Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Wednesday May 11, 2006

[EFerrari]

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

"Living with War" ships today!


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI9OSG/qid=1147366653/sr=11-1/ref=sr_11_1/103-4599270-4220667?n=5174


Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.
2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233
3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.
4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.


Please"Recommend" for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

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1. Directives issued for voting machines (Diebold)

Directives issued for voting machines
By DAN GOODIN
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - Officials overseeing elections in three states have issued notices directing local authorities to take additional steps to prevent election fraud through a popular type of electronic voting machine.

Officials in California, Iowa and Pennsylvania said they issued the directives in recent weeks after researchers discovered a feature that could allow someone to load unauthorized software on Diebold Election Systems Inc.'s computerized machines.

A hacker theoretically could use the software to rig or sabotage an election or to perform some other unauthorized function, said Michael Shamos, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University.

''It's worse than a hole,'' said Shamos, who has been briefed on the vulnerability of the Diebold machines. ''It's a deliberate feature that was added by Diebold that we all believe is unwise.''

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/14552458.htm

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2. WV: Secretary of State Files Complaint Against Election Vendor

Secretary of State Files Complaint Against Election Vendor
Posted 5/11/2006 06:00 AM

Ireland cites delays in programming ballots "placed great hardship on state and county election officials in getting ready for the May 9 primary election."

Story by Juliet A. Terry

West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland has filed a federal complaint against the company that supplied the state's new voting system.

Voting machine problems delayed election returns in some counties, capping off weeks of troubles with Election Systems & Software. Ireland announced May 10 she filed a formal complaint with the federal Election Assistance Commission. Ireland said in a press release ES&S's delays in programming ballots for new electronic voting machines "placed great hardship on state and county election officials in getting ready for the May 9 primary election."
Ad

Delays in ES&S supplies forced Ireland to petition the courts for an extension to the period allotted for voting machine testing.


http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=10794

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3. National: House panel supports bilingual voting

House panel supports bilingual voting

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON (AP) -- What was to have been a simple renewal of the historic Voting Rights Act has become snarled in the heated debate involving immigration issues.

Conservative House members tried Wednesday to end a requirement in the 1965 law that bilingual ballots and interpreters be provided in states and counties where large numbers of citizens speak limited English.

The House Judiciary Committee rejected the effort.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said voting in English should pose no problem for any U.S. citizen.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VOTING_RIGHTS?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=HOME

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4. National: Sessions advises Voting Act caution

Sessions advises Voting Act caution
Questions necessity in targeted states
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
MARY ORNDORFF
News Washington correspondent

WASHINGTON - The Voting Rights Act and its protections for minority voters may no longer be necessary in parts of the South and Alabama, but Congress should consider expanding it to northern cities and states, Sen. Jeff Sessions said Tuesday.

The civil rights-era law is up for renewal this year, and a group of leading Republicans and Democrats are actively supporting its extension. Sessions is not among them, and instead is advising caution because parts of the law have become burdensome and irrelevant, he said.

"We don't want a fight over this," Sessions said in an interview after a congressional hearing on the topic. "Alabama is proud of its accomplishments, but we have the right to ask why other areas of the country are not covered by it."

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act - which requires local government officials to get Department of Justice approval of changes to voting rules and procedures - applies to nine states, including Alabama. The section also applies to individual counties or townships in seven other states, all with a long history of discriminating against groups of minority voters. In 41 years, it has not only protected the right of blacks to vote, it has led to historic numbers of black elected officials. In 1970, there were 565 across the South; in 2000, there were 5,579.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/114725312269830.xml&coll=2

[Botany]

5. American People Get It!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_rob_kall_060511_poll_3a_2004_election_.htm

May 11, 2006

Poll: 2004 Election Was Stolen; according to viewers of all news networks except Fox News
by Rob Kall


In the first poll of its kind, OpEdNews.com, in the second OpEdNews/Zogby People's poll has learned that except for viewers of right wing news show, Fox News, poll respondents believe that the 2004 presidential election was stolen.

Overall, the poll found that 39% said that the 2004 election was stolen. 54% said it was legitimate. Shortly after the election, the NY Times suggested that a few fringe extremists and bloggers were concerned about the theft of the election.

