Yearly Archives: 2011

The Voting News Daily: EAC to investigate ES&S Unity System, Another Delay in TN?, GA court upholds voter ID law

Disappointing Reversal on Transparency and Security for Washington Elections | Verified Voting Blog

A bill aimed at reducing restriction to voting for military and other overseas voters passed the Washington State Senate by a 47-1 vote on Friday. Senate Bill 5171 contains many provisions that will certainly make voting easier for Washington citizens living overseas including moving the primary election date two weeks earlier and meeting requirements of the Federal MOVE Act for mailing of absentee ballots 45 days prior to the election. We strongly support those provisions. However, the bill also will allow for the acceptance of absentee ballots returned by email and fax. In addition to requiring, by affidavit, that voters returning their ballots electronically forego the secrecy of their ballot, it also makes the state’s elections vulnerable to tampering and error.

It is deeply disappointing that Secretary of State Sam Reed has actively supported this legislation. No one experienced the 2004 Gregoire/Rossi gubernatorial recount process more directly than Secretary Reed. That race, ultimately decided by 133 votes, stretched the issue of voter confidence to its absolute limits, and Secretary Reed, to his credit, did what he could to be available through and transparent about every step of the recount process. But the involved parties could not review voters’ intent for over 113,000 ballots, because at that time, Washington State used paperless electronic voting machines in two of the larger counties. The only votes that could be truly recounted were the paper ballots.

With the experience of the 2004 recount under its belt, supported by Secretary Reed, Washington has moved consistently towards a more recountable voting system statewide. In 2004, Mr. Reed called for voter-verified paper records for every vote cast, so that “voters who cast ballots electronically can verify that their selections have been recorded properly using a paper audit trail” saying that the new policy was all about “ensuring voter trust.” Yet SB 5171 will overturn that policy for military and overseas voters. Read More

AL: Man honored for defense of black voting rights – WSFA 12 News

Inspirational songs followed stories and memories you’d only find in history books as civil rights era icons were honored at the National Voting Rights Museum as part of the second day of the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee. One man–John Doar–a white attorney who worked for the U.S. Department of Justice came to Selma in the 1960s to represent African Americans who were denied the right to vote. “We did it without fear or favor. We went right down the line as law enforcement officers,” says Doar. He says whites were allowed to vote simply because they were white. But, even the most educated black person couldn’t register–which was against the law. “Since they were always on the right side because they were discriminated…it always seemed like we were helping them,” adds Doar. Read More

GA: Top Georgia court upholds state’s voter ID law – Washington Post

Georgia’s top court has upheld a state law that requires voters to show photo identification before they cast ballots.

The Voting News Daily: EAC Cuts Likely in Federal Budget, IN Gov. calls for indicted SoS to step down

CT: Election panel urges reforms after Bridgeport election woes – Connecticut Post

Former Mayor Nicholas Panuzio, first elected in 1971, said he’s tried to keep up with technological advances and other changes as he’s gotten older. All he wants is for the city registrars’ office to do the same. “With all of the things, and even old people like myself try to keep up with all of you, there’s no reason not to move forward in the registrars’ office,” said Panuzio, chairman of a five-person panel that Thursday called for a host of reforms to the city’s election process. The panel was appointed by Mayor Bill Finch after the city ran out of ballots during the Nov. 2 congressional and gubernatorial election and had to get approval from a Superior Court judge to leave polls open until 10 p.m. at a dozen polling stations. Read More
Full Report

IN: Gov, Party Call For Indicted Secretary Of State To Step Down – WRTV Indianapolis

Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White was indicted Thursday on seven felony counts, including voter fraud and perjury, in an investigation that began last year, before he was elected.White was booked and released Thursday evening from the Hamilton County Jail on three counts related to vote fraud, one count of fraud on a financial institution, one count of theft and two counts of perjury, 6News’ Joanna Massee reported.Gov. Mitch Daniels issued a statement Thursday saying White should step down from his duties during the proceedings. “It would be neither credible nor appropriate for the state’s top elections official to continue to perform his duties while contesting criminal charges, some of them under the very laws the secretary of state implements,” Daniels said. “I have consulted with each of the other statewide elected officials and our judgment about this is unanimous.”But White made no mention of giving up his office in a statement released shortly after. Read More

MT: Senate panel tables voting bill – The Belgrade News

The Senate State Administration Committee voted on Wednesday, March 2, to table a bill that would require voter registration forms provide an option for voting by absentee ballot in subsequent elections. The 5-3 vote to table the bill came after an initial tie vote on the bill. A tie vote results in the defeat of a bill. Because of the tie, the committee then took action to table the bill in what was described as a strictly procedural move. Supporters said the law would make the process for receiving an absentee ballot more uniform and easier for voters. Opponents on the committee questioned the need for the law and asked whether it might open the process to voter fraud. Read More

NE: Voter Fraud Probe Findings Released – KETV Omaha

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said there was no criminal intent to commit voter fraud after several voters cast more than one ballot in Omaha’s mayoral recall election.After the Jan. 25 election, Election Commissioner Dave Phipps contacted authorities because he said five people had voted twice.

