Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 04/28/08

[tbyg52]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 04/28/08

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[tbyg52]

1. States nt

[tbyg52]

14. WV: West Virginia’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy for Voters

The West Virginia Secretary of State's office and county election offices in the state are refusing to tell independent voters arriving to early vote at the state's 55 voting locations that they are entitled to vote in its Democratic or Republican primary, stating that they are forbidden to do so by law.

"The Obama campaign will lose thousands of votes during early voting if this situation isn't corrected quickly," Victoria Baker, a former Republican who is an Obama supporter in Huntington, West Virginia, said Sunday.

"The Secretary of State's position is not supported by the law," according to Roy D. (Don) Baker, a West Virginia lawyer familiar with the situation. "It is wrong," he said. Mr. Baker, a Democrat, is also an Obama supporter and Ms. Baker's husband.

More:
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/83741/

[tbyg52]

26. Heated primary helps boost W.Va.'s voter totals to record high

As Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continue to battle for every last Democratic convention delegate, the resulting interest in West Virginia's May 13 primary has helped push the state's voter rolls to a record-high 1.18 million.

But while Democrats remain the majority party in the Mountain State, their decision to open their primary to unaffiliated voters also appears a factor behind the increase.

These voters account for nearly half of the growth seen since the last statewide election, in 2006. And while both Democrats and Republicans have actually seen drops in their ranks since 2004, when total registration hit a 52-year high, new unaffiliated voters more than offset their declines.

More:
http://www.dailymail.com/News/statenews/200804280079

[tbyg52]

15. MN: Photo-ID voting in Minnesota: not precisely partisan

State Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano) was crowing today about the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision upholding state photo-ID requirements to vote.

Emmer is the co-author of a House proposal to mandate photo ID in Minnesota elections; it failed 70-59 three weeks ago. He says it won’t come up again this session unless there’s an election-related bill to attach it to.

The issue has been partisan at the state and national level; Republicans say photo-ID requirements are a common-sense way to deter voter fraud; Democrats say it’s a voter-suppression hurdle for voters who don’t currently have a photo ID, such as the poor and the elderly.

What’s interesting, though, is that when Emmer tried to amend a Senate elections bill April 8 to include photo ID, 10 House DFLers backed him.

More:
http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2008/04/28/1660/photo-id_voting_in_minnesota_not_precisely_partisan

[tbyg52]

17. CA: Bowen visit puts spotlight on numbers game

Thirty-six, 23, 16, 9. What looks like the combination to a safe is actually the set of numbers California Secretary of State Debra Bowen used to illustrate to Amador County Democrats how far the state still has to go to reach full democracy.

California's total population is 36 million. Of that number, 23 million are eligible to vote. Sixteen million are currently registered to vote, while 9 million voted in the last election.

Other important numbers are 44, 33, 19 and 35, 46, 14. These are breakdowns of Democrats, Republicans and decline-to-state voters in the state and Amador County, respectively, which Democrats hope to turn from red to purple (blue still appears to be a bit beyond reach).

In a year for numbers, the 130 people who attended the Amador County Democratic Central Committee third annual fund-raiser dinner at the Jackson Rancheria Casino, Hotel and Conference Center Thursday night were enthusiastic about the visit by one of only six women to have ever won election to a statewide office in California.

More:
http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/news/newsview.asp?c=241847&topStory=1

[tbyg52]

19. CT: The Dead Vote

A group of University of Connecticut journalism students may have overstated the problem a bit, but they deserve credit nonetheless for a recent class project that underscored the need to update voter registration records.

The study found more than 300 state residents who appeared to have voted after they died, a figure that triggered rapid heart palpitations in and an investigation by Connecticut's chief elections officer, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, when she read about the project in The Courant.

Fortunately, most instances of dead people voting were linked to clerical errors rather than fraud or an unnatural phenomenon. In some cases, towns weren't notified of the deaths and so failed to remove the names from voting lists. Those errors were compounded when a resident or a relative with the same name as the deceased showed up to cast a ballot. In a handful of cases, voters were still very much alive, Ms. Bysiewicz said.

More:
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-deadvoters.artapr28,0,6911660.story

[tbyg52]

20. FL: Help Clint Curtis

Friends, please help Clint Curtis raise the funds he needs to file for this fall's House race in Florida's 24th Congressional district.

He only needs $2000! Not too much to ask for such a patriot, who's done so much to spread the word about BushCo's election fraud--despite the interference, and/or non-cooperation, of both parties.

