Author Archives: Warren Stewart

The Voting News Daily: India’s Electronic Voting Controversy. Suit seeks to void Shelby TN election

Democrats ask court to void Shelby County Tennessee’s August election. Vote-total discrepancies not mere error, suit alleges…On Australia’s national cliffhanger: “It’s not a good sign when the best way out may be a fresh election.”…Verified Voting “On India’s Electronic Voting Controversy”. India’s officials should address the voting machine vulnerabilities rather than punish experts who reveal them..

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

CO: Aspen changes course on election reform
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/142161
But on a 3-2 vote, the council decided to drop the winner-take-all method, making the question on November’s ballot an up-or-down referendum that will either retain IRV or go back to the 45/50 percent method, in which a runoff is held one month …

CT: Candidate files complaint in close election recanvass. Update: Another candidate complaint
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/candidate-files-complaint-in-close-election-recanvass/
Via CTNewsJunkie, Ken Green has filed a complaint in the Hartford election, where election night results had him winning by two votes and a close vote racanvass has him losing by two votes. His complaint alleges several questionable machine counts . irregularities, and potential chain of custody issues.

DC: Washington, D.C. On-Line News Source “Greater Greater Washington” Advocates IRV http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/26/washington-d-c-on-line-news-source-greater-greater-washington-advocates-irv/

FL: Volusia judicial race headed for recount (machine count?)
County Council District 3 race may also be recounted
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-volusia-judicial-election-recount-20100825,0,3809197.story

NV: Election official: Every vote counted (Mohave County)
http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2010/08/25/news/local/doc4c74b80359519079538495.txt
..It’s not that they’re not counting correctly but, every once in a while, a roller gets stuck and it’s not taking a ballot. Sometimes it’s as easy as turning it off and turning it back on,” Tempert said.

NY: Counties gear up for first statewide use of new voting machines
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100822/NEWS01/8220328/Counties
+gear+up+for+first+statewide+use+of+new+voting+machines http://tinyurl.com/36ys49j
Bo Lipari of New Yorkers for Verified Voting says the message notifying people they have over-voted is cryptic and doesn’t explain the consequences of keeping the ballot — essentially that no vote will be counted for that office.

OH: Sheriff’s office: Hacking fears unfounded on Election Night (Butler Co)
http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/sheriffs-office-hacking-fears-unfounded-on-election-night-880261.html?cxtype=rss_local-news
The sheriff’s office announced Wednesday, Aug. 25, that its investigation is complete into the May 4 special election in which elections servers were unable to deliver tabulated results to the website due to a large volume of IP addresses interrupting the system.

TN: Democrats ask court to void Shelby County August election*
Vote-total discrepancies not mere error, suit alleges
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/26/democrats-ask-court-to-void-august-election/
They are asking a Chancery Court judge to declare the election void, to seize all equipment for further review, to make sure that winning candidates are not sworn in and to allow current elected officials to continue in their posts.
…
“Thus according to (the Election Commission’s) own records, 6,802 more votes were cast than individuals who participated in the August 2010 election,”

International

Australia: This tiptoe along the precipice has an awful lot of downsides
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/this-tiptoe-along-the-precipice-has-an-awful-lot-of-downsides-20100826-13u4n.html?rand=1282820514720
It’s not a good sign when the best way out may be a fresh election.

India:

On India’s Electronic Voting Controversy
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6772
How this controversy plays out is conjecture, but the essential story – the early, almost under-the-radar concerns about electronic voting, followed by expert public demonstration of the ultimate dangers of e-voting, followed by more widespread outcry – should be familiar to American ears.

