecy there.

IN. July 15, 2009 Driver’s license rule draws critics: Democrats, AARP fear ID verification burdensome – Fort Wayne Journal Gazette [Ind.]
INDIANAPOLIS – A move to make Indiana driver’s licenses and IDs more secure will have an effect on more than driving:
It delays a legislative shift toward online renewals and complicates Indiana’s strict voter ID law.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20090715/LOCAL/307159994/-1/VID

NY. July 15, 2009 Most New York Voters Lose Undervote Notification. Howard Stanislevic
The NY State Board of Elections met today and unanimously adopted an emergency regulation to turn off undervote notification on all tabulating ballot scanners. The undervote notification on accessible Ballot Marking Devices will not be affected.
http://e-voter.blogspot.com/2009/07/ballot-counting-scanner-undervote.html

TN. July 14th, 2009 Sullivan eyes lawsuit to delay paper ballot rules.
BLOUNTVILLE — Sullivan County election officials are considering filing a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee to delay a state requirement for optical scan paper ballot voting by November 2010.
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9015243

TN. July 14, 2005. Davaney Asks Democrats Work To Recraft Voter Confidence Act
Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Davaney said Democrats should work to recraft the Voter Confidence Act.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_154862.asp

TN. July 15, 2009 Secretary of State’s Office Fires Back at Democrats Over Voting Machine Dispute
“…They say Odom contradicts what he said on the House floor just last month.”
http://wdef.com/news/secretary_of_states_office_fires_back_at_democrats_over_voting_machine_dispute/07/2009

TX July 15, 2009 Federal judge orders Irving to adopt single-member districts for city council.
A federal judge has ruled that Irving’s system of electing City Council members at-large violates the Federal Voting Rights Act and ordered that the city not conduct any more council elections until a single-member district system is implemented.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/071609dnmetirvingcouncil.43908e5d.html

WA.Jul 14, 2009 Lawsuit to Protect Secret Ballot in WA Filed Today in Supreme Court (video available)
A lawsuit filed today in the state Supreme Court against Washington Secretary of State, White v Reed, claims that one million voters in Washington are deprived of the Constitutional right to a secret ballot.
http://www.washblog.com/story/2009/7/14/16104/8884

National. 7/15/2009 New York Times Fails to Correct Election Bill Endorsement; But Rep. Holt Does So…Sort of
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7303

National. 7/15/2009 A Senate panel approved legislation Wednesday designed to ensure that the votes of U.S. troops and other Americans living overseas are counted in upcoming elections. …. (S 1415) by voice vote in response to evidence that military and other overseas voters are being routinely disenfranchised by rules that too strictly limit their ability to cast absentee ballots…. “If the Department of Defense can get tanks, high-tech equipment and food to the front line of combat, we can figure out a way to deliver an election ballot as well,” Schumer said.

The Voting News Daily: Tennessee SOS in media storm, Calls for paper in India, Iran unrest

I’ve cobbled together some news for you today. I’ll think about whether to continue this. I don’t know if some of you see this, but I like to open with a picture first. Email me at joyce (at) ncvoter.net

The cost of freedom is very high in Iran.

Supporters of Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi march through Valiasr Street during riots in Tehran on June 13. Iran has arrested seven members of the main opposition group over the post-election unrest that swept the Islamic republic in June, the official IRNA news agency reported.
(AFP/File/Behrouz Mehri)

NEWS: Tennessee is in the news. The Gov of Tennessee is ignorant about the controversy swirling around the SOS efforts to delay paper ballot implementation, and also has fielded questions about the propriety of the Secretary of State sending field agents to the farm of an e-voting activist. The media storm is growing in severity due to pressure exerted by voting activist leader Bernie Ellis and fellow Tennessee activists on the ground. GA residents challenge evoting at State Supreme Court. NY voters test out Dominion machines. These machines were abysmal when used in Scotland in 2007. Calls for bringing back paper ballots in India. Iran – another report on stats indicating fraud and need for more investigation.

AK Yup’ik voters drop suit against city of Bethel
Jul 14, 2009 – Thanks to a court agreement requiring Yup’ik interpreters and other assistance at the polls, Yup’ik speaking voters have dropped their lawsuit against the city of Bethel, according to city clerk Lori Strickler. Alex Demarban, The Dutch Harbor Fisherman. Read More
http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/news/story/6603

GA Ga. residents challenge voting machines
July 13th 2009 – Electronic voting machines in Hall County Elections Office. (file photo) ATLANTA – Upset residents are launching the stiffest challenge yet to Georgia’s touch-screen electronic voting system, arguing that there’s no way to ensure ballots cast are recorded and tabulated correctly.
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=221766

MO. PRESS RELEASE: New Case Study Documents Successful Turnaround of Missouri’s Public Agency Registration Program – Project Vote
…Project Vote and a coalition of voting rights groups filed lawsuits in Indiana and New Mexico, to compel public assistance agencies in those states to provide their clients with the opportunity to register to vote. Today, Project Vote is releasing a new report,Registering Low-Income Voters through Public Assistance Agencies in Missouri, which shows just how well this program can work.

PA. Gov Rendell signs bill affecting voting machine standards. Senate Bill 33 .. it bars the Secretary of the Commonwealth from approving a voting machine that does not comply with Section 301 of the Help America Vote Act
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-14-2009/0005059972&EDATE=

TN Election commissioners admit violation of sunshine law
Jul 14, 2009 – An attorney defending commissioners serving on the Cumberland County Election Commission admitted the group violated the state’s Open Meetings Act (Sunshine Law) in naming Sharon York as administrator of elections. Gary Nelson, Crossville Chronicle. Read More
http://www.crossville-chronicle.com/local/local_story_194174023.html

TN Democrats Continue to Pressure Secretary of State Over 2010 Voting Machines
July 14, 2009 – Last week, Tennessee democrats called for the ouster of Secretary of State, Tre Hargett.