Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sat. Nov. 4, 2006

[livvy]

Turkeys are great for Thanksgiving, but they don't do a great job running the country. Here's what you can do to prevent more turkeys from struttin' their stuff and gobblin' up what is left of this Republic.

1. Get to your local campaign office. Volunteer to do whatever they need you to do the most. If you live too far from an office, check out some of the links below. You may find something close to home, or even be able to make some calls right from the comfort of your own Home, Sweet Home.
2. Volunteer on Election Day in whatever capacity you can.
3. And don't forget to:

http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=62&id=9355-4688571-lq89OMzqSLbb_otYGkLZ7Q&t=4

http://pol.moveon.org/phone/volunteer/fp.html?rc=DFA

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.



Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.


If you can:
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

2. Post stories using the new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x407240

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).

[livvy]

1. OH: Ruling Allows Early Absentee Ballot Scans

Ruling allows early absentee ballot scans
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLEVELAND - All 88 Ohio counties can start scanning absentee ballots before Election Day, a Cuyahoga County judge ordered Friday, overruling a state order that had banned the early scanning.

The ruling by Common Pleas Judge Dan Gaul allows the computer scanning of ballots, but says security precautions should be taken to prevent the disclosure of vote counts before polls close on Election Day.

Hamilton County elections officials began opening and scanning absentee ballots earlier this week, after Prosecutor Joe Deters gave the go-ahead.

Gaul issued the ruling after Cuyahoga County said it wanted to start scanning the ballots sooner than usual because of an expected crush due to a new law that allows anyone to vote absentee.

>more

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061104/NEWS01/611040361/1056/COL02

[BillORightsMan]

28. WHAAAAA????

How does a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge rule on a STATE order, and then make it STICK for ALL 88 Ohio counties?

Something is VERY wrong with this picture!
:grr:

[livvy]

2. MD: Care Urged When Voting:Absentee Voters May Spoil Vote if....

Care urged when voting
Absentee voters may spoil vote if forms late, not done properly

By Melissa Harris
sun reporter

November 4, 2006

Maryland's absentee voters should carefully cast their ballots by Monday or risk having them rejected next week, election experts warned yesterday.

Monday's postmark deadline could be difficult to meet for hundreds, if not thousands, of voters in Montgomery and Baltimore counties, where election officials finished mailing ballots only yesterday.

Montgomery County shipped more than 700 absentee ballots yesterday, but Baltimore County Elections Director Jacqueline K. McDaniel said she did not know how many had left her office.

"The ones we're processing today were received on Monday and Tuesday of this week," McDaniel said yesterday. "People can't expect a 24-hour turnaround, at least not this election anyway."

Lateness and missing or misplaced signatures are the most common reasons that absentee ballots are rejected, officials said.

>more

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.voting04nov04,0,4354176.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

[livvy]

3. UT: Bennett Speaks About Honest Voting

Saturday, November 04, 2006
Bennett speaks about honest voting

ALAN CHOATE - Daily Herald

America has a long history of shenanigans at the ballot box, U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett said Friday, and the move to electronic voting is only the latest effort to use technology to make elections more secure.

"Getting an honest vote, historically, has been difficult," said Bennett, R-Utah.

New electronic voting machines may have vulnerabilities, he cautioned.

"In theory, they should be far more reliable," he said -- but since they rely on software, they can be corrupted.

>more

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/198848/4/

[livvy]

4. Alaska: voters Favor Paper Ballots

Voters favor paper ballots
TOUCH SCREENS: Machines may be too unpredictable for voters.

By LISA DEMER
Anchorage Daily News

(Published: November 4, 2006)

Alaska voters had little enthusiasm for new touchscreen voting machines during their shaky debut in the August primary election.

In 20 percent of the precincts, not a single voter cast a ballot on the machines, according to the state Division of Elections.

Voters may have been suspicious of the technology, unaware that touchscreen machines were an option or disappointed to find the machines out of service. In two precincts, the touchscreens arrived damaged and didn't work at all, according to the division. In others, they may have worked only part of the day.

Most Alaska voters used the familiar paper ballots that were then fed into machines that quickly tabulated results. They will probably do so again Tuesday on Election Day.

