Indiana: Election panel chairman has ties to White campaign through law firm’s donations | The Republic

The state panel that is weighing voter fraud allegations against Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White includes a Republican linked to White through political contributions.

Indiana Recount Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is listed as a participant in a White fundraiser in May 2009. Campaign finance records show a political action committee for Wheeler’s law firm donated $5,000 to White’s campaign in July 2010.

Frost Brown Todd spokesman Mike Murphy says the state double-counted contributions and that the PAC donated $2,500 to White and $1,000 to Democrat Vop Osili.

Kansas: Secretary of State’s task force on fleshing out new voter ID law to have first meeting :: The Republic

A task force appointed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is having its first meeting about a new state law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

The task force is made up of 17 county election officials and plans to convene Tuesday. The group is helping Kobach draft detailed rules for putting the voter ID law into effect. The voter ID requirement starts next year.

Tennessee: Sweeping changes to Tennessee voter ID laws coming soon | Action News 5

The Tennessee General Assembly has made sweeping changes to local election laws that will soon go into effect, including a new requirement that states you must present a valid government photo ID to vote.

The new voting identification law will be enacted Friday.  It means, when voting in Tennessee, residents must prove American citizenship and present a valid government photo ID at the polls. College students will not be allowed to use school IDs to vote.

Nevada: High court hears Nevada special election case | StamfordAdvocate

The state Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Tuesday over who can appear on the special election ballot for Nevada’s open 2nd Congressional District seat.

Secretary of State Ross Miller and the Democratic Party have appealed a lower court ruling rejecting his position that the Sept. 13 election should be open to anyone who files their candidacy. Carson City District Court Judge James Russell in May said he was concerned that the rules set by Miller amounted to “picking and choosing” different provisions of election statutes.

The lower-court judge sided with the state Republican Party, saying major party central committees should choose their nominee. The GOP has selected former state Sen. Mark Amodei as their candidate; Democrats overwhelming chose state Treasurer Kate Marshall as theirs.

Wisconsin: Rep. Nygren knocked off ballot in Hansen recall election | JSOnline

State elections officials Monday took a Republican Assembly lawmaker off the ballot in a recall election against a Democratic senator.

The state Government Accountability Board voted unanimously to leave Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) off the ballot in the July 19 recall election for Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) in the 30th Senate District. The board found that Nygren fell just short of collecting the 400 valid nominating signatures needed to qualify for the ballot, finding he collected only 398 valid signatures.

Oklahoma: Cherokees elect chief but recount needed – UPI.com

The Cherokee Nation elected a new principal chief by just 11 votes and a recount is under way, officials in Oklahoma said.

After a night of counting and recounting, tribal council member Bill John Baker defeated incumbent Principal Chief Chad Smith by a 7,600 to 7,589, the Tulsa World reported Monday.

“Every day on the campaign trail, I have said ‘we all come from one fire,'” Baker said. “Now that the election is over, I hope we can all join together to keep our fire burning brighter than ever before.”

Oklahoma: Certified Results: Cherokee Chief Chad Smith Wins By 7 | KOTV.com

The Cherokee Nation election commission says its official count of the ballots from last weekend’s election give the victory to incumbent principal chief Chad Smith by seven votes.

The certified results released Monday afternoon in Tahlequah have Chad Smith with 7,609 votes and challenger Bill John Baker with 7,602 votes. Over the weekend, the unofficial results had Baker winning by 11 votes.

“If you recall at the close of Saturday night, at the close of the regular ballot count, I was leading. And something happened between 2 o’clock in the morning and 7 o’clock the next morning. I was trailing,” Smith said.

Iowa: Mother Nature strikes at statehouse? Iowa legislature’s electronic voting system fails | RadioIowa

A bit of progress was made at the statehouse on Monday, but legislators and the governor continue to wrangle over details in the state budget and property tax reform. Mother nature dealt a bit of a technical set-back to the proceedings in the Iowa Senate according to Senate President Jack Kibbie.

“Rumor has it that lightning struck something up in the attic and it’s in the process of getting fixed,” Kibbie says.

The electronic voting machine which records senators’ votes was malfunctioning. Kibbie, who has won nine terms in the state legislature, is prepared to go back to writing votes down on paper. “We could go back to the way it was 30 years ago,” Kibbie says.”There was no voting machine in the senate and you called the roll.”

India: District Election Officer says electronic voting machines were not tampered | DNA

The deputy district election officer (DEO), Apurva Wankhede, has refuted allegations of political parties that some of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were tampered with during the counting of votes.

