The US Supreme Court forces issue on overturning ban on corporate campaign donations. Tennessee voting machine mess continues. Warning: New Mexico voters received a voter guide that is ridden with errors. Minnesota TV Stations are suing Ramsey County over access to 2008 absentee ballots. A recount changes outcome of an election in Pennsylvania. See what a Fusion style ballot looks like. The New Hack was used against the Sequoia AVC Advantage machine, which is used almost universally in New Jersey and in parts of Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado and Virginia… Voters should prove their citizenship according to Hans A. von Spakovsky, former member of the FEC. Iran election unrest death toll at 69.
CA. Plea deal likely in Nativo Lopez voter-fraud case, attorney says
Nativo Lopez, an immigrant-rights activist and former Santa Ana schools trustee, faces 4 felony charges…Lopez faces four felony charges of voter fraud, including allegations he used the address of an office building in Boyle Heights to register to vote in Los Angeles County last year, even though he was still living in Santa Ana.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lopez-prosecutors-county-2525199-angeles-munoz
CA. California Councilmember Retains Seat Even Though He Wasn’t Registered to Vote August 11th, 2009
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/08/11/california-councilmember-retains-seat-even-though-he-wasnt-registered-to-vote/
HI. Nader Ballot Access Case in Hawaii Begins to Move Forward
August 11th, 2009 On August 6, the 9th circuit issued an order setting a briefing schedule for Nader v Cronin, 08-16444. The issue in the case is whether a state may require six times as many signatures for a single independent presidential candidate as it requires for an entire ballot-qualified party.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/08/11/nader-ballot-access-case-in-hawaii-begins-to-move-forward/
MA. A Loss for Voting Rights
August 11th, 2009 Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in Boston, became the latest federal court to uphold a ban on voting by convicted felons.
http://www.newsnet14.com/2009/08/a-loss-for-voting-rights/
MN. Minnesota TV Stations Sue County Over Access to 2008 Absentee Ballots
August 10th, 2009 On August 10, five television stations in Minnesota filed a lawsuit in state court, against Ramsey County election officials. Those officials refuse to let the TV stations examine last year’s general election absentee ballots.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/08/10/minnesota-tv-stations-sue-county-over-access-to-2008-absentee-ballots/
NC. New Voting Location In Raleigh
http://raleigh.mync.com/site/raleigh/news/story/39861/new-voting-location-in-raleigh
NM. Glitches found in N.M. election guide
Confusing information prompts Secretary of State’s Office to make changes.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Glitches-found-in-N-M–election-guide
NM. Former judge’s voter-fraud trial starts today in Doña Ana County
8/10/09 Horacio Favela, 49 and a Democrat, is accused of falsely declaring himself a resident of Sunland Park so he could vote and run for judge there while he was living in El Paso.
http://newmexicoindependent.com/33636/former-judge%E2%80%99s-voter-fraud-trial-starts-today
NJ. New Jersey Division of Elections Selects Allied Security Innovations Products to Secure Voting Machines
http://sev.prnewswire.com/homeland-security/20090811/NE5891011082009-1.html
OH. 1,500 residents to be notified of new polling places
About 1,500 Clark County residents have been affected by recent voter precinct changes, and notifications are being mailed.
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/middletown-news/1500-residents-to-be-notified-of-new-polling-places-241109.html?showComments=true
OR. In closing hours, Lege passes minor-party election reform (Fusion Voting)
SB 326 …also allows candidates who are cross-nominated by multiple parties to be listed on the ballot with up to three names of political parties.
http://www.blueoregon.com/2009/06/in-closing-hours-lege-passes-minorparty-election-reform.html?cid=6a00d8341c2c3f53ef0120a4dd5774970b
PA. Recount bounces Geary from AG race
08/11/2009 A recount of primary election votes apparently changed the outcome of the Albert Gallatin School Board race… Lint said votes not able to be scanned at a polling place were scanned in as part of the recount. She said some absentee votes could be included in the recount of the Albert Gallatin School Board race as well as the newly scanned votes.
Geary speculated that the scanned votes, when scanned at the election bureau, could have been counted twice. He also would like an explanation as to why a voting machine at the Fayette County Area Vocational-Technical School needed replaced.
http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20357619&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6
TN. New voting legislation puts county in ‘Catch-22’
August 11, 2009 A piece of legislation passed by the state last year may make next year’s elections difficult or even impossible to carry out.
http://www.vbbeacon.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2009/08/11/4a81d4f038f2c
TN. Collin County officials may not understand concept of vote centers
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/aug/10/collin-county-officials-may-not-understand-concept/
TN Prevent Election Fiascoes in Tennessee – Enact Paper Ballot Law Now
August 11, 2009 A perfect storm is brewing for Tennessee voters for the 2010 election.Tennessee is set up for an election debacle, thanks to the states’ reliance on paperless electronic voting. Currently 93 out of 95 counties in Tennessee use these machines. Unless the Secretary of State Hargett takes swift and certain prompt action, thousands of votes will be at risk in the 2010 election.
http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/08/11/prevent-election-fiascoes-in-tennessee-enact-paper-ballot-law-now/
TN. Election commission, York seek dismissal of suit in response to complaint
http://www.crossville-chronicle.com/local/local_story_222161115.html
VA. Task force offers new election guidelines
The proposal says college students need not plan on remaining in the state to vote in it…A state board of elections task force has proposed regulations that will make it easier for college students to register to vote where they go to school, but the panel disagreed on another aspect of defining a voter’s residence…The state board of elections will act on the task force proposal next month, likely too late to implement the changes in time for this year’s general election.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/214954
VA. JMU Students Could Face Tighter Voter Registration Requirements
Harrisonburg, Va.Aug 11… The Harrisonburg Electoral Board is hoping to change that this year by adopting a measure that would require students to specify which dorm or apartment they live in when they register to vote.
