Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, FRIDAY June 23, 2006

[rumpel]

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.
Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Jonathan Godfrey
June 8, 2006
[phone]

Conyers says GAO Study Should be Call to Action

Congressman John Conyers, Jr. has issued the following statement upon today's release of the Government Accountability Office's (GAO), "The Nation's Evolving Election System as Reflected in the November 2004 General Election (GAO-06-450)":
"There is no issue that is more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote. We learned in 2000 and 2004 that that precious right was in jeopardy, and recent actions by some states to pass reactionary voter ID laws and make it more difficult to register and vote threaten to undermine our democracy even further. One need look no further than Robert Kennedy, Jr. analysis in last week's Rolling Stone to see how a partisan Secretary of State can use the power of his office to impact an election.
"The GAO verified that the 2004 General Elections were plagued with countless problems and that many states have made little progress ing incorporating the guidelines of the Election Assistance Commission and meeting the mandates of the Help American Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). This lengthy study confirms that while the majority of states did make some changes to the elections process, either as a result of HAVA or on their own, to address some of the challenges that were identified in the November 2000 election, some challenges continue, particularly in the managing the voter registration process and maintaining voter registration lists, handling absentee ballots, administrating the elections, voting system performance. Specifically, the study found that there were continued problems 'addressing voter error issues with absentee voting, recruiting and training a sufficient number of poll workers, and continuing to ensure accurate vote counting.' The GAO study also found that the 2004 election brought a host of new problems citing, 'new challenges arose in the November 2004 election, such as . . . larger than expected early voter turnout, resulting in long lines" and "a broad challenge in ensuring consistent accuracy, integrity, and security among voting systems. . . .'"
"This is why my number one priority is election reform legislation that includes a voter verified paper ballot, uniformed federal write-in absentee ballots, enhanced training for election officials, and enhanced legal protections against voter intimidation and threats. Implementation of these measures would restore trust in our election system."
"Today's GAO Report confirms that problems abound in our electoral system and should serve as a further call to action for Congress to take actions to protect our people's right to vote."

Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio -- A Status Report of
the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff
2006

Conyers says GAO Study Should be Call to Action (6/8/06)
2005

Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to FBI Director Robert Mueller Requesting Briefing on Possible Absentee Voter Fraud in Detroit (11/9/05)
FBI Response (11/22/05)
Text of Letter from Several Members to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Concerning States' Compliance with Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act (9/20/05)
Letter Enclosure - Typed List of Signatures
Conyers Opposes Baker/Carter Commission Report Discriminatory ID Requirement Will Make it Harder for Tens of Millions of Citizens to Vote (9/19/05)
Text of Letter from Reps. Conyers to US Attorney Gregory White Concerning Investigation of Alleged 2004 Federal Campaign Finance Violations (7/5/05)
DOJ Response (8/15/05)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Concerning the Investigation of Voting Machine Misallocation in Franklin County, Ohio (6/30/05)
DOJ Response (8/2/05)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and Board of Elections Director Lisa Schwartze Concerning the Firing of Whistleblower Sherole Eaton (5/19/05)
The GOP's Attack On Voting Rights Op-Ed by Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Published TomPaine.com (5/13/05)
Conyers and Others File Amicus Brief in Ohio Supreme Court (2/14/05)
Conyers Introduces the "Voting Opportunity and Technology Enhancement Rights Act", (2/2/05) -- Text of VOTER Act of 2005
Text of Letter from Several Members to Daniel Mullhollan, Director, Congressional Research Service Requesting a 50 State Survey of Voting Irregularities (2/1/05)
Text of Letter from Several Members to Gracia Hillman, Chair, U.S. Election Assistance Commission Requesting Study of Electronic Voting Systems (2/1/05)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to Chris Swecker, FBI Criminal Investigative Division, Concerning Ohio Election Fraud (1/28/05)
FBI Criminal Investigative Division Interim Response (2/3/05)
FBI Criminal Investigative Division Response (3/18/05)
Dodd and Conyers Introducing Comprehensive Election Reform Legislation (1/26/05)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to Warren Mitofsky of Mitofsky International and Larry Rosin of Edison Media Research Reiterating Request for the Raw Exit Poll Data (1/20/05)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro Concerning Sanctions Against Attorneys in the Ohio Presidential Election Challenge (1/20/05)
Text of Letter from Several Judiciary Democratic Members to Judiciary Chairman Sensenbrenner Requesting Committee Hearings and Investigate Issue of Protecting Our Citizens Right to Vote (1/19/05)
Text of Letter from Reps. Conyers, Nadler, Scott and Jackson Lee to DOJ AG Ashcroft Requesting Appointment of Special Counsel to Investigate Ohio Voting Irregularities (1/14/05)
DOJ Response (2/3/05)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers Requesting Ohio Secretary of State Blackwell's Comments on House Judiciary Democratic Staff Report on Ohio Voting Irregularities (1/13/05)
Text of Letter from Reps. Conyers and Waxman to GAO Comptroller Walker Requesting an Investigation into Long Lines at Polling Places (1/12/05)
Waxman and Conyers Call on GAO to Fix Investigate Long Lines and Excessive Wait Times at the Polls (1/12/05)
GAO Response (1/26/05)
Ohio voting problems show need for election reform Op-Ed by Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Published in The Detroit News (1/7/05)
Conyers Challenges Congress to Fix Broken Election System (1/6/05)
Text of Letter from Several Reps. to the House and Senate Leadership Concerning a Challenge to the Presidential Electors from Ohio (1/5/05)
Appendix A - Video the Vote A Film by Linda Byrket
Text of Fundraising Letter from Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell
Eyewitness Accounts of Ohio Voter Disenfranchisement
2004

