Author Archives: Warren Stewart

The Voting News Daily: The scramble to save SC election data. Paper, Please! GAO clears ACORN

Verified Voting Calls for Recountable, Auditable Voting Systems Following South Carolina Primary…SC Progressive Network scrambles to preserve voting machine records..Lawmaker: Don’t blame Greene…From the “making things worse” dept: Riverside County CA Sup’s odd “solution” to county’s problem in processing absentee ballots on time? Bring back touchscreen voting machines…Reports of absentee mail ballot fraud in New Jersey and Texas…The irony of the DISCLOSE Act…

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

AL: Bentley disputing primary recount methods
http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/news/2010/jun/15/bentley-disputing-primary-recount-methods/ “Any discrepancies between the total number of votes cast in the recount and cast on election night need to be fully explained and understood and must not include hand counted undervotes or it will be impossible to have any confidence in the accuracy of the recount,” Sanders added.

CA: Delayed vote results prompts probe (touchscreens to speed up absentee count?)
http://www.pe.com/politics/gang/stories/PE_News_Local_D_vote16.2263e3e.html
RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Delay in vote count leads to inquiry into last week’s election.
But Supervisor Bob Buster said state lawmakers should be pressuring Secretary of State Debra Bowen for the renewed use of touch-screen voting machines. The electronic machines generally are quicker at tallying results.

MI: Editorial: Election errors in Allegan County are unacceptable
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/06/editorial_election_problems_in.html But local election officials failed to deliver a reliable result. This is the second close election in Allegan in the last two years where a fair recount could not occur because basic protocols were neglected.

NJ: Informant aided vote-fraud case against Atlantic City Councilman Marty Small, report says http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/atlantic-city_pleasantville_brigantine/article_5fcff138-78f7-11df-9dc5-001cc4c03286.html
Edward Colon Jr., assigned by the campaign to collect messenger absentee ballots from the city’s Hispanic community, recorded telephone conversations and secretly videotaped discussions with the councilman and other campaign workers, the report says.

NY: Worries About E-Voting Persist As Primary Looms
http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4059/worries-about-e-voting-persist-as-primary-looms Twenty counties have raised concerns about the shift from lever machines to electronic voting devices, which the state is belatedly supposed to make for the upcoming statewide primary.
…
In New York City, however, the major concern is that changing the machines properly is going to be too expensive for the Board of Elections to afford amid budget cuts.

NY: Hispanic apparent winner in unusual NY election
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iuYztkfrDc_f76DaA40jU-IXWS9AD9GC6DQO0 PORT CHESTER, N.Y. — An unusual election in a New York City suburb, in which voters could cast six ballots for one candidate, apparently resulted Wednesday in the first Hispanic elected to the village Board of Trustees.

OH: Former elections board director cleared of wrong doing
http://putnamsentinel.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=7187
“Once again, I am a victim of a reckless accusation,” said Price on June 14. “Once again, the investigation was conducted and once again, I was totally exonerated. How much should one person have to put up with? This is getting ridiculous.

SC: Verified Voting On the South Carolina Primary
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2010/06/15/638 Whether specific reports of irregularities in this election are confirmed, the most important fact about South Carolina’s voting system is that most ballots cannot be effectively audited or recounted. Serious concerns about the integrity of the primary (and of other elections conducted using the same technology) are inevitable, and legitimate.

The Voting News Daily: SC: Greene voters blues.1000s of CA mail ballots dont count. HAVAs real scandal

A Greene voter admits: “I had just never heard of either of these guys and it never occurred to me that anything like this could happen or my vote and that…our votes would contribute to South Carolina being the butt of a joke again..”..Thousands of California mail ballots too late: Riverside Co.-20,000, Sacramento- 2,053, El Dorado -750, Yolo- 408, Napa- 125, LA – 653…Iowa mispent $575K of HAVA funds.”But the real scandal was the money that was ‘properly’ spent on touchscreen voting machines that have since been scrapped.” says Jerry Depew, IowaVoters..”..the rush to adopt paperless, non-auditable electronic voting machines has subverted trust in the process and outcome of elections.” ~Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Network World

All this and more in todays voting news below…

Editor’s Note: Voting News Voting is now on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VotingNews and Twitter at http://twitter.com/VotingNews

AL: Recount, runoff cause controversy
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20100614/NEWS/100619921/1017/NEWS
MONTGOMERY — A recount of the June 1 Republican gubernatorial primary will begin in Etowah County and in other counties today but the recount and a July 13 GOP runoff are mired in controversy by the parties involved.
…
James’ campaign spokesman Brett Hall said the campaign is sending checks to all 67 counties to cover the expense of a recount, estimated to be about $200,000.

CA: Thousands of mailed ballots too late to be counted in California *
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/15/2822821/thousands-of-vote-by-mail-ballots.html
(Late by county breakdown)

CA: Verifying vote-by-mail ballots is vital but time-consuming
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100615/OPINION02/6140335/Verifying-vote-by-mail-ballots-is-vital-but-time-consuming As of Friday, more than 50 of the state’s 58 county elections offices had more than 1 million ballots combined still to verify

CA: More mail-in votes counted, election results largely unchanged
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15296026?nclick_check=1
Santa Cruz. At least 11,000 ballots still need to be counted, County Clerk Gail Pellerin reported Monday. The county has until July 6 to report official results, and elections officials don’t expect to update the tally until closer to that deadline.

CA: Miscommunication with post office cited for 12,500 late ballots *
http://www.pe.com/politics/gang/stories/PE_News_Local_D
_ballots15.246469b.html http://is.gd/cQNzh
A miscommunication between Riverside County and the U.S. Postal Service may have led to as many as 12,500 ballots arriving too late to be legally counted, officials said Monday.

CA: In our opinion – Bring back the polls
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_15300744 If anyone needed any more proof that mail-in balloting is not needed or wanted in Mendocino County, check the numbers.
Some 10,559 voters who no longer have a polling place to go to actually took their mail-in ballots and dropped them at a polling place on Election Day.
That’s over half (55.5 percent) of the mail-in ballots used in this election

CA: Stanislaus County clerk reviews ballots
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/14/2822933/stanislaus-county-clerk-reviews.html
It’s also reviewing about 1,900 provisional, military, damaged and absentee ballots. It’s unlikely that the tallies will sway any races

CA: Count continues
http://www.record-bee.com/ci_15298009
LAKE COUNTY — The registrar of voters said there’s no “funny business” going on and it’s normal to have unprocessed votes after Election Day, in this case 3,766 votes, including provisional ballots.

The Registrar of Voters Office is continuing to count 3,081 vote-by-mail ballots turned in at the polls and office or received in the mail on Election Day or the day before, Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said.

The Voting News Daily: SC Primary ‘This whole election is unbelievable.’ Aspen DA election probe

“…as of Friday “at least 50 of California’s 58 county election offices had more than 1 million ballots that had to be verified before they could be counted.” according to SoS Debra Bowen..10% of Yuma Co AZ absentee ballots rejected…Aspen voters to finally get some answers: DA election probe continues…Cuyahoga taxpayers might get stuck with legal fees in 2004 recount rigging case…Vic Rawl Protests Alvin Greene Win in SC Primary. Cites reports of “extremely unusual incidents”..DISCLOSE Act H.R. 5175 on the radar next week..Is Internet voting secure? “Cyber warfare has moved beyond theory” reports CBS…

AL: Alabama: Republicans complaining about ‘strict construction’ of recount law
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006403.html

AR: Bomb found at polling site
http://www.carrollconews.com/story/1641886.html OSAGE — A search of Carroll County polling sites took place Wednesday after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was found at the Osage Baptist Church where voters cast ballots Tuesday.

AR: Candidates: Garland County election problems show need for state-trained coordinators http://arkansasnews.com/2010/06/14/candidates-garland-county-election-problems-show-need-for-state-trained-coordinators/

AZ: Law enforcement investigating San Luis early ballots *
http://www.yumasun.com/news/investigation-61671-county-yuma.html
The Yuma Sun previously reported that of the total 2,983 ballots cast in the San Luis election, 1,477 were early ballots. Of those, 143 ballots were rejected because they had signatures that didn’t match the registered voters,’ said Assistant Secretary of State Jim Drake.

Drake said there was an error rate of 10 percent. When workers with the Secretary of State’s office compared those numbers to other elections of similar size, rates in those cases were 1 percent or less.

CA: Ballot-counting process in Riverside County too slow for some
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100614/NEWS0301/6140308/Ballot-counting-process-in-Riverside-County-too-slow-for-some Counting the Riverside County vote-by-mail ballots from Tuesday’s election was completed early Sunday, and at least one winner is asking for an investigation of the process.

CA: Riverside County election results delayed
It could take another week or two before all provisional ballots are counted, county election officials said. http://www.swrnn.com/southwest-riverside/2010-06-12/local-county-news/riverside-county-election-results-delayed As of 6 a.m. today, 194,149 votes have been counted, with about 40,000 mail-in votes and 7,445 provisional ballots still left to be tallied…

CA: Buckle up for a bumpy election*
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_15275496 Technical problems marred the vote count in Solano County. Unrelated to the election, but bad timing nonetheless, was an as-yet-unresolved software problem that crashed the county’s website just before eager election watchers tried to see how the contests were going.

It didn’t help that the Registrar of Voters office was having trouble of its own. A high number of write-in candidates — Daffy Duck, among them — slowed the process, as the counting machines had to stop and spit out each write-in ballot. Then an operator error took one — and later, a second — of the four machines offline until the problem was resolved.

Write-ins aren’t expected to be much of an issue in November, but more ballots are. For the primary, the elections department decided to save $30,000 by processing all ballots in a central location. Next fall, it might be worth the extra cost to have ballots counted at the precincts, which would ensure a quicker tally.

CA: Election follow-up: Sample ballots, ballots at polls may differ
http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_15274976?source=most_viewed

The Voting News Daily: Was SC Dem Primary punked? 20,000 Riverside CA mail ballots wont count

Something fishy about South Carolina US Senate Primary? Experts have already uncovered some ‘curious’ findings in the election data says Rawl’s campaign mgr. Were SC paperless touchscreen machines the problem? Was there a cross over vote? Were 3 candidates “plants”? Or did low info voters elect unknowns?…California voters concerned about vote by mail- 20,000 mail ballots for Riverside DA election missed deadline, won’t be counted. Palm Springs voter Dick Bergstrom voted by mail, his ballot hasn’t been counted yet & the winner has been declared…

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

AL: Ford alleges voter fraud in Democratic primary
http://www2.oanow.com/oan/news/local/article/ford_alleges_voter_
fraud_in_democratic_primary/159170/ http://is.gd/cM69d Ford charged that his name was temporarily left off of the ballot at the Jeter Street polling place in Opelika; that ballot boxes were seized by the Russell County Sheriff’s Department before they were counted last Tuesday by County Coordinator Arthur Sumbry; that 290 absentee ballots were not counted in Russell County; and that “a gross misuse of absentee ballots” occurred in Bullock County.

CA: 20,000 ballots cannot be counted in the election for Riverside District Attorney *
http://www.instantriverside.com/2010/06/riverside-district-attorney-vote-pacheco-da-zellerbach/ About 20,000 ballots cannot be counted because they were received after the 8 p.m. deadline for the Registrar’s office to accept ballots on Election Day. The late-arriving ballots were collected at the Chicago Avenue post office in Riverside
Wednesday morning during a regularly scheduled pickup by the registrar’s staff. The U.S. postal service told the registrar’s staff that the ballots had arrived at the post office about 3:00 a.m. Wednesday.

By law, ballots not in the possession of the registrar by the time polls close at 8:00 p.m. on election day cannot be counted.

