Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Wednesday Aug 3

[EFerrari]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Wednesday Aug 3

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.



Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.





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.





Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

[EFerrari]

1. Leftists block Mexico stock market in vote protest

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hundreds of leftists protesting alleged fraud in a tight presidential election shut down Mexico's stock market building on Thursday, although the demonstration had no impact on trading.

The stock exchange, a symbol of free market reforms in Mexico, stands on the elegant Reforma boulevard that runs through central Mexico City and was seized on Sunday by supporters of leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Protesters surrounded the building early on Thursday and were blocking access to employees. All trading is carried out electronically, however, and no problems were expected.

"Trading will not be affected. Schedules remain the same for all markets: equities, money and derivatives," stock market spokesman Guillermo Medina said.

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=13071495&src=rss/topNews

Go, LEFTISTS!

[EFerrari]

2. WI: Group wants AG ruling on release of voter ID numbers

Group wants AG ruling on release of voter ID numbers

By Brady Bautch, RiverTown Staff Writer

Did the State Elections Board violate state law when it directed local election officials to release voter identification numbers to third parties when requested is the question a state elections watchdog group wants answered.

The non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign on Monday asked Peg Lautenschlager, the state attorney general, to issue a clarifying opinion on the question.

In a July 21 memo the SEB stated, "With certain exceptions voter registration and voter history information, including the state voter registration system voter ID number, is a public record and must be provided upon request."

"The problem with the elections board's position is that it is against state law," Mike McCabe, WDC executive director wrote in the letter to Lautenschlager.

http://www.rivertowns.net/daily/rfj/c060803/

[EFerrari]

3. TN: Long Lines Expected At the Polls

Long Lines Expected At the Polls
Posted: 8/3/2006 7:55:00 AM
Updated: 8/3/2006 8:10:15 AM

Long Lines Expected At the Polls

A record number of people are expected to line up Thursday to vote, and with one of the longest ballots in state history, the lines could back up.

Polls opened at 7:00 Thursday morning. There is a new computer system to cast ballots and the ballot itself is very long this time. On top of that, elections workers are predicting a record number of voters for an August election.

Voters may want to show up at the polls early to avoid the long lines at the end of the day. Voters in most counties are using new computer voting machines so there has been a concern about lines backing up.

But even with the high turnout during early voting - there have been minimal problems and lines. Voters Thursday will pick one of the three Republican candidates to be the nominee for U.S. Senate.

http://www.newschannel5.com/content/election_2006/21166.asp

[EFerrari]

4. MI: Machines may cause vote count delay

Machines may cause vote count delay
BY ALEX LUNDBERG
STAFF WRITER

On primary election day Aug. 8, election workers might see a very late night -- or a very early Aug. 9 -- before vote counting is done on the new federally-mandated voting machines they'll be working with.

County Clerk Ruth Johnson said the new Help Americans Vote Act-funded machines still do a lot of nice things, like separate split ticket voting and tell people when they under- or over-vote, but there could be problems come election day.

"Absentee ballots, which are folded, and some regular ballots will tent inside the machines," she said. "We're suggesting to clerks that they have Republican and Democratic observers on staff to see their reuse."

In accordance with HAVA, the federal legislation drafted in the wake of hanging chads in the Florida election to modernize American voting technology, clerks offices from coast to coast have had to refit their offices with brand new election machines.

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/NEWS25/608030481

[EFerrari]

5. Poll: Democrats Leading in Six California 'Down Ticket' Races

Poll: Democrats Leading in Six California 'Down Ticket' Races

August 2, 2006

Democrats are leading in six '"down ballot" races for statewide offices although a significant number of voters remain undecided going into the November election, according to a new statewide poll released Tuesday.

In the race for lieutenant governor, the Field Poll showed that Democratic Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi leads Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, 48 percent to 38 percent, with 13 percent undecided.

Oakland mayor and former Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, also is ahead of his Republican rival, state Sen. Charles Poochigian of Fresno, in the race for attorney general. About 54 percent of likely voters chose Brown, 33 percent picked Poochigian and 12 percent remain undecided, the poll said.

The state treasurer's race shows Attorney General Bill Lockyer with an even larger lead over State Board of Equalization member Claude Parrish. Lockyer, a Democrat, had 52 percent, compared to Republican Parrish's 27 percent. Twenty percent were undecided.

