Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 05/26/08

[tbyg52]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 05/26/08

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[tbyg52]

1. States nt

[tbyg52]

8. CT: Connecticut Film Festival Lineup

Here's the lineup of feature-length films at the Connecticut Film Festival. For specific dates, times, venues and prices, last-minute film additions or deletions, and a listing of short films and other events, visit ctfilmfest.com

snip

Honk For Peace — Corey Boutilier's documentary about a 2003 anti-war movement that culminates with the 2006 Senate race between Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont in Connecticut.

snip

Uncounted — David Earnhardt's documentary about election fraud and the 2004 election.

More:
http://www.newsday.com/topic/hc-filmfestlineup-0517,0,6345496.htmlstory

[tbyg52]

9. FL: Web vote offered to military abroad

A small Panhandle county that is home to one of the world's largest air bases is embarking on a sweeping experiment in Internet voting that could transform elections in the 21st century.

But the push by Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Pat Hollarn to use the Internet to make it easier for U.S. soldiers overseas to vote is drawing fire from voting activists who call her project ''unsafe'' and contrary to a new law that requires the state to use paper ballots.

Frustrated by the pace of overseas voting efforts undertaken by the Department of Defense in recent years, Hollarn has championed a plan that will let those living on, or near, three military bases in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan cast ballots in the November election.

During a 10-day period just before Election Day, voters living abroad will be able to enter a computer kiosk and vote on an encrypted electronic ballot, which will eventually be shipped to Florida via the Internet and then counted. Poll workers will be on site to verify that the person is a registered Okaloosa County voter.

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/546799.html

Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=503358&mesg_id=503358

[tbyg52]

12. CA: Alameda on election cutting edge

Every election official has a similar story.

It's election night, and the votes are rolling in and being counted. It's all running smoothly — until someone opens a bag from a precinct and it all goes awry.

It's not there — no memory pack holding the scanned paper vote results from that polling place, or no memory card holding the touch-screen vote numbers.

"If you talk to every single election official in the state, they all have a story of some poll worker — who just worked 12 or 14 hours — and he or she went home with something by accident," said Dave Macdonald, Alameda County's registrar of voters.

That's why, last November, Alameda County became the first county in the state to institute a new level of security to verify the movement of the valuable memory cards and packs with a radio frequency identification, or RFID, program that tracks the items from precinct to return center to the registrar's office in Oakland.

More:
http://www.mercurynews.com/alamedacounty/ci_9381338

[tbyg52]

13. OH: Voting program aims to honor Ohio's veterans

With Memorial Day upon us, we all should honor the veterans who have fought so valiantly for our country. America's military men and women have defended our great democracy and one of its defining characteristics: every American's right to vote.

The Ohio Secretary of State's office is paying tribute to all who have served or are serving our country with the Vote in Honor of a Veteran program.

The program highlights the sacrifices that have been made by our nation's military men and women. With the program, people can highlight a special veteran and, in the process, encourage all Ohioans to honor their sacrifice by voting.

To take part, Ohioans can visit my office's Web site, www.sos.state.oh.us, to share stories about the veteran they will honor by exercising the right to vote.

(A little) more:
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080526/OPINION03/805260317

[tbyg52]

17. FL: Putting voter registration forms at Seminole stores makes sense

It's easy to forget in the excitement over the presidential race that Americans have a poor record in exercising their right to vote. Just slightly more than half of those eligible cast ballots in the last presidential election.

In Seminole County, Elections Supervisor Michael Ertel has begun a welcome and wise program to register more voters. He has enlisted more than 40 stores or restaurants to make registration forms available to customers.

More:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed26308may26,0,3942404.story

[tbyg52]

20. OH: Signing election petitions goes high-tech

Technology finally has caught up with the decades-old pen-and-paper process used to gather signatures of registered voters to place issues on the ballot.

A new high-tech system is being pioneered locally by the Ohio Petition Co., a Columbus business that sprang up after a strip-club issue dismally failed to qualify for the November ballot. Backers of the petition drive spent $1.5 million, but only 29 percent of the signatures were valid, dooming the effort.

