CT: Online voting is risky and expensive | The Connecticut Mirror Online voting is an appealing option to speed voting for military and overseas voters. Yet it is actually “Democracy Theater”, providing an expensive, risky illusion of supporting our troops. Technologists warn of the unsolved technical challenges, while experience shows that the risks are tangible…
WI: And the recount begins | ThirdCoast Digest If you’re expecting to see images reminiscent of Florida 2000, you’re out of luck. The first day of the Wisconsin Supreme Count election recount began and ended quietly in Milwaukee County with no protesters, a few citizen observers and about 50 Kloppenburg and Prosser operatives. No hanging…
WI: Recount reasonable — just ask a Republican – madison.com Candidates in close races who find themselves contemplating whether to seek a recount of the ballots — and the resolution of related questions about the quality and character of the initial count — need to have some standard for determining when it is reasonable to…
WI: Wisconsin Supreme Court recount begins Wednesday, required to be done by May 9 – StarTribune.com The recount in the state Supreme Court race will begin Wednesday and barring a court-ordered extension, must be finished by May 9. Wisconsin’s nonpartisan Government Accountability Board discussed the recount procedure Monday with local election officials from nearly all…
FL: Election bills rap democracy: Public short-served by GOP legislation – OrlandoSentinel.com Time to stop calling the gang running Florida’s government conservative. They’re busy concocting a liberal dose of new regulations that would serve their fortunes first, and Floridians dead last. It amounts to their ripping apart election laws that have made it easier for…
Election Assistance Commission May Be Closing : Roll Call Politics House Republicans may have found a way to trim $14 million from the federal budget: eliminate the Election Assistance Commission. The House Administration Committee is holding a hearing today to discuss closing the agency that is charged with administering federal election requirements and testing voting…
Fresh off commanding electoral victories in November, Republican majorities in many state legislatures want to require voters to show photo identification at the polls, a move Democrats say is cynically designed to help the GOP during the next election cycle. Voter identification laws have been a demarcation line between Democrats and Republicans for years. Democrats…
WI: Prosser open to Waukesha County recount – JSOnline Justice David Prosser’s campaign said Saturday that it was open to a recount of votes in Waukesha County as the state Supreme Court race remained without a declared winner. “If you need to do a recount in Waukesha (County) and Waukesha (County) alone to satisfy heightened…
Of all the important election-related proposals that were considered in our latest New Mexico legislative session, one stands out. This is the issue of photo voter identification, which generated extreme partisan interest. Photo voter ID was promoted in the election campaigning by our new Republican governor and also by our new Republican secretary of state,…
WI: State Supreme Court race headed for likely recount – JSOnline A recount is all but certain in the race for state Supreme Court, which would pose a host of legal questions, raise the political stakes in efforts to recall state senators, ignite a new bout of political fundraising and further fuel Wisconsin’s ongoing battle…
CO: Gessler, clerks battle over ballots in Saguache County | Real Aspen.com A disputed election in south-central Colorado is now in the hands of a grand jury that is reviewing allegations that the clerk and other officials committed crimes when they tallied the votes. The officials under investigation stood to benefit from the election’s outcome…
American Majority’s “Voter Fraud” App: It’s a Tool for Election Law Violations | The Awl The last time we heard from the corporate-funded Washington D.C.-based “free market” candidate seed organization American Majority, it was training candidates to assume local offices like school boards in Wisconsin (and elsewhere) to better implement the “tools” that legislators like Governor…
OH: Ballot scanning company Election Systems & Software agrees to give Cuyahoga County $200,000 | cleveland.com A maker of ballot scanners will pay Cuyahoga County more than $200,000 because its equipment could not scan larger-sized ballots. The settlement approved Tuesday between Election Systems and Software Inc. and the county Board of Elections covers the county’s…
CO: Denver City Council endorses pay raise for elected officials – The Denver Post After spirited debate Monday, Denver’s City Council voted 10-3 to tentatively approve a 6.6 percent raise for the next sitting council and every other elected official — an increase to be delayed for half of their four-year terms. The city is…
CA: City Clerk Cites ‘Human Error’ for Ballot Miscalculation – West Hollywood, CA Patch Simple human error caused ballot counters to overestimate the number of ballots still to be counted in the West Hollywood City Council election. That’s the word from City Clerk Tom West, who oversaw the counting Tuesday night. Read More CA: Ranked-Choice…
