Estonia: Estonian Elections Agency Fines E-Voting Company | ERR

After the internet ballot-counting system temporarily crashed on Election Day evening, the National Electoral Committee said it will demand compensation from Helmes, the company responsible for the country’s vote-counting software.

“Quality requirements […] are listed in our contract and if there is a one-time delay of 15 minutes, then there are sanctions for every minute delayed. We need to add it up, but the total sum is around 8,500 euros,” committee Chairman Heiki Sibul told uudised.err.ee.

National: In states, parties clash over voting laws that would affect college students, others | Washington Post

New Hampshire’s new Republican state House speaker is pretty clear about what he thinks of college kids and how they vote. They’re “foolish,” Speaker William O’Brien said in a recent speech to a tea party group. “Voting as a liberal. That’s what kids do,” he added, his comments taped by a state Democratic Party staffer and posted on YouTube.

Students lack “life experience,” and “they just vote their feelings.” New Hampshire House Republicans are pushing for new laws that would prohibit many college students from voting in the state – and effectively keep some from voting at all.

National: EAC Initiates Formal Investigation Into ES&S Unity 3.2.0.0 Voting System | Election Assistance Commission

As part of its Quality Monitoring Program, EAC will investigate the EAC-certified ES&S DS200 Precinct Count Optical Scanner (Firmware Version 1.3.10.0) contained in the ES&S Unity 3.2.0.0 for possible non-conformities with the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. Download correspondence related to the investigation and a timeline of activities leading up to it. Learn more about EAC’s Quality Monitoring Program.

Alabama: Alabama Man honored for defense of black voting rights | WSFA 12 News

Inspirational songs followed stories and memories you’d only find in history books as civil rights era icons were honored at the National Voting Rights Museum as part of the second day of the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee. One man–John Doar–a white attorney who worked for the U.S. Department of Justice came to Selma in the 1960s to represent African Americans who were denied the right to vote.

“We did it without fear or favor. We went right down the line as law enforcement officers,” says Doar. He says whites were allowed to vote simply because they were white. But, even the most educated black person couldn’t register–which was against the law.

Georgia: GA: Top Georgia court upholds state’s voter ID law | Washington Post

Georgia’s top court has upheld a state law that requires voters to show photo identification before they cast ballots. The Georgia Supreme Court’s 6-1 decision Monday is the latest court ruling to conclude that the rules are constitutional. The decision found the 2006 law was a “minimal, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory restriction.”

Georgia attorneys said the measure is needed to prevent voter fraud, but the Democratic Party of Georgia countered that state legislators have no proof anyone tried to illegally cast a ballot. Critics have also long claimed the law creates an undue burden on the poor, the disabled and minorities. Read the Court Opinion (pdf)

Indiana: Prosecution of Indiana elections chief could be tough | Miami Herald

Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White’s excuse that a busy schedule and new marriage caused him to give the wrong address at a polling place could be a feasible defense to voter fraud and other criminal allegations he now faces, a legal expert said Friday.

“It may not be a defense to the claim that as secretary of state he should be held to a very high standard, but in terms of a criminal conviction, I think that kind of mistake sounds plausible,” said Craig Bradley, an Indiana University law professor.

Indiana: Lake County Indiana isn’t ready for vote centers this spring | NWI Times

Lake County officials will stay with the tradition of neighborhood polling places in the May 3 primary despite a new law promising savings and voter convenience. Fewer than half the municipal offices on the ballot are being contested by two or more candidates in 18 cities and towns.

Highland has no contested races and will ask to opt out of the spring primary, Highland Councilman Brian Novak said. The county and remaining municipalities will be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to unfurl a network of electronic voting machines and teams of poll workers in hundreds of precinct polling places.

Maine: ME: Voter ID bill slated to advance | Sun Journal

Maine on Friday moved one step closer to passing a law requiring voters to present photo identification at the polls. A legislative panel voted 6-6 along party lines to recommend LD 199 to the Legislature. Rep. Micheal Willette, R-Presque Isle, was absent, but he has until Tuesday to vote. Willette is expected to vote with his party, meaning the measure will advance to the Legislature with a divided report. Twenty-seven other states have photo identification laws. Maine and at least a half-dozen other states are considering legislation that would add the photo requirement. Supporters say asking voters to show a photo ID at the polls is a way to prevent fraud. Critics, mostly Democrats and civil rights groups, say the requirement impedes voting for the elderly, handicapped, homeless and those who don’t drive. Democrats attempted to make those arguments during a public hearing held earlier this week. On Friday, with the outcome a foregone conclusion, opponents said voter participation would suffer.

http://www.sunjournal.com/state/story/995664

New York: NY: Bill extends time before special elections – Watertown Daily Times

Overseas military voters now will have more time to vote in special elections after the Senate and Assembly unanimously passed a bill extending the time between the announcement of a special election and the special election itself. Current law provides 30 to 40 days between the calling of a special election and Election Day. That doesn’t give service members overseas time to send their ballots back home to vote in special elections. After Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signs the bill, that period will be 70 to 80 days. “This bill will make sure that New Yorkers serving abroad in the military will have their votes counted,” Mr. Cuomo said in a news release. “I look forward to signing it into law and making sure that all New Yorkers are able to participate in our electoral process.”

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110304/NEWS03/303049961

Tennessee: Tennessee Voter Confidence Act May Be Delayed Again | WSMV Nashville

The state of Tennessee is supposed to move to using only paper ballots by the time voters head to the polls in 2012. But some lawmakers are looking to stop that, saying that communities just can’t afford to make the switch. The Tennessee Voter Confidence Act has already been delayed once, but it could be delayed again or done away with completely, and those who support paper ballots said that could put votes in jeopardy of being compromised.

The Voter Confidence Act originally required everyone in Tennessee to use paper ballots to cast their vote by the 2010 election.”Having an independent audit trail is key to any fair election,” said Joe Irrera, a paper ballot advocate. But early last year, lawmakers delayed implementation until 2012, saying election officials needed more time.

Texas: Texas House panel approves voter ID bill | The Dallas Morning News

Legislation that would for the first time require Texans to show a photo ID to vote was approved by a House committee on Monday and sent to the full House, where it is expected to easily pass.

The voter ID bill, which already has been approved by the Senate, was approved by the House Select Committee on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud on a 5-2 vote, with Democrats Marc Veasey of Fort Worth and Scott Hochberg of Houston casting the no votes.