The Voting News Daily: IN SoS indicted for voter fraud; VA, WV jurisdictions consider optical scan; Internet voting proponent wins British Columbia premiership

AL: Alabama legislative committees pass bills to cap increases in education spending, require photo ID at the polls and guarantee secret union ballots | al.com

House Bill 19 by Rep. Kerry Rich, R-Albertville, which with some exceptions would require voters to show photo identification at the polls. Photo identification could include an Alabama driver’s license, a non-driver ID card issued by a state or county agency, a military ID or a U.S. passport, among other options.

CA: San Mateo County involved in court fight over e-signatures | Shaun Bishop | Bay Area | San Francisco Examiner

Animal cruelty opponents and anti-tax activists may seem odd bedfellows, but both have thrown their support behind a San Mateo County man’s legal fight to allow California voters to sign ballot initiative petitions electronically using touch-screen devices. Read More

CO: Valley Courier Saguache County clerk must answer to Grand Jury

For the past seven weeks the State Attorney General has been investigating irregularities in Saguache County’s Nov. 2, 2010 election process, detailed in six citizen complaints sent to the AG in January 2011. The investigation following the complaints led to the grand jury referral. Read More

CT: Election panel urges reforms after Bridgeport election woes – Connecticut Post

One recommendation, which the panel noted would be controversial considering the state and federal governments’ financial woes, was for the state and federal governments — rather than municipalities — to pay for state and federal elections. Read More

CT: Bridgeport voting problems: Bridgeport Panel Backs Plan To Give State Official More Say In Ordering Ballots – Courant.com

A special panel that reviewed Election Day problems at Bridgeport polls has endorsed a plan to give the state’s top election official greater oversight in city and town voting preparations. Read More

IN: Indiana’s top election official faces felony charges – The Hill’s Ballot Box

The official responsible for administering elections in Indiana is facing seven felony counts, including voter fraud and perjury, according to the Indianapolis Star. Read More

IN: Secretary of State Will Not Resign | Indy’s News Center – 93.1 WIBC Indianapolis – Live. Local. First.

“While disappointed in the grand jury’s decision, I will cooperate fully in the upcoming judicial process,” said White.

“I have confidence in the system and I believe the evidence will prove that I did not intentionally break any laws. But more importantly, I will continue to do the job I was elected to do and carry on serving the needs of Hoosier taxpayers through the Secretary of State’s office. I am humbled by the outpouring of support. The important work on behalf of Hoosiers will not be derailed by this process.” Read More

IN: 89.3 FM WFPL | Daniels Encourages White to Step Down Until Charges Are Resolved

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is calling on recently-indicted Secretary of State Charlie White to step down until the charges against him are resolved. Read More

IN: Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White indicted, faces 7 felony counts | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com

The Voting News Daily: The High Cost of High Tech Voting, AG Investigates Seguache Co. CO election, Touchscreen Voting Targetted in SC

CO: Saguache County election fraud case goes to a grand jury | Colorado Independent

A major dispute over a flawed election in south-central Colorado is going to a state grand jury. Subpoenas are being handed down to officials in Saguache County, where the incumbent county clerk and county commissioner initially lost on Nov. 2 only to see the results reversed three days later. Clerk Melinda Myers, who stands accused of more than 30 misdemeanors in the handling of her own election, has been ordered to testify before the grand jury on April 28 at the Denver City and County building. Other officials involved in the election also have been subpoenaed to explain what happened. After unofficial results showed Myers lost to Republican challenger Carla Gomez by 15 votes and fellow Democrat Linda Joseph was beaten by Republican challenger Stephen Carlson , Myers announced a software glitch had deleted absentee and early voting tallies from a largely Democratic precinct that includes Crestone. After re-running the ballots through an optical scanner on Nov. 5, Myers declared she edged out Gomez by just over 40 votes and Joseph defeated Carlson by 9 votes. Voters have been up in arms ever since. Read More

CO: Attorney General investigating Saguache County November 2010 election – The Crestone Eagle

