Yearly Archives: 2010

The Voting News Daily: ‘new’ voting machines turn up in Buffalo. Ballot removal for Minnesota?

US Senate candidate Miller(R)wins delay on Alaska election cert…Palm Beach officials building their case for touchscreen voting, now claim its about disability access…Now That He’s Been Elected, KS Sec. of State-Elect Kris Kobach Can’t Find Any ‘Voter Fraud’…Minnesota GOP lays groundwork to “remove” alleged phantom ballots. Ramsey County says suit should be rejected…2 ‘new’ voting machines turn up in Buffalo 3 weeks after election…”Tabulator Troubles in New York:What actually malfunctioned? Could the glitch have effect the election result?”..Unique Challenges of Election Administration…

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

AK: U.S. District Court in Alaska Tells Joe Miller to File Case on Vote-Counting in State Court; Tells State Not to Certify Election Until State Court Rules
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/11/19/u-s-district-court-in-alaska-tells-joe-miller-to-file-case-on-vote-counting-in-state-court-tells-state-not-to-certify-election-until-state-court-rules/

FL: Sarasota ‘Conduct of Election Report’ offers little elaboration on early vote glitch* http://floridaindependent.com/15327/sarasota-conduct-of-election-report-offers-little-elaboration-on-early-vote-glitch The report describes the early vote failure as the result of an “intermittent signal on network port switch.” Dent told The Florida Independent the morning after the glitch that the voting site lost “connectivity” with her main office, which delayed voting by around 40 minutes. The report indicates that elections staff replaced the “network switch and network cables” to correct the problem, and offers no other information. (report at link)

FL: PB County commissioner joins elections chief in push for return to touch screens
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/pb-county-commissioner-joins-elections-chief-in-push-1056815.html In conjunction with Bucher’s announcement, County Commissioner Karen Marcus said she will lobby to have that part of the law overturned, saying that “touch screens are a better system” with “less opportunity for human error.”

Bucher said she hopes to speak to the county commission in January. She wants to replace all of her equipment before the 2012 election, with touch screens if Marcus is successful and with newer optical machines if she is not.

FL: Disabilities Act might force PB County to replace all voting machines by 2016
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/disabilities-act-might-force-pb-county-to-replace-1060662.html

Guam: Lawsuit Seeking to Overturn 2010 Gubernitorial Results Expected To Be Filed By End of Today http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9459:lawsuit-seeking-to-overturn-2010-gubernitorial-results-expected-to-be-filed-by-end-of-today&catid=45:guam-news&Itemid=156

IA: District 13 Senate recount hits a snag
http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=302806 Democrat Tod Bowman holds a 71-vote lead against Republican Andrew Naeve.
After hand-counting the absentee ballots, the Dubuque County recount board came up 11 ballots short and decided to recess until Wednesday, Nov. 24. After the board left, election officials searched through the ballots and found all 11 by 5:45 p.m., according to Tom O’Neill, deputy commissioner of elections for Dubuque County.

IN: Critic claims a voting machine shortage in suburbs*
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_f38cedc4-6110-5216-ba40-591bc26c632f.html
Republican activist claims election officials were practicing voter suppression “by accident or design” by failing to provide enough electronic voting machines in suburban communities.
“I’m not blaming anybody, but it’s a situation that needs to be looked at,” Joe Hero said.

IN: “DEMS CONTEST CHARLIE WHITE’S ELIGIBILITY AS SECRETARY OF STATE“
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/018030.html

IN: Decision On Charlie White Charges Expected Next Month
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/25843447/detail.html
Embattled Secretary of State-elect Charlie White may learn his fate within the next 30 days
…
White got into trouble when it was discovered he had voted in the primary from his ex-wife’s home where he used to live, not his new home across town, 6News reported.

The Voting News Daily: Palm Beach to ‘retry touch-screen voting’? NC election protest cites vote flipping

Brad Friedman writes “Why Joe Miller is right to call for a ‘hand count’ in Alaska’s Senate Race”…Clarification – Bridgeport Questions its Legal Authority to Revisit Balloting”…Bad news: “Palm Beach County Elections Chief Susan Bucher wants to retry touch-screen voting” & she promises to lobby legislature to bring back touchscreens…Meanwhile, touchscreen vote flipping was cited in a demand for new election for North Carolina House District 45…

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

AK: Miller seeks to stop Alaska Senate election certification
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/10370038/article-Miller-seeks-to-s top-Alaska-Senate-election-certification-?instance=home_news_window_left_top_1
The GOP candidate in the Alaska U.S. Senate race asked a federal judge Thursday for a preliminary injunction stopping officials from certifying the election.

An attorney for Joe Miller sought the injunction as part of a previous lawsuit challenging write-in ballots for Lisa Murkowski, the incumbent senator.

AK: Murkowski triumphs in Alaska Senate race
Alaska’s Murkowski appears to be first write-in candidate to win Senate since 1954
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2013461497_murkowski18.html
The state Republican Party, which backed Miller, called the race for Murkowski and asked him to withdraw.

AK: Joe Miller May Seek ‘Hand Count’ in Alaska’s U.S. Senate Race – He’d Be Wise To Do So. http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8199 A fully transparent reconciliation would well serve democracy, particularly given AK’s dreadful election history..

AK: Alaska is not Florida
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/111710/sta_737414986.shtml
State officials say they are using the “voter intent” standard adopted by Alaska courts over the years.

CA: State GOP will go after Contra Costa County election officials
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16640379?nclick_check=1
The California Republican Party says it will pursue its lawsuit against Contra Costa County over whether election count observers have the right to challenge specific signatures on vote-by-mail ballots, calling it a critical statewide issue.

CA: Citizens picked to draw political boundaries
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/11/citizens-picked-to-draw-political-boundaries.html
State officials Thursday selected a handful of everyday Californians to tackle the politically incendiary task of redrawing the state’s voting districts — a job that voters decided to take away from political insiders.

CO: Final election results in Colorado expected by Friday
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16632233

CO: Crippled hand count and recount
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20101118/LETTER/101119860/1020&ParentProfile=1061
The court-ordered count is deliberately crippled. It is limited to solely adding counts to Curry’s total. In Eagle during this “examination” judges noticed an uncounted vote for Roger Wilson — the box was fully filled in — but in pencil. It remains uncounted as probably others also are…

CT: BRIDGEPORT QUESTIONS ITS LEGAL AUTHORITY TO REVISIT BALLOTING
http://scullycommunications.com/archives/1199 Bridgeport city officials say they are not “refusing” to participate in a recount of their troubled election night voting precincts but rather doubt their legal authority to do so. Such an undertaking would also create a logistical nightmare, they say.

CT: Two weeks after election, Bridgeport voters still frustrated
http://www.ctmirror.org/story/8480/two-weeks-later-bridgeport-voters-still-frustrated-about-election

FL: GOP state senator says he’ll support Brown’s lawsuit
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-11-18/gop-state-senator-says-hell-support-browns-lawsuit at least one Republican state senator says he will help a Democrat, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, in her quest to derail a constitutional amendment that would change the way political boundaries are drawn.

FL: Palm Beach County Elections Chief Susan Bucher wants to retry touch-screen voting http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/palm-beach-county-elections-chief-susan-bucher-wants-1056815.html

The Voting News Daily: Bridgeport CT refuses election audit. Recounts everywhere, what are the laws?

AP news says Murkowski won Alaska Senate Race.Miller did not concede..The Connecticut city with too few ballots – “Bridgeport Embarrasses Itself Once Again, Refusing to be Audited”…Will California ever finish counting absentee ballots?..Who Stole Election Day? (Early voting)…Machine recounts in NC 2nd CD. Election fraud charged in Madison,Yancey Co NC..Photo ID proposed in OK and TX, plans to propose in NC, with LWV filing suit in Oklahoma…Cuomo Seeks Expedited Senate Recount…

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

State Recount Laws Searchable Database:
http://ceimn.org/ceimn-state-recount-laws-searchable-database

AK: Murkowski emerges as winner in Alaska Senate race
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101117/ap_on_el_se/us_alaska_senate
Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday became the first Senate candidate in more than 50 years to win a write-in campaign..
…
Murkowski has a lead of 10,400 votes, a total that includes 8,153 ballots in which Miller observers challenged over things like misspellings, extra words or legibility issues.

AK: State to provide Miller with voter rolls
http://www.adn.com/2010/11/16/1557705/state-to-provide-miller-with-voter.html
The state will provide GOP nominee Joe Miller with voter rolls his campaign requested to ensure there was no voter fraud or irregularities in the Alaska Senate race.

AK: Senator leads; Miller wants hand recount
BUT HANG ON: Miller team, citing “suspect” computer system, wants entire election recounted by hand http://www.adn.com/2010/11/16/1557873/murkowskis-lead-more-than-10000.html

AK: Judge denies AFN in election lawsuit
http://www.adn.com/2010/11/16/1558190/judge-denies-afn-in-election-lawsuit.html
A federal court judge has denied a request by the Alaska Federation of Natives to intervene in the write-in election lawsuit brought by U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller.

AL: Election officials plan recount for Jefferson County Circuit Court Place 20 judicial race http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/election_officials_plan_recoun.html

AL: Alabama: Vendor Supplies Pencils for Marking Ballots (Trust the Vote Commentary)
http://www.trustthevote.org/alabama-vendor-supplies-pencils-for-marking-ballots
I guess that what Etowah County deserves, but does not have today, is a voting system with optical scanners that are “functionally compatible” with a “marking device” that local election officials can easily buy by the hundred dozen at a local store.

AR: Benton County OKs Election Changes
OFFICIALS APPROVE PLAN FOR VOTING MACHINE SOFTWARE
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/nov/17/benton-county-oks-election-changes/ …which would eliminate sending information and material back and forth between Bentonville and Omaha, Neb..

CA: Vote count tight, messy in California attorney general race
http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/11/17/AG-race-rhetoric/

CA: Registrar of voters continues count of remaining absentees, work on election certification http://lakeconews.com/content/view/16964/919 Still being counted are 4,500 vote by mail ballots turned in between Oct. 29 and Nov. 2. Of those, 1,834 were turned in on election day, Fridley said.

