The Voting News Daily

The Voting News Daily: Wisconsin Democrats Withdraw ‘Placeholder’ Candidates in Recall Election, Charlie White going to great lengths to avoid answering questions

Democratic “placeholder” candidates will no longer run in this summer’s state Senate recall elections, the Wisconsin Democratic Party announced Friday.

The party said it will not file the final paperwork needed to be put placeholders on ballot in the six recall elections targeting Republican senators, including state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills).

The idea of using placeholder candidates came after Republicans decided to have “fake Democrats” to run in the Democratic primaries of the six recall elections targeting GOP senators. The move was designed to ensure that primary elections would be held in all six races to give the incumbents more time to prepare for the general election. Read More

Indiana: Charlie White going to great lengths to avoid answering questions | WISHTV

Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White won’t give up in his effort to win immunity before he testifies to the state Recount Commission in a proceeding meant to find out if he committed voter fraud.

White is scheduled to testify next week, but he’s worried that what he says will be used against him in a criminal case. That’s why he is now pursuing a third attempt to win immunity for what he says.

When White’s attorney asked the state Recount Commission to grant White limited immunity, what’s known as use immunity, for his testimony scheduled for next Tuesday, he got a confused response from Recount Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler: “But I have never seen anybody other than a prosecutor give use immunity.” Read More

The Voting News Daily: ES&S representatives fail to show for ordered depositions in Colorado, Internet voting has high cost in Alberta

Election Systems and Software officials failed to appear for depositions earlier this month after Saguache District Judge Martin Gonzales ruled that the firm could be deposed for a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) suit filed in February.

Denver attorney Robert McGuire, on behalf of his client, Aspen election integrity activist Marilyn Marks, filed the suit to force Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers to turn over voting records and related documents Marks requested beginning in November 2010. McGuire waited for officials from the Nebraska firm for nearly an hour, he said, before deciding they would not appear.

Marks later filed a motion with the court to hold them in contempt unless they could show sufficient cause for refusing to honor the deposition subpoenas. ES&S made no motion to file a protective order (if their appearance would violate trade secrets and/or force the production of proprietary information) nor did their attorneys move to quash the subpoena, court records show. Read More

If Grande Prairie becomes the first city in Alberta to offer Internet voting in a municipal election, it will come at a cost – and a hefty one if implemented. City council’s General Government Services learned Wednesday that, for starters, a business case requested by the province may cost as much as $30,000.

That price tag in a report from administration surprised some councillors, who along with Mayor Bill Given directed administration to study the situation further by contacting Internet service providers (ISPs).

“I believe that we can build that business case for considerably less investment than what was suggested in the report,” Given said. “Other council members agreed with me.” In April, Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goudreau requested the business case in order to formalize a city request to pilot online voting. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Wait — Did Mitt Romney Commit Voter Fraud?, Saguache clerk cleared in election investigation

Last year, the presidential hopeful cast a ballot for Scott Brown for U.S. Senate. One problem: Romney may not have been living here at the time. Or so says Fred Karger, a 2012 GOP presidential candidate who’s filed a complaint with state election officials, a hard copy of which I have from Karger’s office. Here’s Karger’s complaint:

Romney and his wife, Ann, bought a home in La Jolla, Calif., in 2008 for $12.5 million. A year later, they sold their $3.5 million place in Belmont and, according to Karger, took up residency, well, it’s not really clear where they took it up, except it didn’t seem to be in Massachusetts. By 2009, Mitt was sort of campaigning and sort of on his book tour. Home was wherever he finished the day. Sometimes it was in California. Sometimes, Karger says, and the National Journal bears this out, it was in New Hampshire. But it probably wasn’t in Massachusetts. Read More

A statewide grand jury cleared Saguache County Clerk and Recorder Melinda Myers of any criminal wrongdoing in the November election, according to a report released through the Colorado Attorney General’s Office Tuesday.

“The results of the 2010 general election were a product of the votes of the citizens of Saguache County and were not affected by individual violations of the procedural rules by the clerk and others,” the report concluded.

Myers said in a written statement she hoped the findings would put the election controversy to rest and provide citizens with confidence that the will of the voters was reflected in the election. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Octogenarian Former GOP State Rep To Run As Fake ‘Democrat’ In Wisconsin Recalls, Fred Karger’s Voter Fraud Allegations Against Mitt Romney

Don’t let anyone say there isn’t bipartisanship in Wisconsin.

The newest example of Wisconsin Republicans recruiting fake Democratic candidates, to force Dem primaries and make trouble in the state Senate recalls: Otto Junkermann, an 82-year old former Republican state representative, who will challenge official Democratic candidate Nancy Nusbaum for the recall against GOP state Sen. Rob Cowles.

As the Green Bay Press Gazette reports, Junkermann very openly professes to support Cowles:

Otto Junkermann, 82 of Allouez, said he thinks “very highly” of Cowles, a Republican also from Allouez, and will run against Nusbaum as a “conservative Democrat.”

“I respect Rob a great deal. I’ve known him, I followed him into the Assembly and took the position he had when he went into the Senate, and I always admired him,” Junkermann said.