The election for the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Chatuhshrungi Mandir ward’s by-election was held on Sunday. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, Congress and an independent candidate had made the allegations.

Bangladesh: Electronic Voting Machines likely in N’ganj city polls | The Daily Star

The Election Commission (EC) plans to introduce electronic voting machine (EVM) experimentally in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls. The EC will hold the election within 180 days after formation of the corporation, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda said yesterday.

The government on May 5 declared the Narayanganj municipality as Narayanganj City Corporation and appointed its administrator on June 23 this year. As per the law, the election should be held before November 5.

The CEC said voters will get to know the system if it is introduced in different local government polls before the general election, which is due in 2014.

Ghana: Ghanaians prefer election of rulers to other methods

Surveys from the Afro barometer indicates that 73 per cent of Ghanaians now prefer elections to any other method of selecting their rulers. Even though the study indicated that the two leading political parties in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, enjoy specific social support base, this has not led to competing economic policies for the people.

Dr. Kwesi Jonah, Head of the Political Science Department, University of Ghana, made the assertions during a public forum, organized by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences with support from the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, in Accra. The three-day event scheduled for 27 to 29 June, 2011, is on the theme: “Elections and the Democratic Challenges in Africa.”

Thailand: Election Commission accused of disenfranchising 500,000 voters | Bangkok Post

Two independent election watchdogs have criticised the Election Commission over its handling of advance voting on Sunday, accusing the poll agency of effectively disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of voters.

As many as 500,000 eligible voters lost their right to vote because of a misunderstanding caused by the Election Commission’s poor public relations and an outdated regulation, the People’s Network for Election in Thailand (Pnet) said on Tuesday.

It said these people had registered in 2007 to vote in advance outside their home constiuencies and had not been properly informed they needed to advise the authorities if they intended to vote elsewhere this time.

Malaysia: Government Refutes Postal Voting Manipulation Claims | Malaysian Mirror –

The government has denied claims from the opposition that the postal voting process in the 1999 and 2008 general elections was manipulated. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said on the contrary, most of the votes in both general elections tilted against the ruling party.

He was responding to a question from Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (PAS-Parit Buntar), who wanted to know the number of ex-servicemen who had registered as ordinary voters at the Dewan Rakyat here today. Nazri said 3,894 ex-servicemen applied to register as ordinary voters last year.

Nigeria: Nigerian Political Science Association on future of democracy in Nigeria | Vanguard

It had become evident during the tenure of Professor Maurice Iwu as Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission that the responsibility for midwifing democracy in Nigeria had been vested in the office of the Chairman of the Commission.

President Jonathan had bought into the understanding of how democracy could be established sustainably in Nigeria- hence his high profiling of what was involved in the choice of a successor to Professor Maurice Iwu. Professor Jega as the Chairman was chosen to ensure a safe delivery of democracy in Nigeria. This was expected of him nationally and internationally.

India: Getting ready for the big day | Hindustan Times

Elections are foundation stones of any democratic country. India is the largest democracy in the world and conducting general elections in India is probably the largest event management its of kind.

The Election Commission of India is a permanent independent constitutional body vested with the powers and responsibility for superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for and conduct of all elections to Parliament and to Legislatures of the States and Union Territories and of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President held under article 324 of the Constitution.

Thailand: Vote-buying expected to kick into high gear as Thai election looms | TODAYonline

A total of 2.6 million voters exercised their right to cast votes ahead of the July 3 election yesterday as cases of vote-buying are expected to rise. A poll released on Saturday found that 18.7 per cent of respondents had been exposed to electoral fraud.

Vote-buying has traditionally been rampant the night before election day. In the past, canvassers have been seen carrying bags filled with bank notes to offer to villagers to vote for their parties or candidates. Vote-buying is now carried out in a more subtle matter, such as mobilising voters at a campaign rally.

The Voting News Daily: Ohio Secretary of State Husted draws line against party over photo IDs at voting booths, Elections Officials Prepare For Work, Costs Of Wisconsin Recalls

Ohio: Husted draws line against party over photo IDs at voting booths | The Columbus Dispatch Secretary of State Jon Husted, a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, was front and center this week in a dispute over photo IDs at voting booths – and his tiff was not with Democrats. Husted drew a line in the sand against his…

Ohio: Husted draws line against party over photo IDs at voting booths | The Columbus Dispatch

Secretary of State Jon Husted, a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, was front and center this week in a dispute over photo IDs at voting booths – and his tiff was not with Democrats. Husted drew a line in the sand against his own party by publicly objecting to Republican-backed legislation that would require voters to present a photo identification at the polls.

