Monthly Archives: May 2010

The Voting News Daily: WV overseas internet election- 54 votes for 5 counties, cost about $75K

Hale Co Alabama officials worry absentee mail ballot fraud is back…Vote totals were off, Caroll Co Arkansas officials recounted the votes after a power surge that may have skewed the election day results…Allegations of fraud and irregularities fly back and forth in Lucas Co Ohio…York County official says evidence anything with Newberry Twp. voting machines in spite of reports that least one machine froze up…Trial focuses on murky mail-in ballot methods in Fort Worth TX…The WVA SoS considers 5 county internet overseas voting pilot a success where 54 ballots were cast, & may have cost $75-$150K…

All this and more in todays voting news below…

AL: Hale County officials worry voter fraud is back
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100528/NEWS/
100529584/1007/news?p=1&tc=pg http://is.gd/ctHNb
Faye Cochran, head of the Hale County Board of Registrars, said many of those casting absentee ballots got help from a man convicted of voter fraud in 1998 and a woman now awaiting trial on voter fraud charges.

AR: Ballots recounted, runoff voting begins *
http://www.carrollconews.com/story/1638615.html
Carroll County BERRYVILLE — Certification of election results from the May 18 Preferential Primary are set to take place today.
…
Thrown into the mix at the last minute was a re-run of election day paper ballots. That process was ordered for yesterday evening because of a discrepancy discovered during the vote count reconciliation process.

According to Election Coordinator Bethe Henley, paper tapes taken off the 650 paper ballot vote-counting machine showed there was a possible power surge during the ballot count on election eve, May 18.

She said the power surge might have affected the count.

AZ: Court ruling OKs Ariz. law on non-voting by felons
http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles
/2010/05/27/20100527arizona-ruling-on-felons-voting.html http://is.gd/ctHL0
TUCSON – Arizona’s law barring convicted felons from voting until after they’ve served their sentences has been upheld in court.

CA: Tuteur agrees to fix mistake
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2010/05/27/news/local/
doc4bfdd1a257b90439850820.txt http://is.gd/ctHQ9 Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur will reverse course on correcting the mistaken listing of a Democratic candidate for state Senate as a Republican.

Tuteur said he will send all 69,000 registered voters in Napa County a correction postcard

CA: Sutter Creek homeowner claims harassment over voter registration (Amador Co)
http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/news/newsview.asp?c=270197&topStory=1

CA: MontereyVote June 22, Special Primary Election for vacancy on Senatorial District 15. Do you live in the District? See the map at: http://bit.ly/cv6a4c

CA: Prop. 15: Public finance of state elections (video available)
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/politics/local_elections&id=7466671
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — On June 8, California voters will decide whether to pass Proposition 15. Backers call it the “Fair Elections Act.” It’s designed to get politicians out of the fundraising game. But opponents say it could cost taxpayers.

CA: California Bill to Use Instant Runoff Voting in Special Legislative Elections Does Not Pass Fiscal Committee
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/28/california-bill-to-use-instant-runoff-voting-in-special-legislative-elections-does-not-pass-fiscal-committee/

IA: Only one vote cast at Luther satellite station; cost is $500
http://www.decorahnewspapers.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=13&ArticleID=22560

NC: Dead people haunt county’s voter rolls
http://www.thecountycompass.com/cc/node/458
BAYBORO. The Board of Elections, comprised of Democrats David Cox and Ed Credle and Republican Judith Smith, agreed ‘probable cause’ exists to nix at least six former voters – including one who apparently died in 2003.

The Voting News Daily: Double voting in Hoke NC? TX Voter ID again? Elections automation, a lemon?

NC looks into possible double voting in Hoke Co..good thing Bullitt Co KY has paper ballots since 4 memory cards went missing…Some candidates for Avon, Indiana Town Council will be doing a forensic review of election. They are asking to review poll books, voting machine reports, paper ballots and ballot applications for absentee and early voting..CEIMN Dir. MARK HALVORSON has some straight talk about Minnesota Elections..Hefty sum to rig India’s EVM’s?…Philippines Elections automation, a lemon?

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Some Jefferson County voters will have to vote twice
http://www.myfoxal.com/Global/story.asp?S=12548535

CA: Prop. 15 would test government funding of California state elections
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/21/local/la-me-prop15-20100521

CA: California Puts Vote Overhaul on the Ballot (Proposition 14)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/us/politics/27prop14.html
On June 8, voters will decide the fate of a ballot measure that would replace traditional primaries in state and Congressional elections with, effectively, two rounds of voting.

CA: Ballot flub costs overtime hours (vendor to foot bill)
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Ballot-flub-costs-overtime-hours-94982514.html
San Francisco. City workers are logging overtime hours in the run-up to the June 8 election to correct a ballot problem where hundreds of absentee voters got the wrong one in the mail.

CA: Vote for whimsy (get ready for June 8 statewide primary election )
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/article_4a3a3fee-6881-11df-a7cb-001cc4c002e0.html Some spoof political signs have popped up among the crop of real ones at the corner of Jefferson Street and Imola Avenue, supporting free pizza for all Napans and a zombie for political office.

CA: COSTS MORE TO VOTE HERE
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2010/05/27/opinion/
letters_to_the_editor/doc4bfdd05ac4131056493011.txt http://is.gd/csj93
When informed, Tuteur communicated to me that St. Helenans who vote by mail must pay the (unclear) postage themselves. In other areas of Napa, where mail balloting is mandatory and unavoidable, Tuteur’s office pays the postage.

CO: Status of Aspen’s IRV Method—–Up for Potential Repeal in November Election after November 09 Advisory Vote to Discontinue IRV.
http://www.glassballotbox.org/journal/2010/5/10/status-of-aspen-irv-up-for-repeal-in-november.html

FL: Supervisor introduces new voting machines
http://www.historiccity.com/2010/staugustine/news/florida/supervisor-introduces-new-voting-machines-3312 …St. Johns County to attend an Open House on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 to preview St. Johns County’s new DS200 voting equipment

IL: Campus voting bill clears Senate committee; closer to final passage(full sen nxt)
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/news/2010-05-27/campus-voting-bill-clears-senate-committee-closer-final-passage .html the most controversial deals with its requirement that 12 separate counties, including Champaign, Coles and McLean counties in East Central Illinois, establish separate early voting and grace period registration sites on campuses for the Nov. 2 general election only.

IN: Court to review Avon council cote *
After close council races, court will look at possible polling place errors
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100527/LOCAL0502/
5270330/1020/LOCAL05/Court-to-review-Avon-council-cote http://is.gd/csjca
The filing came after his clients heard from voters who live within the town that the Town Council election wasn’t on their ballots..
…
Yackey’s petition filed in Hendricks Circuit Court requests that election records, including poll books, voting machine reports, paper ballots and ballot applications for absentee and early voting, be opened for review and inspection.

KY: Election night in Bullitt County goes off without a glitch – almost
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100526/ZONE10/5260307/Election-night-in-Bullitt-County-goes-off-without-a-glitch-almost
the clerk’s office noticed that four out of 100 memory cards with voting data on them were missing, he said.

The Voting News Daily: Ohio CD-18 recount. Double voting in Jefferson WV? Smartmatics alarming admission

Ohio SoS orders recount in 18th Congressional District, 16 counties must schedule by June 4..Are chicken costumes a form of free speech?..Montgomery Co TX will have recount on paperless machines and of course the result is unlikely to change…Some Bullit KY voters were given the wrong ballot…Internet voting spreads to another Canadian muni…Smartmatic admission of ‘innocent’ program errors alarms Philippine lawmakers. Errors include time stamp results with date earlier than election, number of voters inflated to 5x actual…More complex elections for UK may mean more complex solutions…

Note from editor – we thank those of you who send in articles, and we encourage others to do the same.

All this and more in today’s voting news below….

CA: Signature fraud alleged in 4 Valley campaigns
Fresno Co. elections officials question petitions.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/05/21/1942529/fraud-alleged-in-4-valley-campaigns.html
Workers in four local campaigns used questionable signatures to get their candidate on the June 8 ballot, authorities say — including one endorsed by a voter who is dead.

CT: More Connecticut reports for Voting System Clearinghouse
Connecticut has submitted three more reports to EAC’s Voting System Reports Clearinghouse http://www.eac.gov/program-areas/research-resources-and-reports/copy_of_docs/state-local-voting-system-reports

CT: Registrar of Voters Primary, Bristol Connecticut
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3239 The Registrar of Voters can make a difference in election integrity, voter access, and candidate service.

KY: Some Bullitt residents voted in another city’s election, changing outcome*
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100526/ZONE10/5260396/Some+
Bullitt+residents+voted+in+another+city+s+election++changing+outcome
http://is.gd/cqE3A

MD: Cordish lawyers push to invalidate signatures
Judge denies expert testimony
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/anne-arundel/bs-md-ar-slots-trial-signatures-20100525,0,5891160.story

MI: Military vote reform good step forward
http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20100526/OPINION01/5260324/Military-vote-reform-good-step-forward
uniformed service members can request absentee ballots for immediate delivery by email. The ballots themselves would be printed out and returned by regular mail.

