Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 12/31/07

[tbyg52]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Monday 12/31/07

Esteemed DUer's, please consider taking a moment (or more)
to graciously participate by posting Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.


If you can:
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.



2. Post stories using the new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x407240

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.


Recommendations always appreciated!

[tbyg52]

1. States nt

[tbyg52]

13. IA: Beware of voting mistakes, ad urges

WHO SAID IT: Watch the Vote 2008, a political action committee formed by an independent group called Network America.

WHERE IT WAS SAID: An advertisement in the Des Moines Sunday Register.

WHAT WAS SAID: The ad urges caucusgoers to beware of "manipulation or mistakes" in caucus results for "Ron Paul or anybody else." The group claims caucus results have been manipulated in the past after they have been called in by caucus leaders. The ad warns: "Don't let anybody change the results after your caucus leader accurately calls the results into the 'state level.' Help us at Watch the Vote 2008 by calling the results which YOU witness at your caucus into one of our 99 volunteers."
Advertisement

WHAT READERS SHOULD KNOW: Voter fraud has been a longtime preoccupation of Jim Condit Jr., the man behind Network America and a self-described Paul supporter.

More:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS09/712310322/-1/NEWS04

[tbyg52]

15. OH: Computerworld - Tests in Ohio Point to E-voting Insecurities

A series of tests on the electronic voting systems used in Ohio showed that security shortcomings are a continuing danger to the accuracy of elections there, according to a report released in December by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

The report recommended a series of steps designed to mitigate those threats, including centralizing the counting of electronic votes and shifting away from the use of touch-screen voting systems.

Brunner had requested the risk assessment tests, which were conducted by two testing firms that worked along with teams of academic researchers from three universities. Her report described the results of the tests as “disturbing.”

“These findings do not lend themselves to sustained or increased confidence in Ohio’s voting systems,” Brunner wrote. She noted that the e-voting machines “do not meet computer industry security standards and are susceptible to breaches of security that may jeopardize the integrity of the voting process.” A spokesman for Brunner said that the recommendations made in the report “are in no way set in stone. They’re being put out there to contemplate.”

More:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=13&articleId=309799&intsrc=hm_topic

[tbyg52]

16. OH: Election chief calls for test of voting centers

Ohio's chief elections officer said she wants to use the March 4 primary as a test of her plan to replace schools, churches and other neighborhood polling places with a smaller number of more centralized voting centers.

The concept could be tested in two or three counties before adopting it statewide for the November presidential election, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said.

The idea emerged from a broader report issued two weeks ago citing security flaws with Ohio's current voting system. The report also recommended that electronic touch-screen machines, which are used in 57 of Ohio's 88 counties, should be scrapped in favor of an optical-scan system, in which a computer scans ballots that voters fill out by hand.

More:
http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19157286&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6

[tbyg52]

17. IA: OpEdNews - New problems identified with Iowa caucuses

My comment: It's Bev Harris, so I'm ducking and running, but it did show up in my news search....

snip

Below is an update on election integrity problems with both Republican and Democratic caucuses, in addition to info on how to find your local caucuses.

More:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_bev_harr_071230_new_problems_identif.htm

[tbyg52]

20. TN: Stolen information may deter voters

The theft of computers containing the information of Davidson County voters could affect turnout in upcoming elections, according to a political watchdog group.

Laptop computers stolen from the Davidson County Election Commision over the Christmas holiday may contain personal information — including full Social Security numbers — on 337,000 registered voters, potentially putting them at risk of identity theft.

That may cause some voters to abandon the process, said Deborah Narrigan, a member of the watchdog group Common Cause Tennessee.

"If you can't trust that the commission can safely handle your Social Security number, it would raise doubts for a lot of people about its ability to secure other parts of the voting process," Narrigan told The Tennessean.

More:
http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/5988

[tbyg52]

25. AR: State law gives voters leeway in primaries

Arkansas voters don't have to worry about what party they're going to vote for in February's presidential primary election until they arrive at the polling place.

Though the state has an option for voters to register with a particular party, many don't do it, keeping the actual number of Republicans, Democrats and Green Party members unknown.

According to the Washington County Clerk's Office, the county has 5, 289 reg- istered Republicans and 4, 669 registered Democrats, but it has more than 80, 000 eligible voters.

"It's confusing to a lot of people if they have a party attached. They think that's the way they have to vote," said Shirley Brown, chief deputy county clerk.

