Nevada: Cherchio seeks recount in disputed North Las Vegas election | Las Vegas Sun

One day after Wade Wagner was sworn in as a North Las Vegas city councilman in Ward 4, former Councilman Richard Cherchio has demanded a recount – the latest development in the ongoing dispute. One illegal ballot was cast in Precinct 4306 in the June 7 general election that Wagner won by one vote.

After two lawsuits, several restraining orders and a judge’s ruling that the city must swear in Wagner, Cherchio is moving forward with his last option. Cherchio has requested a recount in precincts 2440, 2500 and 4304. The recount will cost him $600.

Thailand: Thai Election Body Certifies Yingluck’s MP Status | CRI.com

The Election Commission of Thailand on Tuesday certified the MP status of Prime Minister designate Yingluck Shinawatra and Caretaker Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thai media reported.

The EC certified 12 more MPs Tuesday. Among the twelve are Yingluck Shinawatra, the prime minister candidate from fugitive prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party, Caretaker Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Acting Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban from the elite-back Democrat Party, Thai media reported.

The EC had spent about two weeks after the election day on July 3 to probe into a complain on electoral fraud amid pressure from various political groups, especially the pro-Thaksin "red-shirt" camp, who organized a small rally in front of the EC office last week.

The Voting News Daily: E-voting is not safe, Cherokee Nation Chief Still Undecided After Weekend Recount

Estonia: Expert from USA: e-voting is not safe | bbn.ee

Barbara Simons, a reputable expert on IT-safety, who is visiting Tallinn, claims that as internet becomes more and more dangerous, most of the internet experts are certain that e-voting is everything but safe, writes Raepress.

Simons said that cyber criminals are able to gather all kinds of information and even attack different governments – as Russian hackers did with Estonian internet systems. Simons added that allegedly, the computer virus that attacked Iran was released by specialists from Israel and USA.

Simons was in Tallinn Town Hall yesterday, taking part in a forum dedicated to e-voting and today will hold a public lecture titled “Time is not ripe for e-voting”. On Wednesday Simons will give a press conference as well. Read More

Oklahoma: Cherokee Nation Chief Still Undecided After Weekend Recount | KOTV.com

After two days recounting the recount, there’s a new vote tally, but not a new Chief of the Cherokee Nation. In a hand recount of votes over the weekend, Chad Smith won by a narrow five votes but that may not mean he gets to keep his job.

A Cherokee Nation lawyer compares it to the Bush-Gore race in Florida. It was unchartered territory for America. Now, Smith-Baker is testing the laws of the Cherokee Nation. After a painstaking two days of counting more than 15,000 ballots, this announcement from Chief Chad Smith:

“I’ve come out ahead,” Chief Chad Smith said. But his challenger, Bill John Baker, says not so fast. Read More

South Carolina: Many face fight to prove ID | TheState.com

Ruth Johnson remembers being sent to the pay phone in the middle of the night to call the midwife when her mother’s labor pains started. “I called the midwife. She said she was coming. She never did show up,” Johnson said, thinking back to life as a 12-year-old in Barnwell County in the late 1950s.

Before long, Ruth’s mother sent her back to the pay phone at the Hilda grocery store. The second time, the midwife admitted she had no intention of coming to help with the birth. “She said, ‘Your mama, she owes me $25 for the last baby.’” And so the baby was born in the family home, without a birth certificate — a common practice in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s in rural South Carolina, but one that is causing problems now for an older generation required to have proof of identification.

Before the government began discouraging midwifery in the 1970s, a lot of women in rural South Carolina didn’t go to hospitals to have their babies, either because of the cost, discrimination or culture. Often, the births were unrecorded, whether a midwife was in attendance or not. In some cases, names were misspelled by illiterate midwives or recorded incompletely when parents couldn’t settle on a first name right away.

Estonia: Expert from USA: e-voting is not safe | bbn.ee

Barbara Simons, a reputable expert on IT-safety, who is visiting Tallinn, claims that as internet becomes more and more dangerous, most of the internet experts are certain that e-voting is everything but safe, writes Raepress.

Simons said that cyber criminals are able to gather all kinds of information and even attack different governments – as Russian hackers did with Estonian internet systems. Simons added that allegedly, the computer virus that attacked Iran was released by specialists from Israel and USA.

Simons was in Tallinn Town Hall yesterday, taking part in a forum dedicated to e-voting and today will hold a public lecture titled “Time is not ripe for e-voting”. On Wednesday Simons will give a press conference as well.

Oklahoma: Cherokee Nation Chief Still Undecided After Weekend Recount | KOTV.com

After two days recounting the recount, there's a new vote tally, but not a new Chief of the Cherokee Nation. In a hand recount of votes over the weekend, Chad Smith won by a narrow five votes but that may not mean he gets to keep his job.