But let's look at the demographics on this question. Of the people who watch Fox news as their primary sourc of TV news, one half of one percent believe it was stolen and 99% believe it was legitimate. Among people who watched ANY other news source but FOX, more felt the election was stolen than legitimate. The numbers varied dramatically:


Here are the stats by network listed as first choice by respondent and whether the respondent thought the election was stolen or legitimate.
Network Stolen Legitimate
ABC 56% 32%
CBS 64% 31%
CNN 70% 24%
FOX .5% 99%
MSNBC 65% 24%
NBC 49% 43%
Other 56% 28%

snip

Methodology statement from Zogby:
Zogby International conducted interviews of 707 likely voters online. Panelists who have agreed to participate in Zogby polls online were invited to participate in the survey. The online poll ran from 5/9/06 through 5/10/06. The margin of error is +/- 3.8 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups. Slight weights were added to party, age, race, religion, and gender to more accurately reflect the population.

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21. Rob Kall!

:toast:

[Kurovski]

28. ...and the more we get the facts out, the higher that percentage will rise

(regarding those who see that the election was stolen.)

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6. AZ: Touch screen voting machines 'untrustworthy'?'

Touch screen voting machines 'untrustworthy'?'

Dennis Wagner
The Arizona Republic
May. 10, 2006 05:50 PM

Four Arizona voters are suing the state in a bid to shut down touch-screen ballot machines during elections this fall, claiming the devices are vulnerable to errors or tampering and do not meet the needs of disabled voters.

The civil complaint, which was to be filed Wednesday in Maricopa County Superior Court, seeks an injunction against Secretary of State Jan Brewer and 13 county election officers who plan to use electronic voting devices manufactured by Diebold Election Systems Inc. and Sequoia Voting Systems Inc.

The controversy involves only 2,100 specialized voting machines enabling the disabled to vote privately and independently, so the lion's share of Arizona balloting equipment is unaffected. Under the Help America Vote Act, all polling sites must have at least one machine designed for use by disabled voters.

All but two of Arizona's counties plan to use Diebold or Sequoia equipment. Cochise and Graham counties are buying devices from another manufacturer, Automark, which has been deemed acceptable by those backing the lawsuit.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0510voting-ON.html

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7. OH: Ballots Without Enough Postage Are Not Counted

Ballots Without Enough Postage Are Not Counted

UPDATED: 7:11 am EDT May 11, 2006

AKRON, Ohio -- The elections board in Summit County received 83 absentee ballots from the primary too late to be counted because of insufficient postage.

Postal officials decided to deliver the ballots instead of returning them to voters, but the ballots didn't arrive until the day after the May 2 primary election.

The county's new optical scan voting machines, which replaced punch cards, use heavier ballots that cost 63 cents to mail.

Postal officials notified the elections board May 1 and May 2 that the ballots were at the Akron post office, but the board refused delivery and refused to pick them up, said David Van Allen, spokesman for the Northern Ohio District of the U.S. Postal Service.

http://www.newsnet5.com/politics/9195887/detail.html

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8. CA: Voting machines a key issue in bid to lead elections office

Voting machines a key issue in bid to lead elections office
Dem opponents disagree as they vie to face incumbent

Greg Lucas, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Sacramento -- Questions about the accuracy of electronic voting machines have become a dominant issue in the race for California secretary of state, with the two Democratic challengers for the job carving out differing positions.

State Sens. Debra Bowen of Marina del Rey (Los Angeles County) and Deborah Ortiz of Sacramento are vying to face Republican incumbent Bruce McPherson. McPherson has grappled with certifying electronic voting machines since his appointment in March 2005 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to fill the remainder of Kevin Shelley's term after he resigned from office while being investigated for alleged financial misdeeds.

The secretary of state is California's chief elections official who coordinates statewide elections and works with county registrars to maintain voting rolls.

Early polls show few voters know of Bowen, Ortiz or McPherson. Neither Bowen nor Ortiz appears to have the campaign funds to remedy that through extensive television advertising.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/11/BAGI1IPASN1.DTL

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9. FL: Vote panel favors paper trail but can't settle on best route

Vote panel favors paper trail but can't settle on best route

By George Bennett

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Most members of a technology panel appointed by Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Arthur Anderson favor some type of ballot paper trail, but the committee does not appear ready to endorse a specific type of voting system for use after this year's elections.

After eight months of meetings, the 12-member committee is scheduled to issue final short- and long-term recommendations tonight.

In interviews or public comments, most panelists have said they favor voter-verified paper records of ballots cast rather than the paperless electronic system the county has in place. But there doesn't appear to be a consensus on whether the county should add printers to its existing touch-screen system, an option the state Division of Elections has not approved, or switch to a system of paper ballots read by optical scanners.