If the students offer an address that is not a residence, the registration would be rejected, and the board would ask the student to provide a residential address.
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/52925147.html
WI. GAB approves election plan, balks at early voting
8/11/2009 The Government Accountability Board unanimously approved a five-year election administration plan Monday aiming to maintain the state’s compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act through 2014. But voter ID won’t be part of it.
The board elected to exclude a voter ID requirement from the election plan..A pilot early voting program was originally planned for next year after local officials faced record numbers of in-person absentee voters last year, but some clerks want to delay such a program “until after 2010 or even 2012.” http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=166868
US.First Day of EVT/WOTE 2009
Aug 11…wonderful first day at EVT/WOTE 2009, yesterday. More than 80 of the best thinkers in voting technology are here mixing it up in Montreal. We have computer scientists, usability experts, legal experts, advocates and voting system vendors all in attendance. (Joe Hall) has “been taking pictures and have posted them at Flickr. Audio from the talks should be available at some point via USENIX.”
http://josephhall.org/nqb2/index.php/2009/08/11/evtwotefd
US. George Washington comments on the first-ever Census
Did you know that the 2010 Census will only be the 5th time in American history that the U.S. Census is conducted primarily by mail-in forms, instead of by officials going door to door?
http://nonprofitvote.blogspot.com/2009/08/george-washington-comments-on-first.html
US. A Century-Old Principle: Keep Corporate Money Out of Elections
NY Times.August 10…In 1907, Congress passed the Tillman Act, the first federal law barring corporate campaign contributions. States adopted similar laws.
…It is inconceivable that Congress would now try to lift the ban. Americans are far too angry at Wall Street and the obvious failure of government regulations. But the Supreme Court has decided to force the question: It took a case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which the ban on corporate contributions was not a central issue; told the parties to prepare legal briefs on the ban’s constitutionality; and rushed to put oral arguments on the calendar in September before the new term even starts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/opinion/11tue4.html
US. Testimonials about accessible voting machines in the 2008 election.
AAPD and the US Government Accountability Office are looking for testimonials about voting in the 2008 Elections. The power of real stories from real people is undeniable and will be very important in upcoming conversations about changes in voting technology.
http://www.lighthouse-sf.org/blog/testimonials-about-accessible-voting-machines-in-the-2008-election/
US. IT: Voting Machine Attacks Proven To Be Practical on Tuesday August 11 (New Hack)
Slashdot. “this time a bunch of computer scientists…completely own the AVC Advantage using no access to source code or design documents (PDF), and deliver a complete working attack in a plug-in cartridge that could be used by anyone with a few private minutes with the machine.
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/08/11/1642231/Voting-Machine-Attacks-Proven-To-Be-Practical?from=rss
US. Sequoia e-voting machine commandeered by clever attack
Return-oriented programming strikes again
..scientists have used it against the Sequoia AVC Advantage machine, which is used almost universally in New Jersey and in parts of Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado and Virginia, according to the Verified Voting Foundation.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/sequoia_evoting_machine_felled/
US. Postmasters favor vote-by-mail
From the National League of Postmasters of the United States:
http://www.keci.com/Postmasters-favor-vote-by-mail/4985000
US. Democracy in Danger: What States Can Do to Safeguard America’s Election System by Hans A. von Spakovsky Heritage Lecture #1129 (stronger voter id and require voters to prove citizenship)
http://www.heritage.org/Research/GovernmentReform/hl1129.cfm
US. Senate Bill for Revised FEC Would Require One Non-Major Party Commissioner August 11th, 2009 On August 7, U.S. Senators Russell Feingold and John McCain introduced S.1648. It would replace the Federal Election Commission with a Federal Election Administration. The new body would have three members. All three would need to have different party affiliations than any of the others
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/08/11/senate-bill-for-revised-fec-would-require-one-non-major-party-commissioner/
Afghanistan. Afghanistan hires 10,000 tribesmen for security at polling stations in presidential election. August 11th …The hired guns highlight attempts by authorities to bolster security in Afghanistan’s insurgency-hit provinces but also underscore a renewed focus on raising tribal militias to deal with the growing Taliban threat just as Sunni Arab militias were engaged to help reduce violence in Iraq.
http://blog.taragana.com/n/afghanistan-hires-10000-tribesmen-for-security-at-polling-stations-in-presidential-election-136486/
Iran. Iran opposition puts election unrest toll at 69
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s opposition said Tuesday at least 69 people have died in two months of postelection unrest based on accounts from the victims’ families, more than double the official toll released by parliament.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ixeFBxfLzaSjs8Mb8cuFmtPOT6-wD9A0N2280