The aftermath of accusations against the Saguache County Clerk for the handling of the 2010 election has many people wondering what happened. Now the Colorado State Attorney General has gotten involved to sort it out. In an attempt to understand what happened in the Saguache County 2010 election, the Secretary of State (S.O.S.) sent Division of Election representatives to investigate in November. Election laws and regulations are lengthy and can be confusing, so the Division of Elections was created in the S.O.S. office to provide experts for the election process. After issuing a report in December that summarized their take on the Saguache 2010 election, the S.O.S. has remained publicly silent. Complaints that were filed by individuals with the District Attorney, were, due to a possible conflict of interest, bumped up to the next level, to the Attorney General’s office. The Attorney General has initiated an ongoing investigation into the claims. Read More

FL: No compromise on felons’ rights after Bondi meets with ACLU, NAACP | Palm Beach Post

Attorney General Pam Bondi is not backing away from her proposal to do away with Florida’s limited automatic restoration of rights for nonviolent felons after meeting with civil rights advocates today. But she did say she supported uncoupling current employment restrictions that prevent convicted felons from getting certain occupational licenses unless their civil rights are restored, a lengthy process that could get even more cumbersome if Bondi gets her way. ACLU of Florida executive director Howard Simon and Dale Landry, vice president of NAACP Florida conference, met with Bondi for about an hour to discuss proposed clemency rule changes among other things. The meeting was friendly, Simon said, but Bondi refused to budge on her desire to force felons to wait three to five years to apply to have their rights restored.

The Voting News Daily: Voting Rights Settlement in NM, Voter ID debate in WI, NE, IRV on ballotin CO

CO: Voters to weigh in on ranked voting | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan

A question on the April 5 municipal ballot asks whether the city should change its long-standing system for conducting City Council elections – as in whoever gets the most votes wins – to the process known as ranked voting, or instant-runoff election. In races for posts such as for mayor with three or more candidates, ranked voting would allow voters to list their preferences for candidates in order – as in one, two and three. When the votes are tallied, if a candidate receives the majority of first-place votes, the contest is decided. If no candidate has a majority, the ballots are recounted with votes for the last-place candidate reassigned to the remaining candidates based on who was listed as those voters’ second choice.The recounts, or runoffs, continue until a candidate receives a clear majority of votes. Throughout the counting process, the principle of one person, one vote is maintained. Read More

NE: Opponents say voter ID bill could disenfranchise voters and cost state money – The Journal Star

In the mind of Fremont Sen. Charlie Janssen, his proposal to require people to show photo IDs when they vote is a way to head off voter fraud and ensure Nebraska uses the “best practices” when holding elections. But opponents of the measure (LB239) say it would disenfranchise some voters — particularly the poor, the elderly and minorities — who do not have driver’s licenses by making them pay the $26.50 the state charges to issue a photo ID. They say requiring people to buy a state ID in order to vote would amount to an illegal “poll tax.” Poll taxes came into being, particularly in southern states, in the 1800s after enactment of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution gave blacks the right to vote. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually struck down the practice. Read More

NM: Federal judge approves NM voting rights settlement – KWES NewsWest 9

A federal judge has approved a consent order aimed at ensuring New Mexicans have a chance to register to vote at public assistance offices. The consent order outlines procedures state Human Services Department officials must follow to offer voter registration forms to people applying for public assistance benefits. The order was approved last week. A coalition of voting rights groups sued in July 2009 over compliance with the National Voter Registration Act, which lets people register to vote at various state agencies. Read More

NY: Cuomo signs bill to let villages continue to use old lever voting machines | The Ithaca Journal

Villages that run their own elections can continue to use mechanical-lever voting machines until the end of next year, under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Villages asked for more time to switch over to the state’s new voting system of paper ballots and optical scanners. The new equipment was in use statewide for the first time last year. Some villages that run their own elections faced obstacles switching to the new technology.

The Voting News Daily: NIST Report on Internet Voting, CO County Election has rsidents crying foul, Voter ID Bills in KS and MO

CO: Saguache County’s election problems have residents crying foul – The Denver Post

As she shooed people out of the Saguache County courthouse in the wee hours of election night 2010, Clerk and Recorder Melinda Myers struggled to hold back tears. Unofficial tallies showed Myers losing to Republican challenger Carla Gomez, 1,101 to 1,116. Meanwhile, fellow Democrat Linda Joseph, a county commissioner, was trailing Republican Steven Carlson, 1,092 to 1,119. “I went to bed that night thinking I lost,” Myers recalled last week. “I cried and cried.” But within two days of the general election, Myers had announced the ballots needed to be “retabulated” — by the office she runs. When the process was complete, Myers won her race, 1,181 to 1,137. Joseph also emerged a winner, besting Carlson 1,160 to 1,151. Read More

