National: Phish and Chips: Why Cyber Attacks Are So Difficult to Trace Back to Hackers | Scientific American

Cyber attacks may not be a new phenomenon but the recent successes scored against high-profile targets including CitiGroup, Google, RSA and government contractors such as Lockheed Martin underscore the targets’ current failure to block security threats enabled by the Internet. Malicious hackers use the very same technology that enables online banking, entertainment and myriad other communication services to attack these very applications, steal user data, and then cover their own tracks.

One common practice that attackers employ to evade detection is to break into poorly secured computers and use those hijacked systems as proxies through which they can launch and route attacks worldwide. Although such attacks are an international problem, there is no international response, which frustrates local law enforcement seeking cooperation from countries where these  proxy servers typically reside.

Editorials: Opposing view: ID laws ensure election integrity | Hans A. von Spakovsky/ USAToday.com

Why are states such as Texas and Kansas passing voter ID laws? Quite simply, to ensure the integrity of our election process.

Our View: Republican ID laws smack of vote suppression

All Americans who are eligible to vote must have the opportunity to do so. But it’s equally important that their ballots are not stolen or diluted by fraudulent votes. That is one of the reasons that Americans — by an overwhelming margin, across all racial and ethnic lines — support such common-sense reform.

Voter ID can significantly defeat and deter impersonation fraud at the polls, voting under fictitious names, double-voting by individuals registered in more than one state, and voting by non-citizens. As the Supreme Court has pointed out, “flagrant examples of such fraud … have been documented throughout this nation’s history.”

Connecticut: Secretary of State Merrill announces awarding of nearly $1.2 million grant for voting technology in CT | ConnecticutPlus.com

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill today announced that Connecticut has successfully won a federal grant of $1,184,441 from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal body established as a result of the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

The federal grant was attained through Secretary Merrill committing a state match of $62,000 and was awarded June 8th through federal HAVA funds available to states. The new funds can be used for a variety of functions used to enhance voting technology, such as maintaining or enhancing Connecticut’s optical scan voting machines, testing or investing in new voting systems for disabled voters, and making improvements to the state Centralized Voter Registration database.

New York: Kavanaugh bill in New York state assembly would make ballots easier to read and use | Civic Design

Add your comments to a posting on the web site for WNYC’s radio show, “It’s a Free Country,” that presents a proposed redesign for the New York ballot.
The Brennan Center for Justice worked with Design for Democracy and theUsability in Civic Life project to develop an updated best practice ballot design that takes into account the particularities of voting in New York state.

On the show, which aired on June 9, 2011, New York state assemblyman Brian Kavanaugh and Larry Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice discuss how important design is to successful voting and elections. On the show, Larry runs through the proposed design improvements and why they’ll make a difference. There are images of a redesigned ballot on the site, as well, and the show invites your comments.

Philippines: Comelec may get new IT provider, other than Smartmatic, in next polls | Inquirer News

The postponement of next month’s Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao polls may have virtually quashed the dreams of the Smartmatic Philippines to be the exclusive automated election service provider in the Philippines.

“No more. They’ll have to compete [with other providers] in 2013,”

Commission on Elections chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. told reporters when asked if the poll body would still be contracting Smartmatic for future elections in the country.

Smartmatic and its partner, Total Information Management Inc., won the P7-billion contract for the May 2010 national and local elections. The consortium produced some 80,000 Precinct Count Optical Scan machines for the exercise.

Thailand: Thai Royalists Urge People Not to Vote in July Election | VoAnews

In Thailand, the political campaign season is fully under way ahead of next month’s closely contested national elections. While much of the attention is on the standoff between the ruling Democrat Party and the opposition Pheu Thai party, there are scores of lesser-known parties vying to be heard.

But one political movement that has played a major role in politics in recent years is now urging people not to vote at all.

