Author Archives: Warren Stewart

The Voting News Daily: Maricopa AZ election protection suit filed. TN and WA election websites crash

Citizens file emergency suit to force Maricopa AZ Elections Dept to follow law…Florida Voters Coalition collecting observations on poll closings nxt Tues…Tennessee State Election website crashed 5 times on election day, delays Dyer Cnty results…Washington election returns crash state computers…1,100 Snohomish Cnty WA voters get ballots within hours to vote..90 yrs ago the 19th amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Alabama expands options for military, overseas voters to comply with new law
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100817/NEWS02/8170313/Alabama-expands-options-for-military-overseas-voters-to-comply-with-new-law Secretary of State Beth Chapman an nounced a contract with Scytl USA that will allow for the electronic transmission of ab sentee ballots to military and overseas vot ers. The ballot request and completed ballots still have to be sent through the U.S. Postal Service.

AR: Judge: Stone County special election unauthorized
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/aug/16/judge-stone-county-special-election-unauthorized/ Republican sheriff nominee Russ Aiken filed the suit, which claimed Gov. Mike Beebe was not authorized to call the new vote in the wake of a June 8 runoff in which the two Democratic candidates tied with 1,383 tallies each.

AZ: Emergency lawsuit filed to force Maricopa Cnty Elections Dept to follow the law to protect upcoming election results from election fraud
http://audit-az.blogspot.com/2010/08/on-monday-08162010-emergency-lawsuit.html
Election research over the last three weeks (based on the work of AUDIT AZ since 2006) discovered flagrant ILLEGAL violations of Arizona Election Laws [2]. The interlocking pattern of deliberate subversion of these security measures indicated below makes manipulation of vote counting easy, thus leaving elections vulnerable to undetectable fraud…

AZ: Institute for Justice Files Cert. Petition in Arizona Public Financing Matching Funds Case http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016748.html

CT: Post-Election Audit Drawing: 73 Districts 45 Municipalities Selected
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/post-election-audit-drawing-73-districts-45-municipalities-selected/
Today the Secretary of the State’s Office conducted the random drawing. Members of CTVotersCount and the League of Women Voters performed the selections.

FL: Eyes on the Process – Spend an Hour Making a Difference
http://floridavoterscoalition.blogspot.com/2010/08/eyes-on-process-spend-hour-making.html It’s a good time for the public to exercise its ownership of elections by observing poll-closing procedures next Tuesday, election-day
…
We will have simple instructions and a simple form you can use to collect a few important observations

FL: Fla. launches new website for election results
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/17/1780066/fla-launches-new-website-for-election.html

FL: Brevard elections supervisor fights voter fraud, debunks myths
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100805/COLUMNISTS0207/8050310/Brevard-elections-supervisor-fights-voter-fraud-debunks-myths

IN: Former Roseland council member challenges jailed voter ban
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100818/News01/100819512/-1/googleNews
A former Roseland Town Council member jailed for a misdemeanor crime has sued state and county election officials, alleging that a state law allowing cancellation of his voter registration is unconstitutional.

NC: Hopkins outlines frantic elections
http://www.wdnweb.com/articles/2010/08/18/news/doc4c6b03ac7a741885212932.txt
There has been a contentious second primary involving two Democratic U.S. Senate candidates, the introduction of an unaffiliated candidate to the Beaufort County commissioners’ race — and now there’s the possibility of an “instant runoff” to replace N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Jim Wynn.

NY: How much money is New York City going to gain from new law counting prisoners at home? http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/news/2010/08/18/howmuch/
If money is not at stake, why did 3 states pledge to count incarcerated people at home for redistricting purposes?

The Voting News Daily: Waukesha WI clerk keeps vote data on her PC, El Paso CO invites public oversight

A tale of two election offices: “WI’s Waukesha County Clerk to Keep Elections Results on Her Personal Computer Really, really dumb…What part of ‘public official’ and ‘public elections’ to these sorts of folks not get???” ~Brad Friedman…Contrast to this good example: “Coloradans For Voting Integrity Citizen Volunteers Audit Primary Election Ballots in El Paso County, CO.” Robert Balink, El Paso Cnty Clerk, & Liz Olson, MGR—Election Dept, welcomed the citizens & embraced transparency… Also in WV more reasons not to vote absentee if you don’t have to…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

Editor’s note – news is a little slow but be glad, yesterday was overload!

AZ: Pueblo Politics: Elections director says outcome should be known more quickly
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/pueblo-politics/article_b4fc2cac-a990-11df-97f8-001cc4c03286.html (Pima County)

CA: State elections official praises county ballot-counting upgrades
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/aug/16/state-elections-official-praises-county-ballot/

CO: Coloradans For Voting Integrity Citizen Volunteers Audit Primary Election Ballots in El Paso County, CO
http://www.glassballotbox.org/journal/2010/8/17/coloradans-for-voting-integrity-citizen-volunteers-audit-pri.html
Robert Balink, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder, and Liz Olson, Manager—Election Department, welcomed the group to reinforce the message that transparency and verifiability of elections are fundamental elements of our democracy.

CT: See That Your Vote Counted: Sign-Up for the Post-Election Audit Observations Now!
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/see-that-your-vote-counted-sign-up-for-the-post-election-audits-observations-now/ The Coalition will need 50% more volunteer observers to fully cover this election audit.

CT: New Haven Register Carries Op-Ed Critical of Connecticut’s Discrimination Against Independent Candidates in Public Funding
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/17/new-haven-register-carries-op-ed-critical-of-connecticuts-discrimination-against-independent-candidates-in-public-funding/

GA: Election Complaint Filed In Clayton County
http://www.gpb.org/news/2010/08/16/election-complaint-filed-in-clayton-county
State officials are reviewing complaints made by candidates who lost the primaries in Clayton County, to see if an investigation is necessary.
…
They accuse the county elections supervisor Annie Bright of unprofessional conduct and they want an examination of the ballot computing process and the voting machines.

IN: Lawsuit Filed Against Indiana Law that Cancels Voter Registration for Anyone Sent to Jail for a Misdemeanor http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/16/lawsuit-filed-against-indiana-law-that-wont-allow-anyone-in-jail-for-a-misdemeanor-to-vote/

MI: Reaction mixed to election’s electronic poll book
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20100815/NEWS08/8150432
Electronic poll books were supposed to speed up things, but many city clerks across the state instead found delays election night.

RI: State police take over voter registration card investigation
http://www2.turnto10.com/news/2010/aug/17/state-police-take-over-voter-registration-card-inv-ar-196432/
Correction fluid was used to blank out phone numbers on 45 voter registration cards. Phone numbers are not required on the cards, and Grebian said a volunteer might have been trying to protect the privacy of new voters.

TN: REPORT: Rutherford violated state election law*
http://www.dnj.com/article/20100816/NEWS01/100816029
The Rutherford County Election Commission may have violated a state law by not having polls open on a Saturday during three weeks of early voting in July, News Channel 5 reported tonight.

Elections Administrator Hooper Penuel told Channel 5 the polls were mistakenly closed on the first Saturday during early voting.

WI: WI’s Waukesha County Clerk to Keep Elections Results on Her Personal Computer
Really, really dumb: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7988

WV: Judge throws out Lincoln ballots, declares Brumfield winner* (absentee ballots)
http://wvgazette.com/News/201008160566
A circuit judge threw out more than 300 contested absentee ballots Monday in Lincoln County’s primary election and ordered county officials to declare incumbent Circuit Clerk Charles Brumfield the winner of the clerk’s race in the May 11 primary.

The Voting News Daily: MORE Tenn. election fiascos. New Lee FL mail ballot probs. Wallach’s ‘The Wørd’

Tennessee racks up more election failures: 100 Blount County voters were given the wrong ballot. Davidson Cnty vote totals changed when an uncounted voting machine was found. Shelby Co was in news last week when e-poll books wrongly blocked thousands of voters, an investigation is underway…Candidate’s envelopes cause major problems for Lee Cnty Florida voters..18 Members of Congress Call On Atty Gen Holder to Ensure Integrity of Voting Systems..24×7 help for Military Vote for Upcoming Election…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AR: Back to the future (will use touchscreens for early voting)
http://www.thecitywire.com/index.php?q=node/11280 To borrow the title line from an old movie, Sebastian County will go “Back to the Future” when it begins tabulating votes precinct-by-precinct after the Nov. 2 General Election.
…
The electronic voting machines used in Sebastian County can handle the 91 ballots needed for all precincts. So early voting in Sebastian County will be only by electronic voting machine, the same method as that used in Pulaski County. Incidentally, voting in neighboring Crawford County is all electronic.

AR: Voting Machine Purchase On Hold
Commission Eyes Electronic Poll Books
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/aug/14/voting-machine-purchase-hold/?latest
A plan to add to the number of voting machines in Benton County has been put on hold by questions about software compatibility with the manufacturer’s newest model.
…
“I hope to buy electronic poll books this year if I can redirect (the money) that way,” Miller said during a discussion of the 2011 budget …

CA: Court Date Set for Hearing in Case Against Implementation of California’s “Top-Two” System http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/14/court-date-set-for-hearing-in-case-against-implementation-of-californias-top-two-system/

CO: NOREEN: Elections don’t need polling places (opinion)
http://www.gazette.com/news/noreen-102959-county-paso.html

FL: Rick Scott envelopes cause major problems with voters* (Absentee ballots)
http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010-08-16/Rick-Scott-envelopes-cause-major-problems-with-voters LEE County
If you do not use and sign the Election’s Office envelope and then put the Election’s Office envelope into the Scott envelope, your vote will not count.

The Scott envelope is not to be used in place of the Election’s Office envelope.

FL: Another Victory – This Time in Miami-Dade; or A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Precinct http://floridavoterscoalition.blogspot.com/2010/08/another-victory-this-time-in-miami-dade.html That means we’re to do ballot accounting at the precinct after all. The changes don’t make it perfect but they do appear to return to substantial compliance with Florida law and good practice.

IL: More Outcome Oriented Research
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2010/08/16/more-outcome-oriented-research/
I can’t say I know much about race relations in Boston. But I know a little about election administration. Enough to know that the draft paper by Profs. Rachael Cobb, James Greiner, and Kevin Quinn, is long on conjecture and short on facts.
…
I’ve got my doubts about the value of voter ID laws. But those doubts have nothing to do with the ability of election judges to administer them fairly. This research is faulty and its conclusions unsupported. If opponents of voter ID laws are truly concerned about this issue, they should go back into the field in November 2010

NC: New Bern ballot maker defends its reputation and legacy
http://www.newbernsj.com/news/new-89823-bern-materials.html
“People eager to bash the governor or electronic voting machines were ready to use the damaging factoids and insinuations in the initial story to their advantage,” wrote Hall, who heads the citizen advocacy group.

The Voting News Daily: Shelby TN investigation Diebolded. Internet voting ‘nothing to deter attacker.’

CTVoter has highlights of Ron Rivest Internet Voting Risks report: “There is nothing to deter attacker – Adv can attack anonymously over the Internet until he succeeds.”…Candidates of Lee Co FL fiasco want do-over…”Hawkins County (TN)election glitch awards a different commissioner”…’Election Day From Hell’ is a poll worker account of Shelby Co TN election…Review of Shelby Co TN election records thwarted by cnty agreement with ‘Diebold’…US Rep Rush Holt asks AG to ensure ‘viability of voting systems’…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Yates sues county over absentee election funds
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20100812/NEWS/100819948/1017/NEWS?Title=Yates-sues-county-over-absentee-election-funds
Etowah County Circuit Clerk Billy Yates has asked a court to order the county commission to pay him additional funds for his work as absentee election manager.

FL: Ballot snafu casts shadow over GIBA vote*
http://www.bocabeacon.com/?p=4848 A design glitch with the return envelopes provided to voters in Lee County is causing the ballots to be sent back to the voters. Not to the supervisor of elections office in Fort Myers.

The snafu has prompted at least two candidates for election to the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority board in the August 24 election to call for the primary to be scrapped and moved to a later date.

MD: Elections board shores up voter registration rolls with better oversight, technology http://www.marylandreporter.com/page5501215.aspx After an audit this summer pointed out that the State Board of Elections did not tightly control its voter registration system, changes have been made – but their effectiveness won’t be proven until Sept. 14.

