FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 14, 2009 SCHUMER URGES JUSTICE DEPT. TO PROBE DIEBOLD’S PROPOSED SALE OF ELECTION MACHINE BUSINESS TO ITS BIGGEST COMPETITOR; SAYS DEAL COULD HAVE ‘ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES’ FOR HOW AMERICA VOTES Schumer, As Senate Rules Chairman, Raises Flags Over Proposed Merger On Antitrust Grounds Says Deal Could Give One Company Control Over 75…
ES&S charged Vanderburg Co IN $120 for carboard boxes containing tape, forms, rubber bands and pens – Election workers could make this same “kit” for $1.00 each. Kinston City Council NC candidate offers hotdogs and handshakes to lure early voters.A Illinois elections clerk writes: “A Dangerous Proposal for Voter Registration.” In Kentucky, a guilty plea…
Editorials on Diebold’s sale to ES&S pouring in: “The Diebold name was snake-bitten, the product didn’t satisfy, and changing the name didn’t help much.” ~ the Dayton Daily News. “The combination of the Election Systems & Software and Diebold American voting machine divisions raises classic antitrust concerns.” ~ The New York Times.Citizens United v. the…
The Florida Fair Elections Coalition warns that rules proposed by the Florida Dept of Elections would make voter caging easier. Rule 1S-2.041 is intended to address maintenance of voter registration rolls. The new rules make it easier for persons to maliciously, frivolously or fraudulently send in false or inaccurate claims of voter address changes. Any…
Arguments on Citizens United vs FEC were heard by US Supreme Court today:“The Supreme Court signaled Wednesday it may let businesses and unions spend freely to help their favored candidates in time for next year’s elections.” ~ AP.ACORN turns in Fla. workers on voter fraud charges. (Remember, ACORN & other agencies – do not register…
Tomorrow, on 9/9/09, the Supreme Court begins hearing re-arguments in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission at 10 a.m. “A bad decision in this case could open the floodgates of corporate money in our elections.” ~ Public Citizen. “We are moving toward a deregulated federal campaign finance system, where money flows freely and perhaps only…
Why should you care about “Citizens United vs FEC”? The case “if decided wrongly, could surrender control of our democracy to corporate interests.” – EJ Dionne of WaPo. The Supreme Court case is set for argument on Wednesday, Sept. 9.The IEEE (electrical engineering standards group) has something to say about the Diebold sale: “Good riddance.”A…
Voting machine monopoly cont’d: “ES&S Acquires Premier Election Solutions. This is just wrong on so many levels….All this (problems with ES&S) and we keep buying their machines and now ES&S is rewarded with a bigger market share.” Diebold stock surges as voting co sold at $45 million loss. “The sale represents the end of an…
Monopoly anyone? This just in. ES&S buys Premier Election and Data Information Management Systems Inc aka Diebold . Here’s an article in the Ohio Plain Dealer and also an email from Aldo Tesi, President and CEO of Election Systems and Software, Inc. ES&S is buying up the stock and the assets. This has huge implications.…
The big news is that ES&S bought Diebold’s election division, creating a virtual monopoly for ES&S. “It’s a massive consolidation of voting-system vendors,” – Candice Hoke, election law prof. at Cleveland State U. “The move, if allowed to go forward, is sure to raise further concerns among the U.S. Election Integrity community who have, for…
OpenSecrets.org to have live web chat on landmark campaign finance case “Citizens United vs FEC” on Thurs. Public Citizen youtubes the issue in “Don’t get rolled.”Wired News finds 2 members of Fed committee (TGDC) that sets standards for voting vendors have conflicts of interests. Statewide voter rolls vs local voter rolls: an Alabama city may…
*Our apologies. Title to yesterday’s voting news dated 9/1 title incorrectly said for Oregon voters to bring ID. It should have read “Utah voters bring ID”. We apologize for any problems this may have caused. The subject line to yesterday’s news has been corrected and can be viewed here at this link:http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-citizens-united-matters-iowa-co.html Here is incorrect…
Tues Sept 1. “Five Reasons Why Citizens United Is a Truly Momentous Case”. Paper is in: “You can actually run a modern and efficient election on paper,”Hovav Shacham prof of computer science at UC San Diego. An Iowa County develops own e-poll book softwareVirginia standardizes student registration. A Jackson City GA councilman charged with rigging…
Aspen voter complaint asks if election was held by secret ballot or not. Virginia’s new registration rules would allow students to list dorm as residence. Maryland Election Director Linda Lamone helps block local campaign finance bill. Asheville NC spends $60K on additional early voting sites hoping to increase turnout. Should Voter Registration Be Automatic? –…
“We are a better, more inclusive and democratic nation because of the contributions of Edward Moore Kennedy. Let us pay tribute to his work expanding the franchise.” -Voting Matters. Aspen’s former finance director says that “The road to Aspen’s May 2009 election is strewn with the wreckage of credibility-eroding acts”.Connecticut’s public funding law held unconstitutional.…