>more

http://www.adn.com/front/story/8374799p-8270075c.html

[livvy]

5. Careful With That Voting

Careful with that voting

Check touch-screen review page to verify selections

When a member of the Herald-Tribune Editorial Board early-voted last week in Sarasota, the touch screen seemed to function perfectly -- as it probably did for thousands of other voters.

But not for everyone, apparently. A few citizens reported troubling screen oddities -- with check marks vanishing, or appearing when they shouldn't -- as they voted.

There is no way to absolutely confirm the reports, but they seem credible. So let this be a word to the wise: Check the touch-screen review page -- which sums up the chosen selections -- carefully before finalizing your vote. Notify poll workers if you have a problem.

The potential glitch may be rare, but it's another ding in touch screens' reputation. In Sarasota County, Charlotte County (where they're also used) and around the nation, the machines are under increasing fire because they lack an independently verifiable audit trail.

>snip

(This paragraph is especially for FogerRox :hi: ) Screens are regularly recalibrated so they accurately respond to finger pressure, but they can be thrown off by heavy usage, humidity and such actions as repeatedly resting your thumbs on the wrong spot.
>more

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061104/OPINION/611040701/1030

[livvy]

6. CO: Officials Say Voting Machines tamper-Proof

Officials say voting machines tamper-proof
By MARGIE WOOD
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

The Pueblo County clerk and state elections officials are confident in the touch-screen voting machines in use here, they said Friday in response to a report that the machines easily could be manipulated.

A Web site called blackboxvoting.org has reported that the Sequoia Voting Systems AVC Edge machine has a button on the back that would allow a person to vote more than once.

According to the Web site, a California citizen detected the security problem and reported it to the secretary of state there.

Pueblo County Clerk Chris Munoz uses the AVC Edge machines in the early voting precinct at the courthouse, and at least one of the machines will be in every polling place on Election Day Tuesday.

>more

http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1162631121/2

[livvy]

7. FL: Plan in Place to Address Vote Machine Time Glitch

November 04, 2006

Plan in place to address vote machine time glitch
By JOHN BOZZO
Staff Writer

DELAND -- The clocks in Volusia County voting machines were six hours off Friday, but officials said everything will be fine for the Tuesday election.

Problems with the timing devices on a model of touch-screen voting machine from the Diebold Elections Systems surfaced this week when officials were told by the company to reset the clocks when daylight-saving time ended.

Volusia's touch-screen machines reset automatically and did not have to be manually changed.

Polk, Putnam, Leon and Glades counties have the same touch-screen machines and reported the same problem. Flagler County doesn't have the same model machine and reported no problems.

Officials discovered the time was skipping back an hour every time the Diebold touch-screen machines were turned off and back on.

The glitch, verified Friday, left Volusia County Canvassing Board members scratching their heads and drew renewed criticism from elections watchdogs.

>more

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Politics/Headlines/polWEST01POL110406.htm

if that link doesn't work, try this one:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/scripts/printme.asp

[livvy]

8. Voting Machine Pitfalls Are Seen

11-4-2006

Voting machine pitfalls are seen

By Bill Lambrecht
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

WASHINGTON -- With new machines, heavy absentee voting and fresh election laws portending confusion, election officials around the nation are being told to prepare for overtime in the mid-term elections on Tuesday.

In a conference call with election administrators, Paul DeGregorio, chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, advised officials to "educate the media" that potential glitches could delay announcement of winners.

Any combination of unforeseen problems could send people to bed Tuesday night without knowing which political party will control Congress next year, he noted.

"If we have several of these races where the winner is undecided and control of Congress is at stake, we might just have to wait," he said.

Likewise, Doug Chapin, executive director of the nonpartisan Electionline.org, said a real possibility exists that a crush of absentee and provisional ballots combined with a new fervor to challenge results could carry the mid-term election results beyond Tuesday.

>more

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/11042006/worldnation-ph-wn-votingmachines1104.html

[livvy]

9. IL: Polling Changes Aim To Provide Quicker Results

Polling changes aim to provide quicker results.

November 4, 2006

By Jonathan Lipman Staff writer

Election officials in the city and suburbs say they have been working around the clock to prevent a repeat of the delays and confusion that followed the March primary.

Just don't expect everything to be perfect.

"Of course, issues will come up," Cook County Clerk David Orr said. "They're still new systems. This is the first time for the vast majority of the voters using these systems."

In the hours after the polls closed in March, when chaos reigned, candidates were hurling all kinds of allegations at elections officials.