Thailand: Election Commission has no objection to European Union monitoring poll | Bangkok Post

The Election Commission has raised no objections to the European Union’s observer role in the July 3 election. EC chairman Apichart Sukhagganond yesterday said the commission was ready to allow the EU to monitor the poll in Thailand since EU member countries also had embassies in the kingdom.

Mr Apichart said the EC had told the EU during a recent meeting that it had no objection to the EU request to send a team of officials to observe the July 3 poll as the commission was confident it could supervise the general election in line with international standards.

Saudi Arabia: Civic poll candidates given 11 days to campaign in Saudi Arabia | Arab News

Candidates contesting in the Sept. 29 civil polls have been given 11 days from Sept. 18 to 28 for campaigning and they can use the Internet and social media for the purpose, said Abdul Rahman Al-Dahmash, chairman of the General Election Commission.

“The commission has not banned the candidates from using the Internet and electronic websites during their election campaign as long as they do not violate the general rules,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Al-Dahmash as saying.

The Voting News Daily: New Jersey Primary election results still under review — by the vendor ES&S, Indiana: Secretary Of State Charlie White Calls for Special Prosecutor

New Jersey: Primary election results still under review — by the vendor ES&S | New Jersey Herald The final audit of pri­mary elec­tion results is still under way. To ensure accu­racy, the Sus­sex County Board of Elec­tions will spend the next few days “care­fully and method­i­cally” review­ing the num­bers before send­ing the unof­fi­cial results to the…

Indiana: Secretary Of State Charlie White, Under Investigation For Voter Fraud, Calls for Special Prosecutor To Investigate Special Prosecutor Dan Sigler For Voter Fraud | Advance Indiana

The special prosecutor who brought criminal charges against Secretary of State Charlie White alleging he committed voter fraud by casting a vote in a precinct in which he allegedly did not reside is facing a criminal complaint against him for the very same charges he has brought against White.

The person leveling the charges against Special Prosecutor Dan Sigler is Secretary of State Charlie White. If the allegations White alleges against his accuser are true, it’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Editorials: A nationwide assault on voting rights | Elisabeth MacNamara/The Washington Post

The June 5 news article “La. redistricting seen as a crucial test” missed a crucial point: what our democracy would look like without the critical protections afforded by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

By all accounts, a nationwide assault on voters’ rights is underway. State laws are being passed at an alarming rate that make it harder for millions of eligible voters to cast ballots by shortening early-voting periods, requiring photo IDs and erecting burdensome barriers to voter registration efforts.

Editorials: Our view: Republican ID laws smack of vote suppression | USAToday.com

Except, that is, when Republicans want to impose tighter rules for their political benefit. A case in point is the flurry of states —six so far this year— rushing to pass laws requiring voters to bring government-issued photo IDs to polling places. All have Republican governors and GOP-controlled legislatures.

Opposing View: ID laws ensure election integrity

Supporters say this is necessary to prevent voter fraud. But the operative question is: Why, at a time of economic distress and state budget shortfalls, is this such a priority? The answer has less to do with prevention than with suppression.

Wisconsin: Who is the ‘Fake Democrat’ in Wisconsin 8th Senate District Recall Race? | Menomonee Falls, WI Patch

Gladys Huber, an 80-year-old Mequon woman who has filed papers to run as a Democrat in the 8th Senate District recall election made an odd comment when reached by a reporter.

“I really have no comment at all,” she said. “I will refer you to the Republican Party of Wisconsin.”

State party officials did not return calls about Huber’s candidacy but they have been upfront about its intention to run Republicans as Democrats in an effort to give incumbent senators like the 8th District’s Alberta Darling more time to raise money and campaign.

The state’s Government Accountability Board said Friday that Huber has officially registered to run as a Democrat against state Rep. Sandy Pasch of Whitefish Bay. If both candidates meet the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline to file nominating petitions, a primary election would be held July 12 and the winner of that race would take on Darling on Aug. 9.

