The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for September 29 – October 5 2014

absentee_260The Electronic Privacy Information Center is suing the Federal Voting Assistance Program over its failure for three years to disclose the results of testing on the security safeguards of Internet voting systems that are increasingly being used to cast absentee ballots. Voting activists have developed the Can I Vote Absentee? widget – a new online tool to make it easier for service members deployed overseas to cast their votes by providing information about absentee voting rules and regulations, and assisting with voter registration and absentee ballot requests. Verified Voting and Common Cause encouraged military and overseas voters to protect the integrity and privacy of their votes by returning absentee ballots by postal mail rather using email, fax, the web, or any other electronic means. A judicial panel ruled that the Kansas Democratic Party does not have to supply a name to the Secretary of State’s office for the upcoming general election race for US Senate. A federal appeals court on Wednesday forced North Carolina officials to restore two provisions for ballot access that had been eliminated in a law passed by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature that civil rights groups said would disproportionately harm black voters. Texas’ voter identification law, which was the focus of a federal trial that concluded Monday in Corpus Christi, could be on a fast-track to the U.S. Supreme Court before Election Day in November. Opponents of a strict new voter identification law set to go into effect for the first time in this year’s elections are asking the Supreme Court to block the law, arguing there isn’t enough time to properly implement the law before Election Day. As voters head to the polls in Brazil, flaws found in the Brazilian electronic voting system have raised security concerns and Spain’s Constitutional Court has temporarily halted an independence referendum called by the rich northeastern region of Catalonia.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for September 22-28 2014

dominion_260Aging electronic voting machines again threaten controversy and long lines at the polls this November. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has intervened in a lower court case seeking to force Democrats to name a new U.S. Senate nominee. The Maryland Attorney General’s office is appealing a federal judge’s ruling ordering Maryland to use an absentee ballot-marking technology. A federal appeals court is hearing arguments in a case challenging a new North Carolina voting law that critics say will suppress minority voter turnout in November. Ohio officials went to the Supreme Court in an attempt to halt expanded early voting now scheduled to begin Tuesday. Closing arguments were heard in a case challenging Texas’ voter ID law. The Virginia State Board of elections said that over 450,000 voters in the State may lack the proper identification needed to cast a ballot in the November midterm elections under a voter ID requirement that took effect this year. A federal appeals court narrowly decided against hearing arguments on a recently instituted photo identification requirement for the Wisconsin’s voters. A computer error that marred Monday’s New Brunswick election has raised concerns about the risks of electronic voting as many Ontario municipalities are preparing to use the newest ballot-box technologies in next month’s elections and Indonesia’s parliament voted to eliminate direct local elections in a move that critics say is a huge step backward for the country’s fledgling democracy.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for September 15 – 21 2014

scotland_260Al Jazeera reports that existing voting machines in the US are reaching the end of their operational life spans, jurisdictions often lack the funds to replace them, and those with funds find market offerings limited because several constraints have made manufacturing new machines difficult. Facing South observes that while there has been a flurry of state election legislation, little has been done to alleviate the long lines that plagued some parts of the country in 2012.  Investigators in Georgia backed away from allegations a Democratic-backed group may have organized voter registration fraud, saying they can confirm irregularities in only 25 applications of more than 85,000 submitted to the Secretary of State’s office. The Kansas Supreme Court ordered Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach Thursday to strike Democratic candidate Chad Taylor’s name from the Nov. 4 ballot. rejecting Kobach’s contention that Taylor’s Sept. 3 withdrawal letter failed to meet the standard set in state law. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted Secretary of State Jon Husted issued an order to county elections boards to prepare for voting a week earlier than he’d planned and during the two weekends before Election Day while at the same time pushing for a higher court to overturn the lower-court ruling that added the extra days of early voting. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel criticized last week’s federal appeals court ruling reinstating the state’s voter ID requirement for this November’s election. As the Afghanistan Electoral Commission prepared to announce the results of a comprehensive audit of June’s presidential election, the two rival candidates agreed to a power-sharing arrangement and voters rejected a referendum that would have dissolved Scotland’s 307-year-old union with England.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for September 8-14 2014