Guam: Respicio introduces third bill on election reform | Pacific Daily News

Sen. Rory Respcio introduced a bill requiring the GEC to establish and follow written procedures during elections, according to a press release issued today. The bill would require procedures such as written voter instructions and on the correct handling of ballots and instructions on preparing and setting up polling places, according to the release. Updated guidelines for dealing with provisional ballots as well as for ballot reconciliation procedures would also be required. The bill would require the GEC to review their controlling regulations under the Guam Administrative Rules and Regulations (GAR), as well as the laws in the Guam Code Annotated. Read More

KS: Election fraud bill to receive scrutiny | CJOnline.com

Kansas Senate leaders suggested Friday that a requirement for people who register to vote for the first time in the state to prove they’re citizens will receive close scrutiny as the chamber considers Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s election fraud legislation. A bill containing Kobach’s proposed Secure and Fair Elections Act won House approval on an 83-36 vote Friday, sending it to the Senate. The measure also would require voters to show photo identification at the polls, increase penalties for election crimes and enact changes designed to make mail ballots more secure. It would give the secretary of state’s office the power to file and prosecute election fraud cases in state courts, along with county prosecutors and the attorney general’s office. Read More

MO: House To Move Forward On Photo Voter I.D. – OzarksFirst.com

Missouri House of Representatives’ floor leader, Rep. Tim Jones, R-Eureka, says he’s “excited” the Missouri Senate has passed legislation that includes photo voter identification provisions. And Jones says he’s ready to move ahead with the House’s own bill on the topic. On Thursday, the Senate gave final passage to legislation that would require voters to show a government issued voter identification card with a picture in order to receive a ballot. Earlier the House passed legislation that includes both a constitutional amendment and enabling legislation that would put the photo voter identification into practice along with procedures for early voting. Read More

NH: Legislators debate student voting – TheDartmouth.com

The Voting News Daily: Grand Jury Report Finds No Voter Fraud in Kern Co. CA, Students Protest Proposed Residency Bill in NH

CA: Grand jury debunks reports of local voter fraud – Bakersfield.com

Many instances of voter fraud alleged in recent years have “morphed from facts and allegations to urban legend” and the biggest instances of the problem locally happened 20-plus years ago, according to a Kern County grand jury report released Thursday. Jurors investigated the local voting system, according to the report, after receiving a letter last year detailing a public presentation made by a 2002 30th Assembly District candidate alleging there were “huge discrepancies in voter registrations” before his loss. The report doesn’t name names but it’s obviously referring to Bakersfield businessman and Republican Dean Gardner, who lost the race to Democrat Nicole Parra by a razor-thin margin and alleged voter fraud at the time. Read Article
Download Grand Jury Report (PDF)

CO: Transparency issue in election – Center Post Dispatch

During the legislative luncheon at the Colorado Press Association convention Friday, Secretary of State Scott Gessler told the Center Post-Dispatch that he will be weighing in soon on the problems with the Nov. 2 Saguache election. The SOS oversight of the election began under previous Secretary of State Bernie Buescher, now counsel for the State Attorney General’s Office. Gessler said he is currently wading through a voluminous stack of documentation on the election and will carefully evaluate the information before responding. Many of the problems the SOS encountered in dealing with the outcome of the election may be explained by the fact that Gessler did not officially come on board until Jan. 11. By then, Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers had allegedly certified the election and citizen complaints were on file with the Attorney General’s Office. The canvass board had already issued their non-certification of the recount, and legal deadlines appeared to have passed for challenging the election. Read More

CO: Ballots, lies and videotape: A botched election in south-central Colorado triggers avalanche of allegations | Real Aspen

Colorado Elections Director Judd Choate has proclaimed “great faith” in the results of two dubious political races in south-central Colorado and says two of his staffers were on hand to help with its “retabulation.” “On the fifth of November, we sent down a couple of people to work on their retabulation, and we had two of our people … help [Saguache] County reassess their numbers,” Choate told the state’s Best Practices and Vision Commission, which he chairs, in a January meeting. “They saw no problems.” The explanation was intended to quiet an escalating controversy in Saguache County, where County Clerk Melinda Myers reversed the results of the Nov. 2 election and three days later declared herself the winner. The outcome of the county commissioner’s race also flipped in favor of the incumbent in Myers’ party. The problem with Choate’s account is that it isn’t true. Amy Wilson, the secretary of state’s elections trainer, was not present for the retabulation. Neither was a state lawyer Choate said was there. Read More

KS: Voter ID measures advance in Kansas, Missouri – KansasCity.com

Proposals requiring Kansas and Missouri residents to show picture IDs when they vote gained steam in both states’ legislatures Thursday.

