Two bills authored by District 23 state Rep. Mark Hamilton were recently signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal. House Bill 92 shortens the early voting period from 45 to 21 days as a cost-saving measure.
It also requires polls to be open on one Saturday during the early voting period to improve access for those whose work schedules don’t allow them to vote on weekdays.
The chance to be the city’s first elected mayor in generations is attracting a long list of candidates who also will have the distinction of being the first Maine politicians content to be a voter’s second or third choice, thanks to ranked-choice voting. Ten candidates have registered with the city so far, meaning they are free to raise money and build a campaign organization.
The ballot is expected to get even more crowded in the coming weeks, with candidates attracted by the full-time job — it will pay about $66,000 a year — the four-year term, some limited powers and the ability to set precedents.
The Los Angeles County registrar said final results of California’s 36th district special election will not be certified and announced until Friday, leaving the makeup of the July 12 runoff unknown.
When every precinct had finished counting late Tuesday night, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn (D) was the only candidate assured of a spot in the runoff and a chance to replace former Rep. Jane Harman (D).
Republican secretary of state candidate Hilda Legg said Wednesday that she intends to ask for a recanvass after Tuesday’s vote totals are certified. The Republican race for secretary of state was the closest of Tuesday’s primary.
According to The Associated Press, Todd County businessman and teacher Bill Johnson beat Legg, a Somerset consultant and former federal official, by 1,097 votes with 100 percent of precincts reporting. The official count — conducted by the Secretary of State’s office — will not be finalized until Friday. Legg has until Tuesday to ask for a recanvass.
After losing her bid for a seat on the Port Arthur school board, Julia Samuels is charging foul and plans to contest election results. Samuels told The News on Tuesday that she believes the Saturday’s election was riddled with irregularities, or even corruption.
“I would use the word “corruption” with ease,” Samuels said. “This has to stop.” Samuels cited several problems with the election process that she believes may have cost her votes, beginning with the accuracy of the electronic machines used to cast ballots. [Jefferson County uses ES&S iVotronic touchscreen voting machines]
“I never did trust the electronic machines,” she said.
Egyptian elections will have a ‘made in India’ stain. The country electing its new President, after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak this February, will use indelible ink used as a marker in India since 1952 to prevent multiple voting. It would also be a litmus test for the Indian electoral system, as United Nations wants the Election Commission’s expertise to play a role in conducting polls in 12 Arab countries, which faced popular similar uprisings after Mubarak’s ouster.
A team of the Election Commission (EC) made a presentation to the officials of the newly set up election management bodies of Arab countries, with 728 million voters, in Cairo earlier this month. “Countries such as Lebanon and Algeria showed great interest on use of satellite and SMS service for conducting elections,” said Akshay Rout, a director general in the commission.
For the first time in Peru electronic voting will be part of the June 5 presidential election, reports La Républica. This marks the beginning of the new electoral era in Peru and the district chosen to start this new experience is Pacarán, located in Cañete.
“We already have a team in place and have installed the hardware and software to be used in Pacarán, which has 1,350 voters,” said Ricardo Saavedra, head of IT Projects for the national elections office.
Typical 16 and 17-year-olds enjoy sleeping in on Sundays. But on May 22, those in the German city-state of Bremen will have a reason to greet the day a bit earlier. For the first time in their nation’s history, they will be allowed to cast ballots in state elections after the local government decided to lower the voting age to 16 from the nationwide standard of 18.
Politicians in the northern port city have made great efforts to reach the young new voting bloc, with candidates spending an entire morning speaking with students at the city parliament and taking time to visit most of the area’s schools. Local sports stars have also tried sparking interest among teens. Sebastian Prödl, a player for football club SV Werder Bremen, even made a bet with a number of school classes that their under-20 demographic couldn’t beat voter turnout among 21- to 35-year-olds. If they prove him wrong, he’ll teach an hour-long lesson for each class.
The Democratic race for Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge could be headed for a recount. The decision on whether to tally the votes again will be made next week, when counties submit official returns to the Department of State.
A total of 603,801 Democratic voters supported either Kathryn Boockvar or Barbara Ernsberger Tuesday. Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele explained just how slim Boockvar’s unofficial 50.3 to 49.8 percent lead is. “Right now, as of about an hour ago, the difference between the two candidates was 2,794 votes, which is within the half of the 1 percent,” she said.
Estonia: OSCE recommends that Estonia regulate e-voting in more detail | The Baltic Course
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), an agency of the the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitored the March 6 2011 parliamentary elections in Estonia and published its report on the elections on Monday. The organisation recommends to supplement and specify the legislation governing e-voting. (Read the Report (PDF))
OSCE also recommends Estonia to document more thoroughly different processes involving e-voting and to increase public’s awareness of different nuances of e-voting.
