The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for June 3-9 2013
In a party-line vote, the Committee on House Administration approved legislation that would eliminate the Election Assistance Commission. The Chief of Staff for Rep. Joe Garcia has been implicated in an absentee ballot fraud scheme in last year’s election. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie faces criticism and at least one lawsuit over his decision to schedule a special election for US Senate on a Wednesday three weeks before the General Election this November. Faced with a tight schedule and the potential of a run-off election, the New York Assembly is considering a bill that would allow the use of State’s mechanical lever voting machines in elections later this year. Ohio Democrats questioned a report from Secretary of State Jon Husted suggesting that there were no incidences of voter suppression in the 2012 election. Wisconsin Republicans have indicated their intention to fast track legislation to require photo identification for polling place voting. The Estonian Prime Minister has drawn a connection in the country’s internet voting fraud scandal with EU Parliament member Kristiina Ojuland and a French news website reported that it was able to cast “fake” votes in France’s first internet election by registering under different names.