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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Writer wins national journalism prize for San Diego CityBeat article on election integrity issues
Freelance writer Miriam Raftery has been named co-winner of the 2006 Arlene Award, a national journalism prize presented by the American Society of Journalists & Authors for articles that make a difference in a community.
Raftery, a freelance journalist based in La Mesa, California, won the honor for an October 19, 2005 article in CityBeat titled “Monkey Business: A look at vote-counting mischief and the potential for more.” The article exposed serious security flaws with electronic voting machines and tabulators, including the potential for hacking and rigging elections. Raftery’s article triggered an investigation by City Attorney Mike Aguirre into the integrity of San Diego elections and inspired citizen lawsuits over election issues in two states.
Raftery has written about election integrity issues for other publications, including the East County Californian and RawStory.com. The CityBeat article led to an assignment from RawStory.com to interview a whistleblower inside Diebold, a manufacturer of election equipment. The whistleblower alleged that Diebold’s lax security and installation of illegal software patches may have intentionally altered the outcome of some elections.
One day after the whistleblower interview ran, Diebold CEO Walden O’Dell resigned. Several days later, a shareholder lawsuit was filed against Diebold alleging that the company’s inattention to serious security issues had caused stock prices to plummet. Soon after, a test in Leon County, Florida proved that Diebold equipment could be hacked to rig elections, as Associated Press reported. Since then, some state and local governments have canceled contracts for Diebold voting equipment.
Raftery shares the first place honor and $1,000 in prize money with Michele Wojciechowski. Wojciechowski’s April 19, 2005 article, "For the Love of Laurie" ran in Family Circle and has been credited with saving a teenager’s life.
Raftery praised ASJA for recognizing election integrity as an important topic.
“One of the largest and most reputable professional journalism associations in America now believes that electronic vote-rigging is no longer an Internet conspiracy theory, but an important topic worthy of serious coverage,” she observed. “Since my story ran, some mainstream journalism organizations, such as Associated Press, have begun reporting on risks posed by electronic voting systems, which are unreliable, unverifiable, and insecure against hacking. Despite such reports, the number of Americans who will be voting on insecure electronic machines in the next election has increased. I urge my colleagues in the media to inform the public about the threats to our democracy posed by electronic voting.”
A freelance journalist for over 20 years, Raftery has authored over 2,000 articles published in national and regional publications. Previously a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, her works have also appeared in Décor & Style, Ranch & Coast, Woman’s Day, Arizona Highways, Writer’s Digest, Nutrition Business Journal, and other publications. Her company, Writer Ink (www.writerink.com) is located in La Mesa, California.
READ THE ARTICLE HERE:
http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=3674 
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