The Voting News Daily: Why Pac-Man voting hack matters.FL vote problems. Citizens United aftershocks

Broward FL elections sup Dr. Snipes neglects to tell voters about polling place change…The BRAD BLOG Informs NBC’s Chuck Todd That Ballots Are Not Actually Counted by Humans…Pac-Man for president: Hack highlights e-voting flaws.University researchers remind people that electronic voting machines are still easy to manipulate by loading the venerable Pac-Man video game…’Too close to call’ Australian election result…Afghan vote runs up against fear, disenchantment…

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

CO: On Aspen’s November ballot: Runoff elections vs. IRV
Council rejects winner-take-all method
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100825/NEWS/100829906/1077&ParentProfile=1058

FL: Broward elections supervisor Dr. Snipes neglects to tell voters about polling place change* http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2010/08/broward_elections_supervisor_d_1.html
Dr. Brenda Snipes admitted Monday that her office did not advise voters in precinct R31 in Fort Lauderdale that they no longer vote at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC) on Andrews Avenue

FL: Suspicious package closes Brevard precinct* (Brevard)
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/24/1789727/suspicious-package-closes-brevard.html
MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — A precinct on Florida’ Space Coast was shut down for several hours after a suspicious package was found outside it.

FL: Three polling places report minor issues; voting not affected* (Alachua Cnty)
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100824/ARTICLES/100829745/1002
When Fred Posner walked up to the ballot machine at Precinct 22 at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, he was disturbed when a poll worker told him the machine wasn’t working and then slid his ballot into what’s known as an “emergency bin” inside the machine.
…
a metal bar on the ballot box, which was in place to prevent vote fraud, had not been unlocked. Once poll workers realized that, they switched the key to the proper position and ran through Posner’s ballot, along with several others that had not been counted.

FL: 4 Palm Beach County Voters Given Wrong Ballot* (at 6 or 7 precincts?)
Supervisor Of Elections Says Poll Workers Reassigned, Relieved Of Duties
http://www.wpbf.com/r/24747331/detail.html
“Regretfully, we have about six or seven locations where voters were supposed to be issued a partisan ballot and, unfortunately, they were issued a non-partisan ballot,” Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher told WPBF 25 News’ Meredith McDonough.

FL: Elections Chief Edwards Rolls to Victory in Primary
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100824/NEWS/8245068/1338?p=1&tc=pg
BARTOW Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards refrained from handling ballots Tuesday night, but she manhandled her opponent in their primary race for a congressional seat.

FL: Audit to help decide ‘two very close races’ (PANAMA CITY — Bay County)
http://www.newsherald.com/news/panama-86444-audit-races.html
… Andersen said the county didn’t know how many provisional ballots were out.
“That’s what tomorrow’s audit is for,” Andersen said.

IL: Auditor Referendum Will Not Be on November Ballot
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2010/08/24/auditor-referendum-will-not-be-on-november-ballot/ Champaign County Clerk
I have determined that the County Board’s action to place a referendum on the ballot eliminating the elected County Auditor’s office does not conform to the requirements of Illinois Election law and will thus not be on the November Ballot.

This is a difficult decision because refusing to certify a question or candidate is an extraordinary remedy. However, no other one exists.

KY: Two Kentucky Republicans Sue to Remove Libertarian and Constitution Party Nominees http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/08/25/two-kentucky-republicans-sue-to-remove-libertarian-and-constitution-party-nominees/

NC: A few more reasons not to elect judges
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/22/1636392/a-few-more-reasons-not-to-elect.html

The Voting News Daily: DOJ approves GA voter check system. Rutherford TN election official fired

Brennan Center report: “Voting After You Move: A Guide”…Hawaii cuts 97 polling places..Tennessee mis-fires: The Rutherford TN election chief was fired for not having early voting on 1 Saturday, but has anyone been fired for the Shelby Co fiasco where e-poll books blocked thousands of voters?…Deputies of “Houston Votes” submitted thousands of fraudulent voter registration apps…

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

AZ: Are Arizona’s Political Leaders Deliberately Blocking Electronic Voting Machine Transparency? http://www.truth-out.org/are-arizonas-political-leaders-deliberately-blocking-electronic-voting-machine-transparency62569
Bill Risner, Democratic Party attorney for Pima County, is no stranger to election procedure battles. In 41-years of practice, he says the central problem of the current computerized systems is they are easy to cheat. “When the fact of ‘easy to cheat’ is combined with the ‘impossibility of challenge’ and ‘nobody is looking,’ the seriousness of the present vulnerability of our election system is obvious,” he says.