Junkermann served in the Assembly as a Republican for one term from 1987-88. He was also a Brown County supervisor from 1982-87 and ran again in 2002, 2004 and 2008 but lost. Read More

Massachusetts: Fred Karger’s Voter Fraud Allegations Against Mitt Romney | The Daily Caller

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president, is facing allegations that he committed fraud when he voted in the January 2010 Massachusetts special election. The allegations come from fellow Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger, a self-desribed “old opposition research campaign consultant” who is running a long-shot campaign.

Karger filed a complaint Monday with the State of Massachusetts, asking that Romney be investigated for registering to vote from an address that he did not live at. During the special election Romney was living in one of two places, and neither of them was in Massachusetts, Karger alleges. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Expense of fake Democrats in Wisconsin primaries will top $400,000, Maine Senate Rejects Bill Requiring Photo ID to Vote

A plan by Republicans to run fake Democratic candidates in this summer’s recall elections would cost taxpayers upward of $428,000, according to election clerks. In one Senate district alone, the cost would top $100,000, interviews with county and municipal clerks show.

Even if Republicans back off their plans in some of the districts, taxpayers are all but guaranteed to have to pay the costs of the primary, because Democrats now plan to run multiple candidates in order to guarantee all the recall elections are held on the same day. Tuesday is the filing deadline.

Recall elections for six Republican senators are scheduled for July 12. But if there are multiple candidates from the same party in any of those elections, the July 12 election becomes a primary, with a general recall election to follow on Aug. 9. Read More

Maine: Maine Senate Rejects Bill Requiring Photo ID to Vote | MPBN

The Maine Legislature continued its wrangling over a series of voting bills today when it took up LD 199, a bill that would require Maine voters to present an approved photo identification card to local voting clerks when casting ballots in state and municipal elections. Proponents of the bill say the policy is already in force in eight other states and will serve to discourage fraud in state balloting. But critics argue the measure will disenfrancise voters by discouraging participation in the election process.

For Democrats like Sen. Justin Alfond, of Portland, a bill to require a state-approved photo identification card in order to vote is a solution in search of a problem.

“There’s simply no evidence that voter ID requirement solves any real problems here in Maine,” he said. “People simply do not impersonate other people in order to vote.” Read More

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

New Jersey: Primary election results still under review — by the vendor ES&S | New Jersey Herald

The final audit of pri­mary elec­tion results is still under way. To ensure accu­racy, the Sus­sex County Board of Elec­tions will spend the next few days “care­fully and method­i­cally” review­ing the num­bers before send­ing the unof­fi­cial results to the county clerk for cer­ti­fi­ca­tion, Board Admin­is­tra­tor Marge McCabe said.

While Sus­sex County Clerk Jeff Par­rott expects the results to be cer­ti­fied Mon­day after­noon, McCabe said the process will take longer. Elec­tion results must be cer­ti­fied within 10 days of an election.

Once the results are cer­ti­fied, the Board of Elec­tions and vot­ing machine tech­ni­cians from Elec­tions, Sys­tems & Soft­ware, will ana­lyze the recent glitches for answers. Read More

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

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

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

The Voting News Daily: New Jersey vote count glitch probed in Sussex County, New Hampshire House, Senate pass photo IDs for voters

New Jersey: Vote count glitch probed in Sussex County — ES&S iVotronic | New Jersey Herald

The unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary election are in, again, and there are no official winners, yet, but the numbers all match up, unofficially. The computer problems that shut down the counting of votes were solved the next day when a consultant from Elections, Systems & Software, the software provider for the county’s election board, suggested the board should just start over. And that is just what it did.

… The number of voters matched the number of voters recorded on the paper records that poll workers keep at each polling place, McCabe said. And there were no surprises or recall of winners with Wednesday’s tabulations, now unofficially being reviewed by the Sussex County Clerk’s Office, which must confirm the totals before they become official.

The one thing that was officially confirmed Tuesday is that the county has a glitch in the election process, and no one knows what causes it. Read More

New Hampshire: House, Senate pass photo IDs for voters | Boston.com

Voters would have to show photo identification to vote in New Hampshire under legislation passed by the House and Senate. It now heads to the governor but the bill’s future there looks uncertain.

The version approved 14-9 by the Senate on Wednesday allows for provisional ballots for those who do not have official identification, allowing them to vote if they come back to municipal officials within three days with a government-issued photo identification.

Voters also could get a waiver from the photo identification requirement from the Secretary of State or request and receive a voucher to cover the cost of getting photo identification from the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Read More

Colorado: Secretary of State backs Marks in Colorado election suit | Aspen Daily News

Colorado’s chief election official says he believes that an unsuccessful Aspen mayoral candidate deserves to win a lawsuit against the city demanding access to ballot images from the 2009 municipal election.

The suit filed by City Hall critic and ‘09 candidate for mayor Marilyn Marks was dismissed last year by local District Judge James Boyd. Marks has appealed the dismissal.