MD: Rarely Used Public Campaign Funds Redirected for Voting Machines,May Be Retiring After 2010 Election http://www.marylandreporter.com/page5504421.aspx

NY: New York 2011 Redistricting Will Count Prisoners at Their Residence Before Being Incarcerated http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/13/new-york-2011-redistricting-will-count-prisoners-at-their-residence-before-being-incarcerated/

TN: The Hawkins County election glitch awards a different commissioner* (video)
http://www2.tricities.com/news/2010/aug/13/hawkins-county-election-glitch-10087-vi-19032/
The unofficial winners of Hawkins County elections were announced on election night last Thursday. The next day, the administrator realized many votes were counted twice. The mishap changed the winner

TN: Stand-Off On Shelby County Voting Numbers*
Elections officials and independent auditors battle over access to number
http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-democrats-election-challenge,0,767269.story
They weren’t dancing. Two lawyers were physically being kept from pounding the legal sand out of each other. Welcome to the elections of 2010, Shelby County style.

Lawyers for the Shelby County Democratic Party and the Elections Commission had an agreement. Independent auditors could look at the numbers on the Diebold Computer system. But there was an immediate problem. County Attorney Greg Garrick was basically saying hey, I’d love to help you, “But it’s not up to us. There is an agreement between Shelby County and Diebold not to release certain information about the machines. “

TN: SCEC Report – Part 2 * (attorneys blocked from audit log records)
http://leftwingcracker.blogspot.com/2010/08/scec-report-part-2.html
The poster log is a text file (I don’t presume to be an expert but this was the explanation the experts put forth). The log keeps track of actions which could have been made to the system which would override vote totals. David Cocke was stunned that such overrides were possible, but assured Mr.

The Voting News Daily: Pitkin CO touchscreen woes. Foul play in TN vote? Free Xpress for military ballots

Pitkin CO failure of DREs results in hours of delay and “hand count”…Lee CO FL deserves new election…Precinct mixup in Fulton GA…Not clear how NC will tally 1st statewide IRV judicial contest…VotePA Calls For Withdrawal of Challenges to Candidates…OH SOS announces multi $M settlement with Premier/Diebold, ES&S, DIMS…’Electoral Foul Play or Incompetence’ in Shelby TN election -“When a Memphis election goes off without a hitch, that will be the shocker”..Overseas Vote Foundation on waivers & state compliance with MOVE Act”…Overseas voters can mail ballots free via military express mail…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

CO: Primary turnout breaks records* (voter confusion, touchscreen trouble)
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/141958
A technical difficulty uploading voting information from the county’s touch-screen machines caused hours of delay and an eventual hand count, Shellman said. Come general election time in November, that issue should be eliminated, Shellman said.
…
As Pitkin County ran both a mail-in and polling place election, some voters showed up to the polling place to cast a ballot, but had previously requested a mail-in ballot. Voters in those cases either had to fill out a provisional ballot or were asked to go to the county clerk’s office and cast an absentee ballot there. This often caused frustrating delays for voters, Shellman said.

CO: PitCo sets voting standard (in praise of polling places)
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/141966
Few people realize that because of Janice and Dwight’s leadership, unlike most Colorado counties, Pitkin voters could vote in the most secure and verifiable type of election — an election-day polling place election. They bucked the unfortunate trend of most counties to move to an all mail-in primary, and saved money by consolidating polling places.

FL: COMMENTARY: Absentee ballot disaster demands a new election so all the votes are counted. This time.* (Lee County) http://www.bocabeacon.com/?p=4835 First there were the hanging chads. Now this. Has screwing up elections become some kind of organized team sport here in Florida? This year, more than 400 registered voters in Boca Grande asked Lee County to send them ballots for the Tuesday, Aug. 24 election. For Boca Grande, that’s a big number. A huge number. Way more than enough to determine the outcome of a contested local election…

FL: Computer glitch affecting absentee ballots*
http://www.nbc-2.com/global/story.asp?s=12965097
LEE COUNTY: A computer glitch is causing a major problem with Lee County absentee ballots. Some voters are getting their absentee ballots right back in their mailboxes just one day after sending them in to be counted.

GA: Precinct Mix-Up Caused Voter Confusion For Some* (video available)
http://www.wsbtv.com/politics/24601754/detail.html
A wrong address for a Fulton County voting precinct may have cost some voters the chance to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s runoff election.
“I drove up and down Roswell Road, looking for the address printed on the precinct card. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist,” said Alexandra Geist.

GA: Verifiable Voting Opponents Suffer Dramatic Defeats in Georgia
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Verifiable-Voting-Opponent-by-Garland-Favorito-100811-676.html

IA: Soldiers reminded: Voting absentee is easy
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/08/11/soldiers-reminded-voting-absentee-is-easy/

MN: Wrong Winona County vote totals released to public
http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/article_4e836030-a5c1-11df-917a-001cc4c03286.html Winona County officials mistakenly failed to report more than 1,500 ballots when announcing primary election results to the public Tuesday night

NC: NC judge’s departure means one more election* (uncertified software use?)

The Voting News Daily: Feds, TBI called on TN election. FL mail ballot fiasco. ‘3 Idiots’ and India elections

Prof. David Wagner (UC Berkeley)”There is no known way to audit Internet voting. UOCAVA votes might fall ‘under a cloud of suspicion.’”..Lee Co FL Ballot blunder could keep votes from counting; envelope design to blame..Shelby Co asks TBI, FEDS to find out “Did someone intentionally load the wrong poll data onto the electronic poll books?”..David Dill: “all voting systems that have been claimed to be secure have been proved to be insecure. And all systems that have been alleged to be insecure by critics have been proved to be insecure.” in article “‘3 Idiots’ determine Indian election results”..Primaries Aug 17: WA & WY. Aug 24: AZ, VT, FL & AK…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AZ: Mesa election switch confuses some voters
http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/08/11/20100811mesa-election-changes-voters0811.html

CO: City not exonerated
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/141951 While the recent DA’s opinion on Aspen election issues did not find any violations worthy of criminal prosecution, it did cite numerous “technical law violations,” “rule violations,” instances of “bad practice,” “serious errors,” “unwise practice,” “violation of duty” and “appearances of impropriety.” This is hardly an exoneration of the city.

CT: UCONN: Failed memory cards caused by weak batteries, inadequate design
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/uconn-failed-memory-cards-caused-by-weak-batteries-poor-engineering/ We suggest that $10 per year per card is well worth avoiding most of the problems associated with the current huge, unacceptable failure rate.

FL: Ballot blunder could keep votes from counting; envelope design to blame*
http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010-08-11/Ballot-blunder-could-keep-votes-from-counting It could be happening across Lee County. Over 40,000 absentee ballots were requested, and all sent out with the same faulty return envelope design. Lee County Elections officials are working with USPS on the problem. Still, the ballot blunder is a sorespot for many, who are trying to make their vote count in the upcoming election.

FL: Absentee ballots returned to sender * (Lee Co)
Votes boomerang thanks to automatic sorters
http://www.news-press.com/article/20100811/NEWS0107/8110373/1075/Absentee-ballots-returned-to-sender Turns out a design flaw in the envelopes causes post office machines to scan a voter’s return address instead of the destination address.

GA: Faye Coffield Will Appeal Georgia Ballot Access Case to U.S. Supreme Court
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/11/faye-coffield-will-appeal-georgia-ballot-access-case-to-u-s-supreme-court/
“Does the U.S. Constitution protect the ability of minor party and independent candidates to run for the U.S. House of Representatives?””

MI: High Humidity Causes Issues With Voting Machines
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1691664.shtml?cat=1
A voting machine at a polling location in Cottage Grove is rejecting ballots due to the humidity.

NC: Ballot printer charges more, has big advantage
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/08/05/616405/ballot-printer-charges-more-has.html

NC: Unfair ‘fun’
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/08/11/623217/unfair-fun.html
The News & Observer had great fun with a gotcha story about state elections director Gary Bartlett and with a follow-up Aug. 7 about all the Democrats and Republicans who denounced election officials. You cited only three denouncers who had quotes that fit your story line; you avoided people like me who might ask more probing questions.

Through the muddle, there was enough information to see that neither Bartlett nor Bev Perdue selected the vendor and that counties are free to buy ballots from other printers. Ironically, the push by citizen advocates (and N&O editorialists) to avoid a Florida fiasco by enacting rigo

NY: Fear New Machines Will Confuse Voters
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703435104575421982778514628.html

The Voting News Daily: TN Election fiasco. Internet voting? ‘Pleash just help me inshert..key in the lock’

Election fiascos pile up in Tennessee, hint at more to come in November…Cali AG Brown sets up voter fraud hotline in Bell CA…Broward Co FL mulls $22M facility but $0 for ada voting equipt…Georgia voter registration rules oppressive…Cuyahoga OH CC told to print bilingual ballots or be sued…Can this be true? Media reports Carroll Cnty MD will use paper ballots nxt election…“What are best practices for internet voting?” to me sounds like “Pleash jush help me inshert the key in the lock, (hic), and I’ll be on my way…” ~Prof. Ron Rivest (MIT)presentation at NIST’s UOCAVA workshop…Debate over India EVMS boils over in Washington…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

Editor Note – voting news for Aug 9 & 10

AR: County Changing Vote Tally
http://www.swtimes.com/news/article_796a3866-a169-11df-b6b7-001cc4c002e0.html
The Sebastian County Election Commission voted Thursday to change the way it counts votes, giving the voting public a precinct-by-precinct look at election results.

Calif. probe spotlights absentee ballot abuse
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/09/4851054-calif-probe-spotlights-absentee-ballot-abuse– Do absentee ballots increase the potential for vote fraud and corruption?
A case that might help shed light on that question is now unfolding in California’s Bell city, a low-income Latino municipality of 37,000 where fewer than 400 people voted in a 2005 election that opened the way for city officials to arrange huge increases in their own compensation.
Former city manager Robert Rizzo was paid more than $1.5 million a year in salary and benefits.
…
The case resembles one in 2003 in East Chicago, Indiana, where widespread fraud using absentee ballots led to several convictions.

CA: AG Brown sets up voter fraud hotline in Bell
http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/08/09/hotline-brown/

CO: D.A. ducks out of oversight role
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100810/LETTER/100819998/1020&ParentProfile=1061
The real score brought to you by your D.A. is a significant loss for all citizens. The Beeson memo tells us shocking news: Various seemingly applicable laws and election rules comfortingly mentioned in the Aspen code are seen by our authorities as unenforceable.

CT: Connecticut Senate Overrides Veto of Public Funding Bill; House Vote Set for
Friday Aug 13 http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/09/connecticut-senate-overrides-veto-of-public-funding-bill-house-vote-set-for-friday-august-13/

CT: Blumenthal Finds Improper Use Of Bysiewicz Office Database; Probe Concludes With Report, Referral To Chief Prosecutor
http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2010/08/blumenthal-finds-improper-use.html

FL: Aug. 10. Broward Commission Meeting. Important Issues and Public Hearing
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13816
the $22 million allocated for the new Supervisor of Elections Facility with no public hearings…SOE gets new facility and county claims it has no funds for ADA Ballot Marking devices

FL: If County Commission provides bucks, Broward could get more early voting in November http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2010/08/if_county_commission_provides.html
Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes said she’d like to add two early voting sites for the November elections – but can only do so if the County Commission comes up with about $130,000 to pay for them.

FL: Sticky absentee ballot issue is fixed in Brevard
Absentee ballot postage question is cleared up
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100809/NEWS05/8090312/1006/
NEWS01/Sticky+absentee+ballot+issue+is+fixed+in+Brevard http://tinyurl.com/3x87mnr
“Subsequent mailings have a sticker inside, telling them that it’s 61 cents,” Scott said.

FL: Some early voters find ballot confusing
http://www.dailycommercial.com/localnews/story/080610earlyvoting “We lay the ballot out according to the Florida statute and we never identify the incumbent.”

The Voting News Daily: TN e-poll book blocks 3,000 voters. Rivest-Risks of Internet Voting negate benefits

“I’m sorry you can’t vote,” .Up to 3,000 Shelby Co Tennessee voters were turned away and some were offered provisional ballots…A Victory in Florida For Tighter Cyber Security?…The US is going to help Nigeria conduct its presidential election in 2011…The Oregonian wants the SoS to be “open” to internet voting…What do experts say? “The risks of ‘internet voting’ more than negate any possible benefits from an increase in franchise.” ~Ronald L. Rivest, Viterbi Professor of EECS, MIT..