Dunmore is arranging to meet with postal officials to ensure that ballots reach the registrar’s office as quickly as possible
in future elections.

CA: Some Voters Express Concerns with Vote by Mail *
http://www.kpsplocal2.com/news/local/story/Some-Voters-Express-Concerns-with-Vote-by-Mail/iCC5bYU-K0OwVa9M4aaISg.cspx Palm Springs voter Dick Bergstrom voted by mail in Tuesday’s primary, and he tracked his ballot online at the county website to find that his vote has not yet been counted. He is upset about the fact that winners have been declared in the election when not all of the ballots have been counted.

CA: Computer glitches, provisional ballots stall Solano vote count *
http://www.examiner.com/x-44830-Solano-County-Buzz-Examiner~y2010m6d10-compujter-glitch Unofficial final results of Tuesday’s primary election in Solano County will not be available until at least Friday, county officials said, because of a series of computer glitches that have delayed the vote count.
Thousands of write-in votes on computerized ballots as well as vote-by-mail ballots received Monday and Tuesday are contributing to the delay, election officials said.
…
Officials said the county’s Web server crashed three times Tuesday night, further delaying the computerized count.

CA: Mims denies conflict in Briggs vote fraud probe
Fresno council candidate did consulting for sheriff.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/06/10/1965929/mims-denies-conflict-in-briggs.html
Fresno County Clerk Victor Salazar said he opened the investigation after his office received a phone complaint alleging that the Briggs campaign was offering items of value in exchange for votes during Tuesday’s election.

The Voting News Daily: SC lawmaker: probe Primary, 2 other races . Monroe KY vote buying conspiracy

Sen Clyburn suspects a “plant”: Alvin Greene,unknown & who did not campaign, won the South Carolina Dem primary for US Senate. Unemployed & with only $114 in campaign acct, Greene paid a $10,440 filing fee. Greene received 100,233 votes. Vic Raul, who did campaign, is an ex-judge, has served 4 terms in the state leg received 69,771..Garland Co AR voting lawsuit dropped…Indictments in Monroe Co.KY vote buying scheme..West Virginia SoS Tennant touts “high participation rate” for the overseas internet pilot but only 54 ballots cast from 5 counties..CT Voter asks “How’s that votie integrity thing goin’ for us?”..India says no to internet voting..

Editor Note – I made a mistake yesterday, attributed Saugatuck article to PA state, but should be MI. Corrected and reposted today. Thanks for letting me know any errors you see!

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

AL: James seeks statewide recount (paper ballots according to Verified Voting)
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100610/NEWS/100609548/1007/NEWS02?Title=James-seeks-statewide-recount Tuscaloosa County’s recount for the governor’s race in the Republican primary will begin Monday morning, said Jim Zeanah, chairman of the Tuscaloosa County Republican Executive Committee.

James will have to pay for the recount in each county. James decided to go statewide after the 40 counties’ proposed recount costs came in below the campaign’s anticipated budget of $200,000, spokesman Brett Hall said.

AR: UPDATE: Garland County voting lawsuit dropped
http://arkansasnews.com/2010/06/10/lawyer-considers-dropping-garland-county-voting-lawsuit/
“Since Mr. Tapp resigned as chairman, coupled with the limited remedies, we decided to … dismiss the case,” Hooten said today.

AR: Garland County: Tapp Resigns, Not Over Yet
http://bluearkansasblog.com/?p=3072 One of the better things that has come out of this is the real mandate for election reform in this state. Not only were problems reported in Garland County in the runoff, but there were some really bizarre things that happened in Monroe County in the initial primary.

AZ: Activist U.S. Supreme Court Demolishes AZ’s ‘Clean Elections’ Law,
States Rights http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7888

CA: Monterey County election done, but counting ballots remains
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_15268353?nclick_check=1
County registrar Linda Tulett estimated Wednesday there are about 24,000 ballots remaining to be counted — mail ballots turned in at the polls Tuesday and…

CA: Registrar moves to 24-hour operation to finish count
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100610/NEWS03/100610017/County-to-go-over-election-procedures-with-a-fine-tooth-comb– Riverside County Registrar Barbara Dunmore said her office is moving to a 24-hour operation and hopes to have all the 106,000 outstanding ballots counted by noon Friday.

CA: 43% of Riverside County ballots uncounted
http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=14631

CA: County’s vote tally slowest in state
106,000 ballots have yet to be tallied by registrar
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100610/NEWS0301/6100307/County-s-vote-tally-slowest-in-state
In a release, Registrar Barbara Dunmore said nearly 30,000 vote-by-mail ballots were dropped off at polling places Tuesday. Another 40,000 were received in the two days before the election.

CA: 26,000 mail-in ballots yet to be tallied in county
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100609/ARTICLES/100609497/1350?Title=Ballots-remain-uncounted&tc=ar Sonoma County

CA: POLLING PLACES THAT DON’T OPEN ON TIME
http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/?p=3238

CA: Controversy surrounds Fresno council runoffs
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/06/09/1964376/controversy-surrounds-fresno-council.html
Medical-marijuana clinic owner Rick Morse has said he brought a group of homeless people to vote and offered to buy them hamburgers, but not in exchange for votes for any candidate…
The allegations come on the heels of another claim against Briggs — that he doesn’t live in the district.

The Voting News Daily: Voters Sue Garland, Arkansas Election Officials.Validity of Election Challenged

Voters filed suit against Garland Co Arkansas. Garland Co had 2nd highest turnout yet voters were turned away as polling places were cut from 40 to 2. Those changes were illegal says SOS. “They’ve tried this before,” said attorney Ben Hooten who filed lawsuit on behalf of disenfranchised voters..Scanners at all 55 Nevada Co CA polls failed..Santa Clara has about 100K ballots yet to count..Mahoning Ohio to cut 37 precincts.. Saugatuck Pennsylvania recount fouled..SC touchscreen trouble..Keeping Politics Safe for the Rich..

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

AR: AR-Sen: It’s Never A Good Sign When The Better Answer Is “Utter Incompetence”
http://www.bluehogreport.com/2010/06/07/ar-sen-its-never-a-good-sign-when-the-better-answer-is-utter-incompetence/

AR: Ark. Voting Lawsuit to Move Forward
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=50587
The runoff “was intentionally scheduled by the defendants at two polling sites for the purpose of disenfranchising minority, elderly, poor and the disabled voters of Garland County, Arkansas,” the lawsuit said

AR: Runoff Voting Lawsuit Filed in Garland County*
http://arkansasmatters.com/election2010text-fulltext/?nxd_id=320145
Just last night at 10, our investigation revealed the election commission was wrong to reduce
the number of polling places, from 39 to two.
…
The Secretary of State’s office says behind Pulaski, Garland county had the secnd highest early voting turnout for this runoff, with 52-hundred voters.
[From video – SOS office said changes were illegal]

AR: Voters sue in Garland County over polling places *
http://www.wxvt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12618225
Garland County had 40 polling places for the May 18 primaries but only two for the runoff
elections.

The suit says it “render(s) the results of this election doubtful” and seeks to void the certification of the results.

AR: Voter Lawsuit Filed in Arkansas’ Blanche Lincoln, Bill Halter Senate Runoff
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/08/voter-lawsuit-filed-in-arkansas-blanche-lincoln-bill-halter-se/
“the greater part of the voting electorate are unable to find or reach” the polling places and
are “thereby deprived of their right to vote and were disenfranchised.”

“They’ve tried this before,” Hooten said in an interview with Politics Daily. “They tried it in 2008 and I fled suit then. It was a special election on bonds that year, but they closed all the polls citywide, but one.”

AR: Fears ‘Come to Full Flower’ in Garland County, AR, Polling Place Closure Fiasco
Long lines, parking probs reported at county’s only two polling places opened for tight Democratic U.S. Senate run-off primary..
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7883

AR: Halter Complains It Was Hard to Vote in Garland Co., Ark.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/06/08/halter-complains-it-was-hard-to-vote-in-garland-co-ark/
Natasha Naragon, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Secretary of State, said Garland County election officials failed to notify voters of the reduced number of polling stations, as required by state law. Though a local official told the Arkansas press that he had made the decision to save money, Naragon said the state bears all costs for primary and runoff elections.

AZ: Keeping Politics Safe for the Rich
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/opinion/09wed1.html?src=mv
In a burst of judicial activism, the Supreme Court on Tuesday upended the gubernatorial race in Arizona, cutting off matching funds to candidates participating in the state’s public campaign finance system.
…
Arizona’s clean elections program was established by the state’s voters in 1998 after a series of scandals provided clear illustrations of money’s corrupting influence.

The Voting News Daily: Garland Arkansas election debacle.Problem reports for CA, NV, NJ, NV, SC

The Arkansas Times headline today? Garland County cluster#@%* Instead of 40 polling places, voters had a measly 2. The lots were so crowded police had to direct parking. The traffic caused 2 wrecks (so far)…Some GOP ballots wouldn’t scan in Sacramento CA…Polls open late in San Jose CA..Some problems with eSlate voting machines in Orange Co CA but paper ballots saved the day…Some Venice CA voters disenfrachised when precinct was without poll books, voting machines, ballots…NJ Voting Machines Left Unattended, Despite Court Order…Some delays in Greeneville SC…

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

Correction: Monday’s article “Electoral Reforms In Victoria Will Increase Voter Participation” occurred in Australia, not Canada. (We apologize, see Intl section) http://www.thegovmonitor.com/civil_society_and_democratic_renewal/electoral-reforms-in-victoria-will-increase-voter-participation-32811.html

AR: Garland County cluster#@%*
http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/06/08/
garland-county-cluster http://is.gd/cHJEq
The mess that Garland County Election Commission made has come to full flower. A voting rights activist reports long lines and parking problems at the two — count ’em, two — polling places that the Commission decided to open for runoff voting. It closed 40 other polls to save money despite the fact that every voter in the county, where some 12,000 voted in the first primary, has three statewide races to consider.
…
Tapp made the poll decisions unilaterally, without a vote from the two other members of the Election Commission. I was also told he was informed in time Friday to call back the dogs on a special day of early voting Saturday meant as a makeup for the reduction in polls

AR: Polling Place Fiasco in Garland County, AR
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7881
…the bizarre decision/behavior by the Garland County Election Commissioner Charles Tapp could come into play tomorrow, depending on the reported results of the hotly contested Democratic U.S. Senate primary run-off election between incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter

AR: Garland County, Arkansas…Democracy on a Dime causes Wrecks! (youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvc0IZF-eb0 (2 polling places instead of 40)
June 08, 2010 — Well as of this report I am told there have already been two wrecks in the parking lot, tickets issued to voters that forgot to put money in the meters and the cops are now directing the voters in and out of the parking lot..

AR: Garland County, Arkansas, Illegal Election makes Democracy on a
Dime Repression! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IszvA0gAP1Q
At 8 AM parking lot congested already

AR: Halter, Lincoln in war of words to the finish
http://arkansasnews.com/2010/06/07/lincoln-halter-make-final-push-before-runoff/
“We certainly are concerned that Garland County, which has over 80,000 Arkansas citizens and had approximately 40 polling sites for the primary, has now been reduced down to two polling sites,” Halter told reporters today during a campaign stop in Little Rock’s River Market district.
Garland County was the most populous county Halter won on May 18. He received 44 percent of the county’s vote to Lincoln’s 40 percent.

AR: Lincoln expects her voting to go smoothly this time
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/jun/07/lincoln-expects-her-voting-go-smoothly-time/

AZ: US Supreme Court blocks Ariz. campaign finance law
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hSQxLpyw
AsUfJyd5LkaBoCRCDCQAD9G777BG1 http://is.gd/cHCdA PHOENIX — The U.S. Supreme Court derailed a key part of Arizona’s campaign finance system on Tuesday by at least temporarily blocking extra money for publicly funded candidates outspent by privately financed rivals or targeted by independent groups’ spending.