Help Clint run against Tom Feeney, and maintain his struggle for an honest voting system in the Sunshine State, and everywhere throughout this tottering republic.

More:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_mark_cri_080428_help_clint_curtis.htm

[tbyg52]

21. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=501446&mesg_id=501446

[tbyg52]

23. MS: Miss. attempts at voter ID law have failed

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says a Supreme Court ruling on voter ID shows the court's interest in protecting the integrity of the ballot box goes hand-in-hand with ensuring the public's confidence in the election process.

Mississippi does not require voter identification at the polls. Legislative efforts to enact a law, including an attempt this year, have failed.

More:
http://www.sunherald.com/306/story/520355.html

[tbyg52]

54. Hosemann: Protecting Integrity, Confidence In Election Is Key To Voter ID

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said Monday’s Supreme Court ruling on voter ID shows the court wants to protect the integrity of the ballot box.

He said that goes hand-in-hand with ensuring the public's confidence in the election process.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that Indiana and other states can require voters to produce photo identification without violating their constitutional rights.

Mississippi doesn't require voter identification at the polls. Legislative efforts to enact a law, including an attempt this year, have failed.

More:
http://www.wapt.com/news/16038320/detail.html

[tbyg52]

24. CA: Good intentions could harm redistricting ballot measure

t's now practically certain: There'll be a measure on the November ballot to finally quash the Legislature's self-destructive system of gerrymandering.

What's uncertain is whether there'll also be a rival measure placed on the ballot by the Legislature.

This is a much-needed reform that could wind up being loved to death by too many smothering embraces.

And it's an excellent example of the need for another reform: a fix of the initiative system.

More:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap28apr28,1,513809.column

[tbyg52]

25. FL: League Stops Registering Voters, Plans To Sue Florida

The League of Women Voters and its 27 local leagues have helped thousands of Floridians register to vote over the years.

Just more than a week ago, however, the organization's leaders said they would have to stop their current drive because the state's top election official planned to enforce strict deadlines for the return of voter registration forms, with escalating fines of up to $1,000 for late or lost forms.

More:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/28/na-league-stops-registering-voters-plans-to-sue-fl/

[tbyg52]

32. NC: Democrats Registering In Record Numbers

They lined up shoulder to shoulder inside the gray high-rise downtown, their politics as diverse as their backgrounds. An ex-felon who needs health insurance, followed by a high school student seeking empowerment, followed by a Marine Corps veteran who wants to prevent his country from crumbling.

Like hundreds of others, their quests led them to the Wake County voter services office this month to register as Democrats for the first time. The line of newcomers that snaked across the checkered tile floor was emblematic of those that have formed across the country this year: black voters, young voters, lifelong Republicans switching parties -- all registering in record numbers, and all aligning as Democrats.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/27/ST2008042702368.html?hpid=topnews

[tbyg52]

33. TX: Gap remains between Hispanic population and Hispanic voters

The number of Houston-area Hispanic voters has tripled since 1990, making it the region's fastest-growing voting group, according to a newspaper study.

But Hispanics have yet to harness their voting power, as Harris County has the largest Hispanic population in the United States that has never sent a Hispanic to Congress.

(A little) more:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5735087.html

[tbyg52]

37. TX: Dewhurst hails Supreme Court ruling, state fight likely

From the "Oh God, just what they need - more ammunition" department....

Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst hailed Monday's Supreme Court ruling that approves states' efforts to pass a voter identification law and said he looks forward to passing such a measure when the legislature meets again next year.

The ruling galvanizes a Republican-inspired effort that Democrats say will keep some poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots.

"With this legal challenge now behind us, I look forward to passing a fair voter ID law in Texas next year that fully protects the voting rights of all U.S. citizens registered to vote in Texas," Dewhurst said.

Efforts to pass a voter ID bill last year divided the Legislature along partisan lines. The measure, which would have required voters to present a photo ID, ultimately failed in a bitter Senate stalemate.

More:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5736975.html

[tbyg52]

52. Voter ID decision could boost Texas efforts for such a law

States can require voters to show voter identification, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Texas Republicans have pushed for such a requirement in recent years and are likely to keep doing so, saying it prevents voter fraud. They’re likely to pick that fight back up when the Legislature returns in January.

Texas Democrats, who say such laws discourage some elderly and minority voters from going to the polls, have so far managed to thwart those efforts.

The court ruled 6-3 that an Indiana voter ID law can stand. That law is considered among the toughest voter ID laws in the country.