MS: Suit filed against consent decree
http://gwcommonwealth.com/articles/2010/05/26/news/top_stories/
05262010news01.txt http://is.gd/cqE7o
David Jordan and Robert Moore are requesting that a judge dismiss or modify a consent decree signed by the Leflore County Election Commission and Mississippi Republican Party to settle a lawsuit.

In a motion filed Tuesday in Leflore County Circuit Court, the two public officials, both Democrats, allege “several major fallacies” in the consent decree, including..

NC: Runoff elections a waste of time ?
http://www.thepilot.com/news/2010/may/26/runoff-elections-waste-time/

NV: Letter to secretary of state asks chicken suits be allowed at polls
http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/politics/Letter_to_secretary_of_state_asks_
chicken_suits_be_allowed_at_polls.html?ref=554 http://is.gd/cqE5B
ProgressNow Nevada, in its letter to the secretary of state, said there is no law prohibiting dress that includes costumes at the polls.

PA: COUNTY OF MERCER v. UNILECT CORPORATION
http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/page.htm?shortname=infco20100525152
The County of Mercer, Pennsylvania appeals the District Court’s summary judgment in favor of UniLect Corporation. We will affirm.

OH: State orders recount in 18th Congressional District
http://www.cantonrep.com/newsnow/x2084265569/State-orders-recount-in-18th-Congressional-District The Tuscarawas County Board of Elections…
…The Board of Elections in each of the 16 counties in the 18th District must schedule the recount no later than 10 days from Tuesday, which would be June 4.

PA: Write-in candidate challenges results of York County Republican Committeewoman race * http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/05/write-in_candidate_challenges.html
The write-in candidate who challenged the controversial winner of a race for York County Republican committeewoman from Newberry Twp. filed a complaint Wednesday with the York County Election Bureau, claiming there was a problem with the voting machines.

The Voting News Daily: Unrecountable 2010 elections.WV fraud charges? Need forensics! FFEC to Crist: veto HB131

The 2010 Primaries: More Recounts than Recountable Elections…Doug Jones on the erosion of the secret ballot: “If we allow a weakened right to a secret ballot, how can we ask other countries to set higher standards, and what will we do if the crooks do end up in control of our elections?”…FFEC Urges Crist to Veto Elections Bill HB 131…Absentee Vote Fraud in Charleston, WV? Need Forensics!…A voting system needs 3 elements to be considered credible: Transparency, Verifiability & Accountability says Narasimha Rao, a leading election analyst in India…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AZ: Emergency Relief Requested from U.S. Supreme Court in Arizona Public Financing “Matching Funds” Case
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016060.html

CA: SF returns diligently monitored following mail-in ballot mistake
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/SF-returns-diligently-monitored-following-mail-in-ballot-mistake-94801649.html

CT: Candidate Leaves Name On Ballot: Causing Unnecessary Primary Vote
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3232
Rob Simmons has ended his campaign, yet is leaving his name on the ballot.

FL: FFEC Urges Crist to Veto Elections Bill HB 131
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13548 FFEC’s letter to the Governor cites the bill’s delay of equitable treatment for disabled voters, its encroachment on local control of elections, and its provisions for insecure, unreliable Internet and FAX voting and communications for military and overseas voters.

FL: ACLU urges you to take action (HB 131)
http://fl.aclu.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=67921.0

FL: Groups file suit on redistricting ballot measure
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100522/article/5221041?p=all&tc=pgall

GA: Civil rights coalition targets voter verification
http://www.ajc.com/news/civil-rights-coalition-targets-534504.html
Citing Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, Morales’ attorneys argued the regulation mandates those states with a history of racial discrimination in voting rights obtain federal approval prior to enacting changes that affect voting.

ID: County Hopes New Ballot Will Make Voting Less Frustrating (Bingham County)
http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=12536040 …This new form of voting is called Optical Scan Voting. It is much different and much faster than the traditional punch ballot system for the voters and the poll workers.

IL: Young Voters
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2010/05/25/young-voters/ Champaign County Clerk. I’m preparing to go back to Springfield today to testify against yet another attempt to force Champaign County to open an early voting site on campus.

KY: Officials: Primary election one of best *
(Calloway County uses Danaher 1242 and Hart Intercivic e-Slate)
http://www.murrayledger.com/articles/2010/05/24/top_story/news01.txt
Other problems reported included temporary polling machine malfunctions and errors on the part of voters in machine operation; primarily due to unfamiliarity.
…
Machine malfunctions included some push buttons “sticking,” some buttons not “lighting up” and other errors which Coursey said were corrected by election officers at the scene when possible or other accommodations made…

Machines by county:http://elect.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/4384AC60-AD8F-497F-B62E-EA3E4625618F/225556/VotingEquipmentbyCounty1.pdf

MN: City council actions :: Korbel confirmed
The continuing cost of RCV: $244,000
http://www.downtownjournal.com/index.php?publication=downtown&page=65&story=15355
Barring a change in available technologies, Minneapolis municipal elections could cost almost $250,000 extra every year that ranked-choice voting is in place.

OH: Lorain County Board of Elections director alleges man committed voter fraud
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/05/25/news/mj2788390.txt
Adams said the man filed an absentee ballot on April 5 at the Lorain County Board of Elections, 1985 North Ridge Road, and then showed up to his polling location on May 4. This was the only violation of election laws that occurred during this election, Adams said.

The Voting News Daily: Email balloting risks midterm election to hacking. Hanging Chads – 10 years later

16 states will allow overseas voters to return ballots via email for the midterm elections. “But cybersecurity experts and voter advocates contend that these well-intentioned efforts ignore the technical vulnerabilities of sending a voted ballot as an e-mail attachment, potentially subjecting this midterm contest to electronic vote rigging and hacking”…Meanwhile, the US Air force assigns 30,000 Cyber Warriors…GA’s voter reg process disenfranchises valid voters….Mark Halvorson has “straight talk about Minnesota’s elections.”…Chicken costumes banned at Nev. polling places…IN “Ballot Boxing”, PBS Radio interviews Dan Wallach, activist Marybeth Kuznik,& John O’Grady, NY City Elections Chief to discuss reform 10 yrs after 2000 election fiasco…Were flash cards manipulated in Philippines election?…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Chapman to visit counties with alleged voter fraud
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=12534379 Secretary of State Beth Chapman is informing voters of allegations of voter fraud prior to the primary election on June 1. So far, the office has received complaints of reported voter fraud from Greene, Macon, Perry and Wilcox counties.

AZ: San Luis mayor: Errors not voter fraud
http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/yuma-61172-county-city.html
…it would appear that just with members of council, their wives, and council members-elect, the error rate exceeded 35 percent!…
…
If one is to do something constructive that might reduce the error factor, may I suggest instituting a better system to check signatures?

CA: Candidate threatens to sue county
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2010/05/22/news/saturday_
update/doc4bf6bf93c5540498201732.txt http://is.gd/cnPdg A Democratic state Senate candidate is threatening to sue Napa County after the local elections department refused to correct a misprint wrongly identifying her as a Republican

CO: The national trend toward open access
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/140730
If Michigan activists can review ballots for audits, why can’t we? If copies of Humboldt County California’s ballots are regularly posted on the web, why are Aspen’s more secret? If Minnesota can post their questionable ballots on the web, Why can’t Aspen? If Longmont, Colo.’s ordinary citizens can participate in an audit to test procedures for improvement, why are Aspen citizens prevented?

CO: City talks down, lawyers up
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100522/LETTER/100529945
Will Aspen simply protect their many election irregularities with big-time lawyers or instead solve the underlying problems and make sure anonymous records become accessible? I am hoping for the latter.

CT: Cops: Clinton woman tried to vote twice *
http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2010/05/23/news/
doc4bf8b9229f249275065972.txt http://is.gd/cnPhR
Police say the woman was spotted by two other poll workers and prevented from casting a second ballot.

GA: Georgia’s Voter Registration Procedures Discriminate And Should Be Permanently Blocked, Civil Rights Coalition Argues
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/05/24-13
Under the procedures, U.S. citizens from minority communities were incorrectly flagged as non-citizens and prevented from registering to vote.

HI: 54 percent voter turnout in special election signals success of mail in ballots
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100522/
BREAKING01/100522031/53.7+percent+voter+turnout+in+special+
election+signals+success+of+mail+in+ballots http://is.gd/cnPgj

LA: Cromer asks for voting machine analysis after malfunctions at House this week
http://www.actionnews17.com/News/tabid/59/articleType/Article
View/articleId/2072/Cromer-asks-for-voting-machine-analysis-
after-malfunctions-at-House-this-week.aspx http://is.gd/cnPjN

MN: Editorial: straight talk about Minnesota’s elections (By Mark Halvorson )
http://www.sleepyeyenews.com/news/x1070024365/Editorial-straight-talk-about-Minnesota-s-elections …Norm Coleman’s recount attorney, Fritz Knacck said of the recount, “We were looking for fraud, but we didn’t find any.” We wish that Mr. Kaiser could be as forthcoming and honest about elections here in Minnesota.

