The May 2010 Primaries: A Look at Voting Systems…A Forsyth Co NC voter cast 2 ballots in 1 day during early voting. Officials cancelled the xtra vote. PA voting machines concerns: “Whenever you have a system where only two minutes of access can provide a switch in the voting software, it’s a very tough problem,”~Richard King, VoteAllegheny…The Black Box of Corporate Money…Irrational exhuberance for internet voting spreads in Canadian cities…50 criminal inquiries in UK postal voting…
All this and more in today’s voting news below…
AL: Alabama: Shelby County’s complaint against VRA
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/006374.html
The complaint in Shelby County,Alabama v. Holder is available here:
AR: David Sanders Not On His Own Ballot* (Pulaski County)
http://tolbertreport.com/2010/05/03/david_j_sanders-not-on-his-own-ballot/
Sanders told me this afternoon that the problem has been fixed for the electronic machines but he is concerned that the absentee ballots have been sent out incorrectly. He is working with the Pulaski County Election Commission to get the problem addressed.
AZ: Arizona Voters Will Vote on Whether to Re-Name “Secretary of State” as “Lieutenant Governor”
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/03/arizona-voters-will-vote-on-whether-to-re-name-secretary-of-state-as-lieutenant-governor/
MD: Maryland ends prison-based gerrymandering
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/maryland_ends_prison-based_gerrymandering/
This Act counts individuals who are in prison in their home districts rather than the districts where they are currently incarcerated, when redistricting.
NC: Counting Twice: Elections officials say woman voted two times, software caught it only during end-of-day check * (early voted ballots can be cancelled)
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/may/04/counting-twice-elections-officials-say-woman-voted/news/ …Rob Coffman, the director of elections in Forsyth County, said a woman came to vote about 11:30 a.m. Friday during early voting, and returned at 2:30 p.m. and was allowed to vote again.
…
The double vote was picked up when elections officials ran their end-of-day check with a second computer application. That will allow officials to cancel out the extra vote.
NC: Rumors of vote buying spread in Elizabethtown
http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=12420002
The State Board Elections is looking into allegations that a candidate in Bladen County is buying votes.
The rumors are making their way around Elizabethtown and some say suspicions of vote buying have popped up in the past, but this time they find it harder to believe.
NY: Voters file lawsuit demanding special election
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100503/NEWS01/5030355
OH: Controversy erupts over Facebook posting by elections’ board employee
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100504/NEWS16/100509864
A comment posted on a Facebook page by a board employee appeared to indicate how Allan Block, chairman of Block Communications, Inc., parent company of The Blade, had voted.
PA: Team 4: Security Concerns About Voting Machines Remain (ES&S iVotronic)
Jim Parsons Talks With VoteAllegheny & County Elections Head
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/23453058/detail.html
Team 4 has been reporting on potential security flaws in Allegheny County for years, and it turns out that the same questionable machines and security procedures are being used today. (video available)
TN: Davidson County Election Postponed Two Weeks
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=12417033
Staff said it will be necessary especially since some polling sites are under water and machines are likely damaged.
VA: Smigiel, Wright complain of voting problems in Norfolk *
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/05/smiegiel-wright-complain-voting-problems-norfolk
City Council candidate Tommy Smigiel claims that three voters in East Ocean View and another at the Oceanair precinct attempted to vote for him but voting machines would only allow them to vote for incumbent W. Randy Wright.
…
Meanwhile, Wright said he was concerned about a voting machine that broke at Tarrallton Elementary School, a precinct where he typically gets a lot of support.
…
City Registrar Elisa Long said the voters Smigiel referred to apparently ran their fingers across the screen, which can cause the wrong candidate’s name to appear.
…
Rosmer said at least twice in an attempt to vote for Smigiel the machine gave him Wright’s name instead.
VA: Voting machines hit the 10-year mark (Staunton)
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20100504/NEWS01/1005
04023/1002/news01/Voting+machines+hit+the+10-year+mark
http://bit.ly/b2KLJt
The large machines are now considered old, but at the time, they were a big step up.