CA: City, county, state votes still being counted
http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_16637892 While several Mendocino County candidates are still waiting for votes to be counted, the statewide contest for attorney general also remains to close to call. As of noon, November 16, there were 774,065 votes left to be counted statewide, and Kamala Harris was leading Steve Cooley by only 18,064 votes.
There were only 12 counties that have completed counting votes.

CA: Riverside County names acting registrar of voters
http://blogs.pe.com/news/digest/2010/11/riverside-county-names-acting.html
Luna appointed Chief Deputy Registrar Rebecca Spencer to the post.

CA: Reilly and Kelly concede D2 and D10 races
http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2010/11/17/reilly-and-kelly-concede-d2-and-d10-races
For Reilly, the disappointment was sharpened by the knowledge that she received more first-place votes than any other D2 candidate.

The Voting News Daily: In favor of paper ballots,recounts. Internet Voting is ‘an affront to democracy’

Bo Lipari on “Pulling the Lever for Paper”..Virginia needs paper ballots by 2012 to avoid fiasco: “It’s been a few years since Fairfax County got through an entire election cycle without a piece of voting equipment breaking down, a handful of votes vaporizing or an election result being delayed.”..Internet voting is “an affront to democracy..It does not fulfill the requirement of one person, one vote and a guarantee of a secret ballot..it excludes people who are intimidated by it.”~Stratford,Canada..”The Great Cyberheist”: our security on the web is an illusion…

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

National: Undecided Race Round Up: Nine Still Hang in the Balance
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/16/undecided-race-round-nine-still-hang-balance

AK: Sitkan sees no wrongdoing in Fairbanks precinct*(ballot jammed in Accuvote)
http://kcaw.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=centerBlock&ID=1012
A poll watcher for the Democratic Party in Fairbanks says he too was concerned by a malfunctioning voting machine in his precinct on election day, but saw no wrongdoing.
…
Kreiss-Tomkins arrived at the Tanana Valley Fairgrounds precinct a little after 7 AM to find poll workers struggling with an Accuvote machine that wasn’t feeding properly. They had opened the machine up, and were extracting a jammed ballot.

AK: Murkowski passes Miller in vote count
http://www.adn.com/2010/11/15/1555926/murkowski-passes-miller-in-vote.html
Miller spokesman Randy DeSoto said he still thinks the court challenge could get enough votes thrown out for Miller to win.
…
Miller was hoping to get a boost from absentee ballots. But Monday was the last big count of absentees and there turned out to be more write-ins than Miller votes.

AK: AFN seeks to intervene in Senate voting lawsuit
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/15/afn-seeks-to-intervene-in-senate-voting-lawsuit/
Alaska’s largest Native organization on Monday sought to intervene in a lawsuit filed against election officials by GOP Senate candidate Joe Miller, claiming he seeks to disenfranchise Alaska Natives by invalidating their votes if they do not spell another candidate’s name perfectly.

AK: State allowed spelling mistakes in 1998 on write-in ballots, news reports say
http://newsminer.com/pages/full_story/push?blog-entry-State+allowed+spelling+mistakes+in+1998+on+write-in+ballots-+news+reports+say%20&id=10321605&instance=blogs_editors_desk

AZ: Arizona Prop. 112 recount triggered
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/
11/16/20101116arizona-prop-112-recount.html http://tinyurl.com/2wbe2gg
Measure to move up deadline to file citizen petitions failed by 123 votes

CA: Nevada County Election Results Update Nov.15
http://yubanet.com/regional/Nevada-County-Election-Results-Update-Nov-15.php
All absentee ballots for the 2010 General Election have been counted. Only a few provisional ballots remain to be incorporated, if they are deemed to be valid.

CA: The Ranked-Choice Voting Debate
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2010/11/16/rankechoicevoting/

CO: HD-61 hand counts happening today
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/143718 Election officials from Glenwood Springs to Gunnison are sorting through undervoted ballots in the House District 61 race (hand count of undervotes for write-ins only)

CT: Bridgeport Ballot Issues To Be Discussed At Meeting
Panel To Review Polling Issues In City http://www.wfsb.com/politics/25807914/detail.html

CT: 86 Voting Precincts to Be Audited
http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/86_voting_
precincts_to_be_audited/ http://tinyurl.com/395egpl In addition to the dozen Bridgeport voting precincts, which were allowed to stay open until 10 p.m. based on a judge’s order, 74 voting precincts throughout the state will be audited before Nov. 22.

CT: Post-Election Audits Announced
http://wtic.cbslocal.com/2010/11/15/post-election-audits-announced/
Connecticut’s tight race for governor, which came under close scrutiny after Bridgeport poll workers ran out of ballots on Election Day, has been selected as one of several state races that will undergo a post-election audit
…
Bysiewicz said she supports proposed legislation that would require every municipality to order at least enough ballots for every registered voter
…
Lesley Mara, the deputy secretary of the state, said she’s not aware of any other state with optical scan voting machines that requires cities and towns to order a certain percentage of ballots.

The Voting News Daily: Colorado poll watchers need binoculars? Time for a Recount New York

”Election Day has come and gone, but for elections officials across California who must provide complete and accurate results, the election truly does not end until Nov. 30,”~ SoS Debra Bowen..Coloradoans need binoculars to observe processing of mail ballots..CT lawmaker drafts bill requiring 1 ballot per reg. voter..Ga. wants new voters to prove citizenship…100,000 Maryland ‘Relax’ Election Day Robocalls Violated Law..Missouri election robo calls used fake caller IDs..Montana eyes vote by mail…Several NC contests to be recounted…Key New York Races Undecided…

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

AK: Alaska’s Miller sees hope in military vote
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2010/11/15/ alaskas_miller_sees_hope_in_military_vote/ http://tinyurl.com/2blmp9j The state has so far recorded more than 98,500 write-in ballots cast.

AK: Alaska elections director thrust into spotlight
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jMOx8d_eEIbYX6hvuyG4Kp
Ey1n2w?docId=eb57ba42fc9742d1baae9c1eb1c128af http://tinyurl.com/2bva2ky
She presses a ballot close to her red glasses, pauses to scrutinize the botched spelling and declares in a singsong voice: “Murkowski.”
“Challenge,” comes the reflexive retort from an observer.

AK: Alaska Division of Elections Posts Write-in Totals for All Declared Write-in Candidates for U.S. Senate http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/11/14/alaska-division-of-elections-posts-write-in-totals-for-all-declared-write-in-candidates-for-u-s-senate/
The Alaska Division of Elections has posted a tentative tally of the number of write-in votes for all declared write-in candidates. Other than Lisa Murkowski, no declared write-in candidate for U.S. Senate received more than eleven votes.

AK: Absentee Senate ballot count slated to start Monday
http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-2010elect-senate-ballot-count-update-111410,0,1653487.story

AR: Changes Ahead For Early Voting
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/nov/14/changes-ahead-early-voting/

CA: Voting Group Demands Grand Jury Look (Fresno County)
http://www.kmjnow.com/pages/landing_news?Voting-Group-Demands-Grand-Jury-Look=1&blockID=351750&feedID=806
Sabina Gonzalez of Communities for a New California told reporters at a news conference that county clerk Victor Salazar’s decision to cut the number of polling places in half because of budget cuts may have discouraged as many as 20,000 voters.

CA: Registrar tried, not hard enough; balloting system needs to change
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20101114/COLUMNS26/11130361/Registrar-tried-not-hard-enough-balloting-system-needs-to-change …She is the victim of very unequal voting laws plus a computer system that cannot handle the upsurge in absentee ballot voting. It continues to increase as voters find it much easier to vote from home and let the Postal Service do the legwork.
…
It is state law that the ballot must be in the registrar’s office by the close of Election Day. This is a horrible penalty for the citizens of the Coachella Valley, because we do not have direct mail access to the Riverside post office…

CA: ‘Grinding on’: Elections office continues to sort through ballots; final results likely more than a week away http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_16603456
In Humboldt, Crnich said elections staff is still working through the process of auditing materials returned from the polls and updating voter histories, which she said need to be completed before the county can even begin to sort through the almost 13,000 ballots that remain to be counted. Crnich said she’s hopeful those processes will be completed by the end of next week, at which point staff will be able to begin verifying signatures on the outstanding vote-by-mail ballots, sorting them and counting them…

CA: Jumping the gun
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101115/A_OPINION01/11150304/-1/A_OPINION
Harmer wise not to concede to McNerney just yet in 11th District race
…
Harmer still refused to concede.

The Voting News Daily: Broken voting machine seals in Putnam TN raise doubts. Clash over recount for NY 1st

In Alaska, the write in votes favor Murkowski so Miller awaits the military ballots..Another bad idea for elections in the Ohio Dayton Daily News: “Unused paper ballots are big waste for Ohio”. The Dayton DN editors should read the New Haven Register editorial: “Scrimping on ballots proved foolish”…Tennessee GOP requests investigation of possible voting machines tampering in Putnam Co…Clash over vote recount for NY 1st Congressional Dist…Philippine officials learn to use “glitch” now that they have computer vote counting…

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

AK: Alaska Senate Race Ballot Madness: The STRANGEST Write-In Votes (PHOTOS)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/12/alaska-senate-race-write-in-ballots_n_782724.html#s180931

AK: Little Ammunition Found in Fight Over Alaska Votes
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/us/politics/14alaska.html?_r=2&ref=politics
JUNEAU, Alaska — The lawyers have started leaving.
…
With each passing day that election workers here in the state capital manually count write-in votes cast for Senator Lisa Murkowski, it appears increasingly likely that Alaskans spell too well for Mr. Miller’s math to work

AK: GOP Senate hopeful awaits military vote
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/14/politics-scene-360299773/ GOP nominee Joe Miller said he won’t spend a lot of time, energy and effort fighting over ballots in Alaska’s undecided U.S. Senate race if the math doesn’t add up in his favor.

But Mr. Miller said Saturday that he won’t make any announcements until after absentee ballots arrive next week from military voters – a constituency the Army veteran thinks could go heavily for him.