The Voting News Daily: 1 in 10 AZ voters get wrong info. The Kansas Report and voter purges. Nassau ordered to ditch levers

While Michigan, Minnesota, California’s Humboldt County and even other cities ..reaffirm citizens’ rights to oversight, “Aspen taxpayers are funding an expensive battle to fight election transparency. Aspen, of all places.” writes Mike LaBonte in LTE…Mississippi has entered into an agreement with several states to pull together what’s been called “The Kansas Report.” to purge duplicate voter registrations….Nassau County Bo Elections told to replace Lever Voting Machines…India should ditch EVMs, says expert: “Computers can be programmed to count votes honestly. But since nobody can watch them, they might just as easily be programmed to count dishonestly.” ~ Rop Gonggrijp, a security researcher from the Netherlands…

All this and more in today’s voting news below….

AL: Ford requesting investigation, safeguards in possible ‘vote fraud’
http://www.thetuskegeenews.com/articles/2010/05/20/news/doc
 4bf4011accea8721501724.txt  http://is.gd/cjIUe
State Senate candidate Johnny Ford of Tuskegee has met with a U.S. Attorney to ask for an investigation into possible voter fraud in Bullock County.

AR: Voting error alters result in Poinsett * (ES&S iVotronic)
http://www.jonesborosun.com/story.php?ID=43278
…Poinsett County Clerk Fonda Condra told the county’s election commission that 53 electronic ballots for justice of the peace in District 8 were thrown out. That changed the total vote count from a 151-142 win for Jones to a 122-118 win for Sadler.

Condra said a poll worker brought up the wrong voting screen at the Bolivar township polling site in Harrisburg.
AR: Arkansas Green Party Trial Moved Into July
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/21/arkansas-green-party-trial-moved-into-july/

AZ: Wrong voting info sent to 191,000 Arizona homes *
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/05/20/20100520arizona-polling-errors-during-sales-tax-vote.html   Leading up to Tuesday’s sales-tax election, more than 10 percent of Arizona voters were told to cast ballots at the wrong location — and the reason why is in dispute.

AZ: Ninth Circuit, on 3-0 Vote, Upholds Matching Funds Requirement in Arizona Public Financing Scheme

http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016034.html
In this post -Citizens United world, this is a rare win for supporters of reasonable campaign finance regulation.

CA: Attorney General OK’s Monterey County election changes
http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20100520/NEWS01/100520037/1002/NEWS
 01/Attorney+General+OK+s+Monterey+County+election+changes http://is.gd/cjARo
…state senate election to replace Santa Maria Republican Abel Maldonado – now lieutenant governor

CA:  Tulare County absentee ballots on way; cause of delay is not clear (for June 8 election)
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100520/NEWS01/5200313/1002/Tulare-County-absentee-ballots-on-way-cause-of-delay-is-not-clear  Tulare County absentee voters who’ve not yet received a ballot may ask for a replacement if it doesn’t arrive soon, county election officials said.

CA: Thousands of SF voters got wrong mail-in ballot

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15128512?nclick_check=1
SAN FRANCISCO—Thousands of San Francisco voters are holding wrong or duplicate mail-in ballots for the upcoming election because of a blunder by a contractor.

CO: Fighting good public policy (LTE by voting integrity activist Mike LaBonte)
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100521/LETTER/100529970/1020&parentprofile=1061
The arguments against transparency seem to be rooted in fuzzy laws and a misunderstanding of the meaning of “secret ballot.” The same issue came up in Michigan, but Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox explained it quite well in his recent decision that ballots are indeed subject to Freedom of Information Act requests:

CT: Legal History Perspectives on the Connecticut Bysiewicz Decision
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016031.html

HI: Hawaii moves primary to accomodate troups
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/05/ap_military_hawaii_voting_052010/

IN: Hendricks County board to share election records

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100520/LOCAL05/5200450/1020/LOCAL05/Hendricks-County-board-to-share-election-records
DANVILLE — The Hendricks County Election Board has agreed to give Avon Town Council candidates in two of the Republican primary races access to May 4 election records.

The Voting News Daily: Dominion buys Premier-Diebold. US experts hack India EVM. Smartmatic flaw stuns officials

WPBS radio interviews Kim Alexander of CalVoter…Michigan Atty Gen: “Voted ballots…are public records..”..Revolving door in PA swings toward Internet Voting..Anti-Trust: Dominion acquires Diebold assets from ES&S…San Francisco unsure how many wrong ballots issued…Delaware City ends “poll tax”…US experts ‘hack’ India e-voting machines…Philippines Rep. Locsin blows top over Smartmatic election return flaws… The Philippines is ordering investigation of poll fraud..Which UK polls disenfranchised voters?.

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Alabama: still disfranchising the arrested and convicted
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006383.html
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: With just one day left to register for the June 1 primary, the issue of prisoner and felon voting is once again in the spotlight, and at least one community organizer is concerned that a lack of knowledge and confusion over the issue could disenfranchise thousands of people who are eligible to vote this year.

AR: Suit alleges machine changed votes* (ES&S iVotronic w/VVPAT)
http://www.lovelycitizen.com/story/1636013.html
BERRYVILLE — In a lawsuit filed Friday, F. Owen Kendrick, a candidate for Carroll County clerk, alleges that early votes cast for him on an electronic voting machine in the Berryville courthouse were registered as votes for his opponent in the Democratic primary, incumbent County Clerk Jamie Correia. Early voting takes place in the county clerk’s office

AR: Arkansas Green Party Trial Set (week of June 28-July 2)
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/19/arkansas-green-party-trial-set/
The issue is the state’s requirement that parties must poll 3% of the vote for President, in presidential years, or be removed from the ballot.

CA: California Voting: 58 Counties, 58 Procedures (radio interview)
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/may/19/california-voting-58-counties-58-procedures/
MAUREEN CAVANAUGH at KPBS interviews Kim Alexander, president, California Voter Foundation and Deborah Seiler, San Diego County Registrar of Voters

CA: New mail-in ballots may be sent out after blunder*
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/New-mail-in-ballots-may-be-sent-out-after-blunder-94363109.html
A blunder has left thousands of San Francisco voters holding the wrong mail-in ballot for the June 8 election, in which pivotal primaries for statewide offices are at stake, along with the outcomes of local and state propositions.

CA: PROP. 14, California’s Top Two Ballot Measure, Leades 60-27 in Public Opinion Polling: Expect a lawsuit after it passes http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016018.html

CA: Irked supervisors will be asked to fund special elections
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/05/19/1147063/irked-supervisors-will-be-asked.html

CT: Anti-Trust: Dominion acquires Diebold assets from ES&S
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3201
This acquisition would seem to increase the alternatives available to Connecticut and LHS, with a greater chance that the equipment will continue to be supported and enhanced.

CO: Michigan’s Ballots are Pubilc Documents—why not Aspen’s?
http://www.glassballotbox.org/journal/2010/5/18/michigans-ballots-are-pubilc-documents-why-not-aspens.html If Michigan citizens can look at their ballots? Minnesotans’ theirs, Floridians theirs, why not Aspen?
If Longmont, Colorado citizens can be involved in post elections using real ballots why are Aspen’s ballots secret?

DE: Delaware City ends election rule
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100519/NEWS02/5190337/Delaware-City-ends-election-rule Delinquent taxpayers OK to vote, but some now want new election

FL: Clay elections office oversees first mail balloting (Tues, June 2)
http://www.claytodayonline.com/content/2287_1.php

KY: Incumbent voting machines get the boot
http://www.incontextmag.com/article/Incumbent-voting-machines-get-the-boot
..obsolete machines are being replaced by an interesting mix of technology and paper.

KY: Heavy turnout causes some polling locations to run out of ballots
Jefferson County.

The Voting News Daily: Pennsylvania SOS hired by Internet Voting Co. AR, CA, KY and PA ballot problems

Verified Voting on May 18 primaries: “Despite signs of progress, today’s primaries in Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania show how much work remains to verify the vote.”..Paper ballots save day in Faulkner Co AR..San Francisco ballot mix: 1000 got wrong ballot, 1317 got dupes..178 Fayette Co, PA voters voted twice..A KY man charged with vote buying..Not enough ballots in Boone PA…A Sadsbury Twshp PA touchscreen did not compute.. Pennsylvania’s SoS Cortes quits, takes VP job @ internet vote company..BoingBoing on India’s EVMs…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AR: 27 votes counted mistakenly in Farmington*
http://www.ozarksunbound.com/27-votes-counted-mistakenly-in-farmington/9599
This morning 27 voters in Farmington voted mistakenly in that city’s sales tax election, said Washington County Election Commission Chairman John Logan Burrow.
An incorrect ballot was given to voters at the Farmington First Baptist Churc

AR: Only ‘minor problems’ in election, officials say* (central count/M650)
http://thecabin.net/news/local/2010-05-19/only-%E2%80%98minor-problems%E2%80%99-election-officials-say …Faulkner County Election Commission chairman Frank Shaw said on election night that one problem arose when the paper ballot counting machine inexplicably failed to “read” four ballots. Shaw said that the commission fully filled in the “bubbles” these absentee voters had marked to denote a choice, but the machine still failed to recognize the choices.