CA: Ballot creates security fray (SAN FRANCISCO)
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Ballot-creates-security-fray-101356429.html
The Sheriff’s Department could be barred from protecting November ballots because the results of a measure could effect the personal income of the deputies

CO: Aspen narrows in on how voters will vote
Runoff and ‘winner-take-all’ likely options for November ballot question
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100824/NEWS/100829929/1077&ParentProfile=1058

CO: Voting on how to vote, again
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/142147

FL: A few glitches reported as Floridians cast votes*
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/24/1789548_p2/few-glitches-reported-as-voting.html
Problems surfaced first thing in the morning in Miami Shores, where a mix-up delayed a precinct’s opening, and again throughout the day.
At Arcola Park in Miami, 46 voters waited into the early evening in an unmoving line for 90 minutes, delayed by what at first was said to be technical problems, Michael Graham said.
Then at about 6:30 p.m., a voter in the front of the line announced the precinct was out of ballots, he said.
…
n Miami Shores, the Catholic Community Center polling place located at 9900 NE Second Ave. was up and running normally after a morning mix-up that delayed its 7 a.m. opening.
…
But Miami Shores resident Christopher Bellows said he went to the polling place at about 7:20 a.m. and it was still closed, with no voting booths set up inside.
“They’re lying,” Bellows said of elections officials. “There was a lady there who was leaving, who said she’s not going to be able to vote now.”
…
Some voters in South Florida complained Tuesday that they were given the wrong ballot.
Richard J. Curry, a Democrat from Dania Beach, said he was given the ballot for unaffiliated voters.

FL: CBS4 I-Team Reveals Early Voting Is Costly
http://cbs4.com/local/early.voting.florida.2.1874936.html

GA: Justice Department clears Ga. voter checks system
http://www.sfexaminer.com/nation/doj-clears-ga-voter-checks-system-101309359.html
ATLANTA — The Justice Department has given Georgia approval to again verify voters’ identity and citizenship, Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced on Monday.
…
The modified plan that won DOJ approval includes all first-time voter registration applicants, including those seeking to register in person. It eliminates those who’ve already registered but are seeking to make changes, Carrothers said.

HI: Hawaii: State cuts 97 polling places
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/hawaiinews/20100823_State_cuts_97_polling_places.html

MI: County clerk claims McManus pressured her to approve flawed election forms
http://michiganmessenger.com/41220/county-clerk-claims-mcmanus-pressured-her-to-approve-flawed-election-forms

The Voting News Daily: Florida voter alert! After India EVM expert arrest. Dan Rather on voting machines

CTVoter on reforms intended to tweak turnout -“Fighting the last [election]war – Be careful what you ask for!” Florida Voter Alert: 2008 Absentee Voters May Have Problems at Polls…Dan Rather on Chris Matthews today, “Electronic voting machines still alot of problems…”…India electronic voting machine update: The ‘story’ behind Hari Prasad’s arrest and its aftermath

News is brief today, we’ll catch up tomorrow…

AK: Primary election features three ballot choices for some voters
http://newsminer.com/bookmark/9238126-Primary-election-features-three-ballot-choices-for-some-voters FAIRBANKS — As an election-week reminder, don’t forget there are three ballot choices for some voters Tuesday during the state primary election.

CO: Ask for single question to repeal IRV
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/142140

CT: Fighting the last [election]war – Be careful what you ask for!
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/fighting-the-last-electionwar-be-careful-what-you-ask-for/
There are several recent stories about the low turnout in the August 10th primary and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz suggesting the primary date be changed from August to June
…
This is not a voting integrity issue, yet we place it in the category of “Fighting the last [election] war” (i.e. Changes/reforms that look good when attempting to correct a recent, assumed election problem, without looking at all the consequences. )

FL: Voter Alert: 2008 Absentee Voters May Have Problems at Polls*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13848
If you voted absentee in the 2008 general election, but were planning to vote at the polls this Tuesday, you may be in for a surprise when you get there. You may be told that you cannot cast a regular ballot because you have already received an absentee ballot in the mail. This could happen even though you didn’t specifically request an absentee ballot for this election and even though you haven’t actually received one in the mail.