AK: Enough already–Miller campaign adviser has endless allegations but no evidence
http://newsminer.com/bookmark/10305887/Enough%20already%E2%80%93Miller%20campaign%20adviser%20has%20no%20evidence%20of%20election%20fraud

CA: Progress Update (Humboldt County Election Transparency Project)
http://democracycounts.blogspot.com/2010/11/progress-update.html
Scanners have now reached the 100,000 images count for the November 2010 election.

CA: NEW VOTE COUNTS INCREASE CASSIDY’S LEAD
http://www.sanleandrobytes.com/archives/012501.html
This gives Cassidy 50.57% of the continuing ballots cast to 49.43% for Santos. There were 2,134 exhausted ballots out of 23,493 ballots cast and a total of 20,321 continuing ballots in the final round.

Santos has not conceded the race and has recommended that the San Leandro City Council revoke the ranked choice voting ordinance and that the City return to run-off elections.

KY: Recount Hearing Set in Boyd County
http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/Boyd_County_Races_106585618.html There were only six votes separating him from the candidate who won the final commission seat.

MN: With Dayton’s big lead, recount so far not mirroring ’08
http://www.startribune.com/politics/recount/107613378.html “This number is virtually unchanged,” said Ken Martin, Dayton’s recount manager. “It will be mathematically impossible for Tom Emmer to overturn these results, barring some unforeseen problem.”

MO: Voting Group Challenges State Senate Election; Wash. U. Students Turned Away at Polls http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2010/11 / v oting_group_challenges_state_senate_election_missouri.php
http://tinyurl.com/3ysen26

In a statement yesterday on behalf of Advancement Project, St. Louis attorney Denise Lieberman (former legal counsel for the ACLU of Eastern Missouri), questioned why Washington University students who voted in the 2008 presidential election were turned away from the polls on November 2.

“We received reports that students who were duly registered and voted at the polling site on Washington University’s campus as recently as two years ago could not be found on the voter rolls at all, were turned away without being directed to their correct polling location and were expressly refused provisional ballots,” said Lieberman.

The Voting News Daily: Dust settles on voting machine failures. Beware the Perils of Internet voting

Arizona Pot smokers ‘edgy’: Prop 203 still undecided..Colorado SoS to investigate Saguache County election after discovery of uncounted absentee ballots…Minnesota Recount part 2? Fewer absentee ballot rejections in 2010 vote…Spokane WA County Ballot Copying — Problem?..Six House Races Remain in Limbo..Africa election commission mulls EVMs for “ensuring free elections”..Beware the Perils of Internet Voting says Kyle Geske of www.WinnipegElection.ca…The dust settles – for now…

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

US: Six House Races Remain in Limbo
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/six-house-races-remain-in-limbo/?partner=rss&emc=rss

AK: Write-ins still going for Murkowski
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/154312 More than 90 percent are unchallenged for her. The Miller campaign challenged an additional 7.7 percent of Murkowski votes, but was overruled by Elections Director Gail Fenumiai.

Those are “counted but challenged” and could go to court.

The Miller campaign’s ballot observers have successfully challenged 1.48 percent of the 56,088 write-in ballots reviewed.

AK: On Alaska’s ‘Hinky’ Elections & the Fight for Oversight of Their U.S. Senate Write-In Count http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8193 (podcast available)
Where Brown is inappropriately suggesting “voter fraud” without evidence to back it up, he is exactly right in calling for the right for the campaign to be allowed to reconcile the poll rosters to determine if the lower-than-expected number of ballots so far tabulated are, indeed, accurate.

AK: Miller campaign plans to sue state over alleged voter fraud
http://www.wsbt.com/news/elections/ktuu-2010elect-miller-voter-fraud-state-lawsuit-111110,0,1111649.story

AZ: Pot smokers ‘edgy’: Prop 203 still undecided
http://tucsoncitizen.com/tucson-progressive/2010/11/12/pot-smokers-edgy-prop-203-still-undecided/ With tens of thousands of ballots to count in Maricopa County, Props 110 and 203 are losing by about 3000 votes, while Prop 112 is winning by less than 2000 votes, according to the Star. All three propositions have gained ground in the past week.

AZ: Appeals court won’t force Arizona to count ballots from citizenship dispute
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/arizona/article_7d0ec6f8-edef-11df-90b1-001cc4c002e0.html
In an unsigned order Thursday, the three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged its earlier ruling that the citizenship-proof requirement imposed by Arizona voters in 2004 runs afoul of federal statutes.
But the judges said that ruling came weeks after the deadline to register to vote in Arizona had closed on Oct. 4. That was also the day that early ballots were mailed.

CA: Santos not ready to concede
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_16588954
Santos says “questions” remain about the election

SAN LEANDRO — Mayor Tony Santos said Thursday that he is not set to concede the mayor’s seat for the next four years, despite unofficial results that show him losing his re-election bid by less than 200 votes.

CA: The Winning Strategy in Oakland: Concentrate on Being 2nd or 3rd Choice
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/us/politics/12bcvoting.html

CA: Public Supports Ranked-Choice Voting
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/Public_Supports_Ranked_Choice_Voting_8669.html
For the first time in San Francisco Bay Area history, ranked choice voting gave victories to candidates who did not win the most first-placed votes.

CO: State to investigate Saguache County election*
http://www.alamosanews.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=18643
SAGUACHE — The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) announced Tuesday that it will launch an official investigation into the reversal of the Nov. 2 election results following the discovery of mail-in ballots not counted on election night.

CO: Election Update: Saguache County Clerk presents report to County Commissioners; computer and scanner errors blamed for discrepencies in ballot tallies*
http://crestoneeagle.com/?p=2107

The Voting News Daily: Perry Co KY vote flipping. Epstein:”What happens when there’s no recount possible?”

Perry Co KY candidates report voting machine probs: voters would push button & wrong name lit up..John Sebes of TrustTheVote.org on flakey voting machines: “North Carolina Voting Machines Lessons Learned,Part Two” (not just NC)…Expert Jeremy Epstein on Virginia’s paperless voting: “What happens when there’s no recount possible?”…Veterans Day & the MOVE Act…Audio reveals Afghan election fraud…Election night probs for 33 Canadian munis using internet voting..Think internet voting is a good idea? See video of V for Vendetta Hacker hits WSU…

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

Like voting news? Please tell a friend…

AK: Judge Denies Joe Miller’s Request to Halt Write-In Ballot Counting
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/11/judge-denies-joe-millers-request-to-halt-write-in-ballot-counting.html

AK: The Election that Won’t End
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/11/election-wont-end
Alaska officials had anticipated three days of counting
ballots, but now they say they’ll be tallying write-in votes through the end of
next week. Welcome to Alaska elections.

Officials hope to finish counting all the votes cast at
precincts on Election Day by Sunday afternoon. But then they’ll start counting
15,000 early votes, more than 30,000 absentee votes and over 10,000 challenge
ballots. They won’t certify this election until after Thanksgiving.

CA: RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Officials pledge accurate final vote count
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_vote11.46daf35.html

CA: Quan is mayor-elect, Perata considers lawsuit
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?entry_id=76832

CA: Garcia: Ranked-choice voting an undemocratic nightmare (opinion)
http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/columns/ken_garcia/Ranked-choice-voting-an-undemocratic-nightmare-107126493.html

CA: More than a week after the election, San Leandro has a mayor: Stephen Cassidy
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16578745?nclick_check=1

FL: Supervisor of Elections finds box of 500 uncounted absentee ballots*
Discovery could skew School Board, Lake Worth Commission, Riviera Beach marina votes
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-11-10/news/fl-palm-ballots-found-20101110_1_ballots-local-races-results

In a county known for hanging chads, slow recounts and chaotic elections, the marathon recount for the Palm Beach County School Board District 6 seat has started to carve its own place in history.

KY: Candidate says voting machines may have been tampered with* (Shouptronic 1242)
http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/Candidate_says_voting_machines_may_have
_been_tampered_with_107074553.html http://tinyurl.com/25fct95 Perry County. However, on Monday, he says several candidates who lost their races came to his office and told him some voting machines may have been rigged.

“That the light would light up for a different candidate, or they would have to push a button several times for the candidate they wanted to vote for, the light would shine up beside of that,” said David Sandlin, Perry County PVA candidate.

MD: Telephone Consumer Protection Act complaint in Maryland robocall case seeks $168 million penalty http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/11/11/telephone-consumer-protection-act-complaint-in-maryland-robocall-case-seeks-168-million-penalty/
“The conduct that occurred here was an attempt to suppress voter turnout,”

NC: North Carolina Voting Machines Lessons Learned, Part Two
http://www.trustthevote.org/north-carolina-voting-machines-lessons-learned-part-two
When I say “flakey voting machine” I simply mean that the machine in question is prone to mis-behavior that leaves the voter with low confidence that their votes were recorded correctly.
…
“This is not your typical iPhone running an award-winning iPhone app…but rather a somewhat hastily-assembled system created about 8 years ago to cheaply and quickly get to market to be the first to soak up HAVA funding.”

NC: On Veterans Day, thanking N Carolina State Board of Elections for helping troops vote http://ncvoters.blogspot.com/2010/11/on-veterans-day-thanking-n-carolina_11.html

NY: Suffolk elections workers review ballots
http://riverheadlocal.com/local-news-content/1093-suffolk-elections-workers-review-ballots

The Voting News Daily: Fairfax ‘should junk electronic voting machines’. NY Election night-mare

Miller campaign challenges mis-spelled write in votes for Murkowski in Alaska election…IL Appeals court rejects Barrow’s redo effort of ’09 mayoral election…Philadelphia voter forced to swear on Bible before casting vote…Junk the paperless machines: Computer scientist Jeremy Epstein describes his day as a poll worker in Fairfax,VA. “..one of the touch screen machines was crashing all day…If I had a laptop that crashed three or four times in one day, I’d get a new one.” Touchscreen machines failed to record 800 ballots & some precincts had more votes than voters…

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

AK: Miller Cites ‘Bush v. Gore’ in Arguments‎
http://www.frumforum.com/miller-cites-bush-v-gore-in-arguments
The Miller campaign says that write-in votes for Lisa Murkowski that misspell “Murkowski” should be called “protest votes” and hence disregarded. ..