Several other issues have suffered the same fate in recent years.

The new system uses a "digital pen" that captures signatures electronically on special paper. It transmits them to a BlackBerry, which, in turn, sends the information to a computer, where the signatures and accompanying details are checked visually against a statewide voter-registration database maintained by county boards of elections.

More:
http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/05/26/SIGNATURES.ART_ART_05-26-08_A1_ENAA937.html?sid=101

[tbyg52]

25. SC: Voting equipment to be tested Tuesday

The Greenwood County Voter Registration & Elections Office will be programming the P.E.B.s and testing the equipment for the upcoming June primaries on Tuesday in Suite 113, Park Plaza. This is in compliance with Section 7-13-1750 regarding the preparation of the electronic equipment.

(That's it - it's just a community announcement, if any of y'all live there)
http://www.indexjournal.com/articles/2008/05/26/news/news04.txt

[Wilms]

27. Pre-Election testing is fine. But a UCONN report shows it ain't what it seems.

You can hack the system in a way that it behaves well during testing, and then steals the election.

“Tampering with Special Purpose Trusted Computing Devices: A Case Study in Optical Scan E-Voting”, ACSAC, Miami, Florida, December 2007

http://www.acsac.org

(.pdf) http://voter.engr.uconn.edu/voter/Reports_files/seeA-tamperEVoting.pdf


Optical Scan is computerized vote counting.

[tbyg52]

38. Well, yeah, I'd rather throw it in the harbor than test it -

who's with me! (Rhetorical question.... ;) )

[tbyg52]

2. National nt

[tbyg52]

3. Foreign nt

[tbyg52]

7. Zimbabwe: What is the point of voting?

WHAT is the purpose of voting when I certainly know it is not going to make any difference? It is clear to everyone that the pending presidential run-off elections` result will be disputed whoever wins it.

On the one hand, if President Mugabe wins, the MDC and the "international" community will allege fraud. On the other hand, if MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai prevails, he is likely to face resistance from the security forces who do not trust his intentions.

Security forces are supposed to be professional and apolitical and under normal circumstances their allegiance must be to the office of the president and not to any individual. But why are they uncomfortable with MDC President Tsvangirai taking over the highest office? Perhaps the answer lies in the small print that has been recklessly leaked to the world.

More:
http://www.talkzimbabwe.com/news/130/ARTICLE/2525/2008-05-26.html

[tbyg52]

10. Philippines: Yano: Mayuga report to remain under wraps

Wanting to start with a clean slate, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Lieutenant General Alexander Yano said he sees no need to release a military board’s report clearing several generals of involvement in alleged massive election fraud in 2004.

Yano added that he has not even seen the report — nor is he interested in doing so — and does not know where it is. The report was prepared by retired vice admiral Mateo Mayuga, former AFP Inspector General and Philippine Navy chief.

“I don’t think I will have to uncover what has already been acted upon by my predecessor . no need for me,” Yano told reporters on Friday at Villamor Airbase, where he made his first official visit to Philippine Air Force headquarters since assuming the military leadership on May 12.

More:
http://barangayrp.wordpress.com/category/mayuga-report/

[tbyg52]

14. Voting tough for disabled in Indian elections

Yet another election and an all too familiar aftertaste of rights being denied is how the May 10th ended for people with disabilities in Banglore, as Karnataka went to assembly poll without Braille-enabled voting machines and ramps at the polling booths.

For the world’s largest democracy it should be a rarity, but for these citizens of India exercising their franchise has been a test of will and dignity, despite legislations and directions from the Supreme Court of India, they have had to face numerous barriers in casting votes.

“Less than a month after the state chief electoral officer gave an assurance to disability activists, there is no sign of Braille strips on voting machines or ramps on the polling booths,” says Paul Ramanath, secretary Karnataka Angavikalara Rajya Okkoota (KARO), a state-level alliance of disability groups supported by ActionAid.