scotland_england_260Federal voting rights cases in Ohio, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin could end up in Supreme Court challenges to determine if Chief Justice Roberts was correct in asserting that the Voting Rights Act still included a “permanent, nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting.” Democratic Senate candidate Chad Taylor has appealed Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s decision to deny his request to be removed from the Kansas Senate ballot. A federal court judge denied a request from Ohio Secretary of State John Husted to stay his order restoring early voting cuts and allowing county boards of election to set additional hours while the state makes its appeal. After eight years of appeals, a case challenging Pennsylvania’s use of direct recording electronic voting machines reached the State Supreme Court this week. The Justice Department and several advocacy groups are in court challenging Texas’s voter ID law. while an appeals court reinstated Wisconsin’s voter ID law contingent on further legal action. Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, vowed to reject any government formed on the basis last June’s election and voters head to the polls in Scotland to determine the fate of their 307-year old union with England.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for September 1-7 2014

Voter ID TestThe New York Times surveyed changes in state election laws and the impact they may have on the mid-term elections. Counties in California and Texas are developing open-source voting systems that use software running on inexpensive computer terminals to design, print and tabulate paper ballots. A federal judge in Anchorage ruled Wednesday morning that the state elections division violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act by failing to provide ballot and candidate information in Native languages to Yup’ik and Gwich’in speakers in three rural regions of Alaska. Two election law statutes have raised questions about whether Kansas Democratic Senate candidate Chad Taylor gave sufficient cause to remove himself from the ballot, and, if so, whether Democrats must ultimately choose a candidate to replace him. In Baltimore a federal judge ordered Maryland election officials to adopt an online absentee voting tool in time for this year’s general election, despite warnings from computer security experts that it could lead to voter fraud or privacy breaches. A federal judge also blocked Ohio’s cuts to early voting and ordered the state to establish additional polling days before November’s elections, saying the reductions would disproportionately harm the poor and members of minority groups. The U.S. Department of Justice and other plaintiff’s attorneys began their challenge Tuesday in federal court to Texas’ stringent voter ID law, the first national test of such laws that have surfaced following a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for such measures and Chinese plans to allow, for the first time, every Hong Kong citizen to vote for the territory’s leader have met with anger and indifference since it is widely assumed that the result of the next election for Hong Kong’s chief executive will be rigged.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for August 25-31 2014

afghanistan260The Federal Election Commission has deadlocked along party lines more than 200 times in the past six years that the commission has split votes, but instead of paralyzing the commission, the 3-to-3 votes have created a rapidly expanding universe of unofficial law, where Republican commissioners have loosened restrictions on candidates and outside groups. Marc Ambinder considered the dangers of the electronic transmission of voted ballots and Dan Tokaji weighed the arguments in the Tenth Circuit Court hearing involving Arizona, Kansas and the Election Assistance Commission. Testimony was heard in a Maryland case concerning the security of a proposed online ballot marking tool. A special circuit court in Mississippi dismissed Chris McDaniel’s lawsuit challenging his primary runoff defeat. Wisconsin’s Governor and Attorney General have asked a federal court to reinstate Wisconsin’s voter ID law. Both Afghan Presidential candidates have pulled their observers out of a ballot audit meant to determine the winner

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for August 18-24 2014

APTOPIX Police Shooting MissouriThe Los Angeles Ethics Commission has authorized an investigation into various ways to increase turnout, including cash incentives like a lottery. Arapahoe County Colorado is piloting risk-limiting post election audits this week in preparation for a statewide rollout by election day 2017, as required by the state legislature.  A  circuit court judge ruled that Florida’s flawed congressional districts may remain in place for two more years and newly drawn boundaries for seven north and central districts don’t have to take effect until 2016. The judge in Chris McDaniel’s lawsuit challenging his Republican primary loss to incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran expressed doubts Wednesday that a trial can be finished before the Nov. 4 general election. Brian Beutler considers the outrage among some conservative pundits over voter registration efforts at the scene of protests in Ferguson, Missouri. The NAACP has appealed a federal judge’s decision to allow elections to proceed under the sweeping changes made to North Carolina voting laws in 2013. A group of government ministers and officials with strong ties to the security forces are threatening to seize power if an election impasse that has paralyzed the country is not resolved soon. In many Australian cities, business owners and landlords have the right to participate in local elections and conservatives are now pushing a controversial bill that would require them to cast ballots in city council and mayoral races and Indonesia’s supreme court rejected an appeal by Prabowo Subianto over alleged voting irregularities, removing any uncertainty around the victory of Jakarta Gov. Joko Widodo.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for August 11- 17 2014