The Voting News Daily: Garland Arkansas election fiasco. Ballot error in NJ Primary. Summit OH ballot fail

Garland County Arkansas voters were turned away from the polls Saturday. With only 2 polling places instead of the usual 40, with 76,000 registered voters, a hotly contested primary runoff & other races,officials promised to open an extra polling place on Saturday. The polling place was not opened & voters were turned away..California to vote on election reform props 14 & 15 on June 8th…Saugatuck MI botched recount..82 un-scannable absentee ballots in Summit Ohio…Ballot error may taint NJ CD-11 DEM Primary..”Naughty Diebold directors get pwned”..India EVMs go Bollywood…The Ills of Privatized Elections..World watches as Dutch vote with pencil…

Editors note: Please send articles, screenshots etc about Tuesday voting problems as you see them to votingnews (at) earthlink.net

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

AL: Low turnout for Alabama primaries; Reed alleges voter fraud
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100601/NEWS/100601037/
Low-turnout-for-Alabama-primaries-Reed-alleges-voter-fraud
http://is.gd/cGx0P The state’s chief elections official, Secretary of State Beth Chapman, said she received some complaints. They included a few people in Dallas County being unable to vote because someone had already cast absentee ballots in their names, and a complaint that someone in Bullock County was offering $10 to people willing to vote for a judicial candidate.

AL: Alabama: fewer provisional ballots than 4 years ago
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006394.html

AR: Hundreds of voters turned away from the polls
http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story/Hundreds-of-voters-turned-away-from-the-polls/dNEE5Lj9F0SzZFAPscEGzg.cspx?rss=315
Two hundred voters were turned away from the polls Saturday in Garland County after the election commission says it made a mistake by telling voters they could vote

AR: Making Sense of the Closed Polls in Arkansas * (text, video interviews & photos)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/6/5/873287/-Making-Sense-of-the-Garland-County,-Arkansas-Runoff
So, after having promised the location would be open and the statement being printed in the local newspaper, they did not open the polling location.

AR: Garland County Election Controversy: Voters Turned Away * (video avail)
http://arkansasmatters.com/news-fulltext/?nxd_id=319175
So, he looked into opening up the location here for an extra day–which would have been Saturday.

At first, he said an attorney with the Secretary of State’s office advised him he could do it, so he made the announcement.

But he later came across an Arkansas law that requires him to give at least 5 days notice to the public when opening a polling location.

AR: Halter: Concerned about Garland Co. early voting
http://www.wxvt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12601276
Lt. Gov. Bill Halter’s campaign says it’s concerned that Garland County election officials reneged on their promise to allow early voting on Saturday.

AR: O’Brien plan to avoid vote fiasco
http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2010/06/07/obrien-plan-to-avoid-vote-fiasco
Pat O’Brien, in the Democratic primary runoff for secretary of state, steps forward with some sound legislative proposals to avoid future fiascos such as has occurred in Garland County

AR: Labor, Enviro Groups Use Arkansas Senate Primary As Citizens United Testing Ground http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2010/06/07/labor-enviro-groups-use-arkansas-senate-primary-as-citizens-united-testing-ground/

CA: UNANIMOUS CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT HOLDS NO RIGHT TO SECRET BALLOT IN SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICT ELECTIONS
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016163.html

CA: Weekly Wrap Up – On June 8th, California voters will weigh in on two election reform measures, Propositions 14 and 15.
http://electls.blogs.wm.edu/2010/06/06/weekly-wrap-up-24/
Proposition 14 would create a single ballot for primary elections…Proposition 15, also known as the California Fair Elections Act, would repeal California’s ban on public funding for elections…

CA: California Libertarian Candidate Produces Own Radio Ad Against Proposition 14, Pays to Get it On Air
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/06/05/california-libertarian-candidate-produces-own-radio-ad-against-proposition-14-pays-to-get-it-on-air/

The Voting News Daily: Monroe Co Arkansas impossible election results. Want to Email Your Ballot? Email ballot security

Exclusive: Impossible Election Results in Monroe County, Arkansas Puzzle State, Local Officials…Garland Co Arkansas voters will have 2 polling places instead of 42…Pennsylvania Gov nominates Merenda as Secretary of State…Overseas Voter Foundation’s 2010 Primary Report: Last Chance to Vote States AR, CA, ME, MT, NJ, ND, SC, VA, UT…Citizens United: The Aftermath…Let’s Hear It: Do You Want to Email Your Ballot?…Emailed Ballots: A Security Assessment…

Editors note – thank you to readers sending in articles this week!

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

AR: Exclusive: Impossible Election Results in Monroe County, Arkansas Puzzle State, Local Officials http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7875 1000s of votes inexplicably disappear after ‘Super-ish Tuesday’ election, as county plans expanded use of oft-failed, 100% unverifiable ES&S touch-screen voting systems for upcoming primary run-off…

AR: Swing State Project -Garland County to have 2 polling places instead of 42
http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/7024/ssp-daily-digest-64-afternoon-edition
The county, with a population of 80,000 and 42 precincts, will have a total of two polling places for the upcoming runoff election. Worth noting: Garland County (home of Hot Springs) is the most populous county in Arkansas that went for Bill Halter in the primary.

AR: County Won’t Get More Voting Machines (iVotronics)
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/jun/03/county-wont-get-more-voting-machines/
($ only) Voters Unite has full article @ http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=8536 (thank you Ellen Theisen). The Benton County Election Commission hoped to purchase 200 refurbished electronic voting machines this year.
…
“We are extremely disturbed over the problems with the PEBs we got with the last machines, and we are not happy with ES&S at this point,” said Election Commission Chairman E.J. Miller.

AZ: Critics asking the secretary of state for an investigation
http://www.yumasun.com/news/ballots-61487-state-secretary.html
SAN LUIS, Ariz.. Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla published an open letter to the secretary of state, questioning his findings and stating that there is no voter fraud but that there is an error factor in the way signatures are checked, which is leading to the high error rate.

CA: County offers coastsiders voting options for lost ballots (Santa Mateo)
http://www.montarafog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=603:county-offers-coastsiders-voting-options-for-lost-ballots&catid=1:latest-news

CA: In Case You Missed It: It’s Our Duty To Help Our Troops Vote From Overseas
Commentary: By Marty Block Assemblymember, 78th District
http://laprensa-sandiego.org/editorial-and-commentary/commentary/in-case-you-missed-it-it%E2%80%99s-our-duty-to-help-our-troops-vote-from-overseas/ My bill, AB 2369, will permanently allow these voters to return completed ballots by facsimile transmission…

MT: Secretary of state launches Twitter page ahead of election
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100603/NEWS01/
100603010 /Montana+launches+Twitter+page+ahead+of+election http://is.gd/cCXRD

NH: New Hampshire Secretary of State Agrees to Accept Libertarian Petitions Collected in 2009 for 2010 http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/06/04/new-hampshire-secretary-of-state-agrees-to-accept-libertarian-petitions-collected-in-2009-for-2010/

NY: Bloomberg readies for fight to make elections nonpartisan
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/06/03/2010-06-03_fight_vs_nonpartisan_elex_renewed.html

NY: Instant runoff voting in New York?
http://www.observer.com/2010/politics/instant-runoff-voting-ny

OR: Will several legislative races hinge on Independent endorsement?
http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2010/06 /will_several_ legislative_races.html http://is.gd/cCXUO Unlike in some fusion-voting states, candidates won’t be listed separately under each party label (which gives you at least a rough sense of how many voters are attracted by the individual nomination).

PA: Rendell Nominates Basil Merenda as Secretary of Commonwealth
http://gantdaily.com/2010/06/04/rendell-nominates-basil-merenda-as-secretary-of-commonwealth/

SC: SC legislators agree on voter ID, early voting
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20100603/ARTICLES/100609878?Title=SC-legislators-agree-on-voter-ID-early-voting– Legislators have reached agreement on a bill that would require South Carolina voters to show photo ID at the polls and allow early voting.

The Voting News Daily: Vote by Mail fallout. Dead Lincoln WV voters NOT dead. Pakistan mulls e-voting

Diebold manipulated numbers – Fraud investigation continues – Voting: Not in question…Dorr MI Township miscount caused by missed maintenance, dirt buildup in scanners…List of Dead Lincoln WV Voters Wrong…Vote by Mail Spreads, But Doesn’t Help All Voters..The hidden zinger in Cal Prop 14..Rio Arriba County NM vote tally problems…Czech Republic “Free beer if you vote” campaign draws young voters…

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

CA: ELECTION DAY VOTER REGISTRATION APPROVED BY THE STATE SENATE
http://www.capradio.org/articles/articledetail.aspx?articleid=8334
Election Day voter registration would be contingent on California’s new statewide voter database, which is still in the works.

CA: The hidden zinger in Prop. 14
Proposition 14 would remove the Peace and Freedom and Libertarian parties from the ballot http://www.sfbg.com/2010/06/01/hidden-zinger-prop-14
Why won’t the L.A. Times even mention this flaw in the measure? Who are the big dailies afraid of offending?

CA: Local Organizations Prepare Community for Oakland’s New Voting System
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inoakland/detail?&entry_id=64832
The city of Oakland is paying the Alameda County Registrar of Voters $146,000 to administer a heavily media-based campaign that includes mailers, brochures and videos, according to city clerk LaTonda Simmons. However, foreseeing that the county’s campaign will not reach all demographics, some community groups are – or plan to begin – spreading the word about the new system that allows voters to rank up to three candidates in order of preference and eliminates separate run-off elections.

MI: Dorr Township recount finds four minor tally changes *
http://www.allegannews.com/articles/2010/06/03/local_news/4.txt
“Those scan heads need periodic cleaning to clearly see and recognize correctly the marks made by voters,” Watts said. “The machines in Dorr and elsewhere process thousands of ballots a year; paper dust builds up.”

NC: Complaint filed over ballot counting before polls closed *
http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/06_10/06_02_10
/fr_ballot_complaint.html http://is.gd/cBGmK
An election watchdog in Swain County is protesting the tallying of early votes before the close of polls on Election Day, claiming it could have given some candidates an unfair advantage if those results be leaked.
…
The results from early voting can’t be announced until after the polls close. But it is technically OK for those on the board of elections to call a few friends, party officials or even select candidates and share the results that afternoon.

NC: “Madame Justice“
http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/page.htm?shortname=inncco20100601553
Defendant has never been a member of the judiciary. However, Defendant began referring to herself as “Madame Justice” on her campaign website by at least March of 2006[ 1 ]. For her 2006 Supreme Court campaign, Defendant sought to have herself listed as “Rachel Lea (Madame Justice) Hunter” on the official election ballot.

NM: Rio Arriba County late with vote tallies … again *
http://newmexicoindependent.com/56186/rio-arriba-county-
late-with-vote-tallies-again http://is.gd/cBD5d
A delay in reporting Rio Arriba County election results Tuesday night was due to a connection failure between the County’s automated election system and the Secretary of State’s office, according to County Clerk Moises Morales.

…Tallies were not received until after 2 a.m. Wednesday because absentee ballot boxes had to be driven to Tierra Amarilla from far-flung corners of the large northern New Mexico county for counting, Padilla and others said.

The Voting News Daily: SEC charges Diebold with fraud. McAllen voter fraud case falls apart. India election officials panic

Not a big surprise: Diebold Accused by SEC of Fraudulent Accounting. Diebold to Pay $25 Million Penalty..Where Should Election Reformers Target Their Efforts?..California GOP will shift to caucus if open primary passes..Election Merry-go-round Continues..Passaic County NJ elections sec charged in $384K ballot postage theft..Mahoning Co OH may cut 40-100 polling places..Hinds TN voting machine probs..McAllen voter fraud case finally falls apart..New “Protect Our Elections” campaign promotes national election protection laws..India’s Panicky Election Commission orders Storage Audit of EVMs…

The Voting News Daily: Florida law wrongs disabled voters. GAO on AZ, ME public finance. Do-over in Philippines?

