Monthly Archives: February 2011

The Voting News Daily: NIST Report on Internet Voting, CO County Election has rsidents crying foul, Voter ID Bills in KS and MO

CO: Saguache County’s election problems have residents crying foul – The Denver Post

As she shooed people out of the Saguache County courthouse in the wee hours of election night 2010, Clerk and Recorder Melinda Myers struggled to hold back tears. Unofficial tallies showed Myers losing to Republican challenger Carla Gomez, 1,101 to 1,116. Meanwhile, fellow Democrat Linda Joseph, a county commissioner, was trailing Republican Steven Carlson, 1,092 to 1,119. “I went to bed that night thinking I lost,” Myers recalled last week. “I cried and cried.” But within two days of the general election, Myers had announced the ballots needed to be “retabulated” — by the office she runs. When the process was complete, Myers won her race, 1,181 to 1,137. Joseph also emerged a winner, besting Carlson 1,160 to 1,151. Read More

Guam: Respicio introduces third bill on election reform | Pacific Daily News

Sen. Rory Respcio introduced a bill requiring the GEC to establish and follow written procedures during elections, according to a press release issued today. The bill would require procedures such as written voter instructions and on the correct handling of ballots and instructions on preparing and setting up polling places, according to the release. Updated guidelines for dealing with provisional ballots as well as for ballot reconciliation procedures would also be required. The bill would require the GEC to review their controlling regulations under the Guam Administrative Rules and Regulations (GAR), as well as the laws in the Guam Code Annotated. Read More

KS: Election fraud bill to receive scrutiny | CJOnline.com

Kansas Senate leaders suggested Friday that a requirement for people who register to vote for the first time in the state to prove they’re citizens will receive close scrutiny as the chamber considers Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s election fraud legislation. A bill containing Kobach’s proposed Secure and Fair Elections Act won House approval on an 83-36 vote Friday, sending it to the Senate. The measure also would require voters to show photo identification at the polls, increase penalties for election crimes and enact changes designed to make mail ballots more secure. It would give the secretary of state’s office the power to file and prosecute election fraud cases in state courts, along with county prosecutors and the attorney general’s office. Read More

MO: House To Move Forward On Photo Voter I.D. – OzarksFirst.com

Missouri House of Representatives’ floor leader, Rep. Tim Jones, R-Eureka, says he’s “excited” the Missouri Senate has passed legislation that includes photo voter identification provisions. And Jones says he’s ready to move ahead with the House’s own bill on the topic. On Thursday, the Senate gave final passage to legislation that would require voters to show a government issued voter identification card with a picture in order to receive a ballot. Earlier the House passed legislation that includes both a constitutional amendment and enabling legislation that would put the photo voter identification into practice along with procedures for early voting. Read More

NH: Legislators debate student voting – TheDartmouth.com

The Voting News Daily: Grand Jury Report Finds No Voter Fraud in Kern Co. CA, Students Protest Proposed Residency Bill in NH

CA: Grand jury debunks reports of local voter fraud – Bakersfield.com

Many instances of voter fraud alleged in recent years have “morphed from facts and allegations to urban legend” and the biggest instances of the problem locally happened 20-plus years ago, according to a Kern County grand jury report released Thursday. Jurors investigated the local voting system, according to the report, after receiving a letter last year detailing a public presentation made by a 2002 30th Assembly District candidate alleging there were “huge discrepancies in voter registrations” before his loss. The report doesn’t name names but it’s obviously referring to Bakersfield businessman and Republican Dean Gardner, who lost the race to Democrat Nicole Parra by a razor-thin margin and alleged voter fraud at the time. Read Article
Download Grand Jury Report (PDF)

CO: Transparency issue in election – Center Post Dispatch

During the legislative luncheon at the Colorado Press Association convention Friday, Secretary of State Scott Gessler told the Center Post-Dispatch that he will be weighing in soon on the problems with the Nov. 2 Saguache election. The SOS oversight of the election began under previous Secretary of State Bernie Buescher, now counsel for the State Attorney General’s Office. Gessler said he is currently wading through a voluminous stack of documentation on the election and will carefully evaluate the information before responding. Many of the problems the SOS encountered in dealing with the outcome of the election may be explained by the fact that Gessler did not officially come on board until Jan. 11. By then, Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers had allegedly certified the election and citizen complaints were on file with the Attorney General’s Office. The canvass board had already issued their non-certification of the recount, and legal deadlines appeared to have passed for challenging the election. Read More