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2006/08/02/71058.htm

[EFerrari]

6. State Dept: Election Monitoring Shows Commitment to Democracy

Election Monitoring Shows Commitment to Democracy

Preventing election fraud and building confidence subjects of online discussion

By Carolee Walker
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington – Effective, rigorous and principled election administration and monitoring can help address the continuing challenge of building genuine democracy around the world, said Eric Bjornlund, a lawyer and international development professional, in a Democracy Dialogues webchat August 1.

“Election monitoring contributes to the quality and integrity of elections by deterring or exposing fraud and building public confidence,” Bjornlund said.

Since the 1980s, international and domestic election monitoring has grown as a check on whether elections, especially in transitional or post-conflict nations, are free and fair. International election observation also demonstrates international commitment to democracy, Bjornland said. In addition to serving similar goals, nonpartisan domestic election monitoring in emerging democracies mobilizes civil society and builds social networks necessary to the consolidation of real democracy, he said.

Bjornlund is co-founder and president of Democracy International, a firm that provides technical assistance for governance programs worldwide. He serves as senior technical adviser for elections and political processes and governance analytical services. He is author of the book Beyond Free and Fair: Monitoring Elections and Building Democracy.

http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=August&x=20060802140351bcreklaw0.940838&chanlid=democracy


Just not in Ohio, right Condi?

[EFerrari]

7. Legal Challenges to Election Conditions From Coast to Coast

August 2, 2006

by Dave Berman

http://wedonotconsent.blogspot.com/2006/08/legal-challenges-to-election.html

August 2, 2006

Legal Challenges to Election Conditions From Coast to Coast

The Contra Costa Times reported Tuesday that CA Secretary of State Bruce McPherson was named as a defendant in yet another lawsuit. The suit was filed by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the California Council of the Blind and the American Association of People with Disabilities. Also named as defendants are the counties of Alameda, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma and Yolo. The case is based on the failures to comply with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

Also Tuesday, a Federal judge in Seattle ruled that voter registrations must not be contingent upon registration forms matching perfectly with DMV records. In an e-mail newsletter, CA State Senator and Secretary of State Candidate Debra Bowen explained the importance of this ruling and its relevance to California:

The case is relevant in California because the California Secretary of State adopted regulations to implement an agreement with the Bush Administration's Justice Department in 2005 that are very similar to the Washington state law the court put on hold yesterday afternoon. It's not known how many Californians may have been prevented from registering or re-registering to vote prior to the June primary or how many are still experiencing problems as they attempt to register in time for the November election.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_dave_ber_060803_legal_challenges_to_.htm

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[EFerrari]

8. AL: Riley in charge of voter database

Riley in charge of voter database

By Bob Johnson
Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY — A federal judge put Republican Gov. Bob Riley in charge of developing an overdue statewide voter registration database Wednesday and turned aside objections by the Democratic Party and the mostly black Alabama Democratic Conference.

U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins gave Riley the title of "special master" in the voter database project, replacing Democratic Secretary of State Nancy Worley.

At a hearing in which Worley and former Secretary of State Jim Bennett exchanged barbs, Watkins said he would issue a formal order detailing Riley's duties in about a week.

Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham and ADC Chairman Joe Reed had sought to intervene, contending partisan politics was behind the Justice Department's lawsuit and the call by the agency and GOP Attorney General Troy King to replace Worley with Riley in an election year for both.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060803/riley.shtml

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." :(

[EFerrari]

9. CT: Election to be held open for military votes

Aug 2, 6:12 PM EDT

Election to be held open for military votes

By PAT EATON-ROBB
Associated Press Writer

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- State officials agreed Wednesday to hold open Connecticut's Aug. 8 federal primary elections until Aug. 25 to ensure that absentee ballots from residents serving overseas in the military are counted.

The agreement settles a civil rights lawsuit filed against the state by the U.S. attorney's office after the military complained that some members had not received ballots in time to return them to the state before the election.

There are up to 2,100 people qualified to vote in the primary elections under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voter Act, according to the lawsuit.

About 700 ballots for the Democratic U.S. Senate race and fewer than 100 ballots for the Republican 1st Congressional District primary were mailed late by town clerks, according to the secretary of the state's office. Under the agreement, any military absentee ballot received before Aug. 25 will be counted.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CT_CONNECTICUT_PRIMARY_MILITARY_CTOL-?SITE=RIPRJ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[EFerrari]

10. AK: Absentee form is absent big party

Absentee form is absent big party

DEMOCRATS: Election staff says it was a mistake and only 1 copy escaped.