More:
http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/60757/

[tbyg52]

30. WI: Elections Board reaches agreement with vendor over state voter registration system

The State Elections Board Wednesday announced an agreement with Accenture LLP to end its involvement with Wisconsin’s Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS), leaving the system under State control with the ability to make it federally compliant.

“This is a positive outcome for Wisconsin’s voters and local election officials, who must depend on the SVRS for our February elections,” said Kevin Kennedy, legal counsel for Wisconsin’s new Government Accountability Board. “We will have full control over a functioning election administration system. We have also gained important experience that will serve us well in the future.”

In January, the Elections Board and Ethics Board will dissolve, and their staffs will merge to support the Government Accountability Board. Kennedy will direct the new agency.

Under the agreement — negotiated with Accenture, by Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys and Elections Board representatives — Accenture will:

More:
http://www.dunnconnect.com/articles/2007/12/31/news/news05.txt

[tbyg52]

31. NJ: New Absentee Ballot Law for New Jersey Voters

New Jersey's presidential Primary is more than a month away, but voters will be able to cast their ballots weeks in advance, thanks to a new law. WNYC's Bob Hennelly explains.

It's called the no-excuse absentee ballot and you can cast one just as soon as County election officials get their ballots printed, which should be early next month. In the past voters wanting to vote by absentee ballot had to have a justification like chronic illness or travel. There is some concern that the state's first winter election could be a turnout disappointment.

(A little) more:
http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/91232

[tbyg52]

34. CT: Registrars hope to have Wilton voter database online next month

For those wondering exactly which political party they’re in, the two registrars of voters for the town have come up with a new, convenient system to check.

Starting in early January, residents will be able to check on whether they are registered to vote in town and which party they belong to, if any, through the town’s Web site. Also, the online database will tell them which voting district they are in and where their polling place is located.

Tina Gardner, Republican registrar of voters said residents could check by typing in their last name and date of birth.

“We’re basically getting it set up for the primary,” said Ms. Gardner.

Ms. Gardner said the database would be a “valuable tool to serve the community.”

“People really don’t know their party affiliation. Unless there’s been a primary, they don’t remember,” said Ms. Gardner.

More:
http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/wilton/27007.shtml

[tbyg52]

44. MI: Victory for NAACP Coalition at United States Department of Justice

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a ruling stopping Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land from closing the Secretary of State Branch Office in Buena Vista Township, Mich. The proposed closing would have created difficulty for Buena Vista Township residents to register to vote, update their voter registration and comply with Michigan's Photo ID law. If the Buena Vista Secretary of State Office had closed the next closest Secretary of State office would have been over 90 minutes away assuming no delays via public transportation.

The request to stop the closing was filed by the Detroit Branch NAACP, Michigan State Conference NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Wayne State University Law Professor Jocelyn Benson and Michigan State Representative Andy Coulouris.

More:
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27207&Itemid=65

[tbyg52]

45. MI: In future elections, you may have a new polling place

Mayor Bart Peterson has signed off on a bipartisan plan to cut the number of voting precincts in Marion County by about a third, a move designed to save hundreds of thousands of dollars and stave off many of the problems that marred May's primary.

Dozens of precincts opened late and five didn't open at all in that election because there weren't enough poll workers. Past Marion County elections also have experienced problems because of a shortage of workers.

With support from county Republican and Democratic party leaders, Peterson last week signed the final order to set into motion the plan to reduce the number of precincts.

The plan was welcomed by Mayor-elect Greg Ballard.

"The old precincts were horse-and-buggy precincts," said Robert Vane, press secretary for the Ballard transition team and a former election administrator. "These are 21st-century precincts."

More:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/LOCAL19/712310390/-1/LOCAL17

[tbyg52]

2. National nt

[Wilms]

7. Electronic voting is questioned

Electronic voting is questioned

By George Merritt
Associated Press Writer / December 31, 2007

snip

"Every system that is out there, one state or another has found that they are no good," said John Gideon of the advocacy group Voters Unite. "Everybody is starting to look at this now and starting to realize that there is something wrong."

The swing states of California, Ohio and Florida have found that security on touch-screen voting machines is inadequate. Testers have been able to disable the systems and even change vote totals.

snip

In Colorado, two kinds of Sequoia Voting Systems electronic voting machines used in Denver and three other counties were decertified because of security weaknesses, including a lack of password protection. Equipment made by Election Systems and Software had programming errors. And optical scanning machines, made by Hart InterCivic, had an error rate of one out of every 100 votes during tests by the state.

snip

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/12/31/electronic_voting_is_questioned/


Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x488341

[tbyg52]

21. Thanks Wilms!

Feel free to post more if you've got 'em - my actual searches are from about 2PM, and I've been fighting with the computer ever since....!

