Yearly Archives: 2011

Kathy Nickolaus, the county clerk at the center of the state Supreme Court election controversy and the focus of an ongoing state elections investigation, has been described by colleagues and acquaintances as headstrong and insular, hardworking and independent.

She came to local public office, where constituents are the boss, from a staff job at the state Capitol, where partisan politics and loyalty to the party caucus fomented team warfare.

“I dont think shes ever gotten past that,” said Pam Reeves, the Republican elected county treasurer two years before Nickolaus arrival at the courthouse. “From the beginning she put up walls: Youre not going to tell me what to do. Then she put up more walls.”

Wisconsin: Taxpayers picking up over $230,000 cost of Wisconsin Supreme Court recount | Chippewa Herald

Wisconsin taxpayers so far are on the hook for more than a quarter-million dollars in the recount of votes in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The statewide recount of ballots in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race will cost the state at least $230,000, according to updated financial data gathered by Wisconsin Reporter.

As of Friday, initial recount cost estimates from 57 of the state’s 72 counties totaled $233,539, county officials said. That’s less than half of the Government Accountability Board’s initial estimate of $500,000, though figures from several of the state’s larger counties, including Milwaukee and Ozaukee, were unavailable.

Texas: Corpus Christi Texas Councilwoman asks for recount, investigation after 3 votes force runoff | Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Councilwoman Priscilla Leal wants a recount of Saturday’s election results and a state investigation into alleged voting problems in her district. Leal, who is seeking her fourth term as the District 3 representative, was forced into a runoff by three votes. She received 1,016 votes to challenger Roland Barrera’s 921 and Rose Marie Soto’s 99, according to complete, unofficial returns. Leal and Barrera will be in a runoff election June 11.

Leal met with City Secretary Armando Chapa late Monday afternoon to discuss her options and register complains about voting irregularities.

India: Rattled AGP seeks re-poll using paper ballots | The Assam Tribune Online

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Sunday made the bizarre demand for a re-poll using traditional ballots, saying that the Congress had rigged the electronic voting machines (EVMs) to win the Assam elections for the third straight time.

“Definitely there should be a re-election by way of ballots as we strongly believe the Congress party tampered and manipulated the electronic voting machines,” two-time former Chief Minister and AGP founder president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta told journalists. “We have formally apprised the Election Commission seeking a re-election in Assam,” he said.

The Voting News Daily: Why recounts are a vital part of election process, The Mathematical Debate Over Instant Runoff and Other Alternative Voting Systems

Joanne Kloppenburg: Why recounts are a vital part of election process | JSOnline

The Voting News for 05/17/2011

The Journal Sentinel Editorial Board is entitled to its own opinions but it is not entitled to its own facts. The board’s speculation about my motives regarding the recount of the vote in the Supreme Court election is inaccurate. I appreciate this opportunity to set the record straight.

The recount process in Wisconsin is unfolding as prescribed by Wisconsin law. Votes are recounted in all 72 counties, and an official record is made of that process. When the Editorial Board says the recount is a “mere preamble to the court challenge,” it is wrong on the facts and wrong to prejudge my intentions.

Wisconsin law specifically anticipates that there may be court challenges to the recount, but those challenges can only happen after the recount is done. The recount is not “merely” a preamble to anything: It is a process that proceeds in prescribed ways when an election is this close.

Full Article: Why recounts are a vital part of election process — JSOnline.

North Carolina bill would shorten early voting timeframe | Sun Journal

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?”

Jones said cutting back on the number of early voting days would help save money for local boards of elections and help candidates who’ve had to change their campaign strategy by sending mailers and purchasing ads weeks before election day.

Opponents, however, said it was misguided and would inconvenience voters at best, and would suppress voter turnout at worst. Currently, early voting starts on the Thursday that is 2½ weeks before an election. Jones’ bill would have early voting starting on the Thursday that is one and one-half weeks before an election.

Full Article: Bill would shorten early voting timeframe | timeframe, voting, bill — Sun Journal.

South Africa: South Africa: Ready for your vote | Times LIVE

Tomorrow is election day and the country will become a network of hope, change and unity. To make sure that each of the 23.5-million votes cast will count – literally at least – there are three people and their teams who have been working tirelessly. They are Libisi Maphanga, the chief information officer for the Independent Electoral Commission, and his ICT heads Mervin Naidoo and Melanie du Plessis.