One candidate called the election a "train wreck." Others screamed about voter fraud and stolen elections, though all of those allegations were later taken back.

>more

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/123779,1NWS5-04.article

[livvy]

10. EDITORIAL: Fixing the Vote:Elections Equipment Faces Hard Test

EDITORIAL
November 04, 2006

Fixing the vote

Elections equipment faces hard test

Thursday night, DeLand voting activist Susan Pynchon showed up on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to discuss a power outage that hit Daytona Beach's City Island early-voting site. Stewart played it for laughs.

"You kids today with your electronic voting machines," said Stewart in his best geezer voice. "In my day, we disenfranchised black people the old-fashioned way -- intimidation. And a poll tax."

Stewart sees a ripe topic for jokes. Pynchon and other elections-security activists see problems that should concern voters of all races and political persuasions. For machines that don't use paper ballots, voters are entirely at the mercy of electronic systems manufactured by secretive vendors and riddled with problems.

Thursday night, Volusia Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall was more worried that the county's Diebold touch-screen voting machines will shut down an hour before voting is scheduled to end Tuesday, thanks to a glitch that forces the machines' internal clocks back an hour whenever they're turned on. She's inserting bright-orange sheets of paper into each poll worker's instruction packet for that eventuality, but she's rightfully concerned about getting the word to all 1,800 workers before Tuesday.

>more

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/opnOPN11110406.htm

Try this link if the one above doesn't work:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/scripts/printme.asp

[livvy]

11. Democrats, GOP Trot OUt Stars IN Final Election Push

Democrats, GOP trot out stars in final election push

By Luis F. Perez and Anthony Man
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

November 4, 2006

Hoping to fire up the party faithful, candidates and activists are kicking into overdrive for the next three days, with nonstop phone bank operations, targeted mailings and appearances by superstar political celebrities.

Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Arthur Anderson said he "optimistically expects 40 to 50 percent" turnout on Election Day.

So, everything political operatives do during the next 72 hours is about firing up their respective bases -- making sure voters who are reliable Democrats or Republicans are excited enough that they actually go to the polls Tuesday.

At this point, candidates are done trying to persuade undecided voters, said Richard Giorgio, a political consultant who worked seven mostly state House races this election cycle. It's time to switch back to make sure party supporters get out and vote, he said.

>more

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pelxgotv04nov04,0,199328.story?coll=sfla-news-palm

[livvy]

12. Kathy Dopp: What Do the Experts Say About Electronic Voting?

OpEdNews.com

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_kathy_do_061103_what_do_the_experts_.htm

November 4, 2006

What do the Experts Say About Electronic Voting?

By Kathy Dopp

"Only real recounts (cross-checking paper records against official tabulations), not just rereading machine totals, will resolve close elections." October, 2006 The American Statistical Association
http://www.amstat.org/news/StatisticalIssuesInElections.pdf

"Computer viruses ... can spread malicious software automatically and invisibly from machine to machine during normal pre- and post-election activity" and "even careful forensic examination of these records will find nothing amiss" "anyone who has physical access to a voting machine or to a memory card can install said malicious software in as little as one minute." "some of these problems cannot be remedied without replacing the machine's hardware." Princeton University Computer Scientist Ed Felton http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting/

"Technicians or election officials could be producing infected memory cards without any knowledge of what they were doing." "We'll never have secure machines if the vendors succeed in keeping the inner workings of their machines secret from the security experts.... Secrecy is not the road to security." "The Princeton report describes two attacks: a vote-altering attack and a Denial-of-Service attack" Yale University Computer Scientist Dr. Michael Fischer http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6387

"The current generation of electronic (DRE) voting machines are not secure, do not provide voters with a way to know that their votes are being tabulated correctly, and do not provide a mechanism for effective recounts when errors arise. As such, they represent an unacceptable technical risk, regardless of how people feel about them." Brigham Young University & University of Utah Computer Scientists (Carter, Windley, Brundvand, Gopalakrishnan, Hanscom, Jones, Lee, Regehr, Seamons, Shirley, Drake) http://utahcountvotes.org/voting_system_advice.pdf

>more

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_kathy_do_061103_what_do_the_experts_.htm

[livvy]

13. Critics Worry Voting Machines Could Mar Midterms

Critics worry voting machines could mar Midterms

Updated Sat. Nov. 4 2006 7:13 AM ET

The stakes are high for the Midterm elections, with just a handful of districts looking to decide whether Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives. Yet profound questions over the security of electronic voting machines could mean scores of voters stay home.