Heading into tonight's 5:30 meeting at the county elections office, the most popular long-term recommendation among committee members is to collect data from this fall's elections, then "make a commitment to keep or replace the existing voting system and provide system modifications or replacement plans with a timeline and cost estimates."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/local_news/epaper/2006/05/11/s6b_elex_0511.html

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10. GA: Voter cards come bouncing back to Registrar's Office

Voter cards come bouncing back to Registrar's Office
By Nicklaus Lovelady

More than nine weeks are left before voters hit the polls for the July 18, primary election, but the Henry County Elections and Registration Office is in full swing.

Tens of thousands of county voters have already begun to receive their voter registration card thanks to Director Janet Shellnutt. Three weeks ago, her office began sending out 98,000 voter registration cards to area residents, notifying voters of polling places and their Congressional district.

Unlike previous years, where a few hundred cards returned because of wrong addresses, Shellnutt’s office was bombarded this year with nearly 10,000 voter cards with nowhere to go.

“We’ve had more come back than we’ve ever had,” Shellnutt said. “A lot of people have moved out of the address where the cards were sent, but some of them look like they weren’t even processed by the post office. I’m going to have to contact the postmaster to see what’s going on.”

http://www.henryherald.com/homepage/local_story_130224742.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

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11. IL: State to change early voting rules

State to change early voting rules

BY JOHN ROSZKOWSKI
STAFF WRITER

Lawmakers passed several last-minute changes in state election law to refine the process of early voting.

The new legislation centralizes the process for counting ballots cast before election day, gives greater protection to absentee voters whose ballots are rejected and opens municipal buildings for early voting.

Both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly approved the elections reform package, Senate Bill 1445, and it is expected to be signed into law by the governor.

The March 21 primary was Illinois' first experiment with early voting, which allows residents to cast ballots at designated sites for an 18-day period before election day without giving a reason.

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/eg/05-11-06-918859.html

[Botany]

12. Kerry Won Get Over it

http://gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=501&row=0

snip

WARNING! There are cranks and kooks and crazies out there on the Internet who say that George Bush lost the 2004 election, like one titled, "Kerry Won" published on the TomPaine.com web site two days after the election. I wrote it.

On November 11, a week after TomPaine.com published it, I received an e-mail from The New York Times Washington Bureau. Hot on the investigation of the veracity of the vote, The Times reporter asked me pointed questions:

Question #1: Are you a "sore loser"?

Question #2: Are you a "conspiracy nut"?

There was no third question. Investigation of the vote was, for The Times at any rate, complete. The next day, the paper's thorough analysis of the evidence yielded this front-page story, "VOTE FRAUD THEORIES, SPREAD BY BLOGS, ARE QUICKLY BURIED."

snip

First, consider CNN's Ohio exit polls broadcast just after midnight after the voting ended on Election Day. They show John Kerry defeated George Bush among women voters by 53% to 47%. And among men voters, Kerry defeated Bush 51% to 49%.

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13. IN: Pike Twp votes count despite mistakes (Marion Co.)

Pike Twp votes count despite mistakes

By Andy Gammill
[e-mail]

The Marion County Election Board voted today to accept the votes cast at two Pike Township polling places in the May 2 school board election, even though some of those votes may have been illegal.

Ballots in the Pike Township School Board race incorrectly told voters to select four candidates when they were allowed to vote for only three. Machines were reprogrammed to alert an election judge if a voter selected too many candidates.
But the machines in two precincts were not changed, Marion County Clerk of Courts Doris Anne Sadler said.

About 180 people voted in those precincts, and the race was decided by a margin of more than 700. The election board also determined that any problems that may have occurred were not widespread in those precincts if people voted for more than three candidates in that race.

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14. KY: New precincts, new locations for voters

New precincts, new locations for voters
BY PAUL MCKIBBEN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER

Some Boone County voters will be voting in new precincts and polling locations in the May 16 primary election.

The county has spilt four precincts. Those precincts that were divided and their new ones are:

The Burlington 4 precinct at the Burlington Firehouse was spilt into the new Burlington 8 precinct at the Camp Ernst Middle School on Camp Ernst Road.

The Hopeful precinct at Hopeful Lutheran Church was divided into the new Summitview precinct at Florence Alliance Church on Clayton Road.

http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060511/NEWS01/605110614/1076/Local

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15. KY: Voters will notice changes (more polling places moved)

Voters will notice changes
By James Roberts, Staff Writer

Though four polling places will have changed for next week's Primary Election, Taylor County Clerk Mark Carney is more concerned about two that have not moved.

"The two that really worry me are East/New City East and Mannsville/Merrimac," Carney said.

During the last election, East and New City East precinct voters moved from the National Guard Armory to Taylor County Middle School, Carney said.