The Voting News Daily: Shelby Co. AL Voting Rights Act Challenge, Coffee Party Challenges CA “Top Two” Primary

CA: Voting rules remain vague [“Emergency Abesentee”] – Glendale News-Press

The City Council this week broached ditching so-called “emergency ballots” for last minute voters in favor of beefing up absentee vote-by-mail allowances, but stopped short of making any changes for the April 5 election. Glendale voters can request a vote-by-mail ballot up to seven days before the election, but after that deadline they can fill out an application for a so-called “emergency” vote-by-mail ballot up to Election Day. California election law allows for the late ballots for people who are disabled or who cannot make it to their precinct because of “unforeseen circumstances” — a vague term that city officials said essentially makes the application impossible to deny. Read More

CA: Candidate Files Federal Lawsuit to Block “Top Two” Primary – SB 6 / Prop 14 Lawsuit « Business & Election Law

A Coffee Party candidate running to succeed departing Congresswoman Jane Harman (CA-36) has filed a federal lawsuit to block the implementation of California’s new “Top Two” open primary. SB 6 will be used in a special election to replace departing Congresswoman Harman; current Secretary of State Debra Bowen is among the half dozen candidates who have declared their intention to run in the special election. Vote-by-mail ballots in that election could be cast in a matter of weeks. Unless an injunction is granted, voters will see a “no party preference” on the ballot for plaintiff Michael Chamness because the Coffee Party is not considered a “state recognized” political party. Under SB6, a “no party preference” label is applied to all minor-party candidates like Mr. Chamness and puts him at a disadvantage compared to Democratic or Republican candidates. Previously, minor-party candidates were allowed to use the ballot label of “Independent.” Mr. Chamness’ lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Senate Bill 6 (SB 6), the law that implements Proposition 14’s “Top Two” Primary. The lawsuit argues that SB 6, which was passed by the Legislature in the middle of the night without opportunity for public comment, unfairly discriminates against and deprives minor-party candidates like Mr. Chamness of their fundamental rights. Read More

CO: Myers postpones testing of counting machine – Center Post Dispatch

In a Feb. 15 letter to election volunteers, Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers postponed testing for the M650 that could destroy any remaining information about the Nov. 2, 2010 election. Denver attorney Rob Maguire, representing Aspen voting integrity activist Marilyn Marks in a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) suit filed Feb. 11, asked Myers and County Attorney Ben Gibbons to postpone the testing last week so that any possible data could be preserved. In the letter Myers wrote: “Yesterday our office received word that a complaint has been filed with District Court by parties outside Saguache County to gain access to ballots and electronic data storage from the 2010 election. In light of this pending litigation, we are unable at this time to run tests on the M650 Ballot Scanner machine. So we will be postponing the testing indefinitely till this trail is over.”

The Voting News Daily: The Job of an Election Official, Voter ID bill passes out of committee in WI

AL: Chapman Releases Legislative Wish List | ABC 32 WNCF TV

Secretary of State Beth Chapman released her legislative wish list today highlighting her top two priorities: military voting and photo voter identification. Chapman is continuing her fight to expedite military voting in Alabama and has a proven electronic system used successfully by another state’s pilot program in the last election. “The process my staff, the military votingtask force and I have been advocating for has been tested and proven to work. It has the instant ability to increase the number of military and overseas voters’ ballots returned to our state by fifty percent or more,” Chapman said. The number of military absentee ballots requested in Alabama in the most recent election was 4,875; the number returned was only 1,125. That is a 23% return rate. Chapman says this is a problem nationwide, but is a worse problem in Alabama due to the length of time required by state law to receive ballots by U.S. Postal Service only. Read More

CT: What It Takes To Be A Registrar – Connecticut News Story – WFSB Hartford

The often overlooked role of Connecticut’s Registrars of Voters, the people who oversee elections, was put into sharp focus when the state waited two weeks until a winner in the race for governor was declared last November. So the Channel 3 Eyewitness News I-Team started asking questions about registrars: how they get their jobs, how they do their jobs and what training do they receive for a job some call one of the last bastions of political patronage in our state.Connecticut has a new governor, but who that governor was going to be was in doubt for two long weeks in November, and at the center of the controversy was the registrars of voters.In Bridgeport, one of Connecticut’s largest cities, registrars did not order enough ballots, so photocopies were provided and polling hours were extended. There were also challenges to the ballots that were cast and recounts.”That usually seems to be a problem in the bigger cities for whatever reason,” said John Daly, of Manchester. Read More

ID: Idaho bill requires election workers to register – KHQ Right Now

Lawmakers in Idaho are considering a measure to require people carrying out official election duties, such as poll watching, to be registered voters in the state. The measure is being introduced in the Idaho Legislature a year after state lawmakers passed a law requiring voters to provide photo identification to cast their ballots. Read More

IN: Vote center bill signed into law | Journal and Courier

Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a bill into law Tuesday authorizing the continued use of vote centers in Indiana. Early work on the legislation ensured it did not get caught up in the legislative rancor that led to Tuesday’s boycott by Democratic House members. “This is the first bill in the current session to be approved by the Senate, passed out of the House of Representatives and signed into law by Gov.