Naidoo, responsible for IT operations and Du Plessis, responsible for business systems, rattle off staggering numbers related to the setup. “There are actually 278 different elections [one for each municipality] taking place in the country tomorrow at 20859 voting stations,” says Du Plessis. Then there are 200000 staff who have to be managed, 70.5-million ballot papers to be printed, and distributed and the multimillion votes which have to be counted, captured and audited before we all hear the results.

Taiwan: Legislators call for vote day change and for polling stations to stay open longer | Taipei Times

With the presidential and legislative elections just eight months away, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators are pushing for legal amendments that would allow the elections to be held on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, and for polling stations to stay open later because of the anticipated high voter turnout.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has traditionally set polling day on the second or the fourth Saturday of the month in which an election was held, with voting taking place from 8am until 4pm.

Nigeria: Forensic Tests Will Expose The Fraud In 2011 Nigeria Polls | Sahara Reporters

These were the welcoming remarks by Professor Itse Sagay when Sunday Trust visited his office in Lagos for this interview: “I have every reason to be worried. Since I made a remark criticizing the last elections especially in the South East and South-south as not being credible, I have not rested.

I have received calls from people in power asking why I made such remarks. Nigeria is not the safest country in the world and that was why when I saw your huge group, I began to be worried if you are truly a media team.” In this explosive interview, the Delta state born legal luminary who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), though expressed fears for his life but stuck to his guns that elections in the two regions were essentially rigged by what he described as ‘unintelligent riggers’ and ‘barbarians’ who were bent on pleasing President Jonathan with block votes.

Malta: Air Malta offers reduced fares for those wanting to vote | Malta Independent online

Just like for the 2008 general election and the 2009 European Parliament election, travel arrangements have been made for eligible voters living abroad to enable them to vote in Malta in the forthcoming divorce referendum on 28 May.

Bookings opened as from noon yesterday and Air Malta will be making available return tickets, at a charge of €35, inclusive of taxes and other charges, to persons whose name appears in the electoral register published last October.

New Jersey: New Jersey mail-in ballot bill should be shoo-in | The Asbury Park Press

A few years ago, New Jersey began allowing anyone who wanted to vote in elections using a mail-in absentee ballot to do so. It was a good idea that caught on with aging voters who have trouble getting out and with time-strapped voters who simply find it easier to vote at their leisure than to go to a polling place on Election Day.

Now, legislation passed by both the state Senate and Assembly will make it that much easier for people who vote by mail to ensure they continue to receive mail-in ballots, if Gov. Chris Christie signs it into law, as he should.

China: Special teams on ground in China to ensure fair elections | People’s Daily Online

The Party’s top member-managing and discipline-inspecting departments have jointly sent supervisory teams to 14 provinces and autonomous regions to ensure there is no misconduct during the local leadership reshuffles as officials at various levels finish their five-year terms.

The teams, comprising officials from the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Central Commission of Discipline Inspection, will supervise, examine and instruct those involved in local elections and leadership reshuffles in the provinces and autonomous regions of Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Tibet and Xinjiang, according to a statement by the Organization Department on Sunday.

Editorials: Teh Tarik: Majority vote | The Star Online

Following the rationale of one man, one vote, should not the outcome of an election reflect the true will of the people? Is it really fair? In Singapore’s elections last week, the People’s Action Party won 81 out of 87 seats even though only about 60% of voters chose it. Yes, the island republic officially has “democracy”, but the other 40% could be wondering if their views will count for much at all.

Democracy and elections are imperfect creatures which have slowly evolved over time.

Australia: Hanson election challenge begins in court | ABC Newcastle NSW

The New South Wales Electoral Commission has been ordered by a Sydney court to hand over all the information it has about the alleged sabotage of votes for Pauline Hanson.

The One Nation founder has lodged a petition in the Court of Disputed Returns after her failed bid to win a seat in the state's Legislative Council at the March election.

Egypt: Indian Chief Election Commissioner says Egypt can’t trust imported voting machines can’t be trusted | Financial Express

After the revolution in Tahrir Square, Egyptian authorities consulted India’s Election Commission for help in conducting parliamentary polls in the country, only to get cautious advice from chief election commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi. He asked his Egyptian counterpart to not import electronic voting machines (EVMs) from anywhere and get these manufactured domestically. Imported machines, however faultless they are, could be deemed suspect, he warned.

“The validity of any election lies in the fairness of the process, if the machine is imported from somewhere, there is always a possibility that the election will be questioned as being rigged through the machines,” he said, in an interview to FE. The recent campaign against the use of EVMs in Indian elections, Quraishi said, hinges on the chip, “which is manufactured outside the country and is therefore supposed to be suspect”.