Judge Boyd agreed with city attorneys that allowing the public to inspect photographic images made of the ballots cast in the May 5, 2009 election would violate state law protecting secret voting. City Clerk Kathryn Koch denied an open records request from Marks to view the ballot images, prompting Marks to sue for access. Read More

North Carolina: Asheville-area politicians weigh in on North Carolina voter ID bill | The Asheville Citizen-Times

Debate over legislation requiring voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot has been passionate, with the House Republican majority prevailing on the bill.

But experts like Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, question whether the law’s impact will match the rhetoric’s heat.

The GOP contends the measure is needed to root out voter fraud and keep elections honest, while Democrats maintain it’s a politically motivated scheme to disenfranchise voters who traditionally vote Democratic.

The Voting News Daily: Estonian Parliament Sets up E-Voting Working Group, Voter ID bill easily passes North Carolina House

Estonia: Estonian Parliament Sets up E-Voting Working Group | ERR

On June 9, the Parliament’s Constitutional Committee established a working group tasked with shoring up regulations related to the country’s much-touted e-voting system.

… Though Estonia’s groundbreaking national e-voting system, introduced in 2005, is widely considered reliable by international observers, it came under fire last month after an OSCE review found a number of legal and procedural holes in the way it was being used.

In early June, the Tallinn City Government filed a motion with the Supreme Court to abolish e-voting at future local elections, citing many of the same concerns. Read More

North Carolina: Voter ID bill easily passes North Carolina House | CharlotteObserver.com

North Carolina would join 13 other states requiring voters to show a photo ID under a bill passed Thursday by the Republican-led N.C. House. The measure passed 66-48 along party lines, despite Democratic protests that it would decrease turnout.

Some critics invoked comparisons to Jim Crow-era voting barriers. The bill now goes to the Senate, which is expected to endorse it. It would then go to Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Senators Holperin, Hansen and Wirch headed for Wisconsin recall election, North Carolina: Big voter turnouts and perceptions of fraud

Wisconsin: Senators Holperin, Hansen and Wirch headed for Wisconsin recall election | Wausau Daily Herald

All three Democratic state senators targeted for recalls will have to stand for election this summer after the board that oversees elections declined on Wednesday to invalidate petitions circulated against them, even though it found evidence of fraud.

The Government Accountability Board voted to reject thousands of signatures it determined were either fraudulent or collected by circulators through misleading means, such as saying the petition was for something other than recalling the Democrats.

But even after those signatures were tossed, more than enough remained to force recall elections for Sens. Jim Holperin of Conover, Dave Hansen of Green Bay and Bob Wirch of Pleasant Prairie. Read More

Editorials, North Carolina: Big voter turnouts and perceptions of fraud | NewsObserver.com

Since North Carolina Republicans introduced a Voter ID bill in February that would require all citizens to show a photo ID before voting, one thing has become crystal clear. State efforts are part of a nationwide drive to tighten rules on voting. In the past two months no less than 13 state legislatures, all of them controlled by Republicans, have advanced Voter ID legislation.

Sponsors in North Carolina and elsewhere claim showing driver’s licenses or a similar card will eliminate voter fraud and, as the North Carolina bill is named, “Restore Confidence in Government.” Democrats have countered that there has been no wave of election fraud that needs fixing. Instead, they insist, Republicans are trying to make it harder for the elderly, the poor and the transient – those who often lack driver’s licenses – to vote. They compare the measure to historic poll taxes that once disfranchised thousands of North Carolinians. Read More

National: Organisation appeals for expat Americans to stand up and be counted | Telegraph

The Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), a not-for-profit group dedicated to helping Americans overseas take part in federal elections, began its “Counting Citizens” project in April this year.

Using the power of social media to spread the word, the group is appealing for expats to register on a dedicated website, and help the organisation produce a reliable estimate of the number of Americans currently living abroad

“At the moment, there no is no accurate up-to-date estimate of how many American citizens abroad there are or where they are,” said Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, the president of the OVF. “Expats are not included in the US census, and previous estimates have been very rough, and often non-official. Read More

Texas: So Many Elections, So Little Time | The Austin Chronicle

And now for some completely different election news: A seemingly innocuous Texas Senate bill, passed and awaiting the governor’s signature, may drastically affect Austin’s local elections, even extending the terms of the mayor and three City Council members by six months.

Senate Bill 100, legislation from San Antonio Dem Leticia Van de Putte, was drafted to bring the state in line with federal law requiring that federal ballots be delivered to military and overseas voters at least 45 days before an election.

The Voting News Daily: Former county GOP leader to challenge Shilling as Democrat in Wisconsin recall election, Latest version of proposed North Carolina voter ID bill restricts forms of ID

Wisconsin: Former county GOP leader to challenge Shilling as Democrat in Wisconsin recall election | LaCrosse Tribune

Republicans have found a spoiler candidate to challenge Rep. Jennifer Shilling in this summer’s recall election, which would force a Democratic primary and extend the campaign by nearly a month.

James Smith, until recently a member of the La Crosse County GOP’s executive committee, says he is running as a protest candidate.

Smith, a regular fixture at local labor protests this spring where he held signs touting his support for Gov. Scott Walker, said he resigned his party leadership position Monday before announcing his candidacy. He said he does not plan on campaigning aggressively but wants to protest the recall process. Read More

North Carolina: Latest version of proposed North Carolina voter ID bill restricts forms of ID | Sun Journal

House Republicans have thrown another twist in a proposal to require North Carolina voters to provide a photo ID when they go to the polls.