Missouri: Nixon faces veto choice on Missouri voting laws | Beaumont Enterprise

As a candidate, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon denounced a proposed photo identification requirement for voters as an “onerous requirement.”

Now that he is governor, Nixon will have to decide whether to follow through with his earlier convictions and veto legislation that would implement a photo identification requirement. The catch is that the measure is paired with a provision allowing an early voting period before elections — a proposal that Nixon supports.

The politically sticky situation for Nixon is the result of some maneuvering by Republican legislative leaders who for years have sought to implement a photo ID requirement for voters but had resisted efforts to allow a period during which people can cast ballots — with no absentee excuse needed — before the official election day.

National: Shrinking The Vote: Using Election Reform To Decrease Turnout | Daily Kos

As the U.S population grows and the number of eligible voters continues to climb with each election cycle, a disturbing trend of limiting voter access to the polls is taking place. With 2012 on the horizon, states are already gearing up to ensure that barriers are installed across the voting process, from restrictions on voter registration to strict requirements at the polls. It’s been called “the largest legislative effort to scale back voting rights in a century.”

Legislators justify the vast majority of this legislation by claiming they are merely attempting to prevent widespread voter fraud. The Brennan Center for Justice conducted the most extensive analysis of voter fraud allegations and concluded that proponents of voter ID laws could not find “a proven example of a single vote cast at the polls in someone else’s name that could be stopped by a pollsite photo ID rule.”

Spain: Three hackers suspected of belonging to international cyber attack group Anonymous arrested | The Washington Post

Spanish police have arrested three suspected computer hackers who allegedly belonged to a loose-knit international activist group that attacked corporate and government websites around the world, authorities said Friday.

National Police identified the three as leaders of the Spanish section of a group that calls itself “Anonymous.” All three are Spaniards aged 30 to 32, said Manuel Vazquez, chief of the police’s high-tech crime unit.

A computer server in one of their homes was used to take part in cyber attacks on targets including two major Spanish banks, the Italian energy company Enel and the governments of Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand, Vazquez said.

Kansas: Kobach to name group on Kansas voter ID law soon | KTKA.com

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach expects to name a task force later this month on a new state law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Kobach says he’ll appoint at least a dozen county election officials. The group will help him draft detailed rules for putting the voter ID law into effect.

Virginia: Arlington Voting Machines Will Be Discussed with State Elections Chief | Sun Gazette Newspapers

The future of voting machines in the county will be among the topics of discussion when State Board of Elections Secretary Don Palmer meets with staff and officials of the Arlington registrar’s office on June 15.

County election officials say they are generally satisfied with the current crop of electronic voting machines that are in use alongside paper-ballot options in Arlington elections, but have also begun looking at new-generation equipment to deal with voting in the 2012 presidential election.

Because of the large turnout in presidential years – 110,000 Arlington voters cast ballots in 2008 – Arlington election officials rent voting equipment for those years, and have starting making contact with equipment manufacturers to find the best fit for the county.

New Mexico: State Police to probe 64K records for voter fraud | Las Cruces Sun-News

New Mexico State Police will review a staggering 64,000 voter cases to determine if any fraud has occurred in recent elections. Public Safety Director Gorden Eden outlined the scope of the investigation during an interview last week. He said the voter files were turned over to state police by Secretary of State Dianna Duran.

Duran, a Republican, publicly told legislators in March that her staff had uncovered 37 instances of possible voter fraud, though she said her investigation had only begun.

That small stack of what Duran called “questionable” cases has turned into a mountain of files for police to pore over. Duran said her staff had flagged tens of thousands of voter records that needed “further review” by criminal investigators.

Oklahoma: Vote-counting technology to change in Oklahoma | MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

Paul Ziriax said Friday that voting in Oklahoma will be very different next year. Ziriax, secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, said vote-counting technology used across the state will be overhauled by February.

Oklahoma counties use a standardized device that requires the voter to use either a No. 2 pencil or a special pen.