Florida has made great strides to improve elections, but sadly barriers to voting remain. Florida enacted HB 131 which harms disabled voters by delaying the replacement of touch screen voting machines until 2016. In spite of some good lawmakers efforts, the Florida legislature failed to clean up election code that disenfranchises many valid voters…Activist bashing: “Investigations of Aspen’s many election irregularities are notoriously unpopular.” ~ Harvie Branscombe…Did public financing change anything in Arizona and Maine?..The Philippines may need a “do-over” of the May 20 election…

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

AL: Chapman Says “Zero Tolerance” for Voter Fraud (press release)
http://www.sos.state.al.us/PR/PR.aspx?ID=3270

AL: Autauga County voting off to smooth start *
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100601/
NEWS/100601005/Autauga+County+voting+off+to+smooth+start http://is.gd/cySbf
At another polling place, the election machine mangled a ballot in early voting. The machine was adjusted and is now working properly, election officials said.

AL: Thousands of Madison County voters moved to new polling places
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/05/post_316.html
HUNTSVILLE, AL – Thousands of Madison County voters will vote in a different place in Tuesday’s party primaries even if they haven’t moved.

AZ, ME: GAO ISSUES EXTENSIVE REPORT ON MAINE AND ARIZONA PUBLIC FINANCING SYSTEMS
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016114.html
As mandated by Congress, the GAO has issued this extensive report (as well as this extensive technical supplement).
The bottom line of the report: not much has changed despite these programs

CA: Complaint in AG’s race shines light on outdated election laws
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15191874
The complaint filed with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission accused Kelly of improperly using a private stock deal to pour some $10 million into his campaign, a transaction fueled by a loan from an equity firm.

CA: Some California legislators pepper constituents with taxpayer-funded mailers
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mail-abuse-20100529,0,4110252.story
The privilege is intended to keep voters informed, but experts say the mailers are a key advantage for incumbents seeking reelection or higher office.

CA: Submitting Vote-By-Mail ballots (Tehama County)
http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/ci_15189188
[mail + postage, drop off in person, how to check on ballot,etc]

CO: Update on DA Investigation–KAJX June 1, 2010
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/06/update-on-da-investigation-kajx-june-1.html Aspen Public Radio reports on the District Attorney’s investigation of Aspen’s May election irregularities.
Marilyn Marks’ comment: Although the City does not have a copy of the complaint, Mr. Springer, claims that the complaint has “no merit,” — presumably without reading it.

CO: Amid low blows, Marks takes the high road
http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100601/LETTER/100539976/1020&parentprofile=1061
Aspen’s data is already packaged on a CD. There is nothing “specious,” “demagogic,” “prudish,” “off the bus,” “pointless” or “dark” about seeking public access. Public review of ballots is good public policy, and Aspen deserves a lot more of that.

CO: Investigation by DA nears completion
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/140840

FL: Advancement Project Releases Issue Brief Focused on Continued Barriers to the Ballot in Florida
http://www.advancementproject.org/sites/default/files
/publications/fl_issue_brief.pdf http://is.gd/cyJUO (pdf file)
Comprehensive reform of Florida’s election code is needed to remove barriers to the franchise and ensure that eligible Floridians are able to participate in elections. Once again, state legislators failed to enact necessary reforms in the 2010 legislative session. 2011 will offer legislators another opportunity to correct flaws in the code in advance of the 2012 presidential elections.

The Voting News Daily: WV overseas internet election- 54 votes for 5 counties, cost about $75K

Hale Co Alabama officials worry absentee mail ballot fraud is back…Vote totals were off, Caroll Co Arkansas officials recounted the votes after a power surge that may have skewed the election day results…Allegations of fraud and irregularities fly back and forth in Lucas Co Ohio…York County official says evidence anything with Newberry Twp. voting machines in spite of reports that least one machine froze up…Trial focuses on murky mail-in ballot methods in Fort Worth TX…The WVA SoS considers 5 county internet overseas voting pilot a success where 54 ballots were cast, & may have cost $75-$150K…

All this and more in todays voting news below…

AL: Hale County officials worry voter fraud is back
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100528/NEWS/
100529584/1007/news?p=1&tc=pg http://is.gd/ctHNb
Faye Cochran, head of the Hale County Board of Registrars, said many of those casting absentee ballots got help from a man convicted of voter fraud in 1998 and a woman now awaiting trial on voter fraud charges.

AR: Ballots recounted, runoff voting begins *
http://www.carrollconews.com/story/1638615.html
Carroll County BERRYVILLE — Certification of election results from the May 18 Preferential Primary are set to take place today.
…
Thrown into the mix at the last minute was a re-run of election day paper ballots. That process was ordered for yesterday evening because of a discrepancy discovered during the vote count reconciliation process.

According to Election Coordinator Bethe Henley, paper tapes taken off the 650 paper ballot vote-counting machine showed there was a possible power surge during the ballot count on election eve, May 18.

She said the power surge might have affected the count.

AZ: Court ruling OKs Ariz. law on non-voting by felons
http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles
/2010/05/27/20100527arizona-ruling-on-felons-voting.html http://is.gd/ctHL0
TUCSON – Arizona’s law barring convicted felons from voting until after they’ve served their sentences has been upheld in court.

CA: Tuteur agrees to fix mistake
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2010/05/27/news/local/
doc4bfdd1a257b90439850820.txt http://is.gd/ctHQ9 Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur will reverse course on correcting the mistaken listing of a Democratic candidate for state Senate as a Republican.

Tuteur said he will send all 69,000 registered voters in Napa County a correction postcard

CA: Sutter Creek homeowner claims harassment over voter registration (Amador Co)
http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/news/newsview.asp?c=270197&topStory=1

CA: MontereyVote June 22, Special Primary Election for vacancy on Senatorial District 15. Do you live in the District? See the map at: http://bit.ly/cv6a4c

CA: Prop. 15: Public finance of state elections (video available)
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/politics/local_elections&id=7466671
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — On June 8, California voters will decide whether to pass Proposition 15. Backers call it the “Fair Elections Act.” It’s designed to get politicians out of the fundraising game. But opponents say it could cost taxpayers.

CA: California Bill to Use Instant Runoff Voting in Special Legislative Elections Does Not Pass Fiscal Committee
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/28/california-bill-to-use-instant-runoff-voting-in-special-legislative-elections-does-not-pass-fiscal-committee/

IA: Only one vote cast at Luther satellite station; cost is $500
http://www.decorahnewspapers.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=13&ArticleID=22560

NC: Dead people haunt county’s voter rolls
http://www.thecountycompass.com/cc/node/458
BAYBORO. The Board of Elections, comprised of Democrats David Cox and Ed Credle and Republican Judith Smith, agreed ‘probable cause’ exists to nix at least six former voters – including one who apparently died in 2003.

The Voting News Daily: Double voting in Hoke NC? TX Voter ID again? Elections automation, a lemon?

NC looks into possible double voting in Hoke Co..good thing Bullitt Co KY has paper ballots since 4 memory cards went missing…Some candidates for Avon, Indiana Town Council will be doing a forensic review of election. They are asking to review poll books, voting machine reports, paper ballots and ballot applications for absentee and early voting..CEIMN Dir. MARK HALVORSON has some straight talk about Minnesota Elections..Hefty sum to rig India’s EVM’s?…Philippines Elections automation, a lemon?

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

AL: Some Jefferson County voters will have to vote twice
http://www.myfoxal.com/Global/story.asp?S=12548535

CA: Prop. 15 would test government funding of California state elections
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/21/local/la-me-prop15-20100521

CA: California Puts Vote Overhaul on the Ballot (Proposition 14)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/us/politics/27prop14.html
On June 8, voters will decide the fate of a ballot measure that would replace traditional primaries in state and Congressional elections with, effectively, two rounds of voting.

CA: Ballot flub costs overtime hours (vendor to foot bill)
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Ballot-flub-costs-overtime-hours-94982514.html
San Francisco. City workers are logging overtime hours in the run-up to the June 8 election to correct a ballot problem where hundreds of absentee voters got the wrong one in the mail.

CA: Vote for whimsy (get ready for June 8 statewide primary election )
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/article_4a3a3fee-6881-11df-a7cb-001cc4c002e0.html Some spoof political signs have popped up among the crop of real ones at the corner of Jefferson Street and Imola Avenue, supporting free pizza for all Napans and a zombie for political office.

CA: COSTS MORE TO VOTE HERE
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2010/05/27/opinion/
letters_to_the_editor/doc4bfdd05ac4131056493011.txt http://is.gd/csj93
When informed, Tuteur communicated to me that St. Helenans who vote by mail must pay the (unclear) postage themselves. In other areas of Napa, where mail balloting is mandatory and unavoidable, Tuteur’s office pays the postage.

CO: Status of Aspen’s IRV Method—–Up for Potential Repeal in November Election after November 09 Advisory Vote to Discontinue IRV.
http://www.glassballotbox.org/journal/2010/5/10/status-of-aspen-irv-up-for-repeal-in-november.html

FL: Supervisor introduces new voting machines
http://www.historiccity.com/2010/staugustine/news/florida/supervisor-introduces-new-voting-machines-3312 …St. Johns County to attend an Open House on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 to preview St. Johns County’s new DS200 voting equipment

IL: Campus voting bill clears Senate committee; closer to final passage(full sen nxt)
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/news/2010-05-27/campus-voting-bill-clears-senate-committee-closer-final-passage .html the most controversial deals with its requirement that 12 separate counties, including Champaign, Coles and McLean counties in East Central Illinois, establish separate early voting and grace period registration sites on campuses for the Nov. 2 general election only.

IN: Court to review Avon council cote *
After close council races, court will look at possible polling place errors
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100527/LOCAL0502/
5270330/1020/LOCAL05/Court-to-review-Avon-council-cote http://is.gd/csjca
The filing came after his clients heard from voters who live within the town that the Town Council election wasn’t on their ballots..
…
Yackey’s petition filed in Hendricks Circuit Court requests that election records, including poll books, voting machine reports, paper ballots and ballot applications for absentee and early voting, be opened for review and inspection.

KY: Election night in Bullitt County goes off without a glitch – almost
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100526/ZONE10/5260307/Election-night-in-Bullitt-County-goes-off-without-a-glitch-almost
the clerk’s office noticed that four out of 100 memory cards with voting data on them were missing, he said.

The Voting News Daily: Ohio CD-18 recount. Double voting in Jefferson WV? Smartmatics alarming admission

Ohio SoS orders recount in 18th Congressional District, 16 counties must schedule by June 4..Are chicken costumes a form of free speech?..Montgomery Co TX will have recount on paperless machines and of course the result is unlikely to change…Some Bullit KY voters were given the wrong ballot…Internet voting spreads to another Canadian muni…Smartmatic admission of ‘innocent’ program errors alarms Philippine lawmakers. Errors include time stamp results with date earlier than election, number of voters inflated to 5x actual…More complex elections for UK may mean more complex solutions…

Note from editor – we thank those of you who send in articles, and we encourage others to do the same.

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

CA: Signature fraud alleged in 4 Valley campaigns
Fresno Co. elections officials question petitions.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/05/21/1942529/fraud-alleged-in-4-valley-campaigns.html
Workers in four local campaigns used questionable signatures to get their candidate on the June 8 ballot, authorities say — including one endorsed by a voter who is dead.