florida_260While many states have established new restrictions on voting, The New York Times reported on 16 States where laws have been passed to make voting easier. The high-altitude town of Montezuma, Colorado has filed suit against every registered voter in the town, claiming that an election held last spring had numerous errors. Voting-rights groups who sued to get Florida’s Congressional district map overturned say the new plan, approved by the legislature on nearly party-line vote, isn’t enough of an improvement. A Federal judge ruled that a case against the state of Maryland will go forward in an effort to determine whether the state should be required to implement an online ballot-marking system in November’s election. Chris McDaniel wants a court to exclude 25,000 Hinds County votes — plus those from several other counties — from the June 24 runoff results and declare him the winner of the U.S. Senate GOP primary. A three-judge federal court in San Antonio is hearing the latest arguments in a case challenging state legislative and congressional redistricting plans favorable to the GOP while another court, in Corpus Christi, will hear a case next month that questions the constitutionality of Texas’ voter identification law. A federal judge has denied a state request for a hold on his decision striking down Wisconsin’s law requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls. Fresh suggestions of political fraud have emerged as the Afghan vote audit of the disputed presidential election continues and a crucial deadline looms, while the European Court of Human upheld its earlier ruling that the prisoners’ human rights were breached when they were not allowed to vote, but ruled that the prisoners should not be paid compensation.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for August 4-10 2014

afghanistan260After years of tracking allegations of fraud, Loyola Law School Professor Justin Levitt has found 31 credible cases of in-person voter fraud out of almost one billion votes cast since 2000. A new report by the National Commission on Voting Rights that examined 18 years of lawsuits, challenges and settlements has concluded that voting discrimination persists nationwide, but the worst offenders today are still southern states with a history of such actions. Responding to a court order, Florida lawmakers released a re-drawn congressional map Thursday which would shift the contours of seven U.S. House districts spread throughout Central Florida. The Maryland Board of Elections decision to cancel an online ballot-marking system has become a legal battle pitting advocates for voters with disabilities against cybersecurity experts. A U.S. District Judge has denied a preliminary injunction barring the use of North Carolina’s omnibus voting law but declined to dismiss the trio of lawsuits filed last year challenging the constitutionality of the voting law, which are scheduled for trial in July 2015. The Virginia State Board of Elections decided this week that, to cast a ballot, voters will have to present a current photo ID or one that expired within the past year. The audit of Afghanistan’s Presidential election entered a third week, raising tensions throughout the country. A working group established last in New Zealnd last September has concluded that “absolute security on the internet is not achievable” and recommended that “[o]nline voting systems should be ‘secure enough’ to support their use and that this judgement should be supported by a detailed threat analysis which is developed and maintained throughout the delivery process.”

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for July 28 – August 3 2014

afghanistan_260A federal judge in Maryland will hear arguments as to whether the state board of elections must certify a system that involves the Internet-based delivery and marking of absentee ballots for people with disabilities in spite of the concerns of cybersecurity experts who insist it cannot be done without inviting wide-scale fraud. The Department of Justice announced in will join voting rights lawsuits in Ohio and Wisconsin. Steven Wright considered the implications of the Justice Department revelation that, in light of last year’s Supreme Court decision in Shelby County vs. Holder, it has concluded that the Attorney General no longer retains the statutory authority to send observers to jurisdictions covered in Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. A Circuit Court judge ruled that the Florida Legislature must immediately revise its flawed congressional map and ordered the state to propose a special election for the affected congressional districts. A New Hampshire judge has struck down a 2012 law that effectively blocked out-of-state students and others from voting in New Hampshire unless they established residency in the state that extended to other activities beyond voting, such as getting a driver’s license. A divided state Supreme Court on Thursday tweaked a provision of Wisconsin’s voter ID law to put it in keeping with the state constitution, making it easier for people to get identification cards without having to pay along the way. Afghanistan’s disputed election audit faced repeated challenges and at an Australian parliamentary committee hearing investigating electoral matters, acting Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told that he was not confident the AEC could safely introduce internet voting.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for July 21-27 2014

