The Voting News Daily: DC Internet vote risks update. The reality of cyber threats. Bingo $ and ballots
Nearly 3 million overseas & military voters may cast ballots over the Internet in Nov. using e-mail or fax. Why worry? Eric Riscorla’s update on DC’s internet voting pilot finds more risks: “So while electronic ballot distribution is more secure than electronic ballot return, there still seem to be a number of potential attacks that would be more difficult to mount en masse with conventional paper-based ballot delivery.” Cyber crime is the also one of the fastest growing and most lucrative aspects of illegal use of the Internet…Election analyst GVL NARASIMHA RAO of India makes “The Case Against Electronic Voting”…Meanwhile Bangladesh thinks e-voting will prevent poll rigging…
All this and more in today’s voting news below…
AL: Gambling antes up $4.1 million in Alabama primary
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/07/gambling_antes_up_41_million_i.html
Gambling interests spent at least $4.1 million to back candidates in the June 1 primary, a Birmingham News analysis of campaign finance disclosures shows.
Gambling sources sent cash through 104 political action committees during the 2010 election cycle, disclosures show.
AL: Alabama: bingo and voting rights linked
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006409.html
State Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, said the raid of Greenetrack and removal of bingo machines unilaterally nullifies the vote of Greene County residents who approved a constitutional amendment authorizing bingo. …
CA: Scanning Completed, Results Match Well (ballots viewable online)
http://democracycounts.blogspot.com/2010/07/scanning-completed-results-match-well.html Humboldt County Election Transparency Project
CA: DEMOCRACY UNDER THREAT FROM NEW CORPORATE POWERS, EXPERTS WARN IN SAN DIEGO PANEL
U.S. Supreme Court ruling to allow unlimited corporate spending on elections heightens concerns http://eastcountymagazine.org/node/3705
Among the most disturbing evidence was presented by Steven Freeman, founder of Election Integrity, senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of the book Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Freeman has documented compelling evidence and statistical data to indicate that electronic voting machines can—and have—been rigged in American elections—and that San Diego’s voting machines are far from secure.
CO: Our rights of self-governance denied
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100703/LETTER/100709950/1020&parentprofile=1061
30% of the ballots were unsecured in an unattended City Hall ballot box with the keys dangling from it…Software changes were secretly made just hours before the polls opened. The software, in testing for the first time only 15 hours before the election, calculated the “winner” to be the candidate garnering the fewest votes! Early voting began 13 days before the earliest possible legal date. Before ballots were even printed, some voters voted on photocopies of mock ups. Neither Councilman Torre nor Johnson received the minimum 50%+1 of votes cast in order to be seated.
MI: NEW LAWSUIT SAYS MICHIGAN’S $500 INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION LIMITS TO LEGISLATORS UNCONSTITUTIONALLY LOW
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016345.html
MO: County might try digital voter rolls at polls (Boone County)
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/jul/04/county-might-try-digital-voter-rolls-at-polls/
ND: Ballot measure for ND redistricting approved
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_8c88167c-85ec-11df-9a2a-001cc4c03286.html BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A proposal to put an independent commission in charge of drawing North Dakota’s new legislative district boundaries is ready for petition signatures.
NY: New Voting Machines Spur Concerns About Confusion and Fraud*
http://dnainfo.com/20100629//new-voting-machines-spur-concerns-about-confusion-fraud
That’s where the green button issue comes in. If a voter accidentally “over-votes” — meaning to mark more than one candidate for a particular office — the new machines give voters the option to press green to cast their vote, or red to get their ballot back.