In Washington state, where long-suffering voters are accustomed to re-counts, a recent poll by Strategic Vision said 73 per cent felt problems with the 2004 election hadn't been fixed. So why bother voting?

Election officials turned to electronic voting machines after the 2000 presidential election, when it took more than a month after polls closed to confirm George W. Bush the winner.

It was hoped the machines would reduce the need for re-counts and strengthen the election system. Instead, critics have attacked Diebold Election Systems, Inc. (DESI) for creating units allegedly prone to electoral fraud.

>more

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061103/midterms_voting_061103/20061104?hub=TopStories

[livvy]

14. OH: Cuyahoga County Elections Staff Probe Inaccurate Scan Test

Cuyahoga County elections staff probe inaccurate scan test
Saturday, November 4, 2006
By M.R. KROPKO Associated Press Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) - Testing on the scanners that will read absentee ballots in the state's most populous county hit a glitch this week, but the elections chief downplayed it Friday, saying any problems will be overcome.

With Cuyahoga County facing its first general election in which all votes will be cast through scannable ballots or touch-screen electronic machines, a problem turned up in one of four routine tests, said Michael Vu, director of the county board of elections.

In each test, a deck of ballots with known results is run through scanners and the known totals are compared with the results from the machines, which are made by North Canton-based Diebold Inc. One of the tests Wednesday didn't match, Vu said.

"What we've tried to do is elevate the testing to simulate Election Day conditions," Vu said. "We try to go through all the scenarios. Three of the four tests ran well."

>more

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=317339&Category=13

[livvy]

15. CA: Mail-In Ballots Arriving Slowly; Officials Say Voters Undecided

Mail-in ballots arriving slowly; officials say voters undecided

Late returns slow down counting, experts say

By Stephanie Hoops, [e-mail]
November 4, 2006

Election officials suspect it will take a full week to count the votes after Tuesday’s election because absentee voters seem to be waiting to send their ballots in.

While the mail-in ballots have been available to voters since Oct. 9, they came in more slowly than usual, said Gene Browning, assistant registrar of voters for Ventura County.

As of Friday, the county had about 57,724 (40 percent) of the 144,000 absentee ballots it mailed out.

Of course, many of the absentee ballots might simply go unused, removing the need to count them, but voting experts suspect many voters are holding out to vote, on the fence with their decisions.

>big snip

The mail-in ballots really started arriving at the Elections Division this week. Once in, they were put into carts and rolled over to Browning’s office.

"I can’t move right now," he said. "I’m practically surrounded by absentee ballots."

http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/county_news/article/0,1375,VCS_226_5116753,00.html

[livvy]

16. PA: Court: No Observers at Latino Polls

Posted on Sat, Nov. 04, 2006


Court: No observers at Latino polls
Judicial panel rebuffs U.S. Justice Dept.
By DAVE DAVIES
[e-mail] 215-854-2595

A three-judge panel has rejected a plea by U.S. Department of Justice lawyers to order federal observers into polling places Tuesday in Philadelphia Latino neighborhoods.

The Justice Department had charged that the city fails to provide enough interpreters and Spanish-language materials for Hispanic voters - sometimes leaving polling places without interpreters and sometimes hiring ones who don't speak Spanish.

After an all-day hearing in federal court yesterday, the judges rejected the Justice Department request for election observers with a curt, two-sentence order.

"I'm very pleased," City Solicitor Romeo Diaz said last night, adding that the city plans to expand translation services dramatically on Tuesday.

>more

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/15927830.htm

[livvy]

17. This Time, the Election Will Not Be Stolen (Interview with Inaba)

This Time, the Election Will Not Be Stolen

By Gary Moskowitz, AlterNet. Posted November 4, 2006.

'American Blackout' director Ian Inaba is staging a revolution to combat potential fraud at the polls -- and he damn well wants it televised.

Ian Inaba is staging a revolution, and he damn sure wants it televised. His idea is to have videographers monitor voter polling sites during the upcoming mid-term elections and in greater numbers during the 2008 presidential election. Their purpose: bypass the mainstream media and provide real-time, online media coverage of any problems that arise at voting sites.

