The Voting News Daily: Expense of fake Democrats in Wisconsin primaries will top $400,000, Maine Senate Rejects Bill Requiring Photo ID to Vote

A plan by Republicans to run fake Democratic candidates in this summer’s recall elections would cost taxpayers upward of $428,000, according to election clerks. In one Senate district alone, the cost would top $100,000, interviews with county and municipal clerks show.

Even if Republicans back off their plans in some of the districts, taxpayers are all but guaranteed to have to pay the costs of the primary, because Democrats now plan to run multiple candidates in order to guarantee all the recall elections are held on the same day. Tuesday is the filing deadline.

Recall elections for six Republican senators are scheduled for July 12. But if there are multiple candidates from the same party in any of those elections, the July 12 election becomes a primary, with a general recall election to follow on Aug. 9. Read More

Maine: Maine Senate Rejects Bill Requiring Photo ID to Vote | MPBN

The Maine Legislature continued its wrangling over a series of voting bills today when it took up LD 199, a bill that would require Maine voters to present an approved photo identification card to local voting clerks when casting ballots in state and municipal elections. Proponents of the bill say the policy is already in force in eight other states and will serve to discourage fraud in state balloting. But critics argue the measure will disenfrancise voters by discouraging participation in the election process.

For Democrats like Sen. Justin Alfond, of Portland, a bill to require a state-approved photo identification card in order to vote is a solution in search of a problem.

“There’s simply no evidence that voter ID requirement solves any real problems here in Maine,” he said. “People simply do not impersonate other people in order to vote.” Read More

Wisconsin: Expense of fake Democrats in primaries will top $400,000 | JSOnline

A plan by Republicans to run fake Democratic candidates in this summer's recall elections would cost taxpayers upward of $428,000, according to election clerks. In one Senate district alone, the cost would top $100,000, interviews with county and municipal clerks show.

Even if Republicans back off their plans in some of the districts, taxpayers are all but guaranteed to have to pay the costs of the primary, because Democrats now plan to run multiple candidates in order to guarantee all the recall elections are held on the same day. Tuesday is the filing deadline.

Recall elections for six Republican senators are scheduled for July 12. But if there are multiple candidates from the same party in any of those elections, the July 12 election becomes a primary, with a general recall election to follow on Aug. 9.

Maine: Maine Senate Rejects Bill Requiring Photo ID to Vote | MPBN

The Maine Legislature continued its wrangling over a series of voting bills today when it took up LD 199, a bill that would require Maine voters to present an approved photo identification card to local voting clerks when casting ballots in state and municipal elections. Proponents of the bill say the policy is already in force in eight other states and will serve to discourage fraud in state balloting. But critics argue the measure will disenfrancise voters by discouraging participation in the election process.

For Democrats like Sen. Justin Alfond, of Portland, a bill to require a state-approved photo identification card in order to vote is a solution in search of a problem.

"There's simply no evidence that voter ID requirement solves any real problems here in Maine," he said. "People simply do not impersonate other people in order to vote."

National: Did Mitt Romney Commit Voter Fraud? | Mother Jones

Did Mitt Romney commit voter fraud when he cast a ballot for Scott Brown in last year's special election in Massachusetts? On Monday, one of his lesser known opponents for the GOP presidential nomination, Fred Karger, filed a complaint with Massachusetts state election officials alleging that he voted for Brown, as well as in other Massachusetts elections, when he was not in fact a resident of the Bay State.

In his complaint, Karger lays out a chronology of Romney's real estate moves since his failed presidential bid in 2008. According to Karger's timetable, Romney and his wife, Ann, bought a $12.5 million home in La Jolla, California, in May 2008. ("I wanted to be where I could hear the waves," Romney told the AP of his move to the West Coast.) Thereafter, Romney became a regular at California political events, even campaigning for Meg Whitman during her gubernatorial bid. A year later, in April 2009, the Romneys sold their home in Belmont, Massachusetts, for $3.5 million, and registered to vote from an address in the basement of an 8,000 square-foot Belmont manse owned by their son Tagg. But where the Romneys really lived these past couple of years seems to be a bit of a mystery. While Romney was appearing at so many California political events people were speculating he was going to run for office there, the National Journal reported in May 2009 that the Romneys had made their primary residence a $10 million estate in New Hampshire.

Indiana: White says special prosecutor in his case voted illegally | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com

Embattled Secretary of State Charlie White has filed a complaint against one of the special prosecutors in his felony voter fraud case, alleging he is guilty of the same offense White's charged with.

White, 41, filed the eight-page complaint to Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards Friday. White accuses Special Prosecutor Dan Sigler, his ex-wife Nancy Sigler and current wife Sherie Hampshire of voting at the wrong polling sites in the past six years.

Sigler denied the accusations, calling it "sour grapes" on White's part.

Maine: Move to Eliminate Maines Same Day Voter Registration Law Draws Protests | MPBN

A bill to do away with same-day voter registration in Maine is expected to be signed into law this week. The measure gained legislative approval late Friday night after a long and heated debate in the state Senate. Supporters claim it will safeguard against voter fraud and make life easier for overworked municipal clerks on Election Day. But civil liberties groups say the law will disenfranchise thousands of Maine voters.

LD 1376 was approved by the state Senate on Friday night after a lengthy, and at times emotional, debate--none more emotional than Brunswick Democrat Stan Gerzofsky.