All this and more in todays voting news below…

Editors note – this news is the Friday edition, but we began compiling it late Thursday night, and we forgot to change the date on the posting. We apologize for the confusion.

Voting News is adding two blogs to our blog roll, Florida Voters Coalition and Overseas Vote Foundation.

CA: Residents in troubled SoCal city allege vote fraud * (absentee ballot)
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15689668
Some residents of Bell say city officials asked them to fill out absentee ballots which city council members said they would submit on the voters’ behalf, according to a Los Angeles Times report published Thursday.

CO: Colorado Independents Can Still Vote in Primary Election
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kunc/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1685348/Regional/]
Colorado.Independents.Can.Still.Vote.in.Primary.Election http://tinyurl.com/3a9dnc4 Dumm says the law allows unaffiliated voters to sign up with a party, even on primary election day, cast a ballot – and then switch back to their independent status.

CT: Connecticut’s got reform?
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/08/06/connecticuts-got-reform/ After a few federal court cases, Connecticut moved quickly to amend its state campaign finance law. Over a veto, the Senate passed new legislation and a report is here.

FL: A Victory in Florida For Tighter Cyber Security?
http://floridavoterscoalition.blogspot.com/2010/08/victory-in-florida-for-tighter-cyber.html In an email yesterday to Florida Voters, Department of State Communications Director, Jennifer Krell Davis wrote:

“The Department does not intend to expand the use of electronic transmission of voted ballots.”

FL: Florida: Weak Election Audits Only, Thank You.
http://www.suewilsonreports.com/2010/08/florida-weak-election-audits-only-thank.html
In Sarasota, Florida today, a four year long battle over real election accountability has come to a bitter end.
…
SAFE President Kindra Muntz says only the battleground for safer Florida voting has changed, and that the group will now focus on changing state law to provide for more rigorous voting audits for all of Florida

TN: Election Commission Investigating Voting Glitch*
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/080610-election-commission-investigating-voting-glitch …”I’m sorry you can’t vote,”
…
the Election Commission will conduct their own investigation into the problem. If they aren’t able to get to the bottom of it, they will ask outside investigators to come in and take a look at the problem.

TN: Computer Glitch Causes Problems At The Polls*
http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story/Computer-Glitch-Causes-Problems-At-The-Polls/kZlDCfTt6ka265U94R11Yw.cspx
MEMPHIS, TN— A computer glitch caused problems for as many as 3,000 Shelby County voters when the polls opened election day.

According to Election Commissioner, Bill Giannini electronic equipment used to check voters had the wrong information loaded into them. Instead of showing early voters for this election, poll workers were given early voting lists from the May primary.

TN: Tennessee Computer Glitch Prevents Thousands From Voting*
http://www.i4u.com/article37165.html
Election Commissioner Bill Giannini said that as many as 3,000 voters were taken to voting machines only to find that poll workers inadvertently used electronic cards from May’s primary election.

The Voting News Daily: SC Voting machine lawsuit heads to court. Target ‘sorry’ political donations offend

NC taxpayers overcharged for election ballots?…Some problems with Michigan polls but state has paper ballots…South Carolina Federal voting machine case clears first hurdle…The Federal Voting Assistance Program has opened a 24X7 call center to assist overseas military voters…Target President and CEO “genuinely sorry” that their political donations offend…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AZ: Sheriff Arpaio Political Ad Under Investigation
County Attorney: Ad Violates State Law
http://www.kpho.com/news/24503664/detail.html

CA: LA city councilman indicted on felony voter fraud
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15676906?nclick_check=1
A Los Angeles city councilman and his wife were indicted on a total of 24 felony counts stemming from allegations he lived outside his district, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

CT: CT Elections Enforcement Commission rules free social media must have campaign expense disclaimer http://www.deliberatect.com/node/355

CT: New link to check your CT Voter Registration
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/new-link-to-check-your-ct-voter-registration/

IL: Former political workers sentenced for vote fraud *
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-04/news/ct-met-vote-fraud-sentence-0805-20100804_1_eapen-and-ramos-anish-eapen-absentee-ballots
Two former political workers for Ald. Bernard Stone, 50th, were each sentenced to nearly a year in Cook County Jail on Wednesday for attempting to manipulate absentee ballots in Stone’s hotly contested 2007 election.

KS: County commission results delayed *
http://www.dodgeglobe.com/news/local/x1137371715/County-commission-results-delayed
Unofficial results from the Ford County Commission race were not available by press time Tuesday, due to a glitch at the Ford County Clerk’s office.
Ford County Clerk Sharon Seibel said her staff had to enter one voting card into the system by hand, so full results would not be available until today.

MI: One vote separates 1st District competitors
Recount likely in Republican race to beat Gary McDowell
http://www.freep.com/article/20100804/NEWS15/100804020/1435/1-vote-separates-1st-District-competitors
According to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Web site, political newcomer and Tea Party candidate Dr. Dan Benishek of Crystal Falls led state Sen. Jason Allen of Alanson by a single vote, 27,091-to-27,090. The Associated Press’ tally had the difference only a little larger – Benishek led by 12 votes out of some 71,000 cast.

MI: Allen accepts 1 vote shortfall; recount looms
http://record-eagle.com/latest/x1243785828/Allen-accepts-1-vote-shortfall-recount-looms
TRAVERSE CITY — State Sen. Jason Allen of Alanson withdrew his claim of victory and accepted an unofficial, single-vote margin that awarded the Republican nomination in the 1st Congressional District to Crystal Falls physician Dan Benishek.

MI: Genesee County elections officials say they issued wrong voting results on election night *
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/08/genesee_county_elections_offic.html
GENESEE COUNTY — County elections officials say they released incorrect voting results after Tuesday’s primary election, never realizing they left out absentee ballots until early this morning.

“There’s no excuse. We should know how to run our own reports,” county Elections Supervisor Doreen D. Fulcher told the county Board of Canvassers today.

MI: Learning curve with new e-pollbook system causes some delays in tallying votes*
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/08/learning_curve_with_new_e-poll.html
…She said some workers issued a paper ballot and forgot to hit “proceed” in the e-pollbook, causing voters’ ballots to be misnumbered, which meant workers had to go back and inspect the voter applications.
…
Kent County Clerk Mary Hollinrake said processing absentee and regular ballots also caused a problem. When absentee ballots were entered into the database, she said, they would override the regular ballots already there, causing county workers to backtrack.

The Voting News Daily: ATMs AND Voting Machines are hackable. Obama admin on the military vote

Bob Fitrakis asks “Why is it, on this anniversary of Bill Moss’ passing, that we can readily accept people are hacking into ATM machines, but ignore the fact that people are also hacking Diebold, ES&S and other electronic voting machines and stealing more than money.”…$20 votes in Perry Co KY vote buying scheme…Obama admin pushes back hard on charge that it’s not protecting military voters. Letter explains waiver process is built into MOVE act and the Department of Defense in consultation with DOJ determines whether to grant waivers…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

CA: Fresno woman arraigned on voter fraud
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/08/03/2028064/fresno-woman-arraigned-on-voter.html
Election officials said Holland forged signatures in an attempt to reduce entry fees for Fresno City Council Member Cynthia Sterling in Sterling’s race for county supervisor and for Fresno police officer Oliver Baines, who is running for Sterling’s seat.

CA: State panel calls for online political ad rules
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/02/MNDQ1ENN37.DTL
California should regulate online political ads the same way it does television, radio or print communications – by requiring candidates and campaigns to tell voters who paid for them, officials with the state’s campaign watchdog agency …

CA: WHY IT MIGHT BE RATIONAL FOR JUDGE WALKER TO STAY HIS OWN RULING IN THE PROP. 8 CASE http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016619.html

CO: Buescher: GOP criticism on MOVE Act military voting ignores reality
http://coloradoindependent.com/58686/buescher-gop-criticism-on-move-act-military-voting-ignores-reality
Secretary of State Bernie Buescher Monday night told the Colorado Independent he was way ahead of his Republican critics on what needed to happen in Colorado to comply with a new federal law dictating the speed of mailing overseas ballots to members of the military, but lawmakers dragged their feet because of election-year politics.
…
Buescher said both his supporters and critics could have proposed legislation during the last session to comply with the MOVE Act but the political will was missing because of ramifications for campaigns already in progress.

CT: Conn. governor vetoes bill to fix campaign law
http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2010/08/02/conn_governor_vetoes_bill_to_fix_campaign_law/

HARTFORD, Conn.—Gov. M. Jodi followed through Monday with her promise to veto a bill that attempts to fix Connecticut’s campaign finance law after a federal appeals court founds parts of it unconstitutional.

FL: Detour on election audits
With local measure apparently dead, seek a change in state law
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100803/OPINION/8031026/2198/OPINI
Instead of fighting for stronger ballot auditing in Sarasota County, push for it statewide. That would provide the consistency and uniformity the courts say is legally required.

FL: Show up Thursday, August 5th, 2 PM–Stand by the people of Sarasota
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13797
…Thursday, August 5th, please attend the special meeting of the Sarasota County Commissioners at 2 PM in the Commission Chambers at 1660 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota. That’s when they will make their final decision on whether to appeal the negative ruling of the judge in the 12th Judicial Circuit on the status of our county charter amendment for paper ballots and mandatory audits of election equipment, or whether they will support the will of the voters of Sarasota County in another way.

GA: Georgia Military and Overseas Voters, Submit Your Ballot for the August 10, 2010 General Primary Runoff!

The Voting News Daily: 1 in 10 MN mail ballots rejected. DOJ on MOVE Act Waivers, military vote

The Dept of Justice responds to Sen Coryn on MOVE ACT Waivers.” The President of the Overseas Vote Foundation responds to Fox news report on MOVE act…Faith in Technology: Drilling, Driving, and Voting…Mechanics of Atlantic City NJ absentee ballot fraud revealed in investigative report. Defendant admits:”I just have the people bring the ballot to me, and I fill them out…Another Year, Another Crisis At The NYC Board Of Elections…CTvoter on “Faith in Technology: Drilling, Driving, and Voting”…How Secure are Military IT Systems?

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: black voters file Section 5 case over Gov. Riley cancelling their votes
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006419.html
The Tuscaloosa News reports: Local politicians in Greene and Macon counties have joined to file a federal lawsuit claiming that Gov. Bob Riley’s bingo raids are perpetuating racial injustice by thwarting the intent of black voters.

CA: WERE VOTERS BEING STUPID IN MISUNDERSTANDING THE EFFECT OF A “NO” VOTE ON PROP 8?
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016602.html

CO: Waiver for Sending Overseas Military Ballots Sought
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kunc/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1683331/Regional/Waiver.for.Sending.Overseas.Military.Ballots.Sought “Because Colorado has such a late primary in August, there’s no way for the county clerks to be able to solidify who’s on the general election ballot, print out the thousands of ballots they have to do, and then mail them out 45 days before the election.”
…
To prevent future problems, Secretary Buescher is working to revise the state’s election calendar, which could involve moving the primary.

FL: Sebastian Inlet District wants answer on elections
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100730/NEWS01/7300327/1006/Sebastian+Inlet+District+wants+answer+on+elections
The Sebastian Inlet District asked the Florida Secretary of State and the Attorney General to weigh in on whether its elections should be in August or November.

IL: Special election could cause headaches in Illinois
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x312166202/Special-election-could-create-headaches
Voter confusion would mount and costs would skyrocket if the special election for Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat requires a separate ballot from the general election, local election officials say

ME: Noncitizen Voting Proposal Still Alive In Portland
http://wbztv.com/wireapnewsme/Backers.of.proposal.2.1835731.html

MN: Voting absentee? Better have a witness address*
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/99671194.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUncacyi8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU7DYaGEP7vDEh7P:DiUs
Statewide, at least 10 percent of absentee ballots cast in advance of the Aug. 10 primary were rejected on first pass. Some counties neared a 20 percent initial rejection rate.
…
If any of the envelopes don’t include the proper information, such as the voters’ address, their signature, the name of their witness or their witnesses’ address, the ballots will be rejected, and the voters will be sent a replacement. Closer to the election, officials will call or e-mail the voters to let them know to try again

MN: TARGET’S POLITICAL GIVING IS NOT NEW
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016599.html

MN: “TARGET FACES BACKLASH FOR SUPPORTING TOM EMMER IN POST-CITIZENS UNITED WORLD”
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016589.html TPM offers this report. See also Human Rights Campaign Slams Target And Best Buy For Supporting Anti-Gay Tom Emmer.