CT: More Connecticut reports for Voting System Clearinghouse
Connecticut has submitted three more reports to EAC’s Voting System Reports Clearinghouse http://www.eac.gov/program-areas/research-resources-and-reports/copy_of_docs/state-local-voting-system-reports

CT: Registrar of Voters Primary, Bristol Connecticut
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3239 The Registrar of Voters can make a difference in election integrity, voter access, and candidate service.

KY: Some Bullitt residents voted in another city’s election, changing outcome*
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100526/ZONE10/5260396/Some+
Bullitt+residents+voted+in+another+city+s+election++changing+outcome
http://is.gd/cqE3A

MD: Cordish lawyers push to invalidate signatures
Judge denies expert testimony
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/anne-arundel/bs-md-ar-slots-trial-signatures-20100525,0,5891160.story

MI: Military vote reform good step forward
http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20100526/OPINION01/5260324/Military-vote-reform-good-step-forward
uniformed service members can request absentee ballots for immediate delivery by email. The ballots themselves would be printed out and returned by regular mail.

MS: Suit filed against consent decree
http://gwcommonwealth.com/articles/2010/05/26/news/top_stories/
05262010news01.txt http://is.gd/cqE7o
David Jordan and Robert Moore are requesting that a judge dismiss or modify a consent decree signed by the Leflore County Election Commission and Mississippi Republican Party to settle a lawsuit.

In a motion filed Tuesday in Leflore County Circuit Court, the two public officials, both Democrats, allege “several major fallacies” in the consent decree, including..

NC: Runoff elections a waste of time ?
http://www.thepilot.com/news/2010/may/26/runoff-elections-waste-time/

NV: Letter to secretary of state asks chicken suits be allowed at polls
http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/politics/Letter_to_secretary_of_state_asks_
chicken_suits_be_allowed_at_polls.html?ref=554 http://is.gd/cqE5B
ProgressNow Nevada, in its letter to the secretary of state, said there is no law prohibiting dress that includes costumes at the polls.

PA: COUNTY OF MERCER v. UNILECT CORPORATION
http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/page.htm?shortname=infco20100525152
The County of Mercer, Pennsylvania appeals the District Court’s summary judgment in favor of UniLect Corporation. We will affirm.

OH: State orders recount in 18th Congressional District
http://www.cantonrep.com/newsnow/x2084265569/State-orders-recount-in-18th-Congressional-District The Tuscarawas County Board of Elections…
…The Board of Elections in each of the 16 counties in the 18th District must schedule the recount no later than 10 days from Tuesday, which would be June 4.

PA: Write-in candidate challenges results of York County Republican Committeewoman race * http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/05/write-in_candidate_challenges.html
The write-in candidate who challenged the controversial winner of a race for York County Republican committeewoman from Newberry Twp. filed a complaint Wednesday with the York County Election Bureau, claiming there was a problem with the voting machines.

The Voting News Daily: Unrecountable 2010 elections.WV fraud charges? Need forensics! FFEC to Crist: veto HB131

The 2010 Primaries: More Recounts than Recountable Elections…Doug Jones on the erosion of the secret ballot: “If we allow a weakened right to a secret ballot, how can we ask other countries to set higher standards, and what will we do if the crooks do end up in control of our elections?”…FFEC Urges Crist to Veto Elections Bill HB 131…Absentee Vote Fraud in Charleston, WV? Need Forensics!…A voting system needs 3 elements to be considered credible: Transparency, Verifiability & Accountability says Narasimha Rao, a leading election analyst in India…

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

AZ: Emergency Relief Requested from U.S. Supreme Court in Arizona Public Financing “Matching Funds” Case
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016060.html

CA: SF returns diligently monitored following mail-in ballot mistake
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/SF-returns-diligently-monitored-following-mail-in-ballot-mistake-94801649.html

CT: Candidate Leaves Name On Ballot: Causing Unnecessary Primary Vote
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3232
Rob Simmons has ended his campaign, yet is leaving his name on the ballot.

FL: FFEC Urges Crist to Veto Elections Bill HB 131
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13548 FFEC’s letter to the Governor cites the bill’s delay of equitable treatment for disabled voters, its encroachment on local control of elections, and its provisions for insecure, unreliable Internet and FAX voting and communications for military and overseas voters.

FL: ACLU urges you to take action (HB 131)
http://fl.aclu.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=67921.0

FL: Groups file suit on redistricting ballot measure
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100522/article/5221041?p=all&tc=pgall

GA: Civil rights coalition targets voter verification
http://www.ajc.com/news/civil-rights-coalition-targets-534504.html
Citing Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, Morales’ attorneys argued the regulation mandates those states with a history of racial discrimination in voting rights obtain federal approval prior to enacting changes that affect voting.

ID: County Hopes New Ballot Will Make Voting Less Frustrating (Bingham County)
http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=12536040 …This new form of voting is called Optical Scan Voting. It is much different and much faster than the traditional punch ballot system for the voters and the poll workers.

IL: Young Voters
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2010/05/25/young-voters/ Champaign County Clerk. I’m preparing to go back to Springfield today to testify against yet another attempt to force Champaign County to open an early voting site on campus.

KY: Officials: Primary election one of best *
(Calloway County uses Danaher 1242 and Hart Intercivic e-Slate)
http://www.murrayledger.com/articles/2010/05/24/top_story/news01.txt
Other problems reported included temporary polling machine malfunctions and errors on the part of voters in machine operation; primarily due to unfamiliarity.
…
Machine malfunctions included some push buttons “sticking,” some buttons not “lighting up” and other errors which Coursey said were corrected by election officers at the scene when possible or other accommodations made…

Machines by county:http://elect.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/4384AC60-AD8F-497F-B62E-EA3E4625618F/225556/VotingEquipmentbyCounty1.pdf

MN: City council actions :: Korbel confirmed
The continuing cost of RCV: $244,000
http://www.downtownjournal.com/index.php?publication=downtown&page=65&story=15355
Barring a change in available technologies, Minneapolis municipal elections could cost almost $250,000 extra every year that ranked-choice voting is in place.

OH: Lorain County Board of Elections director alleges man committed voter fraud
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/05/25/news/mj2788390.txt
Adams said the man filed an absentee ballot on April 5 at the Lorain County Board of Elections, 1985 North Ridge Road, and then showed up to his polling location on May 4. This was the only violation of election laws that occurred during this election, Adams said.

The Voting News Daily: Email balloting risks midterm election to hacking. Hanging Chads – 10 years later

16 states will allow overseas voters to return ballots via email for the midterm elections. “But cybersecurity experts and voter advocates contend that these well-intentioned efforts ignore the technical vulnerabilities of sending a voted ballot as an e-mail attachment, potentially subjecting this midterm contest to electronic vote rigging and hacking”…Meanwhile, the US Air force assigns 30,000 Cyber Warriors…GA’s voter reg process disenfranchises valid voters….Mark Halvorson has “straight talk about Minnesota’s elections.”…Chicken costumes banned at Nev. polling places…IN “Ballot Boxing”, PBS Radio interviews Dan Wallach, activist Marybeth Kuznik,& John O’Grady, NY City Elections Chief to discuss reform 10 yrs after 2000 election fiasco…Were flash cards manipulated in Philippines election?…

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

AL: Chapman to visit counties with alleged voter fraud
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=12534379 Secretary of State Beth Chapman is informing voters of allegations of voter fraud prior to the primary election on June 1. So far, the office has received complaints of reported voter fraud from Greene, Macon, Perry and Wilcox counties.

AZ: San Luis mayor: Errors not voter fraud
http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/yuma-61172-county-city.html
…it would appear that just with members of council, their wives, and council members-elect, the error rate exceeded 35 percent!…
…
If one is to do something constructive that might reduce the error factor, may I suggest instituting a better system to check signatures?

CA: Candidate threatens to sue county
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2010/05/22/news/saturday_
update/doc4bf6bf93c5540498201732.txt http://is.gd/cnPdg A Democratic state Senate candidate is threatening to sue Napa County after the local elections department refused to correct a misprint wrongly identifying her as a Republican

CO: The national trend toward open access
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/140730
If Michigan activists can review ballots for audits, why can’t we? If copies of Humboldt County California’s ballots are regularly posted on the web, why are Aspen’s more secret? If Minnesota can post their questionable ballots on the web, Why can’t Aspen? If Longmont, Colo.’s ordinary citizens can participate in an audit to test procedures for improvement, why are Aspen citizens prevented?

CO: City talks down, lawyers up
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100522/LETTER/100529945
Will Aspen simply protect their many election irregularities with big-time lawyers or instead solve the underlying problems and make sure anonymous records become accessible? I am hoping for the latter.

CT: Cops: Clinton woman tried to vote twice *
http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2010/05/23/news/
doc4bf8b9229f249275065972.txt http://is.gd/cnPhR
Police say the woman was spotted by two other poll workers and prevented from casting a second ballot.

GA: Georgia’s Voter Registration Procedures Discriminate And Should Be Permanently Blocked, Civil Rights Coalition Argues
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/05/24-13
Under the procedures, U.S. citizens from minority communities were incorrectly flagged as non-citizens and prevented from registering to vote.

HI: 54 percent voter turnout in special election signals success of mail in ballots
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100522/
BREAKING01/100522031/53.7+percent+voter+turnout+in+special+
election+signals+success+of+mail+in+ballots http://is.gd/cnPgj

LA: Cromer asks for voting machine analysis after malfunctions at House this week
http://www.actionnews17.com/News/tabid/59/articleType/Article
View/articleId/2072/Cromer-asks-for-voting-machine-analysis-
after-malfunctions-at-House-this-week.aspx http://is.gd/cnPjN

MN: Editorial: straight talk about Minnesota’s elections (By Mark Halvorson )
http://www.sleepyeyenews.com/news/x1070024365/Editorial-straight-talk-about-Minnesota-s-elections …Norm Coleman’s recount attorney, Fritz Knacck said of the recount, “We were looking for fraud, but we didn’t find any.” We wish that Mr. Kaiser could be as forthcoming and honest about elections here in Minnesota.

The Voting News Daily: 1 in 10 AZ voters get wrong info. The Kansas Report and voter purges. Nassau ordered to ditch levers

While Michigan, Minnesota, California’s Humboldt County and even other cities ..reaffirm citizens’ rights to oversight, “Aspen taxpayers are funding an expensive battle to fight election transparency. Aspen, of all places.” writes Mike LaBonte in LTE…Mississippi has entered into an agreement with several states to pull together what’s been called “The Kansas Report.” to purge duplicate voter registrations….Nassau County Bo Elections told to replace Lever Voting Machines…India should ditch EVMs, says expert: “Computers can be programmed to count votes honestly. But since nobody can watch them, they might just as easily be programmed to count dishonestly.” ~ Rop Gonggrijp, a security researcher from the Netherlands…

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

AL: Ford requesting investigation, safeguards in possible ‘vote fraud’
http://www.thetuskegeenews.com/articles/2010/05/20/news/doc
 4bf4011accea8721501724.txt  http://is.gd/cjIUe
State Senate candidate Johnny Ford of Tuskegee has met with a U.S. Attorney to ask for an investigation into possible voter fraud in Bullock County.

AR: Voting error alters result in Poinsett * (ES&S iVotronic)
http://www.jonesborosun.com/story.php?ID=43278
…Poinsett County Clerk Fonda Condra told the county’s election commission that 53 electronic ballots for justice of the peace in District 8 were thrown out. That changed the total vote count from a 151-142 win for Jones to a 122-118 win for Sadler.