AK: In early write-in counting news, Miller team challenging about 10% of vote for minor misspellings http://electionlawblog.org/archives/017914.html

AK: State regulation does allow misspelled names on some ballots
http://newsminer.com/pages/full_story/push?blog-entry-State+regulation+does+allow+misspelled+names
+on+some+ballots%20&id=10223786&instance=blogs_editors_desk
http://tinyurl.com/3yatkjr Joe Miller probably chose federal court instead of state court for his lawsuit about the validity of misspelled write-in ballots because of concerns that he would lose in the Alaska Supreme Court.

AK: Ballot counting begins in Alaska Senate races
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/10/AR2010111004751.html?hpid=topnews Election officials were set to begin poring over more than 92,500 write-in ballots in the Alaska Senate race on Wednesday.

AR: Election recount yields same results
http://www.bentoncourier.com/content/view/237169/1/

AZ: State, county lawyers warn of chaos in provisional ballot count
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/arizona/politics/article_26c3d804-ec89-11df-b211-001cc4c002e0.html She said there were about 84,000 provisional ballots cast. Brennan said, though, nothing on any of the ballots identifies why they were set aside, whether due to being unregistered or some other reason like voter ID at the polls.

CA: ELECTION UPDATE: About 5,000 vote-by-mail ballots remain uncounted in Orinda
http://www.ibabuzz.com/lamorindasun/2010/11/09/election-update-about-5000-vote-by-mail-ballots-remain-uncounted-in-orinda/

CA: County vote still untallied, but vote by mail is out front
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_16571650 (Solano County)
With a few hundred damaged ballots and nearly 4,900 provisional ballots still needing to be counted, the turn-out for last Tuesday’s election now stands at 58.74 percent.

CA: It’s Wednesday … do you know who your next Oakland mayor is?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inoakland/detail?entry_id=76754

CA: Election Day Gone Wrong (Humboldt State U)
http://www.thejackonline.org/mobile/news/election-day-gone-wrong-1.2399800
But, some students could not vote on election day. Errors ranged from students not knowing where their polling places were to mail-in ballots and registration forms not turned in on time.

CA: Riverside County, CA’s Oft-Failed Registrar Barbara Dunmore Finally Succeeds At Getting Fired http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8189

CO: Eagle County clerk working overtime to hand count ballots in sheriff’s race, disputed House contest http://www.realvail.com/article/251/Eagle-County-clerk-working-overtime-to-hand-count-ballots-in-sheriffs-race-disputed-House-contest Military overseas ballots and ballots with corrected signature discrepancies continue to trickle in to the Eagle County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, with the sheriff’s race between Republican incumbent Joe Hoy and independent challenger James Van Beek unlikely to be decided until late next week.

CT: Courant Editorial: “State Must Review Ballot Blunders” – We agree and disagree
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/hartford-courant-editorial-state-must-review-ballot-blunders/
We note that there are two registrars in Bridgeport, elected to use their two eyes and two brains to represent opposing interests toward voting integrity and access.

The Voting News Daily: Spokane must duplicate 30,000 mail ballots. Some elections still too close to call

More bad ideas for Connecticut elections…Rep Tim Bishop wants hand count of 184,000 Long Island 1st dist ballots after vote swing. 10,000 absentee ballots uncounted…Was Stark CO, OH student’s video report of touchscreen vote-flipping just an isolated incident? Brad Friedman reports…Spokane WA officials busy duplicating 30,000 ballots that were damaged, poorly marked or unreadable…Dust Settles on Election Results, But Not Voting System Troubles..4 electronic voting machines smashed in India election violence…Update On Deadlocked Races…

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

US. Too Close To Call: Update On Deadlocked Races
http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/11/too-close-to-ca-2.php

AK: Absentee vote count today
http://www.adn.com/2010/11/08/1543964/absentee-vote-count-today.html
Joe Miller hopes to make a comeback in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race when the Division of Elections today starts counting more than 30,500 absentee ballots.
…
The vast majority of the 83,201 write-ins are expected to be for incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski. The Division of Elections on Wednesday in Juneau will start the process of opening the write-in ballots to see how many of them actually have Murkowski’s name.

CA: Latest absentee ballot counts still show tight races* (damaged mail ballots)
http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/Latest-absentee-ballot-counts-still-show-tight/BJ128lqc_0mwN8_1w8373g.cspx
For the 20th congressional district, Andy Vidak is leading Jim Costa with 145 votes, but tens of thousands of ballots still need to be counted in Fresno County.

Here in Kern County, elections employees are now focusing their efforts on duplicating more than 5,000 ballots damaged in the mail.

CA: Some San Luis Obispo County ballots still need tallying
Votes in close SLO and Morro Bay mayoral races among those to be counted this week
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/11/08/1361976/some-san-luis-obispo-county-ballots.html

CA: Riverside County Registrar of Voters Barbara Dunmore fired after delayed vote counts http://www.mydesert.com/article/20101109/NEWS03/101109036/Registrar-fired-after-delayed-votes

CA: Oakland ranked ballot: Least-hated tops most-liked
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/08/BA3K1G91HH.DTL
In an election where second- and third-place count, you are far, far better off being the least-hated candidate than the most popular.

CA: COUNTY REGISTRAR VIOLATED AGREEMENT WITH CITIES ON RANKED CHOICE VOTING http://www.sanleandrobytes.com/archives/012441.html
When the Alameda County Registrar of Voters ran the ranked choice algorithm on November 5, 2010, it violated a Memorandum of Understanding it agreed to with the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro.

CA: Confusion about Oakland’s voting system may have affected election results
http://californiawatch.org/watchblog/confusion-about-oakland-s-voting-system-may-have-affected-election-results-6491

CO: Clerks to hand count undervotes in House District 61
http://www.realaspen.com/article/294/Clerks-to-hand-count-undervotes-in-Colorado-House-District-61
Judge James Madden ordered the clerks in the district to count any ballots that the voter wrote unaffiliated incumbent Kathleen Curry’s name on the line for that race regardless of whether the oval or box next to it was marked. Curry currently trails Roger Wilson of Missouri Heights by 495 votes. There are 2,001 undervotes in the race, opening the door for her to theoretically make up the difference
…
Harvie Branscomb, co-chair of the Democrats in Eagle County, maintains Judge Madden’s ruling is unfair because it is limited to a hand count of the undervotes, and not of the entire HD61 election.

CT: Bridgeport Fiasco Proves We Need To Change Our Voting System
http://www.newhavenadvocate.com/featured-news/bridgeport-fiasco-proves-we-need-to-change-our-voting-system-034113 (suggests everything expect print enough ballots)

IL: GOP Poll Watcher Wears U.S. Immigration Agency Hat at Hispanic Polling Place in IL on Election Day http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8186

The Voting News Daily: OH student records Vote flipping on iPhone. Paper vs. Plastic Voting in Houston

California STILL counting absentee ballots..CT,NM, NY having post election audits…Young, Russo file complaint to end electronic voting in Rhode Island…Dan Wallach describes voting experience & struggle to get paper ballot in Houston TX..Parties scramble as recounts loom in several House races..Congrats to Princeton Prof Ed Felton,e-voting expert for appointment as Chief Technologist of the FTC..

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

US: Parties dispatch staff, money in battle for last 10 House seats
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/128257-parties-scramble-as-recounts-loom-in-several-house-races

AR: ‘Success’ Looks Rough
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/nov/06/success-looks-rough-20101106/
“Election Commission Chairman Bill Williams said final, unofficial results were compiled at 1:54 a.m. Wednesday and posted on the Benton County web site by 2:30 a.m. Despite the technical difficulties and complaints about paper ballots being unavailable at some polling places, Williams regarded the election a success.”
…
Next election, go out and hire some six-toed sloths to help with the counting.
Sloths would give the election commission extra toes to count on and probably move faster.
Thursday’s report detailed, “ … Internal clock errors, sticky rolls of printer paper and a cutback on paper ballots added up to long lines for some Benton County voters Tuesday …”

AR: HOW WE SEE IT: Vote Count No Disaster, But …*
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/nov/07/how-we-see-it-vote-count-no-disaster-20101107/ Benton County.. Williams told us people are not entitled to paper ballots.

However, there are those who prefer paper because they don’t trust the machines. Those people deserve the peace of mind the paper ballot provides them. There’s no excuse for failing to provide paper ballots. The commission also had problems with the machines because their internal clocks were on standard time, not Daylight Saving Time, which forced officials to bring numerous machines back to the commission offices to be closed and processed. If the clocks caused problems for any other county, we’re not aware; how did it happen here? Lastly, the commission did not have final totals for the night until 2 a.m.

AR: Pettus paying $2,500 for recount
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/nov/07/pettus-paying-2500-recount/?latest
Martin received 10,326 votes to Pettus’ 5,120 votes, but talk of voting problems in Russellville spurred Pettus supporters to donate the money for a Monday recount, he said.

AZ: Hispanic civil rights group seeks to force provisional ballot count
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/arizona/politics/article_e712b39a-e960-11df-afa8-001cc4c03286.html …And the reason they didn’t show up on the rolls is that they didn’t get registered because they didn’t provide proof of U.S. citizenship as required by a 2004 voter-approved Arizona law.
On Oct. 26, though, the appellate court declared that requirement invalid. Based on that, MALDEF attorney Nina Perales said those who were wrongfully denied registration should have their votes counted.

CA: 2 California congressional races remain close
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/11/08/politics/p145541S01.DTL&type=politics

CA: Registrar On Hot Seat Over Smudged Ballot Delay
http://losaltos.patch.com/articles/registrar-on-hot-seat-over-smudged-ballot-delay
As vote counting drags on, Supervisor Liz Kniss calls for an investigation into the response to defective absentee ballots

CA: California Attorney General
http://www.ksro.com/LocalNews/Story.aspx?ID=1308297
It could be weeks before we know who won the race for California Attorney General.
…
Around the state, local elections officials are still counting vote by mail, provisional and other ballots. They have until November 30th to report their final results.

