Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Friday 12/30/05

[Melissa G]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Friday 12/30/05

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 "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233

3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.



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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=371233#371391





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[Melissa G]

1. Democratic chairman backs optical scan

Democratic chairman backs optical scan


Thanks to John Gideon for the link!
By Mark Binker
Staff Writer
RALEIGH -- The head of North Carolina's Democratic Party is encouraging local boards of elections to buy optical-scan voting machines that read paper ballots marked by voters rather than computerized touch-screen machines.

"Our sense is that voter confidence in optical-scanning systems is higher than in direct-record (computerized) systems," Jerry Meek, the party chairman, said in an interview Tuesday. "There is a significant portion of the electorate that has serious concerns about the integrity of the voting process."

snip
After a recent round of bidding, only ES&S of Omaha, Neb., was given the necessary certification to sell voting equipment in the state.

Other companies have shown interest in the state contract but withdrew their bids for the moment. ES&S makes optical-scan and direct-record equipment.

A new state law requires the computerized machines to produce a paper record of each ballot cast.

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051228/NEWSREC0101/512280308/1010/NEWSREC020107

[Melissa G]

2. Elections official warns of costly voting problems

Elections official warns of costly voting problems


Thanks to John Gideon of Voter's Unite for the link!
By Michelle Durand
San Mateo County officials are worried delays in the certification of new voting system equipment will leave them hosting a June election with 15-year-old gear and leasing at least one pricey machine to meet federal compliance requirements.

The county’s 15-year-old equipment was initially decertified last year but grandfathered in for use prior to the election. Theoretically, the county could still use it come June but would need to lease one compliant machine or buy it at a cost of roughly $3.5 million and move it from precinct to precinct, said Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum.


San Mateo County — and every state and county in the United States — has until the first federal election in June to comply with the Help America Vote Act. The 2002 act emerged from the contentious 2000 presidential election and requires local jurisdictions to replace antiquated machines and guarantees the privacy of disabled voters. It requires all counties have at least one voting device accessible to disabled voters in every precinct. Proposition 41 allocated modernization money to offset the cost of buying new equipment but only if it is certified as meeting certain standards.




http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=52765

[Melissa G]

3. High-tech voting hasn't served California well

Polling irregularities
High-tech voting hasn't served California well


Thanks to John Gideon For the Link!

Someone remind us again, what was so bad about punch-card voting?
Oh, yes, we vaguely remember grumbling after some election in 2000, something about hanging chads, Florida and the Supreme Court. But all that now seems like ancient history, whereas California's dismal experience with electronic voting machines is ongoing.

Following up on irregularities in the November special election, California's Secretary of State's Office has ordered one of the nation's largest manufacturers of voting machines - Election Systems and Software - to fix serious flaws in its systems.

And earlier last week, the secretary of state warned 17 counties about problems with certain Diebold Election Systems equipment. Both companies' machines may be deemed ineligible for use in next November's election.

It's a recurring story. In the spring of 2004, then-Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, citing the risk of breakdowns and tampering, briefly decertified the use of touch-screen voting equipment statewide. So far, the history of high-tech voting systems in California has been less than spectacular.

And that brings us back to punch-card voting.
Florida mess of 2004, courts and politicians were quick to denounce old-fashioned voting systems as evil, and glom on to some replacement - any replacement - as quickly as possible. But the problems of Florida were never a threat to California, where the standards for reading improperly marked ballots are far clearer. And just because something is newer doesn't necessarily mean it's better.

http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_3348344

[Stevepol]

4. Here are some articles from Votersunite from 12-29. Hope it's not a dupe.

Some of the links below have been posted separately I think already.

We are happy to join the Action Alert from VoteTrustUSA and ask that the EAC do their job and demand that the ITA reinspect the Diebold software looking for banned 'interpreted' code. Diebold has admitted that it is there. Now the ITA needs to find it and, if necessary, withdraw the qualification of Diebold software until the 'interpreted' software is removed.