Condra said a poll worker brought up the wrong voting screen at the Bolivar township polling site in Harrisburg.
AR: Arkansas Green Party Trial Moved Into July
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/21/arkansas-green-party-trial-moved-into-july/

AZ: Wrong voting info sent to 191,000 Arizona homes *
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/05/20/20100520arizona-polling-errors-during-sales-tax-vote.html   Leading up to Tuesday’s sales-tax election, more than 10 percent of Arizona voters were told to cast ballots at the wrong location — and the reason why is in dispute.

AZ: Ninth Circuit, on 3-0 Vote, Upholds Matching Funds Requirement in Arizona Public Financing Scheme

http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016034.html
In this post -Citizens United world, this is a rare win for supporters of reasonable campaign finance regulation.

CA: Attorney General OK’s Monterey County election changes
http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20100520/NEWS01/100520037/1002/NEWS
 01/Attorney+General+OK+s+Monterey+County+election+changes http://is.gd/cjARo
…state senate election to replace Santa Maria Republican Abel Maldonado – now lieutenant governor

CA:  Tulare County absentee ballots on way; cause of delay is not clear (for June 8 election)
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100520/NEWS01/5200313/1002/Tulare-County-absentee-ballots-on-way-cause-of-delay-is-not-clear  Tulare County absentee voters who’ve not yet received a ballot may ask for a replacement if it doesn’t arrive soon, county election officials said.

CA: Thousands of SF voters got wrong mail-in ballot

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15128512?nclick_check=1
SAN FRANCISCO—Thousands of San Francisco voters are holding wrong or duplicate mail-in ballots for the upcoming election because of a blunder by a contractor.

CO: Fighting good public policy (LTE by voting integrity activist Mike LaBonte)
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100521/LETTER/100529970/1020&parentprofile=1061
The arguments against transparency seem to be rooted in fuzzy laws and a misunderstanding of the meaning of “secret ballot.” The same issue came up in Michigan, but Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox explained it quite well in his recent decision that ballots are indeed subject to Freedom of Information Act requests:

CT: Legal History Perspectives on the Connecticut Bysiewicz Decision
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016031.html

HI: Hawaii moves primary to accomodate troups
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/05/ap_military_hawaii_voting_052010/

IN: Hendricks County board to share election records

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100520/LOCAL05/5200450/1020/LOCAL05/Hendricks-County-board-to-share-election-records
DANVILLE — The Hendricks County Election Board has agreed to give Avon Town Council candidates in two of the Republican primary races access to May 4 election records.

The Voting News Daily: Dominion buys Premier-Diebold. US experts hack India EVM. Smartmatic flaw stuns officials

WPBS radio interviews Kim Alexander of CalVoter…Michigan Atty Gen: “Voted ballots…are public records..”..Revolving door in PA swings toward Internet Voting..Anti-Trust: Dominion acquires Diebold assets from ES&S…San Francisco unsure how many wrong ballots issued…Delaware City ends “poll tax”…US experts ‘hack’ India e-voting machines…Philippines Rep. Locsin blows top over Smartmatic election return flaws… The Philippines is ordering investigation of poll fraud..Which UK polls disenfranchised voters?.

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

AL: Alabama: still disfranchising the arrested and convicted
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006383.html
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: With just one day left to register for the June 1 primary, the issue of prisoner and felon voting is once again in the spotlight, and at least one community organizer is concerned that a lack of knowledge and confusion over the issue could disenfranchise thousands of people who are eligible to vote this year.

AR: Suit alleges machine changed votes* (ES&S iVotronic w/VVPAT)
http://www.lovelycitizen.com/story/1636013.html
BERRYVILLE — In a lawsuit filed Friday, F. Owen Kendrick, a candidate for Carroll County clerk, alleges that early votes cast for him on an electronic voting machine in the Berryville courthouse were registered as votes for his opponent in the Democratic primary, incumbent County Clerk Jamie Correia. Early voting takes place in the county clerk’s office

AR: Arkansas Green Party Trial Set (week of June 28-July 2)
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/19/arkansas-green-party-trial-set/
The issue is the state’s requirement that parties must poll 3% of the vote for President, in presidential years, or be removed from the ballot.

CA: California Voting: 58 Counties, 58 Procedures (radio interview)
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/may/19/california-voting-58-counties-58-procedures/
MAUREEN CAVANAUGH at KPBS interviews Kim Alexander, president, California Voter Foundation and Deborah Seiler, San Diego County Registrar of Voters

CA: New mail-in ballots may be sent out after blunder*
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/New-mail-in-ballots-may-be-sent-out-after-blunder-94363109.html
A blunder has left thousands of San Francisco voters holding the wrong mail-in ballot for the June 8 election, in which pivotal primaries for statewide offices are at stake, along with the outcomes of local and state propositions.

CA: PROP. 14, California’s Top Two Ballot Measure, Leades 60-27 in Public Opinion Polling: Expect a lawsuit after it passes http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016018.html

CA: Irked supervisors will be asked to fund special elections
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/05/19/1147063/irked-supervisors-will-be-asked.html

CT: Anti-Trust: Dominion acquires Diebold assets from ES&S
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3201
This acquisition would seem to increase the alternatives available to Connecticut and LHS, with a greater chance that the equipment will continue to be supported and enhanced.

CO: Michigan’s Ballots are Pubilc Documents—why not Aspen’s?
http://www.glassballotbox.org/journal/2010/5/18/michigans-ballots-are-pubilc-documents-why-not-aspens.html If Michigan citizens can look at their ballots? Minnesotans’ theirs, Floridians theirs, why not Aspen?
If Longmont, Colorado citizens can be involved in post elections using real ballots why are Aspen’s ballots secret?

DE: Delaware City ends election rule
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100519/NEWS02/5190337/Delaware-City-ends-election-rule Delinquent taxpayers OK to vote, but some now want new election

FL: Clay elections office oversees first mail balloting (Tues, June 2)
http://www.claytodayonline.com/content/2287_1.php

KY: Incumbent voting machines get the boot
http://www.incontextmag.com/article/Incumbent-voting-machines-get-the-boot
..obsolete machines are being replaced by an interesting mix of technology and paper.

KY: Heavy turnout causes some polling locations to run out of ballots
Jefferson County.

The Voting News Daily: Pennsylvania SOS hired by Internet Voting Co. AR, CA, KY and PA ballot problems

Verified Voting on May 18 primaries: “Despite signs of progress, today’s primaries in Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania show how much work remains to verify the vote.”..Paper ballots save day in Faulkner Co AR..San Francisco ballot mix: 1000 got wrong ballot, 1317 got dupes..178 Fayette Co, PA voters voted twice..A KY man charged with vote buying..Not enough ballots in Boone PA…A Sadsbury Twshp PA touchscreen did not compute.. Pennsylvania’s SoS Cortes quits, takes VP job @ internet vote company..BoingBoing on India’s EVMs…

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

AR: 27 votes counted mistakenly in Farmington*
http://www.ozarksunbound.com/27-votes-counted-mistakenly-in-farmington/9599
This morning 27 voters in Farmington voted mistakenly in that city’s sales tax election, said Washington County Election Commission Chairman John Logan Burrow.
An incorrect ballot was given to voters at the Farmington First Baptist Churc

AR: Only ‘minor problems’ in election, officials say* (central count/M650)
http://thecabin.net/news/local/2010-05-19/only-%E2%80%98minor-problems%E2%80%99-election-officials-say …Faulkner County Election Commission chairman Frank Shaw said on election night that one problem arose when the paper ballot counting machine inexplicably failed to “read” four ballots. Shaw said that the commission fully filled in the “bubbles” these absentee voters had marked to denote a choice, but the machine still failed to recognize the choices.

Then, the disc produced by the machine containing the absentee ballot results could not be recognized by the computer used to tally the votes.

“We’re getting an error code,” County Clerk Melinda Reynolds said.
…
Twenty-one of the absentee ballots were set aside due to discrepancies, which included missing or mismatched signatures. These will be reviewed by the commission Wednesday.

Another snag involved an errant voting machine at the Mount Vernon/South Mountain precinct polling location. This machine seemed to be malfunctioning on Tuesday morning when it was turned on by election workers, and so was simply set aside.

When polls closed and results were delivered to the county courthouse, this machine was not properly “closed out,” Reynolds said, and though it had recorded no votes whatsoever, it resulted in an on-paper-only unaccounted for precinct in election results.

AR: Faulkner Co. Turnout Low, But No Problems Reported
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0510/737333.html County Clerk Melinda Reynolds said that the only problems she’d been made aware of concerned voters who had moved to a different voting precinct without notifying her office.

CA: Bungled ballots imperil election *
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Bungled-ballots-imperil-election-94227469.html
A blunder has left thousands of San Francisco voters holding the wrong mail-in ballot for the June 8 election, in which pivotal primaries for statewide offices are at stake, along with the outcomes of local and state propositions.
…
Last week, K&H Integrated Print Solutions, based in Everett, Wash., mailed out ballots with the wrong names to at least 1,000 voters
…
In addition, the company sent out duplicate ballots to 1,317 absentee voters
…
Arntz said they are working to contact voters…

CA: Supervisors approve purchasing machines to count absentee ballots
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/may/18/supervisors-approve-purchasing-machines-to-count/ One machine priced at $115,000 is designed to remove a ballot from the envelope, while another one selling for $550,000 electronically verifies the voter’s signature and sorts the ballots by precinct.

The Voting News Daily: AR touchscreens flip votes. KY Election fraud claims. 1000s in PA could vote twice

BRAD BLOG’s Election Integrity Backgrounder for ‘Super-ish Tuesday’ 2010…
Excuses don’t help: Votes flipped on Carroll Co Arkansas touchscreens…Sen Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) gets provisional ballot…Wrong ballot sent to thousands of Sonoma Co CA voters….Voter supression & fraud alleged in KY elections…1000s of Pennsylvania voters registered to vote in 2 counties…Philippines: Polls not fair, not honest, not peaceful…How UK counts votes in General Election…Video showing hot to hack India’s voting machines…

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

The BRAD BLOG’s Election Integrity Backgrounder for ‘Super-ish Tuesday’ 2010…
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7846

AR: Vote-Flipping on ES&S Touch-Screens in Carroll County, AR, Reported by County Clerk Candidate, Circuit Court Judge http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7848

AR: Candidate sues over voting machine * (ES&S iVotronic with RTAL printer)
http://harrisondailytimes.com/articles/2010/05/18
/news/doc4bf1f84ac50e3007384857.txt http://bit.ly/bIwvm4
BERRYVILLE — A candidate for county clerk filed a legal motion Friday, saying an electronic voting machine in the Carroll County clerk’s office here was malfunctioning and asking that the rest of early voting be conducted at the paper ballot booths.
…
Kendrick’s legal filing included an affidavit from Circuit Judge Kent Crow saying the judge voted May 4, touching the screen for Kendrick, but a check mark appeared for Correia. Crow said he thought he might have erred and he corrected it on the screen.

Ten days later, his secretary, Nadine Holland, had the same experience on the same machine, she said in her affidavit.

AR: Farmington Polling Place Problems Solved * (ES&S iVotronic)
http://www.4029tv.com/politics/23591970/detail.html
The voting machines at Farmington Baptist Church were not working, causing all voters to have to use paper ballots. One person there said technical support staff had already been to the location to examine the voting machines and were on the way back to work on them again. As of 8 a.m. the machines were not working.
Washington County Election Commission fixed the problems before noon.

AR: TOTALS DOUBLE 2008: Early Voting Wraps Up
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/may/18/totals-double-2008-early-voting-wraps/
Early voting ended Monday with the number of votes cast more than doubling the 2008 presidential primary.