By KYLE HOPKINS
Anchorage Daily News

Published: August 2, 2006
Last Modified: August 2, 2006 at 11:58 AM

The Alaska Democratic Party has long kept a close, skeptical eye on the Republican-led Division of Elections. The party is suing the division, which runs elections and counts ballots, to get raw 2004 election results and didn't like it when Lt. Gov. Loren Leman appointed the former chairwoman of the Young Republicans to head the agency.

So it didn't help build any bridges recently when a voter received an absentee- voting application that gave instructions on how to vote for candidates in every party except the Democrats.

The division admits that a single, draft version of the application omitted the Democrats but said it was a simple mistake that's been corrected.

"The error was caught quickly," said elections administrative supervisor Kelly Cyrus. "The error was fixed. It only happened once, and of course the division regrets causing any confusion or concern."

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/elections/governor06/story/8031651p-7924805c.html

[EFerrari]

11. IN: Pilot program would reduce polling places

Pilot program would reduce polling places from 31 to 4
Awaiting state approval
BY REBECCA HELMES
STAFF WRITER

Polling places in Richmond could be consolidated from 31 to four in 2007 if Wayne County is approved for an election pilot program that will be tested in 30 counties around Indiana.

Wayne County Council joined the Wayne County Board of Commissioners and Wayne County Election Board in approving a resolution supporting the program at its Wednesday meeting. The government officials support trying the program because of the estimated savings it could bring.

Here's how the program would work if the Indiana Secretary of State's office chooses the county to take part:

Any registered voter could cast a ballot at any one of the four voting locations on the days of the 2007 municipal primary or general elections. Two of the voting locations would be open to voters for the five days leading up to each election day.

http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/NEWS01/608030308/1008

[EFerrari]

12. MO: Poll workers learn to use newfangled election gear

Poll workers learn to use newfangled election gear

Machines to go live in less than a week.

By JACOB LUECKE of the Tribune’s staff
Published Wednesday, August 2, 2006

As his fellow election judges huddled around one of Boone County’s new electronic ballot counters, awkwardly feeding paper ballots into the machine, poll worker Jesse Little stood back and offered his perspective.

"I think it will speed up the process once the learning curve is achieved," he said of the new technology. "What you’re seeing right now is the learning curve."

This week, inside a muggy warehouse on Paris Road, Little and Boone County’s nearly 500 poll workers are going through their final training sessions before Tuesday’s primary election.

The new electronic ballot counter in front of Little essentially is a computerized version of the traditional ballot box. As poll workers practice slipping ballots into its opening, the machine actually counts votes and tallies results. When it receives a ballot that’s been incorrectly filled out, the device beeps and lets the voter correct the mistake.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2006/Aug/20060802News001.asp

[EFerrari]

13. TN: Justice Department to have observers at the polls

Justice Department to have observers at the polls

By Bartholomew Sullivan
[e-mail]
August 2, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Justice Department will have observers at the polls in Shelby County Thursday to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act, the department announced this morning.

Memphis attorney Richard Fields said the monitors most likely are not coming to Memphis because of any anticipated illegal activity, and he didn't consider the announcement significant.

"They normally do this where some issues have been raised," he said.

But he said Thursday's long ballot and the shortage of machines probably will result in problems.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_4888368,00.html

[EFerrari]

14. TN: Agents probe election wrinkle

Agents probe election wrinkle
Imposter alleged, but vote goes on
By Halimah Abdullah and Marc Perrusquia

August 3, 2006
Hours before polls were set to open to decide the largest ballot in Shelby County's history, agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation opened a late-night criminal probe at the elections operation center.

Elections officials called in the TBI after someone impersonating a precinct official picked up ballot supplies, including a list of registered voters, for Precinct 49-1, said election commissioner O. C. Pleasant Jr.

Electon Commission chairman Gregory Duckett and Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons also confirmed that TBI agents were at the operations center investigating a single precinct.

The TBI action began late Wednesday afternoon as election workers made last-minute preparations for today's vote, which features the largest ballot in Shelby County history with 141 races.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_4889888,00.html

[EFerrari]

15. TN: Longest ballot in state history awaits voters

Longest ballot in state history awaits voters
By John Rodgers, [e-mail]
August 03, 2006

Metro residents heading to the polls today will face a new voting machine that requires voters to view up to 13 screens before submitting their choices from the longest ballot in state history.

As a result of the candidate-heavy ballot, state election officials are urging voters to get to the polls early and not wait until the last minute to avoid long lines.

“The ballot is so long that if people wait until they’re on their way home from work to vote, there will be just long lines at the polls,” said Brook Thompson, state election coordinator.