FL: Ballot mess still casts pall over election
http://www.bocabeacon.com/?p=4893
Calls have stll been coming into the Lee County elections office in connection to scores of mail-in boomerang ballots that were returned to sender.
…
If you believe your voting rights have been violated, contact Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, (877) 868-3737. To check the status of your ballot, go to BocaBeacon.com and click on the link provided.

NC: Instant runoff voting, here we come … ready or not
http://www.news-record.com/blog/54431/entry/97310
When they see the ballot for this special election, voters will wonder what the state legislature was thinking when it created this system. It’s going to be a joke, and not only for voters who will be asked to mark a first, second and third choice on their ballots. The election workers don’t know how to handle these ballots, either.

NC: Time to Shorten the Ballot
http://www.carolinajournal.com/jhdailyjournal/display_jhdailyjournal.html?id=6746
Every two years, the state asks millions of voters to choose among candidates for North Carolina’s supreme court and court of appeals. The vast majority of voters have no personal experience with the lawyers or judges in question. They have no significant information about the candidates’ qualifications and legal philosophies.

TN: Rutherford election official says no coverup
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100821/NEWS02/
8210343/1009/NEWS02/Rutherford+election+official+says+no+coverup
http://tinyurl.com/2d239va Rutherford County’s top election official says there was no attempt to cover up the fact that the county failed to hold early voting for the Aug.

The Voting News Daily: India E-voting expert arrested. TN voters deserve answers. Australia Bush v Gore?

CTVoter on India’s arrest of Hari Prasad: “So as governments do to whistle blowers and those who bring uncomfortable facts, they have arrested the Indian member of the research team in an effort to determine the source of the voting machine and to intimidate.”..Sarasota FL voting machine meltdown proves value of paper ballots, no thanks to Kathy Dent..LTE: “Tennessee needs to join the 21st century with the majority of the rest of country and move to a verifiable, auditable paper trail/ballot.”..2010 Australian Election Results a Bush vs. Gore Repeat…

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

Editor’s note: The PacMan Voting Machine story and video has become viral.
One voting news reader writes: “My hair exploded about the pac man program!!”

AZ: Maricopa County Elections Sued Over Alleged Voting Violations
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com/2010/08/maricopa-county-elections-sued-over.html
A group of diverse individuals including Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Barry Hess, former Republican state Senator Karen Johnson, and voting activist John Brakey are suing Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, alleging that Maricopa County Elections is involved in various voting shenanigans.

CA: California’s online voter registration plan on hold
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-voter-registration-20100821,0,3294207.story
The start of the program has been pushed back to June 2014 as the secretary of state seeks a new contractor.
…
She (SOS Bowen) said other states’ efforts are not comparable to California’s. “There is no precedent in any other state for this, because California is enormous,” she said.

CT: Greenwich picked – yet again – to audit primary results
http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Greenwich-picked-yet-again-to-audit-primary-622620.php Six of the seven times since the state started mandating audits three years ago, the town has been picked for a recount, irking its two registrars of voters.
…
Despite the hassle of conducting frequent audits, DeCaro said it was much better than the alternative of no checks and balances.
(Fred DeCaro III, Stamford’s Republican registrar).

FL: Early-voting machine malfunctions* (Sarasota – Dominion opscan machines)
http://www.yourobserver.com/news/sarasota/Front-Page/081920107656/Early-voting-machine-malfunctions …One of the inspectors noticed this week that the system count on the machine was different than the number of ballots that had been inputted.
…
But Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, said he is concerned.

“This proves the need to have paper ballots, so there’s concrete evidence, so no one could question the outcome,” he said. “Two thousand votes could decide a race.”