More:
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2008/04/28/voter_id_decision_could_boost.html

[tbyg52]

39. GA: voter ID challenge to go forward

A legal challenge to Georgia's voter ID law will go forward, despite Monday's U.S. Supreme Court upholding Indiana's requirement of photo identification at the ballot box.

Lawyer David Brackett, who is representing critics of the Georgia law, said Monday there are no plans to abandon the case. A notice of appeal has been on hold in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals until the high court ruled. The plaintiffs will now move to get the case heard.

Brackett said the Georgia challenge is stronger and more well developed than the Indiana case the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on.

More:
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/251/story/308500.html

[sonias]

55. Glad to see this -we need to keep flooding the courts with these

Good luck to the litigants in the GA case!

Sonia

[tbyg52]

41. OR: New machine makes voting easy for anyone

From her office in the Courthouse, Baker County Clerk Tami Green flips a switch. A tabletop slowly rises, elevating a new computer and printer high enough to allow, say, a person in a wheelchair easy voting access.

But that's just one task the county's new voting machine can perform.

People with impaired vision can use the new software to magnify an electronic version of the ballot. Or they can use a pair of buttons to make their selections while a computerized voice "reads" the ballot to them. Voters who can't easily mark a ballot with a pencil can use a joystick or an oversized mouse to make their way through an electronic ballot.

When the user has voted, a printer prepares the ballot, then delivers it into a black plastic privacy box. Then the voter signs the ballot and places it into a familiar blue privacy envelope — where the ballot will join the large pile of ballots Green expects during the May 20 primary.

More:
http://www.bakercityherald.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=6433

[tbyg52]

47. CO: Some Colorado Voters Want To Follow Indiana's Lead

snip

Balink believes requiring a photo ID isn't asking for much. "A valid ID when voting is critical to ensuring the integrity of the election process," said Balink. He says Colorado's system is flawed. "You can show up with a Bob Balink utility bill and say, 'I'm Bob Balink,' and you can go vote his ballot that morning," said Balink.

But not everybody agrees. Some say you shouldn't have to show your ID in order to register to vote. Some say, cracking down will only deter the elderly and minorities from casting their votes.

It's an issue many are concerned with during a very hot election year.

Balink says, three times, bills requiring a photo ID at registration in Colorado, were all thrown out.

More:
http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/18342724.html

[tbyg52]

51. IN: May 6 Snapshot: Indiana

The May 6 primaries in Indiana and North Carolina will present markedly pictures of election security. In North Carolina, the Presidential race will be audited by a post-election hand count of paper ballots or voter-verifiable paper records. State law requires such records on all voting systems. Indiana does not yet have a law requiring voter-verified paper records or voter-marked paper ballots. A majority of votes in the May 6 primary will be cast on paperless electronic machines that cannot be properly audited, and some votes will be cast on optically scanned paper ballots. There will be no post-election audit.

Indiana early voting began on April 7. According to the Secretary of State's office, there are 4,315,908 registered voters in the state as of April 25. Voters in Indiana are required to present a photo ID at the polls, under a law which has just been upheld by the Supreme Court.

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2832&Itemid=113

[tbyg52]

2. National nt

[tbyg52]

8. Supreme Court says states can demand photo ID for voting

States can require voters to produce photo identification, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, upholding a Republican-inspired law that Democrats say will keep some poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots.

Twenty-five states require some form of ID, and the court's 6-3 decision rejecting a challenge to Indiana's strict voter ID law could encourage others to adopt their own measures. Oklahoma legislators said the decision should help them get a version approved.

The ruling means the ID requirement will be in effect for next week's presidential primary in Indiana, where a significant number of new voters are expected to turn out for the Democratic contest between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

The results could say something about the effect of the law, either because a large number of voters will lack identification and be forced to cast provisional ballots or because the number turns out to be small.

More:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iegvd98ph9koi4IJgrhdaPAwZsxQD90B2TM80

[tbyg52]

9. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=501447&mesg_id=501447

[tbyg52]

13. Excerpts from Supreme Court ruling for voter ID requirement

Excerpts from Monday's 6-3 Supreme Court decision upholding Indiana's law requiring voters to present a picture ID before they vote:

Justice John Paul Stevens, writing to uphold the law: "Indiana's own experience with fraudulent voting in the 2003 Democratic primary for East Chicago mayor — though perpetrated using absentee ballots and not in-person fraud — demonstrate that not only is the risk of voter fraud real but that it could affect the outcome of a close election."