CO: Ballots, lies and videotape: A botched election in south-central Colorado triggers avalanche of allegations | Real Aspen

Colorado Elections Director Judd Choate has proclaimed “great faith” in the results of two dubious political races in south-central Colorado and says two of his staffers were on hand to help with its “retabulation.” “On the fifth of November, we sent down a couple of people to work on their retabulation, and we had two of our people … help [Saguache] County reassess their numbers,” Choate told the state’s Best Practices and Vision Commission, which he chairs, in a January meeting. “They saw no problems.” The explanation was intended to quiet an escalating controversy in Saguache County, where County Clerk Melinda Myers reversed the results of the Nov. 2 election and three days later declared herself the winner. The outcome of the county commissioner’s race also flipped in favor of the incumbent in Myers’ party. The problem with Choate’s account is that it isn’t true. Amy Wilson, the secretary of state’s elections trainer, was not present for the retabulation. Neither was a state lawyer Choate said was there. Read More

KS: Voter ID measures advance in Kansas, Missouri – KansasCity.com

Proposals requiring Kansas and Missouri residents to show picture IDs when they vote gained steam in both states’ legislatures Thursday.

The Voting News Daily: Shelby Co. AL Voting Rights Act Challenge, Coffee Party Challenges CA “Top Two” Primary

CA: Voting rules remain vague [“Emergency Abesentee”] – Glendale News-Press

The City Council this week broached ditching so-called “emergency ballots” for last minute voters in favor of beefing up absentee vote-by-mail allowances, but stopped short of making any changes for the April 5 election. Glendale voters can request a vote-by-mail ballot up to seven days before the election, but after that deadline they can fill out an application for a so-called “emergency” vote-by-mail ballot up to Election Day. California election law allows for the late ballots for people who are disabled or who cannot make it to their precinct because of “unforeseen circumstances” — a vague term that city officials said essentially makes the application impossible to deny. Read More

CA: Candidate Files Federal Lawsuit to Block “Top Two” Primary – SB 6 / Prop 14 Lawsuit « Business & Election Law

A Coffee Party candidate running to succeed departing Congresswoman Jane Harman (CA-36) has filed a federal lawsuit to block the implementation of California’s new “Top Two” open primary. SB 6 will be used in a special election to replace departing Congresswoman Harman; current Secretary of State Debra Bowen is among the half dozen candidates who have declared their intention to run in the special election. Vote-by-mail ballots in that election could be cast in a matter of weeks. Unless an injunction is granted, voters will see a “no party preference” on the ballot for plaintiff Michael Chamness because the Coffee Party is not considered a “state recognized” political party. Under SB6, a “no party preference” label is applied to all minor-party candidates like Mr. Chamness and puts him at a disadvantage compared to Democratic or Republican candidates. Previously, minor-party candidates were allowed to use the ballot label of “Independent.” Mr. Chamness’ lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Senate Bill 6 (SB 6), the law that implements Proposition 14’s “Top Two” Primary. The lawsuit argues that SB 6, which was passed by the Legislature in the middle of the night without opportunity for public comment, unfairly discriminates against and deprives minor-party candidates like Mr. Chamness of their fundamental rights. Read More

CO: Myers postpones testing of counting machine – Center Post Dispatch

In a Feb. 15 letter to election volunteers, Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers postponed testing for the M650 that could destroy any remaining information about the Nov. 2, 2010 election. Denver attorney Rob Maguire, representing Aspen voting integrity activist Marilyn Marks in a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) suit filed Feb. 11, asked Myers and County Attorney Ben Gibbons to postpone the testing last week so that any possible data could be preserved. In the letter Myers wrote: “Yesterday our office received word that a complaint has been filed with District Court by parties outside Saguache County to gain access to ballots and electronic data storage from the 2010 election. In light of this pending litigation, we are unable at this time to run tests on the M650 Ballot Scanner machine. So we will be postponing the testing indefinitely till this trail is over.”