The Voting News Daily: CA has 1 M uncounted mail ballots. AK to hand count write ins. CT gets bad advice

Alaska to hand count 83,000 write-in votes…CA still has est 1-1.4 Million mail ballots to count….Newspaper-Listening to voting vendor, suggests unsafe sophisticated voting system to Connecticut…ES&S apologizes to Alabama probate judges for problems arising when ES&S sent pencils instead of pens to polling places…Georgia’s Tammy Adkins Becomes the New Alvin Greene…Mississippi’s dis-functional elections…Hand recount called in a NY Assembly Seat..Recount sought in Texas 27th CD-can it be done?

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

AL: Marking pens to return for future elections in Etowah County*
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20101106/NEWS/101109833/1016/NEWS?Title=Marking-pens-to-return-for-future-elections-in-Etowah-County
Voters who didn’t like using pencils to mark their ballots Tuesday will be pleased to know pens will return for the 2012 elections, according to Etowah County Probate Judge Bobby Junkins.

Junkins said Friday that Election Systems and Software, the election supplies vendor, included pencils in supply packets because of a shortage of pens.
…
Junkins said the pencils were not “as sensitive” as the pens and that resulted in more spoiled ballots. Some machines also rejected the pencil-marked ballots and voters had to remark their ballots, which took time.
[some states that have ES&S optical scanners mark ballots with black Bic stick pens which cost under $4.00 a dozen]

AK: Murkowski account to help pay for vote count
http://www.adn.com/2010/11/05/1538424/murkowski-says-colleagues-in-both.html
The legal fight will shift next week to Juneau, where more than 83,000 write-in ballots — most, presumably, for Murkowski — must be counted by hand. The write-in vote total is ahead of Miller’s by 13,439 votes. More than 37,800 absentee, early and questioned ballots remain to be counted as well, beginning Tuesday.

AK: “GOP’S MILLER SAYS SPELLING SHOULD COUNT IN ALASKA VOTE“
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/017861.html However, the WSJ article writes that “On Friday, [Division of Elections Director] Ms. Fenumiai pointed to two previous Alaska cases in which ballots were counted for a candidate when voter intent was clear, even if the ballot wasn’t filled out correctly.”

AZ: Changes needed so early voting works properly
http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/early-65251-ballots-election.html
Far too many voters, both here in Yuma County and throughout the state, are not returning their early ballots early, as intended. Instead, they turn them in at the polling places on Election Day.

That is a big problem because they have to be counted separately and it can delay final results for days.

CA: Elections officials: Ballot-counting takes time
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x2086921025/Elections-officials-Ballot-counting-takes-time
As of Friday, 1.9 million ballots remained to be counted in California, including more than 1.4 million vote-by-mail ballots and another 451,056 provisional ballots.

CA: Cooley’s lead in attorney general widens Sunday
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/11/cooleys-lead-in-attorney-general-race-appears-to-widen-sunday.html The lead in the attorney general’s race has see-sawed between the two candidates since election night, and with considerably more than 1 million ballots remaining to count, could easily reverse again.

CA: Registrar: Mail-in ballots counted (Riverside County)
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20101107/NEWS0301/11070347/Registrar-Mail-in-ballots-counted 2,000 damaged, 28,800 provisional ballots remain

Nearly 2,000 ballots that were damaged had to be duplicated and were expected to be counted by early today.

CA: Voters complain about vote-by-mail ballots* (absentee by mail)
http://www.ksby.com/news/voters-complain-about-vote-by-mail-ballots/
One Oceano voter said she showed up to cast her ballot yesterday, only to be told she was registered to vote by mail instead of at the polls.

The Voting News Daily: Widespread Diebold failure in Utah Co UT. Columbia CO NY orders full hand count

Update on Still-Undecided ‘Top-of-Ticket’ Races…They had ballot shortages: Auburn Lake Trails, CA & Ellsworth village,WA insufficient paper ballots created lines & long waits.. MN Recount to start Nov. 29 & end Dec. 14..Columbia County New York began a full hand count of ballots yesterday. Election Commissioner Virginia Martin wants independent check against machine tally…ES&S sofware failures in Sumter SC were blamed on “human error” but no evidence cited. On Tuesday ALL Diebold touch-screen voting machines across Utah County, Utah failed. There were no paper ballots so no voters couldn’t vote until officials got the machines working…

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

AZ: Law broken when voters went unidentified
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/law-broken-when-voters-went-unidentified

CA: Lack of ballots, power outage present unique Election Night*
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/164128.html (El Dorado County)
Residents of the Auburn Lake Trails subdivision in Cool weathered hours of waiting and a power outage in order to vote Tuesday night.
…
Liz Hanley, a Gold Country Media employee who lives in the area, said she returned to the polls at 7:45 p.m. to see if the ballots had been delivered, but wasn’t able to vote until 9:15 p.m.

CA: Registrar defends speed of vote tally (Riverside)
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20101105/NEWS0301/11050316/Registrar-defends-speed-of-vote-tally “Would I like to not be in last place? Definitely,” Dunmore told The Desert Sun on Thursday. “But the most important thing to me is that the votes we counted are accurate, and that the integrity of the election is maintained.”

CA: Harmer Sues Over Vote Counting in CA-11
http://calitics.com/diary/12820/harmer-sues-over-vote-counting-in-ca11
Now Harmer has filed a lawsuit against the Contra Costa County election officials claiming the right to challenge the signatures on absentee ballots, even as those voters are not present to respond.

CA: Stolen ballots recovered; update on supervisor, school board races
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=76376
The 75 San Francisco ballots allegedly stolen on Election Day Tuesday by a poll worker in the Excelsior District were recovered across town Thursday in the pond at the Palace of Fine Arts. “They’re very soggy,” said city elections chief John Arntz.
…
Still missing is the memory pack that electronically records the votes. The elections worker suspected of taking off with the ballots and memory pack, Karl Bradfield Nicholas, 50, of San Francisco, faces felony counts of burglary and two election code violations.

CT: Cops Hand-Deliver Bungled Tally
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/foley_lets_just_take_our_time/ Cops drove from Bridgeport to Hartford Friday afternoon to deliver hard-copy results from a vote count that kept getting revised up until the last minute—and that purports to give Dan Malloy the margin of victory to become Connecticut’s first Democratic governor elected since 1986.

CT: Bungled To The End, Tally Goes To Malloy
http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/malloy_wins_bridgeport_–_state/
An all-night recount in Bridgeport gave Democrat Dan Malloy a 13.000-vote lead in Bridgeport in the election for governor and 5,000 statewide—enough to give him the job. Yet even after an “official” announcement Friday morning, voting registrars were still making adjustments to the tally.

CT: ‘Found’ Bag Of 335 Ballots Opened, Counted
http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/itll_be_officialany_minute_now/

FL: Voting glitches like St. Lucie’s miscount not uncommon, expert says*
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/nov/04/voting-glitches-like-st-lucies-miscount-not-says/

The Voting News Daily: CA,CO mail ballot holdup. CT ballot fiasco. AR, PA voting machine fails. MN recount?

Alameda Cnty CA has 122, 000 ballots to count. Other CA counties still counting mail ballots…Weld, & Arapahoe Cnty CO still processing mail ballots…Bridgeport CT ballot shortage fiasco leaves gov race un-decided…Reduction of polling places in Paulding, GA & Collins TX caused long lines &, long waits for voters…More vote flipping in NC, PA…Sumter SC touchscreens shutdown…MN braces for potential recount, other state’s races undecided…US College students still routinely disenfranchised… Canadians frustrated with slow Internet voting system…

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

Minnesota braces for potential recount, other races undecided
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101104/el_yblog_upshot/minnesota-braces-for-potential-recount-other-races-undecided Below we run through the Senate, gubernatorial and House races that remain undecided…

AR: Computer glitch skews Baxter County election count; tally corrected*
http://www.baxterbulletin.com/article/20101104/NEWS01/11040326
the processing error occurred in data stored on an electronic media or “flash” card as it fed data to a computer that tabulates and displays vote totals on a spreadsheet.

Consultants from Election Systems & Software Inc., an election management firm, and technician Tammy Johnson with the Arkansas Department of Information Systems, attending Tuesday night’s election, found a file on the problem flash card apparently from a previous election. The card was used to download the record of voting on an I-Vote machine in the Gassville Community Center polling place.

The glitch caused a portion of the vote from precinct 10-3, including 110 known votes from voter machine taped records, to be displayed as 7,006 votes. The error was spread through the computer grid, creating the appearance of an election with 21,462 votes cast and an erroneous voter turnout of 72.1 percent.

AR: Computer Woes Stall Vote Tallies*(uploading votes,files corrupted,printer probs)
http://www.swtimes.com/news/article_8d0871c6-e81d-11df-9c3a-001cc4c002e0.html
Officials in Sebastian County weren’t able to begin county votes until about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Jerry Huff, county election coordinator. A final report of unofficial results ran shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.
…
(Sebastian County, uses M100 & iVotronic) But when election officials began to input absentee and early voting ballots, the computers failed to calculate them.
With technical support from Election Systems & Software, the county’s election software/hardware vendor, it was determined several files were corrupted when data was installed on the computers in Fort Smith and Greenwood used to count the ballots, Huff said.
The databases then had to be rebuilt and re-installed on the Fort Smith and Greenwood computers.
…
(ES&S iVotronic) Crawford County Clerk Teresa Armer said software issues were also responsible for delaying election results there.
As officials were counting votes Tuesday night, they discovered discrepancies among the voter list, tally sheet and printouts from the personal electronic ballots (PEB) – all of which should match – for some precincts, Armer said.
Armer said the election commission initially intended to pull “flash cards” from the machines in precincts with discrepancies, but when they convened Wednesday morning, they decided to pull and collect the flash card from each of the 110 voting machines in the county.
…
(ES&S iVotronic) Franklin County Clerk Sharon Needham said the vote count there was delayed by printers malfunctioning on a handful of voting machines and a hardware or software problem with the computer used to tabulate vote totals.

The Voting News Daily: Electronic voting, election problems pour in. MN may see another statewide recount

Why didn’t Bridgeport CT order enough ballots?…Hennepin Co MN reporting error showed 880,000 votes cast instead of 470,470..MN Governor’s Race Likely Headed For A Recount…Nassau County (NY) Suing To Get Old Voting Machines Back..Paper vs. Electronic Voting in Today’s Election in Houston…Google Glitch May Have Sent 700000 People to the Wrong Poll..Colbert Goes ‘Inside’ The U.S. E-Voting Problem…Key Post-Election Disputes in the States..

