Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Saturday 11/26/05

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All members welcome and encouraged to participate. You are encouraged to post your local news on Voting Machine purchases or whatever tidbits you may find.

Link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x402535

All previous daily threads are available here:

http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_2004erd_el_ref_fr_thr_calenders.htm

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1. John Gideon posts @ Bradblog-

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org

It seems that the reports from California are less than accurate. They say that the test machine will be chosen from among machines used in 17 counties. That has never been agreed to by the state or Diebold. In fact, Hari Hursti has never been invited to fly over from Finland and no details have been set-up with BBV, according to Bev Harris. For some reason either the state or Diebold, or both, are misrepresenting the facts. A call to the California Elections Division found that everyone seems to be taking the day off....

AZ: Thousands with older driver's license could cause voting snafu

Thousands with older driver's license could cause voting snafu
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.25.2005
advertisement

PHOENIX — A voter-approved proposition passed last year to prevent non-citizens from voting may also prevent Arizonans with older driver's licenses from voting as well.
Under Proposition 200, anyone registering to vote must provide proof of citizenship. The most popular form is usually an Arizona driver's license issued after Oct. 1, 1996, when the state began demanding evidence of legal U.S. residency to get a license.
But according to a report in The Arizona Republic, one in 10 Arizona motorists — more than 400,000 — currently hold licenses issued before that date which are not an acceptable form of voter registration identification.
The new rules allow a valid Arizona license, regardless of date of issuance, to be used as voter identification at polling precincts if the home address on the license matches the voter's current address.

more-
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/104131.php

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2. Alternate voting machine is costly

More from John Gideon--




Kevin P. Connolly | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted November 25, 2005

Alternate voting machine is costly
The County Council faces a decision that could force $2 million more in spending.

DeLAND -- After a months' long fight against paperless voting machines, Volusia County might have to give in and buy them after all. But the purchase may end up costing taxpayers roughly $2 million more than originally expected to provide accessible voting for the visually disabled.

That's because one of the proposals County Council members will consider next month calls for switching to an entirely new voting system.Initially, council members were only asked to supplement their existing system of paper-ballot readers by buying 210 touch screens and related equipment from their voting-equipment vendor, Diebold Election Systems Inc., for $776,935, with the expense mostly covered by a federally funded state grant.

Now, a new proposal calls for spending the grant, which must be returned if not used by Jan. 1, and spending an additional $2 million or so in local tax dollars to fund a massive equipment changeover.

That plan calls for replacing all the existing equipment supported by the McKinney, Texas-based subsidiary of Diebold Inc. with a new set of devices from Omaha, Neb.-based Election Systems & Software.

more-

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-vvoting2505nov25,0,1739266.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

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3. Voter ID bill not an obstacle for minorities

More from John Gideon--

.com

Voter ID bill not an obstacle for minorities

By BRADLEY SCHLOZMAN
Published on: 11/25/05
Recent reports in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution have confused and misrepresented the decision-making process at the Department of Justice concerning preclearance of Georgia's changes to its voter identification statute.

The leaked internal memorandum that has generated the attention was merely a draft that did not incorporate the analytical work and extensive research conducted by all the attorneys assigned to the matter. Most disturbingly, this paper has neglected to mention that the leaked memorandum did not represent the recommendation of the veteran career chief of the Civil Rights Division's Voting Section, to whom preclearance approval decisions are expressly delegated by federal regulation.

Bradley Schlozman is principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. • Forum: What do you think of the voter ID bill?
The chief's well-grounded and solidly reasoned recommendation, in which I concurred as the acting assistant attorney general, was that the Georgia statute was clearly not racially retrogressive within the limited scope of the Voting Rights Act.

This matter arose when Georgia recently amended its voter identification statute by changing the number of acceptable documents that individuals must present before voting. Georgia is one of at least 17 states that mandate identification from voters, and there is no evidence that such requirements have had any adverse impact on minority voters.

more-
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/1105/25edjustice.html

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4. Baltimore- Opinion: To ID or not to ID

More from John Gideon--



The rules governing elections in La Plata, a town of 8,500 people and county seat of Southern Maryland's Charles County, are a little different. The general election is held every odd year. It's conducted just two weeks after the primary. And to be eligible to vote, a town resident has to show an acceptable form of identification. It's this last provision that's captured the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP. They believe La Plata's ID requirement is unconstitutional, and we think they're right.
The issue of voter ID has always been about striking a balance between the prevention of voter fraud and protecting the individual's right to vote. Rarely do voters misrepresent themselves at the polls. But it's not so hard to find people who've been discouraged from participating in an election. That's why Maryland doesn't require ID in state elections unless the voter's identification is challenged. (A first-time voter who registers by mail must also present ID.) Requiring ID for everyone, however, is an unnecessary burden, particularly for the poor who may not have a driver's license or some other form of ID in hand.

Officials in La Plata say it's not their intention to discourage eligible voters. Apparently, the requirement was introduced in 1981 when officials noticed that a few county residents, unaware that they lived beyond La Plata's boundaries, thought they were eligible to vote. But offering provisional ballots to people whose identities are questioned - ballots that can be counted or discarded later depending on whether a voter's ID checks out - can prevent any potential abuse.