LINK TO NON-GOVERNMENT WEBSITE WITH TRIAD VIDEO (12/23/04)
Text of Follow up Letter to Triad Officials Regarding Remote Access to Tabulating Computers (12/23/04)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to Triad Officials About New Evidence in Hocking County Incident (12/22/04)
Text of December 21 Letter from Rep. Conyers to Campaign officials and Candidates Requesting Information about Recount Problems (12/21/04)
Text of Letters from Rep. Conyers to Several Major Media Outlets Requesting the 2004 Presidential Election Raw Exit Poll Data (12/21/04)
Lawmaker Seeks Inquiry Into Ohio Vote, The New York Times (12/15/04)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin R. Brock and Hocking County, Ohio Prosecutor Larry Beal Requesting Investigation Into Alleged Ohio Election Problems (12/15/04)
FBI Criminal Investigative Division Response (1/12/05)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell Concerning His Refusal to Cooperate with Judiciary Democratic Members (12/14/04)
Text of Follow-up Letter from Rep. Conyers to Warren Mitofsky of Mitofsky International Concerning Exit Poll "raw data" (12/14/04)
Judiciary Democratic 2004 Election Forum - Please click here for the Forum Participation List and Statements. (12/13/04)
Conyers Alarmed at Efforts to Obstruct Ohio Recount Effort, Calls Witness to Monday Hearing to Detail Such Efforts (12/12/04)
Text of Letter from Several Members of Congress to the Ohio Governor, Speaker of Ohio State House and President of Ohio State Senate Requesting Delay of Meeting of Ohio's Presidential Electors (12/13/04)
Judiciary Democratic Forum on Preserving Democracy - What Went Wrong in Ohio.
Please click here for the Forum Participation List and Statements. (12/8/04)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to GAO Comptroller Walker Transmitting An Additional Signature to the Voting Machines and Technology Investigation Request (12/3/04)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to Warren Mitofsky of Mitofsky International Requesting the Release of Exit Poll "raw data" (12/3/04)
Mr. Mitofsky Response (12/7/04)
Text of Follow-up Letter from Judiciary Democratic Members to Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell Concerning Ohio Election Irregularities (12/3/04)
Conyers and Other Congressmen to Hold Forum on Voting Irregularities in Ohio (12/3/04)
Conyers, and Other House Judiciary Democrats Ask Blackwell to Explain Alleged Ohio Election Irregularities (12/2/04)
Text of Letter from Judiciary Democratic Members to Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell Concerning Ohio Election Irregularities (12/2/04)
Secretary Blackwell Response (12/14/04)
Government Accountability Office to conduct Investigation of 2004 Election Irregularities (11/23/04)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to GAO Comptroller Walker Transmitting Additional Signatories to the Voting Machines and Technology Investigation Request (11/17/04)
Text of Letter from Rep. Conyers to GAO Comptroller Walker Transmitting Additional Signatories to the Voting Machines and Technology Investigation Request (11/15/04)
Text of Follow-up Letter from Reps. Conyers, Nadler, Wexler, Scott, Watt and Holt to GAO Comptroller Walker Requesting Investigation of Voting Machines and Technologies Used in 2004 Election (11/8/04)
Text of Letter from Reps. Conyers, Nadler and Wexler to GAO Comptroller Walker Requesting Investigation of Voting Machines and Technologies Used in 2004 Election (11/5/04)
GAO Response (11/30/04)
Text of Letter from Reps. Conyers, Nadler, Watt and Scott to AG Ashcroft Requesting Investigation of Reports of Voter Intimidation in Nevada, Oregon, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania (10/14/04)
DOJ Response (3/21/05)
Text of Letter from Reps. Conyers and Waxman to AG Ashcroft Concerning Implementation of GAO Recommendations on Voting Irregularities (10/14/04)
DOJ Response (11/3/04)
Text of Letter from Several Members of Congress to FCC Chairman Michael Powell to Investigate Sinclair Broadcast Group's Pre-Election Programming Decision (10/13/04)
FCC Response (10/25/04)
With Fears of a Repeat, International Poll Watchers Will Be Dispatched Nationwide, BTE.com (9/28/04)
Democrats want voter probe, The Orlando Sentinel (8/20/04)
Text of Letter from Several Members to GAO Requesting Study of the Voting Process in the United States (7/15/04)
Text of Letter from Several Representatives to GAO Comptroller Walker Requesting a Study of the Security of Electronic Voting Systems (5/14/04)

http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/issues/issues/election.html

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1. CO: Party primary preparation

Colorado Daily

By RICHARD VALENTY Colorado Daily Staff Writer
Thursday, June 22, 2006 8:01 PM MDT

Boulder County election officials are busy preparing for the Aug. 8 political party primary elections, but not without the presence of some citizen opposition to parts of the process.