afghanistan260With new legislation moving through the Senate, a spotlight is being placed on the plight of prisoners who not only face electoral disenfranchisement behind bars but also have no way to participate once they return home. Clarence Page considers the impact of strict voter ID requirements on non-whites, low-income and the elderly. Facing a looming electoral deadline, a judge said Thursday he was “extremely skeptical” he could delay elections this fall using Central Florida’s illegally drawn congressional maps. The Mississippi Supreme Court will not reconsider its ruling that voters’ birthdates must be redacted before poll books are opened for public inspection. A judge has struck down a 2012 law as unconstitutional that effectively blocked out-of-state students and others from voting in New Hampshire unless they established residency in the state that extended to other activities beyond voting, such as getting a driver’s license. Utah Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox has established a committee to investigate the possibility of online voting as Toronto abandoned plans for limited online voting in municipal elections this Fall “to protect the integrity of the election.” Afghanistan’s election audit was again suspended as Afghan and Western officials and representatives of the rival campaigns argued over the rules under which the auditing is supposed to be conducted and war-torn Ukraine faces a new election after the following the exit of two parties from the ruling coalition.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for July 14-20 2014

High profile Voting Rights Act cases in North Carolina and Texas were in court and the Justice Department has indicated that it will join lawsuits against Republican-backed voting restrictions in Ohio and Wisconsin as well. Signs of movement toward ending the stalemate over the Election Assistance Commission as the White House announced it had received nominations from…

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for July 7-13 2014

indonesia260Arguing that North Carolina’s voter ID law violates the 26th Amendment, college students have opened a new front in the highly partisan battle over voting rights. Scott Fulton looked at the security protocols of Scytl’s Internet Voting system. The closest race in California history will showcase what some observers see flaws in the State’s recount process. A judge threw out Florida’s congressional redistricting map Thursday, ruling that the Legislature allowed for a “secret, organized campaign” by partisan operatives to subvert the redistricting process in violation of the state Constitution. After a weeklong trial, a federal judge will decide whether North Carolina’s new voting law is so onerous on black voters that it needs to be blocked before the November elections. A U.S. District Court Judge denied almost all of a set of motions filed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office to dismiss the U.S. Justice Department’s suit against the State’s voter ID law before it goes to trial. Secretary of State John Kerry helped negotiate a “comprehensive audit” of Afghanistan’s contentious run-off election and both candidate’s claimed victory in the Presidential election in Indonesia.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for June 30 – July 6 2014

voting-technology_260A decade after Congress appropriated billions in funding for voting equipment that equipment is quickly becoming obsolete and cash-strapped states and counties are unable to replace it. An expert testifying in the federal voting rights trial in Anchorage said Monday it’s possible to trace Alaska’s current failure to provide full language assistance to Native language speakers to territorial days when Alaska Natives were denied citizenship unless they renounced their own culture. The right to vote for President for American citizens from U.S. territories is at issue in a Guam lawsuit headed to federal court. The American Civil Liberties Union asked a Kansas judge Friday to prevent Secretary of State Kris Kobach from starting a “dual” voting system to help the conservative Republican enforce a proof-of-citizenship requirement for new voters that he championed. Though he has yet to present evidence to support his claim that voter fraud pushed Senate incumbent Thad Cochran to victory in Mississippi’s GOP runoff, State Senator Chris McDaniel continues to threaten to contest the election in court. The hackers who breached the Oregon Secretary of State’s website in February probably exploited software that cybersecurity websites had identified as vulnerable but that state IT officials had not patched. After a potential opening last week to ease Afghanistan’s political crisis, the presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah signaled on Sunday that more deadlock was ahead and voters in Indonesia head to the polls to elect a new President.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for June 23 -29 2014