WI: Carolyn Castore and Ellen Rosborough: Election observers do more than challenge voters http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fairelectionswisconsin/message/2353
Milwaukee has long had an election protection program that places poll watchers to observe and note: that polls open on time and are accessible to the disabled, that people are registered correctly, that poll workers are doing their job, and to look for signs of voter suppression. The observers can call volunteer lawyers about major problems
Citizens United
Birds of a Feather: What’s In The “DISCLOSE” Bills
http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2010/05/03/birds-of-a-feather-whats-in-the-disclose-bills/
PDF versions of the House and Senate bills became available elsewhere on the web within 24 hours (see, e.g., ElectionLawBlog). The legislation is prepared in XML, so it’s unclear what has caused the delay of the official release on THOMAS of the Senate version
The Black Box of Corporate Money
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/
the_black_box_of_corporate_money/ http://bit.ly/9ESJtr
After Citizens United, we can expect more corporate money in politics but the question is how transparent will this new spending be? Will this new corporate money be done through impenetrable black boxes?
National
The May 2010 Primaries: A Look at Voting Systems
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6758
[includes overview of recount and audit laws as well]
U.S. Supreme Court Asks for Solicitor General’s Input on Felon Voting Case
http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/05/03/u-s-supreme-court-asks-for-solicitor-generals-input-on-felon-voting-case/ This is the case from Massachusetts over whether the Voting Rights Act can ever apply to state laws that prevent felons or ex-felons from registering to vote.
SEARCHING FOR VOTING SYSTEM RFP’S
http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/?p=3186
Election official colleagues — as part of our Voting Systems Assessment Project..
EAC’s work to assist military and overseas voters
http://www.eac.gov/blog-postings/eacs-work-to-assist-military-and-overseas-voters
Rep. van Hollen, Backed by the Wilmer Hale Team, Argues Against Expediting the *RNC* Soft Money Case http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015895.html Via SCOTUSblog, comes this opposition to the RNC’s motion to expedite Supreme Court review of the as-applied soft money challenge.
Internet Voting Watch
Why can’t I vote online for the UK General election?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100503041002AAQ5ZXX
NC: Vote By Phone Or Internet?
http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/top-stories/92734989.html
..not everybody has a cell phone, not everybody has internet access. and, it would be tough to verify,”
…
The downside is do we really want people to vote if they can’t even take the trouble to get to the polls, and the argument is if they don’t think about it enough, don’t care enough if they’re going to do it, oh I saw a face on television I’ll vote for that person. Maybe that’s not the best approach to encouraging really informed voting choices.”
Pentagon Hopes Online Ballots Boost Overseas Voting
http://burnafterreading.nationaljournal.com/2010/05/pentagon-hopes-online.php
In most cases, voters would mark ballots online, print them out and mail them in, said Bob Carey, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program.
Canada: Majority of council in favour of electronic voting
http://www.walkerton.com/news/article/88592 If a quick poll of Brockton councillors holds up, the next municipal election will be done electronically.
International
India: Security Analysis of India’s Electronic Voting Machines (Bruce Schneier)
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/05/security_analys_2.html
Iraqi election recount begins and criticism quickly follows
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/topofthetimes/topstories/la-fg-iraq-recount-20100504,0,1112967.story A key supporter of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, whose party wanted a recount, demands that the number of ballots be compared with the number of voter registration signatures
Philippines: Smartmatic-TIM running out of time to fix glitches
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/05/04/10/smartmatic-tim-running-out-time-fix-glitches
Philippines: Glitches prompt Comelec to stop testing of poll machines
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/190018/glitches-prompt-comelec-to-stop-testing-of-poll-machines
Philippines: Comelec orders recall of faulty memory cards in PCOS machines
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/05/04/10/comelec-orders-recall-memory-cards-pcos-machines In an interview on Mornings@ANC on Tuesday, Mike Dioneda, Comelec-National Capital Region chief, said a total of 7,555 memory cards or flashcards have been ordered recalled by the poll body’s central office…(Smartmatic machines)
Philippines: Poll source code has flaws, says IT expert
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/05/03/10/poll-source-code-has-flaws-says-it-expert
MANILA, Philippines – There are several flaws in the source code being used for the automated polls, an official from the Computer Professionals Union (CPU) and Kontra Daya said on Monday.
UK: Postal vote fraud: 50 criminal inquiries nationwide amid fears bogus voters could swing election http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1271457/General-Election-2010-Postal-vote-fraud-amid-fears-bogus-voters-swing-election.html
UK: Police probe internet blog after election law complaint
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/
scotland/8658488.stm http://bit.ly/96wFPu A police force in Scotland has confirmed to the BBC that they are investigating a complaint that electoral law has been broken.
It is alleged a posting on SNP Tactical Voting discussed early results in constituencies, including Linlithgow.
Voting News by Joyce McCloy.Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
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