[tbyg52]

36. Dropping Out of Electoral College

Maryland is the first state to pass the National Popular Vote (NPV) into law, and several others are right behind

A Stanford University computer scientist named John Koza has formulated a compelling and pragmatic alternative to the Electoral College. It’s called National Popular Vote (NPV), and has been hailed as “ingenious” by two New York Times editorials. In April, Maryland became the first state to pass it into law. And several other states, including Illinois and New Jersey, are likely to follow suit.

How NPV works is this: Instead of a state awarding its electors to the top vote-getter in that state’s winner-take-all presidential election, the state would give its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. This would be perfectly legal because the U.S. Constitution grants states the right to determine how to cast their electoral votes, so no congressional or federal approval would be required. NPV could go into effect nationwide as soon as enough states pass it (enough states to tally 270 electoral votes—the magic number needed to elect a president). In 2008, NPV bills are expected to be introduced in all 50 states.

“We’ll have it by 2012,” says Robert Richie, executive director of the reform group Fair Vote.

More:
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3457/dropping_out_of_electoral_college/

[tbyg52]

52. Vote Your Conscience. If You Can.

Two sociologists and a mathematician recently conducted an experiment that provides an intriguing window into the presidential candidate selection that begins this week. Matthew Salganik, Duncan Watts and Peter Sheridan Dodds had a large group of people rate 48 songs. Based on these ratings, the researchers produced a list of the best songs.

They then had eight other large groups of people evaluate the same songs, with one difference: In each of these "parallel universes," people knew how others in their group were evaluating the music. Did the eight groups come up with the same list of the best songs? No. When people knew how others thought, this changed how they thought.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/30/AR2007123002287.html

[tbyg52]

3. International nt

[tbyg52]

9. Philippines: Biometric voting in House to start in 2008

When members of the House of Representatives return to work four weeks from now, they’ll be in for a "hi-tech" reception.

The House leadership is installing equipment for "biometric voting" to replace the traditional means by which the country’s 240 representatives cast their vote on pieces of legislation.

The new technology, already commonplace in many parliaments elsewhere, will allow lawmakers to vote by simply pressing the buttons "yes," "no," or "abstain," according to Deputy Minority Leader Roilo Golez.

The vote will later be verified using the individual fingerprints of the members of the House. The results will be flashed on a screen to be installed at the plenary hall.

More:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=109531

[tbyg52]

10. Kenya: Raila Claims Electoral Fraud

Hours before the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) declared President Kibaki winner of the just-concluded General Election, the ODM presidential candidate accused the Head of State of electoral fraud.

Mr Raila Odinga also described the counting process as "deeply flawed" and called on the ECK to order a recount in the 210 constituencies based on the form agents of all political parties had signed.

Counting in most of the constituencies had been stopped, as the ECK reviewed some disputed results.

"I wish to appeal to President Mwai Kibaki to acknowledge and respect the will of the people of Kenya and honourably concede defeat," said Raila.

More:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200712310620.html

[tbyg52]

24. Scores killed in Kenyan riots

At least 124 people have been killed during rioting across Kenya following President Mwai Kibaki’s disputed election victory.

There have been at least 40 fatalites in Nairobi, where opposition supporters have been burning houses.

Police have warned those living in the capital’s slums that they will be shot dead if found outside their homes.

Lawrence Ochieng, a resident in the area, said: "We are fighting Kikuyu (a Kenyan tribe) gangs and we have to kill them all. We have already killed two people."

More:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/31/scores-killed-in-kenyan-riots-89520-20271087/

[tbyg52]

26. Kenya: Some Lessons From the Elections

KENYANS have just concluded the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections. As I write, the final results are yet to be officially released by the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK).

Like in all other elections in the developing world, releasing electoral results is not an "easy" business. At the centre of these delays are the logistical problems of poor communication infrastructure and the ardent desire to manipulate the outcome of the results mostly in favour of the incumbent President who also happens to be a presidential candidate.