NAtional: Action Alert: Say No to Prohibited Software in Voting Machines!
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=650&Itemid=27

NAtional: Ghosts in the Voting Machines
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2452/

NAtional: DEMOCRACY STRIKES BACK! As Diebold Goes Down for the Count...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman/democracy-strikes-back-a_b_13031.html

AL: Morgan County - Registrars chair says time not right to change precincts
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/051229/time.shtml

AR: Yell County - Yell Co. justices discuss buying voting machines
http://www.couriernews.com/story.asp?ID=10356

CA: All is Well' Says CA Sec. of State About ES&S Voting Machines
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002210.htm

CA: Electronic voting less than perfect
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_3351269

CO: State Officials Dump Elections Computer Contract (Accenture)
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/5711508/detail.html

CO: State officials dump elections computer contract
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4349501,00.html

CO: Boulder County - Voting comment period extended
http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2005/12/29/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt

FL: Florida balloting machines should be re-tested to ensure accurate elections in 2006
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051229/OPINION/512290303/1004

IN: Adams County - Funds are received for new county voting machines
http://www.decaturdailydemocrat.com/articles/2005/12/29/news/news/news04.txt

MI: Genesee County - Voting machine money available for other uses
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-33/1135873229217370.xml&coll=5

MN: Isanti County approves election equipment plan
http://www.hometownsource.com/2005/December/29isanticounty.html

MT: Cascade County - Bid to consolidate polling places stalls
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051229/NEWS01/512290303/1002

NC: N.C. counties expected to pay more for voting machines
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/13510293.htm

NC: Opinion – Joyce McCloy - A law that counts
http://www.newsobserver.com/559/story/382697.html

NC: Forsyth County – Opinion - A Bad Choice
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_ColumnistArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768974204&path=!opinion&s=1037645509163

NC: Onslow County - Onslow to use paper ballots in 2006
http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=37610&Section=News

PA: Paper backup for voting is worth cost
http://www.mcall.com/news/columnists/all-b1_2paperdec29,0,3432225.column?coll=all-randomcolumnistsnews-misc

PA: Northumberland County - 130 voting machines to be replaced
http://www.dailyitem.com/archive/2005/1229/local/stories/03local.htm

PA: Westmoreland County - Westmoreland wrangles with choice of new voting machines
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05363/629373.stm

RI: Rhode Island meets voter registration and related goals
http://www.wpri.com/Global/story.asp?S=4298071

WA: Election reform law goes into effect in the new year
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_New_Laws.html

**Articles included in “Daily Voting News” may not all reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or its allied organizations. These articles are all included for the information of the subscribers of “Daily Voting News” though we realize that the subscribers may not agree with the opinions given in all articles**

[Melissa G]

5. County borrows voting machines

County borrows voting machines
It will cost about $30,000 to ship the units here from Nevada for elections this spring.

By Jeff Switzer
Herald Writer


Four hundred electronic voting machines arrived Thursday from Reno, Nev., to keep Snohomish County's upcoming elections legal.

Voters will use the borrowed machines in school district elections this spring.

Without the machines, Snohomish County would be forced to use its own, which lack special vote audit devices ordered by the Legislature.

Starting Sunday, all electronic voting machines used in Washington must have voter-verifiable paper audit trails - mini printers that allow voters to review the accuracy of their votes before formally casting a ballot.

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/12/30/100loc_b1voting001.cfm

[Melissa G]

6. Mandate on Voting Machines Still Riles Officials in Region

Mandate on Voting Machines Still Riles Officials in Region
By: Laurel Tuohy 12/29/2005

The impending switch to electronic voting machines has been on the minds of town officials across the region lately, as the federally-mandated changeover takes effect in 2006.


The order states that the lever machines are banned in the 2006 federal elections, which means municipalities will have to replace all of their machines instead of just one per polling place as was originally thought.
Though the changeover is considered an unfunded mandate, $32.7 million has been secured for the state through the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which should, according to Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, be enough to replace all 3,300 machines in the state.
However, town officials have not been made aware of the funding, nor has Connecticut received the funds yet. The changeover would have to be made by August, if there is a primary, and by November if there is not.
At a recent Northwestern Connecticut Council of Governments (NWCCOG) meeting, Canaan First Selectman Douglas Humes spoke about the voting machines and unfunded mandates in general. There is a feeling of dissatisfaction among local leaders about unfunded but mandated programs on both state and national levels. He suggested that the nine town leaders on the council band together to let the state know of their belief that the mandate should be paid for by the state or federal government.
In any case, Mr. Humes still believes in the old lever voting machines. "You know the old adage-if it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the mandate is that no one seems sure of the cost of the machines or what will become of the discarded machines. Mr. Humes had heard the estimate of $20,000 per voting machine.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15836083&BRD=2303&PAG=461&dept_id=478976&rfi=6

[cal04]

7. Fake voting rights activists and groups linked to White House

In March 2005' Congressman Bob Ney held a U.S. House Administrative hearing at the Ohio Statehouse where a general counsel for the brand new voting rights group' the American Center for Voting Rights (ACVR)' told the Congressional committee that the voting problems in Ohio were the result of the NAACP paying people with crack in order to entice them to register to vote. ACVR's general counsel' Mark F. "Thor" Hearne' turned out to be the former national general counsel for Bush-Cheney '04' Inc.' with no history of working in a voting rights organization. Hearne relied on a lawsuit filed against the NAACP in Wood County' Ohio "alleging fraudulent voter registration under the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act."