A Cherokee Nation lawyer compares it to the Bush-Gore race in Florida. It was unchartered territory for America. Now, Smith-Baker is testing the laws of the Cherokee Nation. After a painstaking two days of counting more than 15,000 ballots, this announcement from Chief Chad Smith:

"I've come out ahead," Chief Chad Smith said. But his challenger, Bill John Baker, says not so fast.

California: Internet Voting In California? | California Progress Report

Election integrity advocates recently launched a campaign to block a bill, SB908, that would have introduced email voting for Californians living overseas. We fought it for several reasons.

First, paperless voting itself is dangerous because there is no independent way to check the results claimed by the machines, and no way to recover when something goes wrong, and it will. Voting across the Internet is worse, because it opens up the voting system to several more types of attack, from anywhere in the world, all of them dangerous. Voting by email attachment is even worse, because no attempt is made to encrypt the ballot as it travels from computer to computer across the globe on the way to its destination.

Any of these computers is quite capable of "photoshopping" or simply blocking any ballot that passes through. A ballot sent from Afghanistan could pass through computers in China, Iran, Russia, or any other country interested in "fixing" ballots headed for California. This is only one of several severe vulnerabilities in Internet voting.

Wisconsin: Nickolaus says she does not plan to show all election-breakdown results | JSOnline

When Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus said in May that she intended to start providing unofficial election night results broken down by municipality - something that might have flagged the kind of snafu that earned her notoriety after the Supreme Court election this spring - she did not mean all municipal results.

Nickolaus told the County Board's Executive Committee on Monday that she'll change her reporting practices based on advice from the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.

When pressed in committee by Supervisor David Swan as to whether she'd return to past practice of showing results for municipalities, even if the state elections officials don't suggest it, she said, "Not at this point."

Texas: Harris County buying new voting machine warehouse | Houston Chronicle

Harris County is buying a building to house voting machines and other equipment that will replace a warehouse destroyed by fire last August. The $4.35 million purchase of a facility on Todd Road near the intersection of Hempstead Highway and 34th is expected to close this month, said John Blount, director of architecture and engineering.

After a renovation, the building will house voting machines, the County Clerk's archives, Tax Assessor-Collector's distribution center and perhaps records of several justices of the peace and other county departments.

"Me and my team, we just worked our butts off finding the best possible replacement location," Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart said. "Online we looked at over 100 places. In person I know I looked at at least three or four dozen. We scoured the county trying to find the best deal for the taxpayers."

National: Congresswoman Susan Davis Introduces Bill to End Abesentee Ballot Restrictions | East County Magazine

Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) has introduced legislation, the Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act (H.R. 2084), that would end restrictions many states impose on a person’s ability to vote by absentee ballot.

Currently, 21 states restrict an eligible voter’s ability to vote by mail, also known as absentee.  The other states offer no-excuse absentee voting.  Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) re-introduced her bill to end such restrictions and allow all eligible voters nationwide to vote by mail for any reason in federal elections.

West Virginia: Thompson refuses to participate in own election challenge  | The Charleston Gazette

Defeated mayoral candidate Janet "JT" Thompson told City Council Monday she won't take part in the tribunal to hear the election challenge she filed. Even so, council members voted to give Thompson one more chance to appear at that court-like hearing on Thursday.

… Thompson, who has filed a number of legal challenges after losing to Jones in the May 17 election by more than a 2-1 margin, spoke briefly at the start of the council meeting Monday evening.

South Carolina: Voter ID law prompts concern | TheSunNews.com

West Ashley resident Everett Garlington is among the estimated 180,000 people who could be disenfranchised if S.C.'s photo ID law holds up.
His trouble: he misplaced his driver's license.

True, he could get a replacement, but it will cost him more than $160 - money he said the Department of Motor Vehicles wants because years ago he was late turning in a license plate.

The other half of Garlington's troubles: Because his missing driver's license is still valid, the DMV won't issue an alternative photo ID to use at the polls.
"If they had an election today, I couldn't vote," said Garlington, 59.

Egypt: Egypt military rulers name electoral council head | The Associated Press

Egypt's military rulers commissioned a top judge Monday to form an electoral commission, starting the process of organizing the country's first elections after the popular uprising that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.
The military decree effectively sets a timeframe for the first parliamentary elections in Egypt's transition to democracy. The commission begind work on Sept.18, with the vote expected to follow roughly two months later, according to human rights lawyers. The decree, reported by the state news agency, did not set an exact date.

The decision settles a major dispute among various political factions over whether elections should come before or after the writing of a constitution. Many liberals fear well-organized Islamist groups are poised to win big in parliament and hence influence the writing of the country's post-revolution constitution.

Pakistan: Election Commission of Pakistan postpones registration of new voters | The Express Tribune

The Election Commission of Pakistan (EC) has postponed a door-to-door campaign for the registration of new voters, Express 24/7 reported on Tuesday.