AR: Blanche Lincoln’s Mix-Up At The Polls
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/18/blanche-lincolns-mix-up-a_n_580566.html
… Lincoln’s campaign hit a bit of a snag today when it momentarily forgot that she’d requested an absentee ballot in advance of today’s primary election…

CA: Calif. bill increases scrutiny of voting systems (SB1404)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/05/17/state/n163052D87.DTL&type=politics
Companies that make the voting systems used throughout California would face fines if they fail to report problems quickly under a bill that has passed the state Senate.

CA: Printing error leads to ballot mistake in Sonoma County *
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100517/ARTICLES/100519530/1350?Title=Printing-error-leads-to-ballot-mistake-in-Sonoma-County A printing error on absentee ballots sent out last week to Democratic voters in southern Sonoma County means that more than 15,000 voters will receive a second, corrected ballot this week.

The Mark West Union School District Measure C — a ballot measure meant for voters in the Santa Rosa and Larkfield areas — was included on absentee ballots sent to Democratic voters in the Petaluma and south county area, Sonoma County elections officials said Monday.

CA: Oceanside city clerk: Flier taints election info*
http://www.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/all-in-favor-politics/2010/may/17/oceanside-city-clerk-flier-taints-election-info/

The Voting News Daily: Voting machines burn in Rt 22,PA fire. KY debuts paper ballots.Philippines voting machine sleepover

Watch Yuma AZ vote count live via webcam…Use iPad to register to vote in Santa Clara Co CA…”Too much” voter assistance in Forsyth Co NC?..90 Kentucky counties debut paper ballot systems in Tues Primary..Absentee/Early Voting Method: Raise Questions and Risks…No Voting Rights in Indian Country USA…Smartmatic Technician Takes Home 65 PCOS Machines…Internet voting watch in Prince Edward Co Canada and to Gujarat India…

All this and more in today’s voting news below

AR: Voting Process Confusing For Some
http://www.4029tv.com/news/23574029/detail.html
Benton County. Officials said electronic voting machines are still confusing for a lot of people, even though they have been around for several years.

AZ: Vote-counting webcam starts Sunday
http://www.yumasun.com/news/ballots-60948-counting-county.html
Yuma County will stream a live video feed of the ballot counting center from a webcam at the Yuma County Elections Department starting Sunday morning.

It will be viewable through a link on the county website at www.yumacountyaz.gov/election.countylivevideolinks.htm .

AZ: Voters need assurance of fair elections * (March election in Yuma County)
http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/election-60930-ballots-news.html
The 10 percent rejection rate for early ballots due to signature problems is much higher than other parts of the state,

CA: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Accepts Electronic Signatures on Voter Registration Forms
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/15/santa-clara-county-registrar-of-voters-accepts-electronic-signatures-on-voter-registration-forms/

CA: Newspaper ad alleges vote-count skullduggery in Sutter County
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/johnston-94962-oakley-election.html

FL: Much Unclear in Haines City Commission Election Fraud Case
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100514/NEWS/5145052/1134?Title=Much-Unclear-in-Haines-City-Commission-Election-Fraud-Case

HI: Elections Officials Say Mail-In Voting Secure
http://www.kitv.com/politics/23536222/detail.html

IN: Provisional ballots won’t count *
Union County Commissioner Gary Davis has until Tuesday to file request for recount
http://www.pal-item.com/article/20100515/NEWS01/5150315
The election board agreed the provisional ballots didn’t meet legal requirements…

KY: Paper ballots to debut with primary (Caldwell County)
http://www.timesleader.net/articles/stories/public/201005/16/4LLs_news.html
The traditional push-button voting machines used in the past have been replaced, and voters will now complete paper ballots and feed them into an electronic scanner.
…
More than 90 Kentucky counties are converting to the paper ballot system for Tuesday’s primary election.

LA: Registrars set to purge voter rolls
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/93833919.html
State election law requires the removal from the rolls of people who have not voted in two federal election cycles — generally every-other-year congressional balloting — and who have not responded to attempts to verify their addresses.

MI: Michigan Democratic Party Said to be Behind Attempt to Qualify a Tea Party for Michigan Ballot http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/17/michigan-democratic-party-said-to-be-behind-attempt-to-qualify-a-tea-party-for-michigan-ballot/

NC: Tiff over vote help: Three protests filed with Forsyth allege illegal electioneering
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/may/15/tiff-over-vote-help/
…
The three…say that some candidates and their supporters not only helped people cast ballots but used various methods to tell the people whom to vote for

NC: North Carolina First Party Has 86,000 Signatures
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/16/north-carolina-first-party-has-86000-signatures/

NM: Wife of former judge sentenced *
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_15091753
Lilian Favela, 46, entered a plea of no contest to three felony counts of false voting charges on April 30 and was sentenced Monday. Two counts of false voting were dismissed.

NY: NY-29: Confusion Winning This Race
http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/NY-29-Confusion-Winning-This-Race/a17fo4ISQkq_4V9aT_VEHw.cspx

NY: New Yorkers Take Action to Restore Voting Rights
http://reformny.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-yorkers-take-action-to-restore.html
Today, over 100 New Yorkers sent postcards to their legislators and Governor Paterson urging them to restore the right to vote to people in New York who are on parole and probation.

The Voting News Daily: More vote buying in KY. Berkeley WV votes counted twice. Indian EVMs ate votes.

Another KY vote buying scheme, this time in Perry Co…Berkely CO WV’s early voted ballots counted twice…The City of Aspen CO claims to have spent $75K+ to keep citizens from viewing ballot images of May 5 2009 election…The EAC internet voting pilot test requirements are too weak for real elections. Joel Rothschild, Chief of Staff of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, noted: “I have reviewed the proposed requirements and do not feel they provide sufficiently robust guidelines to ensure adequate protection from the existing electronic threat environment or national level threats.”…

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

AZ: Smith: Recorder should investigate vote*
http://www.yumasun.com/news/election-60941-state-smith.html
The issue of possible voter fraud became public with the release Wednesday of a letter Bennett had sent to Smith dated May 4 asking the county attorney to investigate irregularities in the San Luis primary election on March 9. His concern rose from the rejection of nearly 10 percent of early ballots for that election because they had signatures that didn’t match those of the registered voters.

CA: Officials preparing to hold SD15 at ‘drop of a hat’
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/2010/05/sd15-election-o.html

CA: Editorial: Primary election ‘reform’ is chicanery
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100513/OPINION/5130308

CO: The costs of transparency
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/140604
The city claims to have put $75,000 worth of legal resources toward fighting Marilyn Marks and keeping her from looking at scanned ballot images from the May 2009 election. And now they’ve hired a big time criminal defense attorney from Denver to keep fighting transparency issues from that same election.

CO: Why the resistance?
http://www.aspentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100514/LETTER/100519894/
The Aspen Times reports that the city attorney says that the Election Commission cannot audit the election.
…
The city has now spent over a year and barrels of cash to fight transparency, rather than allow a routine election audit. Why?

CO: Pollbook 101
http://coloradovotergroup.blogspot.com/2010/05/pollbook-101.html

FL: Federal appeals court again dismisses Duval blind voter lawsuit (9 yrs of litig)
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-05-13/story/federal-appeals-court-again-dismisses-duval-blind-voter-lawsuit
They say Duval County voting machines didn’t comply with the law.

IN: ANOTHER INDIANA ELECTION TO BE DECIDED BY A PROVISIONAL VOTER WHO MUST SHOW UP WITH ID http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015984.html

KY: Former Perry County official gets 12 months in vote-buying case*
http://www.kentucky.com/2010/05/14/1264097/former-perry-county-official-gets.html
A former Perry County circuit clerk has been sentenced to 12 months in prison in a vote-buying case.
Chester Jones, who also served a term as state representative, was sentenced Thursday in federal court in London.
…
Jones admitted he took $7,500 that was supposed to be used in efforts to boost voter turnout and instead bought votes with it.

MT: ELECTION OFFICIALS: SOME PRIMARY VOTES CANNOT BE COUNTED
http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/93734524.html Election officials say some of the first ballots to be mailed back in are heavy, indicating that the voter cast both the republican and democrat ballots. And those will be tossed out come Election Day.

NC: Recount requested
http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=6154&iid=215&sud=30
Meanwhile, another defeated Republican commission candidate, Justin LaNasa, is gathering evidence that he hopes will prod election officials into nullifying the successful quarter-cent sales tax referendum.

LaNasa, who filed an official protest of the referendum outcome on Monday that claims “statistical irregularities,” alleges that turnout for the referendum was suspiciously high when compared to that of other contests

NY: Elections Board not sure if NY-29 special is legal (updated)
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/26663/elections-board-not-sure-if-ny-29-special-is-legal/

The Voting News Daily: Montgomery Co PA votes dont add up. Iowa caught in HAVA audit. Stolen India EVN is TV star

A report by the Election Reform Network shows that Montgomery Co PA has a systemic problem with paperless electronic voting plus poll books that don’t add up. “There are too many unanswered questions about why the numbers of voters signed in and the number of votes cast are so different at so many polling places. In fact…the county is required to act in such instances.” says Michael Churchill, senior attorney for the Public Interest Law Center in Philadelphia…Internet voting spreads in Canada…A stolen Indian electronic voting machine ends up on television… Kenya post election violence case unstoppable…

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

CA: Judge issues temporary restraining order for special election to fill Maldonado’s seat http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15071849

CO: DA says Marks’ election affidavit to remain private
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/140577 The District Attorney’s office has denied a request to make public Aspen resident Marilyn Mark’s affidavit alleging election violations.

IA: Federal decision on $2.5 million in questioned HAVA spending out soon, official says
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/05/12/federal-decision-on-2-5-million-in-questioned-hava-spending-out-soon-official-says/
The executive director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Thomas Wilkey, will examine the issues flagged and see whether they’ve been addressed so that they won’t happen again in the future, a staffer said today.
…
And there are five “current” cases before the executive director – concerning Iowa, Illinois, New Jersey, Nebraska and California.

ME: Voting by Absentee Ballot Keeps Getting Easier
http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=52&SubSectionID=78&ArticleID=6517

MD: Tweet ‘by Authority of’: Elections officials making rules for social media
http://www.marylandreporter.com/page5505750.aspx
State elections officials are developing regulations to tell candidates on how they should identify themselves on social media such as Facebook and Twitter

MO: Missouri photo ID legislation likely dead
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news.newsmain
/article/1/0/1649248/St..Louis.Public.Radio.News/Photo.I.D..legislation.likely.dead
http://bit.ly/9L7m9L

NY: Governor sets date to replace Massa
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iLVCABYO6xwh-xTtVABOvnTeyyNwD9FLL68G1

PA: Review of 08 Vote Records in Montgomery County Reveals Discrepancies Between Votes Cast and Voters (Sequoia AVC Advantage)
http://www.electionreformnetwork.us/node/229
Network Reports Disparities Between Machine Counts and Voter Sign-ins for Most Election Districts in 08; Calls for a Reconciling of Voter Sign-ins with Machine Counts Before Results Are Official

WV: Absentee ballots flip two races in Lincoln
http://wvgazette.com/News/201005120898
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Election results in Lincoln County’s two most hotly contested races flip-flopped after absentee ballots and results of early voting were tallied.

Internet Voting Watch

Canada: TOWNSHIP CONSIDERS TELEPHONE, INTERNET VOTING
http://www.independent.on.ca/site/?q=node/1151
Huron-Kinloss council is split over whether it wants to switch to telephone and Internet voting for October’s municipal election, or stick with mail-in ballots.
…
This time around, 30 municipalities have signed up for e-voting. In this area, Brockton and South Bruce are considering it.