Hearne wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice in March 2005 claiming there was "substantial evidence to suggest potential criminal wrongdoing by organizations such as Americans Coming Together ("ACT")' ACORN and the NAACP – Project Vote." "We understand that local Ohio law enforcement authorities are pursuing criminal prosecution against some of the individuals involved in this activity' which activities include paying crack cocaine for fraudulent voter registration forms'" Hearne wrote.

Cliff Arnebeck' the attorney representing the NAACP' denounces this as a deliberate racist disinformation campaign to divert attention from Ohio's election theft. "crack cocaine' the NAACP – Hearne and the Republicans are using racist code words'" Arnebeck said. The Wood County case was withdrawn in June 2005' but not before it was revealed that the plaintiff' Mark Rubick' had been "indemnified" and held "harmless" by an obscure group' the Free Enterprise Coalition' with ties to the Republican Party. Signing as the "Authorized representative" for the Coalition was one Alex Vogel.

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2005/1289

[Melissa G]

8. Touch-screen voting machines a go

Touch-screen voting machines a go


By David Hunt
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, December 30, 2005


Westmoreland County's commissioners voted unanimously in favor of purchasing touch-screen voting machines from a Nebraska company after hearing concerns from a number of people who feel the wrong choice was made.
"I implore you with every fiber of my being to give it further study," said Marybeth Kuznik, a county election inspector and founder of the grassroots alliance VotePA.

Kuznik was reacting to the county's selection of Election Systems and Software Inc., or ES&S, of Omaha, to replace levered voting machines as part of the Help America Vote Act. She said the touch-screen model the county is looking to purchase has been shown to have problems at polling places throughout the nation.


snip

"If we had our choice, we'd stay with the lever machines for eternity," said Commissioner Chairman Tom Balya. "They're low maintenance and they've lasted for 45 years."
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/westmoreland/s_408767.html

[Melissa G]

9. Dave McNeely: What a Year in Politics; What's Next?

Dave McNeely: What a Year in Politics; What's Next?
Dave McNeely
Contributing Columnist
Midland Reporter-Telegram
12/30/2005



snip
Perry, Craddick, Dewhurst and Strayhorn are the Republican officials most involved in Texas' fiscal affairs. But their trust in each other is minimal, and their relationship is such that if any one of the four was hit by a truck, the other three might collectively be able to produce a teardrop.


The congressional redistricting scenario executed at the behest of U. S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, with the help of all four of the folks mentioned above, indeed resulted in Republicans taking over the Texas House and then getting a half-dozen more Texas congressmen.


But funneling the corporate money into the 2002 elections to get it done also resulted in a stack of ironies, including DeLay's indictment on money-laundering and conspiracy charges.


Another irony, that put "former" in front of DeLay's majority leader title, is DeLay had to step aside because of Republican rules he helped write requiring indictees to step aside at least temporarily from congressional leadership positions.


Yet another irony is DeLay's attorney's success in pushing aside the first judge assigned to the case -- Democrat Bob Perkins of Austin -- on grounds he might be too partisan.


http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15841080&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475590&rfi=6

[bleever]

10. Kick for a really New Year.

Change happens.

In fact, you can't stop it.

[rumpel]

11. AZ: Close 2004 GOP primary results still stir trouble

Close 2004 GOP primary results still stir trouble

By Doug Murphy
Staff Writer

The highly contested 2004 primary election that saw an Ahwatukee Foothills man beat out an Arizona State University adjunct professor for one of the two Republican House nominations has caused the top law officer in Maricopa County to questions a senator's ethics.

According to Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise) is "engaging in a series of bizarre and erratic actions," that "cast serious doubts on his fitness to serve as a committee chairman and to possess the subpoena and police powers attendant to that position."

Thomas made the comments in a letter to Senate President Ken Bennett Dec. 20.

What prompted the letter was Harper's appearance in the county treasurer's office holding handwritten papers that he called "motions," claiming the documents entitled him to inspect the ballots from the 2004 Republican primary election in Legislative District 20.

A court order is needed for those ballots to be released.

"I just want to know what the problem was, and how can we put safeguards in place to keep the public trust in the future. I care about elections' integrity," said Harper last week.

http://www.ahwatukee.com/afn/community/articles/051230d.html