NJ: SECOND SUSPECT PLEADS GUILTY TO ATLANTIC CITY VOTER FRAUD*
http://www.nbc40.net/view_story.php?id=14086
In pleading guilty to the charge in the indictment, Storr admitted that, in 2009, he instructed a man associated with the Small campaign regarding how to commit absentee ballot fraud by obtaining voters’ signatures on ballot forms, voting the ballots himself, and sending them to the Board of Elections…Storr admitted that, in 2008, while working for the Evans campaign, he tampered with absentee ballots by either voting the ballots himself or telling voters how to vote them, then sending the ballots to the Board of Elections.

The Voting News Daily: On Dept of Justice, Military Vote rumors . Sarasota SoE Dent’s anti-audit ‘timeline’

This week McCreary CO KY considers switching to paper ballot optical scanners…Washington SOS explains “The story behind our military voting waiver request” and r/e FOX News story ‘DOJ Accused of Stalling on MOVE Act for Voters in Military.’ – “Elections officials say it isn’t accurately portraying the Department of Justice or the Federal Voting Assistance Program officials on this issue.”…This year marks the 45th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

Do you like voting news? Forward to a friend!

DC: Some concern over scope of cutting-edge changes in the District voting process
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/01/AR2010080103340.html
Voters are now allowed to vote early without excuse, either in person or by mail; they can register to vote as late as Election Day; and they will use new equipment to cast their ballots.

FL: Kathy Dent, Sarasota SOE, anti-audit timeline (Chart)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/attachments/folder/1763064411/item/1865279602/view

FL: League of Women Voters outlines three ways to vote
http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/518287.html?nav=5011
for the Aug. 24 Florida primary

FL: Florida County Commissioners to Face Big Decisions at Redistricting Time
http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/news/2010/08/02/fl-countie/
Rural counties in Florida are eagerly awaiting the release of the 2010 Census data so they can begin the process of redrawing County Commissioner districts. But when county commissioners download the data early next year, they may be in for an unfortunate surprise. 140,000 Florida residents have been counted in the wrong place

IN: Avon election results will stand, judge says
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20107290405 Avon A Hendricks County judge has ruled that results for two Avon Town Council races in the May 4 primary will stand.
…
“Amazing,” a stunned Allan Yackey, Cox and Kozinski’s attorney, said shortly after hearing the ruling. “The evidence we produced showed that 18 or 19 ballots had been misdistributed. The county even conceded four errors.”

KY: County considers new voting machines
eScans would create paper trail; ease software compatibility
http://mccrearyrecord.com/homepage/x2105968817/County-considers-new-voting-machines
McCreary County Clerk Eric Haynes arranged for a presentation to county officials following the July 13 fiscal court meeting of an eScan machine that would decrease election officials’ reliance on electronics.
…
According to Harp, if a ballot is not properly marked for scanning, the eScan “kicks it out” and the voter has another opportunity. Each precinct would need just one machine as voters mark their ballots behind privacy screens, only using the machine to drop the ballot once completed.

KS: Candidate finds it difficult to cast vote for himself
http://www.gardneredge.com/news/2010/07/30/3162-candidate-finds-it-difficult-to-cast-vote-for-himself John Toplikar, an Olathe candidate for the Johnson County Commission Chair, found voting for himself was more difficult than the thought.
…
When Toplikar pressed the screen for his name, it would register a vote for incumbent Annabeth Surbaugh. He deleted the vote and tried again, but with the same results.

MI: Fast facts about Michigan’s primary election
http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/08/fast_facts_about_michigans_pri.html
Michigan’s primary election is on Tuesday, Aug. 3. Here’s some helpful information:

MO: Dead? Your vote won’t count in Missouri
http://www.marshallnews.com/story/1653345.html
The votes of Missouri residents who cast their votes early by absentee ballot, but who die before Election Day, aren’t counted, said Saline County Clerk Ken Bryant

“Missouri is one of only a few states” that don’t allow ballots of the deceased to be processed, Bryant said.

The Voting News Daily: Beware Absentee Ballots. Judge nixes Sarasota audits. OR online primary hype

Absentee ballot fraud & corruption inquiries in Bell CA., Bladen Co NC, & Troy NY…Atty Bill Risner seeks to depose Iron Mountain over Pima Co AZ election materials…A judge overrules Sarasota voters on election audits that would make sure the tallying machines work correctly…Facts v hype in “The So-Called Online Internet Primary in Oregon” …Election snafu trips up Columbia voter..Citizens United ruling may WV Coal Industry elect friendly judges… BlackHat, Defcon Conferences…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

Editor’s note: Kansas, Michigan and Missouri voters go to the polls Tuesday to vote in primaries for governor, Senate and the House. Please email news reports or blogs on election problems to us at votingnews (at) earthlink.net Thanks!

AL: Alabama’s judicial campaign finance law unenforced for 15 years
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006418.html The Birmingham News reports: A 15-year-old state law meant to discourage big­-dollar donations to judicial cam­paigns has never been enforced, and each of the three branches of government in Montgomery blames another for the failure.

AZ: More Details Emerge About Missing RTA Poll Tapes
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-details-emerge-about-missing-poll.html …A whistleblower has come forward with a sworn affidavit testifying that Bryan Crane told him privately while at the Boondocks Lounge that he had “fixed” the RTA election under direction from his bosses…

AZ: Atty Bill Risner Motion for Deposition of Iron Mountain Company
http://www.fatallyflawedthemovie.com/media/MotionforDepoIronMountain.pdf

AZ: Missing Poll Tapes
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2010/07/18/missing-poll-tapes
…the Sept. 14, 2008 discovery that despite a court order for release of unaltered election data to the Pima County Democratic Party, the designated Democratic Party’s database containing the hard drive had gone missing from the Pima County vault. It was only upon Bill Risner’s visit to the County Clerk’s office that the box of hard drives reappeared: in the hands of John Moffat, who had only a garbled explanation for why he was illegally in possession of the hard drives.

CA: L.A. County D.A. expands probe into Bell government* (absentee ballot)
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/28/local/la-me-bell-elections-20100728
Investigators are looking into allegations of voter fraud and conflicts of interest, as well as the $100,000 salaries paid to four council members. The D.A. says several elections are targeted.
…
Sources with knowledge of the investigation said that among the subjects that prosecutors are looking at is the use of absentee ballots during the March 2009 City Council election…

CO: Kathleen Curry Will Sue Against Discriminatory Campaign Contribution Limits
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/01/kathleen-curry-will-sue-against-discriminatory-campaign-contribution-limits/ Candidates for the State House may receive contributions of $400 if they are running as members of a party. But if they are independent candidates, no one may contribute more than $200.

FL: Sarasota voting machine audit called off
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100730/BREAKING/100739983/2416/NEWS
But a judge this week ruled that state election laws trump the county charter requirement, the latest turn in a back-and-forth legal battle that went all the way to the Florida Supreme Court.
…
The president of Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections, which has fought for four years to uphold the county charter, urged county officials to appeal the latest decision.

“They should stand up for our charter, they should stand up for the will of the voters,” SAFE president Kindra Muntz said.

The Voting News Daily: NY ballot fraud ring. Hacker makes ATMs spew cash. OR online ‘primary’ 4%turnout

Voting rights lawsuit in Alambama over Bingo machine confiscation…DNA Evidence Sought in NY Absentee Ballot Fraud Case…More Ohio voting by mail means more mistakes…Cryptographers speak of threats, voting, and Blu-R…Oregon Ind Party internet primary ‘electon’ yields only 4% turnout and Ivoting vendor wants Oregon to trade vote by mail for internet voting….Do you think internet voting is as “safe as online banking”? Read Researcher’s Hack Can Make ATMs Spew Money…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Voting rights lawsuit filed over Riley’s Greenetrack raid
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20100730/NEWS/100739989?Title=Voting-rights-lawsuit-filed-over-Riley-s-Greenetrack-raid Voting rights lawyer Ed Still is one of several attorneys who has filed a voting rights lawsuit over the June raid and confiscation of more than 800 bingo machines from the Greenetrack bingo casino in Greene County.
..
The lawsuit’s premise is simple: Riley’s actions unilaterally reversed voter intentions in both counties, effectively canceling their votes.

CA: Sacramento County voter switched from Democrat to Republican
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=88535&catid=2
Sacramento County elections officials were notifying Cracraft that she had re-registered to vote as a Republican

CA: Two Candidates and Four Voters File Lawsuit Against Certain Aspects of California Top-Two System http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/28/two-candidates-and-four-voters-file-lawsuit-against-certain-aspects-of-california-top-two-system/

CT: IRV: Is it legal in Connecticut? Can our scanners compute it?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/irv-is-it-legal-in-connecticut-can-our-scanners-compute-it/

DC: U.S. Department of Justice Decides Not to Take a Position on Counting Write-in Votes http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/30/u-s-department-of-justice-decides-not-to-take-a-position-on-counting-write-in-votes/
On June 30, the U.S. Justice Department said that the Department has decided not to take a position in the pending lawsuit Libertarian Party v District of Columbia Board of Elections, now pending in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

FL: Eleventh Circuit Grants Injunction to Stop Extra Public Funding for One Florida Gubernatorial Candidate
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/30/eleventh-circuit-grants-injunction-to-stop-extra-public-funding-on-one-florida-gubernatorial-candidate/

GA: Longer early voting period in GA does not increase turnout in primary
http://www.earlyvoting.net/blog/2010/07/longer-early-voting-period-ga-does-not-increase-turnout-primary

NC: North Carolina Ballot Access Hearing Postponed
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/26/north-carolina-ballot-access-hearing-postponed/

NY: NY: 9 targeted in vote conspiracy (DNA evidence sought)
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/9-targeted-in-vote-conspiracy-594751.php
Court records filed in connection with the investigation include allegations that the officials, and several political operatives for the Rensselaer County Democratic Party, may have conspired to file dozens of fraudulent absentee ballots last year in an attempt to seize the Working Families Party line for the general election.

The officials identified as targets of the investigation are: Rensselaer County Board of Elections Commissioner Edward G. McDonough; city Councilmen Michael LoPorto, Gary Galuski, Kevin McGrath, and John Brown; City Council President Clem Campana; City Clerk William A. McInerney; and political operatives Dan Brown, who is John Brown’s brother, and Anthony DeFiglio, a former Troy Housing Authority clerk.

NY: County Approves Electronic Voting Machines (Dominion)
The lever voting machines currently used in Commack will not longer be used for national elections as of Sept., new electronic tabulating machines have been certified.
http://commack.patch.com/articles/county-approves-electronic-voting-machines
The current voting machines – traditional lever machines – are still being used for district elections, at this point in time, Knoble said

OH: More Ohio voting by mail means more mistakes *
http://www.wfmj.com/Global/story.asp?S=12890771 More than 6,000 voters in the county that includes Cleveland made mistakes with mail-in ballots for the May primary. Some left off necessary signatures or information, while nearly 100 even forgot to include their ballot in the envelope.

The Voting News Daily: Calloway KY Co picks optical scan. More WV cntys. mull troop internet vote test

After an “internet pilot” for 5 WV counties, with total of 54 ballots cast out of 68 requested, the Putnam Co WV clerk now believes internet voting is safe, and wants his county to volunteer. Did anyone explain what happened to those missing 14 votes?…Martin Co FL using a ballot tracking system for absentee ballots, hope it works better than Denver Co system…Former GA SOS Handel hit with ethics complaint. (Handel promised to ditch DREs but reneged……Calloway joins majority of KY counties using paper ballots…Ohio SOS Office gets YouTube Channel…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

FL: Martin County Track your vote-by-mail ballot for Aug. 24 primary
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/jul/27/martin-county-track-your-vote-by-mail-ballot-for/?partner=RSS To track your ballot, visit www.MartinVotes.com and click on Track Your Ballot located under What’s New.

GA: Karen Handel hit with ethics complaint alleging $13k in illegal payments to staffers http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2010/07/27/karen-handel-hit-with-ethics-complaint-alleging-13k-in-illegal-payments-to-staffers/
Political blogger Bill Simon has filed a complaint against Republican candidate for governor Karen Handel with the State Ethics Commission, alleging that she illegally paid $13,200 to advisors of her gubernatorial campaign with money raised as a candidate for secretary of state

GA: Ethics Panel Probes Handel Complaints (different from above article)
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/ethics-panel-probes-handel-complaints-071210

KY: Elections board to pursue the purchase of new machines
http://www.murrayledger.com/articles/2010/07/28/top_story/news02.txt
Calloway County…Most counties in Kentucky have moved to using new paper-ballot scanning equipment that tallies votes electronically, but also produce a better “paper trail” that can be used to verify electronic voting results and ensure an accurate as well as a faster and more efficient.