“Despite a standing directive from the Supreme Court and a mandate from the Chief Election Commission, voters with disabilities in Karnataka faced inaccessible polling booths and voting machines sans Braille,” confirms Victor John Cordeiro, programme manager of ActionAid’s Disability Unit.

More:
http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/160669/1/1893

[tbyg52]

15. Georgia: GYLA Reports Election Violence and Double Voting

A number of organizations came out to observe the democracy and fairness of the Parliamentary elections on May 21. However, of those observation commissions, GYLA was the only Georgian NGO.

About 600 observers from GYLA monitored the election process in various Georgian regions. On May 21, GYLA observers submitted 147 complaints to the district election commissions. At 8pm, on May 21, as soon as the precincts closed, they submitted another 25 complaints to the circuit commissions.

Reports included incidents of violence, double voting, and several observers were even forced out of the voting precincts. To learn more, The Georgian Times interviewed Giorgi Chkheidze, chairman of GYLA, regarding the election process irregularities and the claim that NGO observers were expelled from election precincts during their monitoring.

G.T.: What kind of irregularities did GYLA identify?

G.C.: About 600 observers from our NGO monitored the election process during the whole day. As a rule, there were procedural irregularities. Marking procedures were violated in several precincts. Another serious problem concerns the facts of double voting. However, the most alarming part was that our observers were offended. They were expelled from several precincts. Such incidents were identified in Kvemo Kartli, namely Bolnisi, Mtskheta, Gori as well as Tbilisi, namely Gldani district.

More:
http://www.geotimes.ge/index.php?m=home&newsid=10964

[tbyg52]

16. Malaysia: EC wants fresh voter roll

The Election Commission wants a fresh voter roll and this will involve the re-registration of the 10.9 million Malaysians who are already registered as voters.

EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman (pic) said a new roll which catered to the current needs was necessary and would be acceptable to all parties.

“The new registration exercise will be held if the Government accepts the proposal. We hope the proposal will be accepted,” he said this during an interview with mStar Online, The Star's Malay news portal.

Abdul Rashid said the EC would propose to the Government to have a special law to enable the drawing up of a new roll after the commission’s panel members meet on June 9.

“We have jurisdiction to only examine and update the current list and not to come up with a fresh list,” he said.

More:
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-0&fp=483a85928271c069&ei=bdA6SMOIBoWM-wGV-rG1DA&url=http%3A//thestar.com.my/news/story.asp%3Ffile%3D/2008/5/26/nation/21363201%26sec%3Dnation&cid=1216045146&usg=AFrqEze3aZMcpCtT8B-QotwaMX120y8hzg

[Wilms]

18. India: Exit polls don't raise TRPs (More psephologistic fodder)

Exit polls don't raise TRPs

May 26, 2008

snip

MNV, USA: Why are your surveys always pro-Congress? I think it's time for you to stop doing this business. You did this earlier in Gujarat and now in Karnataka. Don't try to influence people with your exit polls. People are smart now.

Yogendra Yadav: I was about to call it a day and then I saw this question. I thought I must address this last question before I quit today. May I urge you not to draw such conclusion based on two polls? In any case what purpose would it serve (assuming that the purpose is to benefit the Congress) to show the Congress winning or ahead after the last vote is cast? May I urge all the viewers and readers to see polls for what they are, namely exercises to understand political behaviour? May I request you to address some of your questions to Prof Karandikar now? Thanks for taking us seriously enough to address your questions, anger and doubts. I hope to continue this dialogue. Bye for now.

Ankit Desai: Are you really taking real-time voters as sample for your pre/post exit poll? You failed in Gujarat and now in Karnataka. While error of 2-4% can change the whole scenario, then how come you can make the same mistake twice? I think you are just taking general perception and going with average vote sharing thoughts. In Gujarat, it was anti-Modi wave and in Karnataka, 3 major parties, so a hung Assembly. Don't you?

