Monthly Archives: May 2011

North Carolina residents would have one week less to cast ballots before state and local elections in legislation narrowly approved by a House committee on Wednesday. Supporters said the proposal would save money, but opponents argue it would discourage citizens — particularly Democrats — from voting.The House Elections Committee voted 16-14 to delay the start of early voting from the third Thursday before an election to the second Thursday, curbing what’s been a popular method for casting ballots begun with the 2000 elections.

Rep. Bert Jones, the only unaffiliated member of the legislature and a primary bill sponsor, said the bill would save nearly $2,000 per one-stop voting site statewide and save more money for candidates who now must campaign to get people to the polls for up to 18 days. The bill would reduce that maximum to 11 days. He presented a chart showing relatively light turnout during the first current week of early voting since the 2008 primary.

Kansas: Kansas Senate rejects attempt to toughen voter ID bill; Schodorf says she feels guilty about ever voting for it | Wichita Eagle

A cantankerous debate to move up by a year a requirement for new voters to provide proof of citizenship failed Wednesday on the Senate floor, with one senator saying she was embarrassed for Secretary of State Kris Kobach and another admitting she felt guilty for ever voting for the state’s voter ID bill.

Legislators defeated a last-minute maneuver to concur with the House on a substitute for Senate Bill 129 15-23. That means people registering to vote won’t have to provide a birth certificate, passport or other citizenship proof until 2013. It also means that Kobach won’t get the authority he sought to independently prosecute allegations of voter fraud.

Indiana: Indiana recount panel to appeal Secretary of State Charlie White’s voter fraud ruling | The Indianapolis Star

The Indiana Recount Commission says it will appeal a judge’s ruling ordering it to reconsider whether Republican Secretary of State Charlie White was a valid candidate for the office to which he was elected.

The commission did not lay out its case in the notice of appeal it filed in Marion Circuit Court, and officials at the commission and attorney general’s office, which represents it in court, declined to discuss the substance of the appeal until it is filed. There is currently no timetable for the filing, said Bryan Corbin, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office.

Florida: Senator Nelson blasts Florida state election reform | The News Herald

If Gov. Rick Scott signs recently passed election reform into law, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson says he will lobby for a federal investigation of the new rules. The sweeping changes to the state’s election code have raised skepticism from supervisors of elections and nonpartisan voter groups worried that the reduced number of early voting days, stringent new rules on third-party voter registration drives and new change-of-address requirements will disenfranchise voters by making the process less accessible. Supporters of the bill contend the measures are necessary to crack down on voter fraud.

The bill was signed by legislative officers and delivered to Scott on May 6 for his signature. Lane Wright, a spokesman in the governor’s office, said the bill is not a priority for Scott, who is intensely focused on job creation, and the governor has not decided if he will sign the measure into law.

Editorials: Editorial: Mixed Member Proportional system deserves to survive referendum | NZ Herald News

The result of a British referendum on its electoral system shows how remarkable it was that New Zealand adopted MMP – and how much referendums are influenced by the mood of the moment. British voters have chosen to retain first past the post by 68 per cent to 32 per cent for a proposal called the Alternative Vote.

The result is devastating for electoral reform in Britain, burying the subject for another generation in the view of most commentators, and immediately devastating for Britain’s third party, the Liberal Democrats. The referendum was their main purpose in joining a coalition with the Conservatives.

Wisconsin: Wisconsin Assembly approves voter ID, sends bill to Senate | JSOnline

The Assembly late Wednesday approved requiring people to show photo ID at the polls, putting the measure on a fast track to becoming law. The Senate is expected to sign off on the plan Tuesday. The move comes when drivers are about to have to present more documentation to get their licenses and wait longer to get them.

The Assembly passed the bill 60-35 amid shouts from a small group of protesters in the viewing gallery. “Welcome to Wisconsin, Jim Crow!” one of them shouted. The Republican-run Assembly quickly adjourned as the protesters chanted “Shame!” and were led out of the gallery by police officers.

Macedonia: Macedonian diaspora readies to vote in June elections | SETimes.com

The government will enable Macedonia’s diaspora to exercise the right to vote in the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 5th without having to be physically present in the country.

Three new electoral units were added to the existing six — covering North and Latin America; Europe; and Australia, New Zealand and Asia proper — and three parliamentarians representing the diaspora will be added to the existing 120.

