The Voting News Daily: MORE Tenn. election fiascos. New Lee FL mail ballot probs. Wallach’s ‘The Wørd’
Tennessee racks up more election failures: 100 Blount County voters were given the wrong ballot. Davidson Cnty vote totals changed when an uncounted voting machine was found. Shelby Co was in news last week when e-poll books wrongly blocked thousands of voters, an investigation is underway…Candidate’s envelopes cause major problems for Lee Cnty Florida voters..18 Members of Congress Call On Atty Gen Holder to Ensure Integrity of Voting Systems..24×7 help for Military Vote for Upcoming Election…
All this and more in today’s voting news below…
AR: Back to the future (will use touchscreens for early voting)
http://www.thecitywire.com/index.php?q=node/11280 To borrow the title line from an old movie, Sebastian County will go “Back to the Future” when it begins tabulating votes precinct-by-precinct after the Nov. 2 General Election.
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The electronic voting machines used in Sebastian County can handle the 91 ballots needed for all precincts. So early voting in Sebastian County will be only by electronic voting machine, the same method as that used in Pulaski County. Incidentally, voting in neighboring Crawford County is all electronic.
AR: Voting Machine Purchase On Hold
Commission Eyes Electronic Poll Books
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/aug/14/voting-machine-purchase-hold/?latest
A plan to add to the number of voting machines in Benton County has been put on hold by questions about software compatibility with the manufacturer’s newest model.
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“I hope to buy electronic poll books this year if I can redirect (the money) that way,” Miller said during a discussion of the 2011 budget …
CA: Court Date Set for Hearing in Case Against Implementation of California’s “Top-Two” System http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/14/court-date-set-for-hearing-in-case-against-implementation-of-californias-top-two-system/
CO: NOREEN: Elections don’t need polling places (opinion)
http://www.gazette.com/news/noreen-102959-county-paso.html
FL: Rick Scott envelopes cause major problems with voters* (Absentee ballots)
http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010-08-16/Rick-Scott-envelopes-cause-major-problems-with-voters LEE County
If you do not use and sign the Election’s Office envelope and then put the Election’s Office envelope into the Scott envelope, your vote will not count.
The Scott envelope is not to be used in place of the Election’s Office envelope.
FL: Another Victory – This Time in Miami-Dade; or A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Precinct http://floridavoterscoalition.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-victory-this-time-in-miami-dade.html That means we’re to do ballot accounting at the precinct after all. The changes don’t make it perfect but they do appear to return to substantial compliance with Florida law and good practice.
IL: More Outcome Oriented Research
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2010/08/16/more-outcome-oriented-research/
I can’t say I know much about race relations in Boston. But I know a little about election administration. Enough to know that the draft paper by Profs. Rachael Cobb, James Greiner, and Kevin Quinn, is long on conjecture and short on facts.
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I’ve got my doubts about the value of voter ID laws. But those doubts have nothing to do with the ability of election judges to administer them fairly. This research is faulty and its conclusions unsupported. If opponents of voter ID laws are truly concerned about this issue, they should go back into the field in November 2010
NC: New Bern ballot maker defends its reputation and legacy
http://www.newbernsj.com/news/new-89823-bern-materials.html
“People eager to bash the governor or electronic voting machines were ready to use the damaging factoids and insinuations in the initial story to their advantage,” wrote Hall, who heads the citizen advocacy group.