"The record says virtually nothing about the difficulties faced by either indigent voters or voters with religious objections to being photographed. ... In sum, on the basis of the record that has been made in this litigation, we cannot conclude that the statute imposes 'excessively burdensome requirements' on any class of voters."

"Finally we note that petitioners have not demonstrated that the proper remedy — even assuming an unjustified burden on some voters — would be to invalidate the entire statute."

More:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iAyKEM226R9yo4cSfetnjZBm0tBgD90AUV0G2

[tbyg52]

18. AJC Disappointed by Indiana Voter Identity Ruling

The American Jewish Committee expressed its disappointment with today’s Supreme Court’s ruling that said States that require voters to produce photo identification are not violating the voters’ constitutional rights.

“We are deeply troubled by the undue burden that will now be placed on elderly, poor, and minority voters as a result of this ruling. One cannot assume that such voters have easy access to photo identification,” said Jeffrey Sinensky, AJC's general counsel.

(A little) more:
http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=849241&ct=5296553

[tbyg52]

22. Common Dreams: Supreme Court Ruling Will Disenfranchise Indiana Primary Voters

The Supreme Court has taken the extraordinary step today of ensuring that eligible voters in Indiana and potentially throughout the country will be denied the right to vote.

“In a year in which millions of people have registered to vote in the presidential primaries, including thousands for Indiana’s primary next week, it’s disheartening to see the Supreme Court uphold a measure that will deter and prevent Americans from participating in the electoral process and having their votes count,” said Tova Wang, Common Cause’s vice president for research. Although the court left open the possibility of future “as applied” challenges to voter ID laws, this will do nothing for the citizens of Indiana in this crucial election year, Wang added.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0428-21.htm

[tbyg52]

36. Asian American Groups Dismayed by U.S. Supreme Court Decision Upholding Voter ID Law

Today, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 34-year old national civil rights organization, expressed its dismay with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in two consolidated cases, Crawford v. Marion County Election Board and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita, which rejected a constitutional challenge to the Indiana law requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification before they can vote.

AALDEF, with pro bono co-counsel Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, had filed an amicus ("friend of the court") brief in the Supreme Court on behalf of twenty-five Asian American groups, detailing the problems of restrictive voter ID laws, especially for racial and language minority voters.

Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director, said, “We are disappointed that the Supreme Court failed to recognize the real-life impacts of voter ID laws in deterring Asian American and other minority citizens from exercising their right to vote."

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2831&Itemid=26

[tbyg52]

42. Indiana's Primary First Major Test Of State's Controversial Voter Photo ID Law

Bloomington, IN (AHN) - Indiana's May 6 Democratic presidential primary will be the first major test of the state's new controversial voter ID law that critics charge disproportionally affects registered voters who are minorities, poor, elderly or very young.

An associate professor of law and dean's fellow at the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis whose scholarship focuses on the law of democracy, particularly the Voting Rights Act, made some observations about what he expects to discover from the upcoming primary.

The large turnout expected for the primary will provide a good set of circumstances to evaluate the law's impact on voters, Indiana University election law expert Michael J. Pitts said in a statement released by Newswise.

"With Barak Obama's great support among African Americans and college students, we will have a better idea about how Indiana's voter identification law impacts elections," Pitts said.

More:
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010783261

[tbyg52]

48. Could the Supreme Court's ruling make a difference at the ballot box?.

Just as many Democrats have been getting nervous about their presidential prospects in November against Republican John McCain, the U.S. Supreme Court issues a major ruling that potentially could have significant political fallout.

As you probably know by now, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that states can indeed require voters to produce photo identification in order to prevent voter fraud. “We cannot conclude that the statute imposes ‘excessively burdensome requirements’ on any class of voters,” Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in the majority opinion.

For years, many Republicans have strongly supported these requirements as a way to make sure that only eligible U.S. citizens actually get to vote. Many Democrats have opposed these statutes, arguing that they often deter minority, elderly and poor voters from showing up at the polls. Some of these voters simply don’t have appropriate government-issued photo identification. More than 20 states already have such requirements. Now, with this Supreme Court decision, other states no doubt will follow suit.

More:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/28/blitzer-court-ruling-could-have-huge-impact-at-the-polls/

[tbyg52]

49. Lawyers’ Committee Disappointed with Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Indiana’s Voter ID Law

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued a statement today expressing disappointment that the Supreme Court rejected a facial, constitutional challenge to Indiana’s voter identification law in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board. However, the Lawyers’ Committee notes that the Supreme Court left the door open for future constitutional challenges to voter identification laws.