Rita Ferrandino, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Sarasota County, said issues such as this are why she has election observers watching every step of the process.

NV: The incredibly true, bizarre story of Tea Party candidate Scott Ashjian and $35
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2010/aug/19/incredibly-true-bizarre-story-scott-ashjian-and-35/ …
Wrong. Colorado ain’t nothin’; in Nevada, Ashjian needed only need 250 signatures to get his name on the ballot for national office.

NY: Democracy, the Hard Way *
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/nyregion/22critic.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
The new system compounds the shortcomings of print media with those of electronic media — and makes matters worse with hard-to-read, hard-to-understand instructions and a lot of extraneous nonsense.

OH: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections posts bilingual ballots
http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2010/08/cuyahoga_board_of_elections_posts_bilingual_ballots.html
In response to a recent U.S. Department of Justice push for bilingual ballots, 70 precincts in council districts 2, 3, 4 and 7 will offer instructions, political parties and offices in both English and Spanish.

The Voting News Daily: Shelby CO TN certifies flawed election. Are election audits worth it? Pac-Man II

Bell, CA may give ballot control to county after investigation into massive corruption and election fraud…CTVoter answers question: “Greenwich Audit: Is it worth $1,200?”…Shelby Co Tennessee election board voted 5-0 to certify flawed election after blaming all problems on a single “human error”. Some lawsuits in the works and TBI is investigating…Moreon impact of Citizens United -see “Pay 2 Play – Democracy’s high stakes”..Probe into Philippine’s May poll irregularities ongoing…No tamper seals were broken in programming the AVC Edge voting machine to run Pac-Man…

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

CA: Bell council discusses reforms as residents continue angry protests *
(absentee ballot fraud)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bell-reforms-20100817,0,1083036.story
City must roll back property tax hike that the state controller says was illegal and cut its ‘retirement tax.’ Amid alleged election fraud, council also considers giving ballot control to the county.
…
The potential for fraud in Bell is heightened because of of low voter participation in the largely immigrant town of 40,000. Fewer than 400 voters cast ballots in a 2005 special election that cleared the way for council members to significantly increase their salaries, for example. More than half were absentee ballots.

CT: Greenwich Audit: Is it worth $1,200?
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/greenwich-audit-is-it-worth-1200/
Greenwich registrars and Secretary of the State debate value of audit and random selection of Greenwich

CT: Ballots from 2 polling places to be recounted
http://www.thehour.com/story/490462 Overall, 73 or 722 voting precincts — 10 percent of all polling precincts statewide — from the Aug. 10 primary election will have ballots hand-counted and matched against machine totals to ensure the integrity of voting, and comply with the Act Concerning the Integrity and Security of the Voting Process, according to the Secretary of the State’s Office.

FL: 200+ Absentee Ballots Disqualified * (absentee ballots)
Absentee Voting Down, But Early Voting Up 20% Over 2006
http://www.news4jax.com/politics/24691862/detail.html
JACKSONVILLE, Fla…Channel 4 has learned that nearly 250 of absentee ballots have been thrown out, mostly because they lack signatures, or the signature doesn’t match the one on file at the Supervisor of Elections Office.

NC: ‘Instant runoff’ injects more mystery into judicial elections
http://nclawyersweekly.com/oyez/2010/08/18/%E2%80%98instant-runoff-injects-more-mystery-into-judicial-elections/#comment-209 It’s yet another electoral process that I’m unfamiliar with. And in a system where there are ridiculous things called hanging chads that can lead to court battles, I really hope that this instant runoff thing doesn’t exacerbate the problem that voters don’t know Judge X from Judge Y.

NJ: Atlantic City vote fraud suspects seek dismissal of charges
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_20729af6-a983-11df-a945-001cc4c03286.html
Most of the defendants were indicted on nine counts, including conspiracy and four counts of election fraud. Small and three others were also accused of lying to law enforcement in an effort to cover up their crimes.
In October, Ronald Harris, 24, of Atlantic City, admitted he and others conspired to submit false documents involving messenger ballots in the primary. Harris, a registered Democrat, later told a reporter he only pleaded guilty out of fear.