“I stand for what I believe in,” Husted said in a phone interview with The Dispatch yesterday. “You go out, and you campaign and talk about being fair. If you want to have any credibility, you’ve got to do what you said you would do. I said I’d be fair and even-handed.”

Wisconsin: Elections Officials Prepare For Work, Costs Of Wisconsin Recalls | WISC Madison

This summer’s planned recall elections for state senators will likely cost counties and municipalities thousands of dollars. The unprecedented elections, prompted by the collective bargaining legislation and accompanying protests, are putting local clerks to work in their off-season and leading to unexpected costs. Many workers are now scrambling on a short timetable to get things ready for the elections.

Columbia County Clerk Sue Moll was testing recall primary ballots for the 14th state Senate district on Friday as part of preparations for the recall election. She said that the summer is typically a time of planned vacations and a catch-up season for elections workers.

“It’s time here, normally, I would have a staff person doing this. She’s not available. Her last day was Monday so we normally have three staff. We’re down to two,” she said.

Ohio: ‘Most Restrictive’ Voter ID Law In The Country Loses Support Of Republican Secretary Of State | TPM

The Ohio state Senate was set to consider this week what critics are calling the most restrictive voter identification law in the country. The push for restrictive voter ID measures in the Buckeye state is part of a trend of similar legislation sweeping Republican-controlled legislatures across the country.

But Ohio’s measure is so restrictive — it requires the photo IDs to be issued by the state, so voters couldn’t identify themselves with their full Social Security numbers — that it lost the support of Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted.

“I want to be perfectly clear, when I began working with the General Assembly to improve Ohio’s elections system it was never my intent to reject valid votes,” Husted said in a short statement posted on his official website. I would rather have no bill than one with a rigid photo identification provision that does little to protect against fraud and excludes legally registered voters’ ballots from counting,” Husted said.

Ohio: Secretary of State Husted at odds with GOP lawmakers over photo ID bill | Examiner.com

In a statement Friday afternoon that may earn him his own profile in courage award, new Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted parted ways with many of his former GOP colleagues, who are poised to pass a bill next week that would impose a new standard to vote in Ohio. Democrats and other election experts say it is both unnecessary and a likely violation of federal election law, and that it would leapfrog Ohio over Georgia and Indiana, two states whose voter laws are currently perceived as the harshest ones in the nation.

Husted minced no words on whether he would capitulate to or oppose an attempt by a Republican-led legislature to require an otherwise registered voter to present a valid photo ID before voting. The bill in question, HB 159, raced through the Ohio House and is expected to come to the floor of the Senate next week, where the GOP enjoys a lopsided majority of 23-10.

Yesterday, at a media conference held to discuss other matters, Ohio’s Republican Gov. John Kasich, who won the office last November with only 23.5 percent of registered voters or less than half of half of Ohio’s voting population, told reporters he anticipates signing the bill that would preempt voter fraud, a phenomena Republicans have long claimed is rampant while actual evidence for its practice is slim to none.

Egypt: Army committed to September polls in Egypt | AFP

Egypt’s ruling military council remains committed to holding parliamentary elections in September, despite mounting calls for a delay, a military source told AFP on Monday.

“The military council insists on what it has already announced regarding (holding) elections at the end of September, in accordance with the result of a referendum” held in March, the source said. The military council was responding to statements by Vice President Yehia al-Gamal, who told a satellite channel on Sunday that the army had agreed to postpone the polls to December.

In March, Egyptians voted 77 percent in favour of constitutional amendments which confirmed the army’s proposed timetable for parliamentary elections ahead of the drafting of a new constitution.

Indiana: White hopes atypical family tale has silver lining | The Journal Gazette

Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White’s descriptions of his complicated personal life may have been more than some voters bargained for as the state’s top elections official fought for his political future before the Indiana Recount Commission last week.

But if there’s a silver lining for White, who faces voter fraud allegations that could cost him his job and his freedom, it could be that he presented himself as a family man — something that political observers say resonates with Hoosier voters.

The White case has become a rare unloading of all things deeply personal in a state where the family life of a politician — from Gov. Mitch Daniels’ divorce and remarriage to the same woman to Rep. Dan Burton’s child born out of wedlock — gets little scrutiny.

Wisconsin: What if they held an election and the results didn’t count? | Wisconsin Reporter

Wisconsin’s political parties may be trying every trick possible, from spoiler candidates to lawsuits, to manipulate the recall elections scheduled this summer. But the people on the ground, who have little opportunity to affect the process, will be facing the consequences.