NC: Editorial: One-stop – Early voting deserves bipartisan support.
http://fayobserver.com/articles/2010/07/23/1015828?sac=Opin

NY: Did You Split Your Vote? Experts Scrutinize Port Chester Vote Data for Trends
http://portchester.patch.com/articles/did-you-split-your-vote-experts-scrutinize-port-chester-vote-data-for-trends
Using a wealth of data from exit polls and surveys, political scientists want to know how Port Chester voters used the new cumulative voting system.

NY: Election commissioner at odds with county law
http://pressrepublican.com/new_today/x1079911004/Election-commissioner-at-odds-with-county-law PLATTSBURGH — Democratic Elections Commissioner Susan Castine is challenging a Clinton County law that says she can’t run for office and work at the Board of Elections at the same time.

OH: Ohio Secretary of State’s Office Establishes YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/OhioSOSBrunner
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s office has created a YouTube channel where citizens can follow the work of the office. YouTube is another way the office has embraced technology to provide additional outreach to Ohioans.

Internet Voting Watch

WVA:Putnam officials want to be part of voting project
http://www.dailymail.com/News/PutnamCounty/201007270877?page=1&build=cache
Commission also approves contract for demolition of building
“I feel more secure about the system now that it has been utilized,” ~ Brian Wood

WVA: Online Balloting Gaining Steam in Mon County
http://www.wdtv.com/index.php/home/local-news/2396-online-balloting-gaining-speed-in-mon-county Getting things done as fast as possible is the trend in America these days, and making your vote count is no different. That’s why Monongalia County is one of four counties in the state using online balloting.
..
Not everyone can cast their vote online yet, but for now, if you have a family member serving in the military overseas, or you know someone living abroad that wants to vote, this is for them.

The Voting News Daily: KS vote flipping. NASS-overseas vote must be recountable! DISCLOSE Fails

NASS resolution – State Election Officials: Recountable Process A Must for Overseas Voters. (internet or email voting does not provide that)…The DISCLOSE Act fails…”MONEY & POLITICS: Aetna, Humana, Other Insurers Mull New Group to Influence November Races”…Candidate reports touchscreen vote flipping in Johnson County Kansas…Michigan Sleuths Find Link Between Dem Party Official and the Ballot-Qualified Tea Party…Allegations in Bell, CA that off duty police officers were recruited to to distribute absentee ballots in last year’s election and tell people which candidates to vote for…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

CA: DA probes voter fraud allegations in Calif. city (Bell, CA)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7127322.html It was only one of several allegations the district attorney is looking into in the city where three top officials resigned last week after it was disclosed they were being paid salaries totaling about $1.6 million a year.

CO: KDNK Reports on SOS Memo Looking to Deny Inspection of Ballots
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/07/kdnk-reports-on-sos-memo-looking-to.html

CO: Aspen mulls vote-counting options
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100728/NEWS/100729825/1077&ParentProfile=1058
ASPEN — City attorneys are drafting language for a November ballot item that could replace the controversial voting method known as instant runoff voting for Aspen’s May election.

CO: Aspen considers replacing IRV in November
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/141729

CT: Complex voting proposal in charter criticized
http://www.theday.com/article/20100728/NWS01/307289880/1019&town=
Registrar of Voters Bill Giesing said he was concerned that the rank voting plan – which would allow for instant results rather than a runoff election at a later date -as well as one that would have four city councilors represent specific wards, would violate state law.

CT: IRV New London: Residents, Registrar, and Candidate concerns
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/irv-new-london-residents-registrar-and-candidate-concerns/

FL: New voting machines to be used throughout Saratoga County in upcoming September primary and November general election
http://saratogian.com/articles/2010/07/26/news/doc4c4cfa7b17c02632792487.txt
BALLSTON SPA — An army of election inspectors is being trained to operate the new machines county voters will use to cast their ballots in the upcoming September primary and November general election.

GA: Voting chief vows no more tabulation glitches in the future
http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/07-27-2010/voting-chief-vows-no-more-tabulation-glitches-future That “glitch” was due to the fact that elections officials decided to run the early and advance voting numbers through the system first, said Elections Supervisor Tom Sawyer. Because the early and advance voting included voters from each Fayette precinct, the computer system used that information to report that all 36 of Fayette’s precincts had voted when in fact, they had not, Sawyer explained.

KS: Problems Possible with Some Touch-Screen Voting Machines * (also video)
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-story-joco-election-machines-072710,0,2795262.story?track=rss “The calibration, just like they would on an iPad or any kind of touch screen kind of thing, can be slightly off,” said Newby. “If you press a button and you mean to hit candidate a and candidate b comes up, just uncheck it and vote for who you want. Then you get a review screen at the end so you really have two chances to, what we call ‘second chance voting’, you really have two chances to do that before you hit cast ballot.”

KS: “Touchy” vote screen: Toplikar tries to vote for himself but “X” appears for opponent * http://kansas.watchdog.org/4366/touchy-vote-screen-toplikar-tries-to-vote-for-himself-but-x-appears-for-opponent/

The Voting News Daily: CalTech on voter roll gaps. NY Group – test all scanners. The Hacker advantage

How does your state rate in CalTech report? Hint – Arkansas is worst. “Huge Variation in “Unmailable” Voter Registration Materials”…Colorado SOS Seeks to “Protect” Ballots from Owners’ Inspection…NY groups want outside test of Dominion scanners…Oregon redistricting initiative fails…The Disclose Act in Senate…EAC final versions of 2010 Election Admin & Voting Survey…WV will test internet voting on overseas military again..Do they know that “a fundamental truth of cyber-security: attackers always have the advantage.”~ Aldo Vasquez…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AZ: Push to get voters Permanent Early Voting List (vote by mail)
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=12874031 The Pima County Democrats are canvassing, trying to get as many registered voters as they can to get the Permanent Early Voting List.

CA: Former Bell police officer alleges serious voting irregularities in 2009 election*
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/former-bell-cop-alleges-serious-voting-irregularities-in-2009-election.html A retired Bell police sergeant claimed in a lawsuit filed this week that off-duty Bell police officers in the 2009 election distributed absentee ballots to voters and told them which candidates to select.

The allegations are contained in a lawsuit filed by James Corcoran, who says he was forced out of his job for informing authorities about the officers’ actions as well as for a variety of other actions that he says top city leaders did not like

CA: Schwarzenegger to call election to fill open Senate seat
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/07/schwarzenegger-to-call-election-to-fill-open-senate-seat.html California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has until Tuesday to call an election to replace state Sen. Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks), who died earlier this month after a battle with cancer

CO: Colorado SOS Seeks to “Protect” Ballots from Owners’ Inspection
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/07/colorado-sos-seeks-to-protect-ballots.html

CO: News: Memo details unclear law on public records (radio or podcast)
http://www.kdnk.org/article.cfm?mode=detail&id=1280241798407 Now those trying to get access to the ballot images here in Colorado say they want to reform the process, arguing the ballots are the property of the people, not the government. KDNK’s Conrad Wilson reports.

CO: Boulder County to provide election service centers
http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=22830 BOULDER — Beginning Tuesday, Boulder County voters can get replacement primary-election mail ballots or cast their votes in person on electronic voting machines at two service centers.

CT: Another Connecticut Public Funding Dispute Goes to Court
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/26/another-connecticut-public-funding-dispute-goes-to-court/

FL: One approach to campaign finance reform
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/07/27/one-approach-to-campaign-finance-reform/
An editorial in the St. Petersburg Times advocates replacing Florida’s campaign finance rules with four new rules

GA: Until south Georgia voter fraud inquiry is settled, Terry Coleman says he’ll hold off on concession (suspects absentee ballot fraud, no evidence cited)
http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2010/07/26/until-south-georgia-voter-fraud-inquiry-is-settled-terry-coleman-says-hell-hold-off-on-concession/?cxntfid=blogs_political_insider_jim_galloway

IA: Misspent federal money and DNR audit in Iowa raise questions
http://www.examiner.com/x-43639-Central-Iowa-Politics-Examiner~y2010m7d26-Misspent-federal-money-and-DNR-audit-in-Iowa-raise-questions The state of Iowa will be required to repay $576,000 in federal money in which an independent audit commissioned by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) found was misspent. The questionable spending was related to the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

The audit revealed that at least one contract associated with the federal grant was never put to a lawful competitive bid.

MA: Mass. Legislature approves plan to bypass Electoral College
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/07/mass_legislatur.html
Under the law, which was enacted by the House last week, all 12 of the state’s electoral votes would be awarded to the candidate who receives the most votes nationally.

The Voting News Daily: Cumberland Co TN lost voting machine and cards. Vote Buying in Perry Co KY

Federal grand jury indicts 4 in Perry Co KY vote buying…Inventory of Cumberland Co TN voting equipment reveals that one voting machine, three card readers and 12 tally cards were missing. They don’t say when that equipment disappeared…A recent FOIA on South Carolina’s absentee ballots raises more questions about the results of the US Sen. Dem Primary…Think internet voting is a good idea? There’s a new internet worm that targets systems such as oil rigs, refineries, electronics production…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

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CA: Math professor: top two primary is flawed
http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/07/california-math-professor-top-two-primary-is-flawed/

CO: Ballot TRACE glitch sends Denver voters wrong message*
http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_15582318
On Wednesday night, a glitch caused the wrong message to go out to 177 of the 233 people signed up. Somehow, data were transposed in the system, which caused the wrong messages
to go out, said Denver Election Commission spokesman Alton Dillard.

CO: Aspen calling for ballot questions for Nov special election
http://www.aspenpitkin.com/Portals/0/docs/City/clerk/council/cc.res.055-10.pdf
a Charter amendment on how to conduct regular municipal elections. The deadline for ballot questions to be submitted to the Pitkin County Clerk is 4 pm September 3 Councils last regular meeting before that deadline is August 23

CT: The Day, Susan Bysiewicz, and we agree: No IRV for New London
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/the-day-susan-bysiewicz-and-we-agree-no-irv-for-new-london/

KS: Few voting-fraud cases found in state
http://topstorieswichita.com/news/few-voting-fraud-cases-found-in-state/

KY: Federal grand jury indicts 4 in Perry vote buying case
http://hazard-herald.com/view/full_story/8864456/article-Federal-grand-jury-indicts-4-in-Perry-vote-buying-case? Pearl Combs, Jr., Michael Ray Combs, Lewis “Cuz” Baker and Charles Marvin Herald have all been charged with unlawfully paying or offering to pay for voting in an election held in part to select a candidate for an office seat in the United States Senate.

MI: New law enables military, overseas civilians to vote
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20100725/NEWS06/7250424
Most importantly, military and overseas civilian voters can now receive a ballot by e-mail or fax to speed the voting process. (The voted ballot must be returned by mail for security purposes.)

MN: Our view: Don’t let a few decide election for us all
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/174588/group/Opinion/

MN: Minn. governor joins debate over alleged ‘voter fraud’
http://www.scrippsnews.com/content/minn-governor-joins-debate-over-alleged-voter-fraud

MN: Mike Dean: Felon-voting flap is a partisan distraction from bigger issues
http://www.twincities.com/opinion/ci_15569558?nclick_check=1
The fact is that election officials have long needed better access to the Department of Corrections database so that they could verify whether someone is a felon. Thanks to legislation passed earlier this year, election officials can now properly flag possible felons to be challenged if they attempt to vote.
…
But having access to this database solves only part of the problem; many felons are not provided with the basic information regarding the status of their voting rights. Felons who have not had their voting rights restored may inadvertently vote because they were never told that their voting rights were taken away.

NY: ADA compliance was money well spent, officials say
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100724/NEWS01/7240356/ADA-compliance-was-money-well-spent-officials-say

NT: Attorney General Candidate Failed to Vote for 18 Years
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/nyregion/25rice.html?_r=1

NY: Leaders disband county party
NO PETITIONS FILED: Independence chiefs feeling ‘disillusioned’
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20100724/NEWS03/307249961/-1/news

The Voting News Daily: Judge – Test NY DS-200 voting machines. Wilkinson GA election meltdown.