What was believed to be a temporary relocation became permanent when the General Assembly passed a law requiring schools to be closed on Primary Election Day.

http://www.cknj.com/articles/2006/05/10/news/01vote.txt

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16. MO: ‘Straight-ticket’ voting at risk in Missouri

‘Straight-ticket’ voting at risk in Missouri
Missouri Senate Republicans say proposal is punitive
By TIM HOOVER
The Kansas City Star

JEFFERSON CITY — Hundreds of thousands of Missouri voters would no longer be able to pick all their candidates by choosing one political party on the ballot under a Republican-backed proposal.

That prospect became closer to reality Tuesday night after Senate Republicans said they would follow through on a threat to repeal “straight-ticket” voting. Republicans said they were punishing Senate Democrats who used a filibuster to delay passage of a bill that would require voters to present photo identification at the polls.

“I don’t like the idea of doing away with straight-ticket voting,” said Sen. Delbert Scott, a Lowry City Republican. But he added: “The deal’s done. They (Democrats) kept talking.”

Some Democrats say the move to repeal straight-ticketing voting — and to require photo IDs — is a Republican effort to tilt the U.S. Senate election in November in favor of incumbent Jim Talent, a Republican. State Auditor Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, is challenging Talent in what is viewed nationally as a tight race.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14540891.htm

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17. MO: Political showdown emerges on voter photo ID requirement

Political showdown emerges on voter photo ID requirement
KELLY WIESE
Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Senate Democrats delayed a vote on a bill Tuesday that requires voters to show photo identification at the polls starting this fall, prompting Republicans to try to force them to swallow a tougher measure.

The key provision in the bill requires voters to show a photo ID issued by Missouri or the federal government, including such things as driver's licenses or military IDs.

The legislation arose from a negotiating committee that reconciled differences between previously passed House and Senate versions. To become law, a final version must be passed by both chambers before the Legislature's 6 p.m. Friday adjournment.

Among other differences, the House bill had eliminated the option of voting a straight-party ticket. The negotiated bill did not, but Senate sponsor Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, carried through on a threat to send the bill back to negotiators and get rid of straight-ticket voting if Democrats delayed the legislation.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14539382.htm

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18. NE: Printing error causes some Omaha voters to be turned away

Printing error causes some Omaha voters to be turned away
The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. — A printing error led to some voters being turned away at the polls Tuesday morning, Douglas County Election Commissioner Dave Phipps said.

The printing error left several names off poll lists at precincts in south and southwest Omaha, causing a "handful" of people to be told they could not vote, Phipps said.

Phipps said he didn't know how many voters were affected by the mix-up, which occurred shortly after polls opened at 8 a.m., Phipps said.

Poll volunteers should have let the rejected voters enter their ballots provisionally, Phipps said.

http://ap.theindependent.com/pstories/state/ne/20060509/3860358.shtml

:eyes:

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19. NE: Top election official checks out changes

Top election official checks out changes
BY ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star

GOEHNER — Democracy spoke in Nebraska on Tuesday, and Paul DeGregorio was among those who were there to listen — and to watch.

DeGregorio, chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in Washington, D.C., wants to see if the federal government is getting its money’s worth from the state’s portion of a $3.1 billion investment in the 2002 Help America Vote Act.

A man who went to Russia in the 1990s to advise its leadership on how to hold free elections stopped at Goehner about 90 minutes after the polls opened to witness what was happening in a decidedly rural voting setting.

As corn farmers stepped down from their tractors and picked up paper ballots at the Goehner Community Hall, DeGregorio gathered around a $5,000 AutoMark machine with Seward County Clerk Sherry Schweitzer and Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale.

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/05/10/local/doc44611b7d0e8a0059899863.txt

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20. NC: Legal action looms in dispute over vote count

Legal action looms in dispute over vote count
May 11,2006
ROSELEE PAPANDREA View stories by reporter
DAILY NEWS STAFF

The Daily News is offering the state Board of Elections one more chance to give the Onslow County board the OK to release the number of votes cast for disqualified state House candidate Tommy Pollard before it will take legal action.

John Bussian, a First Amendment attorney for The Daily News, sent a letter by fax to state Board of Elections Executive Director Gary Bartlett Wednesday. In the letter Bussian informed the board that the newspaper will seek a court order requiring the county board to release Pollard’s total votes along with the number of votes cast May 2 for the 15th House District Republican primary.

“Yet that would be an expense that both The Daily News and the taxpayers should not have to bear simply to gain access to information the government collected, and has decided — for reasons unknown — the public shouldn’t see,” Bussian said in the letter. “Surely, that outcome is at odds with the spirit of North Carolina’s open government laws.”