The campaign has been postponed due to a delay in the printing of electoral rolls. Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Ali Arshad Hakeem had requested that the schedule be reconsidered due to problems being faced in the printing of lists containing 80 million voters.
Following the request, the election commission decided to start the campaign from next month.

Editorials: False charges delay Election Commission work | Bangkok Post

The Election Commission is to endorse the election of more MPs today. The work of the EC has been slowed down by numerous objections lodged after the July 3 election. By this point after the 2007 general election, the EC had completed its inspection of party-list candidates. This year, the number of protests, complaints and objections means that as of this morning, 142 seats have yet to be filled out of the 500 MP seats. There is strong evidence, including statements from the EC, that many of the complaints are frivolous.

Kudos, then, to the sometimes controversial Commissioner Sodsri Satayathum for speaking out against trivial complaints lodged against the winning candidates. There seems little doubt that a small number of hardline political followers hopes to sideline candidates from other parties by launching official complaints of cheating during the campaign or at the polls. The EC should deal with such tactics with its own harsh response.

Thailand: Thai Panel Certifies Yingluck Election | VoA News

Thailand's election commission endorsed the election to parliament of Pheu Thai leader Yingluck Shinawatra, Tuesday, clearing the way for her to become the nation's first female prime minister.

The commission said it had voted unanimously to dismiss complaints that Yingluck violated election laws by involving banned politicians - including her elder brother - in her campaign. The decision eases fears of instability raised by the commission's failure to endorse her with the majority of the July 3 election winners last week.

The commission also announced the endorsement of outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, whose endorsement also was delayed last week. A total of 370 lawmakers have now been approved.

Thailand: Yingluck, Abhisit ‘to get Election Commission nod’ | The Nation

Pheu Thai's top party-list candidate Yingluck Shinawatra, the PM-in-waiting, and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva are expected to be endorsed as MPs today, Election Commission member Somchai Juengprasert said yesterday.

The Election Commission is scheduled to announce a second batch of endorsed MPs today. However, Somchai, who is in charge of election investigations, said it was not certain yet if all other winning candidates would be endorsed.

Saint Kitts and Nevis: Federal leader pledges support for Nevis administration | Antigua Observer Newspaper

A day after Joseph Parry and his Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) were returned to office following Monday’s elections on Nevis, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas pledged the federal government will continue to work closely with the sister isle’s new administration, a government statement here said, even as protests over Monday’s poll continued.

“You have elected a government to look after the interest of the people of Nevis. My duty as the leader of the Federal Government is to lend support whenever that support is required,” said Douglas in brief remarks as Premier Parry and his cabinet were sworn in at a public ceremony at Elquemedo Willett Park in the Nevisian capital, Charlestown.

“Today, I yet affirm that you can depend upon me and the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Government to do at all times what is right for the people of Nevis and what is right for the people of St. Kitts as well,” he added.

Kenya: Kenya election team plans to enroll 19m voters | Daily Nation

A key leader they have brought on their side is former National Assembly Speaker Francis ole Kaparo who wants to be UDM chairman. “We are talking to many people and we are ready to make sacrifices to win the next election,” Mr Keter said.

Ms Karua was in Western seeking support for her presidential bid. And four ODM ministers and three assistant ministers said on Sunday they have a strategy to ensure the elections do not end in a run-off.

Ministers Fred Gumo, James Orengo, Otieno Kajwang’, Dalmas Otieno and assistant ministers Oburu Oginga, Ayiecho Olweny, Katoo ole Metito and chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo said they had a campaign in place.

Guyana: Guyana Elections Commission targets mid-November for election readiness | Demerara Waves

The Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Monday voted 3-2 in favour of reopening the Claims and Objections period to allow several thousand persons with source documents to be registered in order to vote later this year.

“The proposed date for the reopening of the exercise is July 25th 2011 for a duration of 13 days with the Claims aspect running for 10 days,” GECOM Chairman Dr. Surujbally announced at news briefing Monday afternoon.

Indonesia: House to Rule on Party Electoral Threshold Level | The Jakarta Globe

A plenary session of the House of Representatives will rule on Tuesday on a draft election bill that includes an unsettled clause about the electoral threshold level for political parties.

Viva Yoga Mauladi, House faction deputy chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), said that because the factions had been unable to agree on three clauses, the leadership of the House, also known as the DPR, agreed on Monday to bring the draft bill to the plenary session for a decision.

Grenada: Ruling party gears for general election | Antigua Observer Newspaper

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has launched 2013 general election re-election bid y reminding supporters that it has no intention of going back to the pre-2008 period when the party was in opposition.

Newly elected chairman, Kenrick Fullerton, told the annual convention here on Sunday that “the message from the Grenadian people is clear,  and we must hear them; that we must do better because going back to the wastage and mismanagement and national tension that existed before 2008,  is not an option.