The county recently announced that voting system vendor Hart InterCivic will print the physical paper ballots to be used in 2006. The ballots will have bar codes and serial numbers printed on them, and county elections coordinator Josh Liss said Thursday that the county does not intend to have the codes printed on a perforated, removable ballot stub.

A group of county citizens filed a lawsuit against the county in 2004 over similar ballots, saying the non-removable markings on the ballot violate Article Seven, Section Eight of the Colorado Constitution. That section in short says no ballot shall be marked in a way in which it can be identified as “the ballot of the person casting it.”

District Court Judge Morris W. Sandstead, Jr., dismissed the 2004 case. Liss said Thursday that he hasn't heard of any planned challenge in 2006, but the county is legally prepared to fight a similar case, and he also said the bar codes are an “essential” component in the county's existing Hart voting system.

“Most importantly, the ballot secrecy is always maintained because there is no link whatsoever between the numbers and any particular voter,” said Liss. “The numbers also help during the resolution process. If election judges would like to look at the physical paper ballot, they can locate that ballot within a batch by serial number and look at it to determine voter intent.”

http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2006/06/22/news/c_u_and_boulder/news4.txt

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2. KS: Kan. Candidate Fined for Ethics Violation

Forbes



By JOHN HANNA , 06.22.2006, 11:45 PM

A state senator who wants to be Kansas' top election official was fined $5,000 Thursday for illegally soliciting campaign contributions from lobbyists - her second fine for the offense in less than a year.

Governmental Ethics Commission members said Sen. Kay O'Connor's latest transgression was less serious than one resulting in a $3,000 fine last year, but that she deserved a tougher sanction for committing a second offense.

O'Connor said she would consult with an attorney on whether to appeal.

State law prohibits candidates for statewide office from soliciting contributions from lobbyists while the Legislature is in session.

Her office sent fundraising letters to 15 to 20 lobbyists on April 20, a month before the session adjourned. She discovered the mistake herself and contacted lobbyists, telling them to ignore and destroy her letter, according to testimony Thursday.

http://www.forbes.com/business/healthcare/feeds/ap/2006/06/22/ap2835394.html

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3. MD: Md. at risk for vote errors, study says

Baltimore Sun

Originally published June 23, 2006

Maryland is among 17 states nationwide whose voting system is at "high risk" for compromised elections, according to a new study from political watchdog group Common Cause.
The study says the electronic voting machines used in Maryland are prone to errors and susceptible to hacking because they lack paper receipts and use malfunctioning software. It cites a widely publicized 2003 study by Johns Hopkins University computer scientist Avi Rubin as part of its evidence.

"In these states, votes will simply be lost if machines malfunction or votes are compromised due to programming errors or malicious code," the report states. "This lack of transparency and the lack of a backup system makes these machines inappropriate for use in elections unless appropriate safeguards are put in place."

The study echoes criticisms that local advocacy groups have made about Maryland's Diebold Elections Systems equipment. Diebold says the system is secure and notes that when the machines were used in 2004 in nearly every county statewide, they functioned properly.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.sbriefs23jun23,0,6968741.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

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4. NY: Tioga cuts voting locations to 18

Friday June 23, 2006

Former 48 sites reduced in preparation for new voting machines

By Aimee Milks
Press & Sun-Bulletin
Nearly half of Tioga County residents will vote at a new location beginning in September because the number of polling sites has been reduced from 48 to just 18.

Postcards notifying registered voters of their polling sites will be mailed Aug. 1, said Bernadette Toombs, Republican commissioner of the Tioga County Board of Elections. The consolidation stems from the Help America Vote Act, passed by Congress in 2002.

"Once we got into it (consolidation), we just kept coming up with more reasons that proved this to be a good idea," said Cinda Goodrich, Democratic commissioner for the elections board.

Callers have questioned the consolidation, but Goodrich said there will always be people unhappy with anything new. "We live in a rural area so yeah, people are going to have to get to the locations, but they drive to the grocery stores and schools," she said. "We tried to locate the polling places close and in places that are recognizable to everyone, like the fire station and schools."

Under HAVA, the federal government provides states with funds to buy new voting machines that can be used easily by disabled people. New York state hadn't approved specifications for the new voting machines and, in fear of being sued by the federal government, the state first told all county election boards to put booths accessible to the disabled at every polling location, Toombs said.

http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/NEWS01/606230324/1006

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5. SC: Election officials face time crunch

The State

Posted on Fri, Jun. 23, 2006

By CLIF LeBLANC
[e-mail]
Call it election-worker angst.