Since the May 2 primary, The Daily News has asked the county and state Board of Elections several times that they release the information because it is in the possession of elections officials and, therefore, a public record.

http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=41555&Section=News

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22. PA: Bucks only county to lose vote funds (Check out the spin here)

Bucks only county to lose vote funds

Not using new election machines will cost $950,000, state says.
By Hal Marcovitz Of The Morning Call

Bucks County's use of lever voting machines in next week's election is illegal under federal law and probably will result in the county's forfeiture of nearly $1 million in federal funds, according to state election officials.

Bucks is the lone county in Pennsylvania facing forfeiture of funds under the U.S. Help America Vote Act. State Elections Bureau spokeswoman Leslie Amoros said Wednesday that she believes Bucks is the only Pennsylvania county that will conduct its primary election Tuesday in violation of the act.

County Commissioner James F. Cawley acknowledged that Bucks officials were informed of the illegality of using lever machines in two sharply worded letters from state Elections Commissioner Harry A. VanSickle received a week ago and Tuesday.

Although using the lever machines will probably result in loss of about $950,000 from a $3 million federal grant, the votes cast on the devices will still be counted and certified in the election.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/quakertown/all-b1_2electionmay11,0,7588824.story?coll=all-newslocalquakertown-hed

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23. But: "Greene officials confident in new voting machines"

Greene officials confident in new voting machines
By Brandon Szuminsky, For the Herald-Standard
05/11/2006

WAYNESBURG - With the primary only days away, Greene County officials are confident in the county's new electronic voting system, even though problems with the same system surfaced in the lead up to West Virginia's primary on Tuesday.

"We think we have looked at it enough and tested it enough to be aware of any problems," said Frances Pratt, county election director. "But anything can happen with any kind of election system. All you can be is prepared, and I think we are prepared."

Advertisement
Tuesday's primary marks the debut of the county's new iVotronic voting system produced by Nebraska-based Election Systems and Software Inc. (ES&S). In West Virginia, iVotronic machines slated for several precincts were programmed with outdated software, which affected the machine's ability to tabulate vote totals.

Ben Beakes, chief of staff for West Virginia's secretary of state, credited the issue to "human error," however, and said there was "nothing wrong with the machines."

http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16619129&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6

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24. And "Allegheny County confident in new voting machines"

Allegheny County confident in new voting machines for Tuesday's election

Thursday, May 11, 2006
By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny County officials yesterday expressed confidence in their preparations for Tuesday's primary election, when voters will cast choices on new machines for the first time in a generation.

But officials also cautioned that the process of releasing results could take longer than usual. For this election, some voters will have the option of using fill-in-the-blank optical scan ballots, not the county's new touch-screen machines.

The county is deploying a dual-voting system to satisfy the federal Help America Vote Act, a law requiring local governments nationwide to update their aging voting technology.

Heavy demand across the county for new equipment has limited the number of machines available from Nebraska-based Election Systems & Software Inc. So far, the company has delivered 2,628 iVotronic machines to Allegheny County, two for every voting precinct. If a precinct attracts long lines, voters will have a chance to use paper ballots, which will later be read by a scanner.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06131/689249-85.stm

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25. And " Voting screens arrive"

Voting screens arrive

BY ANDREW M. SEDER

HONESDALE — Eighty electronic touch-screen voting machines have been delivered to Wayne County and will be ready for use in Tuesday’s primary election.

“It’s a big relief, no doubt about it,” said Wayne County Commissioner Anthony V. Herzog.

The county ordered 100 WINvote model machines, at a cost of $293,582, from Advanced Voting Solutions Inc., of Frisco, Texas. But that company had an issue with a subcontractor and informed counties, including Wayne, Pike, Lackawanna and Northampton that it could not guarantee delivery of the entire order. That left the counties wondering if they’d get voting machines by the primary.

Pike officials didn’t want to take a chance and canceled its contract and switched to McKinney, Texas-based Diebold Election Systems manufactured machines. Pike received all 65 machines it ordered the last week of April, said Director of Elections Candace May.

http://thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16620078&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416046&rfi=6

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26. TN: Bill requiring automatic recount in close elections fails in House

Bill requiring automatic recount in close elections fails in House

By Lucas L. Johnson II
Associated Press
May 11, 2006

NASHVILLE -- The sponsor of legislation that would require automatic recounts of close elections in Tennessee says the failure of her bill undermines an attempt to restore integrity to the ballot box.