The Voting News Daily: Photo ID in CO, Vote Centers in IN, Bill prohibiting Intenet “kill switch”

AL: Sec. of State Releases Legislative “Wish List” | ABC 32 WNCF TV

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill preserves the Electoral College, while assuring that every vote is equal and that every voter will matter in every state in every presidential election. Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. Elections wouldn’t be about winning states. Every vote, everywhere would be counted for and directly assist the candidate for whom it was cast. Candidates would need to care about voters across the nation, including for a change, West Virginia, not just undecided voters in a handful of swing states. Read More

CO: Ranked voting will be on the ballot in Fort Collins | Colorado Independent

Advocates from across the political spectrum officially launched a campaign this week to radically change how Fort Collins elects city officials. Joined by multiple Colorado legislators and city council members, Fort Collins Ranked Voting hosted their campaign kickoff event at Avogado’s Number in Fort Collins after garnering enough signatures to put the alternative voting method on the city’s April ballot. If approved, Fort Collins would replace the traditional plurality voting system with a method that ensures winners receive majority support. For the 2013 municipal elections the mayoral and city council races would use ranked choice voting, also called instant runoff voting, that allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot according to their personal preference. Read More

CO: Photo ID bill receives initial House approval – The Pueblo Chieftain

Utility bills no longer would stand as valid proof of residency to vote under a bill hotly debated before receiving preliminary approval Monday in the House. The proposal, HB1003, would require voters to show a state-issued photo identification card in order to cast a ballot. Republicans lined up to support the bill, sponsored by Reps. Ken Summers, R-Lakewood, and Libby Szabo, R-Arvada, as a safeguard against voter fraud. Democrats called it an obstacle to voting, particularly for senior citizens, the infirm, the homeless and others who tend not to possess the documents the bill would require of the mobility to easily obtain them. Read More

IN: Gov. Daniels signs Vote Center Bill | Indiana Politics | Lafayette Online

Gov. Mitch Daniels today signed into law a bill authored by State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) authorizing the continued use of vote centers in Tippecanoe County and allowing it as an option for the entire state. “This is the first bill in the current session to be approved by the Senate, passed out of the House of Representatives and signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels,” Alting said. “Overwhelming support for this new law shows how important it is to provide a convenience to voters and options to local governments that are looking to cut election costs.” Read More

IA: County Auditor: Voters in Motels Are No Reason for Voter ID Law | KCRG-TV9

Voters listing motels as their addresses on voter registration documents isn’t evidence of voter fraud, Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said Friday.

The Voting News Daily: Photo ID Bill Passes CO House, Lever MAchines in NY Village elections, Ironic Twist in NY Election Law

CO: Photo ID voting requirement passes House – KDVR

After a long argument on the House floor, Republicans were able to pass a bill that would require a photo ID in order to vote on an initial voice vote. House Bill 1003, sponsored by Reps. Ken Summer of Lakewood and Libby Szabo of Arvada, argued that not requiring an ID opens the door for voter fraud. Democrats, meanwhile, argued that such fraud is not widespread and that the ID requirement will make it harder for seniors and the poor to vote. Read More

KY: Absentee voting procedures for primary announced | The Courier-Journal

Registered voters in Jefferson County who will be absent from the county on May 17 — the day of the primary election — can either apply for an absentee ballot now or vote at the Election Center in the Urban Government Center on Barret Avenue April 18 through May 16.The Election Center began accepting absentee ballot application requests by phone on Jan. 24 and began mailing absentee applications Feb. 14. The center will begin mailing absentee ballots on March 29, said Nore Ghibaudy, spokesman for the Jefferson County Board of Elections. Read More

MN: Pro/Con: People should need a photo ID to vote | Duluth News Tribune

To a fair amount of attention, a well-conceived bill to require photo IDs for voting was introduced in the Minnesota Legislature this session. This would be an important and long-overdue election reform, but one that has been stymied by DFL leadership, more so than by rank-and-file DFL lawmakers; 10 DFL House members voted for it in the last legislative session. With a new Republican majority at the Legislature, the bill probably will be passed this session, one way or another. Read More