According to the report, e-voting has in general received high level of confidence… Read More
Kansas: Realpolitick, Kobach style | Clay Center Dispatch
[Clay] County [KS] clerk Kayla Wang says her staff is dreading expected complaints the first election after Kansas’ new voter picture ID law takes effect. “Too many people are not going to understand what’s going on. They’re not going to be happy,” Wang said.
Why is it necessary to require all voters to present a photo ID to vote and a birth certificate to register for the first time or… Read More
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), an agency of the the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitored the March 6 2011 parliamentary elections in Estonia and published its report on the elections on Monday. The organisation recommends to supplement and specify the legislation governing e-voting. (Read the Report (PDF))
OSCE also recommends Estonia to document more thoroughly different processes involving e-voting and to increase public’s awareness of different nuances of e-voting.
[Clay] County [KS] clerk Kayla Wang says her staff is dreading expected complaints the first election after Kansas’ new voter picture ID law takes effect. “Too many people are not going to understand what’s going on. They’re not going to be happy,” Wang said.
Why is it necessary to require all voters to present a photo ID to vote and a birth certificate to register for the first time or renew a driver’s license? No one has justified the cost and inconvenience of this nuisance intrusion into our lives to our satisfaction.
We can certainly see the political advantage its author, Kris Kobach, has gained from this. He scores political points with the fringe. The rest of us pay the price in dollars and inconvenience.
A Senate panel on Tuesday took a look at a bill that would require North Carolina voters to show a photo ID when they go to the polls to cast their ballots.
“I think it does ensure integrity in our elections process,” Sen. Debbie Clary, R-Cleveland, told a Senate Judiciary Committee. “It ensures that you are who you say you are when you come to vote.” Clary said the bill mirrors a Georgia voter ID law. … Clary said she did not have complete information on how much it would cost the state to implement such a program. She said preliminary cost estimates were around $3.1 million.
The U.S. Department of Justice will “carefully consider” changes to Florida’s elections laws under a bill Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign into law this week.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson complained to the feds before the bill was passed that the measure would impose severe restrictions on Floridians’ voting rights. Democrats are convinced the measure is aimed at suppressing Democratic votes in next year’s presidential election in the swing state considered crucial by both parties. Nelson drew flak with his comments at the time likening the fight against the elections overhaul to the the years-long covert operation that culminated in the death of Osama bin Laden.
The Ohio Secretary of State has a goal for 2012, to not be in the national spotlight. “That’s why you see us in early 2011 working through all the issues that we foresee on our doorstep in November of 2012,” said Jon Husted. “The last thing in the world that I ever want to be is the focus of any 2012 election.”
So Hosted is busy getting ready to institute changes that will likely come from two bills making their way through the state house and senate that will change the way people vote in Ohio. “For over 200 years, we voted on Tuesdays and now we’re trying to, over the last 10 years, perfect this early-voting process,” Husted said.
With state senators abandoning ship for statewide posts and new public jobs, and state representatives stepping up to become senators, and parish councilmen and mayors pushing to fill those vacancies, there has been a long string of special elections in recent months.
Over the course of the current term of the Louisiana Legislature, taxpayers have footed the bill for more than $1 million worth of special elections—basically, 32 unexpected contests—according to the Legislative Auditor’s Office, the most in the nation during that time frame.
Senate Republicans gave initial approval early Wednesday to a bill requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls, but Democrats blocked a final vote on the measure until Thursday.
Senators signaled their approval of the bill on a voice vote, with Republicans who control the house voting for it and Democrats opposed. That vote came at 12:30 a.m., after more than 10 hours of debate, but Democrats used Senate rules to prevent the final vote.
“Until we find out the results of that one machine, I’d rather not comment,” said Kaelin, last night.
In Tuesday’s primary, a voting machine malfunction left a cliff hanger in Glenolden which may not be resolved until sometime today at the earliest, according to officials. Eight candidates were competing for four four year seats on Interboro School Board.
It is unclear if long-time incumbent John Kaelin was defeated by a newcomer.
Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo wants to cut the cost of elections in the city and Broward County. This is in spite of the fact that his position as a city commissioner doesn’t impart him with much authority to change the way elections are run.
The Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes runs the elections, but Pembroke Pines pays. That rankles Castillo.
The Committee on Election Reform is convening an Election Reform Advisory Group for the purpose of examining Guam’s election laws to craft legislation that will help to ensure elections are efficient, fair, and reliable.
“During the last three General Elections, and a couple of primaries, we have repeatedly seen a wide ranging list of allegations and legal challenges relative to questionable or improper conduct. Despite collective cries of outrage, the underlying issues have, tragically, left many with a resigned acquiescence that all our election results are suspect – and will continue to be,” said Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr. in a press release.