Delivery of computer databases for South Carolina’s first statewide computer voting in a runoff has taken longer than counties wanted, leaving them scrambling to get ready for Tuesday’s elections.

All counties are expected to have the information from Election Systems & Software Inc. by today, said state elections director Marci Andino.

“Counties are a little stressed,” Andino said Thursday.

None of the four counties contacted, including Richland and Lexington, said the delay threatened to postpone voting.

ES&S could not start preparing the computer discs until Saturday, when the election commission certified the results from the June 13 primaries.

ES&S spokesman Ken Fields said the company, which makes almost half the nation’s voting machines, is “working as hard as we can. The time frame has been short.”

Greenville County was concerned enough to dispatch an election official to drive half way to Columbia to meet the ES&S representative for the county’s disc, said Conway Belangia, Greenville elections director.

Without the county-specific databases, election workers cannot begin preparing electronic ballots, confirm the accuracy of the information and distribute voting machines, Belangia said.

“We were getting close to our drop-dead deadline,” he said. “In the election business, you can’t deal with 95 or 98 percent accuracy.”

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14882275.htm

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6. CA: Draw California voters back to the polls (Opinion)

Pasadena Star News

Article Launched: 06/23/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT

IN the recent election, voters were asked to cast ballots in a statewide primary election. Less than a third of registered voters cast ballots.

This was one of the lowest turnout gubernatorial primary elections in California's history.

Why were most voters no-shows?

It is hard to know what was driving such miserably low levels of voter participation. But a few hypotheses are floating around that merit research in coming months.

First, low voter participation in statewide primaries is not a new phenomenon. In fact, as I've written recently, since California's experiment with the "blanket primary," voter interest in statewide primaries has dropped considerably.

In 1998, when the state used the blanket primary in a gubernatorial primary, 42.5percent of registered voters participated. But in the 1994 and 2002 primaries, with more restrictive participation rules like those used in the recent primary, voter participation was 35 percent or less.

So one important explanation for low voter turnout in our recent primary is how participation is restricted for primary-election voters. If voters can't cast meaningful ballots, they don't turn out to vote.

Second, for many registered voters in the state, given the rules restricting which primary they could cast ballots in, there was little on the ballot to drive them to the polls. Republicans (making up around a third of registered voters statewide) had few choices to make on the ballot. So, after the final tallies are completed, we'll likely find that participation by registered Republicans was slight.

Third, registered Democrats (and the "decline-to-state" votes who could cast ballots in the Democratic primary if they wanted) had important choices to make in a number of statewide races. But in general, unless they were political junkies, it was impossible for them to figure out which Democratic candidate might be best suited for a particular statewide seat, as there are few differences between most Democratic candidates in California.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_3969113

[kpete]

26. working on it...

hoping LOTS of angry "Latinos" will show up in November

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7. TN: Voter registration deadline fast

Friday, 06/23/06
The Dickinson Herald

By Tim Adkins
The Dickson Herald

The deadline to register to vote for the Aug. 3 general election is less than two weeks away.
Residents have until Monday, July 3 at 4 p.m. to register, said Dickson County Administrator of Elections Luanne Greer.

“We’ve already seen an increase this year. A lot of people have moved into the county and a lot of people are being registered by the candidates,” Greer said.

The Aug. 3 election features several local contested races for county mayor, sheriff, county commission, Circuit Court Judge, Circuit Court Clerk and School Board.

“A lot of people are calling to make sure they are active,” Greer said.

There are currently more than 28,000 registered voters in the county.

Greer said residents should make sure their current address on their voter registration card is correct.

If not, they can stop by the Dickson County Election Office at 5 Court Square in Charlotte and fill out a form to change their address.

http://www.dicksonherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/MTCN0201/306230059/1297/MTCN02

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8. AR: FEC penalizes Arkansan, Edwards’ team $59,500

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/

BY BOBBY WILSON
Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006

A Little Rock trial lawyer, his law firm and John Edwards’ presidential campaign for the 2004 Democratic race agreed to pay $ 59, 500 in civil penalties for violations of federal campaign finance law, the Federal Election Commission said Thursday.

The settlement stems from two fundraisers that lawyer Tab Turner held in Arkansas for Edwards’ presidential campaign in January 2003.

Turner and his firm, Turner and Associates, violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and federal regulations when they made contributions in the name of others with corporate money, made banned corporate in-kind contributions and used corporate resources to funnel contributions to Edwards’ campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission.

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/158505/

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9. GA: Critics: Scrap Voting Machines

Reported By: Jon Shirek
Last Modified: 6/22/2006 7:24:46 PM

On Thursday, less than a month before Georgia's July 18th primary elections, a coalition of voter-rights groups warned that the state’s controversial, touch-screen voting machines may not record the votes exactly as voters cast them, despite assurances from the state to the contrary.