Denver Co’s ballot tracking system malfunctioned and told 190 voters that their completed mail ballots had been received. The problem? The voters hadn’t even received the ballots in the first place… Wilkinson CO GA’s server crashed and also had memory card problems…Judge Wants New York’s Voting Machines Tested…Where Do (NY’s)Old Voting Machines Go When They Die? Lever machines are considered obsolete so can be sold for scrap… The Wisconsin State Elections office won’t allow candidate to use obscene description on ballot…

All this and more in today’s voting news below..

Editor’s note: we did not send out news yesterday, it is combined with today’s news.

AK: On the ballot in Alaska: transparency
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=497502 To some Alaskans, the fight against Proposition 1 has morphed into a fight to guard their state’s initiative process from those who would take advantage of its loopholes.

AL: Suit filed to block enforcement of law on campaign contributions
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006416.html A 15-year-old Alabama law that says judges should not hear cases in which one of the parties donated at least $2,000 to their campaigns has never been enforced, locked in a stalemate over whether it first needs to be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice for evidence that it would not disenfranchise minorities.

CO: Vote early and…not at all? Ballot TRACE glitch has some worried *
http://www.examiner.com/x-41664-Denver-Top-News-Examiner~y2010m7d22-Voter-early-andnot-at-all-Ballot-TRACE-glitch-has-some-worried

CO: Uh-oh, technical glitch baffles Denver voters *
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=144870&catid=188 That “hiccup” sent emails to approximately 170 voters telling them that their completed ballots had already been received by the Post Office despite the fact that those voters had yet to receive the actual ballots personally.

CT: What do [Connecticut] voters think?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/what-do-connecticut-voters-think/
A new Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project Report provides insight into the opinions of voters on several voting reform issues. We comment on Connecticut specific results and editorialize on voting integrity implications of the survey.We recommend the survey and commentary be contemplated by activists, legislators, and future Secretaries of the State
…
We caution against recommending a reform or opposing a reform based on public perception reported in a single, or several surveys providing simple reform descriptions.

FL: Voting by mail has increased in popularity, but has unintended consequences
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/political/elections_local/voting-by-mail-has-unintended-consequences Absentee voting by mail has its risks for candidates and voters. The method is considered more vulnerable to mischief and outright fraud. In 2009, voters in a special State Senate election were persuaded to send their ballots to a private mail box instead of the elections office in an apparent attempt to void their votes.

GA: Computer woes a headache for Wilkinson election officials*
http://www.macon.com/2010/07/22/1203319/computer-woes-a-headache-for-election.html
A computer system crash and difficulties with a memory card created an unexpected delay in counting votes in Wilkinson County late Tuesday night.
…
“We had the server go down around 10 p.m., and we had three precincts left to report,” she said. “We’ve never had problems like this before. Normally there’s no trouble.”
…
as of Wednesday afternoon, Barfield said she was unable to confirm whether officials were able to read the final votes from the last memory card.

The Voting News Daily: Montgomery CO PA exempt from election code? New Mexico not so secret ballot

Concerning the issue of internet voting -“Who are you going to believe? Scientists or Vendors?” asks CT Voter…Van Hollen, ‘Corporate Candidate’ Murray Hill Spar Over Political Rights of Businesses… Secret ballot? Not for everybody (in New Mexico)…There’s a Constitutional Amendment Campaign to Undo Citizens United in the works…Are Montgomery County PA voting machines exempt from accountability?…A few questions about Mass Natl Pop Vote Bill…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: ADC files complaint against judge over ad
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100720/NEWS02/7200322/ADC-files-complaint-against-judge-over-ad The Alabama Democratic Conference has filed a complaint against Circuit Court Judge Patricia Warner over what the organization’s chairman said are questionable and misleading campaign tactics.
…
The “advertisement” in question was a sample ballot printed under the banner of the Montgomery County Democratic Conference.
…
Reed said in his letter that the flier was a fraud because only the state organization can make endorsements in state races.

AL: U.S. set to defend Voting Rights Act against Shelby County challenge
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/07/us_set_to_defend_voting_rights.html
The U.S. Department of Justice will mount a vigorous defense against a Shelby County lawsuit that seeks to have parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ruled unconstitu tional, a DOJ spokeswoman said.

AL: Councilman Ben Little files suit seeking clarity on state law
http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/8816845-Councilman-Ben-Little-files-suit-seeking-clarity-on-state-law Little has said that Anniston attorney Donald Stewart’s contributions to the campaigns of several local judges has influenced their rulings. He reiterated those claims Monday, saying people without Stewart’s resources can’t expect a fair hearing.

AZ: Important information for ALL voters
http://tucsoncitizen.com/three-sonorans/2010/07/20/important-information-for-all-voters/
If you have a drivers license you can register to vote online right now!

AZ: Cooperation is right approach in voting probe
http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/flier-62557-probe-investigation.html
Agree or disagree- Click here to send letters to the editor
The intent of a flier being circulated in the border city of San Luis, Ariz. about a voter fraud investigation is disputed, but it does seem to be an attempt to undermine the probe.

CA: SF Voters Could See Same-Day Registration; Some Supes Don’t Like
http://sfappeal.com/news/2010/07/register-and-vote-on-same-day-not-everyone-likes-comments.php

CA: Fresno woman charged with 30 counts of voter fraud
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/politics&id=7566375 A complaint filed in Fresno County Superior Court on Monday charges Holland in 10 of those cases. She’s charged with 10-counts of forgery, 10-counts of perjury and 10-counts of filing false documents. Holland faces up to 10-years in prison if convicted.

CA: Board gets another look at non-citizen voting plan (San Francisco)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=68222
The measure would limit non-citizen voting to the school board election and only include parents and guardians of students in the school district.

CT: Supreme Court allows more public funds for Fedele campaign
http://www.ctmirror.org/story/6880/supreme-court-clears-way-more-campaign-funds-fedele
The state Supreme Court today refused to block Republican gubernatorial candidate Michael C. Fedele from seeking an additional $312,500 in public financing for his campaign

CO: Track your ballot via email or text
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/24329250/detail.html

FL: Are Florida Primaries too close to the general election?
http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/07/are-florida-primaries-too-close-to.html
This year Florida will hold its primaries on August 24th just 11 weeks before the general election

GA: Scanners Speed Primary Voting
http://www.gpb.org/news/2010/07/20/scanners-speed-primary-voting Poll workers in 31 counties have been using bar code scanners on voters’ drivers licenses at check-in.

The Voting News Daily: Online Voting: All That Glitters Is Not Gold. Does your vote count in Georgia?

“Who agrees online voting is not secure? Pretty much everyone who isn’t trying to make money on it…They dishonor the troops fighting to secure our freedom by failing to adequately secure a precious part of that freedom – their votes – in order to turn a profit.” writes Dan McCrae of Florida Voters in “Online Voting: All That Glitters Is Not Gold”…Jeff Rayno on Georgia’s paperless voting machines: “Did your vote count? Will it ever?”…Will Gov Patrick assign MA votes to states with touch screens and voter suppression?…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

CA: Bill guaranteeing polling stations becomes law
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=17601 The new law, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2011, allows election officials to subtract permanent mail-in voters from the precinct’s 1,000-voter cap. As a result, officials can redraw precincts to accurately reflect the number of in-person voters and provide Election Day polling stations for everyone.

GA: Georgia voters report issues at some polling locations
http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia_elections_news/2010/07/20/georgia-voters-report-issues-at-some-polling-locations/?cxntfid=blogs_georgia_elections_news
Virginia-Highland precinct opened late. Wrong ballots issued at N. Druid Hills Road.

GA: Georgia voters miffed at software glitch
http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia_elections_news/2010/07/20/georgia-voters-miffed-at-software-glitch/?cxntfid=blogs_georgia_elections_news
Fusillo’s name was on the list of voters – only the name didn’t match up with the one on her voter registration card. It matched with the one on her driver’s license.

GA: Rayno: Voters still lack paper trail
http://savannahnow.com/column/2010-07-18/rayno-voters-still-lack-paper-trail
I was at one time fascinated with the prospect of online voting with highly secured networks. But the truth is, we have fabricated one of the most unreliable, untraceable and unaccountable voting methods in the world.

HI: One-third of polling precincts consolidated by state
http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/One-third-of-polling-precincts-consolidated-by/Tlij5ugUtE6Ai_Zxxwy3XA.cspx Ninety-seven out of 335 polling precincts have been eliminated.

IL: County clerk: Election issues being resolved
http://register-news.com/homepage/x854233672/County-clerk-Election-issues-being-resolved
MT. VERNON — After spending a week in court hearing about mistakes made during the Nov. 4, 2008, general election, Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Connie Simmons said some of the issues have been resolved with legislative changes — and others are a matter of education of election judges, workers and the public

MA: Will Gov Patrick assign MA votes to states with touch screens and voter suppression? http://www.ctvoterscount.org/will-gov-patrick-assign-ma-votes-to-states-with-touch-screens-and-voter-suppression/ We are not in principle against a national popular vote, but as a prerequisite we would require sufficient uniform national voting franchise and integrity laws, enforceable and enforced.

NY: Voting-rights case for disabled students settled
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100719/NEWS01/7190319
ALBANY — The U.S. Department of Justice announced an agreement last week to resolve a longstanding lawsuit against the state and its public universities for not providing voter-registration services for students with disabilities.

NY: New Concerns Raised Over Voting Machine Upgrade (video also)
http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/politics/122348/new-concerns-raised-over-voting-machine-upgrade “The language that’s used is unclear. It doesn’t tell the voter that their vote isn’t going to count. That is never expressed or stated in the statement. And the interface itself is just counterintuitive. If you see a green button with a check mark and something that says ‘Cast,’ to most people that means good, that means my vote is going to count,” said Lawrence Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice.

The Voting News Daily: CalTech – little support for internet voting. Aspen’s never ending election integrity war

“Having good elections takes public vigilance, but it shouldn’t become a war.” Mike LaBonte, election integrity activist…A CalTech study of Voter Opinions about Election Reform indicates: “Internet voting and voting-by-mail do not receive a great deal of support from American voters.”…$10,440 in South Carolina vs. $0 in Vermont…8 States with Online Voter Registration

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

Editor’s note: Voting News’ is one year old now. Our first edition went out on July 17, 2009.
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AL: New Alabama election system to show statewide results online
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/07/new_alabama_election_system_to.html
It is expected to offer voting results, turnout information and possibly precinct-by-precinct data, all online and updated regularly through the night after polls close.

CA: June 8 election problems and solutions (Riverside County)
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100718/OPINION01/7170345/June-8-election-problems-and-solutions See charts

CA: County to purchase better election devices (Riverside County)
County supervisors authorize equipment to avoid future election gaffes
http://www.myvalleynews.com/story/49444/ “Sixty-two percent of ballots cast in this election were by mail. That has a whole lot of implications,” Supervisor John Benoit said during a 90-minute hearing on an Executive Office report detailing what went wrong during and after that election.

“It takes seven steps (to process) every single vote-by-mail ballot,” said Benoit, who represents desert communities on the five-member board..

CO: The never-ending war (Aspen Colorado)
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100719/LETTER/100719846/1020&parentprofile=1061
Keys were left hanging from a ballot box in City Hall that collected more than 800 early voting ballots, the public software test did not work out, most of the tallying was performed by a private company using uncertified systems, voters’ ballot data were collected roughly in the order voted without shuffling to preserve anonymity, corrected tally results were announced after the incorrect ones were certified, etc.

CT: Candidates Qualify For Public Financing For Primary
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3364 With a couple of close calls near the deadline, it seems that all the statewide office candidates that wanted to participate in the program have met fundraising criteria.

GA: GALEO sues state over new voter registration procedures
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=230839
“We do not believe Georgia has lived up to its legal obligations to protect and to ensure equitable access to all voters, including minority voters. In addition, we believe these proposed changes demonstrate the need to uphold the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in order to protect access to the polls. GALEO intends to work in a bi-partisan fashion to ensure Georgia can look at best-practices policy alternatives to protect voter access,” continued Gonzalez.

FL: Riches, elections and free speech
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/article1109206.ece
The problem for candidates who are not independently wealthy is that the game is somewhat rigged. They are held to strict dollar limits from outside contributors while very rich people have a First Amendment right to freely spend their own money.

LA: Ex-police chief sentenced to service
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/98650419.html Maurer admitted that he caused two of his deputies to provide false information on their voter registration forms indicating that they lived in the voting district when they did not, according to a news release from Letten’s New Orleans office.