The measure sponsored by Rep. Henri Brooks died in the House Finance Subcommittee on Wednesday when it failed for lack of a second. The measure passed the Senate in March, but is done for the session.

The Memphis Democrat has said her bill was inspired by her 20-vote loss to former Sen. Ophelia Ford in the Democratic primary last year. Then, in the special election for the state Senate seat, Ford won by only 13 votes over the Republican opponent.

Allegations of improper voting led to an investigation by a special Senate committee, which found that 12 illegal ballots -- including two in the names of dead people -- were cast in the election and several more were suspect.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/midsouth_news/article/0,1426,MCA_1497_4689555,00.html

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27. TX: Sinton voting old and new way

Sinton voting old and new way

City voters to cast ballots by lever; school race uses electronic voting

By Beth Wilson Caller-Times
May 11, 2006


If the city of Sinton had a vote, it would pull a lever to cast it.

Sinton voters will use the same old-fashioned machines in Saturday's city council election, but new electronic voting machines for the school district race. Sinton joins other cities and school districts in the first elections under the new requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act.

The act requires that each election use accessible voting machines that give voters a chance to check and correct errors in private. But Sinton City Manager Jackie Knox said that act doesn't trickle down to Sinton elections.

Scott Haywood, a spokesman with the Secretary of State's office that handles Texas election law, says differently. State legislators have incorporated the federal act into law, applying it to all Texas elections.

http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_4690562,00.html

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29. UT: Some Rural Areas Heading for Mail-only Voting

Some Rural Areas Heading for Mail-only Voting
May 11th, 2006 @ 6:55am

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Residents in many rural areas may find themselves required to vote by mail, using absentee ballots.

Millard County will require residents in 11 precincts to vote by mail to reduce the expense and problems related to training of poll workers for Utah's first electronic balloting.

"We felt we could handle it better if we reduced the number of polling places," said County Clerk Norma Brunson. "I have had complaints, not a large number."

A public meeting held this week in Emery County found little enthusiasm for voting by mail.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=258386

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30. WV: Voting tabulation problems widespread

Voting tabulation problems widespread

By JENNIFER BUNDY
Associated Press Writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Voters and election officials in several counties struggled on election day to use new voting systems installed to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act.

"This isn't a pretty world,'' an angry Mineral County Commission President Cindy Pyles said around 1 a.m. Wednesday as she and others waited for an Election Systems and Software technician to arrive.

"He should have been here by now,'' Pyles said. "They had sent us a lady, and when it came down to it, she didn't know what she was doing.''

The county used an optical scan voting system and had one iVotronic electronic touch-screen machine at each precinct that complied with the federal law's demand to have at least one machine at each polling place that voters with disabilities could use without assistance.

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/section/APNews/News/ap0077r

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31. WV: Machines pass first test

Matthew Thompson
Daily Mail staff

Wednesday May 10, 2006

Some areas faced delays and frustrations, but state and county officials said they were pleased with the first test of the new electronic voting systems during the primary election.

Putnam County's vote count was delayed by about an hour because optical-scan ballots jammed in counting machines. Several counties could not meet voting requirements for the handicapped, and a few more counties faced brief delays.

Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper expressed frustration that the votes still were being counted after midnight today.

After 25 years, Kanawha's 183 precincts abandoned the punch-card system and used new optical-scan and handicapped-accessible, Automark touch-screen machines.

http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/2006051015/

[EFerrari]

32. WV: Upshur County Finishes Count (touchscreen problems)

Upshur County Finishes Count
Posted 5/10/2006 06:23 PM

Problems with touch screen voting machines was resolved Wednesday in Upshur County.

Story by J. Turchetta Email | Bio

It was a very tough election night for some counties. Some didn't finish their counting until early this morning others, not until this afternoon.

The Secretary of State's office is pursuing legal action against Election Systems and Software, the company responsible for the voting equipment. The complaint says E-S-and-S let West Virginia down.

One of those counties that experienced the sting was Upshur County which finally finished its counting this afternoon. It was a long night and was looking to be an even longer day.

It took Upshur County officials 12 hours to do a total of 4 minutes of work. Glitches in the Personal Election Ballot reader and in the flash memory card units were just a few of the hurdles the county clerks office had to deal with.

http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=10810

[EFerrari]

33. WI: Waukesha County split on voting firm

Waukesha County split on voting firm
Equipment vendor owned by citizen of Venezuela

By SCOTT WILLIAMS
[e-mail]
Posted: May 11, 2006

Elections in Waukesha County could become more cumbersome and costly because of disagreement emerging from a $600,000 effort to make voting easier for people with disabilities, officials have suggested.