The critics, “Voters Organized for Trusted Election Results in Georgia,” or “VoterGA.org,” announced they will file a lawsuit against the state to try to force a change, claiming that the state’s four-year-old, $54 million system is obsolete and needs to be scrapped.

As it is, "Your ballot may not match what you see on the screen," said VoterGA.org’s Garland Favorito.

Favorito and others in his coalition say they don't trust the electronic machines Georgia uses partly because the machines do not print any hard-copy records of the votes, to be able to compare the print-outs (during recounts and other challenges) with the results that each machine stores electronically.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=81166

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10. WAPO: Ney promised to insert casino issue into election reform bill

Senators' Report On Abramoff Case Disputes Rep. Ney

By Susan Schmidt
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 23, 2006; Page A01

In the fall of 2004, Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) told Senate investigators that he was unfamiliar with a Texas Indian tribe represented by lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Days later, evidence emerged that the congressman had held numerous discussions with Abramoff and the Indians about getting Congress to reopen their shuttered casino.

Snip

Six days after the interview, Tigua representatives testified at a committee hearing that Abramoff had set up a lengthy meeting with Ney in his office in August 2002 as well as a conference call, and that the congressman had assured them he was working to insert language that would reopen their casino into an unrelated election reform bill. Team Abramoff and the tribe that year became Ney's biggest donors, contributing $47,500 to his campaign committees.

Ney said Abramoff had pushed for legislative language in the election reform bill. Ney asserted that Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) "wanted to insert a provision into the Election Reform Bill that would benefit a tribe in Connecticut," the report said. "Congressman Ney said there was never any mention of any tribe in El Paso, Texas and no reference to any Tigua Indian tribe."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/22/AR2006062201711.html

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11. TX: (DeLay may be back?)

Fort Bend Now

Texas Secretary Of State Rules Stockman Can't Run For Congress
by Bob Dunn, Jun 22, 2006, 09 10 pm

Richard “Kinky” Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn are on the ballot as independents in the Texas Governor’s race, but Steve Stockman won’t be running as an independent in the race for retired former congressman Tom DeLay’s District 22 seat.

Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams ruled Thursday that although Stockman had gathered more than 600 signatures in petitions aimed at putting him on the ballot, fewer than the required 500 signatures were valid.

Stockman is a one-term Republican congressman narrowly defeated by Democrat Nick Lampson in 1996. Lampson went on to serve three terms in Congress, then was defeated by Republican Ted Poe, a former judge from Harris County, after Lampson’s district was dramatically altered in a 2004 redistricting.

Ironically, the redistricting is largely credited to DeLay, against whom Lampson was running. But despite winning the Republican CD-22 primary with about 62% of the vote, DeLay announced in April that he intended to retire.

snip

With DeLay’s eligibility question before the courts, Republican parties in Fort Bend, Harris, Galveston and Brazoria counties have had to halt proceedings to select DeLay’s replacement on the November ballot.

http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/1346/texas-secretary-of-state-rules-stockman-cant-run-for-congress

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12. SC: Quorum court hears call to look at election help

By Ed Galucki
Staff Writer

Elections in Lonoke County could get much-needed help with the hiring of an election coordinator, District 1 JP Joe Gunter said at the end of last Thursday’s quorum court meeting.

“I think we all agree that we have got to do something … but this would not be a time to point fingers,” he said in making a call for the matter to be placed on the agenda for the July meeting.

County Judge Charlie Troutman, during the May quorum court meeting, had voiced the idea of a coordinator, but nothing was done at the time. Recent events, however, have put new emphasis on the concept.

Difficulties during the 2004 election led to a hand count of the ballots and a delay of about two weeks on the count. For this year’s May 23 preferential primary, software problems with the new electronic tabulator led to a five-day delay in seeing election results.

Many of the difficulties would be alleviated by a coordinator, Gunter said, and that person would enhance the election commissioners and county clerk, not take away from any of their positions.

Gunter said he had spoken with an election commission member in another county, who said the commission, itself, was going to recommend to that its quorum court establish a coordinator’s position. Education on the electronic voting equipment would be a large part of the coordinator‘s job, he said.

http://www.cabotstarherald.com/Pages/06-21-06/Quorum%20court%20hears%20call%20to%20look%20at%20election%20help.htm

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13. Voting Rights: A chilling threat to civil rights

The struggle to protect US minorities' access to the ballot box continues with a new challenge to the Voting Rights Act.
June 23, 2006 01:01 PM

The 40-year-old Voting Rights Act (VRA) has been one of the most effective civil rights statutes ever enacted, guaranteeing millions of minority Americans a chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted. But while there has been significant progress in reducing discrimination in voting, the struggle to protect the right to vote continues.

The VRA abolished literacy and other tests that had been used to deny African-Americans and other minorities the right to vote. It not only outlawed discrimination at the ballot box, but also gave voters new tools to ensure fairness in the voting process. Although much of the act is permanent, some sections are due to expire in 2007 unless Congress acts.