This piece intends to dwell on the good and the bad sides of this election so as to draw some lessons for East Africa. First, in all ways, the Kenyan elections resemble those of the other East African countries. Clearly, the ECK was not that well prepared. As voters went to the polls, some found their names "missing" from the register.

More:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200712310627.html

[tbyg52]

12. Georgia to Run Exit Polls for January 5 Vote

Plans to run an exit poll for Georgia's upcoming presidential elections and plebiscites are raising a fresh storm of political controversy less than a week before the January 5 vote. Key opposition candidates have denounced the poll project as biased in favor of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, while some local observers fear that the survey may only add to existing tensions.

The poll, officially meant to act as a safeguard against election fraud, was commissioned by four television companies - the state-financed Georgian Public Broadcasting; and three private broadcasters, Rustavi-2, Mze and Achara TV. The opposition has routinely denounced broadcasters Rustavi-2 and Mze for a pro-government bias in their news coverage.

Two prominent think-tanks - the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development and the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies -- have joined with the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs and government-funded Ilia Chavchavadze State University to manage the project. A slew of local polling companies will do the actual fieldwork and tabulation.

More:
http://www.eurasianet.org/geovote08/news/123107.shtml

[tbyg52]

22. Nigeria: Citizens Task Yar'Adua on Electoral Reform

PROMINENT Nigerians who graced the 2007 Benin National Merit Award Day, in Benin last weekend, lamented the political and economic situation in the country and urged President Umaru Yar'Adua to fast-track the much-talked-about electoral reform for the nation to move forward.

While the former General-Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, who delivered a paper on the occasion declared that all the elections conducted since 1999 were fraught with monumental fraud, former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr Festus Iyayi, accused the ruling political class of transferring the wealth of the nation into their personal estates.

Among the 12 Nigerians conferred with the Benin Merit Award were the Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka, who was honoured with the Distinguished Media Practitioner of the Year; popular movie Director, Lancelot Imasuen; chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru; former Commissioner for Agriculture in Edo State, Mr Joe Atohengbe; and a university proprietor, Professor Tony Ogiamen.

More:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200712310021.html

[tbyg52]

23. Paraguay Faces Polemic on Vote Method

A few hours ahead of the beginning of 2008, when Paraguayans will go to the polls to elect a new government, the controversy about the vote method in this country's presidential elections has begun to gain space.

Local media said the political debate of the first three months of 2008 will be focused on the way to vote in the April 20 general elections.

Followers of the government Partido Colorado party tend to demand the use of electronic ballot boxes, while the opposition favors the use of ballot papers, the ABC Color daily said.

Paraguayan Congress President Miguel Saguier showed the past week his preference for the traditional voting method, and insisted on its implementation in the presidential elections.

More:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=Paraguay+Faces+Polemic+on+Vote+Method&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn
(The direct link won't post correctly - posting Google news search.)

[tbyg52]

47. Bhutan holds its first elections

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is holding its first parliamentary elections today after a century of direct rule by the monarchy.

The elections will leave Bhutan's young king with a more ceremonial role.

The vote is for the upper house of parliament, the National Council, and is part of the country's introduction of parliamentary democracy.

It is part of a radical modernisation plan for the isolated Himalayan kingdom.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7165709.stm

[tbyg52]

4. Editorials, Blogs, LTTEs, etc. nt

[tbyg52]

8. Slashdot: Ohio's Alternative to Diebold Machines May Be Equally Bad

My comment: Story is a few days old, but thought the comments from "News for nerds, stuff that matters" might be of interest.

phorest writes "One would have thought the choice of Ohio lawmakers to move away from Diebold touch-screen voting terminals would be welcomed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Instead, the group is warning the elections board that their alternative might be illegal under state laws. 'The main dispute is whether a central optical scan of ballots at the board's headquarters downtown would result in votes not being counted on ballots that are incorrectly filled out. The ACLU believes the intent of election law is to ensure voters can be notified immediately of a voting error and be able to make a second-chance vote.'"

Comments:
http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/29/2232247

[tbyg52]

11. Preserving ballot integrity

There's a showdown at the O.K Corral, otherwise known as the U.S. Supreme Court, over an issue most of us think about only once a year, if that. The ballot box.

On one side are Indiana election officials; on the other is the American Civil Liberties Union and the Indiana Democratic Party. The fight is over an Indiana law requiring people to show photo ID when they go to vote. Sounds like a common-sense requirement, right? According to a Wall Street Journal poll, more than 80 percent of Americans think so, but the measure has drawn vehement opposition from those who think it is unconstitutional because it might be harder for some people to vote.