“In the case of absentee ballots, since we can’t send a special pen to every single voter that gets an absentee ballot, that’s why we instruct them to use a No. 2 pencil,” he said.

West Virginia: Voting by mail costs Morgantown WV twice as much; debate begins on whether it was worth it | Greenfield Reporter

Officials in Morgantown are debating whether the higher than expected cost of West Virginia’s first vote-by-mail election was worth it. Finance Director J.R. Sabatelli tells the Dominion Post the total tally was $33,386, more than twice what the city anticipated.

Councilman Ron Bane says money was wasted on people who didn’t vote. But City Clerk Linda Little says the experiment more than doubled voter turnout and reduced per-voter costs.

India: Opposition to raise Electronic Voting Machine issue | The Telegraph Calcutta

The Opposition has decided to raise the issue of using electronic voting machine (EVM) at the daylong 7th Regional Consultation for Electoral Reforms here tomorrow. The regional consultation, organised by the Centre and the Election Commission on how to strengthen the electoral system, will be held at NEDFi House here.

The AGP and the BJP will make a strong case for its outright abolition at a gathering which would include Union law minister Veerappa Moily and chief election commissioner S.Y. Quraishi.

… AGP’s Arun Sarma … said they want the EVMs replaced as anything “manmade” can be “tampered with”.

Brazil: India will try out the Brazilian model of voting in future | DNA

The technology called Voter Verifiable Paper Trail (VVPT), a supplement to the existing EVM system, will be piloted in some polling stations in near future.

“We’ll experiment VVPT in 200 polling stations in places with extreme weather conditions like Ladakh in the presence of all political parties. If they approve, this can be a reality in future,” chief election commissioner SY Quraishi told journalists at a press conference after emerging from the 7th Regional Consultation for Electoral Reforms held in Guwahati on Sunday.

Brazil: Brazil makeover for Indian polls | Hindustan Times

The Election Commission is set to add a bit of Samba to Indian elections. The seventh and final regional consultation for electoral reforms ended in Guwahati on Sunday with the EC voting for the Brazilian model of conducting elections. The technology –Voter Verifiable Paper Trail (VVPT) – used by the South American country will be tried out in 200 polling stations across India soon.

VVPT, chief election commissioner SY Quraishi said, will supplement the existing electronic voting machine or EVM. “We have decided to try out the VVPT in polling stations experiencing extreme weather conditions such as Ladakh. The experiment will be done in presence of representatives of all political parties. If they approve, the system can be a reality,” he said.

India: Chief Minister raises pitch for ‘D’ voters

Guwahati, June 12: Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today raised the pitch for restoring the voting rights of genuine Indian citizens dubbed doubtful (D) voters, drawing the attention of both the Election Commission and the Centre about the plight of such individuals.

During his candid and no-holds barred speech at the inaugural session of the seventh and final consultation on electoral reforms held here this morning, Gogoi said the matter should not be kept hanging. “Some mechanism has to be evolved so that those who are genuine Indian citizens get the right to vote,” he said.

Bangladesh: Editors tell Bangladesh Election Commission: Don’t do E-Voting alone | bdnews24.com

Editors have urged the Election Commission to introduce electronic voting machine (EVM) in consultation with the opposition. They came up with their opinion in a views-exchange meeting with the Commission on Saturday.

The editors, however, said the opposition should not show any reservation against the voting technology before assessing it properly. They suggested the EC to put in more efforts to have a positive feedback from the main opposition to make its initiative fruitful.

Zambia: Patriotic Front asks Electoral Commission of Zambia to “stop being arrogant” about verifying voter’s details | Zambian Watchdog

Patriotic Front Kabwata Member of Parliament (MP) Given Lubinda has asked the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to stop being arrogant and heed to calls to continue verifying voter’s details.

Lubinda said the commission should extend the exercise to allow the electorate to correct their details so they will be able to exercise their democratic right on polling day.