They abandoned an earlier version that would have allowed citizens to show a voter registration card or other approved documents, such as a utility bill or a paycheck, in favor of a strict government issued photo identification card.

“The bill we discussed earlier today was an attempt at a compromise that might have garnered some support from the other side of the aisle,” said Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, a primary sponsor of the bill. “Unfortunately that did not work.” Read More

The Voting News Daily: Wisconsin Senators Fight Sweeping Recalls, After 2 months on sidelines, voter ID bill heading to another North Carolina House committee

Wisconsin: Wisconsin Senators Fight Sweeping Recalls | Courthouse News Service

Three Republican state senators have challenged the recall petitions that voters filed against them. And it looks like recall elections of three Democratic senators, if they occur, will come separately, a week after the six Republican recall elections scheduled for July 12.

The three Republicans’ complaints are based on a technicality: that the recall petitioners are not identified as members of the Committees to Recall.

State senators Randy Hopper (Fond du Lac), Luther Olsen (Ripon) and Dan Kapanke (La Crosse) sued the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board in separate but virtually identical complaints in Dane County Court. Read More

North Carolina: After 2 months on sidelines, voter ID bill heading to another North Carolina House committee | The Republic

Republicans at the North Carolina General Assembly are trying again to move a bill that would require voters to show identification before they cast a ballot.

The bill expected before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday had been on the sidelines for two months. Read More

The Voting News Daily: They Want to Make Voting Harder?, Government Accountability Board mum on Nickolaus election inquiry

Editorials, National: They Want to Make Voting Harder? | NYTimes.com

One of the most promising recent trends in expanding political participation has been allowing people to vote in the weeks before Election Day, either in person or by mail. Early voting, which enables people to skip long lines and vote at more convenient times, has been increasingly popular over the last 15 years. It skyrocketed to a third of the vote in 2008, rising particularly in the South and among black voters supporting Barack Obama.

And that, of course, is why Republican lawmakers in the South are trying desperately to cut it back. Two states in the region have already reduced early-voting periods, and lawmakers in others are considering doing so. It is the latest element of a well-coordinated effort by Republican state legislators across the country to disenfranchise voters who tend to support Democrats, particularly minorities and young people.

The biggest part of that effort, imposing cumbersome requirements that voters have a government ID, has been painted as a response to voter fraud, an essentially nonexistent problem. But Republican lawmakers also have taken a good look at voting patterns, realized that early voting might have played a role in Mr. Obama’s 2008 victory, and now want to reduce that possibility in 2012. Read More

Wisconsin: Government Accountability Board mum on Nickolaus election inquiry | JSOnline

Although the state Government Accountability Board promised to release a detailed report of its April investigation of Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus’ election operation by late June, it’s unclear now when or if the report will be coming.

Reid Magney, spokesman for the board, said that because a formal complaint was filed with the board by the JoAnne Kloppenburg campaign, accusing Nickolaus of election law violations, new confidentiality restrictions apply under state law.

While he could confirm that a complaint was filed – one already released publicly by the Kloppenburg campaign – Magney said he couldn’t comment on whether there is an investigation, or when an investigation might be complete. Read More

The Voting News Daily: How state legislatures could affect the 2012 elections, Review of Wisconsin Democrats’ recalls extended a week

National: How state legislatures could affect the 2012 elections | POLITICO.com

The push to rig the 2012 presidential election is under way.

There’s nothing illegal about it: Across the country, state legislatures are embroiled in partisan battles over election-law changes that, by design or effect, could play a significant role in determining the outcome of the presidency.

So far this year, there’s been legislation aimed at overhauling the awarding of electoral votes, requiring that candidates present a birth certificate, not to mention a wide assortment of other voting rights and administration-related measures that could easily affect enough ballots to deliver a state to one candidate or another. Experts say the explosion of such efforts in the run-up to 2012 is unprecedented — and can be traced back to a familiar wellspring.

“Florida in 2000 taught people that election administration really can make a difference in the outcome of an election,” said Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the liberal Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. Read More

Wisconsin: Review of Wisconsin Democrats’ recalls extended a week — No election delay for Republicans; board sets date at July 12 | JSOnline

A Dane County judge on Friday granted state officials a week to determine whether three Democratic senators should be recalled, but declined to delay elections for six Republican senators.

Later Friday, the Government Accountability Board certified recall elections for July 12 for the Republican senators. Any recall elections for the Democrats would be held a week later, on July 19. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Saguache County, Colorado state officials at odds over access to ballots, Clerk Myers produces ES&S M650 audit logs

Colorado: Saguache County, Colorado state officials at odds over access to ballots | The Pueblo Chieftain

Attorneys in a dispute between the Saguache County clerk and recorder and the secretary of state exchanged arguments Tuesday over the state’s authority to conduct an election review and the privacy of voted ballots. Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler sued Clerk Melinda Myers in March for access to the ballots, prompting 3 1/2 hours of testimony and argument in Saguache County District Court.