While this may seem a minor issue, one glance at the length of the list of amicus (friend of the court) briefs filed in the case make the high stakes obvious. Twenty-four briefs were filed by 83 groups and 50 individuals opposed to Indiana's law; another 14 briefs have been filed in support of the state.

Why is it such a big deal? Because the court's decision could change the face of ballot security requirements in elections all across America, either affirming states' efforts to protect the ballot box, or if it rules against Indiana, severely hindering them.

More:
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/COMMENTARY/127201184

[tbyg52]

14. Secretary of State's report should be carefully considered

The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy - an important opportunity for every American to choose leaders and voice support or concern for myriad issues. For this reason, it is imperative our elections process is managed fairly and objectively, and every voter leaves the polling place confident their vote has been properly recorded and counted.

Federal, state and local leaders have worked hard in recent years to ensure the nation's voting systems are secure. In 2002, following the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election, as well as several reports of voter fraud across the country, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act, which sought to improve elections and restore voter confidence. After the bill's passage, Ohio received several million dollars in federal funds to upgrade voting equipment - including new electronic voting machines - in an effort to remove human error from the process and make it more efficient.

For the most part, these machines have worked well and votes across the state have been cast with few major glitches. The exception has been Cuyahoga County, and the ongoing problems there have led some to believe Ohio's entire elections process needs an overhaul.

More:
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/OPINION/712310315

[tbyg52]

18. Build trust in electronic voting

My comment: I cannot imagine anything that could cause me to trust them any farther than I could throw them....

A federal judge is threatening New York election officials with jail because the state still hasn't switched to electronic voting machines (the path set by Congress in 2002). That makes it the nation's sole holdout, but also puts it in a position to learn from everyone else's many mistakes.

Over the last five years, the country has seen a monumental shift in the mechanics of voting, but not always a smooth one. It was prompted by the 2000 presidential election debacle in Florida, which two years later spurred Congress to pass the Help America Vote Act.

The law provides federal dollars to help states switch to electronic voting – a method meant to be less confusing and more reliable than such systems as Florida's troublesome paper punch-card and "butterfly" ballots. (The technology is also intended to make voting accessible to millions of disabled Americans.)

Electronic voting, which includes touch screens and optical scanners that read ballots, have helped reduce human error in the voting process. In 2006, about 1 million potentially invalid votes were saved because technology alerted voters to errors, such as double voting, and gave them the opportunity to correct them.

More:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0102/p08s01-comv.html

[tbyg52]

27. Very model of a big mess

NY’s noncompliance with Help America Vote Act verges on comic opera

If Gilbert and Sullivan were still alive, they could put into song the story of New York's topsy-turvy struggle to comply with the federal law on new voting machines, a story that's about to take another loopy - and expensive - turn.

One scene in that comic opera would have to be the Dec. 20 colloquy in Albany between a folksy federal judge and state, county and federal lawyers. U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe pronounced himself "embarrassed" that New York is alone among the 50 states in not complying with the Help America Vote Act of 2002. He kept using a line that would be a perfect refrain for an aria: "Noncompliance is not an option."

But compliance hasn't been pretty, either. By passing HAVA in response to the chaotic 2000 presidential election, Congress offered billions of dollars to get the states to buy new voting systems. But some states that bought touch-screen machines have begun to turn away from them as unreliable.

More:
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vptop315520786dec31,0,1473923.story

[tbyg52]

28. Preserving ballot integrity

There's a showdown at the O.K Corral, otherwise known as the U.S. Supreme Court, over an issue most of us think about only once a year, if that. The ballot box.

On one side are Indiana election officials; on the other is the American Civil Liberties Union and the Indiana Democratic Party. The fight is over an Indiana law requiring people to show photo ID when they go to vote. Sounds like a common-sense requirement, right? According to a Wall Street Journal poll, more than 80 percent of Americans think so, but the measure has drawn vehement opposition from those who think it is unconstitutional because it might be harder for some people to vote.

While this may seem a minor issue, one glance at the length of the list of amicus (friend of the court) briefs filed in the case make the high stakes obvious. Twenty-four briefs were filed by 83 groups and 50 individuals opposed to Indiana's law; another 14 briefs have been filed in support of the state.

Why is it such a big deal? Because the court's decision could change the face of ballot security requirements in elections all across America, either affirming states' efforts to protect the ballot box, or if it rules against Indiana, severely hindering them.