Then, the disc produced by the machine containing the absentee ballot results could not be recognized by the computer used to tally the votes.

“We’re getting an error code,” County Clerk Melinda Reynolds said.
…
Twenty-one of the absentee ballots were set aside due to discrepancies, which included missing or mismatched signatures. These will be reviewed by the commission Wednesday.

Another snag involved an errant voting machine at the Mount Vernon/South Mountain precinct polling location. This machine seemed to be malfunctioning on Tuesday morning when it was turned on by election workers, and so was simply set aside.

When polls closed and results were delivered to the county courthouse, this machine was not properly “closed out,” Reynolds said, and though it had recorded no votes whatsoever, it resulted in an on-paper-only unaccounted for precinct in election results.

AR: Faulkner Co. Turnout Low, But No Problems Reported
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0510/737333.html County Clerk Melinda Reynolds said that the only problems she’d been made aware of concerned voters who had moved to a different voting precinct without notifying her office.

CA: Bungled ballots imperil election *
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Bungled-ballots-imperil-election-94227469.html
A blunder has left thousands of San Francisco voters holding the wrong mail-in ballot for the June 8 election, in which pivotal primaries for statewide offices are at stake, along with the outcomes of local and state propositions.
…
Last week, K&H Integrated Print Solutions, based in Everett, Wash., mailed out ballots with the wrong names to at least 1,000 voters
…
In addition, the company sent out duplicate ballots to 1,317 absentee voters
…
Arntz said they are working to contact voters…

CA: Supervisors approve purchasing machines to count absentee ballots
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/may/18/supervisors-approve-purchasing-machines-to-count/ One machine priced at $115,000 is designed to remove a ballot from the envelope, while another one selling for $550,000 electronically verifies the voter’s signature and sorts the ballots by precinct.

The Voting News Daily: AR touchscreens flip votes. KY Election fraud claims. 1000s in PA could vote twice

BRAD BLOG’s Election Integrity Backgrounder for ‘Super-ish Tuesday’ 2010…
Excuses don’t help: Votes flipped on Carroll Co Arkansas touchscreens…Sen Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) gets provisional ballot…Wrong ballot sent to thousands of Sonoma Co CA voters….Voter supression & fraud alleged in KY elections…1000s of Pennsylvania voters registered to vote in 2 counties…Philippines: Polls not fair, not honest, not peaceful…How UK counts votes in General Election…Video showing hot to hack India’s voting machines…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

The BRAD BLOG’s Election Integrity Backgrounder for ‘Super-ish Tuesday’ 2010…
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7846

AR: Vote-Flipping on ES&S Touch-Screens in Carroll County, AR, Reported by County Clerk Candidate, Circuit Court Judge http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7848

AR: Candidate sues over voting machine * (ES&S iVotronic with RTAL printer)
http://harrisondailytimes.com/articles/2010/05/18
/news/doc4bf1f84ac50e3007384857.txt http://bit.ly/bIwvm4
BERRYVILLE — A candidate for county clerk filed a legal motion Friday, saying an electronic voting machine in the Carroll County clerk’s office here was malfunctioning and asking that the rest of early voting be conducted at the paper ballot booths.
…
Kendrick’s legal filing included an affidavit from Circuit Judge Kent Crow saying the judge voted May 4, touching the screen for Kendrick, but a check mark appeared for Correia. Crow said he thought he might have erred and he corrected it on the screen.

Ten days later, his secretary, Nadine Holland, had the same experience on the same machine, she said in her affidavit.

AR: Farmington Polling Place Problems Solved * (ES&S iVotronic)
http://www.4029tv.com/politics/23591970/detail.html
The voting machines at Farmington Baptist Church were not working, causing all voters to have to use paper ballots. One person there said technical support staff had already been to the location to examine the voting machines and were on the way back to work on them again. As of 8 a.m. the machines were not working.
Washington County Election Commission fixed the problems before noon.

AR: TOTALS DOUBLE 2008: Early Voting Wraps Up
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/may/18/totals-double-2008-early-voting-wraps/
Early voting ended Monday with the number of votes cast more than doubling the 2008 presidential primary.

AR: Blanche Lincoln’s Mix-Up At The Polls
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/18/blanche-lincolns-mix-up-a_n_580566.html
… Lincoln’s campaign hit a bit of a snag today when it momentarily forgot that she’d requested an absentee ballot in advance of today’s primary election…

CA: Calif. bill increases scrutiny of voting systems (SB1404)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/05/17/state/n163052D87.DTL&type=politics
Companies that make the voting systems used throughout California would face fines if they fail to report problems quickly under a bill that has passed the state Senate.

CA: Printing error leads to ballot mistake in Sonoma County *
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100517/ARTICLES/100519530/1350?Title=Printing-error-leads-to-ballot-mistake-in-Sonoma-County A printing error on absentee ballots sent out last week to Democratic voters in southern Sonoma County means that more than 15,000 voters will receive a second, corrected ballot this week.

The Mark West Union School District Measure C — a ballot measure meant for voters in the Santa Rosa and Larkfield areas — was included on absentee ballots sent to Democratic voters in the Petaluma and south county area, Sonoma County elections officials said Monday.

CA: Oceanside city clerk: Flier taints election info*
http://www.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/all-in-favor-politics/2010/may/17/oceanside-city-clerk-flier-taints-election-info/

The Voting News Daily: Voting machines burn in Rt 22,PA fire. KY debuts paper ballots.Philippines voting machine sleepover

Watch Yuma AZ vote count live via webcam…Use iPad to register to vote in Santa Clara Co CA…”Too much” voter assistance in Forsyth Co NC?..90 Kentucky counties debut paper ballot systems in Tues Primary..Absentee/Early Voting Method: Raise Questions and Risks…No Voting Rights in Indian Country USA…Smartmatic Technician Takes Home 65 PCOS Machines…Internet voting watch in Prince Edward Co Canada and to Gujarat India…

All this and more in today’s voting news below

AR: Voting Process Confusing For Some
http://www.4029tv.com/news/23574029/detail.html
Benton County. Officials said electronic voting machines are still confusing for a lot of people, even though they have been around for several years.

AZ: Vote-counting webcam starts Sunday
http://www.yumasun.com/news/ballots-60948-counting-county.html
Yuma County will stream a live video feed of the ballot counting center from a webcam at the Yuma County Elections Department starting Sunday morning.

It will be viewable through a link on the county website at www.yumacountyaz.gov/election.countylivevideolinks.htm .

AZ: Voters need assurance of fair elections * (March election in Yuma County)
http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/election-60930-ballots-news.html
The 10 percent rejection rate for early ballots due to signature problems is much higher than other parts of the state,

CA: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Accepts Electronic Signatures on Voter Registration Forms
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/15/santa-clara-county-registrar-of-voters-accepts-electronic-signatures-on-voter-registration-forms/

CA: Newspaper ad alleges vote-count skullduggery in Sutter County
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/johnston-94962-oakley-election.html

FL: Much Unclear in Haines City Commission Election Fraud Case
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100514/NEWS/5145052/1134?Title=Much-Unclear-in-Haines-City-Commission-Election-Fraud-Case

HI: Elections Officials Say Mail-In Voting Secure
http://www.kitv.com/politics/23536222/detail.html

IN: Provisional ballots won’t count *
Union County Commissioner Gary Davis has until Tuesday to file request for recount
http://www.pal-item.com/article/20100515/NEWS01/5150315
The election board agreed the provisional ballots didn’t meet legal requirements…

KY: Paper ballots to debut with primary (Caldwell County)
http://www.timesleader.net/articles/stories/public/201005/16/4LLs_news.html
The traditional push-button voting machines used in the past have been replaced, and voters will now complete paper ballots and feed them into an electronic scanner.
…
More than 90 Kentucky counties are converting to the paper ballot system for Tuesday’s primary election.

LA: Registrars set to purge voter rolls
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/93833919.html
State election law requires the removal from the rolls of people who have not voted in two federal election cycles — generally every-other-year congressional balloting — and who have not responded to attempts to verify their addresses.

MI: Michigan Democratic Party Said to be Behind Attempt to Qualify a Tea Party for Michigan Ballot http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/17/michigan-democratic-party-said-to-be-behind-attempt-to-qualify-a-tea-party-for-michigan-ballot/

NC: Tiff over vote help: Three protests filed with Forsyth allege illegal electioneering
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/may/15/tiff-over-vote-help/
…
The three…say that some candidates and their supporters not only helped people cast ballots but used various methods to tell the people whom to vote for

NC: North Carolina First Party Has 86,000 Signatures
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/16/north-carolina-first-party-has-86000-signatures/

NM: Wife of former judge sentenced *
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_15091753
Lilian Favela, 46, entered a plea of no contest to three felony counts of false voting charges on April 30 and was sentenced Monday. Two counts of false voting were dismissed.