National: U.S. Supreme Court Advances one Election Law Case that has Long been Stalled | Ballot Access News

On May 11, the U.S. Supreme Court revealed that it has placed Dallas County v Texas Democratic Party, 10-755, on its May 26 conference. The conference will probably decide whether to hear the case.

The issue is whether Dallas County’s new rules concerning its vote-counting machines should have been submitted to the Voting Rights Section of the Justice Department. The Texas Democratic Party doesn’t like the Dallas County vote-counting machines, because the machines have a tendency to trick some voters into voting just for a single candidate, even though the voter believes he or she has activated the straight-ticket device and has voted for all partisan office.

Connecticut: Merrill selects precincts for Connecticut audit | ConnecticutPlus.com

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill today joined Connecticut voting rights advocates for a public drawing to randomly select three precincts that will have election results audited following the May 2, 2011 municipal elections that took place in 14 Connecticut communities. The three precincts selected are West Side Middle School District 2 and William Seely School district 4 in Groton and the Stonington Fire House in Stonington. Two alternate precincts were also chosen to be ready to audit results if necessary: Center School district 3 in Woodbridge and Griswold Town Hall in Griswold.

“On May 2nd voters went to the polls across Connecticut to choose public servants to fill very important roles in local government,” said Secretary Merrill. “No matter how big or small the election, our audit law exists to hold our election process accountable and reassure the public to have continued confidence that all votes were recorded accurately.”

India: The Hindu : States / Tamil Nadu : Each reading on EVMs will be videographed: CEO

Praveen Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer addressing a press conference in Chennai on Wednesday. Photo: S.R. Raghunathan Each reading on electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the 91 counting centres will be captured on video and votes polled entered both manually and using computers, to avoid discrepancies in the counting of votes for the 234 assembly constituencies on May 13, said Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Kumar on Wednesday.

After All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Jayalalithaa wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner on the need to allow counting agents to monitor data entries in Form 20, the CEO, at a press conference, said that data entry operators were directly being monitored by the returning officers as they usually sat near them in counting halls. Even if they were sitting across the hall, the tally of votes would have to match the data entered manually and using computers.

Wisconsin: Waukesha County Gets May 26 Recount Extension | Menomonee Falls, WI Patch

Waukesha County will have until May 26 to finish its hand recount of the state Supreme Court race that sharply divided the state’s electorate, a judge has ruled.

Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess agreed this morning to extend today’s deadline for completion of the historic recount of the race between incumbent Justice David Prosser and challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg.

The Voting News Daily: Waukesha gets an extension, The cost of Voter ID proposals

WI: Waukesha County Gets May 26 Recount Extension – Menomonee Falls, WI Patch

Waukesha County will have until May 26 to finish its hand recount of the state Supreme Court race that sharply divided the state’s electorate, a judge has ruled. Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess agreed this morning to extend today’s deadline for completion of the historic recount of the race between incumbent Justice David Prosser and challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg. Waukesha County Corporation Counsel Tom Farley participated in the hearing via telephone conference. The county will check in with the judge at 11:30 a.m. Friday to report its progress. “Hopefully we will be done sooner” than May 26, said Ellen Nowak, chief of staff for Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas. All counties except Waukesha were expected to finish their recounts by today. Prosser has a margin of victory of about 7,000 votes in his bid to serve another 10-year term on the state’s high court. Read More

PA: Taxpayers will cover costs of IDs under proposed voting law – dailylocal.com

An effort to fight voting fraud could cost state taxpayers millions, though it’s a price some lawmakers are willing to pay. New requirements intended to cut down on fraudulent voters were passed by the House State Government Committee on Monday morning and will head to the House for a final vote. The bill would require voters to show official photo identification each time they go to their polling place to cast a ballot. Voters now have to provide identification only the first time they vote at a specific polling place. The new requirement would not take effect until the primary elections in the spring of 2012, unless there is a special election scheduled for earlier in 2012.

Tennessee: Tennessee considers proof of citizenship for voter registration | wbir.com

It’s a big deal in town, signs scattered all over Pigeon Forge as voters take up the issue of liquor by the drink and a few city commission spots. “I think we may get 1,000 people to vote today, total,” Tony Rast, whose son is running for one of those commission seats said.

Even with all the hype, Rast’s guess of 1,000 would be just slightly better than one in seven Pigeon Forge residents who have actually gone through the process of registering and then actually showing up to vote on election day.

“Oh, just walk in. Real easy,” Rast said.