ohio_260The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on proposed legislation to resuscitate a critical provision of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court a year ago. Some advocates want to translate Bitcoin’s technology into online voting but cyber security experts warn that total security and anonymity online is impossible and both are absolutely crucial to a fair and reliable election. A federal trial began this week in a voting rights lawsuit filed by several Alaska villages, alleging the state has failed to provide accurate, complete translations of voting materials into Native languages. Several right-wing groups formed a “voter integrity project’ in response to the news that Mississippi Republican Senator Thad Cochran had courted black Democratic voters in his runoff with the Tea partier Chris McDaniel. Activists have gathered petitions to place a “Voter’s Bill of Rights” on the ballot in Ohio this November. The Virginia Board of Elections plans to re-evaluate its definition of a valid identification under the state’s new voter ID law after a state lawmaker raised concerns about the rule. Thousands of angry protesters marched on the Afghan president’s palace on Friday in support of candidate Abdullah Abdullah’s allegations that mass fraud had been committed during the presidential election by organizers and state officials. Details of the cyberattack on a recent online referendum on voting rights in Hong Kong reveal that the system was attacked by at least 300 gigabits of data per second – and perhaps as high as 600, a level not before reached in a publicly disclosed hacking attack.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for June 16-22 2014

cyberattack_260With the midterm elections only months away, efforts to carry out some of the country’s strictest photo ID requirements and shorten early voting in several politically pivotal states have been thrown into limbo by a series of court decisions concluding that the measures infringe on the right to vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee will examine the Voting Rights Amendment Act, a bill aimed at updating those sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court last summer. Legislation in Massachiusetts requires military and overseas voters to waive their right to a secret ballot when voting online. As part of a settlement in a federal voting-rights lawsuit, Montana will open satellite voting offices on four Native  American reservations. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an anti-abortion group can challenge the constitutionality of an Ohio law that bars lies about politicians during an election. Afghanistan’s presidential election was cast into crisis on Wednesday as the candidate Abdullah Abdullah announced a boycott of the electoral process, accusing his opponent and President Hamid Karzai of engineering huge fraud in a runoff vote. A major anti-Beijing news site and an online voting platform have been hit by major DDoS attacks rendering them unusable, just days before an unofficial referendum in Hong Kong on universal suffrage, while a three-pronged wave of cyber-attacks aimed at wrecking Ukraine’s presidential vote – including an attempt to fake computer vote totals – was narrowly defeated by government cyber experts.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for June 9-15 2014

early_voting_260In key swing states, Democrats and Republicans are battling over the times, dates and places where voters can vote early. The New York Times considers the gap between the rarity of in-person voter fraud and the perception that it is widespread. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach told the Associated Press that those who registered to vote using the federal registration form without providing proof of citizenship will be given full provisional ballots but that only the votes cast in federal races will be counted. Plaintiffs who sued in federal court to force the Montana secretary of state and three rural counties to open satellite voting offices on remote reservations have settled the lawsuit out of court. After surviving several legal challenges in previous election cycles, “None of the Above” came out on top of the Democratic Gubernatorial primary in Nevada. A Federal judge ordered that all Ohio counties must allow voters to cast in-person ballots on the final three days before an election. Under threat of Taliban attacks, Afghans vote in a run-off election to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai and voters head to the polls in Columbia.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for May 26 – June 1 2014

malawi260Over 30 states and territories allow some form of Internet voting (such as by email or through a direct portal) for some classes of voters, but online voting is fraught with security dangers. A series of problems with new voter election laws is raising fears that large numbers of voters could be disenfranchised in November. Lawmakers are finding common ground on election law changes designed to ease the voting process, such as online voter registration and same-day registration and many States, counties and non-governmental voter advocacy organizations are using technology to make voting and/or registering to vote easier. In a legal battle over Florida’s congressional districts, a Republican consultant is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the release of hundreds of pages of documents related to redistricting. A report found that piece of third-party software that hadn’t been updated might have been the vulnerable point invaded by hackers of the Oregon secretary of state’s website. A bug in an e-voting application halted the release of European, federal and regional election results in Belgium and Malawians awaited a court decision on an election marred by claims of vote rigging and mismanagement.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for May 19-25 2014