NY: NY-29: Confusion Winning This Race
http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/NY-29-Confusion-Winning-This-Race/a17fo4ISQkq_4V9aT_VEHw.cspx

NY: New Yorkers Take Action to Restore Voting Rights
http://reformny.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-yorkers-take-action-to-restore.html
Today, over 100 New Yorkers sent postcards to their legislators and Governor Paterson urging them to restore the right to vote to people in New York who are on parole and probation.

The Voting News Daily: More vote buying in KY. Berkeley WV votes counted twice. Indian EVMs ate votes.

Another KY vote buying scheme, this time in Perry Co…Berkely CO WV’s early voted ballots counted twice…The City of Aspen CO claims to have spent $75K+ to keep citizens from viewing ballot images of May 5 2009 election…The EAC internet voting pilot test requirements are too weak for real elections. Joel Rothschild, Chief of Staff of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, noted: “I have reviewed the proposed requirements and do not feel they provide sufficiently robust guidelines to ensure adequate protection from the existing electronic threat environment or national level threats.”…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AZ: Smith: Recorder should investigate vote*
http://www.yumasun.com/news/election-60941-state-smith.html
The issue of possible voter fraud became public with the release Wednesday of a letter Bennett had sent to Smith dated May 4 asking the county attorney to investigate irregularities in the San Luis primary election on March 9. His concern rose from the rejection of nearly 10 percent of early ballots for that election because they had signatures that didn’t match those of the registered voters.

CA: Officials preparing to hold SD15 at ‘drop of a hat’
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/2010/05/sd15-election-o.html

CA: Editorial: Primary election ‘reform’ is chicanery
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100513/OPINION/5130308

CO: The costs of transparency
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/140604
The city claims to have put $75,000 worth of legal resources toward fighting Marilyn Marks and keeping her from looking at scanned ballot images from the May 2009 election. And now they’ve hired a big time criminal defense attorney from Denver to keep fighting transparency issues from that same election.

CO: Why the resistance?
http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100514/LETTER/100519894/
The Aspen Times reports that the city attorney says that the Election Commission cannot audit the election.
…
The city has now spent over a year and barrels of cash to fight transparency, rather than allow a routine election audit. Why?

CO: Pollbook 101
http://coloradovotergroup.blogspot.com/2010/05/pollbook-101.html

FL: Federal appeals court again dismisses Duval blind voter lawsuit (9 yrs of litig)
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-05-13/story/federal-appeals-court-again-dismisses-duval-blind-voter-lawsuit
They say Duval County voting machines didn’t comply with the law.

IN: ANOTHER INDIANA ELECTION TO BE DECIDED BY A PROVISIONAL VOTER WHO MUST SHOW UP WITH ID http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015984.html

KY: Former Perry County official gets 12 months in vote-buying case*
http://www.kentucky.com/2010/05/14/1264097/former-perry-county-official-gets.html
A former Perry County circuit clerk has been sentenced to 12 months in prison in a vote-buying case.
Chester Jones, who also served a term as state representative, was sentenced Thursday in federal court in London.
…
Jones admitted he took $7,500 that was supposed to be used in efforts to boost voter turnout and instead bought votes with it.

MT: ELECTION OFFICIALS: SOME PRIMARY VOTES CANNOT BE COUNTED
http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/93734524.html Election officials say some of the first ballots to be mailed back in are heavy, indicating that the voter cast both the republican and democrat ballots. And those will be tossed out come Election Day.

NC: Recount requested
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=6154&iid=215&sud=30
Meanwhile, another defeated Republican commission candidate, Justin LaNasa, is gathering evidence that he hopes will prod election officials into nullifying the successful quarter-cent sales tax referendum.

LaNasa, who filed an official protest of the referendum outcome on Monday that claims “statistical irregularities,” alleges that turnout for the referendum was suspiciously high when compared to that of other contests

NY: Elections Board not sure if NY-29 special is legal (updated)
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/26663/elections-board-not-sure-if-ny-29-special-is-legal/

The Voting News Daily: Montgomery Co PA votes dont add up. Iowa caught in HAVA audit. Stolen India EVN is TV star

A report by the Election Reform Network shows that Montgomery Co PA has a systemic problem with paperless electronic voting plus poll books that don’t add up. “There are too many unanswered questions about why the numbers of voters signed in and the number of votes cast are so different at so many polling places. In fact…the county is required to act in such instances.” says Michael Churchill, senior attorney for the Public Interest Law Center in Philadelphia…Internet voting spreads in Canada…A stolen Indian electronic voting machine ends up on television… Kenya post election violence case unstoppable…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

CA: Judge issues temporary restraining order for special election to fill Maldonado’s seat http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15071849

CO: DA says Marks’ election affidavit to remain private
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/140577 The District Attorney’s office has denied a request to make public Aspen resident Marilyn Mark’s affidavit alleging election violations.

IA: Federal decision on $2.5 million in questioned HAVA spending out soon, official says
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/05/12/federal-decision-on-2-5-million-in-questioned-hava-spending-out-soon-official-says/
The executive director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Thomas Wilkey, will examine the issues flagged and see whether they’ve been addressed so that they won’t happen again in the future, a staffer said today.
…
And there are five “current” cases before the executive director – concerning Iowa, Illinois, New Jersey, Nebraska and California.

ME: Voting by Absentee Ballot Keeps Getting Easier
http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=52&SubSectionID=78&ArticleID=6517

MD: Tweet ‘by Authority of’: Elections officials making rules for social media
http://www.marylandreporter.com/page5505750.aspx
State elections officials are developing regulations to tell candidates on how they should identify themselves on social media such as Facebook and Twitter

MO: Missouri photo ID legislation likely dead
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news.newsmain
/article/1/0/1649248/St..Louis.Public.Radio.News/Photo.I.D..legislation.likely.dead
http://bit.ly/9L7m9L

NY: Governor sets date to replace Massa
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iLVCABYO6xwh-xTtVABOvnTeyyNwD9FLL68G1

PA: Review of 08 Vote Records in Montgomery County Reveals Discrepancies Between Votes Cast and Voters (Sequoia AVC Advantage)
http://www.electionreformnetwork.us/node/229
Network Reports Disparities Between Machine Counts and Voter Sign-ins for Most Election Districts in 08; Calls for a Reconciling of Voter Sign-ins with Machine Counts Before Results Are Official

WV: Absentee ballots flip two races in Lincoln
http://wvgazette.com/News/201005120898
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Election results in Lincoln County’s two most hotly contested races flip-flopped after absentee ballots and results of early voting were tallied.

Internet Voting Watch

Canada: TOWNSHIP CONSIDERS TELEPHONE, INTERNET VOTING
http://www.independent.on.ca/site/?q=node/1151
Huron-Kinloss council is split over whether it wants to switch to telephone and Internet voting for October’s municipal election, or stick with mail-in ballots.
…
This time around, 30 municipalities have signed up for e-voting. In this area, Brockton and South Bruce are considering it.

Canada: Electronic voting all set to be in place for Oct. 25 municipal election
http://www.emcarnprior.ca/20100513/news/Electronic+voting+
all+set+to+be+in+place+for+Oct.+25+municipal+election (Amprior)
http://bit.ly/azwjNT

India: Govt calls for opinions for e-voting in civic polls
http://www.todaynews.in/city/ahmedabad/govt-calls-for-opinions-for-e-voting-in-civic-polls-72863.html

International

India: Electronic Voting Machine stolen from high-security room in collectorate
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_electronic-voting-machine-stolen-from-high-security-room-in-collectorate_1382837 The incident came to notice when a local television channel in Hyderabad displayed the EVM last week

Kenya post-election violence case ‘unstoppable’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8678427.stm
More than 1,300 people died in fighting after late 2007’s disputed elections.

Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/

The Voting News Daily: Detroit ballot boxing. Few use WV overseas internet voting. Sack the UK Election Chief?

“Sack the Chairwoman of the Electoral Commission.” Iain Dale writing about UK’s election fiasco…Online bank thefts more than doubled in 2009 but no one would try to steal an internet election right?…Ballot boxing-When it comes to the mayoral election dustup, Tom Barrow has a point…‘Hispanic’ TX District Won by an African-American…Damaged memory cards delayed tally in over 76,000 precincts in the Philippines…Few WV service members use online voting…Internet voting is “exposed to human vulnerabilities like voting pressure from political parties,”~ Estonian diplomat Miko Haljas…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AR: How to vote for a write-in candidate in the Arkansas primaries
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=104561&catid=2
A write-in candidate must have registered. You can’t just vote for anyone.

AZ: Local voters get duplicate early ballots *
http://www.yumasun.com/news/ballots-60851-duplicate-yuma.html
…about 100 duplicate ballots were sent out in Yuma County.

The problem: the printer stopped and restarted, creating a small, duplicate batch, she said.
…
there are safeguards in place to make sure they only count one ballot from each voter.