The online version of the Aspen Times had a glitch so this was seen in print version only. COMMENT A35 SATURDAY AUGUST 29, 2009THE ASPENTIMES. COM • GUEST OPINION The city’s waning credibility Paul Menter With the exception of how we choose to value ourselves, our friends, and our loved ones, virtually everything important is…
Sequoia sells voter reg. source code. In Iowa, 50 counties will begin using electronic poll books. Pima county Arizona Ballot Case Back in Court Friday Aug. 28. The push for voter ID continues in Mississippi. An Aspen official says the city can’t turn ballots over for independent audit because ballots are only anonymous when locked…
RTA Ballot Case back in court tomorrow Friday August 28thBill Risner Will Ask Judge Harrington for Stay to Preserve Ballots During Appeal. Attend Hearing Friday August 28th2:30pmPima County Superior Court110 West Congress, Judge Charles Harrington’s Court room- 4th floor, room 472. The Hearing topic is the Pima County Republican Party’s Motion for Judgment on the…
A non-partisan research team is studying Aspen’s May election for ways to improve election transparency and verifciation. For their review, they require copies of the anonymous ballot images on an existing CD. The City of Aspen has refused a Colorado Open Records Act request to make this disk available. This survey is to learn voter…
U.S. Supreme Court May Unleash Flood of Corporate Money into Elections. Georgia case challenging e-voting heads to Supreme Court for a ruling. Ohio SOS asked to investigate allegations against Lucas Co BoE including altering ballots. Former Hillsborough Co FL Elections Sup Buddy Johnson spent $401,000 in HAVA funds on his own campaign. Tennessee may see…
e-mail alert Public Citizen: Once upon a time, corporate titans bankrolled our elections with no limits. There were no social safety nets, no real labor laws, and no voting rights for most Americans. There were the haves and have nots. This fall, a century of modest limits on corporate influence in politics could be completely…
“Why does U.S. seemingly insist on electronic voting machines?” asks an IT professional in Japan. Indeed. The Philippines calls for review of Smartmatic source code. Good reason not to require voters to dip fingers in ink: Afghan election observers report finger amputations. West Virginia lawmakers hear expert testimony that their ES&S ivotronic touchscreens have “serious…
U.S. officials eye hanging chads — in Afghanistan. “The citizens of Aspen are asking: Whose election is this anyway? Does it belong to the government — made up of the very officials who are candidates in each election? Or is it the people’s election?”. That question posed by voting activists Harvie Branscomb and Al Kolwicz,…
Bombshell: Former New Mexico SOS Vigil-Giron is accused of embezzlement, money laundering scheme, soliciting or receiving an illegal kickback and offering or paying an illegal kickback. Over $2 million can’t be accounted for. Its ok to spend millions of $$ and “test” electronic poll books in Tennessee, but its too hard to implement paper ballot…
We’ve got another hack story today. Video shows NEDAP hack done in 60 seconds. In Aspen more calls to make May’s ballots available for independent audit. Voting activist Harvie Branscomb is part of the audit team. Economic downturn mean less early voting locations in an Indiana County and consolidation of voting locations in a New…
The economy continues to impact election administration. Shrinking voter rolls for Annapolis Maryland. Plaudits for (Post-Election) Audits (video) :} The push for voter id in Mississippi continues. In Minnesota, instant runoff voting tested. In New York, one out of every five would-be candidates for local office gets knocked off the ballot. Meanwhile, the PA Supreme…
A new voting machine hack, intercepts NEDAP voting machine signal. Online Poll: Should Aspen’s ballots be disclosed for an independent audit? There’s a new Research Database on the U.S. Voting System and Voting Technology by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. NC Verified celebrates 4 yr anniversary of paper ballot law. A NM…
More articles on the “new hack”. 2 excellent videos: Video of Computer scientist Hovav Shacham explaining what the new hack is and why it matters. Video of California SOS Bowen at OpenSource World event. CA’s SOS used cloud computing to handle peak election night loads on the SOS website. Alabama lawmakers defend voting the machines…
The new Sequoia hack triggers humor amidst alarm and renews calls for paper ballots. Argument for open source repeated in wake of the recent Diebold software patch. Florida election laws may address google ads. Illinois voters will be able to register up to 7 days before election if gov signs bill. TX two step primary…
Diebold Quietly Patches Security Flaw in Vote Counting Software. Ballot dispute: The Aspen Colorado City Council refuses to release ballots for an independent review while the Aspen Times supports it. Texas elections databases and other parts of the SOS computer system have been down since last week. The GA SoS asks again for the U.S.…