The Voting News Daily: Hackers invade Colorado SOS site. SC Voting machines ‘buggy…exploitable’

Still trust the internet with your votes? Hackers invade Colorado SOS site-“criminals are altering corporate information through the secretary of state’s website and using the falsified data to obtain credit and loans.”…NY Ballot case now seeks DNA…Paper please: “The citizens of South Carolina deserve better than buggy, unstable and exploitable elections.” says Dr.Duncan A Buell…Hearing Set for North Carolina Ballot Access Case…Is your ballot really secret?…Voter Registration in a Digital Age…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Autauga Co: DA finds no multiple voting occurred
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006413.html
there was only one vote cast by the person who was alleged to have voted several times..

CO: Hackers falsifying data on businesses to obtain loans (SOS website)
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_15527827 “We created a system in Colorado, which is extraordinarily easy to use, one of the cheapest and one of the most electronic in the country,” Buesch er said. “Unfortunately, that opened the doors for the bad guys.”

GA: Kemp Announces Expansion of Driver’s License Bar Code Scanner Pilot Project for General Primary http://www.theweekly.com/news/2010/July/14/bar_code.html
The bar code scanners do not change the check-in process in order to vote in an election. Voters must still complete a voter’s certificate at their polling location. As required by Georgia law, poll workers must also check each voter’s photo identification to ensure that it matches the vote

GA: MALDEF and GALEO join lawsuit in order to defend voting rights act
http://romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/8770584/article-MALDEF-and-GALEO-join-lawsuit-in-order-to-defend-voting-rights-act?instance=home_news_lead_story
Today, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) filed legal papers opposing an attempt by the State of Georgia to implement new voter registration procedures that discriminate against minority voters. Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) represents GALEO in the legal effort…

IL: Election workers questioned in state’s attorney trial
http://register-news.com/local/x961150643/Election-workers-questioned-in-states-attorney-trial

MA: Massachusetts Senate Passes National Popular Vote Bill
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/16/massachusetts-senate-passes-national-popular-vote-bill/ On the evening of July 15, the Massachusetts Senate passed H4156, the National Popular Vote Plan bill for electing the president. The bill had passed the House in June. The bill needs one more procedural vote and then it goes to the Governor’s desk

MA: Winner-take-all bill is OK’d by state Senate
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/07/16/
winner_take_all_bill_is_okd_by_state_senate/ http://bit.ly/aLB4ey
The state Senate approved a bill last night that would give all 12 of the state’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote, one of three key votes the chamber took during a busy night on Beacon Hill.

MN: MCDONALD ON VOTER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS IN MINNESOTA
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016434.html The answer to Rick’s question “Did Enough Illegal Felons Vote in Minnesota in 2008 to Tip the Balance to Al Franken?” is no. According to a report produced by Minnesota Majority, to date 10 of 2,921,147 ballots were found to be illegally cast in the 2008 Minnesota general election, for a rate of 0.0003%. Even if all of these illegal ballots included recorded votes cast for Sen. Franken, this is insufficient to alter the outcome of a 225 vote margin.

MN: Olmsted County Attorney investigates allegations of voter fraud
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=16&a=461402
“We have to verify locally here and look at our records and see that they did vote and in fact that it is that person and not somebody with a very similar name who was an eligible voter,” Ostrem said.

The Voting News Daily: Cancel the Voting Machines? Lost Voters, Lost Votes. MontCo PA blames voters

In “Cancel the Voting Machines?” The Brian Leher show discusses NY voting machine problems…RivCo CA gets more voting machines, keeps registrar…MontCo PA officials blame voters for lost votes…Huffington Post is running internet vote vendor Scytl’s press release as an editorial. The “piece” touts internet voting as getting rid of hanging chads or any other problem. The piece doesn’t mention Scytl’s involvement in Finland’s failed i-voting experiment in 2008….Lost voters, lost votes? In 2008, an estimated 1.9 million voters did not cast a ballot for one simple and solvable reason: they did not know where to go…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AZ: Computer glitch causes errors in Mesa voter information
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/14/20100714mesa-voter-information-glitch.html
A glitch in a computer program created inaccurate information in voter registration records at the Maricopa County Recorder’s Mesa office in recent weeks.

Yvonne Reed, communications director for the Maricopa County Elections Department, said the problem was traced to a program installed in the Mesa terminals and has been corrected.

CA: REGION: Riverside County to invest in election equipment
SUPERVISORS CONSIDER VOTE COUNTERS FOR EACH POLLING PLACE
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/swcounty/article_f2b4e23b-a22d-5008-85ed-ef17fc0b2ef7.html

CA: Registrar to stay, $650,000 to go
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100714/NEWS0301/7140314/Registrar+
to+stay+++650+000+to+go http://is.gd/dtC4i

CA: District elections blocked by San Mateo supervisors
http://www.examiner.com/x-1891-San-Mateo-Public-Policy-Examiner~y2010m7d13-District-Elections-Blocked-by-San-Mateo-Supervisors …denying county voters the option to vote on a local ballot measure to change the way in which supervisors are elected..

DC: Moten urges Fenty to veto vote-buying bill
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2010/07/moten_urges_fenty_to_veto_vote.html
…ally of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) is calling on the mayor to veto a D.C. Council bill approved Tuesday that would make it a local crime to pay someone to vote.

FL: Seminole County amps up voting technology
http://www.seminolechronicle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2010/07/14/4c3e22269aac2

GA: St. Marys voters to consider majority elections
Plurality decides races now, but a referendum could change all that.
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-07-13/story/st-marys-voters-consider-majority-elections

IL: Illinois Republican Party is Victim of 2009 “Anti-Slating” Law
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/15/illinois-republican-party-is-victim-of-2009-anti-slating-law/

IL: Polling place privacy — a good idea, long overdue
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2010/07/primary.html

IL: State’s attorney election trial begins
http://register-news.com/local/x536262299/States-attorney-election-trial-begins
MT. VERNON — The Jefferson County State’s Attorney election contest trial started on Tuesday, with a parade of witnesses who voted in the Nov. 4, 2008, election being called by former candidate Nicole Villani.
…
During his opening statements on Tuesday, Villani’s attorney, Morris Lane Harvey, claimed there was “such a pervasive practice of irregularities in that precinct from start to finish … that Mt. Vernon 12 precinct in relation to votes cast on election day, should not be counted at all.”

MD: Baltimore County Man Cited For Election Sign
http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/24250565/detail.html
County Says Campaign Poster ‘Too Big’
…
Stouten got creative and cut the big sign down into four pieces — each under 8 square feet — and put the sign back up.

MI: Tea Party Appears to Qualify for the Michigan Ballot
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/14/tea-party-appears-to-qualify-for-the-michigan-ballot/

MN: Pawlenty: Investigate felon votes in Senate race
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/98472564.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUqEiaDUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

MN: DID ENOUGH ILLEGAL FELONS VOTE IN MINNESOTA IN 2008 TO TIP THE BALANCE TO AL FRANKEN? http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016422.html

MN: Doc, Elvis or Santa: When is a nickname OK on ballot?
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/98470854.html

NC: Local company unveils mobile voting site
http://www.enctoday.com/news/voting-89005-nbsj-mobile-carolina.html

The Voting News Daily: Vote or Vice? Internet voting $1.5 B industry. AZ Election evidence disappears

News reports say that internet voting is a $1.5 Billion industry. You didn’t think it was being promoted for the good of voters, did you? Computer scientists say that internet elections are inherently insecure and ballots are non secret…Evidence Discovered Missing from Allegedly ‘Fixed’ AZ Election..Tulare County CA discovers 2,500 ballots not counted…Letter to editor: “New York’s elections are being Floridized.”…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

Editor note: yesterday we attirbuted the story “Ballot error” to Connecticut, but the state is Vermont instead. We apologize and thank readers for notifying us.

AL: Alabama: editorial warns GOP about crossover voting (or closing the barn door after …) http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006412.html
The Huntsville Times editorializes: Be careful what you ask for. It may not be what you really want.

AL: New election night reporting system to be tested during primary runoff election
http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=12791803
MONTGOMERY, AL – A new election night reporting system would be tested during the primary runoff election Tuesday. The test program will take place in four counties: Jefferson, Madison, Mobile, and Montgomery.

AZ: EXCLUSIVE: Evidence Discovered Missing from Allegedly ‘Fixed’ AZ Election; MUCH MORE* http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7946
Out of 368 precincts, 112 poll tapes are completely missing. Moreover, 102 of the “yellow sheets” — certified precinct reports, signed by poll workers, detailing corresponding summary information, such as numbers of ballots received, cast and spoiled, as helpful for important auditing functions at the precinct level — are missing as well.
Furthermore, of the poll tape records that are not missing, 50 of them do not match the results as recorded in the final canvas of the election,

CA: Tulare County discovers 2,500 ballots not counted *
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/07/13/2005111/tulare-county-discovers-2500-ballots.html?storylink=mirelated
Wallis says the problem was discovered during a recount in a supervisor’s race when election officials discovered 395 additional votes compared to the first tally. They soon learned the problem extended across the county.

CA: Election-night error resulted in 10 percent of absentee ballots not being tabulated; no races affected by since-rectified problem, elections officials say
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100712/NEWS01/100712017/1002/Election-night+error+resulted+in+10+percent+of+absentee+ballots+not+being+tabulated++no+races+affected+by+since-rectified+problem++elections+officials+say http://is.gd/dr6gO
(Tulare County)… the vote-by-mail ballots involved were counted but not uploaded to the Election Office ballot-tabulation program.

CA: Assemblywoman asks for recount of state Senate ballots
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100713/NEWS0301/7130311/1006/news01/
Assemblywoman+asks+for+recount+of+state+Senate+ballots http://is.gd/dskIf
(Riverside County) Assemblywoman Mary Salas late Monday asked for a recount in the primary race for state Senate, two days after the results showed she lost by 22 votes.

CA: County supervisors approve election report, keep registrar
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100713/NEWS03/100713015/County-supervisors-approve-election-report-keep-registrar– (Riverside County)
The internal county review discussed today blamed “poor” communication with voters and a reduced budget for most of the problems.

CT: They Can Keep The Money
http://newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/they_can_keep_the_–_for_now/id_27691 (Updated) A federal court panel ruling Tuesday limited the ability of publicly financed candidates to keep up with the spending of millionaires who finance their own campaigns. But two candidates most immediately affected by that ruling—Dan Malloy and Michael Fedele—can keep an extra $2 million they got for the upcoming gubernatorial primaries.

FL: No More Free Postage For Absentee Ballots
http://wokv.com/localnews/2010/07/no-more-free-postage-for-absen.html
Jacksonville taxpayers aren’t footing the bill this year for absentee voters.

The Voting News Daily: Montgomery PA voters thwarted by Sequoia machines. Why CT Finance Ruling matters.

Must read: Old style ballot box facing electronic poll threat. “The most effective fraud is done by changing results after the count is done–how much easier is that going to be to do undetected when there is no paper trail to trip you up?” ~ Silvana Puizana,electoral expert..Richard Winger of Ballot Access News says “2nd Circuit Reverses U.S. District Court, Says Constitution Permits Massive Discrimination Against Minor Parties and Independent Candidates in Public Funding.” The ruling is a ” major campaign finance decision with important national implications.” says Rick Hasen of ElectionLawBlog…

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Alabama
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/justice-department-to-monitor-elections-in-alabama-98250769.html
WASHINGTON, July 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ –The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor the primary runoff elections on July 13, 2010, in Barbour, Lee and Russell Counties, Ala., to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

CA: ACORN Worker Sues O’Keefe
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7940

CT: Two Courts Rule For And Against Citizens Election Program
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3359 Its a mixed bag, disappointing in my view.
It makes no sense that giving supplemental grants to one candidate limits the free speech of an opponent, or that erecting higher standards for third party candidates serves a vibrant democracy.

CT: 2nd Circuit Reverses U.S. District Court, Says Constitution Permits Massive Discrimination Against Minor Parties and Independent Candidates in Public Funding
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/07/13/2nd-circuit-reverses-u-s-district-court-says-constitution-permits-massive-discrimination-against-minor-parties-and-independent-candidates-in-public-funding/

CT: SECOND CIRCUIT PANEL ISSUES TWO IMPORTANT DECISIONS ON CONNECTICUT CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016413.html In a major campaign finance decision with important national implications, a Second Circuit panel in Green Party of Connecticut v. Garfield agreed with a federal district court that the “trigger provision” of Connecticut’s campaign finance law (giving additional funding when a participating candidate faces a self-financed opponent or large independent spending against the candidate) is unconstitutional.