Gessler called for a review of the election that would include a hand count of the ballots, although the findings would not change the election results.

The aim of the review is to calm controversy over an election in which the clerk’s office conducted a second count of the ballots with state approval that flipped the results in favor of Myers and Linda Joseph, an incumbent Democratic county commissioner. Read More

Colorado: Saguache County Clerk Myers produces ES&S M650 audit logs | Center Post Dispatch

Assisted by two election judges, County Clerk Melinda Myers supervised the printout of 49 pages of audit logs from the M650 voting machine last Thursday, covering machine operation records from Oct. 25 to April 13.

Judge Jessica DuBoe printed out the logs while a second judge, Peggy Godfrey, stood watch. The operation took just about an hour.

“ES&S [the machine’s distributor] first said we couldn’t do it,” Myers said. “It would have been nice to know Nov. 3.” Read More

The Voting News Daily: Voter patience, participation necessary in Wisconsin recall process, Rep. Todd Akin votes in Town and Country, but does he live there?

Editorials, Wisconsin: Voter patience, participation necessary in Wisconsin recall process | Green Bay Press Gazette

As our state elections agency navigates uncharted territory in the recall of nine state senators, the problems and delays point to this: Voters should be more engaged in regular elections.

Had that happened in the previous cycle — when voters last fall put Republicans in charge of both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office — it is likely the outcome would have resulted in far fewer demands placed on the system. Instead, the elections agency is overburdened and lawmakers facing recalls must spend more time defending their position than legislating.

… It’s unfortunate that in all the delays and challenges, accusations have been leveled against the top election official, Kevin Kennedy, for allegedly favoring Democrats. GOP supporters have said it is unfair to move forward in filing petitions against Republicans while taking more time to review Democratic challenges. Read More

Missouri: Rep. Todd Akin votes in Town and Country, but does he live there? | stltoday.com

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin raised his family on a sprawling homestead in this St. Louis County burg, where a modest home now sits among a collection of weathered sheds. Earlier this month, old newspapers had accumulated in the long driveway that separates the property from surrounding suburban mansions.

About 18 miles west, the Republican congressman and his wife own a secluded ranch house near the county line in Wildwood. On a recent afternoon, Akin’s Chevrolet Blazer was parked out front, and a dog sat in the driveway.

Which house is Akin’s official residence? Read More

The Voting News Daily: Elections meeting today on Butler County Ohio Diebold/Premier lawsuit, Alabama House bill allows electronic submission of voted ballots

Ohio: Elections meeting today on Butler County Ohio Diebold/Premier voting machine lawsuit | JournalNews

Butler County’s ongoing lawsuit over its Diebold voting machines is the topic of today’s special meeting of the Butler County Board of Elections. The county is seeking $5 million in damages, which is what it paid for the electronic voting machines, following a glitch in the system during the March 2008 primary election when more than 200 votes initially went uncounted.

The board will meet at 10:30 a.m. today at the elections office, 1802 Princeton Road, then move into executive session to discuss the lawsuit with Premier Election Solutions, which purchased Diebold. Read More

Alabama: House passes bill creating new voting options for Alabama military, other overseas voters — allows electronic submission of voted ballots | The Republic

The Alabama Legislature is creating new ways for the military and other Alabama voters who are overseas to return their ballots.

Currently, the military and other Alabama voters who are overseas can only use the mail to return an absentee ballot. The legislation allows them to use fax, a commercial carrier like UPS and FedEx, and secure electronic transmissions. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Supreme Court recount worthwhile?, State Election Board Failed to Review Minutes from Waukesha County Before Certifying Election Results

Editorials, Wisconsin: Supreme Court recount worthwhile? Our answer? Absolutely. | Appleton Post Crescent

The recount in the state Supreme Court race is done and, as expected, incumbent David Prosser is the winner over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg. Prosser held a 7,316-vote lead heading into the recount and finished with a 7,006-vote lead.

So, the question is, was the recount worthwhile? Our answer? Absolutely.

On its face, the margin after the election — about a 7,000-vote victory with about 1.5 million votes case — was close enough to make a recount a legitimate request. But the extraordinary circumstances nearly demanded a recount. Read More

Blogs, Wisconsin: State Election Board Failed to Review Minutes from Waukesha County ‘Recount’ Before Certifying Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Results | The Brad Blog

Last Monday, May 23rd, Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.), the state's top election agency, officially certified [PDF] the controversial results of the extraordinarily close April 5th statewide Supreme Court election and its subsequent "recount".

However, as The BRAD BLOG has learned, the agency certified those results without reviewing hundreds of official exhibits documenting wholesale ballot irregularities, on-the-record objections from the attorneys of the candidate who filed for the "recount", and thousands of pages of official transcripts and minutes documenting the entire "recount" process from the election's most controversial county. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Takoma Park explores online absentee voting, Numerous Challenges Could Push Back Date of Wisconsin Recall Election

Maryland: Takoma Park explores online absentee voting | Gazette.net

Takoma Park may offer absentee voters the option to vote online in this falls city council and mayoral election.