-Voting data that was formerly difficult to access is now readily available through the use of digital technology raising questions about voter privacy. Hans von Spalovsky made the case against internet voting in the National Review. Voters encountered problems in Arkansas’s first election under a new voter ID law. A trial that could decide the redistricting of Florida’s congressional districts began Monday. Kansas counties looking a new voting equipment reflect a nationwide trend toward paper ballot voting systems. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick an omnibus election bill into law that establishes online voter registration, in-person early voting, and post-election audits. Elections are being held today across Europe, including Ukraine, where violence in several Eastern provinces threatens to disrupt voting and technical flaws and evidence of vote rigging prompted Malawi’s incumbent President Joyce Banda to demand a recount.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly – May 12-18 2014

estonia_260The Democratic Party’s plans to employ internet voting in the 2016 primaries have been questioned by computer security experts and political strategists. Partisan gridlock in the US Senate has left two nominees for the Election Assistance Commission in limbo for years. The Arkansas Supreme Court tossed out a judge’s ruling striking down the state’s voter ID law on Wednesday, but stopped short of ruling on the constitutionality of the measure. U.S. Rep. John Conyers has joined a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a state election law that resulted in a majority of petition signatures turned in to certify him for a 26th term were invalidated. A federal trial judge declined Thursday to side with North Carolina lawmakers who believe they are not required to provide documents to groups seeking answers about how a disputed elections-overhaul law was passed. Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen on Monday filed court papers asking U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman in Milwaukee to delay his April ruling blocking the law until the decision is reviewed by an appeals court. Independent researchers have declared that Estonia’s internet voting system should not be used for the European elections in May because its security vulnerabilities could lead to faked votes or totals and Ukraine’s government dismissed a referendum on independence held in Eastern provinces of the country as a “farce.”

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for May 5-11 2014

South Africa ElectionsReplacing voting equipment purchased as a result of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 is challenging due to a lack of advanced machines, small budgets and a burdensome regulatory process. An appeals court temporarily stayed a ruling ordering the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to modify its federal voter registration form to add special instructions for Arizona and Kansas residents about those states’ proof-of-citizenship requirements. NPR’s Pam Fessler survey the impact of voter ID laws in this week’s primaries and the New York Times looked at renewed efforts by advocates to protect voting rights. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announced that he would not appeal a judge’s decision that the State’s voter ID law violated the fundamental right to vote. A federal trial judge has ordered Texas to turn over certain legislative records to the U.S. Department of Justice in a closely watched redistricting case. South Africa held its first election involving citizens born after the end of of apartheid, while a court in Thailand removed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from power further destabilizing the country ahead of planned elections in June.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for April 28 – May 4 2014

afghanistan260Voter ID laws dominated the news this week. After a Federal court struck down Wisconsin’s voter ID law, the State Attorney General promised an appeal but lawmakers recognized that there was little chance of reviving the law in a special legislative session. Despite last week’s ruling that Arkansas’s voter ID requirement was unconstitutional, the State Supreme Court granted a stay meaning that the law would be in effect for this month’s primary election. And in Pennsylvania, a Commonwealth Court judge on Monday denied a motion to reconsider his ruling overturning the state’s two-year-old voter identification law. In spite of these victories, opponents of restrictive voter Id requirements warned of potential disenfranchisement at the polls as at least eight states are slated to have such requirements in place in November. Rick Hasen considered the impact of the recent court decisions on the question of whether in-person voter fraud is a significant threat and whether  a voter ID requirement would address that threat if it exists. In Arizona, a federal court has upheld the legislative map drawn by the State’s Independent Redistricting Commission, removing any question about which districts candidates would run in this year. The District of Columbia are now blaming a network failure for delays in reporting last month’s primary election results, and officials maintain that ensuring timely reporting would require at least $2 million in new electronic voting machines and server upgrades — and perhaps another $2 million in computers and other office improvements. One day after a Ramsey County judge ruled Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie had overstepped his bounds by establishing an online voter registration system unilaterally last fall, lawmakers passed legislation to preserve the system, which has already been used by thousands of voters. The two top vote-getters in Afghanistan’s presidential election alleged widespread fraud and other irregularities in the April 5 vote, while names missing from voter lists and malfunctioning voting machines caused frustrations in India.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly – April 21-27 2014