The Voting News Daily: The Job of an Election Official, Voter ID bill passes out of committee in WI

AL: Chapman Releases Legislative Wish List | ABC 32 WNCF TV

Secretary of State Beth Chapman released her legislative wish list today highlighting her top two priorities: military voting and photo voter identification. Chapman is continuing her fight to expedite military voting in Alabama and has a proven electronic system used successfully by another state’s pilot program in the last election. “The process my staff, the military votingtask force and I have been advocating for has been tested and proven to work. It has the instant ability to increase the number of military and overseas voters’ ballots returned to our state by fifty percent or more,” Chapman said. The number of military absentee ballots requested in Alabama in the most recent election was 4,875; the number returned was only 1,125. That is a 23% return rate. Chapman says this is a problem nationwide, but is a worse problem in Alabama due to the length of time required by state law to receive ballots by U.S. Postal Service only. Read More

CT: What It Takes To Be A Registrar – Connecticut News Story – WFSB Hartford

The often overlooked role of Connecticut’s Registrars of Voters, the people who oversee elections, was put into sharp focus when the state waited two weeks until a winner in the race for governor was declared last November. So the Channel 3 Eyewitness News I-Team started asking questions about registrars: how they get their jobs, how they do their jobs and what training do they receive for a job some call one of the last bastions of political patronage in our state.Connecticut has a new governor, but who that governor was going to be was in doubt for two long weeks in November, and at the center of the controversy was the registrars of voters.In Bridgeport, one of Connecticut’s largest cities, registrars did not order enough ballots, so photocopies were provided and polling hours were extended. There were also challenges to the ballots that were cast and recounts.”That usually seems to be a problem in the bigger cities for whatever reason,” said John Daly, of Manchester. Read More

ID: Idaho bill requires election workers to register – KHQ Right Now

Lawmakers in Idaho are considering a measure to require people carrying out official election duties, such as poll watching, to be registered voters in the state. The measure is being introduced in the Idaho Legislature a year after state lawmakers passed a law requiring voters to provide photo identification to cast their ballots. Read More

IN: Vote center bill signed into law | Journal and Courier

Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a bill into law Tuesday authorizing the continued use of vote centers in Indiana. Early work on the legislation ensured it did not get caught up in the legislative rancor that led to Tuesday’s boycott by Democratic House members. “This is the first bill in the current session to be approved by the Senate, passed out of the House of Representatives and signed into law by Gov.

The Voting News Daily: Photo ID in CO, Vote Centers in IN, Bill prohibiting Intenet “kill switch”

AL: Sec. of State Releases Legislative “Wish List” | ABC 32 WNCF TV

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill preserves the Electoral College, while assuring that every vote is equal and that every voter will matter in every state in every presidential election. Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. Elections wouldn’t be about winning states. Every vote, everywhere would be counted for and directly assist the candidate for whom it was cast. Candidates would need to care about voters across the nation, including for a change, West Virginia, not just undecided voters in a handful of swing states. Read More

CO: Ranked voting will be on the ballot in Fort Collins | Colorado Independent

Advocates from across the political spectrum officially launched a campaign this week to radically change how Fort Collins elects city officials. Joined by multiple Colorado legislators and city council members, Fort Collins Ranked Voting hosted their campaign kickoff event at Avogado’s Number in Fort Collins after garnering enough signatures to put the alternative voting method on the city’s April ballot. If approved, Fort Collins would replace the traditional plurality voting system with a method that ensures winners receive majority support. For the 2013 municipal elections the mayoral and city council races would use ranked choice voting, also called instant runoff voting, that allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot according to their personal preference. Read More

CO: Photo ID bill receives initial House approval – The Pueblo Chieftain

Utility bills no longer would stand as valid proof of residency to vote under a bill hotly debated before receiving preliminary approval Monday in the House. The proposal, HB1003, would require voters to show a state-issued photo identification card in order to cast a ballot. Republicans lined up to support the bill, sponsored by Reps. Ken Summers, R-Lakewood, and Libby Szabo, R-Arvada, as a safeguard against voter fraud. Democrats called it an obstacle to voting, particularly for senior citizens, the infirm, the homeless and others who tend not to possess the documents the bill would require of the mobility to easily obtain them. Read More

IN: Gov. Daniels signs Vote Center Bill | Indiana Politics | Lafayette Online

Gov. Mitch Daniels today signed into law a bill authored by State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) authorizing the continued use of vote centers in Tippecanoe County and allowing it as an option for the entire state. “This is the first bill in the current session to be approved by the Senate, passed out of the House of Representatives and signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels,” Alting said. “Overwhelming support for this new law shows how important it is to provide a convenience to voters and options to local governments that are looking to cut election costs.” Read More

IA: County Auditor: Voters in Motels Are No Reason for Voter ID Law | KCRG-TV9

Voters listing motels as their addresses on voter registration documents isn’t evidence of voter fraud, Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said Friday.