Alaska’s governor has signed into law a bill allowing the state to use discretion in counting write-in ballots.
The law, set to take effect in August, is the result of last year’s U.S. Senate race. That race was ultimately decided in the courts.
Voting in municipal elections proceeded smoothly across South Africa on Wednesday, even in hotly contested districts, where a rising opposition party is hoping to make gains.
…
Some minor glitches occurred in parts of Johannesburg and in the far north, including several polling machines that did not function and one station that was damaged overnight in a fire.
Salt Lake County may have to come up with $10 million or more to keep elections running smoothly beyond 2015.
Elections Director Scott Konopasek announced Tuesday that the county’s voting machines may need to be swapped by then,meaning that the county would have to come up with the cash for about 3,000 replacements.
The projected tab: $10 million to $15 million.
Post-Election Public Opinion in Kosovo 2011, IFES’ third post-election survey in the country since 2008, is now available. The poll captures the perspectives of Kosovo citizens on matters such as perceptions of democracy, opinions on the December 2010 elections, and assessments of the overall situation in the country.
These IFES surveys have provided much insight into the evolution of opinions of Kosovo citizens from immediately prior to the country’s declaration of independence in 2008 to this year. The data not only gives a pulse of the country, but is a thorough gauge of public opinion on the country’s advancing electoral process and democracy.
The New South Wales electoral commissioner has rejected claims that two of his staff exchanged emails allegedly referring to errors in the count of votes for Upper House candidate Pauline Hanson. Ms Hanson is challenging the election result which saw her miss out on an Upper House seat.
She has launched action in the Court of Disputed Returns, after being told that staff at the commission had mistakenly put around 1,200 votes for her in a pile of blank ballots. Ms Hanson says she was tipped off by an Electoral Commission worker that her ballots were sabotaged.
North Carolina’s early voting would be scaled back by a week under a bill that won tentative approval from the state House on Thursday.
“This is clearly not an indictment against early voting,” said unaffiliated Rep. Bert Jones of Rockingham County, the sponsor of the bill. “I guess the question is, how long is enough?”
My print column this week examines the debate over voting systems that theorists and reformers have backed to replace the system prevalent in the U.S. and many other places, in which each voter gets one vote and the candidate with the most votes wins. Among possible alternative systems include some where voters rank candidates and others where they assign candidates scores.
Instant runoff, the focus of my column, has gotten the most traction so far. But some mathematicians point out that the system could give rise to various troubling results. Two significant ones: Voters who decide to shift their support from one candidate to a second can hurt that second candidate; and voters can get a worse outcome if they choose to show up to the polls, inadvertently helping their least-favorite candidate (the no-show paradox). Robert Z. Norman, Dartmouth College professor emeritus of mathematics, has simulated three-candidate elections in which each candidate has at least 25% of support and finds that each of these apparent paradoxes occur about one in five times.
Politically tinged legislation to cut North Carolina’s early voting period by a week hinges on Democratic worries they’ll lose voters and Republican insistence the shorter time is more efficient. The state House is scheduled to vote on the measure Monday. A tentative vote last week passed by a close margin, meaning a veto by Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue could block the measure.
More than 2.4 million voters — 55 percent of the electorate — cast ballots at one-stop sites in the 2008 general election marked by Barack Obama’s presidential victory. The first Democrat to receive North Carolina’s electoral votes in 32 years was powered in large part by a 300,000-vote advantage over Republican John McCain during early voting.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has hired two more lawyers and is planning to add another to help handle an expected workload increase resulting from the Republican-led Legislature’s recently ended session.
The ACLU, unions and some liberal and nonpartisan groups are gearing up for potential legal challenges to legislation as well as at least one of Gov. Rick Scott’s executive orders. They are reviewing measures that they say violate privacy, free speech, voting, due process, collective bargaining and other constitutional rights and requirements.
“I didn’t realize at the time of the election that when Gov. Scott said, ‘Let’s get to work,’ he was referring to the lawyers in the state, but that seems to be the way it’s working out,” Tallahassee lawyer Ron Meyer said. His clients include the Florida Education Association — the statewide teachers union — which is considering challenges to several measures.
“This legislative session has been maybe the biggest disaster for personal freedoms and human rights, and the list is long,” said Howard Simon, ACLU of Florida’s executive director. House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuits. Calls to Scott and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, were not immediately returned.
Full Article: New Florida laws may face legal challenges | TBO.com.
Bills requiring local special elections to be held on general election days and bringing military voting guidelines in line with national standards passed the House Monday night.
The special election date bill, sponsored by Harry Warren, requires special elections – such as bond referendums – to be held when voters would also be going to the polls on general election dates. The military absentee bill, sponsored by Rep. Grier Martin, D-Wake, would align North Carolina’s law with national standards. It would set standards for electronic transmission of ballots.