Yogendra Yadav: Ankit I can see why you think so. Can I invite you to the CSDS one day and see for yourself how much of effort goes into making every poll? And we retain the records of each poll, right or wrong. Do get in touch with me.

snip

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/ibnlive-chat-exit-polls-dont-raise-trps/66023-3.html

[tbyg52]

22. Zimbabwe: Zanu thugs take villagers' IDs

Scores of villagers in Kezi, Matabeleland South might not be able to vote in the presidential run-off election after Zanu (PF) militias disappeared with their identification particulars (IDs) the previous week.

The militias and war veterans swindled the villagers of their ID’s after indicating that they wanted to cross-check whether they were registered to vote in the run-off.The militias, who have set up base in the area, reportedly said they would facilitate the registration of villagers who were unregistered voters to ensure everyone votes in the run-off.However, the ZEC has indicated that there would not be any new registration for the June 27 election.

(A little) more:
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12963:zanu-thugs-take-villagers-ids&catid=31:top%20zimbabwe%20stories&Itemid=66

[tbyg52]

24. Nigeria: Lawmaker Attacked for Hijacking Election Materials

YESTERDAY'S re-run gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State was characterised by low voters turn out, late arrival of electoral materials and other logistic problems encountered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but, against the security alert that was declared before the poll, voting was peaceful. The Sokoto State version of the election was held without hitches and there was a large turn-out of voters.

Sunday Vanguard observed, that most residents of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, stayed at home during the election, while a number of those that came to the polling units openly asked for "mobilization" from the agents of one of the political parties before they would cast their vote for the party's candidate.

Security was tight in Yenagoa during the election, as security agents, mainly the police, Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta and others, patrolled everywhere to ensure that the elections was held in a peaceful atmosphere. Assistant Inspector- General (AIG) of Police in charge of Zone 5, Mr. Udom Ekpoudom, said there was no security problem as at 2.00 p.m. when he spoke to Sunday

More:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200805260051.html

[tbyg52]

35. Thousands protest Saakashvili poll win in Georgia

Tens of thousands of people protested in Georgia's capital on Monday against President Mikheil Saakashvili, who they said had stolen victory for his ruling party in last week's parliamentary election.

Up to 40,000 opponents demonstrated for four hours in front of the parliament building in central Tbilisi, scene of protests that brought Saakashvili to power in 2003 on a wave of optimism that he would reform the tiny Caucasus nation.

The U.S.-educated lawyer's democratic credentials are under intense scrutiny after he used riot police to crush protests last November, and the opposition say he has rigged a January presidential vote and the May 21 parliamentary election.

A Reuters reporter estimated that up to 40,000 people attended the meeting after an Independence Day military parade, making it the biggest protest rally since Saakashvili's January inauguration. The opposition said over 100,000 had gathered.

More:
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/Thousands_protest_Saakashvili_poll_win_in_Georgia.html?siteSect=143&sid=9134921&cKey=1211814470000&ty=ti

[tbyg52]

4. Blogs, Editorials, LTTEs, etc. nt

[tbyg52]

11. Hacking Democracy on HBO

I happen to catch part of a documentary currently running on HBO called "Hacking Democracy".

I really don't know why I was so shocked by what I saw but I was. The cheating and total disregard for the rules was so blatant.

This voting situation is out of control. If we don't participate a the local level we might as well call it quits and start another revolution. Because that is where it is all happening my friends.

(A little) more:
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cont/node/7863

[Wilms]

21. Diebold Lobbyi$t$

Diebold Lobbyi$t$

May 24, 2008

by Bob DeMarco

$nip

The voter a$$i$tance procedure for $pecial-need voter$ u$ing the optical $canner work$ well and i$ u$ed with good $ucce$$.

However, the legi$lation attempt to give $pecial-need voter$ a better $y$tem via the Diebold Company "touch $creen" $y$tem i$ a terrible wa$te of taxpayer money. Apparently Kentucky ha$ interpreted federal law$ to dictate that every polling place have one of the$e. It take$ an extra half hour to $et-up and take down and often require$ a central board technician'$ help.