ukraine_260The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case challenging an Ohio law that criminalizes the spreading of false information about a political candidate during a campaign. Mark Bittman considered the impact of the court’s recent decision eliminating aggregate campaign contribution limits. A judge in Arkansas ruled that the State’s voter ID law was unconstitutional. The Maryland Board of Elections refused to move forward with a plan for an online absentee ballot marking system amid fears it would open the door to widespread fraud. Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman signed a bill that enacts a form of same-day voter registration. A conservative legal group is challenging how Texas Senate voting districts were drawn. While offering flexibility on other issues, Minister Pierre Poilievre pledged that the final version of the Canadian government’s electoral reform bill will require all voters to show identification before they vote and uncertainty about the ability of Ukraine to organize next month’s election process has increased tension and public anxiety in the country.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for April 14 – 20 2014

india_voting_machine_260While advocates believe an amendment updating the Voting Rights Act would  pass both chambers of Congress, conservative Republicans in the House appear likely to oppose any attempt to bring the legislation to the floor. Norm Ornstein considers the impact of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on invaliding aggregate limits on campaign contributions. The Los Angeles Times reported on the negative effects of California’s “top-two” primary on third parties. Florida has abandoned Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s controversial Interstate Crosscheck project. In spite of a state Supreme Court ruling, Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz has indicated that he intends to continue to bar all convicted felons from voting. Voter advocates and security experts have warned that poor authentication methods — as well as inconsistent online requirements — make Maryland’s online ballot marking system vulnerable to fraud. Algerian opposition candidate Ali Benflis alleged massive election fraud and vowed to contest results indicating victory for incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and The Atlantic looked at India’s electronic voting machines.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly April 7-13 2014

afghanistan260Appearing at the annual convention of the National Action Network in Manhattan, President Obama accused Republicans of trying to rig the elections by making it harder for older people, women, minorities and the impoverished to cast ballots in swing states that could determine control of the Senate. Pew released its 2012 Elections Performance Index that uses standardized data from the U.S. Census, the Elections Assistance Commission, and a major survey to assess states on 17 different variables and judge just how well they are running their elections. Rather than finding new voting sites to replace polling places without accessible restrooms, the Miami-Dade elections department has decided to prohibit all voters from using restrooms to avoid charges of discrimination. A federal judge agreed Tuesday with the American Civil Liberties Union that a state court should decide a lawsuit challenging Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s enforcement of the state’s voter-citizenship rule. In spite of claims of massive potential voter fraud, the North Carolina election board’s data has offered little proof of rampant fraud. The Department of Justice may investigate a new law passed by the GOP-controlled state legislature prohibiting local election officials from sending out absentee ballot applications. Voters in Afghanistan defied threats of violence from the Taliban to cast votes and in one of the most logistically challenging elections, Indonesians elected a new legislature.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly March 31 – April 6 2014

roberts260In a decision that will likely increase the role money plays in American politics, the Supreme Court struck down limits on federal campaign contributions. The Election Assistance Commission has asked a judge to temporarily suspend his own order that they help Kansas and Arizona enforce state laws requiring voters to prove their U.S. citizenship, pending an expected appeal. Technical errors in reporting vote totals from the District of Colubia’s ES&S iVotronic voting machines delayed the posting of results of the D.C. primary on Tuesday, leaving candidates and voters frustrated. In a report released Wednesday, North Carolina’s elections board said it had found 35,570 people who voted in the state in 2012 and whose names and dates of birth match those of voters in other states, but experts note that there is little in the data to suggest actual voter fraud. In a party-line vote by the Cuyahoga County Council approved “voter rights” legislation that conflicts with a new Ohio state law setting up a legal battle ahead of the November elections. An Hidalgo County Texas grand jury Thursday took a step toward investigating possible criminal tampering with voting machines in the recent Democratic primary. In spite of a series of Taliban attacks against election officials and infrastructure, Afghans are enthusiastic about the election this weekend and amid fears about vote buying and poll manipulation, Indonesia prepares to hold one of the world’s most complicated elections.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for March 24 – 30 2014