Like much of fast-growing Southern Maryland, Charles County is changing and La Plata has its share of newcomers. But like poll taxes, mandating ID at the polling booth is a proven way to reduce voter participation. Maryland's Constitution says residents have a right to vote if they meet registration, age and residency requirements. Even in a small town, an ID roadblock goes too far.


http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.laplata25nov25,1,4445148.story?coll=bal-opinion-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

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5. Charleston-- Bids opened for voting machines

more from John Gideon--



11/25/05
Scott Welton

CHARLESTON — The infamous hanging chads are going to end up costing Mississippi County taxpayers several thousand dollars.

Bids for voting machines were opened during the regular County Commission meeting conducted Wednesday instead of Thursday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

“All this is a result of what happened in Florida,” said County Clerk Junior DeLay.

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires handicapped-accessible voting machines, according to DeLay. “We’re required to have one at each polling place,” he said.

The county must also must meet HAVA’s “second chance voting” requirement which means providing a machine that will tell the voter if they have voted correctly.

more-
http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/865/public/news677995.html

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6. Charlotte- Voting machines might be kept

Voting machines might be kept

Otherwise, taxpayers would have to foot the bill for new ones

More from John Gideon-




HANNAH MITCHELL

[e-mail]

Catawba County officials say the county may be able to continue using its voting machines, saving taxpayers the cost of replacing them.

Officials had thought the county might have to buy new machines because the company that sold them, Hart InterCivic, did not try to get the equipment certified for use under a new state law.

The state required companies to submit bids for certification of their machines this month, but Hart did not submit one.

However, there is a separate process that Hart can use to request certification, and Catawba officials have asked the company to do so. The N.C. Board of Elections will take such requests on Dec. 1 from companies that had not made bids.

more-

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/states/north_carolina/counties/catawba/13253364.htm

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7. Seattle, Wa.- King County not alone in how it reviews voter registrations

More from John Gideon-




King County not alone in how it reviews voter registrations

By GREGORY ROBERTS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Although it has been the target of harsh Republican criticism, King County's credulous approach to voter registrations largely reflects the policy of the Secretary of State's Office and the practices of other counties' elections officials -- including some GOP auditors.

For the most part, state and county elections officials say, the integrity of voter registrations rests on the honesty of voters.

The Republicans have challenged the registrations of hundreds of voters in King County on the grounds that voters failed to supply a valid residence address as required by state law and instead listed a private mailbox, commercial storage unit or other mail.

The county Canvassing Board held hearings this week and last week to consider the challenges to about 200 voters on the GOP list who cast ballots in the Nov. 8 election. The board is to decide Monday whether to include those ballots in the official tally due Tuesday -- a decision that will not affect any outcomes in the voting.

more-
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/249744_registration25.html

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8. League of Women Voters- (DRE) Voting Machines and HAVA Implementation

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
OF THE UNITED STATES

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) Voting Machines and HAVA Implementation

The possibility of election fraud resulting from the use of DRE voting machines has been a topic of discussion as part of the implementation of the new Help America Vote Act. In an effort to address the concerns that have arisen, the League has considered expert opinions from all sides of the debate.

First, it is important to consider the concerns in the full context of election reform efforts. The MIT/CalTech study following the 2000 election indicated that voter registration issues are the number one problem in election reform. Problems with voting systems (machines, such as punch card and lever systems) properly recording the voter's intent were a close second. The League has focused its HAVA implementation work on achieving practical solutions to the most important problems: accurate and accessible registration lists, protections against erroneous purges, provisional balloting systems that protect the right of every eligible voter to cast a ballot and have it counted, machines that protect the right of people with disabilities to cast an independent and secret ballot, poll worker training that is adequate and uniform, and machines that assist individuals with limited English.

In this context, it is important to make sure that purchase or leasing of voting machines proceeds in ways that will protect voters. There are several key ways this must be done. First, disability and language access. Second, "second chance" voting whereby the voter can check and get a new ballot if necessary. Third, management systems to ensure reliability.
It has been suggested that DRE machines are inherently subject to fraud unless there is an individual paper record of each vote. This seems extreme. DREs are extremely sophisticated machines and most DREs store information in multiple formats and in multiple places within its program. To tamper with a DRE someone would need to know each and every format and storage capacity and be able to manipulate it undetected. Additionally, it must be remembered that DREs are not an election system unto themselves; they are simply an instrument within a complex election system. The key is to design an overall system that builds in multiple checks making it improbable that the system will be tampered with.