Among those scheduled to expire are::
Section 5, requiring jurisdictions with significant histories of discrimination in voting to get federal approval of any new voting practices or procedures
Section 203, ensuring that voters with limited English proficiency get the help they need at the polls
Sections 6-9, authorising the attorney general to appoint federal election observers where there is evidence of attempts to intimidate minority voters at the polls.

Although the US House of Representatives was scheduled to vote this week on legislation renewing these expiring sections, the American Civil Liberties Union was appalled to learn that the vote on this important Act had been cancelled. The decision to pull the vote was due to recent actions of Republican Congressmen Lynn Westmoreland and Charles Norwood (both Georgia), and Democrat Dan Lungren (California). These lawmakers are trying to gut the vital protections of the Voting Rights Act, effectively turning back the clock on minority voting rights.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/lashawn_warren/2006/06/aclu_lawyer_on_voting_rights_a.html

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14. Court doesn't tip hand on voting-rights case

Monterey Herald

Posted on Fri, Jun. 23, 2006

Ruling to have effect on General Plan Initiative
By CLAUDIA MELƒNDEZ SALINAS
Herald Salinas Bureau
SAN FRANCISCO - On the day the House of Representatives postponed renewal of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 law that protected minority voters against discrimination, a full panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals debated whether the law applies to recall petitions.

Thirteen members of the 9th Circuit Court heard a case that could decide whether recall petitions -- and perhaps referendums and initiatives -- have to be translated into languages other than English in California before they are circulated for signatures.

A full entourage of Monterey County slow-growth proponents was on hand to witness the hearing. LandWatch, a land-use watchdog nonprofit in Monterey County, spearheaded the gathering of signatures for two anti-growth measures and has been hoping for a quick ruling so the measures can be placed on the November ballot.

One of those measures, the Community General Plan Initiative, would enact an alternative general plan allowing less development than the plan county supervisors hope to approve by early next year.

That initiative was to be on the June ballot but was rejected by county supervisors in light of the voting rights case moving through the courts. At issue was LandWatch's failure to circulate referendum materials in Spanish.

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/local/14884398.htm

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15. MA: Local officials fear voting rights changes

Friday, June 23, 2006
By NATALIA MUÑOZ
[e-mail]
SPRINGFIELD - The move by Republicans in Congress to hold up renewing two key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is an ominous sign that the country is moving backwards, said area voting rights activists.

The act's provisions for language assistance - bilingual ballots, registration forms and interpreters - and continued federal oversight of voting practices in certain southern states will expire next year unless Congress reauthorizes them. On Wednesday, House Republicans abruptly canceled debate on the measure. "It's anti-American," said José Tosado, Springfield City Council president. "It's a continued attack on immigrants. This Republican administration doesn't seem to get it. It's a new America."

House Republican leaders in a joint statement on Wednesday said that the postponement reflects their effort to respond to dissenting GOP lawmakers. Some are concerned about the nine southern states singled out for federal oversight, despite efforts to eliminate past discriminatory practices.

http://www.masslive.com/metrowest/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1151048578165350.xml&coll=1

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16. TX: Editorial: Extend Voting Rights Act

Waco Tribune

Friday, June 23, 2006

Someone tell us what’s been so oppressive about the Voting Rights Act — certainly in contrast to the oppression that went before.

Before the 1965 act, a tyrannical majority under Jim Crow conspired in overt or subtle ways to disenfranchise minorities with poll taxes, literacy tests and reliance on at-large districts.

The act remains the most fundamental and far-reaching achievement of the civil rights era. For with power at the polls comes opportunity.

The act will expire next year. The House was prepared to vote for reauthorization this week when Southern Republicans, including the Texas delegation, stopped the action in its tracks.

Some of these Dixie obstructionists want the law abolished. Some say it shouldn’t just apply to the nine states affected but instead to all.

We can’t argue with the latter proposition. If it’s right for the South, it’s right for all. But that’s a can of worms unnecessarily splayed on the table. The South has managed to serve democracy right under the Voting Rights Act. It is not overly onerous. It has been incorporated into the way affected states govern. It is now, rightfully, a way of life for states that once made the exclusion of minorities a way of life.

The need, unfortunately, is not ancient history. Texas’ adventures in congressional redistricting, with a Supreme Court ruling imminent, showed the necessity for the Voting Rights Act.

http://www.wacotrib.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2006/06/23/06232006waceditorial.html

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17. House Leadership Pulls Voting Rights Act From Floor Vote

New America Media

New America Media, News Report, Khalil Abdullah, Jun 22, 2006

Editor's Note: Despite overwhelming bipartisan support, renewal of the venerable civil rights legislation was postponed this week. Some Capitol Hill observers point to language-access provisions in the act as the sticking point. Khalil Abdullah is director of the Washington, D.C., office of New America Media.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--A full vote by the House of Representatives on the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was tabled by the House leadership on Wednesday, June 21, despite the act’s overwhelming bipartisan support in the body’s Judiciary Committee.