Pennsylvania: Taxpayers will cover costs of IDs under proposed Pennsylvania voting law | dailylocal.com

The new requirement would not take effect until the primary elections in the spring of 2012, unless there is a special election scheduled for earlier in 2012.

New York: New software to help avoid ballot-printing errors in Jefferson County New York | Watertown Daily Times

A new software system will help the Jefferson County Board of Elections avoid costly errors in printing ballots.

The E-Suite Election Management Software will enable the board to link incoming election candidate petitions to the voter-registrant database. That ensures the candidate’s name and address will be spelled correctly and limits human error. A misspelled name that forces a ballot reprinting could cost the county thousands of dollars, Republican Elections Commissioner Jerry O. Eaton said.

New Mexico: Legislation allows vote centers in New Mexico | Quay County Sun

Quay County Clerk Ellen White expressed excitement Monday over new state legislation that allows the county to consolidate voting precincts.

“In November we have to establish our polling places and precincts for the next general election and primary election cycle, so what this enables us to do is to locate a facility that is centrally located and that has a good broadband Internet connection, and by doing that we’ll eliminate all the voting precincts within the City of Tucumcari and everybody will vote in one location. I’m really excited about being able to do that,” White said.

Missouri: Missouri lawmakers approve ballot measure on voter ID – KansasCity.com

If Missouri voters say “yes” at the polls in 2012, they will have to show a photo ID when they cast ballots in 2014. But they also will have the option to vote during an 11-day period before Election Day.

Lawmakers on Tuesday approved enabling legislation that will put voter-identification requirements and early-voting procedures into effect — if voters approve the proposed constitutional amendment lawmakers passed on Monday.

Colorado: Moffat County Colorado tweaking election format to all vote-by-mail | Craig Daily Press

Moffat County Elections Supervisor Stephanie Beckett said Moffat County has been behind the curve by not conducting coordinated elections by mail-in ballot only.

“Most of the state already does that,” Beckett said. “We were one of four counties last year in the election that did not have an all-mail ballot election, and it just seems like voters are leaning that way, to have their ballots mailed to them.”

California: Voting change could be costly locally | Chico Enterprise Record

Though Measure A proponents claim moving the Chico City Council elections from November to June would not cost taxpayers more money, the Registrar of Voters Office says different. A June 2012 ballot could cost Chico $130,000 versus a November election price tag of $57,000, according to a Butte County Registrar of Voters estimate. The city could pay about $73,000 more per council election, which occur every two years.

Because the city would be sharing the June election with just the county rather than about 17 jurisdictions who appeared in the November 2010 ballot, the election would likely cost more, said Laurie Cassady, assistant county registrar of voters. Measure A supporters had enough signatures to put the initiative on the June 7 special municipal election ballot. During a debate last week, proponents said the election month change would not cost more money.

Ecuador: Ecuador referendum tightens – Government accuses NEC of vote manipulation | MiamiHerald.com

Ecuador’s government accused the National Electoral Council of manipulating the vote count of Saturday’s controversial referendum to make it appear as if it was losing two of the 10 issues. With 51 percent of the vote counted on Tuesday, the National Electoral Council said the government was behind on two questions.

On a plan to create a media-regulation board, the “no” vote was winning 44 percent versus 43 percent, according to the council’s website.

Ohio: Ohio bill aims to help military voters | The Columbus Dispatch

When Rep. Mike Dovilla was deployed to Iraq in 2007, he wanted to cast a vote in that years municipal elections.While on leave, he sent in his application to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, and when the Navy veteran returned to Baghdad, he was told he had not provided some necessary information.

“The problem was there was incorrect information on the county’s web site at that time that didn’t specify the need to include those items,” said the Berea Republican. “As a result, by the time the additional correspondence went back and forth from the theater, the ballot didn’t arrive on time. In fact, I never received a ballot at all.”Since that time, I vowed that if I were ever in a position to be able to prevent this from happening to others in military service I would do so.” Dovilla joined Rep. Michael Stinziano, D-Columbus, today in introducing a bill designed to improve access to voting for members of Ohio’s military serving overseas and other overseas voters.

Canada: Online voting: An open invitation to voting fraud | Vancouver Sun

The Internet voting system approved by Vancouver city council promises unprecedented and untraceable voter fraud if it is allowed to proceed. We can only hope the provincial government will have the good sense to reject the city’s plan.