Perhap$ thi$ would be worth the effort, but I have never $een a $ingle per$on vote on the $y$tem. From que$tioning area $upervi$or$ I $urmi$e thi$ i$ the $ituation all over the county.

The Diebold lobbyi$t that $old our legi$lature$ on the$e $eem to be the principle beneficiarie$. It i$ important to make the voting proce$$ available to all, but there mu$t be a more co$t effective $y$tem. With the optical $canner voter a$$i$tance $y$tem already in place, i$ there really any need for the$e $eldom u$ed expen$ive Diebold machine$?

$nip

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080524/OPINION02/805240434

[tbyg52]

23. HBO's Recount Demands a Sequel for 2004...and a Prayer for 2008

This weekend's fast-moving, long-overdue HBO docu-drama on the theft of the 2000 election stopped four years short. It did a riveting job of portraying how Team Bush, headed by James Baker, strong-armed its way into the presidency.

But it's now time for the major media to finally face up to Act 2 of the GOP's rape of the American electoral system, and produce a piece of equal heft and clout about Ohio 2004. And let's hope it won't be necessary to follow with a third piece on how the GOP could steal 2008.

The most telling moment in this generally credible HBO offering comes at the very end. Al Gore's Florida point man, Ron Klain (as played by Kevin Spacey), spots the victorious James Baker getting on his private plane. Ever the gentleman, Klain approaches Baker to congratulate him, and ask "if the best man won." Baker responds he thinks so.

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-wasserman/hbos-emrecount-em-demands_b_103524.html

[tbyg52]

34. Re Recount: Remiss!

When I read last week that James Baker III hosted a preview of the HBO film Recount at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston, I knew that this dramatic interpretation of the 2000 election would disappoint those who long for historical accuracy.

And it did.

Not in all ways, mind you, but in some extraordinarily essential ones.

On Sunday morning, I wrote in an email that a true telling of the 2000 election had to include at least two points. An excellent telling would include a third. I finished with "Let’s see how HBO does."

Within minutes of the start of Recount, I yelled out, "NO!" That’s not right!" They blew it coming out of the gate.

The film showed that at 2:16 AM, the vote in Florida, which would be the deciding factor for the entire country, was called by ABC News for George W. Bush, immediately followed by the NBC, CBS and CNN.

But that is simply not the case. History has shown that the first call at 2:16 AM came from Fox News – conveniently omitted by HBO.

More:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_barbara__080526_re_recount_3a_remiss_21.htm

Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3342191&mesg_id=3342191

[tbyg52]

26. A Florida Democrat At The Crossroads

Increasingly strange things are being said to justify disenfranchising Democrats who happened to cast primary votes in Florida or Michigan.

There is talk of seating Florida's delegates but not letting them vote, and there is talk of Obama "giving" Clinton "some" of her votes at the convention, as if our votes for her are his to give.

There is even talk of altering the outcome of the primaries in Michigan and Florida; not through the usual chicanery involving missing ballot boxes or hanging chads, but openly. Members of the Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee actually suggested throwing out Florida's election results and replacing them with equal votes for each candidate.

Yvonne Gates, a member of the committee, explained that she views this behavior as an exercise in fairness: "My definition is a 50-50 split is something that is fair," said Ms. Gates. "It cannot be a situation where you give one candidate more votes than the other."

It takes a certain amount of cynicism, or insulation from reality, or just plain hubris for a powerful committee member to tell me that I shouldn't mind if my vote is not counted, or if only half of it gets counted, or if the vote I cast for Hillary Clinton will be voided and replaced with "half" a vote for Clinton and "half" a vote for Obama.

More:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/26/na-a-florida-democrat-at-the-crossroads/

[tbyg52]

33. MediaMatters: Boston Globe reported McCain's attack on Obama on campaign finance,

but not that McCain may be breaking campaign finance laws

Summary: The Boston Globe reported in an article that Sen. John McCain has "accus Obama of going back on his word to take part in the public system" without noting that the Obama campaign has also criticized McCain on public financing or that the FEC chairman has taken the position that McCain cannot legally opt out of public financing during the primary season without FEC approval.