The city Board of Elections is working with Scantegrity, a research group that ran the citys 2009 elections, to develop a system in which absentee voters could vote online. The city will still be conducting traditional voting at polling places, regardless of whether an online absentee system is implemented, City Clerk Jessie Carpenter said. Read More

Wisconsin: Numerous Challenges Could Push Back Date of Wisconsin Recall Election | Fox Point-Bayside, WI Patch

Challenges filed by state Sen. Alberta Darling and three other senators against the recall petitions filed against them could push back the date of the recall elections, the state Government Accountability Board said Friday.

The board had tentatively set the date for all recall elections for July 12. However, that date was set before the four incumbents – Darling, and Democrats Jim Holperin, Robert Wirch and Dave Hansen  – raised “numerous factual and legal issues” regarding the petitions, the board said. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Without DOJ sign-off, Florida elections chief balks at voting law, Election Transparency Must be Apolitical

Until the Justice Department gives a green light, the elections officials in five [Florida] counties won’t begin implementing an election law that critics say violates the Voting Rights Act protecting minorities.

The elections supervisor in Rick Scott’s home county refuses to recognize a new law the governor signed out of concerns that the U.S. Department of Justice hasn’t decided whether it violates a law protecting minority voters. Read More

For those of you who have been following the recount saga in Wisconsin, here is a bit of news, and a reflection on that.

So, the news from a couple of days ago (I’m just catching up) is that the process of re-counting is complete, but the resolution of that close election may not be.  The re-counting did not change which candidate is leading, and apparently expanded the margin slightly.

Trailing candidate Joanne Kloppenburg explains her motivation for the recount in a newspaper letter to the editor, building on the old but true assertion that, “One may be entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts.” Read More

The Voting News Daily: Internet Voting Nixed in Vancouver , Minnesota governor vetoes voter identification bill

Canada: Vancouver voters will not be casting ballots online in November | The Province

Internet voting won’t be a part of the political process in this November’s civic election in Vancouver, The Province has learned. The mayor’s office was notified earlier this week.

… [R]isks include: the vulnerability of Internet voting to service disruptions or hacker attacks; authentication of voter identity without jeopardizing anonymity of the vote; and protecting voters from intimidation or coercion when they are exercising their franchise away from the transparent environment of a physical voting place,” said the letter acquired by The Province. Read More

Minnesota: Minnesota governor vetoes voter identification bill | Reuters

Democratic Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have required voters to provide photo identification to cast votes. Dayton cited a lack of broad bi-partisan support for the bill and its potential as a $23 million unfunded mandate on local governments in part for his veto. The Republican-led Legislature had sent the bill to him on Monday.

… Dayton said he did not believe voter fraud to be a significant problem in Minnesota and that the reason most often cited for requiring photo identification, felons voting, would not be resolved by the bill.

“We have the highest voter turnout year after year and under intense, bipartisan scrutiny, the recent statewide recounts have highlighted how reliable the results are,” Dayton said in a letter notifying the Senate of his veto. Read More

The Voting News Daily: Election Transparency Project nabs federal grant, Election officials wary as Walker signs Wisconsin voter ID bill into law

California, National: Transparency Project nabs federal grant; money to be used to augment post-election audit project, allow for duplication elsewhere | Times-Standard Online

A local project that uncovered a fatal flaw in Humboldt County’s old elections system just got some national recognition that may ultimately lead to its becoming the standard rather than the exception.

The federal Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) officially notified the Humboldt County Elections Office this week that it was receiving a $25,000 grant to fund and augment the Humboldt County Election Transparency Project so it can be replicated in… Read More

Wisconsin: Election officials wary as Walker signs Wisconsin voter ID bill into law

Election officials across Wisconsin are bracing for a difficult transition as the state rushes into place new rules for voting signed into law by Gov. Scott Walker Wednesday — including a controversial measure requiring voters to use photo IDs.

Passage of the controversial law, which has been discussed by Republicans for more than a decade, means those charged with enforcing it have just under two months to develop and implement… Read More

The Voting News Daily: Bill wipes out voter safeguards in Tennessee, Wisconsin Set to Pass Country’s Most Restrictive Voter ID Law

Tennessee: Bill wipes out voter safeguards in Tennessee | The Tennessean

In 2008, the Tennessee General Assembly voted almost unanimously to make elections more secure, dependable and trustworthy by requiring a verifiable paper trail for each vote. The step was long overdue — more than 30 states already have such security measures.

But three years later, secure elections in Tennessee remain at risk, and voters may never know if their votes are counted.

The legislature has passed a bill that… Read More

Wisconsin: Wisconsin Set to Pass Country’s Most Restrictive Voter ID Law | Colorlines

Wisconsin will soon have the what’s arguably the nation’s most restrictive voter ID law. The bill was passed through the the Republican-led Senate late last week and is expected be signed into law by Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday. Voter rights advocates are worried that the new bill will keep some of the Democratic party’s key constituents away from the polls in 2012. And as more bills sweep across the… Read More

The Voting News Daily: Recount in Wisconsin Supreme Court race to serve as tool for improving election process, E-Voting in Germany – Nein Danke

Wisconsin: Prosser wins recount in Wisconsin Supreme Court race — Kloppenburg weighs challenge | JSOnline

With the weeks-long recount complete, unofficial numbers confirm that state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser narrowly defeated Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg in the April 5 election. But the battle may not be over yet, as Kloppenburg mulls whether to challenge the results in court.