CO: Saguache County Clerk Myers refuses Denver Post request – Center Post Dispatch Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers received a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request Tuesday from Denver Post reporter Sara Burnett asking her to produce the ballots cast in the Nov. 2 election. In a response e-mailed on Tuesday, Myers reportedly denied Burnett…
CA: San Francisco ranked-choice voting confusing, poll says – San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco is heading into its first competitive mayor’s race using ranked-choice voting with a majority of voters who don’t understand how the system works, according to a poll to be released today. Despite ranked-choice voting being introduced for Board of Supervisors races…
AK: Felon voting rights bill passes first committee but may face opposition later – The Republic The Alaska Senate State Affairs Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill allowing felons the right to vote, despite concerns from one lawmaker. Republican Sen. Cathy Giessel of Anchorage says her constituents were concerned that the bill would absolve felons…
Disappointing Reversal on Transparency and Security for Washington Elections | Verified Voting Blog A bill aimed at reducing restriction to voting for military and other overseas voters passed the Washington State Senate by a 47-1 vote on Friday. Senate Bill 5171 contains many provisions that will certainly make voting easier for Washington citizens living overseas…
CT: Election panel urges reforms after Bridgeport election woes – Connecticut Post Former Mayor Nicholas Panuzio, first elected in 1971, said he’s tried to keep up with technological advances and other changes as he’s gotten older. All he wants is for the city registrars’ office to do the same. “With all of the things, and…
AL: Alabama legislative committees pass bills to cap increases in education spending, require photo ID at the polls and guarantee secret union ballots | al.com House Bill 19 by Rep. Kerry Rich, R-Albertville, which with some exceptions would require voters to show photo identification at the polls. Photo identification could include an Alabama driver’s license,…
AL: Chapman Releases Legislative Wish List | ABC 32 WNCF TV Secretary of State Beth Chapman released her legislative wish list today highlighting her top two priorities: military voting and photo voter identification. Chapman is continuing her fight to expedite military voting in Alabama and has a proven electronic system used successfully by another state’s…
AL: Sec. of State Releases Legislative “Wish List” | ABC 32 WNCF TV The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill preserves the Electoral College, while assuring that every vote is equal and that every voter will…
CO: Information indicates SOS played major role in escalating Saguache election snafu – Center Post Dispatch Over the past several weeks, many things have come to light that point directly to the Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) and their failure to enforce their own rules as the cause of Saguache County’s November election upheaval. In…
CA: Debra Bowen enters race to succeed congresswoman Jane Harman – latimes.com California Secretary of State Debra Bowen on Tuesday jumped into the race to succeed retiring Rep. Jane Harman of Venice, setting up what is expected to be a lively contest between two prominent Democratic women for the largely coastal congressional district. “This was…
Around the nation, the photo ID debate rages on. St. Paul, Minnesota begins a voter education effort following the City Council’s approval of new rules for instant runoff voting. The Colorado Legislature is considering legislation to establish a uniform vote by mail system in state elections, and the Massachusetts House orders a new election for…
GA: Saturday requirement removed from early-voting bill for local elections | ajc.com A revised early-voting bill would shorten the voting period to 21 days, but it would not require polls to be open on Saturdays if no state or federal candidates are on the ballot. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, removed the Saturday…
CA: Secretary of State Debra Bowen eyeing Harman’s congressional seat – Capitol Alert Secretary of State Debra Bowen is considering running for the congressional seat expected to be vacated by Democratic Rep. Jane Harman. “She is very, very seriously considering running for Congress,” Bowen campaign consultant Steve Barkan said. “It’s brand new news, and so…
The Photo ID debate shows no sign of cooling in TX, WI, and NC. In SC, the state Election Commission’s investigation concludes that Colleton County ballot discrepancies resulted from human error. In Montana, vote by mail legislation suffers an unexpected reversal, and in WV lawmakers seem likely to advance the gubernatorial primary to May 14.…
ID: 45 households in Asotin County get wrong ballot for upcoming election | KLEW CBS 3 – Lewiston, ID The Asotin County Auditor’s Office has sent out new ballots to fix a registration issue. It all started when a concerned citizen brought in his tax information. “His voter registration card showed that he was registered…