In a May 22 Boston Globe article, deputy national political editor Foon Rhee reported that Sen. Barack Obama "might be the first presidential candidate since the post-Watergate reforms to opt out of public financing for the general election," adding that Sen. John McCain has "accus Obama of going back on his word to take part in the public system, financed by income tax checkoffs." But Rhee did not report that the Obama campaign has also criticized McCain on public financing or that Federal Election Commission (FEC) chairman David Mason has taken the position that McCain cannot legally opt out of public financing during the primary season without FEC approval, meaning that every day that McCain spends beyond the limits of the public financing system -- which he has already exceeded -- he could be breaking federal law.

More:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200805220006?f=h_latest

[tbyg52]

37. Why 'Vote-by-Mail' Elections are a Terrible Idea for Democracy

Some 33,500 registered voters in Oregon received two ballots in the mail for this year's primary election in the country's only 100% Vote-by-Mail (VBM) state. Though Secretary of State Bill Bradbury says he's confident the problem will be handled, and that no voter will get to cast two ballots, that snafu is a small concern compared to the larger ones presented by VBM.

Many Oregonians will tell you they believe their system is wonderful, yet many of the Election Integrity advocates on the ground there, including many we've spoke with at the Oregon Voting Rights Coalition, warn that the success of the state's VBM program is largely based on good procedures put in place by Bradbury, and which they fear may disappear, as they are not statutory, when he is someday no longer the state's SoS.

In the meantime, one of the unintended consequences of the success that EI advocates have had in helping to expose the failures of electronic voting systems, is that absentee and/or VBM systems have been growing in popularity.

For those of us who prize transparency, security, privacy, and verifiable accuracy over partisan politics, Vote-by-Mail elections remain a terrible idea.

More:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6003

[tbyg52]

5. Campaign Finance nt

[tbyg52]

29. Campaign Finance Lessons from the 2008 Campaign, So Far

As the country heads into the end game of the 2008 presidential primaries, and gets ready for an extended general election campaign, this is a good time to take stock of campaign finance lessons already learned from the 2008 election.

1. Senator Barack Obama Has Made an Extraordinary Breakthrough in Small Donor Internet Fundraising, But it's the Exception, Not the Rule; Larger Donations and Bundlers Continue to Play the Major Role in Funding the 2008 Presidential Primaries.

One of the most interesting developments in the financing of the 2008 presidential primaries has been the extraordinary success of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) in raising small donations on the Internet.

As of March 31, 2008, Senator Obama had raised an unprecedented $101 million in small individual contributions of $200 or less, which represents 45 percent of his $225 million in total individual contributions raised for the primaries, according to the Campaign Finance Institute (CFI).

More:
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/86216/

[tbyg52]

30. State attorney blasts Orange leaders for failed campaign-finance reform

Central Florida's chief prosecutor blasted several Orange County commissioners Friday for failing to pass campaign-finance reforms, saying the board "ought to be ashamed of itself."

"I'm frustrated," said Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar.

Lamar singled out Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and Commissioners Fred Brummer, Mildred Fernandez, Tiffany Moore Russell and Bill Segal in a letter to the Orlando Sentinel to be published Sunday, saying their inaction on reforms "is abhorrent to those of us interested in open government."

"The commission, aside from the courage demonstrated by Commissioners Teresa Jacobs and Linda Stewart, ought to be ashamed of itself," Lamar's letter closes.

More:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/doctorphillips/orl-ethics2408may24,0,3461144.story

[tbyg52]

31. State GOP revises scores of finance reports

Responding to federal inquiries into its financial records, the Republican Party of Minnesota recently adjusted scores of campaign finance reports from several years to correct overstated claims on how much cash it had available to spend and other problems.

The party filed 60 amended reports in the past two weeks with the Federal Election Commission revising statements it submitted since 2002, when Congress passed tougher campaign finance restrictions.