The Voting News Daily: Photo ID Bill Passes CO House, Lever MAchines in NY Village elections, Ironic Twist in NY Election Law

CO: Photo ID voting requirement passes House – KDVR

After a long argument on the House floor, Republicans were able to pass a bill that would require a photo ID in order to vote on an initial voice vote. House Bill 1003, sponsored by Reps. Ken Summer of Lakewood and Libby Szabo of Arvada, argued that not requiring an ID opens the door for voter fraud. Democrats, meanwhile, argued that such fraud is not widespread and that the ID requirement will make it harder for seniors and the poor to vote. Read More

KY: Absentee voting procedures for primary announced | The Courier-Journal

Registered voters in Jefferson County who will be absent from the county on May 17 — the day of the primary election — can either apply for an absentee ballot now or vote at the Election Center in the Urban Government Center on Barret Avenue April 18 through May 16.The Election Center began accepting absentee ballot application requests by phone on Jan. 24 and began mailing absentee applications Feb. 14. The center will begin mailing absentee ballots on March 29, said Nore Ghibaudy, spokesman for the Jefferson County Board of Elections. Read More

MN: Pro/Con: People should need a photo ID to vote | Duluth News Tribune

To a fair amount of attention, a well-conceived bill to require photo IDs for voting was introduced in the Minnesota Legislature this session. This would be an important and long-overdue election reform, but one that has been stymied by DFL leadership, more so than by rank-and-file DFL lawmakers; 10 DFL House members voted for it in the last legislative session. With a new Republican majority at the Legislature, the bill probably will be passed this session, one way or another. Read More

NH: Students oppose voting restrictions – Brattleboro Reformer

College students hoping to vote in New Hampshire would face the most restrictive registration law in the country if lawmakers pass a bill targeting both students and members of the military, according to a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on voting access and election law. Republican Rep. Gregory Sorg of Easton has proposed barring students from voting in college towns unless they lived there before enrolling. The bill also specifies that member of the military stationed in New Hampshire should continue to be residents of their previous states for voting purposes. Read More

NM: Is voter fraud an issue, or is it competence? – The Santa Fe New Mexican

Electoral fraud is a long-running complaint — from those whose party or candidates lose the election. Sometimes the whiners make a compelling argument: the presidential elections of 1960, when Illinois’ Cook County “came in” for John F. Kennedy, and of 2000, when Florida shoehorned George W. Bush into office, for example. Here in New Mexico, Río Arriba County was once reputed to be a region where souls rose from the dead to vote, and our state’s Republican minority sometimes seems more dedicated to grumbling about fraud than to electing candidates. Read More

NY: Bill Would Allow Villages to Continue Using Lever Voting Machines – Nyack-Piermont, NY Patch

State lawmakers sent a Valentine of sorts to villages around the state with the Feb.

The Voting News Daily: CentCO SOS role in Saguache election, IA Auditors oppose Voter ID, No Vote Fraud in Forsyth Co. NC snafu,

CO: Information indicates SOS played major role in escalating Saguache election snafu – Center Post Dispatch

Over the past several weeks, many things have come to light that point directly to the Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) and their failure to enforce their own rules as the cause of Saguache County’s November election upheaval. In reviewing surveillance videotapes, one of the most telling incidents found was SOS trainer Amy Wilson’s interaction with Christian Samora on Nov. 2, as he runs the M650 voting machine. Wilson watches Samora remove the dust cover to the machine and, clearly, no seals have been placed on any of the data ports. Zip disks sit out unsecured. Having discovered this clear violation of security precautions prescribed as remedies for the use of the once decertified M650 ballot counter, Wilson was obligated to report this violation to the SOS “immediately” per their own rules. Had she done so, the election would have reverted to a hand count, as is also required under SOS rules. SOS official contradicts himself. The statements made by SOS elections division official Judd Choate also paint a dismal picture of Colorado’s election protection system. Read More