The VRA, some key provisions of which are set to expire in 2007, focuses on permanent and non-permanent remedies to ensure that voters -- regardless of ethnicity -- have unrestricted voting access. For some voters, it also mandates language assistance, such as bilingual ballots or interpreters at polling sites. An amendment challenging the language assistance provisions of the VRA would affect Hispanic, Asian-American, Native Alaskan and Native American voters.

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=fd9f920c18ec7431f053e6862c326bac

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18. Rep. John Lewis on Delay in Voting Rights Act Vote

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2006
Brenda Jones
[phone]

"It is unfortunate and disappointing," said Rep. Lewis, "that we have encountered a setback in the passage of the Voting Rights Act reauthorization, H.R. 9. The bi-partisan, bi-cameral support of the House and Senate leadership for the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, carefully crafted by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Committee Member Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC), was a high point in the legislative history of the 109th Congress.

"It is very important that we move on H.R. 9 before the July break, and I hope that this Congress will be able to see its way clear to make that happen. It is ironic and very troubling that the opposition to H.R. 9 stems from the major objections of members of Congress from Georgia. Georgia is the last place that should seek to relieve itself from the commitment to fully empowered, equal participation that democracy implies.

"After all, it was during the middle of the last census that the Georgia State Legislature authored a redistricting plan that severely diluted the power of the African American vote. It was Georgia that developed the modern-day poll tax, as one federal judge called it, that disenfranchises rural voters, the elderly, the disabled, students and other minorities who have no government photo ID. It is the state of Georgia that has received over 80 objections from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice since the last reauthorization, pointing to discriminatory voting plans agreed to by state, county, and local governments. And Georgia represents only a part of the over 1000 objections the DOJ has seen fit to make since the last reauthorization in 1982.

"The evidence shows that voting discrimination in America is not dead, and the Voting Rights Act must retain its original power in order to assure that democracy prevails in every hill and valley, every city and suburb, on every fertile farm and every desert plain in America. If we as a nation and a people are truly committed to the full participation of every American in the democratic process, then there should be no serious impediment to the passage of H.R. 9. To every Member who has looked at the overwhelming evidence, it is clear that we have come a great distance, but we still have a great distance to go before we can lay down the burden of voting discrimination in America."

http://www.civilrights.org/issues/voting/details.cfm?id=44613

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19. AUSTRALIA: So much for democratic principles

The Sydney Morning Herald

Alan Ramsey
June 24, 2006
Page 1 of 5

JOHN HOWARD'S office phoned the Canberra press gallery two nights ago. Photographers and TV crews were told to be at The Lodge at 5.30 next morning if they wanted World Cup footage of the Prime Minister in front of his television set.

They arrived just in time to catch Howard whooping it up as the Socceroos scored the penalty that evened the half-time score against Croatia half a world away. They were gone, bundled back outside, by 5.45. Thank you, Prime Minister.

The leaping toad.

Not only the soccer had Howard leaping this week. Two days earlier, in the Senate, a grotesque piece of legislation was passed 33 votes to 31, with 12 senators "paired". It is called the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2006. It is one party state stuff. It has nothing to do with integrity or democracy.

It is a bill to make it harder for people to vote, and easier for corporations and the wealthy to donate money to political parties in secret. It is about increasing - by 1400 per cent - taxpayer subsidies on political donations. It is about the Coalition keeping control of the Senate.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/so-much-for-democratic-principles/2006/06/23/1150845377393.html

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25. Thailand election commission says ruling party broke laws in annulled

April vote

The Jurist, University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Thailand's Election Commission (EC) has determined that the ruling Thai Rak Thai political party broke two election laws by paying groups to run candidates in the annulled April parliamentary elections in order to meet election requirements after the main opposition parties boycotted the vote, an Attorney General spokesperson told AFP Thursday. The EC ruled that Thai Rak Thai "acted against democratic rule," and that the party's financing of fringe opposition candidates is a threat to national security. The Attorney General's office will decide by Friday whether to bring the charges before Thailand's Constitutional Court , which has the power to disband Thai Rak Thai and prevent its leaders from participating in politics for five years.

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/06/thailand-election-commission-says.php

:)

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20. GA: E-Voting Lawsuit Planned in Georgia

By Matthew Cardinale and Sarah Epting, Atlanta Progressive News (June 22, 2006)

(APN) ATLANTA – A newly formed advocacy coalition VoterGA announced plans to sue the State of Georgia for denying the citizens of Georgia an elections system that will ensure that their votes count. The announcement was made at a downtown press conference at a hotel.

The lawsuit will be filed at 10 am on July 10, 2006, VoterGA said. The attorney for the group is Mr. Walker Chandler.

“What we’re trying to do is protect the future voting rights of nine million people,” Garland Favorito, one spokesperson for VoterGA, said. “All direct physical evidence of voter intent has been removed from Georgia elections.”