NH: Students oppose voting restrictions – Brattleboro Reformer

College students hoping to vote in New Hampshire would face the most restrictive registration law in the country if lawmakers pass a bill targeting both students and members of the military, according to a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on voting access and election law. Republican Rep. Gregory Sorg of Easton has proposed barring students from voting in college towns unless they lived there before enrolling. The bill also specifies that member of the military stationed in New Hampshire should continue to be residents of their previous states for voting purposes. Read More

NM: Is voter fraud an issue, or is it competence? – The Santa Fe New Mexican

Electoral fraud is a long-running complaint — from those whose party or candidates lose the election. Sometimes the whiners make a compelling argument: the presidential elections of 1960, when Illinois’ Cook County “came in” for John F. Kennedy, and of 2000, when Florida shoehorned George W. Bush into office, for example. Here in New Mexico, Río Arriba County was once reputed to be a region where souls rose from the dead to vote, and our state’s Republican minority sometimes seems more dedicated to grumbling about fraud than to electing candidates. Read More

NY: Bill Would Allow Villages to Continue Using Lever Voting Machines – Nyack-Piermont, NY Patch

State lawmakers sent a Valentine of sorts to villages around the state with the Feb.

The Voting News Daily: CentCO SOS role in Saguache election, IA Auditors oppose Voter ID, No Vote Fraud in Forsyth Co. NC snafu,

CO: Information indicates SOS played major role in escalating Saguache election snafu – Center Post Dispatch

Over the past several weeks, many things have come to light that point directly to the Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) and their failure to enforce their own rules as the cause of Saguache County’s November election upheaval. In reviewing surveillance videotapes, one of the most telling incidents found was SOS trainer Amy Wilson’s interaction with Christian Samora on Nov. 2, as he runs the M650 voting machine. Wilson watches Samora remove the dust cover to the machine and, clearly, no seals have been placed on any of the data ports. Zip disks sit out unsecured. Having discovered this clear violation of security precautions prescribed as remedies for the use of the once decertified M650 ballot counter, Wilson was obligated to report this violation to the SOS “immediately” per their own rules. Had she done so, the election would have reverted to a hand count, as is also required under SOS rules. SOS official contradicts himself. The statements made by SOS elections division official Judd Choate also paint a dismal picture of Colorado’s election protection system. Read More

CO: Ranked voting will be on the ballot in Fort Collins | Colorado Independent

Advocates from across the political spectrum officially launched a campaign this week to radically change how Fort Collins elects city officials. Joined by multiple Colorado legislators and city council members, Fort Collins Ranked Voting hosted their campaign kickoff event at Avogado’s Number in Fort Collins after garnering enough signatures to put the alternative voting method on the city’s April ballot. If approved, Fort Collins would replace the traditional plurality voting system with a method that ensures winners receive majority support. For the 2013 municipal elections the mayoral and city council races would use ranked choice voting, also called instant runoff voting, that allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot according to their personal preference. Rep. John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins, an advisor to the group, said the system is simple. Kefalas explained that if any candidate receives the majority of first place votes, they win. If no candidate receives a majority, the votes for the last place candidate are redistributed among the remaining candidates according to each voter’s preference. The process repeats until one candidate holds a simple majority. “It’s just like choosing your favorite ice cream,” Kefalas said. Read More

CT: Editorial: Lawmakers should make voting easier – Courant.com

One of the ways Connecticut can improve turnout on Election Day is to loosen restrictions on absentee voting. Lawmakers will hold hearings on a number of election-related bills this session, including some that would correct faults in ballot-counting procedures that became evident in Bridgeport in November’s gubernatorial election. They’ll also propose measures to increase voter turnout. We hope normally change-resistant Connecticut legislators aren’t afraid to shake things up. Currently, the state Constitution says eligible Connecticut voters can use absentee ballots only if they are unable to go to the polls on Election Day for the following reasons: military duty, an out-of-town commitment, illness, disability, religious prohibition on secular activity on an election day, or work as an election official.