CA: Election Poll Workers Needed in Santa Cruz
http://www.kionrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12472513

KY: New voting machines offer backup
http://www.paducahsun.com/local-news/todays-news/423317-new-voting-machines-offer-backup Western Kentuckians on Tuesday will use new voting machines that mix old-fashion paper ballots and modern technology.
Election officials hope the new process is easier for voters, reduces the chance of missing races and cuts the potential for mistakes.

MI: Ballot boxing
When it comes to the mayoral election dustup, Tom Barrow has a point
http://www.metrotimes.com/news/story.asp?id=15050
…If nothing else, what he’s done so far is expose the grossly incompetent manner in which ballots cast in the last election were handled
…
Were this an isolated case, maybe things would be different. But there were similar problems — and questions being raised — back in 2004.

MO: Voter ID/early voting bill apparently dead in Mo. Senate
http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/22297

NC: DISTRICT COURT DENIES REQUEST FOR THREE JUDGE COURT IN LAROQUE CASE CHALLENGING CONSTITUTIONALITY OF SECTION 5
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015962.html

NC: Instant Runoff Voting (LTE)
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/12/478018/instant-runoffs.html

NV: Nevada task force to watch again for voter fraud
http://www.mynews4.com/story.php?id=16475 Favreau says investigators are watching for everything from vote-buying and bribery to interference or intimidation at polling places, ballot box stuffing, and complex campaign finance irregularities.

PA: Electronic poll book plan on hold (Schuylkill County)
http://republicanherald.com/news/electronic-poll-book-plan-on-hold-1.779276
Last fall,two county precincts served as trial run sites for the ExpressPoll-5000..

TX: ‘Hispanic’ District Won by an African-American
http://blog.american.com/?p=13821
Last Saturday, the City of Irving, Texas held its first city council elections using a new form of governance that was mandated by a federal court in 2009. The outcome of that election is dripping with irony. Here’s why.
…
The newly created “Hispanic” district was won by an African American (who defeated a Hispanic), while the one at-large contest was won by … yep, a Hispanic (who defeated a white candidate).

WA: State won’t take over Clackamas County elections
http://www.clackamasreview.com/news/story.php?story_id=127361399854535100

WI: Green Bay City Council committee calls for photo identification at ballot box
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100512/GPG0101/5120659/1207/GPG01/Green-Bay-City-Council-committee-calls-for-photo-identification-at-ballot-box

WI: September primary poses a problem
http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_1c1f4198-3df3-5668-b6b1-ade1cc6fbdcd.html
A recent federal law change could force Wisconsin to switch the date of its traditional September primary election.

The Voting News Daily: Damn the science view riles internet voting critic. EAC i-voting plan breaks law. UK election-No Diebold!

“Damn the science,Damn the integrity; If it feels good do it!” attitude riles CTvoterscount.org – response to comments in NYT article on Internet voting…The EAC violated law in proceeding with Internet voting system guidelines says Voter Action. “If allowed to proceed, the US Election Assistance Commission will place at risk the votes of hundreds of thousands of military and overseas voters,” ~ John Bonifaz, Voter Action…Rep Rush Holt intros 2 new promising election bills…’Citizens United was a shot across the bow’…UK Electoral Commission ‘lacked grasp of reality’…

All this and more in today’s voting news below….

CA: KQED Radio Makes Maldonado-Winger Debate on Prop. 14 Available (podcast)
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/10/kqed-radio-makes-maldonado-winger-debate-on-prop-14-available/ fascinating discussion.

CA: California: Santa Clara County election commission finally set to meet
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15057358

CO: Aspen election spurs flurry of complaints
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100511/NEWS/100519961/-1/RSS …the alleged failure to certify and adequately test the new voting system, the failure to ensure anonymity in voting and the use of a private firm, TrueBallot Inc., to help conduct the election though its representatives were not legally qualified to do so.

CO: Harvie Branscomb’s Letter of Complaint to Aspen Election Commission 5.10.10
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/05/harvie-branscombs-letter-of-complaint.html
“…Aspen has a host of impediments to citizen oversight inherent in its character. Most of these deserve observation, analysis and remediation. I am staggered by the extent to which citizen activism in Aspen is met with a range of emotions from disregard to outrage.”

GA: New Law in Ga. Gives (Republican) Governor Power over (Democratic) Attorney General in Handling VRA Section 5 Litigation
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015948.html

KY: Voters in 42 counties expected to use new voting machines for primary(escans)
The new system provides a voter verified paper record.
http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/93422939.html
Officials say voters, precinct officials, and county clerks liked the machines.

MA: Massachusetts picks up tab for special election
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1253732&srvc=rss

MN: City council actions :: Korbel confirmed (Minneapolis)
http://www.downtownjournal.com/index.php?publication=downtown&page=65&story=15355
The continuing cost of RCV: $244,000

NC: State, feds investigate elections allegations in Bladen Co.
http://www.wwaytv3.com/node/22701 (also double voting)
BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — From vote buying to violations of a federal law, state and federal elections investigators have their hands full with Bladen county. There’s not one or two but three investigations into recent elections and candidates.

NJ: Judge may split Atlantic City voter-fraud case into more than 1 trial
http://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_fba9f0ee-5c97-11df-85a0-001cc4c002e0.html

NY: Setting the Record Straight on New York Uprising
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/setting_the_record_
straight_on_new_york_uprising/ http://bit.ly/a1o53o The Brennan Center never provides material support to efforts to influence the outcome of elections.

OH: Election officials reject primary audit
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/ohio-elections-officials-reject-primary-audit-697609.html

OH: Elections board members fire employee for Facebook comments
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100511/NEWS09/100519953

SC: ACLU to Argue in Appeals Court That South Carolina’s Ballot Access Law Is Unconstitutional – Group Says “Sore Loser” Statute Violates Free Association Rights
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/05/10-13

SD: SD to pioneer electronic voting system (misleading title)
http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/05/10/news/
doc4be8e8d99d863018731317.txt http://bit.ly/an9NZ3
They will be able to use e-mail, faxes and the Internet to request and receive access to absentee ballots to vote in South Dakota elections…
…
After that, both the ballot and the oath form will need to be returned via military and U.S.

The Voting News Daily: Experts decry US overseas Internet vote plan. PA, KY unverifiable elections. UK student voters 2nd class citizens

Concerns about EAC’s Overseas/Military Internet vote plan: Experts warn that e-mail messages can be intercepted, voting Web sites can be hacked or taken down by malicious attacks, and the secrecy of ballots is hard to ensure…DOJ asks court to compel Nassau compliance…”Here We Go Again (Again): 100% Unverifiable E-Voting Systems Set for Use in PA, KY, Elsewhere” ~ Brad Friedman…Missouri bill combines early voting & photo id…Illegal ballot harvesting scheme in Jim Wells Co TX…Some UK student voters denied vote, treated as 2nd class citizens…Philippine vote marred by violence and machine failures…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Many voter registrations need update for elections
http://enewscourier.com/local/x1989608588/Many-voter-registrations-need-update-for-elections
…
Liveoak said 10 percent of the voters in Limestone County still have not updated their voter records and are being carried on the rolls as “Inactive Voters.

AR: Election commissioner was campaign manager for Prosecutor Vaden (conflict of int)
http://thecabin.net/news/local/2010-05-07/election-commissioner-was-campaign-manager-prosecutor-vaden

CA: California: Special election rolls forward despite county protests
http://www.pressbanner.com/view/full_story/7342553/article-Special-election-rolls-forward-despite-county-protests?instance=home_news_lead_story

CA: Sacramento County sends sample ballots with errors
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15042192

CA: Another sample ballot problem surfaces
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_15045031 The Mendocino County Elections Office is sending out at least 23,000 new sample ballots this week and next after voters reported two different problems with the original sample ballots.

CO: District attorney’s office investigates businesswoman’s Aspen elections claims
http://www.kdvr.com/news/sns-ap-co–aspenelectioninvestigation,0,5023827.story
…many allegations concerning the election service the city hired to help it conduct the May 2009 election…

CO: Election Commission Update
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/05/election-commission-update.html
The Aspen Election Commission met May 5 (the one year anniversary of the controversial 2009 Municipal Election) to hold its first hearing for complaints. The independent commissioners heard Millard Zimet’s complaint regarding non-anonymous election processing.

FL: Letter to Governor Crist – Floridians to Veto HB 131
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13487
It disrespects people with disabilities where you’ve pledged to support them. It bulldozes local decision-making and the principle of Home Rule. It poses as support for military and overseas voters while failing to take the meaningful steps needed to truly honor their votes and their service.

IN: Myers says county ballot a misprint *
Mistake not caught prior to Election Day
http://kokomotribune.com/local/x1989604747/Myers-says-county-ballot-a-misprint
Kokomo — Howard County Clerk Mona Myers said a misprinted ballot allowed an uncertified candidate to receive votes in Tuesday’s election.

MO: With one week left, major decisions left for Missouri Legislature
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics
/story/B27A1F6FFB6BF7FC8625771F00042085?OpenDocument http://bit.ly/d7k3Rg
…the voter ID issue has been combined with provisions that would help members of the military vote on a timely basis, and it also would allow about four days of advance voting in Missouri elections.