His plan for action is what he works on when not promoting his new documentary film, "American Blackout," which looks at the disenfranchisement of the Black vote in America and voting irregularities in the 2000 and 2004 national elections. The film also traces what journalist Greg Palast calls the "political lynching" of Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., for openly questioning the Bush administration's policies involving Iraq and 9/11.

"American Blackout" received a Special Jury Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The San Francisco Chronicle called it "as much an indictment of liberal apathy as of conservative dirty dealing." Film Journal International called it a "paid advertisement for Cynthia McKinney."

Inaba, 35, is a journalist for the Guerrilla News Network. He directed the music videos for "Mosh" by Eminem and "Time and Time Again" by Chronic Future. Inaba also contributed to GNN's book "True Lies," about black box voting. The former investment banker is now creating his own grassroots, citizen journalism from his home base in Berkeley.

http://www.alternet.org/movies/43872/

If you haven't seen the film, you should. It is good. To view or purchase a copy, you can go here:
http://www.americanblackout.com/

[livvy]

18. AlterNet's Voter Protection Site

Voter Protection, Action and Resources

Here's a sampler of Take Action links:

Take Action

* Election Protection Hotline
People for the American Way's election protection website and hotline, 1-866-OUR-VOTE, staffed by 500 lawyers.

* Election Protection Strike Force
Velvet Revolution's national election watch site with facts, hotlines and resources. Report voting Incidents here -- toll-free: 866-OUR-VOTE

* Blue Revolution
When the polls close, we propose that Democrats across the country gather outside their County Election Office for a candlelight vigil to Count Every Vote, all wearing the same color: Blue.

* Rewards offered for proof of voter fraud
Whistle blowers: Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being offered to people who have conclusive proof that an election has been rigged and results in a conviction. 1-866-VOTETIP

>more links to resources, news, and actions to take

http://www.alternetvoterprotection.org/

[livvy]

19. TX: Electronic Voting Machines Causing Problems in Williamson County

Electronic voting machines causing problems in Williamson County
They may not be available by Election Day

By Lisa Ogle
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, November 04, 2006

GEORGETOWN — An electronic ballot may not be an option for Williamson County voters on Tuesday.

A public test of the voting machines' Election Day software, which is required by state law, failed Friday. When a straight-party vote was cast, the screen did not show that a candidate was selected for Precinct 3 commissioner, Elections Administrator Debra Stacy said.

In that race, Republican Valerie Covey is running against Democrat Randall Craig to fill the unexpired term of Tom McDaniel, who died in February. The same problem occurred at the beginning of early voting, but it was corrected and no votes were affected, Stacy said.

This morning, representatives of Elections Systems & Software are expected to install new software in an effort to correct the glitch, Stacy said. (Oh, great news...that should help) :scared: Candidates and party members will be contacted before another test is run on Saturday, she said.

>more

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/04/4voting.html

[livvy]

20. The Canadian viewpt: A Look at the Races to Watch.....

Saturday » November 4 » 2006

A look at the races to watch in Tuesday's U.S. mid-term elections

Sheldon Alberts
CanWest News Service

Saturday, November 04, 2006

WASHINGTON -- America's midterm elections are all about President George W. Bush, or so say the pundits. But there'll be plenty of other election intrigue for political junkies on Nov. 7. Here are some of the most interesting people, places and races to watch on Tuesday night.

THE TERMINATOR, Version 2.0 - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger swept to power in 2003 in a recall election driven by Californians' anger at status quo politicians. His celebrity helped woo Hollywood liberals, as did his promises of bridge building with Democrats. Two years later, he had plummeted to 35 per cent approval ratings and stood accused of bullying his way through Sacramento. Most observers predicted his political demise after Californians rejected several of Schwarzenegger's legislative initiatives in a 2005 special election. The rebuke humbled Schwarzenegger he dropped the references to ``girlie-man'' Democrats and became a model of bipartisan co-operation. His riskiest move mandating greenhouse gas reductions has been hailed as forward-thinking leadership in a state where the car is still king. He has been rewarded with backing from Tinseltown liberals like Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, and has been endorsed by just about every major newspaper in the state. With his Democratic challenger, state treasurer Phil Angelides, trailing by 14 per cent, the Gubernator appears headed for a second term.