On the face of it, the system would allow voters to cast their ballots from the comfort of their own home. The idea sounds attractive and inevitable. After all, isn’t everything going online? Proponents suggest Internet voting will increase voter participation and will be secure. They are wrong on both counts.

Ireland: Confining e-voting in Ireland to the scrap heap | Connaugh Telegraph

The ill-conceived electronic voting system imposed on us by the former Government has cost us, the taxpayers, €58 million, a loss a bankrupt country can do without. Environment Minister Phil Hogan has decided to pull the plug on e-voting and have a fire sale of the 7,504 machines held in storage at warehouses all over the country.

A tender process is being prepared for international publication, which will detail the amount of memory and the software specifications in the machines in the hope some technology firm may be able to harvest some value from them before they are finally scrapped. The e-voting saga has proved an expensive lesson for this country. The concept was not sought nor wanted by the electorate.

Wisconsin: Amended voter ID bill would take effect before Wisconsin recall elections | Wisconsin State Journal

Voters would be asked for a photo ID in the upcoming recall elections but would still be allowed to vote without one. They would then be informed that a photo ID would be mandatory beginning with the spring 2012 Primary.

The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee passed an amended version of the photo ID bill Monday, removing a provision that required student IDs to carry correct addresses and moving up the date of implementation to immediately after the bill passes.

“We were all wondering why there’s such a rush on this bill — now we know,” said state Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse. “It’s about the recall elections. You feel the rules need to be changed right in the middle of the game.”

Texas: Texas voter ID appears to be headed to governor to become law | Texas Legislature News – News for Dallas, Texas – The Dallas Morning News

Legislation that would require Texans to show a photo ID before voting was given final approval by the Senate on Monday, with the House expected to sign on later and send the bill to the governor. Senators approved the measure 19-12 along partisan lines, signaling the apparent victory in a long effort by Republicans to require voters to prove their identity before casting a ballot.

Democrats had managed to defeat the proposal in the last few legislative sessions, relying on parliamentary maneuvers and a large number of House Democrats. But that changed after last fall’s elections, when Republicans emerged with a supermajority in the House.

Texas: Restrictions on out-of-state voter registration pass in Texas | dallasnews.com

An elections bill by Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, has a very broad caption – “relating to certain election procedures and practices” – and is subsequently beginning to look like a Christmas tree.

For legislative lingo novices, that means lots of bills that haven’t made it to the floor yet are being hung on the bill as amendments.”This should have never happened,” said Rep. Marc Veasy, D-Fort Worth, a member of the House Elections Committee who helped kill some of them in committee, after the bill passed with no fewer than 17 bills/amendments, some of which had gotten no hearing.

Pennsylvania: Measure to require voter ID at polling places moves ahead in Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Post Gazette

A measure that would require voters to show photo identification when they go to cast their ballot now awaits consideration by the state House of Representatives, following a lengthy committee debate this morning.

The bill from Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry and chair of the State Government Committee, passed the panel on a party-lines vote of 15-9. Under the proposal, voters would be required to show a photo identification card issued by either the state or federal government. Pennsylvania voters currently are only required to show an ID during their first time at a polling site.

Maine: New Voting System Debated in Maine Legislature | MPBN.net

Diane Russell’s goal is to enable Mainers to vote for their favorite gubernatorial candidate, rather than against their least favorite. “We want to make sure that the person elected to run our state shares the values of the vast majority of this state,” said Russell.

Her bill would enable voters to list candidates in order of preference – something that she feels would make the process more democratic if none of them get more than 50 percent of the vote, as often happens. In the case of no clear winner, a so-called “instant run-off” takes place, whereby the weakest candidate is eliminated, and his or her votes are re-distributed using the voters’ second choice candidates. This process continues until one of them has more than 50 percent of the vote. This system, she says, gives voters more choice, enabling them to go for the candidate they like the most rather than having to vote strategically.

Maine: Critics: GOP bill would disenfranchise Maine voters | The Portland Press Herald

A proposal aimed at easing the burden on municipal clerks around Election Day was opposed Monday by several groups that said eliminating same-day voter registration would disenfranchise Maine voters.

L.D. 1376, sponsored by House Speaker Bob Nutting, R-Oakland, and supported by Secretary of State Charlie Summers, would ban absentee voting during the two business days before Election Day for most voters, and eliminate registration for most voters during the same period and on Election Day.

Indiana: Rokita calls White’s release of report a mistake | nwi.com