CO: Ranked voting will be on the ballot in Fort Collins | Colorado Independent

Advocates from across the political spectrum officially launched a campaign this week to radically change how Fort Collins elects city officials. Joined by multiple Colorado legislators and city council members, Fort Collins Ranked Voting hosted their campaign kickoff event at Avogado’s Number in Fort Collins after garnering enough signatures to put the alternative voting method on the city’s April ballot. If approved, Fort Collins would replace the traditional plurality voting system with a method that ensures winners receive majority support. For the 2013 municipal elections the mayoral and city council races would use ranked choice voting, also called instant runoff voting, that allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot according to their personal preference. Rep. John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins, an advisor to the group, said the system is simple. Kefalas explained that if any candidate receives the majority of first place votes, they win. If no candidate receives a majority, the votes for the last place candidate are redistributed among the remaining candidates according to each voter’s preference. The process repeats until one candidate holds a simple majority. “It’s just like choosing your favorite ice cream,” Kefalas said. Read More

CT: Editorial: Lawmakers should make voting easier – Courant.com

One of the ways Connecticut can improve turnout on Election Day is to loosen restrictions on absentee voting. Lawmakers will hold hearings on a number of election-related bills this session, including some that would correct faults in ballot-counting procedures that became evident in Bridgeport in November’s gubernatorial election. They’ll also propose measures to increase voter turnout. We hope normally change-resistant Connecticut legislators aren’t afraid to shake things up. Currently, the state Constitution says eligible Connecticut voters can use absentee ballots only if they are unable to go to the polls on Election Day for the following reasons: military duty, an out-of-town commitment, illness, disability, religious prohibition on secular activity on an election day, or work as an election official.

The Voting News Daily: Online Registration Bill in CA, Voter ID Tabled in NM, Advances in MO

CA: Bill would let Californians register online to vote – San Jose Mercury News

Californians would be able to register online to vote under a bill introduced Wednesday by state Sen. Leland Yee. Some states already offer online registration but California has put it off, awaiting implementation of a “VoteCal” statewide online database system now delayed at least until 2015. Yee, D-San Francisco, instead wants to allow online registration through county registrars’ offices: Citizens would input their voter information online and the registrar’s office would use the voter’s signature from the Department of Motor Vehicles to verify authenticity. Yee says county elections officers believe this would save money and eliminate administrative errors from mistyping the data entry from a paper registration; after Arizona implemented online voter registration, he said, some counties saw their costs decrease from 83 cents per registration to 3 cents per registration. Read More

HI: Instant Runoff Voting in Hawaii Gains Traction – Honolulu Civil Beat

A measure that would bring instant runoff voting to Hawaii and prevent a candidate from winning a state or local election with less than a majority of votes is making progress in the Legislature. The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed House Bill 638 on Tuesday. It now heads to the House Finance Committee. Read More

ME: Bill would require voters to show ID at polls | The Morning Sentinel

Republicans are lining up to support a bill that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls. With the support of GOP Gov. Paul LePage, and more than 120 Republican lawmakers listed as co-sponsors, the legislation is poised to become one of the big partisan fights of the session. Supporters say Maine needs to take action to prevent voter fraud and assure the legitimacy of those who are elected. Opponents — including the League of Women Voters of Maine, the Maine chapter of the AARP, the Maine Civil Liberties Union and the Disabilities Rights Center — say the bill provides a costly solution to a problem that doesn’t exist in Maine and would disenfranchise many people. Read More

MO: Senate approves photo ID requirement for voting – St. Louis Today

Senate approved a measure today that would require photo identification to vote, in a move supporters lauded as a step toward addressing problems of voter fraud in the state. Meanwhile, opponents of the legislation worried that the measure would create unfair obstacles to voting for those without photo identification. The final vote of 26-7 was cast along party lines, with Republicans favoring the bill. The measure will now move to the House, where a sizable Republican majority could bode well for the legislation. If the legislation passes both houses, it will go into effect only if a constitutional amendment is approved by state voters. Opposition to the bill stemmed from concerns that it could limit voting rights among eligible voters. Democrats said that senior citizens or people with disabilities, among others, could be aversely affected. Read More

NM: Voter ID bill unlikely to pass – Las Cruces Sun-News

A bill requiring most voters to show photo identification appears doomed, the sponsor said Tuesday.