More:
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/COMMENTARY/127201184

[tbyg52]

33. NYT LTTE: It’s Time to Fix Voting Machine Flaws

(Registration required)
http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/opinion/l31vote.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26refQ3Dopinion&OP=7861cae1Q2FQ25Q5DtQ2FQ25SnpQ268nn.UQ25UQ5EQ5EQ3FQ25WUQ25Q3BWQ25nAQ5C_Q5Cn_Q25fQ3BWEn.tI,.Q51f

[tbyg52]

35. LTTE: Why register to vote if money rules?

The editorial this past Thursday regarding a ruling by a federal judge that makes voter registration easier was interesting but fails to address my concern: Namely, why bother to vote? Spare me the platitudes of "every vote counts." Most of us know that the candidates are picked by major money folks. It takes big money to run for office and big money to get elected.

We are essentially a government that is a combination of a plutocracy and an oligarchy. The idea that my vote is important is an illusion. I am unable to contribute money of five and six figures. Sure, candidates say my $10 or $100 checks count, but not when push comes to shove. Then it is big money that gets a hearing.

More:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20071231/OPINION/712310419/-1/newssitemap

[tbyg52]

38. LTTE: VA - Restore the vote

I would urge all citizens to support Kent Willis of the American Civil Liberties Union in Richmond in his effort to promote the Voting Rights Restoration Act for nonviolent felons in Virginia.

Currently, Virginia is one of only two states (the other is Kentucky) that penalizes nonviolent felons by prohibiting them from voting for the rest of their lives.

(A little) more:
http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-ed_monltrs_12310dec31,0,3395353.story

[tbyg52]

39. Don't "fix" elections (NJ)

Only Gov. Corzine's signature stands in the way of a bill that would transfer the division that runs New Jersey's elections from the Attorney General's Office to the Department of State — a bureaucracy we have long advocated be abolished because it has too little to do and too many people doing it.

Corzine should let well enough alone. No one has expressed any concern about the manner in which elections have been administered in the past. Attorney General Anne Milgram is a capable official who is doing a creditable job of running her department with a staff that appears to be stable and professional. The secretary of state is a patronage position. Its lightweight duties involve overseeing cultural and historical services.

More:
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/OPINION01/712310315/1029/OPINION

[tbyg52]

41. Voter identification and politics

The answer to a cynic's question "Do elections matter?" may be partially found in the way judges have handled an Indiana voter photo ID law that requires people to prove their identity before they can vote.

The Supreme Court will begin 2008 by hearing arguments in one of the most volatile political cases to come before it since Bush vs. Gore in the 2000 presidential election.

As The Washington Post noted in a front-page Christmas Day story, deciding the case may depend on where a judge stands politically, as much as where that judge stands constitutionally.

More:
http://www.timesgazette.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=149531&TM=45285.47

[tbyg52]

42. AlterNet: Despite Media Hype, Iowa's Democratic Caucuses Will Have No True Winner

For weeks, critics have said the Iowa Caucuses are less than democratic. They exclude elderly and disabled voters who can't get there. The same is true for soldiers overseas and college students on winter break. They are in a state that is mostly white. And contrary to the national media hype, there is no clear winner -- at least on the Democratic side -- that commits delegates for the party's national convention.

All that is true. But the Iowa Caucuses are really useful if you follow politics. Yet most of the national media won't cover that part of the process. And the state's Democratic Party is not helping either, by not releasing the raw data of the sequence of votes on Caucus Night. Those votes -- and the debate and compromises that go with it -- could inject some realism and perspective into the rest of the campaign.

Because unlike any other state, what the Iowa Caucuses offer is the chance to see people deciding whom to pick after their first choice for president does not make it in the first round of voting. That forced compromise and the debate accompanying it -- coming at the start of the presidential season -- is close to how people vote on Election Day.

More:
http://www.alternet.org/story/72027/

[tbyg52]

43. LTTES (several): It’s Time to Fix Voting Machine Flaws

snip

In your editorial you conclude, “With just under a year to go before the next presidential election, the time to fix these problems is now.”

Wrong! The time to have fixed these problems was seven years ago.

Imagine, in this great, powerful nation, a supposed democracy, we are seven years into the problem of secure voting machines and still haven’t fixed it.