More:
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/19227844.html?location_refer=Sports

[tbyg52]

32. Campaign finance reports can be altered without a trace

The state's 8-year-old electronic campaign finance reporting system is getting an overhaul, but for now, candidates can change or delete entries to their online documents without explanation or a visible trail.

A donation or expense that shows up today could be gone tomorrow.

That ease of use is justified, said Joe Demma, chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert.

"If someone submits a report and makes a mistake, they should have an opportunity to correct that mistake," Demma said.

State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff recently had two such vanishing entries.

In early May, the Deseret News reported an April 18 donation of $2,300 from Shurtleff's campaign to John McCain's presidential campaign, which some questioned as a possible violation of Federal Election Commission regulations.

More:
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9317679

[tbyg52]

6. The Youth Vote nt

[tbyg52]

19. Election excitement energizing younger voters

Inspired by a fierce interest in the presidential election, a gasping economy and the ongoing Iraq war, a growing number of East Bay young people see voting and politics as a path to change.

Nearly half the 58,000 new registrants in Contra Costa and Alameda counties since Sept. 1 are younger than 30, a Times analysis of voter registration data showed. Sixteen percent of all East Bay registered voters fall into this age category.

"Young voters' lot in life is tough right now," said California Young Democrats President Rocky Fernandez, citing the poor economy, college debt, less access to health insurance and the war. "But our generation is still hopeful. We see government as a tool for good, and we think we can have an effect at the polls."

The need to "get involved and have an impact on our future is becoming incredibly real and incredibly palpable," said East Bay Young Democrats President Frieda Glantz, a 27-year-old Piedmont consultant for a nonprofit organization.

The trend is largely helping Democrats.

More:
http://origin.contracostatimes.com/ci_9373742

[tbyg52]

28. Time Flies: Kid Who Starred In 'Jerry Maguire' Registers To Vote

Need proof that time flies? The little blond kid who told Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire" that a human head weighs eight pounds has just registered to vote.

Jonathan Lipnicki was six when "Jerry Maguire" came out in the fall of 1996.

(A little) more:
http://www.knbc.com/news/16394214/detail.html

[tbyg52]

36. CMR freshman a natural leader:

15-year-old Timothy Seery interested in politics since the 2000 presidential election

"I think it'll be fun," said the 15-year-old C.M. Russell High School freshman of the driver's education experience. "I think it's actually relieving for the parents."

The son of Mike and Susan Seery, Tim Seery has had politics in his blood since he was in second grade and watched the results of the 2000 presidential election.

"I remember the debates, but the night of the election mostly," Seery said.

He was rooting for Al Gore and was frustrated when the decision was so tight that night. However, only being 7 years old, Seery couldn't stay up for the results.

"I had to go to bed," he said. Seery remembered the paper the next morning claiming Gore had won, only to have that news reversed later.

More:
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080526/LIFESTYLE/805260305

[tbyg52]

39. Young adults' interest in presidential race still high, Pew researcher says

Barack Obama rose to the top of the Democratic presidential field propelled by early and enthusiastic support of younger voters.

But many wondered whether he could sustain the support of the notoriously fickle group as the primary sprint turned into a marathon.

As the race winds to a close, people younger than 30 are still voting in high numbers and staying interested in the campaign, said Scott Keeter, director of survey research for the Pew Research Center.

"When the campaign comes to town, young people are energized and excited and voting in larger numbers," he said.

When the candidates move on from a state, interest in the race falls from those peaks. But it's staying higher this year than Mr. Keeter has ever seen before.

More:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-youngdems_26pol.ART.State.Edition1.4642424.html

[tbyg52]

40. That's all, folks!

Thanks for the help, Wilms! :hi:

[livvy]

41. Woo Hoo...I get to be #5!....

I'm easily amused....:shrug:

Thanks! :thumbsup:

[tbyg52]

42. Thanks!

I'm easily amused as well - when I'm *really* bored, I troll GD or GD:P for four-rec'ers to kick over the edge..... ;)

[Wilms]

43. .