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

Readers – expect more reports to come in this week and next, its not over on election day.

Hotspots: Key Post-Election Disputes in the States
http://electls.blogs.wm.edu/2010/11/03/hotspots-key-post-election-disputes-in-the-states/

AL: Election officials make sure every vote is counted despite ballot issues*
http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=13429628
Madison County Probate Judge Tommy Ragland says they’ve had reports of bad ballots in eight of 74 precincts today. Ragland says there are several reasons some of the ballots are not being read. One is printing.

Poll workers say some ballots are being cut off on the very bottom of the page, which means voting machines aren’t counting the votes like they should.

AR: Glitch in Gassville delays ballot counting*
http://www.baxterbulletin.com/article/20101102/UPDATES01/101102028
/1002/NEWS01/Glitch+in+Gassville+delays+ballot+counting http://tinyurl.com/23vraa2
Two precincts in Gassville have not reported in the 2010 election. Officials blame the delay on the voting

AZ: 35,000-plus ballots may still need counting* (absentee ballots)
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/article_27034224-27c7-520d-8e5d-99fe78296ecd.html Pima County will be waiting until at least late today – and possibly until Saturday – to find out the winners of some closely contested races because more than 35,000 ballots could remain uncounted as of this morning.
…
County Elections Director Brad Nelson said one in four ballots cast Tuesday were early ballots hand-delivered to the polls. Because the Pima County recorder must verify signatures, those votes can’t be counted on Election Day.
The county hopes to have early ballots counted by Friday.

CA: Calif. poll worker arrested for stealing ballots*
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/11/03/state/n100331D65.DTL&type=newsbayarea
San Francisco police arrested a polling inspector Wednesday on suspicion of stealing up to 75 ballots, a voting roster and other election material in a bizarre Election Day heist.
…
Nicholas was in charge of a polling site in the city’s southern most district when he inexplicably made off Tuesday afternoon with the ballots, a memory pack that records information from the ballots, the voter roster and another poll worker’s cell phone, said John Arntz, San Francisco’s director of elections.

CA: Repeat of slow ballot count raises ire*(49,300 absentee ballots)
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_webpoll.a209aa.html
Elections officials finished counting the ballots cast in person on Tuesday at 11:20 a.m. today. There are still about 49,300 vote-by-mail ballots to count. That will be done by Saturday, officials reported on the registrar’s website.

Also, an additional 28,800 provisional ballots must still be counted.

CA: Watchdog: LA voters told to vote after election*
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_16502648
LOS ANGELES—About two dozen Los Angeles residents received Spanish-language robocalls and mailers instructing them to vote a day after Election Day, a polling watchdog group said Tuesday.
Election Protection said the Hispanic voters in central and southern parts of the city received the reminders telling them to vote on Wednesday, Nov.

The Voting News Daily: Vote flipping in Indiana, Maryland, Penn. 10,000 calls to 866OURVOTE

866-OUR-VOTE received over 10,000 calls today. Top states include California, Georgia &Pennsylvania. Some in today’s news. Would you believe Alabama didn’t have enough pens, so used pencils to mark ballots, causing probs? ..Maryland Diebold touchscreens flip votes from GOP to DEM!..California awaits millions of mail ballots..Various probs with epoll books, paper poll books, power outages, locked up ballots, polling place moves, voting machine shutdowns, vote flipping, missing contests, bi-partisan tricks, voter registration problems.. poll locations…

All this and lots more in today’s very big voting news….

AL: Pencils causing problems for some voters *(voting w/pencil, pens hard to find?)
http://annistonstar.com/view/full_story/10135701/article-Pencils-causing-problems-for-some-voters?instance=top_center_featured
Regular voters in previous Alabama elections may have noticed a change at the polls today, as election workers handed out pencils to complete ballots instead of the familiar black pens.

Calhoun County Probate Judge Alice Martin, the county’s chief election official, said the pencils have caused some problems here and elsewhere in the state. Voters who bear down too hard with the pencils in some cases are leaving an impression on the other side of their ballots, causing the machines that read them to reject the ballots.
…
Representatives of the company that provides election equipment and services to nearly every Alabama county said the change was made because it was becoming increasingly difficult to find enough pens.

AZ: #10720 Nov. 2 2010 / 2:40p.m. ET Tucson, Pima, AZ
http://www.ourvotelive.org/report/10720 darcyelgin Precinct: 82 2010 General Election, Polling place problem: Volunteer reported 4 polling sites within a mile. People who live in the same household are all given different sites to vote and voters seem generally confused about where they are supposed to be.

CA: Glitch Shuts Down Coto de Caza Voting Machines for Two Hours
http://voiceofoc.org/politics/article_60bde12c-e6c5-11df-b0ea-001cc4c03286.
Voters at the Coto de Caza fire station had to use paper ballots early today when glitches shut down all 12 voting machines for about two hours, poll workers said
…
“We had to use paper ballots,” she said…
…
Poll workers said today was the first time all machines at the fire station were knocked out. They blamed a faulty main connection that only took a few minutes to fix once the repairman arrived.

CA: Millions of California vote-by-mail ballots unreturned
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16499667 The state’s 58 counties had reported receiving just under 3 million absentee ballots as of early afternoon Monday — less than 40 percent of the 7.6 million ballots requested statewide for the general election, according to the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials.

CA: Santa Clara election workers use erasers to clean mail ballots*
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=103841&catid=2
An ink smudge on Santa Clara County ballots caused a mechanical glitch at the county elections office last week, forcing officials to reprocess mail-in ballots and re-inspect ballots being sent to polling precincts for Tuesday’s election.

About one in six of the first 100,000 vote-by-mail ballots processed were incorrectly flagged by an “optical character reader” as ballots containing write-in candidates, county officials said.

The error was the result of the smudge, which was caused by toner used by the company that printed the ballots, elections officials said.

The Voting News Daily: Is internet voting secret & safe? Vote help 866-OUR-VOTE. Where 2 vote – vote411.org

Do you wonder why “If we can bank by ATM, why not vote by the Internet?”~ CTVoter explains… Fox news report: Internet Voting Arrives -But Is It Secret and Safe?…Chuck Tyson, Craven County NCGOP Chair on NC’s touchscreen problems: “I think every vote cast should get to the right party no matter what party they put the vote for,”…”Dead Voters” and the early vote…Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE for help or reporting problems voting…See vote411.org to find your polling place…

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

Please email voting news and reports to us at votingnews (at) earthlink.net

AR: Arkansas Supreme Court Won’t Decide Republican Nominee Eligibility Until After Election http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/11/01/arkansas-supreme-court-wont-decide-republican-nominee-eligibility-until-after-election/ On November 1, the Arkansas Supreme Court issued a one-sentence order in Fite v Kilgore, 10-1112. This is the case over the eligibility of the Republican nominee for state house, 83rd district, Tommy Fite

CA: Thousands of Ballots Hold Error on Prop 23*
http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Thousands-of-Ballots-Hold-Error-on-Prop-23/lWjxauZTRkKs5SYH4z_Nrw.cspx Fresno County Elections Chief, Victor Salazar, admitted his office made an error when it sent out tens of thousands of ballots with some incorrect language to describe proposition 23.

The ballot states the measure would suspend laws requiring “major polluters” to report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

CO: Slow voter turnout is perplexing (Larimer County)
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20101101/LOVELAND01/101101001
Doyle said. “I would say if you are going to a vote center, you might plan on being there a while.
We could have some pretty good lines.”

CT: Sign-Up for the November 2010 Post-Election Audits Now!
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/sign-up-for-the-november-2010-post-election-audits-now/
Investment? One Day. Value to Democracy? Priceless

DE: Disabilities Law Program to monitor accessibility of voting site
http://www.doverpost.com/news/election/x1696241354/Disabilities-Law-Program-to-monitor-accessibility-of-voting-sites

FL: Judge says Sarasota vote recount unnecessary
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20101029/ARTICLE/10291061/2055/NEWS?Title=Judge-says-Sarasota-vote-recount-unnecessary …a circuit judge declined to order a recount in Bolam’s close race for Charter Review Board in the August 24 primary election. The judge also cleared Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent of wrongdoing in the case.

IN: Indiana BMV expands hours to provide voter IDs
http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20101101/NEWS01/11010332 INDIANA — Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles license branches will offer extended hours today and Tuesday to issue state ID cards and driver’s licenses that can be used for identification at polling places.

MI: Americans overseas can cast votes easier, faster
http://www.freep.com/article/20101101/NEWS15/11010347/Americans-overseas-can-cast-votes-easier-faster

MN: Amid voter intimidation, the right information
Here’s the information you need to know about how to vote
http://www.mndaily.com/2010/11/01/amid-voter-intimidation-right-information

MN: Federal District Court in Minnesota rejects request for TRO in Tea Party Garb /”Please ID Me” button lawsuit http://electionlawblog.org/archives/017731.html

MO: New Electronic Machines Will Check-In Voters
http://www.ksmu.org/content/view/7566/66/ (Greene Co)
Struckhoff says a voter can simply type his or her name into these machines, or they can use a bar code found on the back of their Missouri driver’s license to scan in.

MS: Questions About Fairness For Hinds County Elections (video available)
http://www2.wjtv.com/jtv/news/local/article/questions_about_
fairness_for_hinds_county_elections/212722/ http://tinyurl.com/37kozn6
Commissioner complains about lack of training
Questions about whether someone could tamper with voting machines

NC: Judge orders that voters be warned about voting machine issues
http://www.newbernsj.com/news/machines-91889-voting-warned.html
…Judge Malcolm Howard also required in his temporary order that records from the iVotronic Voting Machines be preserved..