And if a legal contest goes on long enough, attorneys say it could delay efforts to swear Prosser in for a new term on Aug. 1,… Read More

Wisconsin: Recount in Wisconsin Supreme Court race to serve as tool for improving election process | JSOnline

With Waukesha County’s plodding recount in the Supreme Court now over and with Justice David Prosser’s statewide win almost certain to be certified as early as Monday, the state’s top election official said lessons from the recount will not be ignored.

“This isn’t something you do and just put it on the shelf,” said Kevin Kennedy, executive director of the Government Accountability Board. The detailed recount record serves a public… Read More

The Voting News Daily: States Toughen ID Rules for Voters, Gingrich Calls For Young Americans To Pass Test Before They Can Vote

The Voting News for 05/22/2011

National: States Toughen ID Rules for Voters | Wall Street Journal

More states will require voters to show photo identification at the polls next year, as part of a wave of laws that will increase scrutiny of voters in next year’s elections.

Stricter voter-ID measures are moving forward in at least half a dozen states after Republicans gained control of many statehouses and governors’ mansions in November. The push is part of a long-running debate between those who argue U.S. voting… Read More

National: Gingrich Calls For Young Americans To Pass Test Before They Can Vote | Hispanically Speaking News

Last week, former GOP House Speaker and current presidential candidate Newt Gingrich suggested that American citizens should have to pass a test in American history before they could earn the right to vote. Despite rampant criticism from both sides of the aisle, Gingrich reiterated his support for poll tests yesterday at a town hall meeting in Marshalltown, IA.

Speaking in front of a crowd made up largely of senior citizens,… Read More

The Voting News Daily: Wisconsin Senate passes voter ID bill, Supreme Court Recount Done in Waukesha County

Wisconsin: Senate passes Wisconsin voter ID bill, sends to Walker | Wisconsin Law Journal

The state Senate gave final legislative approval to a bill that would require Wisconsin voters to show photo identification during a ragged session Thursday, clearing the way for Gov. Scott Walker to sign the measure into law next week.

Assembly Republicans passed the measure in a late-night session last week. Republicans who control the Senate brought the bill up for debate on Tuesday. Democrats railed against it into the early… Read More

Wisconsin: Waukesha County Could Complete Recount Today — Politics News Story — WISN Milwaukee
Update: : Supreme Court Recount Done in Waukesha County | Today’s TMJ4.

More than six weeks after the election, Waukesha County is nearing the end of its recount in the supreme court race.

Only a few wards remain to be counted, and the state’s Government Accountability Board said that it would post Waukesha’s new totals by the end of the week.… Read More

The Voting News Daily: Protests grow as Governor considers Florida elections bill, North Carolina: Shorter early voting costlier

Gov. Rick Scott has yet to sign a sweeping elections bill that rewrites much of the state’s voting laws, but the measure is already having repercussions in a South Florida mayoral race – and drawing challenges from Democrats in Florida and in Washington.

Elections officials in Miami-Dade have canceled early voting hours for Sunday in anticipation that Scott will sign the bill by Saturday, his deadline for a decision. Among… Read More

A bill that would shorten North Carolina’s early voting period would create longer lines at the polls and increase the cost of elections, the executive director of the state elections board said Wednesday.

Gary Bartlett’s comments came in a memo shortly after the House narrowly passed the measure that would reduce the current 21/2-week early voting period by a week, even while opening polls for a second Saturday before the… Read More

The Voting News Daily: OSCE recommends that Estonia regulate e-voting in more detail, Kansas Realpolitick, Kobach style

The Voting News for 05/18/2011

Estonia: OSCE recommends that Estonia regulate e-voting in more detail | The Baltic Course

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), an agency of the the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitored the March 6 2011 parliamentary elections in Estonia and published its report on the elections on Monday. The organisation recommends to supplement and specify the legislation governing e-voting. (Read the Report (PDF))

OSCE also recommends Estonia to document more thoroughly different processes involving e-voting and to increase public’s awareness of different nuances of e-voting.
According to the report, e-voting has in general received high level of confidence… Read More

Kansas: Realpolitick, Kobach style | Clay Center Dispatch

[Clay] County [KS] clerk Kayla Wang says her staff is dreading expected complaints the first election after Kansas’ new voter picture ID law takes effect. “Too many people are not going to understand what’s going on. They’re not going to be happy,” Wang said.

Why is it necessary to require all voters to present a photo ID to vote and a birth certificate to register for the first time or… Read More

The Voting News Daily: Why recounts are a vital part of election process, The Mathematical Debate Over Instant Runoff and Other Alternative Voting Systems

The Voting News for 05/17/2011

Joanne Kloppenburg: Why recounts are a vital part of election process | JSOnline

The Journal Sentinel Editorial Board is entitled to its own opinions but it is not entitled to its own facts. The board’s speculation about my motives regarding the recount of the vote in the Supreme Court election is inaccurate. I appreciate this opportunity to set the record straight.