NY: Design a Better Ballot
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/design-a-better-ballot/
This is where you come in. City Room, in partnership with the New York chapter of the AIGA, the professional association for design, invites you to imagine a better format, or to just have fun completely reinventing it.

The Voting News Daily: Touchscreens recycled as PacMan games.Verified Voting Internet Voting Pt 1

Florida Voters Coalition encourages citizens to observe poll closing procedures…Shelby Co TN blames technician for election fiasco, local DEM party launching own investigation…J. Alex Halderman has found a good use for touchscreen machines – reprogram them as PacMan consoles…Mason County WV to volunteer overseas vote for internet vote experiment…Bo Lipari has Part I of Verified Voting’s new series on concerns with Internet Voting…

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

AL: Bessemer, Ala: mayoral candidate uses fake photo and endorsement; campaign manager confesses to hoax http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006428.html

FL: Spend an Hour – Make a Difference on Election Night
http://floridavoterscoalition.blogspot.com/2010/08/spend-hour-make-difference-on-election.html
Hot dog! This is your chance to spend an hour on election-night to help secure Florida’s elections. Observe poll-closing procedures in any precinct near you, and help gather important compliance data we can use to improve future elections.

NC: Local judicial candidates at odds over fall election ballot
http://www.mountainx.com/news/2010/local_judicial_candidates_at_odds_over_fall_election_ballot
Dreher takes the position that all five candidates should be included under only one ballot listing “without designation as to vacancy.” The state’s instant-runoff voting system would then be implemented to determine two winners from the list of five.

PA: Team 4: Non-US Citizens Removed From Voter Rolls
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/r/24679152/detail.html

PA: Editorial: Cash clouds image of judges
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20100819_Editorial__Cash_clouds_image_of_judges.html When it comes to spending money to elect state Supreme Court justices, Pennsylvania is No. 1.
Unfortunately, this is not a top ranking to boast about. That’s because the river of money that flows into judicial elections creates the perception for many that justice isn’t always blind.

TN: Shelby County Election Commission Releases Its Findings On Election Day Problems * http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story/Shelby-County-Election-Commission-Releases-Its/gpBzJPliuk2KvChu9lvK3g.cspx
Commissioners say on August 5th, Computer Analyst Dennis Boyce loaded the wrong data files into the Electronic Polling Books (EPB). The data he loaded reflected people who voted in last May’s election and as a result people like Thompson went to vote on August 5th, only to be told they voted already.
…
Turner says he’s come across voters who say they didn’t vote in the May election, but were still turned away on August 5th. The Shelby County Democratic Party is also conducting an investigation and will release its own report and recommendations.

TN: Democrats Claim Voting Machines Can Be Altered
http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story/Democrats-Claim-Voting-Machines-Can-Be-Altered/nDhkxvpg50q8aJOlSQvtpw.cspx
MEMPHIS, TN—The Head of the Shelby County Democratic Party believes investigators have found a way to change votes after they have been cast. Investigators for the Democratic Party have been at the election commission digging for information since the August 5, 2010 election.

“We’re pulling down databases, records, looking at machines and trying to figure out what is going on,” said party chairman, Van Turner, “what records reveal, I think is just the tip of the iceberg.

TN: Pair of votes on same day no problem
Morgan County prepared for concurrent special, general elections Nov. 2
http://www.decaturdaily.com/detail/66788.html A special election in Hartselle on the same day as the Nov. 2 general election will not cause problems for Morgan County, officials said.

TX: New election ordered in commissioner race* (absentee ballot fraud)
http://www.delrionewsherald.com/story.lasso?ewcd=40438f4ce48b3ec6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editor Note – voting news for Aug 9 & 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All this and more in todays voting news below…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you like voting news? Forward to a friend!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Internet Voting Watch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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