“We’re not suing against E-Voting in general. We’re just against implementing E-Voting that it can’t be verified, audited, or recounted,” Favorito said.

Also, the lawsuit will not attempt to get an injunction to halt the upcoming primary election. The organization is hopeful a judge may decide to do that, though, Favorito told Atlanta Progressive News in a phone interview.

“We don’t want to jeopardize the suit,” Favorito said.

VoterGA ultimately wants a judge to issue an injunction that would force fair elections systems; however, they’re just not specifying it needs to be next month.

http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0062.html

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21. MI: Mayor, targets decry recall 'ploy'

BURTON
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Friday, June 23, 2006
By Joe Lawlor
[e-mail]

BURTON - Five City Council members who have tangled with Mayor Charles Smiley could face a recall attempt, and they are blaming the mayor for stirring up trouble.

Smiley said he had nothing to do with the recall try, but did say council members "need to be held accountable" by voters.

Councilman Jamie Curtis, however, said the mayor is behind the recall because the recall petitioner lives with Smiley ally Liz Moss.

"This was a ploy by the mayor and Liz Moss to take the focus off of his irresponsibility and put it on us," Curtis said.

The council eliminated the funding for Moss' position as city purchasing director this month, although Smiley has vowed to keep her working.

Valerie J. Allie filed recall petition language with the county Wednesday. The address she listed with the county clerk is the same Burton address listed for Moss on voter registration records.

http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-37/1151076091279230.xml&coll=5

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22. Scholars Examine Latino Immigration and American National Identity

6/23/2006 10:38:00 AM

To: National Desk

Contact: Bahram Rajaee of the American Political Science Association, 202-483-2512, or [e-mail]

WASHINGTON, June 23 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Latino immigrants to the U.S. are more diverse, successful and assimilating more rapidly than is widely assumed in public debate, scholars observe in recent research published by the American Political Science Association (APSA). While immigration, assimilation, national identity and relevant public policy questions are rightly being discussed today, the research finds that much of the concerns regarding Latino immigration are rooted in inaccurate assumptions, oversimplifications and poor data.

These conclusions appear in a research symposium entitled "Immigration and National Identity," edited by Gary M. Segura (University of Washington), in the June issue of the "Perspectives on Politics" -- a journal of the APSA. The symposium is online at http://www.apsanet.org/section_682.cfm and is comprised of four articles which consider different aspects of the social and political incorporation of Latino immigrants in the U.S. "The fight ... over who is an American, and what constitutes 'American-ness,' is and has been an ongoing one for virtually the entire history of the United States," observes Segura in the introduction.

In "Culture Clash? Contesting Notions of American Identity and the Effects of Latin American Immigration," Segura and Luis R. Fraga (Stanford University) examine immigration and national identity in the context of American political development. Tracing immigration fears to the pre-Declaration of Independence era, Segura and Fraga agree that Anglo-Protestant culture shaped American national identity but question whether ethno-religious and linguistic traditions are the most critical "binding ties of nationhood" or "the erosion of in the dominance of Anglo- Protestant culture is inherently destabilizing ..." They point to other successful multicultural democracies while cautioning against overlooking the less laudable aspects of Anglo-Protestant dominance which have historically negatively affected socially subordinate groups. Noting the role of the capacity for change in the longevity of the American republic -- rather than the maintenance of a static, idealized Anglo-Protestant identity -- they advocate a broader and comprehensive reading of American history in the immigration debate.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=68123

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23. US House committee examines requiring ID or proof of citizenship to vote

June 23, 2006 05:38 AM

WASHINGTON -- House lawmakers on Thursday considered legislation mirroring an Arizona law that would require voters in a federal election to prove they are U.S. citizens and present a photo ID.

The proposal sponsored by Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., would apply similar registration requirements as Arizona's Proposition 200, a voter-approved law that also denied some government benefits to illegal immigrants, to federal elections.
Supporters told the House Administration Committee in a hearing that legislation is needed to prevent fraud.

Opponents argued requiring citizenship papers and an ID to get a ballot would deter countless immigrant citizens and many others from voting.

"Over the past five decades, Congress has never seriously entertained legislation that would reduce participation," said Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., a former secretary of state. "Regrettably, H.R. 4844 would have that effect and mark a dangerous departure from past efforts."

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5069694&nav=HMO6HMaY

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24. IN: Massive voter-record cleanup planned

June 23, 2006

Star staff report
Dear Indiana Voter, are you still there?

A major update of the state’s voter list will include a mailing to more than 4 million registered voters, Indiana’s chief election offer says.

The state’s voter rolls “are plagued by duplicate registrations, inaccuracies, and inflated with deceased voters,” Secretary of State Todd Rokita said in a news release on Thursday.
The mailing is intended to identify ineligible voters and remove them from the list, Rokita said.

“The need for this cleanup is indisputable by any rational person,” he said.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/NEWS02/60623010