The fear is based partly on concerns among some local officials that an equipment vendor, approved by the state and recommended by the county clerk, is owned by an individual from Venezuela.

Officials in Menomonee Falls and Mukwonago are among those considering breaking ranks with the rest of the county to steer clear of products made by Sequoia Voting Systems, based in Oakland, Calif. Sequoia spokeswoman Michelle Shafer said the firm's parent company, Smartmatic Corp., is owned by a citizen of Venezuela, a South American nation whose leftist president is allied with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Shafer said the Venezuelan government, led by controversial President Hugo Chavez, has no role in the company, but the ownership question has dogged the company elsewhere in recent months.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=422768

[EFerrari]

34. WY: Wyo clerks have it easier, federal election official says

Wyo clerks have it easier, federal election official says

By W. DALE NELSON
Star-Tribune correspondent Thursday, May 11, 2006


LARAMIE -- County clerks who might be worried about use of high-tech voting equipment in this year’s elections were assured Wednesday that they have it easy compared to some.

“What if you were in Allegheny County -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?” the federal official in charge of reforming election procedures asked. “Your equipment was just delivered 10 days ago. The primary election is next Tuesday.”

The remark by Paul DeGregorio, chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, drew gasps from members of the County Clerks Association of Wyoming, gathered here for their annual meeting.

“This state is indeed fortunate because you got it done early,” DeGregorio said. “You have your equipment, and the primary isn’t until August.”

http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2006/05/11/news/wyoming/2dddd0847202a8388725716b000038d8.txt


(How do we nominate this guy for WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD?)

[EFerrari]

35. CO:Action Alert: Colorado SofS accused of wrongfully certifying eSlate

Via OpEdNews


Action Alert: Colorado SofS accused of wrongfully certifying eSlate voting equipment:
-- "A public hearing is scheduled for May 24th, but, the Secretary of State does not want to testify and does not want to answer questions. This is not fair. See for yourself."


CAMBER: Citizens for Accurate Mail Ballot Election Results
HAVA complaint against HART eSlate certification

From: Al Kolwicz
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 5:22 PM
To: 'Wayne Munster'
Cc: 'Bill Hobbs'; 'Monica Marquez'; 'Gigi Dennis'; 'John Gardner'
Subject: RE: HAVA Complaint - SOS-HAVA-01-06-0001


Mr. Munster,

RE: Your e-mail message of May 9th


1.It seems reasonable to us that the remedy should be known before the hearing. Does SOS not have a policy for a device does not meet certification standards? If so, what is that policy? In at least one previous hearing the SOS disregarded the facts and came to a conclusion that was harmful to the public. We do not want to see a repetition of this. Because many Colorado Counties have plans underway to procure this equipment and are relying on the fact that it meets requirements there will be enormous internal pressure to permit use of this equipment even though it does not provide anonymous and verifiable voting. If there is no such policy, can we agree that if the eSlate does violate either or both of the requirements we have identified that its certification will be rescinded?



2.When we refer to preparations for the hearing we are assuming that we share with you a common desire to evaluate the facts and do what is needed to comply with the law. It appears that you have a different idea about the form of the hearing than we do. We understand you to be describing a one-way hearing where the SOS sits in judgment of itself, does not provide data, and does not respond to questions. This would be totally unfair and pointless. We expect an honest broker that will ensure that this matter is handled in a manner that is best for the public, not what is best for the SOS.



3. We appreciate your sharing the 2003 DOJ Opinion. As you know, this opinion has been outdated by the availability of new technologies that audibly recite the votes marked on paper and mechanical overlay devices that enable blind voters to verify their votes. We would like to know before the hearing why the AutoMark was not certified and the eSlate was certified. Both are unable to meet the private voting requirements of a particular disabled voter population, albeit a different population.

More: http://www.users.qwest.net/~alkolwicz/equipment/HAVAcomplaint04072006_05102006.htm

[EFerrari]

36. DC: New Bill for D.C. Voting Representative in US House

Via Ballot Access News
http://www.ballot-access.org/

New Bill for D.C. Voting Representative in US House
May 11th, 2006

On May 11, Congressman Thomas Davis (R-Virginia) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC’s Democratic Delegate to the US House) held a press conference to announce their co-sponsorship of a new bill. The bill, which doesn’t have a number yet, would give D.C. a voting member of the U.S. House. It would also give a new member to Utah (the state that was closest to deserving an additional seat after the 2000 census). It would also permanently enlarge the size of the U.S. House from 435 to 437 members. The new Utah seat would be at-large for the remainder of this decade.