The Voting News Daily: NC Judge rules for GOP on touchscreen voting. E-vote probs not conspiracy theory

Federal Judge Rules in Favor of NC GOP in Touch-Screen Vote Flipping Complaint. NCGOP atty Tom Farr: “What I heard in the argument today was, the problem with the touchscreen voting machines are the fault of the voters, not the State Board and we have to preserve the integrity of the State Board and its reputation. And that’s more important than making sure that voters had their ballots counted accurately, and that’s what I thought was outrageous,” ..Will N.Mexico voter reg database crash on election day?…..Video “Vote on Paper” ‘its not a conspiracy theory, its just plain science.’…Voting Probs? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE…

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

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AK: Suit filed in federal court over election write-in list
A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of four Alaska voters over the state’s providing a list of write-in candidates to voters.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/10/30/1403087/federal-suit-filed-over-write.html
The lawsuit alleges that in providing lists, the state has changed its rules for holding elections and did so without receiving the required approval of the U.S. Department of Justice.

MD: State ordered to extend overseas ballot deadline
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/2010/10/state_ordered_to_extend_overse.html
Judge Roger Titus issued an order Friday extending the deadline from Nov. 12 to Nov. 22.

NC: Judge rules in favor of GOP over touchscreen voting (must see video interview )
http://triangle.news14.com/content/632096/state-gop-sues-election-board-over-voting-machines/ RALEIGH—Saturday afternoon a federal judge ruled in favor of the state Republican party over the lawsuit filed in complaint of touchscreen voting machines.

NC: Secret donor money floods 4 N.C. races
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/30/769911/conservative-money-floods-4-nc.html

NM: Glitch disrupts early voting* (statewide voter reg database overloaded)
http://www.alamogordonews.com/alamogordo-news/ci_16452761
SANTA FE – County elections officials complained Wednesday of problems with New Mexico’s voter registration computer system, saying it has disrupted early voting at some locations across the state and continues to delay the preparation of voter turnout reports.

County clerks worry that they’ll have trouble preparing voter sign-in rosters for Tuesday’s general election if the secretary of state’s office doesn’t resolve the computer problems.

“The slowdowns have been creating a problem every day,” said Curry County Clerk Coni Jo Lyman. “It’s been absolutely a nightmare.”

NY: Election workers brace for glitches with optical-scan voting machines
http://www.lohud.com/article/20101031/NEWS02/10310414/Election-workers-brace-for-glitches-with-optical-scan-voting-machines After a shaky trial run in the primaries, the state’s new optical-scan voting machines will get a full workout in Tuesday’s general elections (comprehensive article w/previous coverage & how to vote)

NY: Quirk in N.Y.’s new voting system may hurt third parties
http://www.lohud.com/article/20101031/NEWS05/10310400/-1/NEWSFRONT/Quirk-in-N.Y.-s-new-voting-system-may-hurt-third-parties

PA: Committee of 70 pushes city to extend absentee ballot deadline because of voting problems http://citypaper.net/blogs/clog/2010/10/30/committee-of-70-pushes-city-to-extend-ballot-deadline-because-of-voting-problems/ Philiadelphia… several local voters have gotten their absentee ballots mailed back to them, instead of sent to the Board of Elections.

The Voting News Daily: HAVA scary Halloween. In DC internet voting test, hackers were the GOOD guys

In D.C.’s Web voting test, the hackers were the good guys…HAVA Scary Halloween: Ten years older and deeper in debt, yet far from credible elections..”Ballot boxing: The problem with electronic voting machines” interview w/natl experts..THE UNDEAD UNDEAD VOTER CLAIM…Overdone “undervote” warning in 67 Illinois cnties using Diebold scanners..N. Carolina voting machines hearing today. Court docs are fascinating..iVotronic expert offers insights on “Vote-Flipping”…Google tools to help you vote…Voting probs? See 866-OUR-VOTE..

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

Readers – want to help with the news? Email news (with link) to votingnews (at) earthlink.net Thanks!

AK: Alaska Supreme Court Issues Revised Order, Now Says Regulation Against Showing List of Write-in Candidates to Voters is Unlawful
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/10/30/alaska-supreme-court-issues-revised-opinion-now-says-regulation-against-showing-list-of-write-in-candidates-to-voters-is-unlawful/ On October 29, the Alaska Supreme Court issued a revised order in State of Alaska v Alaska Democratic Party and Alaska Republican Party, S-14054.

AZ: Threat of voter suppression rears ugly head in Arizona
http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/102810_voter_suppression_op
What sets us apart is the fact that they’ve been instigated by the very man who is charged with maintaining law and order at… you guessed it…the polls. Sheriff Joe Arpaio recently sent out an email entitled “6 Days to STOP Illegals from Stealing the Election!” ..

CA: Absentee ballot misprint discovered*
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101030/A_NEWS/10300323
STOCKTON – A couple living in the Morada area found a misprint in an absentee ballot, a mistake elections officials say is a rare occurrence among the tens of thousands of mail-in ballots sent out in San Joaquin County in the lead-up to Election Day.

CO: Larimer County Clerk works to fix election glitch* (wrong ballot)
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20101029/UPDATES01/101029013/1002/
NEWS01/Larimer+County+Clerk+works+to+fix+election+glitch http://tinyurl.com/2c82shx
the 52 registered voters in the complex at 321 E. Troutman Parkway should be able to vote for the House District 52 race, but got ballots that listed House District 53,

CT: HAVA Scary Halloween: Ten years older and deeper in debt, yet far from credible elections http://www.ctvoterscount.org/hava-scary-halloween-ten-years-older-and-deeper-in-debt-yet-far-from-credible-elections/ Two years ago we posted a Halloween preview: eTRICK or reTREAT? Nightmare of Elections Future. Lets look at where we are this year, and then we will calibrate (not celebrate) how far we have come.

DC: In D.C.’s Web voting test, the hackers were the good guys (xposted in Internet Voting Watch) http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-opinions/2010/10/in_dcs_web_voting_test_the_hac.html Even companies such as Google, with vast resources and expertise, have been unable to protect themselves from remote penetration attacks from China. There is no reason to believe that states and localities can do better.

IL: COUNTY CLERK: UNDERVOTED BALLOTS WILL KICK OUT*
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=469&NewsID=989164&CategoryID=7026&on=1
Bacon County…Sixty seven counties in the state use the Accuvote OS system. Since the state law mandates ballots kick out if a voter does not vote for a Constitutional State officer presents Bean with a bigger problem.

With the Accuvote system with GEMS the ballot will kick back if the voter fails to vote for any issue or candidate field.
…
During the Absentee and Early voting period in the office a majority of the ballots kicked back.
…
If they are happy with what they have voted for, all they do is ask the election judge to override the system

MN: Volunteer to Observe Minnesota’s Post-Election Audit!

The Voting News Daily: NC GOP sues over touch-screen problems. Beware bogus online ballots in CT, NH

USA Today: A Decade After Florida Fiasco,Voting Remains a Hodgepodge…Paperless e-voting a concern this election..Nearly 1 in 4 voters in Tuesday’s elections will use e-voting systems with no paper records..Voters in Connecticut & New Hampshire beware of bogus online ballots…N.Carolina’s GOP Party filed suit in fed court over touch-screen vote flipping…Internet voting ‘an electronic disaster’ in Stratford, Canada..If you have problems voting, call or tweet 866-OUR-VOTE…

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

CA: Ten Great Online Resources for California Voters
http://kimalex.blogspot.com/2010/10/ten-great-online-resources-for.html

CA: Fresno County ballots use wrong language for Prop. 23
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2010/10/prop-23-campaign-some-absentee.html
Hundreds of thousands of ballots printed in Fresno County use an incorrect ballot label to describe a statewide proposition to suspend the state’s greenhouse gas emissions law, election officials confirmed today.

CA: Investigators probe possible voter fraud; victim contacted again*
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/10/absentee-voting-even-when-he-doesnt-want-to.html BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A voter who says she was talked out of her mail-in ballot says she was contacted again. Meanwhile, investigators are probing the case of possible voter fraud.

The victim said teenagers came to her home on Tuesday, saying their “boss” sent them to pick up ballots.

CA: City May Experiment with an all Vote-By-Mail Election to Increase Voter Turnout
http://laist.com/2010/10/29/city_may_experiment_with_an_all_vot.php

CT: Warning: NO Internet Voting In CT – A Scam or just misleading calls to voters?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/warning-no-internet-voting-in-ct-scam-or-just-misleading-calls-to-voters/ “People have been stopping into the office to express concern over telephone calls that they’ve received in which they are directd [sic] to a web site where they believe they’re being told they can vote online,” Weber told Patch.

GA: Debate over Georgia’s paperless e-voting process continues
http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia_elections_news/2010/10/29/debate-over-georgias-paperless-e-voting-process-continues/?cxntfid=blogs_georgia_elections_news

IL: Top Official Says DOJ Prepared To Sue States Over MOVE Act Even After Election Day, Takes Aim At IL GOP
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/10/28/top-official-says-doj-prepared-sue-states-over-move-act-even-after-election-day-takes-aim

IL: Some overseas, military absentee voters get extension to return ballots
http://gcn.com/articles/2010/11/01/overseas-voting.aspx

KS: Kobach, Biggs spar over voter registration records
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/oct/28/kobach-biggs-spar-over-voter-registration-records/
Kansas election officials cast doubt Thursday on Republican Kris Kobach’s claim to have evidence of possible voter fraud,

MD: Federal District Court in Maryland rules that rights of military voters to have their votes counted trumps Nov 12 ballot receipt deadline
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/017675.html

MN: Anti-Voter Fraud Group Sues Over ‘I.D. Me’ Button Ban
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/anti-voter_fraud_group_sues_over_button_ban.php

NC: NC GOP sues election board over voting machines
http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/NC-GOP-sues-election-board-over-voting-machines-106308978.html Republican Party officials say they have heard problems in a number of counties. They are demanding that election officials provide notice to all voters about problems, preserve all data and track all complaints.

NC GOP Files Suit Over ‘Widespread’ Touch-screen Failures, Votes Flipping to Dems
GOP attorney: ES&S iVotronic ‘systems should have been banned’
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8158 Officials: Just ‘isolated’ probs, ‘no different than every election’…[UPDATE 10/29/10, 12:22pm PT: The North Carolina Republican Party has now filed suit against the State Board of Elections “alleging that touch-screen machines are thwarting efforts by voters to cast Republican ballots,” according to AP’s brief coverage now here…]

NC: Craven County GOP Wants Answers
http://www.witn.com/stateregional/headlines/Craven_County_GOP_
Wants_Answers_106192848.html http://tinyurl.com/37v9m6n The Craven County Republican Party continues to express concern over touch-screen voting machines and the action taken against two poll workers who spoke to WITN.