For the officials running the elections, it’s a nasty and expensive headache that comes at the height of summer when employees typically take vacation, and voters’ attention is anywhere but on elections.

“For this time of year, it’s very hectic,” Fond du Lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg said. Still, candidates and campaign managers say they are proceeding as if no uncertainty exists — and believe voters will, too.

Editorials: New Florida Voting Law: Voting Ban On Final Sunday | TheLedger.com

The Legislature’s recent changes to Florida’s elections law were so massive and controversial, it would be ironic if the overhaul came tumbling down because of one slightly obscure overstep. Here’s hoping that’s the case.

The overstep, pointed out June 12 in a front-page article by The Ledger’s Lloyd Dunkelberger, was the Legislature’s decision to disallow early voting on the Sunday before an election that features state or federal races.

That tweak might not seem like much, against the backdrop of the numerous and damaging changes imposed by the new law — such as tougher restrictions on voter registration, a severe reduction of the early voting period, and limitations aimed at young and absentee voters.

South Carolina: Haley poised to act on state budget – funding for primary election in jeopardy | TheState.com

South Carolina’s much-watched first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary could become a far less important first-in-the-South caucus.
Without the help of the state, the party may not legally be able to hold a primary in early 2012, Chad Connelly, the recently elected chairman of the S.C. GOP, said Friday.

Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to veto part of a state budget proposal, now on her desk, that could partially pay for that primary. Connelly is concerned that veto would mean the State Election Commission could not help run the GOP primary, forcing the party to opt for a caucus.

Switching to a caucus would end the state’s three-decade tradition of holding the first-in-the-South primary. That primary’s importance has been bolstered by state Republican voters’ record of picking the eventual GOP nominee in every race since Ronald Reagan in 1980. The state also would lose national exposure, prestige and millions of dollars that campaigns, media and others spend during the event.

South Carolina: South Carolina primary has money troubles | POLITICO.com

South Carolina’s primary — and its state pride — is on the line. Faced with a state GOP that’s low on cash and a governor who’s cut off taxpayer funds, officials are scrambling to put together the $1.5 million necessary to run operations for the 2012 GOP presidential primary.

Primaries used to be the parties’ burden. But in 2008, Republicans and Democrats won state funding for their presidential primaries, which now allow crossover voting, putting their management in the hands of the State Election Commission for the first time. With tough economic times in the Palmetto State, the expected funding has now gotten tangled in a budget fight, and Republican Gov. Nikki Haleyshows no signs of giving in to the state GOP’s new request for funding.

The State Election Commission on Friday won some relief when the state budget office advised that the agency would be able to use leftover cash from last year’s elections, up to $680,000, for next year’s state primaries and elections — even if Haley vetoes the measure in the budget bill.

But that still leaves them almost $1 million short.

Pennsylvania: Voter ID law would cause extra red tape for Amish | The Times Leader

Amish voters in Pennsylvania would be included in a requirement to show government-issued identification in each election under legislation approved by the state House last week, but they could get an exemption from the requirement for a photo on the ID card.

Lawmakers tell the (Lancaster) Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era that Plain sect voters would be able to get a religious exemption from the provision requiring a photograph on ID cards. But to do so, they will have to clear more regulatory hurdles than the average voter, since getting such a card involves providing PennDOT with a statement of their beliefs signed by their church district’s bishop.

Rep. John Lawrence, R-Chester, who wrote the bill’s exemption provisions, said “They have to show a state-issued ID just like other voters. They’re not getting a pass.”

West Virginia: Fayetteville WV mayoral election: Feazell to demand recount | The Register-Herald

According to a Friday news release from Fayetteville mayoral candidate Thomas Feazell, he will demand a recount of the election. The initial result of the election put incumbent Jim Akers ahead by just five votes. Initially refusing to concede the election, Feazell did not pick up enough votes from challenged voters to win the race, but did narrow the gap to only three votes.

“Each and every voter in Fayetteville deserves to be certain that their vote counted and was counted correctly,” Feazell said in a statement. “That’s what I hope this recount ensures.”

Afghanistan: Afghan MPs appeal to UN over poll row | AFP

Afghan lawmakers Sunday urged the United Nations to support their resistance to moves by a special election tribunal to throw over 60 of them out of parliament over alleged vote fraud.

The members of parliament (MPs) met the United Nations representative in Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, amid a spiralling crisis gripping the country’s political system weeks before foreign troops start to withdraw.

Some analysts accuse Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who ordered the establishment of the special tribunal, of using it to try and boost the number of his supporters in Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament, the Wolesi Jirga.