The Voting News Daily: Voter ID in NM, Military Voting Deiscussed on Capitol Hill

CA: Debra Bowen enters race to succeed congresswoman Jane Harman – latimes.com

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen on Tuesday jumped into the race to succeed retiring Rep. Jane Harman of Venice, setting up what is expected to be a lively contest between two prominent Democratic women for the largely coastal congressional district. “This was not an easy decision,” said Bowen, who in November was elected to a second four-year term as the state’s top elections official. “I spent the past week discussing a potential run with my family and close friends, and thinking how I can best serve the public,” she said in a statement announcing her candidacy. Read More

CO: IRV on the Ballot in Colorado and the UK – FairVote.org

Instant runoff voting (IRV, also known as “alternative vote”, “ranked choice voting” and “preferential voting”) is designed to accommodate increased voter choice and uphold majority rule. It simulates a “same day runoff”, essentially, between the two strongest candidates, with the winner being the one who is ranked ahead of the other on more ballots. Used for decades to elect top offices in Australia (see a fun Aussie video about it here), Ireland and many private organizations, IRV has surged in use around the world in the past decade, including victories in ballot measures in the United States on every November election day since 2004. That support is grounded in voters’ growing dissatisfaction with choices being limited to two and, in the words of a recent report by an influential international think tank, a plurality voting system that fails as “the worst of both possible worlds.” Read More

CT: Election reforms proposed | Yale Daily News

After widespread ballot shortages in last November’s election tossed the result of the gubernatorial race up in the air for days, new Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is pushing for major reforms to the way Connecticut runs its elections. In a press conference Monday in Hartford, Merrill proposed four pieces of legislation that would help prevent another Election Day fiasco — one major proposal that would require municipalities to report to Merrill’s office the number of ballots they had ordered in advance of election day and another that would open the door for more absentee voting. The proposals received bipartisan support from legislators Monday, but met opposition from the committee responsible for enforcing elections in Connecticut towns. Read More

FL: 17,601 Jacksonville Voters Must Renew Absentee Ballot Requests – WJXT Jacksonville

A change in Florida Election Laws means thousands of absentee voters in Duval County will no longer receive their absentee ballots until they make a new request to the supervisor of elections office.According to elections officials, 17,601 voters who requested an absentee ballot after May 28 and before Nov. 3, 2010, must make a new request to receive an absentee ballot for the March 22 first election and the May 17 general election. Read More

IN: Software firm may reap vote center perks | jconline.com | Journal and Courier

A company at Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette stands to benefit from recent passage of the vote center bill by the legislature.

The Voting News Daily: Food for Votes Debate in SD, Mail-only balloting possible for county – SignOnSanDiego.com

CA: Mail-only balloting possible for county – SignOnSanDiego.com

Elections in San Diego County could be conducted entirely by mail under legislation introduced Monday by state Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego. All-mail balloting would save local governments millions of dollars and increase voter participation, according to the senator. The legislation, SB 304, would create a five-year pilot program. At the conclusion of the program, the county would be required to issue a report to the Legislature and the Secretary of State’s Office on costs and voter turnout. The law, if approved, would apply to local, state and federal races on San Diego County ballots. Individual jurisdictions, such as cities, would have the option of using the system. Read More

CO: Council, mayor to decide changes to Aspen election code | AspenTimes.com

A public hearing is scheduled near the end of Monday’s Aspen City Council meeting on an ordinance that amends the city’s Municipal Election Code, including the official repeal of instant runoff voting, also known as IRV. The meeting at City Hall starts at 5 p.m., and it is expected to be the last regular meeting for Councilman Dwayne Romero, who is stepping down to become Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s director of economic development. In November, city voters repealed IRV, a system that generated controversy following the May 2009 city council and mayoral elections. The ordinance before councilmen today will finalize its repeal, officially striking the system from the election code. Read More

SC: Voting machines at issue: James Island PSD board debates critical statement | The Post and Courier

Consideration of a proposed resolution urging replacement of the computerized voting machines now used statewide was put off for at least two weeks after a debate among James Island Public Service commissioners. Commissioner Eugene Platt asked the commission to become the first elected panel in the state to go on record expressing what he said is a lack of voter confidence in the “electronic touch type” machines. His guest at the Monday night commission meeting was Charleston County Councilman Victor Rawl, who last June very surprisingly lost a two-candidate Democratic Party primary contest for a U.S. Senate seat nomination. Read More