CT: Second Circuit Campaign Finance Rulings
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/green_party_of_
connecticut_v_jeffrey_garfield_et_al/ http://is.gd/dr1px
Today, the Second Circuit upheld the majority of Connecticut’s campaign finance reform system – including its groundbreaking public financing program – against a sweeping constitutional challenge.

CT: Connecticut public financing opinion announced
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/07/13/connecticut-public-financing-court-opinion-announced/ Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit overturned the subsidies that Connecticut provides to publicly funded candidates for state office so they can match the campaign spending of their privately funded opponents.

GA: Vaccinations offered at early voting (ouch!)
http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/news/headlines/98287894.html
“Vote and Vaccination” program offered by the Rockdale County Board of Health.

NY: EDITORIAL: Let’s get voting right in New York ($ for full article)
http://www.newsday.com/opinion/editorial-let-s-get-voting-right-in-new-york-1.2099927
The comfortable era of lever voting machines is likely to end in New York in September. So we’ll have to get used to marking paper ballots and stuffing them into scanners that will read and count our votes – except when they won’t.

OR: A vote by mail glitch
http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2010/07/12/a-vote-by-mail-glitch/
Most people probably won’t encounter this, but it’s worth considering as we think about the long-range future of vote-by-mail, which is probably growing, and of the U.S. Post Service, which has been slowly spiraling downward.

PA: Election Board Response to ERN Study on Vote Discrepancies: “We’re Happy”
http://www.electionreformnetwork.us/node/235

The Voting News Daily: Ohio Vote Center Pilots slash polling places. Ireland e-voting mistake still costs

Didn’t we learn anything from the Garland Co Arkansas fiasco, where polling placesw were cut from 42 to 2? Ohio didn’t: Montgomery, Clinton & Highland counties will drastically cut polling places and use vote centers instead.Montgomery Co. will go from 159 polling places to 4 vote centers. For people who can’t easily get off work, or have transportation issues – voting just got harder. If something goes wrong, more voters and votes are impacted all at once. More on India’s rebellion against electronic voting…Ireland-No end in sight for €50m e-voting saga..

All this and more in today’s voting news below…

AL: So that all can vote
http://www.dailyhome.com/view/full_story/8723426/article-So-that-all-can-vote?instance=home_lead_story According to Talladega County Probate Judge Billy Atkinson, blind voters in every precinct have the option of using an AutoMARK voting machine, which replaced Braille voting machines about four years ago.
…
“The Braille voting machines weighed around 2,000 pounds each and were difficult to set up,” Atkinson said. “Things moved very slowly, and we had to get AIDB to print..

AL: Cast your vote with a clear conscience
http://blog.al.com/tscarritt/2010/07/cast_your_vote_with_a_clear_co.html
To vote or not to vote: That is the question; Whether ’tis nobler in the runoff to suffer the outrageous choices that other voters might make, or to cross over into the opposing party’s primary and help select its nominee

CA: Disputed Riverside Co. ballots counted
http://www.pe.com/politics/gang/stories/PE_News_Local_votecount11.127bfeeef.html

CA: Election probe findings are ‘stunning’
Report: Not enough ballot counters hired; registrar’s resignation not sought
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100709/NEWS0301/7090323/
006/NEWS01/Election+probe+findings+are+%E2%80%98
stunning+ http://is.gd/dpHIp
The Riverside County registrar’s office hired fewer people to count ballots than in previous elections and had “poor communication” with voters about the results, an internal review of the June 8 election found
…
Dunmore has also been criticized for not notifying the public sooner that 106,000 vote-by-mail and provisional ballots were not included in the election night tally.

The status of those votes — more than 40 percent of the total cast — was not publicized until after 5 p.m. the next day. It had many candidates believing they were victors before the final tally was determined.

CA: Candidates to receive refund from county over sample ballot glitch
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/news/ci_15474426?source=rss
The Mendocino County Elections Office is giving money back to the June Primary election candidates after errors appeared on the sample ballots mailed to voters, according to Registrar of Voters Sue Ranochak.

CA: How a bill becomes a law in California
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/07/11/how-a-bill-becomes-a-law-in-california/
One newspaper’s take on how many bills become laws in California includes significant lobbyist involvement

CT: Bysiewicz: New Report Shows Connecticut Voter Turnout Increase 7th Highest
in the Nation http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/thereddingpilot/news/localnews/64075-bysiewicz-new-report-shows-connecticut-voter-turnout-increase-7th-highest-in-the-nation-in-2008-.html

FL: Emphasis on absentee ballots adds uncertainty
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/11/1725027/emphasis-on-absentee-ballots-adds.html
The unprecedented growth of mail-in voting lends further suspense to a year already testing many of Florida’s political traditions.

IL: General Assembly passes legislation to create more cohesive party tickets
http://www.examiner.com/x-51155-Chicago-Government-Examiner~y2010m7d11-General-Assembly-passes-legislation-to-create-more-cohesive-party-tickets
…requires candidates of the same party to be nominated together for governor and lieutenant governor during the primary elections.

MI: Court of Appeals expected to hear Barrow election appeal soon
http://is.gd/dpHJF
The Wayne County Board of Canvassers found last December that 51 percent, or 59,135 ballots in last November’s election were “irregular,” according to Barrow’s motion.

The Voting News Daily: Internet voting helps WHO? Groups clever strategy forces India to use paper ballots

Much on internet voting today. Internet security expert Eric Riscorla makes the case “Against internet voting pilots.” Technologist Collin Lynch addresses claims that i-voting is convenient: “It bears mentioning that we have to ask, convenient for whom?” and points out that under-served groups are least likely to have easy access to a PC or internet… Vote by Mail, Save $ Lose Democracy? …DO try this at home? Groups who oppose e-voting in India found a way to force the use of paper ballots: run more candidates than the machines can handle…

All this and more in today’s voting news below….

Editor note: we apologize for delivery problems with yesterday’s voting news. In the event of delivery failure, please check our site at http://votingnews.blogspot.com Thank you!

AL: McAliley: Berry to be prosecuted
http://www.troymessenger.com/news/2010/jul/08/mcaliley-berry-be-prosecuted/
…Berry was removed from office in October 2009 when a Pike County Circuit Court ruling deemed she won the November 2008 illegally.

CA: Court-ordered vote count begins
http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=15048
RIVERSIDE – A 24-hour around-the-clock effort has been mounted to count the 12,500 late vote-by-mail ballots that were quarantined after the June 8th election.

Mrs. Dunmore says she’s will work closer with the Postal Service to circumvent ballot delivery problems in future elections.
…
Meantime, county supervisors will consider buying more equipment to speed up future ballot counts
CA: RivPE: Revamp of vote count urged
http://inlandpolitics.com/blog/2010/07/09/rivpe-revamp-of-vote-count-urged/ A probe released Thursday into Riverside County’s June 8 primary calls for $650,000 in additional equipment to speed future vote counting and better communication between elections officials and the public.

Supervisors ordered the examination June 15 amid revelations that 12,563 mail-in ballots missed the legal deadline due to a mix-up with the U.S. Postal Service and criticism that Registrar of Voters Barbara Dunmore took too long to count the more than 240,000 votes cast in the election.
…
Still, formal procedures for handling mail on Election Day are needed, the report concluded. Dunmore already is working on a written agreement with the Postal Service, according to the report.

CO: Computer Glitch Causing Online Voter Registration Errors
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/24190432/detail.html Voters Who Have Updated Driver’s License Information Since April, May Find Error Message Online

CT: What Do YOU [still] Want?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3337
I said voters want five things and what Connecticut could do about them in the short run (three steps over two years). The two years have past and little has changed:

CT: Unaffiliated voters need to register with a party to vote in primaries
http://www.thehour.com/story/488673

GA: Voting Rights Watchdogs Cite Ethics Issues, Call on Handel to Withdraw
http://bludgeonandskewer.blogspot.com/2010/07/karen-did-what.html
ATLANTA, GA – Leaders from two of Georgia’s largest voting rights watchdog groups personally appealed today for former Secretary of State (SOS) Karen Handel to withdraw her gubernatorial bid on grounds of unethical conduct during her tenure as Secretary of State.

GA: Minority Groups Join Voting Fight
http://www.gpb.org/news/2010/07/08/minority-groups-join-voting-fight
“The State implemented this matching data base system and we found out that it was having an adverse impact on language and racial minorities,”

NC: The latest on the Citizens United response law in North Carolina
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/2010/07/09/the-latest-on-the-citizens-united-response-law-in-north-carolina/

The Voting News Daily: Florida must fix voting system flaws. NY 1 Person No Vote? SC must ditch e-voting

Florida Voters urge Secretary of State to address threats to next month’s elections: 14-17 Counties have defective firmware chip that causes errors in results reports. 16 Counties have problem causing optical scan machines to freeze or shut down…New York -One Person, No Vote?…Time for South Carolina to adopt paper ballots says Eleanor Hare, Assoc Prof , Computer Science at Clemson U: “As long as we use these unverifiable voting machines, we can neither confirm nor invalidate unexpected election results with certainty.” ..Possible boycott of India EVMs…

All this and more in todays’ voting news below…

CO: Denver rolls out ballot-tracking program for mail-in primary votes
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_15444918

CO: Colorado’s 2010 primary election voting-service centers
http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_15445006
The Aug. 10 primary will be a mail-in ballot election, but there are 13 voting-service centers, where voters can drop off their ballots and the disabled can vote on touch-screen machines

CT: Secretary of State Has No Business Doing This
http://blog.ctnews.com/kantrowitz/2010/07/07/secretary-of-state-has-no-business-doing-this/ Urging people to join only 2 of the many parties in Connecticut, just because those 2 are the only ones having primaries, is just, in my humble opinion, wrong, wrong wrong for an official elected to uphold the integrity of elections for all parties and participants.

FL: Florida Voters Urge Secretary of State to Address Serious Threats to Next Month’s Elections http://www.floridavoters.org/downloads/FVF%20to%20SoS%20Threats%
20to%20FL%20Elections%20-%202010-07-07.pdf http://is.gd/dkIbw
Voting System Defects, Lax Cyber Security and Administrative Procedures & Inadequate County Funding Threaten to Undermine Upcoming Florida Elections

FL: Judge throws out Legislature’s redistricting amendment
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/07/judge-throws-out-legislatures-redistricting-amendment.html A Leon County circuit judge today struck from the ballot Amendment 7, the Legislature’s redistricting amendment aimed at undermining the Fair Districts proposals to create standards in drawing legislative and congressional lines.

FL: Legislature’s redistricting amendment declared misleading
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2010/07/legislatures-redistricting-amendment-tossed.html The Legislature’s decision to counter the Fair Districts Florida redistricting amendment with its own was declared misleading by Judge James Shelfer, who tossed it off the ballot. His ruling is sure to be appealed.

Shelfer said it took him three days to understand the meaning of Amendment 7 and that he couldn’t foresee how an average voter would grasp its description during a few minutes in the voting booth.

FL: Where’s my absentee ballot? Floridians can find out online
Voters can also check their registration status, polling location
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/state/os-track-absentee-ballot-20100707,0,5561499.story

FL: Military voters to get earlier ballots this year
http://www.bradenton.com/2010/07/07/2414273/military-to-get-earlier-ballots.html
MANATEE — Deployed military and overseas voters should be among the earliest voters in Florida primary election history starting Friday when absentee ballots are expected to be distributed.

GA: Paulding voters face changes
http://neighbornewspapers.com/detail/161253.html When the polls open on Election Day, July 20, there will be a few changes for Paulding voters.

Deidre Holden, supervisor of the Election and Registrations Department, said the changes include moving 53,000 of the 78,996 registered voters into new precincts, as approved by the United States Department of Justice.

The changes to the precincts were triggered by the reduction from 28 to 14

NY: More Voices for a Better Overvote Procedure in New York
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/more_voices_for_a_
better_overvote_procedure_in_new_york/ http://is.gd/dkIfO A panel of leading computer scientists wrote to the Boards of Elections yesterday to emphasize that “[t]he most obvious solution to this problem is to set the voting machines to reject overvoted ballots… Because no software would be modified, testing of the change can be expected to be simple, straightforward and efficient, and to take no more than a day.”