The recount process in Wisconsin is unfolding as prescribed by Wisconsin law. Votes are recounted in all 72 counties, and an official record is made of that process. When the Editorial Board says the recount is a “mere preamble to the court challenge,” it is wrong on the facts and wrong to prejudge my intentions.

Wisconsin law specifically anticipates that there may be court challenges to the recount, but those challenges can only happen after the recount is done. The recount is not “merely” a preamble to anything: It is a process that proceeds in prescribed ways when an election is this close.

Full Article: Why recounts are a vital part of election process — JSOnline.

North Carolina bill would shorten early voting timeframe | Sun Journal

North Carolina’s early voting would be scaled back by a week under a bill that won tentative approval from the state House on Thursday.

“This is clearly not an indictment against early voting,” said unaffiliated Rep. Bert Jones of Rockingham County, the sponsor of the bill. “I guess the question is, how long is enough?”

Jones said cutting back on the number of early voting days would help save money for local boards of elections and help candidates who’ve had to change their campaign strategy by sending mailers and purchasing ads weeks before election day.

Opponents, however, said it was misguided and would inconvenience voters at best, and would suppress voter turnout at worst. Currently, early voting starts on the Thursday that is 2½ weeks before an election. Jones’ bill would have early voting starting on the Thursday that is one and one-half weeks before an election.

Full Article: Bill would shorten early voting timeframe | timeframe, voting, bill — Sun Journal.

The Voting News Daily: Tennessee Senate Dials Back Election Reform, Kansas Senators “Spank” the Secretary of State

TN: Senate Votes To Undo Voter Confidence Act Requirements | Chattanoogan.com

The state Senate voted on Thursday to undo requirements of the Voter Confidence Act passed three years ago. Supporters said the action will ensure that more accurate voting machines would be implemented across the state as the legislature reversed requirements approved three years ago. “The strength of our political system lies in our citizens’ trust that their votes count,” Senator Roy Herron said. “Our current voting machines endanger that trust.” House Bill 386 as approved by the Senate would delete the requirement for more secure voting machines with a verifiable paper trail. The touch-screen voting machine system used in many Tennessee counties has been called by experts as “the least secure voting system” in the country. Numerous incidents of machine hacking and vote flipping by the machines have occurred throughout the country, officials said. In 2008, machines in Decatur County were reported to have changed votes in the presidential race. Full Article

KS: Lawmakers Spank Kobach On Elections Bill – Politics News Story – KCTV Kansas City

Kansas legislators are refusing to move up the starting date for a proof-of-citizenship requirement for people registering to vote for the first time or to give Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office new power to prosecute election fraud cases. The rejection of those proposals Wednesday by a bipartisan majority in the state Senate is a political defeat for the Republican secretary of state, who took office in January. It came after he successfully pushed for a law designed to combat election fraud, one he touted as model legislation for other states. That law requires voters to show photo identification at the polls, starting next year, and says anyone registering for the first time must provide a birth certificate, passport or other proof of citizenship to election officials, starting in 2013, though a Kansas driver’s license will be sufficient for many. Kobach had hoped the proof-of-citizenship rule would take effect next year and that his office would gain the power to file and prosecute election cases in state courts — and didn’t stop pushing even after Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed a compromise version of Kobach’s proposed Secure and Fair Elections Act. The vote Wednesday in the Senate was 23-15 against a bill revising the election law enacted earlier this year. Some critics renewed longstanding arguments that election fraud is nowhere near as serious a problem as Kobach says it is, while others resented his efforts to revise a law that had strong bipartisan support. “You don’t unravel the deal after it’s finished,” said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat. “And he needs to learn that.” Kobach didn’t return messages left on his cellphone and his office did not issue a statement. Full Article

The Voting News Daily: Waukesha gets an extension, The cost of Voter ID proposals

WI: Waukesha County Gets May 26 Recount Extension – Menomonee Falls, WI Patch

Waukesha County will have until May 26 to finish its hand recount of the state Supreme Court race that sharply divided the state’s electorate, a judge has ruled. Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess agreed this morning to extend today’s deadline for completion of the historic recount of the race between incumbent Justice David Prosser and challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg. Waukesha County Corporation Counsel Tom Farley participated in the hearing via telephone conference. The county will check in with the judge at 11:30 a.m. Friday to report its progress. “Hopefully we will be done sooner” than May 26, said Ellen Nowak, chief of staff for Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas. All counties except Waukesha were expected to finish their recounts by today. Prosser has a margin of victory of about 7,000 votes in his bid to serve another 10-year term on the state’s high court. Read More

PA: Taxpayers will cover costs of IDs under proposed voting law – dailylocal.com

An effort to fight voting fraud could cost state taxpayers millions, though it’s a price some lawmakers are willing to pay. New requirements intended to cut down on fraudulent voters were passed by the House State Government Committee on Monday morning and will head to the House for a final vote. The bill would require voters to show official photo identification each time they go to their polling place to cast a ballot. Voters now have to provide identification only the first time they vote at a specific polling place. The new requirement would not take effect until the primary elections in the spring of 2012, unless there is a special election scheduled for earlier in 2012.