Canada: Electronic voting all set to be in place for Oct. 25 municipal election
http://www.emcarnprior.ca/20100513/news/Electronic+voting+
all+set+to+be+in+place+for+Oct.+25+municipal+election (Amprior)
http://bit.ly/azwjNT

India: Govt calls for opinions for e-voting in civic polls
http://www.todaynews.in/city/ahmedabad/govt-calls-for-opinions-for-e-voting-in-civic-polls-72863.html

International

India: Electronic Voting Machine stolen from high-security room in collectorate
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_electronic-voting-machine-stolen-from-high-security-room-in-collectorate_1382837 The incident came to notice when a local television channel in Hyderabad displayed the EVM last week

Kenya post-election violence case ‘unstoppable’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8678427.stm
More than 1,300 people died in fighting after late 2007’s disputed elections.

Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/

The Voting News Daily: Detroit ballot boxing. Few use WV overseas internet voting. Sack the UK Election Chief?

“Sack the Chairwoman of the Electoral Commission.” Iain Dale writing about UK’s election fiasco…Online bank thefts more than doubled in 2009 but no one would try to steal an internet election right?…Ballot boxing-When it comes to the mayoral election dustup, Tom Barrow has a point…‘Hispanic’ TX District Won by an African-American…Damaged memory cards delayed tally in over 76,000 precincts in the Philippines…Few WV service members use online voting…Internet voting is “exposed to human vulnerabilities like voting pressure from political parties,”~ Estonian diplomat Miko Haljas…

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

AR: How to vote for a write-in candidate in the Arkansas primaries
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=104561&catid=2
A write-in candidate must have registered. You can’t just vote for anyone.

AZ: Local voters get duplicate early ballots *
http://www.yumasun.com/news/ballots-60851-duplicate-yuma.html
…about 100 duplicate ballots were sent out in Yuma County.

The problem: the printer stopped and restarted, creating a small, duplicate batch, she said.
…
there are safeguards in place to make sure they only count one ballot from each voter.

CA: Election Poll Workers Needed in Santa Cruz
http://www.kionrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12472513

KY: New voting machines offer backup
http://www.paducahsun.com/local-news/todays-news/423317-new-voting-machines-offer-backup Western Kentuckians on Tuesday will use new voting machines that mix old-fashion paper ballots and modern technology.
Election officials hope the new process is easier for voters, reduces the chance of missing races and cuts the potential for mistakes.

MI: Ballot boxing
When it comes to the mayoral election dustup, Tom Barrow has a point
http://www.metrotimes.com/news/story.asp?id=15050
…If nothing else, what he’s done so far is expose the grossly incompetent manner in which ballots cast in the last election were handled
…
Were this an isolated case, maybe things would be different. But there were similar problems — and questions being raised — back in 2004.

MO: Voter ID/early voting bill apparently dead in Mo. Senate
http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/22297

NC: DISTRICT COURT DENIES REQUEST FOR THREE JUDGE COURT IN LAROQUE CASE CHALLENGING CONSTITUTIONALITY OF SECTION 5
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015962.html

NC: Instant Runoff Voting (LTE)
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/12/478018/instant-runoffs.html

NV: Nevada task force to watch again for voter fraud
http://www.mynews4.com/story.php?id=16475 Favreau says investigators are watching for everything from vote-buying and bribery to interference or intimidation at polling places, ballot box stuffing, and complex campaign finance irregularities.

PA: Electronic poll book plan on hold (Schuylkill County)
http://republicanherald.com/news/electronic-poll-book-plan-on-hold-1.779276
Last fall,two county precincts served as trial run sites for the ExpressPoll-5000..

TX: ‘Hispanic’ District Won by an African-American
http://blog.american.com/?p=13821
Last Saturday, the City of Irving, Texas held its first city council elections using a new form of governance that was mandated by a federal court in 2009. The outcome of that election is dripping with irony. Here’s why.
…
The newly created “Hispanic” district was won by an African American (who defeated a Hispanic), while the one at-large contest was won by … yep, a Hispanic (who defeated a white candidate).

WA: State won’t take over Clackamas County elections
http://www.clackamasreview.com/news/story.php?story_id=127361399854535100

WI: Green Bay City Council committee calls for photo identification at ballot box
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100512/GPG0101/5120659/1207/GPG01/Green-Bay-City-Council-committee-calls-for-photo-identification-at-ballot-box

WI: September primary poses a problem
http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_1c1f4198-3df3-5668-b6b1-ade1cc6fbdcd.html
A recent federal law change could force Wisconsin to switch the date of its traditional September primary election.

The Voting News Daily: Damn the science view riles internet voting critic. EAC i-voting plan breaks law. UK election-No Diebold!

“Damn the science,Damn the integrity; If it feels good do it!” attitude riles CTvoterscount.org – response to comments in NYT article on Internet voting…The EAC violated law in proceeding with Internet voting system guidelines says Voter Action. “If allowed to proceed, the US Election Assistance Commission will place at risk the votes of hundreds of thousands of military and overseas voters,” ~ John Bonifaz, Voter Action…Rep Rush Holt intros 2 new promising election bills…’Citizens United was a shot across the bow’…UK Electoral Commission ‘lacked grasp of reality’…

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

CA: KQED Radio Makes Maldonado-Winger Debate on Prop. 14 Available (podcast)
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/10/kqed-radio-makes-maldonado-winger-debate-on-prop-14-available/ fascinating discussion.

CA: California: Santa Clara County election commission finally set to meet
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15057358

CO: Aspen election spurs flurry of complaints
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100511/NEWS/100519961/-1/RSS …the alleged failure to certify and adequately test the new voting system, the failure to ensure anonymity in voting and the use of a private firm, TrueBallot Inc., to help conduct the election though its representatives were not legally qualified to do so.

CO: Harvie Branscomb’s Letter of Complaint to Aspen Election Commission 5.10.10
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/05/harvie-branscombs-letter-of-complaint.html
“…Aspen has a host of impediments to citizen oversight inherent in its character. Most of these deserve observation, analysis and remediation. I am staggered by the extent to which citizen activism in Aspen is met with a range of emotions from disregard to outrage.”

GA: New Law in Ga. Gives (Republican) Governor Power over (Democratic) Attorney General in Handling VRA Section 5 Litigation
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015948.html

KY: Voters in 42 counties expected to use new voting machines for primary(escans)
The new system provides a voter verified paper record.
http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/93422939.html
Officials say voters, precinct officials, and county clerks liked the machines.

MA: Massachusetts picks up tab for special election
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1253732&srvc=rss

MN: City council actions :: Korbel confirmed (Minneapolis)
http://www.downtownjournal.com/index.php?publication=downtown&page=65&story=15355
The continuing cost of RCV: $244,000

NC: State, feds investigate elections allegations in Bladen Co.
http://www.wwaytv3.com/node/22701 (also double voting)
BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — From vote buying to violations of a federal law, state and federal elections investigators have their hands full with Bladen county. There’s not one or two but three investigations into recent elections and candidates.

NJ: Judge may split Atlantic City voter-fraud case into more than 1 trial
http://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_fba9f0ee-5c97-11df-85a0-001cc4c002e0.html

NY: Setting the Record Straight on New York Uprising
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/setting_the_record_
straight_on_new_york_uprising/ http://bit.ly/a1o53o The Brennan Center never provides material support to efforts to influence the outcome of elections.

OH: Election officials reject primary audit
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/ohio-elections-officials-reject-primary-audit-697609.html

OH: Elections board members fire employee for Facebook comments
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100511/NEWS09/100519953

SC: ACLU to Argue in Appeals Court That South Carolina’s Ballot Access Law Is Unconstitutional – Group Says “Sore Loser” Statute Violates Free Association Rights
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/05/10-13

SD: SD to pioneer electronic voting system (misleading title)
http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/05/10/news/
doc4be8e8d99d863018731317.txt http://bit.ly/an9NZ3
They will be able to use e-mail, faxes and the Internet to request and receive access to absentee ballots to vote in South Dakota elections…
…
After that, both the ballot and the oath form will need to be returned via military and U.S.

The Voting News Daily: Experts decry US overseas Internet vote plan. PA, KY unverifiable elections. UK student voters 2nd class citizens

Concerns about EAC’s Overseas/Military Internet vote plan: Experts warn that e-mail messages can be intercepted, voting Web sites can be hacked or taken down by malicious attacks, and the secrecy of ballots is hard to ensure…DOJ asks court to compel Nassau compliance…”Here We Go Again (Again): 100% Unverifiable E-Voting Systems Set for Use in PA, KY, Elsewhere” ~ Brad Friedman…Missouri bill combines early voting & photo id…Illegal ballot harvesting scheme in Jim Wells Co TX…Some UK student voters denied vote, treated as 2nd class citizens…Philippine vote marred by violence and machine failures…

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

AL: Many voter registrations need update for elections
http://enewscourier.com/local/x1989608588/Many-voter-registrations-need-update-for-elections
…
Liveoak said 10 percent of the voters in Limestone County still have not updated their voter records and are being carried on the rolls as “Inactive Voters.

AR: Election commissioner was campaign manager for Prosecutor Vaden (conflict of int)
http://thecabin.net/news/local/2010-05-07/election-commissioner-was-campaign-manager-prosecutor-vaden

CA: California: Special election rolls forward despite county protests
http://www.pressbanner.com/view/full_story/7342553/article-Special-election-rolls-forward-despite-county-protests?instance=home_news_lead_story

CA: Sacramento County sends sample ballots with errors
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15042192

CA: Another sample ballot problem surfaces
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_15045031 The Mendocino County Elections Office is sending out at least 23,000 new sample ballots this week and next after voters reported two different problems with the original sample ballots.

CO: District attorney’s office investigates businesswoman’s Aspen elections claims
http://www.kdvr.com/news/sns-ap-co–aspenelectioninvestigation,0,5023827.story
…many allegations concerning the election service the city hired to help it conduct the May 2009 election…

CO: Election Commission Update
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/05/election-commission-update.html
The Aspen Election Commission met May 5 (the one year anniversary of the controversial 2009 Municipal Election) to hold its first hearing for complaints. The independent commissioners heard Millard Zimet’s complaint regarding non-anonymous election processing.

FL: Letter to Governor Crist – Floridians to Veto HB 131
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13487
It disrespects people with disabilities where you’ve pledged to support them. It bulldozes local decision-making and the principle of Home Rule. It poses as support for military and overseas voters while failing to take the meaningful steps needed to truly honor their votes and their service.

IN: Myers says county ballot a misprint *
Mistake not caught prior to Election Day
http://kokomotribune.com/local/x1989604747/Myers-says-county-ballot-a-misprint
Kokomo — Howard County Clerk Mona Myers said a misprinted ballot allowed an uncertified candidate to receive votes in Tuesday’s election.

MO: With one week left, major decisions left for Missouri Legislature
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics
/story/B27A1F6FFB6BF7FC8625771F00042085?OpenDocument http://bit.ly/d7k3Rg
…the voter ID issue has been combined with provisions that would help members of the military vote on a timely basis, and it also would allow about four days of advance voting in Missouri elections.

NC: Ballot recount possible, unlikely
http://www2.statesville.com/content/2010/may/08/ballot-recount-possible-unlikely/news-local/
Of the provisional ballots, Galliher said, it appears that in only 24 cases has enough evidence been gathered to substantiate their validity.

NY: DOJ ASKS COURT TO COMPEL NASSAU COMPLIANCE (hearing set May 14)
http://www.bolipari.com/boblog/2010/05/dojaskscourttocompelnassau/
In an effort to force Nassau’s compliance, the DOJ seeks immediate remedial action and has asked US District Court Judge Gary Sharpe who is overseeing New York’s transition to hold the New York State Board of Elections in contempt..

TX: Charged with illegal vote harvesting, a political worker explains how voter fraud works* Jim Wells County(actually it is the worker,not voter committing fraud)
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2010/05/illegal-vote-harvesting-south-texas-voter-fraud/1273422832.story