NC: Ballot recount possible, unlikely
http://www2.statesville.com/content/2010/may/08/ballot-recount-possible-unlikely/news-local/
Of the provisional ballots, Galliher said, it appears that in only 24 cases has enough evidence been gathered to substantiate their validity.

NY: DOJ ASKS COURT TO COMPEL NASSAU COMPLIANCE (hearing set May 14)
http://www.bolipari.com/boblog/2010/05/dojaskscourttocompelnassau/
In an effort to force Nassau’s compliance, the DOJ seeks immediate remedial action and has asked US District Court Judge Gary Sharpe who is overseeing New York’s transition to hold the New York State Board of Elections in contempt..

TX: Charged with illegal vote harvesting, a political worker explains how voter fraud works* Jim Wells County(actually it is the worker,not voter committing fraud)
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2010/05/illegal-vote-harvesting-south-texas-voter-fraud/1273422832.story

The Voting News Daily: UK election nightmare. Glitches in OH, TN, ACLU to FL Gov Crist: veto HB 131

The UK’s parliamentary election was a Florida style election nightmare. Thousands of UK voters turned away from polling stations. Shortage of ballot papers, not enough poll workers, & inaccurate poll lists were just some of the causes. “Here we are giving an example which would shame countries that are just starting their democracies.” ~ David Dimbleby with BBC…Fed lawsuit filed to block CA special election…ACLU Urges FL Gov. Crist to Veto HB 131; Bill Would Further Disfranchise Voters With Disabilities…Some Putnam Co TN voters used paper ballots when electronic machines failed…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AR: 1/3 of all Arkie votes expected during ‘early voting’ period
http://www.nashvilleleader.com/articles/2010/05/04/news/02news.txt

AZ: State scrambling to correct polling places
http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/
2010/05/06/news/local/doc4be2694ad384c439158237.txt http://bit.ly/dttIUI
KINGMAN — More than 10,000 Mohave County households were given the wrong polling sites for the May 18 special election.

CA: Complaint Filed: CA Special Election Dates Will ‘Disenfranchise Latinos’ As Well as Troops http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7828

CA: “CALIFORNIA COUNTIES OPPOSE SCHEDULING OF SPECIAL ELECTION”
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015921.html

CA: Lawsuit seeks to delay special election for Maldonado’s Senate seat
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_15032275?nclick_check=1

FL: ACLU Urges Gov. Crist to Veto HB 131; Bill Would Further Disfranchise Voters With Disabilities
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13485

FL: Sarasota Co Commissioners request Gov Crist Veto CS/CS/HB131
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13469
The bill would delay by an additional four years – until 2016 – the right of voters with disabilities to vote on reliable paper ballot voting machines. This is a full eight years after legislation – praised by Governor Crist in 2007 – gave that right to all other Florida voters.

GA: Bartow To Try Voter ID Pilot Project
http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2010/05/bartow-to-try-voter-id-pilot-p.html
…Secretary of State Brian Kemp says they’ll take part in a pilot project that scans the bar codes on the backs of drivers licenses and state ID’s as a quicker way to input the voter’s information.

HI: State Elections Officials ‘Unable’ To Release Voter Names
Mail-In Voters’ Names Being Kept Secret
http://www.kitv.com/news/23471336/detail.html
(System not set up to provide daily updates on mail in votes)

ID: Audit finds 179 more votes in Tippecanoe County * (paperless Diebold TS)
http://www.jconline.com/article/20100506/ELECTION01/100506018
Election workers forgot to include one voting machine card during Tuesday’s count,
(article calls this an audit but it sounds more like canvassing of materials)

MI: Barrow in court to remove Bing
http://www.michigancitizen.com/print_this_story.asp?smenu=1&sdetail=8584
DETROIT — Mayoral candidate Tom Barrow will present charges of fraud in last November’s mayoral election and ask that Bing be removed from office in a hearing May 10 before Wayne County Circuit Court’s Judge Isidore Torres.

NE: Software error forces ballots to be reissued * (ES&S M100/Automark)
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100505/NEWS01/705059871
A little more than 100 early voting ballots in Douglas County were sent without listing certain slates of candidates who are up for election, forcing the election office to send replacement ballots to affected voters.
Election Commissioner Dave Phipps said the back side of certain candidate ballots printed out blank, intermittently leaving off races for the Douglas-Sarpy County Learning Community, Metro Community College, Metropolitan Utilities District, Omaha Public Power District and Omaha Public Schools board.

NY: Paterson: No to special election
http://www.eveningtribune.com/homepage/x2084229484/Paterson-No-to-special-election

The Voting News Daily: Web attack stumps Butler OH BoE. Voter ID in MO, SC? Florida in Britain?

After the attack on Butler County Ohio’s Elections website, the director of info services will check the county’s web servers & sites to determine if they are secure. Meanwhile the Sheriff is investigating…Paperless touchscreen machines once were “the wave of the future” until they were tied to lost votes, switched votes, inexplicable & massive undervotes & contested elections. Now 30 Canadian municipalities will try the latest “wave of the future”, internet voting… Aspen’s May 5 2009 election in news again -new criminal & civil complaints…..Will there be a winner in the UK election?…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

CA: Software glitch delays results of parcel tax election *
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_15025703
“We had problem with the software program kicking us out after every provisional ballot,” Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin said.

CO: Marks files election complaint with DA
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/140481
City hires criminal defense attorney
Marks’ complaint, filed last week in Glenwood Springs, alleges that the city violated election law by not properly testing and certifying election software, she said. The complaint also alleges the city violated election law by leaving a key in the ballot box, which unlocked an override panel, she said.

The complaint also raises a number of issues with True Ballot, a Connecticut firm the city hired to tabulate the election, she said.

CO: Commission mulls allegation that IRV data compromises Aspen voter privacy
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100506/NEWS
/100509911/1077&ParentProfile=1058 http://bit.ly/a5LfAC
Commission members Bob Leatherman and Ward Hauenstein took up a complaint from Aspen resident Millard Zimet, who alleged he could figure out how some citizens voted by extrapolating data released by the city after the May 2009 election…

ID: Sen. sues county for not updating voter rolls
http://www.fox12idaho.com/Global/story.asp?S=12429883
COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho (AP) – A state senator from northern Idaho is suing the clerk of Kootenai County for failing to update records he says would have made his challenger ineligible to vote or run for office.

MO: Voter ID, early voting bill nears debate in Senate
http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2010/05/voter-id-early-voting-bill-nears-debate-in-missouri-senate/

NC: Robeson County legislator alleges fraud in loss (alleges vote buying)
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/05/05/996542?sac=Home
“People were picking people up off the street and paying them to vote,” Sutton said. “It’s obvious it was happening, not just in Robeson County, but everywhere. …

“The system allows you to take a car, drive through the projects to pick people off the streets and just register and vote them. The system allows that, and therefore it’s a bad system.”

NC: Provisional ballots leave uncertainties (Scotland County)
http://www.laurinburgexchange.com/view/full_story/7325169/article-Provisional-ballots-leave-uncertainties?instance=home_news_lead
Parker said issues included people who may have registered to vote at another agency – such as the Department of Social Services or the Department of Motor Vehicles – but who were not in the election system. Others may be people who went to the wrong precinct, had some issue with their voter registration or wanted to vote in the primary for one party but has a different party affiliation on their registration.

NJ: Seven charged with voter fraud (Nov 2009 election)
http://www.northjersey.com/news/92939809_Seven_
charged_with_voter_fraud.html http://bit.ly/bCPJN5
All seven were registered to vote in Park Ridge at the time of the election, although the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office (BCPO) investigation determined that they were not “domiciled” there.

The Voting News Daily: Glitches in IN,NC,OH,TX. Butler OH BoE website attacked. Internet voting risks

Sending voted ballots over the public Internet “is in a security class by itself,” …and these ballots are vulnerable to attacks from a wide range of individuals, organizations, and even governments.” ~ Verified Voting Comments to EAC on i-voting pilots…Arizona mailer gives 27K voters wrong polling place… Voting machine probs in NC, IN, OH, TX – some mitigated by paper ballots….Should US vote by mail? …Corp Candidate for Congress voter reg rejected twice…

All this and more in todays voting news below…

AR: The Looming Election: Is Arkansas Ready???
http://bluearkansasblog.com/?p=2300
The election is already taking place. Already, turnout has been big. And some problems are already appearing.

AZ: State mailing directs some voters to wrong polling place*(May 18 spec election)
Error affects 27,000 local voters; corrective postcard mailed this week
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=80703
State mailers told approximately 27,000 registered voters in Yavapai County to go to incorrect polling places for the May 18 election.
…
The error, made by a third-party contractor used by the state, impacts 39 percent of all county households

CA: Los Angeles Ponders Instant-Runoff Voting
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/04/los-angeles-ponders-instant-runoff-voting/

CA: Schwarzenegger May Disenfranchise Thousands of Overseas Troops with Early Special Election Date
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7825

CA: SLO County supervisors take Schwarzenegger, Maldonado to task over special election (San Luis Obispo County)
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/05/04/1127958/slo-county-supervisors-take-schwarzenegger.html In a blistering rebuke, the county Board of Supervisors ripped into Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado on Tuesday for neglecting taxpayers and county workers by backing a special election that could cost $3 million.
…
Supervisors said Schwarzenegger could have called the special primary in early fall and scheduled the runoff to coincide with the Nov. 2 election.