TOO KINKY FOR TEXAS? - He is a cigar-smoking, libertarian, Jewish country music singer who once-headlined a band called the Texas Jewboys. He wants to legalize marijuana and made his literary name with an article titled They Ain't Making Jews like Jesus Anymore. But lately, 62-year-old Kinky Friedman, running as an independent, is best known as the guy who joked about running for governor and ended up a serious candidate to unseat incumbent Rick Perry. Known for spouting one-liners like ``a man without a woman was like a neck without a pain,'' Friedman injected life into an otherwise dull campaign season in the Lone Star state. But any realistic chance of becoming the next Jesse Ventura of American politics were dashed when he called Hurricane Katrina refugees in Texas a bunch of ``crack heads and thugs'' who were driving up the state's crime rate. His pledge to put ``10,000 troops on the border'' to keep out illegal immigrants did him little good with Texas' increasingly powerful Latino voters. Friedman now admits he needs a ``Texas miracle'' on Tuesday. The only thing he seems certain to win is the contest for most free publicity in an election year.

INDIANA, INDIANA, INDIANA - The Hoosier State has never been known as a bellwether of American political attitudes, but when polls close on Tuesday night in the Republican stronghold, all eyes will be on three congressional races that could determine whether the GOP is headed back to the minority. Republican incumbents in the 2nd, 8th and 9th congressional districts are in deep trouble against three strong Democratic challengers. As of mid October, the Republican National Committee had pumped $2.8 million to save the Republicans. Most of the money went to Rep. John Hostetler, a dyed-in-the-wool social conservative who recently warned Democratic leaders were set to impose a ``radical homosexual agenda'' on Washington.

VIRGINIA IS (NOT) FOR LOVERS - Voters in the southern state with an amorous slogan have endured some of the nastiest politics of the 2006 election. Incumbent Senator George Allen recently launched attack ads casting his Democratic opponent, Vietnam vet and former naval secretary Jim Webb, as immoral for writing novels that include explicit sex scenes. Call it changing the subject. Allen, once considered a Republican presidential hopeful, is desperate to save a seat that should have been the safest in the country. His campaign imploded after he was videotaped calling a dark-skinned man ``macaca,'' a racial slur, and after denying his Jewish roots. Then allegations surfaced that he used the n-word to describe African-Americans as a college student. Now jokingly referred to as ``Senator Macacawitz,'' his White House aspirations are likely dashed even if he wins re-election to the Senate.

>more including Duckworth, Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Peter King (R-New York), James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), Granholm, Foley, Jefferson, Santorum, and Chafee.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=4c2a0378-bb0c-4fc0-8433-81474d48a1bc&k=52866&p=3

[livvy]

21. Find Your Polling Place

This was just posted by Eric J in MN in the General Discussion forum. Nice find and thanks, Eric!




http://www.vote411.org/

[livvy]

22. Exit Poll Analysts Going To Great Lengths To Get It Right

Original post by jefferson_dem in Latest breaking News

Exit poll analysts going to great lengths to get it right
They'll be sequestered to prevent early leaks that can cost credibility.

By Matea Gold, Times Staff Writer
November 4, 2006

NEW YORK — Haunted by the bungled calls and leaked information that plagued the coverage of the last three nationwide elections, networks are taking no chances when it comes to Tuesday's midterm.

This time around, the members of the National Election Pool — a consortium of five broadcast and cable networks and the Associated Press that commissions exit polls of the major races — have decided to sequester two analysts from each news organization in a secret "quarantine room" in New York, where they alone will get access to the first waves of data from precincts around the country.

Stripped of their cellphones and BlackBerrys — and even monitored when they use the bathroom — the representatives will be able to study the results of the surveys but will not be allowed to communicate them to their newsrooms until 5 p.m. EST. They must sign affidavits guaranteeing that they will not reveal any data before then.

The drastic measures are necessary, news executives said, to prevent the leaks that occurred in the 2004 presidential race, when early exit poll results indicating that Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) was in the lead rocketed through cyberspace.

<SNIP>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-et-tv...

[livvy]

23. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2596535

[livvy]

24. Last thought for the day...

If all goes well, let's all plan to say...

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.


GOTV
This is one time when quantity could equal quality!

[Ellipsis]

25. .

[rumpel]

26. lol

OP made my day, thanks Livvy.


:rofl:

[autorank]

27. KR - Great turkey...I thought they were our ally;) n/t