"And people can walk out of this room tonight if they don't want to hear the truth. That's fine with me. But my voice isn't going to get lower because you're doing it. It'll get louder, and louder, and louder," he shouted, to the bang of a gavel. "Mister Chair, I'm sorry I'm yelling."

Australia: Hanson fraudster admits deception | smh.com.au

The man who led Pauline Hanson to believe she was robbed of votes in the NSW upper house poll has admitted in court to forging an email that led her to challenge her March election loss.

In the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sydney teacher Sean Castle was granted protection from prosecution before being compelled to answer questions relating to a purported Electoral Commission email.

Ms Hanson has said she was told of an email exchange between NSW Electoral Commission staff that alleged 1200 votes in her favour in the March 26 poll were put in a pile of blank ballots by "dodgy staff".

National: Phish and Chips: Why Cyber Attacks Are So Difficult to Trace Back to Hackers | Scientific American

Cyber attacks may not be a new phenomenon but the recent successes scored against high-profile targets including CitiGroup, Google, RSA and government contractors such as Lockheed Martin underscore the targets' current failure to block security threats enabled by the Internet. Malicious hackers use the very same technology that enables online banking, entertainment and myriad other communication services to attack these very applications, steal user data, and then cover their own tracks.

One common practice that attackers employ to evade detection is to break into poorly secured computers and use those hijacked systems as proxies through which they can launch and route attacks worldwide. Although such attacks are an international problem, there is no international response, which frustrates local law enforcement seeking cooperation from countries where these  proxy servers typically reside.

Editorials: Opposing view: ID laws ensure election integrity | Hans A. von Spakovsky/ USAToday.com

Why are states such as Texas and Kansas passing voter ID laws? Quite simply, to ensure the integrity of our election process.

Our View: Republican ID laws smack of vote suppression

All Americans who are eligible to vote must have the opportunity to do so. But it's equally important that their ballots are not stolen or diluted by fraudulent votes. That is one of the reasons that Americans — by an overwhelming margin, across all racial and ethnic lines — support such common-sense reform.

Voter ID can significantly defeat and deter impersonation fraud at the polls, voting under fictitious names, double-voting by individuals registered in more than one state, and voting by non-citizens. As the Supreme Court has pointed out, "flagrant examples of such fraud … have been documented throughout this nation's history."

Connecticut: Secretary of State Merrill announces awarding of nearly $1.2 million grant for voting technology in CT | ConnecticutPlus.com

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill today announced that Connecticut has successfully won a federal grant of $1,184,441 from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal body established as a result of the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

The federal grant was attained through Secretary Merrill committing a state match of $62,000 and was awarded June 8th through federal HAVA funds available to states. The new funds can be used for a variety of functions used to enhance voting technology, such as maintaining or enhancing Connecticut’s optical scan voting machines, testing or investing in new voting systems for disabled voters, and making improvements to the state Centralized Voter Registration database.

New York: Kavanaugh bill in New York state assembly would make ballots easier to read and use | Civic Design

Add your comments to a posting on the web site for WNYC's radio show, "It's a Free Country," that presents a proposed redesign for the New York ballot.
The Brennan Center for Justice worked with Design for Democracy and theUsability in Civic Life project to develop an updated best practice ballot design that takes into account the particularities of voting in New York state.

On the show, which aired on June 9, 2011, New York state assemblyman Brian Kavanaugh and Larry Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice discuss how important design is to successful voting and elections. On the show, Larry runs through the proposed design improvements and why they'll make a difference. There are images of a redesigned ballot on the site, as well, and the show invites your comments.

Philippines: Comelec may get new IT provider, other than Smartmatic, in next polls | Inquirer News

The postponement of next month’s Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao polls may have virtually quashed the dreams of the Smartmatic Philippines to be the exclusive automated election service provider in the Philippines.

“No more. They’ll have to compete [with other providers] in 2013,”

Commission on Elections chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. told reporters when asked if the poll body would still be contracting Smartmatic for future elections in the country.

Smartmatic and its partner, Total Information Management Inc., won the P7-billion contract for the May 2010 national and local elections. The consortium produced some 80,000 Precinct Count Optical Scan machines for the exercise.

Thailand: Thai Royalists Urge People Not to Vote in July Election | VoAnews

In Thailand, the political campaign season is fully under way ahead of next month’s closely contested national elections. While much of the attention is on the standoff between the ruling Democrat Party and the opposition Pheu Thai party, there are scores of lesser-known parties vying to be heard.

But one political movement that has played a major role in politics in recent years is now urging people not to vote at all.

Thailand: Election Commission has no objection to European Union monitoring poll | Bangkok Post

The Election Commission has raised no objections to the European Union's observer role in the July 3 election. EC chairman Apichart Sukhagganond yesterday said the commission was ready to allow the EU to monitor the poll in Thailand since EU member countries also had embassies in the kingdom.

Mr Apichart said the EC had told the EU during a recent meeting that it had no objection to the EU request to send a team of officials to observe the July 3 poll as the commission was confident it could supervise the general election in line with international standards.

Saudi Arabia: Civic poll candidates given 11 days to campaign in Saudi Arabia | Arab News

Candidates contesting in the Sept. 29 civil polls have been given 11 days from Sept. 18 to 28 for campaigning and they can use the Internet and social media for the purpose, said Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash, chairman of the General Election Commission.

“The commission has not banned the candidates from using the Internet and electronic websites during their election campaign as long as they do not violate the general rules,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Al-Dahmash as saying.