[DVN] - 'Daily Voting News' for June 23, 2009 ES&S' DS200 mucks up Florida Elections

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Ok, this time posting before I fall asleep in my chair. My apologies for doubling down on Daily News yesterday.



Smartmatic, the company, is under fire in the Philippines.

"Why did Florida have high "invalid votes" in 2008? An important new report from Florida Fair Elections Center (FFEC) finds that certain optical scan voting systems contributed significantly to Florida's high invalid vote rate in the 2008 election, while other optical scan systems did not. Invalid votes, which are the combination of overvotes, undervotes and invalid write-in votes, were expected to drop with the statewide use of paper ballot optical scan voting systems. Instead, they increased." Thus begins the press release for today's featured item.

Featured: Examining Florida's High Invalid Vote Rate in the 2008 General Election
http://www.ffec.org/documents/Invalid_Vote_Report_Revised_23June2009.pdf



ES&S DS 200 Key Features: 2005 WSG Compliant
Unique User-Friendly Design Touch Screen Display Paper-Based and
DRE Vote Accumulation Integrated Thermal Printer Power Management
Anticipated Operational Enhancements

Press Release: Florida Fair Elections Center Announces Flawed voting systems led to lost Florida votes in 2008
""It's very clear that the new DS200 was the problem,"
http://www.ffec.org/PressReleases/Invalid%20Votes%20Press%20Release.pdf

National: When Voters Move
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/when_voters_move/ (New report from the Brennan Center.)

Press Release: Detailed Reports Offer Guidelines for Permanent Voter Registration
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/detailed_reports_offer_guidelines_for_permanent_voter_registration/

National: Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2009 TIMELINE
http://www.votersunite.org/info/2009HoltBillTimeline.pdf

National: UU secretaries of state stress importance of voting
http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/143299.shtml

National: NAMUDNO v Holder - The Opinion of the Court
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/08-322.ZO.html

National: Quelle Surprise! The Unexpected Ruling that Saves Section 5
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/06/22/quelle-surprise-the-unexpected-ruling-that-saves-section-5/

National: Initial Thoughts on NAMUDNO: Chief Justice Roberts Blinked
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/013903.html

National: Early News and Commentary on NAMUDNO
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/013904.html

National: Supreme Court Rules On Voting Rights Act
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105762117
(Check out the audio)

National: Get Ready for "Voter Registration Modernization" (or "VRM")
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/013913.html

IL: RI mayoral recount officially finished
http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_89bbf0c0-5fa6-11de-a78c-001cc4c002e0.html

MN: KSTP wants to see the rejected absentee ballots and I get all weird and philosophical
http://www.minnpost.com/ericblack/2009/06/23/9720/kstp_wants_to_see_the_rejected_absentee_ballots_and_i_get_all_weird_and_philosophical

NH: Supreme Court Decision May "Bail Out" New Hampshire Towns
http://nhwatchdog.blogspot.com/2009/06/supreme-court-decision-may-bail-out-new.html

OH: Darnell Nash held on $10,000 bond in voter fraud case
http://www.cleveland.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/06/darnell_nash_due_in_court_in_v.html

OR: Online voter registration passes Senate
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/06/online_voter_registration_pass.html

OR: Coming soon to Oregon: Online voter registration!
http://www.blueoregon.com/2009/06/online-voter-registration.html

PA: Civil Rights Commission asks why Obama Justice Dept. let thugs get away with menacing white voters
http://www.examiner.com/x-7812-DC-SCOTUS-Examiner~y2009m6d22-Civil-Rights-Commission-asks-why-Obama-Justice-Dept-let-thugs-get-away-with-menacing-white-voters

TX: Bay Area Houston: Leo Vasquez releases emails.
http://bayareahouston.blogspot.com/2009/06/leo-vasquez-releases-emails.html

WI: What if your polling place was just a double-click away?
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/455825

Afghanistan: Afghan Election Commission launches mobile voter registration
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/23/content_11589696.htm

Iran: Iran Will Not Annul Election Results
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/06/23/2009062301793.html

Iran: The Iranian Election and the Revolution Test Why Voter Outrage was a Bust
http://stopsocialism.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/the-iranian-election-and-the-revolution-test-why-voter-outrage-was-a-bust/

Philippines: After Briefing, Senators Mixed On Poll Automation
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/24/yehey/top_stories/20090624top2.html

Philippines: Comelec cautioned vs signing automation deal
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/165636/Comelec-cautioned-vs-signing-automation-deal

UK: Poms should be Aussies to vote: Melham
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/poms-should-be-aussies-to-vote-melham-20090623-cv71.html

Published by VotersUnite.Org
Ellen Theisen ([e-mail]), Director and Managing Editor
Dave Klein ([e-mail]), Editor
John Washburn ([e-mail]), Editor

Daily Voting News was founded on February 6, 2004 by John Gideon (1947-2009). To assist with Daily Voting News, please send links to news articles to [e-mail]. To donate, click here: http://www.votersunite.org/donate.asp.

"To encourage citizen ownership of transparent, participatory democracy." The Creekside Declaration March 22, 2008

**Articles and commentary included in "Daily Voting News" do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors of Daily Voting News, VotersUnite.Org, or its allied organizations. Articles are selected for inclusion to inform subscribers' ability to draw their own conclusions based on noteworthy and credible news, research, legislation, and debate bearing on the integrity of elections. **

*******************************************************************
If you receive Daily Voting News directly from VotersUnite! and wish to unsubscribe, please send an email to [e-mail] requesting that you be removed from circulation. If you get the email forwarded from someone else you must contact them to be unsubscribed.
*******************************************************************

[Wilms]

1. .

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. what do you think about the DS200 DRE/optical scan thing

maybe this machine is too complex?

Some officials in Florida are blaming the voters, saying they are stupid.

I don't think FL voters can be any dumber than NC voters, do you?

WIll have a report out soon on NC undervote - significantly lower in OS counties compared to
DRE counties, plus we lowered our undervote as a state - compared to 2000 and 2004.

[OnTheOtherHand]

3. the report is really interesting about the interface

I'm about to fall asleep in my own chair, but the gist is: some systems make it psychologically hard for voters to save their votes; some make it hard for voters not to save their votes. I don't know that "complex" is what matters, although "complex" certainly can mean "intimidating."

Yeah, the dumb-voter thing is pretty much a cop-out. We're all dumb sometimes, but systems can make it easier or harder for us to avoid mistakes (or the consequences of our mistakes).

ETA: I know you weren't asking me -- I'm just riffing on your post. :hi:

[Wilms]

4. What OTOH said.

It sounds like an "interface" problem. Really, they might well be able to fix it. In fact they better. A %1400 increase in over-votes is rude and un-American.