SD: Changes Proposed For Food For Votes Law – KELOLAND.com

South Dakota lawmakers are taking aim at voter bribery. A bill in Pierre would make it illegal to feed voters and then take them to vote absentee at a local polling place. It’s an issue that came up during last year’s hotly-contested U.S. House race when there was a lot of confusion over how far campaigns were pushing the law. “Sometimes in campaigns, candidates and campaigns and their staff they get so focused on trying to get one more vote, or ten more votes, or 100 more votes that sometimes they’ll push the law a little too far and so that’s what we’re really trying to get accomplished with Senate Bill 88,” South Dakota Senator Bob Gray of Pierre said. Republicans criticized then Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for holding early voting rallies on South Dakota reservations during her last campaign.

The Voting News Daily: IA election officials oppose photo ID bill; US House lawmakers eye EAC termination; India on the path to VVPAT

Iowa’s professional association of county election officials (according to the Des Moines Register, its membership is about 60% Republican and 40% Democratic) has voted to register in opposition to photo ID legislation. In Texas, a state legislative race in which the vast majority of ballots were cast on unrecountable machines nears resolution; an official recount changed the margin from 16 to 12 votes, and a legislative investigation of absentee and voter-eligibility issues changed that margin again to 4 votes. We cannot know what an effective recount of all ballots would have shown. India’s Election Commission appears committed to implementing voter-verifiable paper audit trails, though it is uncertain if implementation will occur before May elections in the state of Tamil Nadu.

All this and more in today’s Voting News below.

AL: Election Center director Granger resigns, will take federal court job | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser

A Montgomery official who has headed the county’s emerging election center since its inception has accepted a job with the federal court system, but his absence is not expected to affect the two upcoming city elections. Read More

AK: Write-in bill passes state Senate

The Senate has unanimously passed a bill that would give voters the benefit of the doubt when they write in a candidate’s name on a ballot. Read More

CA: League of Women Voters marks 91st anniversary – Times-Standard Online

The League of Women Voters will celebrate its 91st birthday on Monday. Founded in 1920 by leaders in the women’s suffrage movement, the organization has become synonymous with elections and voting, citizen engagement and civility. Read More

CA: SAN DIEGO: State senator pushes for all-mail elections

Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, introduced legislation in the state Senate on Tuesday to allow San Diego County to hold all-mail elections.

The bill, if passed, would create a five-year pilot program for all-mail voting that applies to local, state and federal races. Local jurisdictions would have the option to use the all-mail system. Read More

CA: Fresno County clerk says votes in danger – Top Stories – fresnobee.com

There are 300 things that need to be done to run an election, from printing ballots and staffing polls to verifying mail ballots and tallying votes — and more.

But because of budget cuts, Fresno County’s elections chief Victor Salazar warns, not all of these tasks will get done. As a result, he says, one or more of five upcoming elections will fail. Read More

CA: Record Gazette > Archives > News > Ex-elections official returns as registrar

A former chief deputy registrar in Riverside County who now holds the top elections post in San Bernardino County has been named registrar in Riverside County. Read More

CA: Ranked Choice Voting – The Oakland Community Speaks – City Council Meeting

Oakland, CA used Ranked Choice Voting for the very first time in Nov. 2010.
In a meeting to discuss RCV, members of the community shared their experiences with members of the City Council on how confusing it was for voters.

The Voting News Daily: Oscar eschews Internet voting; vote by mail proposed in CO; St. Paul, MN begins IRV preparations

Around the nation, the photo ID debate rages on. St. Paul, Minnesota begins a voter education effort following the City Council’s approval of new rules for instant runoff voting. The Colorado Legislature is considering legislation to establish a uniform vote by mail system in state elections, and the Massachusetts House orders a new election for a vacant seat following a tie vote in the November election.

All this and more in today’s Voting News. (Note: tonight’s edition contains several stories we missed in the past week. Thanks to our readers for continuing to provide news tips – please send your suggestions to votingnews@verifiedvoting.org).

CA: Registrar of voters heads to Riverside | heads, registrar, riverside – Victorville Daily Press

San Bernardino County is losing its top elections official to neighboring Riverside County. Read More

CA: In San Francisco, finishing third means you can win | Ken Garcia | Columnists | San Francisco Examiner

The San Francisco mayor race is looking a lot like Bay to Breakers — plenty of entrants, many characters and a few professional runners.