More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/opinion/l31vote.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

[tbyg52]

48. Need for voter IDs obvious

snip

For the Supreme Court not to uphold the Indiana law would be the ultimate in identity theft. It would legalize voter fraud and might call the legitimacy of every future election into question.

My comment: Sigh... Right argument, wrong target.

The genius of the American system has been that the losing side mostly accepts the decision of the majority. But if that majority is attained through fraudulent means, this is the stuff that has sparked revolutions in the past and could do so again.

More:
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/OPINIONS/712310314/1091

[tbyg52]

49. First, always make it easier to vote

OUR OPINION: JUSTICE SHOULD REJECT STATE'S LATEST ELECTION PROVISIONS

When it comes to elections, the first principle in a democracy should be to encourage, not discourage, voting. This basic rule sometimes seems to elude Florida lawmakers and elections officials. The principle was certainly missing last spring when the Legislature approved a handful of new election rules under review by the U.S. Justice Department. If Justice follows the spirit of the law, it will reject these provisions on the grounds that they make it harder, not easier, to vote here.

Questions on changes

Because of past discrimination in five counties, the federal government must approve any changes in the state's election laws before they can be applied. Justice's questions on the changes are:

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/362096.html

[tbyg52]

53. Protection against vote fraud or way to disenfranchise poor?

The dispute over Indiana’s voter-identification law that is headed to the Supreme Court next week is as much a partisan political drama as a legal tussle.

The mainly Republican backers of the law, including the Bush administration, say state-produced photo identification is a prudent measure to cut down on vote fraud – even though Indiana has never had a prosecution of the kind of fraud that the law is supposed to prevent.

The opponents, mainly Democrats, view voter ID as a modern-day poll tax that disproportionately affect poor, minority and elderly voters – who tend to back Democrats. Yet, a federal judge found that foes of the law were unable to produce evidence of a single Indiana resident who had been barred from voting because of the law.

The Supreme Court, which famously split 5-4 in the case that sealed the 2000 presidential election for George Bush, will take up the Indiana law Jan. 9, just as the 2008 presidential primaries are getting under way.

More:
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/12/30/news/nation_and_world/doc477861e798ed8237480825.txt

[tbyg52]

5. The Youth Vote nt

[tbyg52]

19. The Attack on Student Voting Rights

The 2008 elections have created some bizarre situations, particularly in Iowa, home of the first votes during the caucuses on January 3. After years of struggles to get more college students to vote and engage in politics, it is strange (and disappointing) to watch Democratic candidates suddenly declaring that students shouldn’t vote.

The debate over student voting was sparked when Barack Obama’s campaign gave out 50,000 fliers on college campuses declaring, “If you are not from Iowa, you can come back for the Iowa caucus and caucus in your college neighborhood.” Since Obama has the strongest support of any candidate among college students, and many out-of-state students in Iowa come from his home state of Illinois, this was no surprise. But the reaction may have startled Obama, who worked in the field of voting rights as a lawyer and a law professor at the University of Chicago.

Hillary Clinton proclaimed, “This is a process for Iowans. This needs to be all about Iowa, and people who live here, people who pay taxes here.” Apparently that doesn’t include the out-of-state students who pay higher tuition in Iowa, not to mention the various taxes on their books, supplies, and pizza, and the income taxes on their salaries.

More:
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/12/31/wilson

[tbyg52]

29. For young voters, war isn't issue -- it was for parents

Unlike the Vietnam War of a previous generation, the fighting in Iraq isn't mobilizing or unifying the young as the 2008 presidential election approaches, experts and voters say.

Among the reasons cited: the lack of a military draft, a relatively uniform party-line breakdown on U.S. policy in Iraq among the candidates, and a feeling of being powerless to change the course of the conflict via the ballot.

"The war seems confusing to the average young person, the solutions are not clear, and it seems difficult to influence, especially by voting," said Sujatha Jahagirdar, new-voters program director for the Student Public Interest Research Groups.

Young Americans' interest in elections increased in 2004, with voter turnout up by about 4 million over 2000.

More:
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS01/712310409

[tbyg52]

32. Celeb Endorsements Don't Strongly Influence Young Voters

It is only natural and probably sensible that candidates from either party will trot out prominent politicians, musicians, actors and celebrities that can gain them attention. After FDR garnered the support of many top Hollywood actors and actresses including Ronald Reagan, these kind of endorsements became commonplace. Still, I've always resented the assumption that if you just dress politics up in glitter and set it to a pulsating hip-hop soundtrack the kids, previously lethargic and apathetic, will perk up and start canvassing like their life depends on it.