“We remain committed to ensuring that laws which restrict the ballot to traditionally disfranchised voters without any evidence of in-person voter fraud will not go unchallenged,” stated Jon Greenbaum, director of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Voting Rights Project. “This is not the end of our fight to ensure that elections are open to all eligible citizens.”

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2830&Itemid=26

[tbyg52]

50. Project Vote Statement on Supreme Court Ruling in Crawford v. Marion County Elections Board

On Monday, April 28, the Supreme Court rejected a constitutional challenge to Indiana's law (Crawford v. Marion County Elections Board) requiring voters to show a government-issued photo identification before they may cast a ballot. Crawford plaintiffs argued that Indiana's strict photo ID requirements disproportionately disenfranchise minority voters. Donna Massey, Project Vote Board Member and a supporter of voting rights, issued this statement:

"The Supreme Court ruling is disappointing for Americans who want the next president to be chosen in a free and fair election in which all eligible voters have an equal opportunity to participate. The voters most harmed by the ruling are first-time voters who are registering this year in record numbers. If legislators in the 24 states where strict photo voter ID rules have been introduced take the Court's decision as a green light, voters across the country will find it more difficult to cast their ballots this Election Day. Our democracy works best when every American participates.

More:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/supreme-court-voter-id-decision-may-quell-turnout-tsunami,369894.shtml

[tbyg52]

28. Few states allow overseas troops to vote by e-mail

From the "well, duh" department....

U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan can speak to their families by Web camera and fight insurgents using sophisticated electronic warfare. Yet when it comes to voting, most troops are stuck in the past.

Communities in 13 states will send overseas troops presidential election ballots by e-mail this year, and districts in at least seven states will also let them return completed ballots over the Internet, according to data compiled by The Associated Press and the Overseas Vote Foundation.

That still leaves tens of thousands of service members in far-flung military bases struggling to meet voting deadlines and relying largely on regular mail to get ballots and cast votes — often at the last minute because of delays in ballot preparations in some states.

Adding an electronic boost to the process would ease those problems, but it raises security and privacy concerns.

More:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gyJXyREMROriqcjKMjGxgEx_n0zgD90AI9680

[tbyg52]

43. Earnings Preview: Diebold Inc.

snip

WHATS AHEAD: Investors have been largely in the dark about Diebold's performance over the past year and will be anticipating the release of its outstanding earnings reports. The company said it hopes to begin releasing those reports after the end of the second quarter.

The performance of its much-criticized voting-machines subsidiary, Premier Election Solutions, is also likely to receive scrutiny as many states have said they are reverting to paper ballots.

More:
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/ea92058863fedfd1a95634d23295a9b5.htm

[sonias]

59. Activists: Ruling hurts youth voters

Politico blog 4/28/08
Activists: Ruling hurts youth voters
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to uphold Indiana’s voter identification requirement Monday morning will likely depress youth turnout — especially among college students — in the upcoming Indiana primary, according to voting rights experts.

“Whereas most people focus on the effects voter ID laws have on minority and indigent voters, they often hit hardest on young people and particularly college students,” said Matthew Segal, founder of the Student Association for Voter Empowerment, which signed the amicus brief opposing the Indiana law.

In Indiana, voters must present a government-issued photo identification card with the one’s current address at the voting booth.

Young people, because they move residences frequently, are less likely to have such an ID. For instance, Rock the Vote’s February poll of 18-29 year olds found that 19 percent of respondents did not have a photo ID with their current address on it.

Another group of people that gets overlooked - the young mobile voter, whether they're students or just moved to a different state. These are likely to be very motivated voters this year too.

Sonia

[tbyg52]

3. Foreign nt

[tbyg52]

7. UK: Electoral system at serious risk from fraud

The electoral system is at serious risk of large scale fraud, according to a report on Monday.

The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust (JRRT) report, which comes just three days before this week's local elections in England and Wales, said far more needs to be done to ensure the integrity of the voting system.

Among the reforms it called for was the requirement for all Britons to produce photographic ID before being allowed to cast their ballot.

"It's very concerning that ministers tend to focus on 'quick fixes' to solve declining turnout and ignore genuine concerns about how easy it can be to cheat the system," said the report's author Stuart Wilks-Heeg.

More:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL2816828020080428

[tbyg52]

27. Postal votes' rise central to election controversy

Corrupt elections in Birmingham are at the centre of a hard-hitting study published today. Public Affairs Editor Paul Dale analyses its findings

---------

The Joseph Rowntree Trust report into the state of the British electoral system begins with a comment that is as worrying as it is irrefutable.

"Current controversies about the integrity of elections in the UK are without precedent in recent British political history."

The authors pin most of the problems fairly and squarely on a Government decision in 2000 to make postal voting available to everyone.

Before then, it had been extremely difficult to obtain a postal vote. Only people who were sick or bedridden, disabled, living permanently abroad or on service overseas with HM forces were guaranteed to qualify to vote by post. Even then, the lengths someone had to go to in order to get a postal vote were laborious.

More:
http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2008/04/28/postal-votes-rise-central-to-election-controversy-65233-20831344/

[tbyg52]

34. Time to bite the ballot

We shouldn't need to be told again that our electoral system is vulnerable to fraud. But what we don't want to hear is that ID cards are the solution

You don't need an academic to tell you that the electoral register is a joke. You just need to take a note of number of "my dog/baby/budgerigar got a polling card" stories that appear at around this time every year. So, while the publication of Stuart Wilks-Heeg report Purity of Elections in the UK is, of course, welcome, it is baffling why it is still necessary to make the case once again.

The government ran out of excuses for not introducing greater ballot security several years ago; one would have thought that the 2005 exposure of industrial-scale postal vote fraud in Birmingham would have left them without any more room for manoeuvre. To be fair, Bridget Prentice has promised that the Ministry of Justice is "looking at" increasing ballot security, but we have heard that before. We are left asking: how bad will it have to get before the government finally acts?

More:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/peter_facey/2008/04/time_to_bite_the_ballot.html

[tbyg52]

10. UK: Man charged over election fraud

From the "the media can't tell 'voter fraud' from 'election fraud'" department.....

John Hall, of Coriander Way, Whiteley, was charged at the weekend following a police inquiry into proxy voting in the Whiteley ward of Winchester.

The 67-year-old is accused of with making a false instrument under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.

Mr Hall also faces charges of falsely registering information and making a false proxy voting application.

(A little) more:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/7370642.stm

[tbyg52]

11. Nigeria: Amid Massive Voters turnout - One Killed, 19 held for Fraud in Adamawa Re-Run Poll

THERE was massive turn out of voters for the governorship by-election in Adamawa State that took place yesterday.

The election was generally peaceful except for violence at Michika Local Government Area of the state where supporters of the two main political parties, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Action Congress, AC, tried to disrupt the voting process.

Confirmed report said one person was killed in the scuffle, while 19 persons were arrested in Michika and Yola. The deputy inspector general of police, Uba Ringim, confirming the clash, said one person died in the scuffle, one was in critical condition while others received various degrees of injuries. He also confirmed the arrest of 16 persons in Michika and three in Yola for various electoral offences.

More:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200804280120.html

[tbyg52]

29. Zimbabwe: No Results Yet Four Weeks After Elections

President Robert Mugabe chose to mark Independence Day with a speech attacking Britain and the opposition, Movement for Democratic Change. He conveniently ignored the issue of the disputed March 29 presidential election and the ever-disintegrating economy.

As he attacked Britain and the MDC, many Zimbabweans were hungry, while others were in pain after Zanu PF militia and the so-called war veterans beat them up.

Zanu PF, targeting people perceived to have voted for the opposition, allegedly orchestrated the violence. Those who were not beaten are also angry; they are still waiting for election results. The presidential election results are yet to be announced more than three weeks after the ballot was cast.

Zimbabweans have been anxious to know the outcome regardless of the party they are affiliated to. "It was us (Zanu PF) and not the British who brought democracy to this country," roared Mugabe as he delivered his speech, much to the delight of his followers.

More:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200804281045.html

[tbyg52]

31. Bangladesh: EC finalises proposals for electoral reforms

The Election Commission (EC) has finalised the much talked about electoral reform proposals with a set of stringent rules for parliamentary political parties, in an effort to ensure financial transparency and democratic practice within those organisations.

Once the proposals are made into laws, political parties intending to contest in the next parliamentary election will have to bring sweeping internal reforms to get registered with the EC.

The proposals also suggest harsh punishments for violators of electoral laws.

According to the proposed laws, major political parties like Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party will have to amend their constitutions and elect new committees through holding national councils since their current constitutions contain provisions which contradict the EC's proposals.