Kansas: Kansas Lawmakers Spank Kobach On Elections Bill | KCTV Kansas City

That law requires voters to show photo identification at the polls, starting next year, and says anyone registering for the first time must provide a birth certificate, passport or other proof of citizenship to election officials, starting in 2013, though a Kansas driver’s license will be sufficient for many. Kobach had hoped the proof-of-citizenship rule would take effect next year and that his office would gain the power to file and prosecute election cases in state courts — and didn’t stop pushing even after Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed a compromise version of Kobach’s proposed Secure and Fair Elections Act.

Louisiana: Louisiana explores special election process in effort to cut costs | DailyComet.com

Lawmakers are zeroing in on ways to cut the cost to taxpayers for holding elections. Recent months have seen a long string of special elections, even locally.

With term limits taking effect, state senators are abandoning ship for statewide posts and new public jobs. Representatives are stepping up to become senators, and their vacancies are prompting promotions for parish councilmen and mayors across Louisiana.

Tennessee: Tennessee Senate Votes To Undo Voter Confidence Act Requirements | Chattanoogan.com

House Bill 386 as approved by the Senate would delete the requirement for more secure voting machines with a verifiable paper trail. The touch-screen voting machine system used in many Tennessee counties has been called by experts as “the least secure voting system” in the country.

Venezuela: Venezuela’s electoral body approves major changes in voting system | El Universal

The directors of the National Electoral Council (CNE) approved, after a seven-hour meeting, a new project called “Improvements to the Automated Voting System,” which includes the establishment of a Comprehensive Authentication System (SAI) of voters to be implemented in the upcoming elections.

The decision taken by the CNE directors involves a major modification in the voting system, as it includes changes in electronic ballots, fingerprint reading machines, software applications, tally sheets, and the roles of principal poll workers.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe parties resume constitution process | AFP

Parties to Zimbabwe’s power-sharing deal resumed the constitutional process Saturday after reaching a compromise on how to analyse views gathered from the public, an official said. The process stalled on Wednesday over disagreements between President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) over the weight given to the public submissions.

MDC spokesman Douglass Mwonzora said the parties agreed to resume after ending the dispute over methods to be used in analyzing data collected during outreach meetings across the country.

Thailand: Will Thailand’s military allow free elections? | msnbc.com

It’s official. Thailand will go to the polls on July 3. It’s supposed to be a goodnews after more than two tumultuous years of political unrest under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s administration.

It is the first election since street demonstrations in Bangkok last year by the anti-government “Red Shirt” protesters, supporters of deposed former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, led to violent clashes with the security forces that left 91 people dead.

Fiji: Elections Office in Fiji recommends one day elections in 2014 | Radio New Zealand

The Elections Office in Fiji is recommending the interim government hold one-day elections in 2014.

The Acting Supervisor for Elections, Soro Toutou has told FijiLive that as part of the voting system, individual voters will go to a designated polling station on polling day.

South Africa: South Africa Independent Electoral Commission ponders e-votes | ITWeb

As the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) gears up for about 20 million South Africans to make their cross next Wednesday, electronic voting could be in the pipeline as the commission is pondering the seemingly futuristic technology.

More than 23 million people are registered to vote in this year’s municipal elections, and the IEC has printed 70.5 million ballot papers, for the first time printing the sheets in colour. Previously, only national election ballots were printed in colour.

The Voting News Daily: Tennessee Senate Dials Back Election Reform, Kansas Senators “Spank” the Secretary of State

TN: Senate Votes To Undo Voter Confidence Act Requirements | Chattanoogan.com

The state Senate voted on Thursday to undo requirements of the Voter Confidence Act passed three years ago. Supporters said the action will ensure that more accurate voting machines would be implemented across the state as the legislature reversed requirements approved three years ago. “The strength of our political system lies in our citizens’ trust that their votes count,” Senator Roy Herron said. “Our current voting machines endanger that trust.” House Bill 386 as approved by the Senate would delete the requirement for more secure voting machines with a verifiable paper trail. The touch-screen voting machine system used in many Tennessee counties has been called by experts as “the least secure voting system” in the country. Numerous incidents of machine hacking and vote flipping by the machines have occurred throughout the country, officials said. In 2008, machines in Decatur County were reported to have changed votes in the presidential race. Full Article

KS: Lawmakers Spank Kobach On Elections Bill – Politics News Story – KCTV Kansas City