Yet given that the winner will be decided by the chaotic and confusing system called ranked-choice voting for the first time, the theme of the campaign is becoming clearer. Read More

CO: Saguache vote count never finalized – Colorado Springs Conservative | Examiner.com

Feb. 6: While Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers claims that the Nov. 2 election was conducted “with the highest integrity,” the facts known in the case from eyewitness testimony and video surveillance continue to tell a different tale. Read More

CO: House bill proposes mail-only ballots for all state elections – The Denver Post

A House committee today will consider a bill proposing dramatic changes to the way Coloradans cast their votes.

House Bill 1131 would require all elections in the state to be conducted by mail ballots only, replacing the traditional polling places in a move that advocates say would save millions of dollars across Colorado. Read More

CO: Editorial: All-mail revue for Colorado elections – The Denver Post

A legislative proposal to formally move the state to mail ballots is a good-government measure that would save money and align election practices with the wishes of a growing segment of voters.

Frankly, it wouldn’t be a change for many, since some 70 percent of the state’s active voters already have signed themselves up to get ballots in the mail.

And for those who still want that on-site voting experience or have a disability that requires such, House Bill 1131 provides for service centers where people can vote in person. Read More

DC: Instant Runoff Voting: Does It Make Sense? – DCist

Last night, interim At-Large Councilmember and special election candidate Sekou Biddle won the endorsement of D.C. for Democracy, a progressive activism group. That’s the short version of the story: the long version involves a complex system of instant runoff voting, which some think is a better method of determining an election winner. Read More

FL: FBI: Buddy Johnson committed no federal crime – St.

The Voting News Daily: Vote Center Bill Passes IN Senate, Voter ID debated in MN, MO andTN , Internet Voting in Canada?

GA: Saturday requirement removed from early-voting bill for local elections | ajc.com

A revised early-voting bill would shorten the voting period to 21 days, but it would not require polls to be open on Saturdays if no state or federal candidates are on the ballot. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, removed the Saturday requirement to save municipalities money. Municipal elections are already 21 days, and adding the Saturday requirement could require adding an additional day to the schedule. Local governments still have the option of adding Saturday voting. Read More

HI: Supreme Court Looking Into Hawaii Election Law – Honolulu Civil Beat

After years of legal wrangling in lower courts, a case challenging Hawaii’s ballot access rules could end up in front of the United States Supreme Court. In 2004, longtime consumer advocate and occasional independent presidential hopeful Ralph Nader sued the state when he was told he wouldn’t be on the ballot because he didn’t have enough signatures. Under Hawaii law, non-party presidential candidates need to submit a petition with enough signatures to represent 1 percent of the votes cast in the previous presidential election. In 2000, more than 360,000 votes were cast for president in Hawaii, so Nader needed more than 3,600 names. In rejecting Nader’s lawsuit in September 2010, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said Hawaii’s burden for ballot access is low. They did acknowledge, though, that the threshold is high when compared with the other way for presidential candidates to get on the ballot. Read More

IN: State Senate OKs vote center option | Palladium-Item

Legislation that would allow all Indiana counties the option of using vote centers was approved 49-0 by the Indiana Senate on Tuesday. The bill moves to the Indiana House of Representatives for consideration.Senate Bill 32 would allow county election boards to designate their county as a vote center county. Vote centers consolidate multiple precinct voting locations into several centralized vote centers and voters may choose the center most convenient for them. Read More

KS: Critics say Kansas election fraud bill too drastic – KHGI-TV

Critics of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s (KOH’-bahk’s) election fraud bill are criticizing him for not seeking less drastic administrative changes first. They told the House Elections Committee on Wednesday that the measure would end door-to-door and other community voter registration drives and likely disenfranchise poor and minority voters. The bill would require voters to show photo identification at the polls and people to provide proof of citizenship when they register for the first time in Kansas. Read More

MN: GOP voter ID measure passes first Capitol hurdle | kare11.com

A controversial voter photo ID bill cleared its first hurdle at the State Capitol Tuesday, when it passed the House Government Operations Committee on a straight party-line vote. It marked the first time ever a voter ID bill has ever made it through a legislative committee in Minnesota. The sponsor, Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, said she was confident the measure will eventually pass the full House and Senate now that they are controlled by her fellow Republicans.