Wrapping up the electoral reform talks with political parties yesterday, the EC is now preparing to send the finalised proposals to the caretaker government for making those into laws, for bringing extensive reforms in the existing electoral system, sources in the commission said.

More:
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=34306

[tbyg52]

35. India: Poll Centres To Be Armed With Voters’ Photos

After revelations about Pakistani militants having acquired state voter identity cards, Election Commission of India has decided to keep voters’ photographs at polling stations during the coming elections in Kashmir.

The Election Commission of India has decided to equip polling stations in the coming state elections with photographs of voters to prevent bogus voting and other electoral malpractices.

The chief electoral officer, B.R Sharma said that the polling staff would match the photographs with the voter identity cards to help them identify genuine voters.

“The exercise will bar bogus voters, and the administration will be able to conduct transparent elections,” he said.

More:
http://www.kashmirobserver.com/index.php?id=4039

[tbyg52]

45. Irregularities in absentee voting in Singapore, Malaysia

Absentee voting in the referendum conducted by the Burmese embassy in Singapore has turned out to be a farce and is being held only in name. It does not include all eligible voters, Burmese citizens in Singapore said.

Burmese activists in Singpore held demonstration near the Burmese embassy urging voters to reject the draft constitution by casting 'No'.

A Burmese worker in Singapore, who saw the voters list prepared by the embassy said there were only about 10,000 registered names, where as Singapore hosts at least 40,000 legal Burmese students and workers.

"As far as we are aware there are at least 40,000 or more Burmese citizens with valid passports and legal documents, who are eligible for voting but the list had only about 10,000 names," the Burmese worker, who on Sunday cast his vote, said.

More:
http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/5-regional/375-irregularities-in-absentee-voting-in-singapore-malaysia

[tbyg52]

46. Philippines: ‘All systems go’ for ARMM automated elections

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) today identified the supplier companies that will run the automation of elections in four of six provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). According to Comelec chief Jose Melo, the contracts will be signed on May 5 or 6.

Melo told a joint congressional hearing held in the Senate today that supplier companies Smatmatic Sahi Joint Venture (SSJD), Active Business Solutions, and Abante will handle the automation in Maguindanao, Basilan and Shariff Kabunsuan combined, and Lanao Del Sur respectively.
Related Stories
• Congress intervention forces Comelec to automate ARMM elections

Smatmatic will use a "direct recording evaluation" scheme—similar to a touch screen—while the others will use "optical mark reader" scheme (shading of ballots). The ARMM elections is scheduled in August.

More:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=116376

[tbyg52]

4. Blogs, Editorials, LTTEs, etc. nt

[tbyg52]

12. Stealing An Election: The Psychological Impact Beyond the Ballot Box

For the first time in American history a Black man is poised to become the darling of the Democratic Party, and there is every possibility that he could win the nomination for President of the United States, leading to what has to be the most historical presidency since the United States began. This monumental moment will only happen however, if diligent, honest eyes and ears continue to monitor and speak out about the nation's dismal, antiquated voting process, beleaguered by massive electronic voting irregularities and laughable technology that were supposed to increase reliability and validity in a sophisticated, streamlined process.

Instead, there is an unprecedented resurgence of voter intimidation, stories of polls closed too soon, voters' prevented from casting

More:
http://www.blacknews.com/news/debbe_deane101.shtml

[tbyg52]

16. Honest elections more important than easy ones

From the "no kidding" department....

Convenience for voters obviously needs to be a major consideration for Ohio elections officials – but not the top priority. Honest elections, free of vote fraud, should be the primary concern.

Trumbull County officials, therefore, should immediately reject Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s notion that counties should have the option of conducting elections solely through mail-in ballots. She wants state legislators to consider action that would allow counties to seek voter approval of such a mechanism. Under the plan, if a county’s voters approve, ballots would be submitted only by mail – there would be no polling places open on election day.

We can think of few more effective recipes for widespread vote fraud, not to mention questions about errors on ballots.

Obviously, voting by mail is attractive to election officials at all levels. Should voters approve it, a county elections board would be spared the expense and headaches of operating a system of polling places on election day.

More:
http://www.tribunechronicle.com/page/content.detail/id/504528.html?nav=5004

[tbyg52]

38. 2008 election has all the elements of Greek tragedy

The 2008 election is unfolding like a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy. It has all the elements of drama, humor, deception, pathos, comedy, tragedy, highs and lows, back-stabbing and almost every element of human behavior encompassing good or bad.