The Voting News Daily: Online Registration Bill in CA, Voter ID Tabled in NM, Advances in MO

CA: Bill would let Californians register online to vote – San Jose Mercury News

Californians would be able to register online to vote under a bill introduced Wednesday by state Sen. Leland Yee. Some states already offer online registration but California has put it off, awaiting implementation of a “VoteCal” statewide online database system now delayed at least until 2015. Yee, D-San Francisco, instead wants to allow online registration through county registrars’ offices: Citizens would input their voter information online and the registrar’s office would use the voter’s signature from the Department of Motor Vehicles to verify authenticity. Yee says county elections officers believe this would save money and eliminate administrative errors from mistyping the data entry from a paper registration; after Arizona implemented online voter registration, he said, some counties saw their costs decrease from 83 cents per registration to 3 cents per registration. Read More

HI: Instant Runoff Voting in Hawaii Gains Traction – Honolulu Civil Beat

A measure that would bring instant runoff voting to Hawaii and prevent a candidate from winning a state or local election with less than a majority of votes is making progress in the Legislature. The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed House Bill 638 on Tuesday. It now heads to the House Finance Committee. Read More

ME: Bill would require voters to show ID at polls | The Morning Sentinel

Republicans are lining up to support a bill that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls. With the support of GOP Gov. Paul LePage, and more than 120 Republican lawmakers listed as co-sponsors, the legislation is poised to become one of the big partisan fights of the session. Supporters say Maine needs to take action to prevent voter fraud and assure the legitimacy of those who are elected. Opponents — including the League of Women Voters of Maine, the Maine chapter of the AARP, the Maine Civil Liberties Union and the Disabilities Rights Center — say the bill provides a costly solution to a problem that doesn’t exist in Maine and would disenfranchise many people. Read More

MO: Senate approves photo ID requirement for voting – St. Louis Today

Senate approved a measure today that would require photo identification to vote, in a move supporters lauded as a step toward addressing problems of voter fraud in the state. Meanwhile, opponents of the legislation worried that the measure would create unfair obstacles to voting for those without photo identification. The final vote of 26-7 was cast along party lines, with Republicans favoring the bill. The measure will now move to the House, where a sizable Republican majority could bode well for the legislation. If the legislation passes both houses, it will go into effect only if a constitutional amendment is approved by state voters. Opposition to the bill stemmed from concerns that it could limit voting rights among eligible voters. Democrats said that senior citizens or people with disabilities, among others, could be aversely affected. Read More

NM: Voter ID bill unlikely to pass – Las Cruces Sun-News

A bill requiring most voters to show photo identification appears doomed, the sponsor said Tuesday.

The Voting News Daily: Voter ID in NM, Military Voting Deiscussed on Capitol Hill

CA: Debra Bowen enters race to succeed congresswoman Jane Harman – latimes.com

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen on Tuesday jumped into the race to succeed retiring Rep. Jane Harman of Venice, setting up what is expected to be a lively contest between two prominent Democratic women for the largely coastal congressional district. “This was not an easy decision,” said Bowen, who in November was elected to a second four-year term as the state’s top elections official. “I spent the past week discussing a potential run with my family and close friends, and thinking how I can best serve the public,” she said in a statement announcing her candidacy. Read More

CO: IRV on the Ballot in Colorado and the UK – FairVote.org

Instant runoff voting (IRV, also known as “alternative vote”, “ranked choice voting” and “preferential voting”) is designed to accommodate increased voter choice and uphold majority rule. It simulates a “same day runoff”, essentially, between the two strongest candidates, with the winner being the one who is ranked ahead of the other on more ballots. Used for decades to elect top offices in Australia (see a fun Aussie video about it here), Ireland and many private organizations, IRV has surged in use around the world in the past decade, including victories in ballot measures in the United States on every November election day since 2004. That support is grounded in voters’ growing dissatisfaction with choices being limited to two and, in the words of a recent report by an influential international think tank, a plurality voting system that fails as “the worst of both possible worlds.” Read More

CT: Election reforms proposed | Yale Daily News

After widespread ballot shortages in last November’s election tossed the result of the gubernatorial race up in the air for days, new Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is pushing for major reforms to the way Connecticut runs its elections. In a press conference Monday in Hartford, Merrill proposed four pieces of legislation that would help prevent another Election Day fiasco — one major proposal that would require municipalities to report to Merrill’s office the number of ballots they had ordered in advance of election day and another that would open the door for more absentee voting. The proposals received bipartisan support from legislators Monday, but met opposition from the committee responsible for enforcing elections in Connecticut towns. Read More

FL: 17,601 Jacksonville Voters Must Renew Absentee Ballot Requests – WJXT Jacksonville

A change in Florida Election Laws means thousands of absentee voters in Duval County will no longer receive their absentee ballots until they make a new request to the supervisor of elections office.According to elections officials, 17,601 voters who requested an absentee ballot after May 28 and before Nov. 3, 2010, must make a new request to receive an absentee ballot for the March 22 first election and the May 17 general election. Read More

IN: Software firm may reap vote center perks | jconline.com | Journal and Courier

A company at Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette stands to benefit from recent passage of the vote center bill by the legislature.