The LWVUS does support an individual audit capacity for the purposes of recounts and authentication of elections for all voting systems, including, but not limited to, DREs. The LWVUS does not believe that an individual paper confirmation for each ballot is required to achieve those goals; in fact this is unnecessary and can be counterproductive. An individual paper confirmation for each ballot would undermine disability access requirements, raise costs, and slow down the purchase or lease of machines that might be needed to replace machines that don't work. Simply because a voter verifies their vote on a piece of paper does not guarantee the same results have been be recorded within the machine and vice versa. And why would we assume that, if the total from a paper count and the total from a machine count are different, the paper count is accurate? Is it not just as easy to tamper with an election by "losing" a couple of paper ballots or miscounting them during a recount? And what about the number of ballots involved? In Florida, in the 2000 presidential election, nearly 6 million votes were cast. Do we really believe that recounting that many paper ballots is more accurate than using certified electronic equipment?

rest of article-

http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/htElectronicVoting2004-LWVUSreport.htm

[Bill Bored]

9. The NY LWV sees things differently. Thay support PAPER BALLOTS!

NYC League testifies before City Council on 11.21.2005 about 2005 elections, and choice of new voting machines

Selecting new voting machines.
Now that the election is over, we trust that the Board of Elections, and the City Council, will turn their attention to the selection of new voting machines and include citizens and civic organizations in the deliberative process. We know that the City Board is precluded from securing machines until the State Board of Elections completes the certification process but we believe the City Board of Elections and the Council should weigh in now to assure that we have a full range of certifiable voting systems from which to choose. While federal money may cover the bulk of the initial purchase of the machines, it will be city money which will be obligated for ongoing operation and maintenance.

The League of Women Voters supports precinct-based optical scan voting machines with the addition of fully accessible ballot marking devices. They meet our criteria of being secure, accurate, recountable and accessible.

After weighing the options, we are convinced that electronic voting machines are too fraught with problems and prone to produce errors. They won't instill confidence in our voters and should not replace New York City's lever machines.

http://www.lwvnyc.org/news.html#testifies

And the NY State LWV agrees!:


The League of Women Voters of New York State Endorses Paper Ballot/Optical Scan

March 9th, 2005

The League of Women Voters of New York State today announced its support for optical scan voting systems for New York State to replace lever voting machines.

"Precinct-based optical scan systems meet the League's criteria of secure, accurate, recountable and accessible," said Marcia Merrins, League President.

<http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=5641>

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10. In the trenches with truevotect.org

This is great group of Activists in Connecticut, fighting for Accessible and Verifiable voting in Conneticut.

http://www.truevotect.org/index.html

Headed up by TrueVoteCT Director Willard W. Bunnell, the members of this group carries some top notch bonafides-

Michael Fischer----Professor of Computer Science, Yale University

Ralph Morell------Professor of Computer Science, Trinity College

Christina Spiesel---Yale Law School

Rich Sivel---------West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice

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11. Electionline.org has online listing of HAVA Voter Registration databases

available here-
http://electionline.org/Default.aspx?tabid=288

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12. Green Party of Ohio endorses Bob Fitrakis for Governor

Green Party of Ohio

The Green Party of Ohio Coordinating Committee endorses
the following candidacies for statewide office in 2006:
i. Governor: Bob Fitrakis
ii. Lt. Governor: Anita Rios
iii. Secretary of State: Tim Kettler
The Green Party of Ohio will promote and support these
candidacies with all available resources, subject to subsequent
discussion and approval for monetary contributions and other resource distributions, as appropriate.
In taking this action the Coordinating Committee recognizes
the superior authority (on this question of statewide candidate
endorsement) of the Green Party of Ohio State Convention planned for 2006 that will be organized by Co-Conveners of the Green Party of Ohio.

If you, or anybody else you know, would like to work on petition circulation we will send you the petitions, registration forms and petition guidelines.
GO here --

http://www.ohiogreens.org/elections/petition_2006.html

http://www.ohiogreens.org/

thanks to Mod Mom-- here-

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x402724

[Wilms]

13. SOMETHING ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF OHIO: SHAME OF A NATION

PEJ News

SOMETHING ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF OHIO: SHAME OF A NATION

Jack Random

Jazzman Chronicles

November 25, 2005

If election fraud was given the media scrutiny of a runaway bride, John Kerry might be president today. Nevertheless, after the debacle of 2004, many of us were grateful that we would not have to hear the word “Ohio” for at least another four years. The very name induces a sickness of the soul that shrouds our hopes and dreams in darkness. It is a venomous toxin best shunted from the system and forgotten.

I do not wish to think about Ohio. I do not wish to hear the words Ohio and election in the same sentence. Nevertheless, for advocates of democracy, Ohio is a recurring nightmare and one that cannot be dismissed until it is fully vetted.

Unfortunately, the executive hubris that has long taken hold of the White House has infected Columbus as well. Not content with altering the outcome of a presidential election, Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and the Ohio Republican party want it all. In the recent statewide referenda, pre-election polls predicted a split on four major issues involving election reform, all favored by progressive Ohioans. Instead, the rightwing got a clean sweep by landslide margins.

At this juncture, a refresher course on Ohio 2004 is in order: Given the archaic and anti-democratic formula of the Electoral College, Ohio was the deciding state in the presidential election. As in Florida 2000, Ohio’s election was administered by a Republican-Bush operative, in this case Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell. While the methodology of choice in Florida was mass disenfranchisement, Ohio introduced high tech voter fraud with electronic voting machines designed and operated by Diebold Election Systems, whose Republican CEO, Walden O’Dell, famously guaranteed Ohio for the Bush machine well before the election.

snip/more

http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=3794&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0