The bottom line is that our election process is broken and in need of major repair. To start with, it is too long and complicated. You have a garbled mixture of primaries and caucuses which many times are complicated and unwieldy.

More:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum28electionsbapr28,0,2032085.story

[tbyg52]

40. Time to run off runoffs

Shh ... Will the last person to notice that Texas just had a statewide election please turn out the lights?

That's right: On April 8, Texas held a statewide runoff so that Democrats could get a majority nominee for railroad commissioner. Mark Thompson won, but he received seven times fewer votes than in the first round in March. Turnout dropped by more than 89 percent in his runoff and by at least 40 percent in all eight runoffs for state and federal offices.

There's real value in requiring nominees to prove that they have majority support in their party. But there's something wrong when turnout plunges so sharply - and Texan taxpayers have to foot the bill, which the secretary of state's office estimates at roughly $2 million. That figure is probably low.

It doesn't have to be this way. We're in the 21st century, and Texas can replace its horse-and-buggy approach to majority elections with instant runoff voting. Backed by Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, instant runoff voting determines a majority winner in one efficient election.

Voters gain the option to rank candidates in order of preference rather than select only one choice. If no candidate wins with a first-choice majority, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the instant runoff. Ballots cast for eliminated candidates are added to the totals of the runoff candidates according to whichever runoff candidate is ranked next on the ballot. That's all there is to it.

More:
http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/606128.html

[tbyg52]

5. The Youth Vote nt

[tbyg52]

30. Activists: Ruling hurts youth voters

From the "no kidding" department....

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to uphold Indiana’s voter identification requirement Monday morning will likely depress youth turnout — especially among college students — in the upcoming Indiana primary, according to voting rights experts.

“Whereas most people focus on the effects voter ID laws have on minority and indigent voters, they often hit hardest on young people and particularly college students,” said Matthew Segal, founder of the Student Association for Voter Empowerment, which signed the amicus brief opposing the Indiana law.

In Indiana, voters must present a government-issued photo identification card with the one’s current address at the voting booth.

Young people, because they move residences frequently, are less likely to have such an ID. For instance, Rock the Vote’s February poll of 18-29 year olds found that 19 percent of respondents did not have a photo ID with their current address on it.

More:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9917.html

[tbyg52]

53. Young voters use Internet, technology to share ideas

They may be young but they're making sure they are heard: young voters are typically considered uninterested and apathetic, but this year they're giving the Democratic candidates a boost. WAVE 3's Lindsay English has more.

Courtney Williams, a 17-year-old junior at Salem High School in Indiana, gets to cast her first ever vote in a presidential election. "I got involved in Hillary Clinton's campaign because it will be the first time I'm able to vote, and Indiana actually matters in the primaries. And I get to vote for a woman so I think that's pretty cool."

Williams, along with fellow classmate Hanley Fultz know who they stand for when it comes to the Presidential Primary.

More:
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=8235755&nav=menu31_2

[tbyg52]

6. Campaign Finance nt

[tbyg52]

44. Is John McCain the fox guarding the campaign finance henhouse?

John McCain is famous for many things. One of those is the McCain-Feingold Act designed to limit the role of corporate money in politics. But his actions suggest an eagerness to accept corporate money as a means to his political ends.

Here are three:

* Protects campaign contributor from S&L regulators costing government billions. In the 1980s, McCain intervened to keep regulators away from Charles Keating, a Savings & Loan operator, who contributed to McCain's campaign and let McCain's wife co-invest in a real estate deal. Keating's Lincoln Savings and Loan ultimately failed, costing taxpayers $3.4 billion.

More:
http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/04/27/is-john-mccain-the-fox-guarding-the-campaign-finance-henhouse/

[Name removed]

64. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Wilms]

65. What's up with that Sig Line?

[OnTheOtherHand]

66. I'm thinking Hormel.... n/t

[tbyg52]

56. That's all, folks! nt

[Melissa G]

57. Off to greatest! Thanks tbyg52!

[tbyg52]

58. Thanks!

There's a LBN thread on the Indiana decision - I'm posting a plug for daily news editors there.

[Melissa G]

62. Thanks! n/t

[Mnemosyne]

60. Nice thread, tbyg! Thanks!

:hi:

[Kurovski]

61. Kick to the top.

Thank you much, tbyg52!

[tbyg52]

63. Thank you all!

I always say that if you crave positive feedback all you have to do is work ER.....! ;)