The Voting News Daily: E-Voting ‘a hopelessly dangerous concept’. NC GOP threatens suit over vote flipping

New database on state recount & audit laws…Verified Voting new map of voting tech in US…IL Dems botch absentee early voting push..NC GOP threatens suit over touch-screen voting machines..NY voter cross fingers…SC voting machines not reliable says Computer Science Prof Dr. Duncan Buell …NM & VA voter reg. databases bogged down…9 voting machines unattended overnight in NW Lehi,UT polls… Faith Based Voting -In many of Tuesday’s closest races, states will use those same old, suspect voting machines…

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

AK: Alaska high court: Voters may see write-in list
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hURJWIiDP9prW4WyDT0bOpiGKELg?docId=b09ddf3b88da4ea5a4a621b8e94db93b

CO: Boulder County: ‘Human error’ caused ballot language mix-up*
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_16445244
Issue 2B, Boulder’s proposed utility tax measure, was correctly titled on the electronic ballot but contained the language for Boulder County’s open space tax measure, known as County Issue 1B.

“It appears someone cut and pasted the wrong ballot content under the title,” Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall told the Camera this afternoon.
…
Three hundred and twelve voters used the faulty electronic ballots before the error was discovered Tuesday, which prompted election officials to halt all voting on the county’s 12 electronic voting machines.

IL: Illinois Democrats botch absentee early voting push*
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2010/10/illinois-democrats-botch-absentee-early-voting-push.html
Illinois Democratic Party workers started mailing applications for absentee ballots to registered voters late last week, leaving precious few days for them to be mailed back to election authorities in time to get a ballot. And many of the applications contained the wrong birthdates for the registered voters they were mailed to, leaving some of those who got them wondering if it was a scam.

NC: GOP threatens suit over touch-screen voting machines
http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/8528102/
Fetzer said he wants warnings posted at the polls to alert voters of the potential problem. He also wants poll workers to retain daily printouts of vote totals to compare later with the tabulations provided by the touch-screen machines and to retain records of all complaints about the machines.

NC: N.C. GOP leader: Touchscreen voting machines have flaw that aids Dems*
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/28/766257/nc-republican-party-chair-touchscreen.html
The chairman of the N.C. Republican Party alleged Thursday that a programming flaw with touchscreen voting machines used for early voting in 36 counties is causing votes intended for GOP candidates to be counted for Democrats.

Tom Fetzer, the Republican chairman, said that if the State Board of Elections does not enact a list of demands intended to remedy the problem by the end of today, the party’s lawyers will be in federal court Friday morning seeking a statewide injunction.

NC: Election Workers Fired After Speaking To WITN*
http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/Craven_Co_Election_Workers_Fired_
After_Speaking_To_WITN_106132669.html http://tinyurl.com/32h7cn5
Two Craven County election workers say they were fired today, hours after speaking with WITN News about problems with touch screen voting machines.

Matthew Thomas and Maria Vincent claim they reported straight party voting problems at their early-voting site, but those problems were never addressed.

NC: Voters Question State Official About Possible Machine ‘Glitch’*
http://www.wcti12.com/news/25545198/detail.html
Craven GOP Chair Chuck Tyson told the crowd that a voter phoned him to describe a machine flip-flopping his votes at a Vanceboro voting location during Wednesday’s lunch hour.

The Voting News Daily: E-Voting, E-Nightmare. 3rd NC County has vote flipping. Canada internet vote fiasco

See it on iTunes: Dan Rather’s “Digital Democracy in Doubt”…TX vote flip video is on internet again..3rd NC county reports vote flipping…VerifiedVoting on Vote Flipping & Touch Screen Calibration…NH voters beware internet voting scam…S Carolina voting system needs overhaul..Report vote probs by cell phone 866-OUR-VOTE..Still Time for Overseas Voters to get ballot…Serious system failures in Canadian muni internet voting…Ahmedabad India Congress leaders sue to stop internet voting…

All this and more in today’s voting news.

AK: Write-in lists ruled a violation of election law
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/blogs/political-animal/7294-write-in-lists-ruled-a-violation-of-election-law In a ruling sure to disappoint supporters of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a temporary restraining order was issued against poll workers providing voters with the names of write-in candidates.

AR: Ballot Problems For Some Voters In St. Francis County, AR*
http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-saint-francis-county-races-story,0,5413549.story
Races For District 51 House Seat & Forrest City Council Position Impacted
Alex Coleman
In Saint Francis County, Arkansas, early voting is underway, but some voters ran into a problem trying to cast their ballots for a city council position in Forrest City, AR.
…
Patton said, “I don’t know every detail, but I do know there was a problem with a position of the candidates on the ballots that one of the candidates had drawn and was supposed to be in a different position and the ballot wasn’t printed that way.”

The Saint Francis County Election Commission found problems with some of its ballots.
The race for Arkansas State House of Representatives between Democrat Marshall Wright and Republican Anna Grizzle was also affected.
…
The ballot problem will mean the election commission chairman, Frederick Freeman, will likely total out voting machines and maybe restart the early voting process.

AZ: Restrictive Voter Registration Law Struck Down In Arizona
http://networkedblogs.com/9GsmI
By a 2-1 vote (the majority included retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor), the court struck down Arizona’s documentary proof of citizenship requirement for all new voter registrants because it is superseded by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993

CA: Voter fraud warning: Don’t give ballot to door-to-door solicitor* (dirty trick)
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/105890433.html
If someone comes to your door asking for a mail-in ballot, don’t give it to them. That’s the warning from Kern County Elections officials.

CO: Boulder voters given wrong ballot language on tax question* (ballot info wrong)
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_16440973
Electronic voting machines that should have shown early voters in Boulder the text of the proposed utility tax ballot measure instead showed the text for the county open space measure. Those voters’ yes and no votes were then recorded for the utility tax.

Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Hillary Hall said election workers discovered the problem around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday when a voter noticed the discrepancy.

Electronic voting was immediately discontinued for the day, and a new ballot program was uploaded to new voting

CO: Election glitch sends ballots with wrong state house district to Fort Collins senior complex* (ballot missing contest)
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20101027/UPDATES01/101027020/Election+glitch+sends+b allots+with+wrong+state+house+district+to+Fort+Collins+senior+complex
http://tinyurl.com/268pueg Mary Willhite wanted to vote for her friend Bob Morain in House District 52. But when she got her ballot in the mail, it listed the House District 53 race.

The Voting News Daily: NV touchscreens flip votes. Internet voting security debate grows. Ontario i-vote probs

Security debate grows over Internet voting: “Nobody knows how to conduct an election that is immune to the kinds of attacks we in the security community know how to do..We can’t have our election systems exposed to cyberattacks.” ~ David Jefferson, computer scientist @ Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab. & VerifiedVoting.org chair…Vote flipping in Clark Co Nevada from GOP to DEM…Ontario Internet voting crashes…Scotland ditches computer voting…

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

Note from the editor: Does the Voting News help you? You can help keep the Voting News going by making a tax deductible donation either online or by check. If by check note “for voting news”. See this link: http://tinyurl.com/donate-vn

AK: “In Alaska Senate Race, Front-Runner Isnt’ on Ballot”
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/017583.html

AK Admits to BRAD BLOG State Has Never Before Supplied Precincts With Write-In Candidate Names http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8151

AZ: Response to voter fraud claims
http://www.kyma.com/slp.php?idN=4242&cat=Local%20News
AZ Secretary of State’s Office says accusations are incorrect

CA: Corrected Ballots Mailed to Danville and Alamo Voters* (contest left off ballot)
http://danville.patch.com/articles/corrected-ballots-mailed-to-danville-and-alamo-voters With just one week before Election Day, corrected ballots will show up in the mailboxes of Danville and Alamo homes—the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District was left off the ballots.

CO: Ballot copying under way in Routt County* (coding error on ballots)
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2010/oct/26/ballot-copying-under-way-routt-county/
Four-person teams of sworn-in, paid election judges continued Monday the arduous work of hand-copying scores of ballots — filling in rectangles, one quadruple-checked vote at a time — after a coding error announced last week. The error was caused by a single, inadvertent keystroke and rendered unreadable all 5,773 ballots mailed to Routt County voters before Oct. 19.

CO: Election is for citizens, not government
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20101026/LETTER/101029851/1020&
ParentProfile=1061 http://tinyurl.com/2af5o94
Regardless of such punitive backlash, we should not allow our government to block election transparency and verifiability. Elections belong to us, not the government. The government ought not obtain nor withhold “secrets” about our elections

GA: Military, overseas votes get speedier
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/government/elections/georgia-elections/2010-10-25/military-overseas-votes-get-speedier Members of the military and Georgians living abroad can expect a quicker turnaround on their absentee ballots and greater likelihood their votes will arrive in time to be counted.

IL: New law costing McLean Co., election commission
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/education/article_3f4d5152-e0b3-11df-a47d-001cc4c03286.html The law, effective until March 2, requires election authorities to offer grace period registration and early voting at all public universities
…
While the clerk’s share of the cost of the ISU site program was about $4,500, Milton offset much of it by closing two off-site locations in Chenoa and Downs. That brought the net impact down to about $1,900.

MD: Errors mar most Worcester sample ballots*
http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20101026/OPI01/10260346
SNOW HILL — Voters opening sample ballots mailed to them by Worcester election officials may have done double-takes. The instructional ballots showed inaccurate candidate listings for County Commissioner and Board of Education elections in six out of seven districts.

NC: Minor problems, large turnout of voters in Havelock *(paper jams, data transm, more on vote flip prob w/straight-ticket voting using ES&S iVotronic w/VVPAT)
http://www.enctoday.com/news/election-7675-havelock-havelock-national.html
Bare said that the button for straight tickets is so close together that it is relatively easy to hit one when the intent is to hit another.