In Davidson County, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section=9&screen=news&news_id=51332

[EFerrari]

16. TN: Officials make last minute plans for election day (Heat)

Officials make last minute plans for election day

Aug 2, 2006 07:27 PM

While poll workers were briefed on procedures, Election commissioner Greg Duckett was busy implementing a plan to protect voters from a predicted heat wave.

Duckett says, "We do not want the process to inconvenience the voters any more than it has to particularly given the projected weather forecast that we have."

If lines on Thursday look anything like the did on the last day of early voting, there are concerns about how high temps will impact elderly and disabled voters.

Shelby County Chief Administrative officer John Folkes says, "And so we've been in contact with the election commission to see if there is some way we can help you know Shelby County government can help."

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=5233515

(What do they woveon in Shelby County? Is their equipment subject to that OH humidity problem?)

[EFerrari]

17. CA: Disability Rights Suit Over California Voting Equipment

Wednesday, August 2

Disability Rights Suit Over California Voting Equipment

In a suit with nationwide implications, the Paralyzed Veterans of America filed suit yesterday against California election officials, challenging the accessibility of voting systems used by five counties in that state. The complaint, which may be found here http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/blogs/tokaji/PVA-Complaint.pdf
asserts violations of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ("HAVA"). Other plaintiffs include the American Association of People with Disabilities, the California Council on the Blind, and individual voters with disabilities.

In brief, the plaintiffs allege that none of the systems certified in California provide adequate access for people with disabilities. There are three types of equipment alleged to be inadequately accessible. First, the suit claims that the ES&S AutoMARK system used in San Francisco, Marin, and Sonoma County's doesn't provide for private and independent voting for people with manual dexterity limitations. Second, the suit claims that the direct record electronic ("DRE") system used to accommodate people with disabilities in Alameda County isn't fully accessible to people with visual disabilities, who can't read the contemporaraneous paper record (or "VVPAT") that this system generates. Finally, they allege that Yolo County only has an optical-scan system, which doesn't accommodate people with visual or manual impairments.

Assuming the facts alleged to be true, the strongest claim appears to lie against Yolo County. If Yolo is exclusively using optical-scan systems, as alleged, it's pretty clear that it's not complying with HAVA's mandate of providing at least one accessible unit per polling place. Assuming that the facts are true, and that the court concludes that HAVA is privately enforceable through section 1983 (as the Sixth Circuit previously concluded in Sandusky County Democratic Party v. Blackwell), plaintiffs should prevail on this claim.

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/blogs/tokaji/

[Kurovski]

18. Kick to the top.

Thank you, sfexpat2000!:loveya:

[EFerrari]

19. Thank you!

:loveya:

[freedomfries]

20. IN StarNews Editorial: Be diligent, careful in voter list cleanup

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

August 3, 2006 editorial
Be diligent, careful in voter list cleanup

Our position: Voting lists should be purged of inaccuracies, but the work must be done carefully.

Both political parties have it right.
Cleaning up voter registration rolls is, as Republicans insist, an important job that has been put off for far too long. Yet, it's a task that must be done carefully, as Democrats contend, to ensure that eligible voters aren't disenfranchised.
Republicans are legitimately concerned that as many as one in four names on Indiana's registration lists may be invalid. The lists contain duplicate names of voters who have moved from one precinct to another, as well as names of the deceased or people who have left the state.
Marion County Clerk Doris Anne Sadler says as many as one in three names on the county's list may be invalid. A vendor contracted by the secretary of state's office supplied a list containing 36,000 names of improperly registered voters in Marion County. Local Republicans say they're certain nearly 4,500 of those people are registered more than once. Those names absolutely should be removed.
It's important for the integrity of elections that voter lists be accurate. Although there's scant evidence that inaccuracies on voting lists are generating widespread fraud, appearances matter. Voters shouldn't be given any cause for concern that their ballots are being canceled by someone voting from multiple precincts.
As a practical matter, inaccurate lists also are costly. Sadler says purging invalid names could lead to reductions in the number of polls and poll workers, saving the county $380,000 every election.
Democrats, however, are right in insisting that every vote is important. No one should be disenfranchised because his or her name has been inaccurately removed from a registration list.


http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/OPINION/608030381
:sarcasm:

[freedomfries]

21. thanks dor your thread sfexpat2000!

:thumbsup:

[EFerrari]

22. It's so much my privilege, freedomfries! I learn so much from working

the thread.

:hi:

[livvy]

23. Thank you, sfexpat2000. Nice thread!n/t