CO: Aspen – Both transparency and trustworthy elections are required. There can be no tradeoff.
http://coloradovotergroup.blogspot.com/2010/05/aspen-both-transparency-and-trustworthy.html “Aspen officials have admittedly violated the law. They created and operated an election system that does not provide for anonymous ballots.” Al Kolwicz, Colorado Voter Group

CT: Connecticut Secretary of State Wins Qualifications Lawsuit
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/05/connecticut-secretary-of-state-wins-qualifications-lawsuit/

CT: Book Review: The Death and Life of American Journalism
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3151 Part of the reason there has been so little improvement in our election laws is the lack of demonstrated public interest

IN: Voter turnout light in Vigo County* (ES&S iVotronic no paper)
http://tribstar.com/news/x500180624/Voter-turnout-light-in-Vigo-County
…The final tally of ballots changed nearly five hours after the polls closed, when the clerk’s office realized ballots cast by touch screen, used by handicapped voters, had not be counted.
…
Tabulation of 87 voting precincts was progressing speedily with all but six precincts counted as of about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, then delays slowed the final tabulation, ending at 8:40 p.m. The six precincts had technical problems and were unable to send in results over computer lines.

The final precinct — Honey Creek E at Dixie Bee Elementary — experienced such a problem; however, poll workers left a computer card in a voting machine, forcing them to drive back to the poll, then back to the county courthouse for a final tabulation, Mansard said.

The Democratic Party race for prosecutor was by far the closest contest, with final numbers fluctuating as “remake” ballots were counted.

The Voting News Daily: Double voting caught in NC. Norfolk VA touchscreen trouble. Philippines memory card recall

The May 2010 Primaries: A Look at Voting Systems…A Forsyth Co NC voter cast 2 ballots in 1 day during early voting. Officials cancelled the xtra vote. PA voting machines concerns: “Whenever you have a system where only two minutes of access can provide a switch in the voting software, it’s a very tough problem,”~Richard King, VoteAllegheny…The Black Box of Corporate Money…Irrational exhuberance for internet voting spreads in Canadian cities…50 criminal inquiries in UK postal voting…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Alabama: Shelby County’s complaint against VRA
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006374.html
The complaint in Shelby County,Alabama v. Holder is available here:

AR: David Sanders Not On His Own Ballot* (Pulaski County)
http://tolbertreport.com/2010/05/03/david_j_sanders-not-on-his-own-ballot/
Sanders told me this afternoon that the problem has been fixed for the electronic machines but he is concerned that the absentee ballots have been sent out incorrectly. He is working with the Pulaski County Election Commission to get the problem addressed.

AZ: Arizona Voters Will Vote on Whether to Re-Name “Secretary of State” as “Lieutenant Governor”
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/03/arizona-voters-will-vote-on-whether-to-re-name-secretary-of-state-as-lieutenant-governor/

MD: Maryland ends prison-based gerrymandering
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/maryland_ends_prison-based_gerrymandering/
This Act counts individuals who are in prison in their home districts rather than the districts where they are currently incarcerated, when redistricting.

NC: Counting Twice: Elections officials say woman voted two times, software caught it only during end-of-day check * (early voted ballots can be cancelled)
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/may/04/counting-twice-elections-officials-say-woman-voted/news/ …Rob Coffman, the director of elections in Forsyth County, said a woman came to vote about 11:30 a.m. Friday during early voting, and returned at 2:30 p.m. and was allowed to vote again.
…
The double vote was picked up when elections officials ran their end-of-day check with a second computer application. That will allow officials to cancel out the extra vote.

NC: Rumors of vote buying spread in Elizabethtown
http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=12420002
The State Board Elections is looking into allegations that a candidate in Bladen County is buying votes.

The rumors are making their way around Elizabethtown and some say suspicions of vote buying have popped up in the past, but this time they find it harder to believe.

NY: Voters file lawsuit demanding special election
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100503/NEWS01/5030355

OH: Controversy erupts over Facebook posting by elections’ board employee
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100504/NEWS16/100509864
A comment posted on a Facebook page by a board employee appeared to indicate how Allan Block, chairman of Block Communications, Inc., parent company of The Blade, had voted.

PA: Team 4: Security Concerns About Voting Machines Remain (ES&S iVotronic)
Jim Parsons Talks With VoteAllegheny & County Elections Head
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/23453058/detail.html
Team 4 has been reporting on potential security flaws in Allegheny County for years, and it turns out that the same questionable machines and security procedures are being used today. (video available)

TN: Davidson County Election Postponed Two Weeks
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=12417033
Staff said it will be necessary especially since some polling sites are under water and machines are likely damaged.

VA: Smigiel, Wright complain of voting problems in Norfolk *
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/05/smiegiel-wright-complain-voting-problems-norfolk
City Council candidate Tommy Smigiel claims that three voters in East Ocean View and another at the Oceanair precinct attempted to vote for him but voting machines would only allow them to vote for incumbent W.

The Voting News Daily: Cuyahoga voting machines code flaw. Sarasota Officials hire atty to defend election. Money is not speech.

Good thing they have paper ballots. Cuyahoga Co Ohio’s voting machines have a source code flaw causing some to “freeze” up. Cuyahoga uses DS200 optical scanners made by ES&S. A source code change is needed… FL Veterans for Common Sense to Crist -Veto poison pill bill!…Sarasota FL County Commissioners hire attorney to defend election audit charter from Kathy Dent…US concerned about transparency of Iraq election recount…

CO: Election Integrity Activist LaBonte Supports Election Commission Review of Zimet Complaint
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/05/election-integrity-activist-labonte.html …One reason anonymity is important is that it enables ballot level transparency. I hope that Aspen will continue to support transparency, preferably achieving full transparency by releasing ballot images…

FL: Florida Veterans for Common Sense Letter to Crist- Veto CS/CS/HB 131 Elections
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13454
this bill preempts to the state all matters pertaining to elections. The result is that it preempts stricter election procedures adopted in some counties that protect the voting rights of Florida’s citizens even where not in conflict with state law.

FL: Sarasota County Commissioners vote to hire outside counsel to defend charter
http://sarasotacounty.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=18&clip_id=1289
HIRED OUTSIDE LEGAL COUNSEL (ATTORNEY DAVID PERSSON) TO REPRESENT/DEFEND THE COUNTY AND THE COUNTY CHARTER IN THE CASE OF KATHY DENT V. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, ET AL (See video at Sarasota CO website, Click on 30. COUNTY ATTORNEY’S REPORT
view beginning at the 1:58 mark)

FL: Florida elections official Kurt Browning resigns
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/01/1607293/florida-elections-official-kurt.html

KY: New voting machines ready in NKY
http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20100503/NEWS0103/5030316/
Boone, Campbell , Kenton, Gallatin and Grant counties have all bought new “e-Scan” paper ballot voting machines with federal grants from the Help America Vote Act.

KS:Mentally ill voter rights on ballot
http://cjonline.com/news/local/2010-05-01/mentally_ill_voter_rights_on_ballot

NC: Allegations of vote buying bring State Board of Elections Officials to Bladen
http://www.bladenjournal.com/view/full_story/7244996/article-
Allegations-of-vote-buying-bring-State-Board-of-Elections-Officials-to-Bladen-?
instance=secondary_stories_left_column

NC: ONLY ON 3: State Board of Elections wants info on Breazeale gas giveaway
http://www.wwaytv3.com/only_3_state_board_elections_wants_info_
breazeale_gas_giveaway/05/2010 http://bit.ly/9zPd3z
Will Breazeale offered up to $20 worth of gas for anyone who agreed to volunteer for his campaign in the final days before Election Day, but we found not everyone was really volunteering.

OH: Reason for election machine glitch found, officials expect things to be OK for the primary * http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/05/reason_for_election_machine_gl.html
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Six percent of the county’s vote-counting scanner machines failed a pre-election test, but the elections chief said the board has enough backup machines for the Tuesday primary and is confident no votes will be lost if machines freeze up on election day.

All told, 89 of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections’ 1,200 machines powered down and then froze during a specific test done to ensure the optical scanners were reading paper ballots correctly.

Voting machine manufacturer Election Systems & Software, Inc. said it believes the problem has to do with the scanner’s software. And they believe they have a coding update that will fix it.

OH: ES&S Letter to Cuyahoga OH Board of Elections r/e DS200 code problem
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13455

TN: Election panel seeks solution on $32K bill
http://www.dnj.com/article/20100503/NEWS01/100502057
…to fund a $32,500 settlement to a lawsuit filed by the county Administrator of Elections Hooper Penuel.