Kansas legislators are refusing to move up the starting date for a proof-of-citizenship requirement for people registering to vote for the first time or to give Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office new power to prosecute election fraud cases. The rejection of those proposals Wednesday by a bipartisan majority in the state Senate is a political defeat for the Republican secretary of state, who took office in January. It came after he successfully pushed for a law designed to combat election fraud, one he touted as model legislation for other states. That law requires voters to show photo identification at the polls, starting next year, and says anyone registering for the first time must provide a birth certificate, passport or other proof of citizenship to election officials, starting in 2013, though a Kansas driver’s license will be sufficient for many. Kobach had hoped the proof-of-citizenship rule would take effect next year and that his office would gain the power to file and prosecute election cases in state courts — and didn’t stop pushing even after Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed a compromise version of Kobach’s proposed Secure and Fair Elections Act. The vote Wednesday in the Senate was 23-15 against a bill revising the election law enacted earlier this year. Some critics renewed longstanding arguments that election fraud is nowhere near as serious a problem as Kobach says it is, while others resented his efforts to revise a law that had strong bipartisan support. “You don’t unravel the deal after it’s finished,” said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat. “And he needs to learn that.” Kobach didn’t return messages left on his cellphone and his office did not issue a statement. Full Article

Connecticut: Connecticut Senate Approves Election Reform Bill | Courant.com

Responding to last November’s highly publicized Election Day problems in municipalities including Bridgeport, where a shortage of paper ballots contributed to a days-long delay in the declaration of a new governor, the Senate has approved a bill establishing standards to ensure local registrars buy enough ballots. The 34-0 vote Thursday sent the bill to the House for action in coming weeks.

The bill says local voter registrars must certify to the secretary of the state that they have ordered enough ballots for each polling place. They also would need to show that they have considered all relevant factors in determining how many they need. Unless registrars clear their plans with the secretary of the state, they would have to order one ballot for each registered voter.

Kansas: Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach won’t end push to get voter ID requirements in place by 2012 | LJWorld.com

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach said Thursday that he’s not giving up on having a proof-of-citizenship requirement for new voters in place ahead of next year’s elections, despite the state Senate’s rejection of the idea.

State law already says that people who are registering to vote for the first time in Kansas will have to provide a birth certificate, passport, or other proof of U.S. citizenship to election officials. The rule was enacted this year at Kobach’s urging but doesn’t take effect until January 2013, a year later than he wanted.

National: Congressman Gregg Harper seeks to eliminate Election Assitance Commission | The Daily Caller

With America facing a debt crisis, legislatures have gone spelunking for areas of government to cut. Mississippi Republican Rep. Gregg Harper has surfaced with a proposal to eliminate what Ronald Reagan once quipped was the nearest thing to eternal life: a government agency.

Harper’s bill would terminate the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which Congress created in 2002 to implement the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The act was passed primarily to distribute funds to update equipment, a job which Harper says is essentially complete. He is not the only one that believes that. Last year, the National Association of Secretaries of State reaffirmed a 2005 resolution requesting that Congress eliminate the EAC since the body had “served its purpose.”

India: AGP blames machine manipulation for defeat | Hindustan Times

Assam’s beleaguered main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Friday blamed “manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVM) by the ruling Congress party” for its rout in the assembly elections even as the Congress got a decisive mandate for a third successive term.

“We knew the Congress would do something and they did so by manipulating the EVMs. Otherwise such a result would not have come,” former two-time chief minister and senior AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta told reporters.

Bulgaria: Bulgarian Parliament to Discuss Election Code Amendments | Sofia News Agency

The Bulgarian Parliament is expected to discuss Friday the proposed amendments in the country’s Election Code after the Constitutional Court revoked some of the texts in it.

A much discussed texts among the revoked amendments is the permanent residency requirement for local elections, which provided that only Bulgarian citizens, who had lived in the respective city or town for the last 12 months, can vote for mayors and members of municipal councils. It was introduced by the ruling centrist-right GERB in an attempt to counter tampering with election results by transporting voters from one location to another – the so-called “election tourism.”

Taiwan: Central Election Commission says Taiwanese need more time to accept, trust e-voting | The China Post

Taiwanese need more time to accept, trust e-voting: CEC A Central Election Commission (CEC) official yesterday said it will take more time for Taiwanese people to accept and trust digitization before the government decided to ultimately replace the traditional ballot system with an electric-voting one.

“E-voting is technically feasible but the problem lies on whether or not citizens can put their trust in the system,” said Liu I-chou (劉義周), CEC vice chairman yesterday in Taipei City.

New York: New York Must Defend Its Count of Double Votes | Courthouse News Service