Afghanistan_260Voting rights groups have appealed last week’s ruling that required the Election Assistance Commission to require proof of citizenship on Federal voter registration forms. Republican legislatures in several swing states have passed legislation limiting in-person early voting, including a bill signed this week by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Florida has halted a controversial voter purge. The Missouri Senate passed legislation that would phase out direct recording electronic voting machines in favor of paper ballot voting systems. A federal judge ruled that North Carolina legislative leaders will have to turn over some of their correspondence and email messages to voters and organizations challenging the State’s sweeping 2013 election changes. After a Taliban attack earlier this week that led to the resignation of the entire Afghan election commission, the commission’s headquarters was attacked this weekend. In an overwhelming vote, the United Nations General Assembly has declared last Sunday’s Crimean succession vote invalid.

 

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly March 17-23 2014

Griffin_260Verified Voting marks ten years of safeguarding elections. A federal judge in Kansas on Wednesday ordered the Election Assistance Commission to require proof of citizenship on the Federal registration for voters from Arizona and Kansas. The decision means that states with Republican legislatures and/or Republican chief election officials are likely to require documentary proof of citizenship for voting, making it harder for Democrats to pursue a relatively simple method of voter registration. A jury in Iowa has acquitted an ex-felon who believed her voting rights had been restored when she cast a ballot last year. ES&S iVotronic touchscreen voting machines in Hidalgo County, Texas were impounded for investigation after candidates alleged possible criminal vote tampering. The Utah legislature failed to pass a bill that would have challenged New Hampshire’s role as the first Presidential primary. A group of international researchers says the Conservative government’s Fair Elections Act threatens Canada’s global reputation as a “guardian of democracy and human rights” and Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine in a referendum that most of the world has condemned as illegal.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly March 10-16 2014

Afghanistan_260Sequoia Voting Systems is accusing Dominion Voting Systems Inc. of paying too little for their operations in 2010. The majority leader Eric Cantor has made a major, personal investment in connecting to the civil rights movement but winning support from the bulk of the Republican Conference for a proposed Voting Rights Act amendment isn’t an easy task. Voices in the Republican party are challenging Iowa’s privileged role in opening the nomination process, while Utah is challenging New Hampshire’s traditional position as the first primary in the nation. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine certified on Monday petition language to add a Voters Bill of Rights to the Ohio Constitution. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker indicated that he would be open to calling a special legislative session to approve a Voter ID law if courts continue to block previous attempts to establish a voter id requirement. The Taliban has vowed to target Afghanistan’s presidential election, urging their fighters to attack polling staff, voters and security forces, while voters in Crimea will not have the option of not joining the Russian Federation in a hastily organized referendum this weekend.

The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly March 3-9 2014

Voter hold crying baby as she stands in queue to cast her ballot at Lalgarh villageWith the announcement of a nine stage month-long election process to begin April 7 in the world’s largest democracy, India, as well elections in Afghanistan, Algeria, and several other countries, April will see the historically largest number of voters to cast a vote in any single month. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on McCutcheon v. FEC this week. A judge in Iowa invalidated a rule issued by Secretary of State Matt Schultz that screens voters against a Federal database.  A Federal judge ruled that North Carolina must provide groups suing to overturn last year’s voting law with documents created even after it was signed last summer. Cuyahoga County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald has submitted legislation asserting his right to mail out unsolicited absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the county, a move that would be in direct contradiction to a recently-passed state law. New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardiner, bound by State law to hold the first Presidential primary in the election cycle has urged Utah lawmakers to reject a bill that would try to put the Beehive State ahead of the New Hampshire primary or the Iowa caucuses. The Russian-controlled parliament of Ukraine’s Crimea area voted Thursday to secede and join Russia, and set a March 16 election for succession.