Many of the celebrities, from, say, Pat Sajak of Wheel of Fortune fame who supports Fred Thompson to, obviously, Oprah, who endorsed Obama, appeal more to the general population than the younger set.

But, still, we are starting to see celebrity supporters geared specifically towards younger voters, such as Kal Penn from college favorite Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle campaigning for Obama. And and I guarantee we will see many more as we enter the general election.

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elana-berkowitz/celeb-endorsements-dont-_b_78914.html

[tbyg52]

37. Student volunteers descend on Iowa

Politically engaged college students are forgoing their coveted winter breaks to brave the frigid terrain of Iowa.

Young people enthusiastic about their candidate, or in some cases just the democratic process, are descending on Iowa in droves to volunteer and observe.

Some, obviously, are directly volunteering for candidates. Others are students at Iowa colleges who grew up out of state and are coming back just to caucus. And a few are there to learn about the process.

All campaigns are welcoming volunteers. Some, like the John Edwards campaign, have made volunteering a simple matter of signing up online.

More:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7631.html

[tbyg52]

40. Freshmen get lesson in civics

More than 240 freshmen attended Souhegan High School’s recent presidential campaign workers forum to hear volunteers from the camps of John Edwards, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.

In an opening statement, Michael Atkins, a campaigner for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, said it is important for students to be active in civics even if they are not 18 and eligible to vote.

“I think it’s fantastic that you have teachers that have brought a forum such as this one together to give us the opportunity to talk because you can make a difference,” said Atkins, a lawyer who lives in Lyndeborough. “I know sometimes it’s hard when you are sitting out in the audience to realize it, but it’s true you can make a difference now.”

More:
http://www.cabinet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/MILFORD01/935588528/-1/Milford01

[tbyg52]

46. Campus Kingmakers Bask in Candidates' Attention

Twenty-year-old Atul Nakhasi is not your average college junior. On a window ledge beside his biology textbooks, he has framed pictures of himself with Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson.

On his desk, there are piles of business cards from campaign directors and members of local and national media.
Related Stories

"It's been insane, you know?" he said. "That's a one-word description of what's happened. But it's been amazing as well."

Nakhasi is the president of the College Democrats at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He's had a unique inside glimpse at every major democratic presidential candidate as they've visited his campus during their tours through the state.

More:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4066955&page=1

[tbyg52]

50. Teen holds elected post in Lycoming County

Chris Benson is 18, a high school senior and he still lives at home with his parents.

And he is about to take the oath of office as an auditor in Loyalsock Township, where he also ran, albeit unsuccessfully, for a seat on the Board of Township Supervisors this year.

Benson ... said his rise from untested candidate to elected official had its roots long before the year began.

“My interest in politics evolved over the years,” Benson said. “I had an interest in Williamsport history, U.S. presidents, when I was 9 or 10 years old. I was 14 when I got active in politics in 2003.”

More:
http://www.lockhaven.com/page/content.detail/id/500457.html?nav=5009

[tbyg52]

51. Students should register to vote

To the editor: College students: Listen up! The deadline to register to vote in the Feb. 5 primary election is Jan. 8. Now that many college students are home for winter break, this is a wonderful opportunity to register to vote in order to have a voice in the upcoming elections. Even if you are away at college, once you are registered, you may request an absentee ballot for the February election.

(A little) more:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=104361&src=

[tbyg52]

6. Sigh.... There will be a slight delay,

as, seemingly, usual.

Things got flakey on me after I'd started posting, so I rebooted and am reloading the articles. No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth - just the victim of dialup and an old computer.... ;)

[tbyg52]

54. That's all folks! Happy New Year to all, and recs always appreciated.... ;-> nt

[Mnemosyne]

58. Talk about going out with a bang! Whoa!

:applause::hug::applause:

Have a great new year, tbyg! :hi:

[tbyg52]

61. I shall do my best, and same to you! nt

[EFerrari]

55. Thank you.

:loveya:

K&R

[tbyg52]

56. Thank you for thanking me - best wishes for the new year! nt

[EFerrari]

57. Happy New Year, tbyg52!

May 2008 be peaceful, fraud and @sshole free. :)

[livvy]

59. Whoa...Looks like I've got some reading to do!

A flamin' good thread! Happy New Year!

[tbyg52]

60. Good new year's morning to you! nt