The reason for giving Utah a new seat is that it is the only way to persuade Republicans to vote for the bill. Since it is considered virtually certain that the new D.C. seat would be a Democratic seat, giving Utah another seat balances the partisan change, since it is assumed the new at-large Utah seat would be Republican. The reason for making the new Utah seat at-large is that it avoids a messy fight in the Utah legislature over drawing new districts.

Congressman Davis had introduced a somewhat similar bill last year, but this bill is considered likely to pass, since it has the support of Eleanor Holmes Norton, whereas the first bill didn’t have her support.

[Patsy Stone]

37. Kick! Rec!

Hi! Doin' a heckuva job, sf! :)

[EFerrari]

38. News: Immigration activists seeking new voters

Immigration activists seeking new voters

• Citizenship: Applications up 20 percent over 2005

By Peter Prengaman
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Juana Elba Benitez is studying for the U.S. citizenship test she failed eight years ago — an exam the 75-year-old native of El Salvador swore she would never take again.

Then she learned Congress was debating a crackdown on illegal immigrants, and Benitez worried that legal residents like her might be next. So she is memorizing the first 13 states and who said "Give me liberty or give me death," all to be able to vote.

"Every day the laws are getting more rigid," says Benitez, poring over an American history study guide alongside about 40 students at a social services center for Hispanic immigrants. "I'm afraid that one day they might say, 'A green card isn't good enough. Whoever isn't a citizen is out of here.'

Citizenship applications among legal immigrants are up nearly 20 percent over last year.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/top/5_1_WA11_IMMIGRATION_S1.htm

[Algorem]

39. Blackwell not a friend to blacks

http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/opinion/114733635163590.xml?ocful&coll=2

Thursday, May 11, 2006
Sam Fulwood III
Plain Dealer Columnist

"He appeals to blacks by being black."- George Will, columnist Feb. 19,2006.

Now that Ken Blackwell has become the latest in a long line of Great Black Hopes for the GOP, I expect to hear and read plenty of ignorant comments like the one above.

It's the wishful thinking that accompanied previous Republican darlings in dark skins.

Remember the presidential chatter surrounding J.C. Watts, former Oklahoma football star-turned-conservative congressman? Nobody does any more...


Don't 'right off' Blackwell yet

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/thomas_suddes/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1147250139277810.xml&coll=2

Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Thomas Suddes
Plain Dealer Columnist

Republicans last week elected Ohio's next governor - and he's a Democrat. Then, in 2010, after Ted Strickland offends everyone - as he will, by rocking the boat in Columbus - he'll be retired by the governorship-in-waiting of the GOP's Betty D. Montgomery.

That's the Fantasyland in which middle-of-the-road Ohioans revel, now that rightist voters have picked Cincinnati's J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state, to compete in November with Appalachian Democrat Strickland for governor.

Not to rock anyone's hammock, but while Blackwell's backing inside Ohio's Republican core may be iffy, he wows Ohio's biggest party - the Demagogues.


They're the people who see modern times as a conspiracy - by Jews or Masons or Catholics or gay people or, worst of all, pushy women - to blight Ohio. The way these voters look at it, if there's crab grass in suburban lawns, somebody planted it...

[Wilms]

40. BradBlog/John Gideon: Diebold's Deliberate Security Vulnerability

DIEBOLD'S DELIBERATE SECURITY VULNERABILITY

EXPERTS AGREE: 'It's the Most Serious Security Breach Ever Discovered in a Voting System"

3 States Issue Mitigation Plans, Georgia Ignores The 'Black Hole', AP Ignores BRAD BLOG Reporting...

by John Gideon

5/11/2006

snip

This is a 'feature' that was knowingly installed by Diebold. It was not a mistake or something that was overlooked in the design of the software. It is not a 'bug', 'glitch', 'flaw', 'error in programming' or any other simplistic name. Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor and veteran voting-systems examiner for the state of Pennsylvania has said this:

"It's the most serious security breach that's ever been discovered in a voting system. On this one, the probability of success is extremely high because there's no residue.... Any kind of cursory inspection of the machine would not reveal it."

Johns Hopkins University computer science professor Avi Rubin, who published the first security analysis of Diebold voting software in 2003 had this to say:

"I think it's the most serious thing I've heard to date. Even describing why I think its serious is dangerous. This is something that's so easy to do that if the public were to hear about it, it would raise the risk of someone doing it. ... This is the worst-case scenario, almost."

snip/links

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002814.htm


Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x427419