Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Friday 12/2/05

[FogerRox]

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

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

Damn it,

will you please:

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=203x397093

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.


If you want to know how post "News Banners" or other images, go here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=371233#371391

for MAC users-- IIRC its hold down control- and cliick on the image to view its source

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1. California voting summit shuts out voting reform advocates

California voting summit shuts out voting reform advocates; Panels appear stacked with electronic voting proponents

Miriam Raftery


A California summit on voting equipment, where many of the speakers had apparent conflicts of interests, barred entry to consumer groups calling for election reform, RAW STORY has discovered.

A nonpartisan coalition representing 25 California election integrity groups held a press conference Monday outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sacramento, where the "Voting Systems Testing Summit" was convened by Republican California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.

The State appears to have skewed presentations in favor of electronic voting, with advocates far outnumbering critics. Some panels contain exclusively vendors of electronic voting equipment and representatives of testing labs chosen by these vendors.

"This smacks of Dick Cheney meeting with the energy companies and locking out opposing interests of environmental groups," Sherry Healy, a member of the California Election Protection Network steering committee, told RAW STORY. "Diebold and other vendors selling electronic voting equipment have been invited to attend, along with all 400 members of the California Association of Election Officials," she said. "It costs one hundred and seventy five dollars a ticket and will be picked up by the state."

MORE_
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/California_voting_summit_shuts_out_voting_1201.html

Thanks to Einsteinia, in this thread --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=403538&mesg_id=403538

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2. Recount results expected today-Carlisle Sentinel, PA

Recount results expected today

By John Hilton, Dec 01, 2005

An inspector at Lower Allen Township’s 6th Precinct says a voter must have skipped signing one of the poll books — which led to one more ballot being cast than voters who signed in.



Republican commissioners Richard F. Schin and Peddrick M. Young Sr. tied for one of two open seats on the board with 1,721 votes each. The unofficial tally initially had Schin beating Young by five votes.

Democrat Dan Christ won the other Lower Allen commissioner seat with 1,894 votes.

However, the Schin-Young tie is marred by a discrepancy in the 6th Precinct, where 660 votes were cast, but 659 registered voters signed in.

The Cumberland County Election Board, comprised of county commissioners, ordered a recount of the 6th Precinct that began Wednesday afternoon. The results were to be announced today at an 11 a.m. meeting of commissioners.
more-
http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2005/12/01/news/news03.txt

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3. more on the up coming DIEBOLD cali hack

Dec 02, 2005

Diebold Faces E-Voting Machine Hack Test

Looking to quell fears about the potential for vote tampering with electronic voting machines, the state of California is sponsoring a hacking test of an optical scan voting device from Diebold Election Systems. The initial hacking was slated to be held Wednesday but was postponed, said Jim March, an investigator at Black Box Voting Inc., a Renton, Wash.-based nonprofit voter advocacy group. His organization has been prodding California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson’s office to test Diebold’s AccuVote optical scan gear for alleged vulnerabilities.

The move comes amid recurring concerns that e-voting gear, including optical scan and touch-screen voting machines, are vulnerable to intrusion or rigging. In this case, March claimed that a vulnerability in the memory card in the Diebold optical scan machine could allow a hacker to replace code and "doctor the results."

Black Box Voting had planned to provide a hacker for Wednesday’s demonstration, a Finland-based security expert and "uber-geek" named Harri Hursti, March said. Working with Black Box Voting, Hursti last May successfully hacked a Diebold machine in Leon County, Fla.

A spokeswoman for the California secretary of state said that McPherson decided to sponsor the security test because of the Florida experiment. She also said the exact protocols and logistical details to be used in the hacking attempt are still being finalized with Hursti. The testing would involve the random selection of an AccuVote machine currently in use in one of California’s voting precincts. No new date for the hacking attempt has been set, but California officials said they hope to conduct it by year’s end.

more-
http://www2.csoonline.com/blog_view.html?CID=15146

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4. & even more

California working on e-voting test

BY Michael Hardy
Published on Dec. 1, 2005

More Related Links
California officials want to run more tests on a Diebold Election Systems electronic voting system that has been submitted for state certification.


They hope to get Harri Hursti, a Finnish security expert, to conduct the tests. Nghia Nguyen Demovic, a spokeswoman for California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson, said no date has been set.


Recent press reports and communications from voting activists have caused confusion about two Diebold systems.


Hursti would test Diebold’s AccuVote-OS, an optical-scan voting machine. Unlike touch-screen machines, optical scanners require users to record their votes on paper cards, which the scanner reads and electronically tallies. The test would involve the security of the system's memory card, Demovic said.

more-

http://www.fcw.com/article91573-12-01-05-Web#related

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5. Heres the Harri Hursti paper on opscans

Replaceable Media on Optical Scan
Harri Hursti with Eric Lazarus


http://vote.nist.gov/threats/papers/ReplaceableMediaOnOpticalScan.pdf

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21. update-Election officials powerless to end Lower Allen deadlock

Election officials powerless to end Lower Allen deadlock
Friday, December 02, 2005
BY MATT MILLER
Of Our Carlisle Bureau
CARLISLE - The election for one seat on the Lower Allen Twp. Board of Commissioners is in legal limbo after Cumberland County commissioners yesterday ran out of options for resolving it.

The problem is that Republican incumbents Richard F. Schin and Peddrick Young Sr. tied with 1,721 votes each in the Nov. 8 election, and one unaccounted-for ballot has voided results from the township's 6th Precinct.

A special recount of 6th Precinct votes Wednesday failed to break the tie or solve the mystery of how 660 ballots were cast at that poll while only 659 voters signed in on Election Day.

more-
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1133519033274880.xml&coll=1

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6. DETROIT--Recount ordered in Detroit mayor's race

Recount ordered in Detroit mayor's race

DETROIT, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The Wayne County Board of Canvassers may have to hire 60 temporary workers to hand recount more than 230,000 ballots cast in Detroit's mayoral election.

Incumbent Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was re-elected to a second term Nov. 8 with 53 percent of the votes, but challenger Freman Hendrix said "there are a lot of questions out there." Hendrix predicted the results would be a lot closer than the 14,500-vote difference after all 720 precincts are canvassed.

The election was marred by computer glitches, charges of missing ballots and allegations of vote tampering, the Detroit News said.

Kilpatrick's lawyers said the city could not afford the estimated $500,000 cost of a complete recount, but when they unanimously approved the recount Thursday officials said the cost would be less than half that amount.

The county board of elections requires a recount be completed within 30 days of an election and Kilpatrick's inauguration is set for Jan. 4. It will be the first mayoral recount in 16 years.

more-

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051202-09403400-bc-us-recount.xml

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7. Another recount--

District judge recount is uncertain

By: J.D. Prose - Times Staff
12/02/2005

BEAVER - A recount of 13 precincts in the Brighton Township district judge race now hinges on whether the winning candidate objects to having one.


Beaver County Judge John McBride on Thursday rejected Beaver lawyer William Braslawsce's attempt at a free recount.

However, McBride did not order a recount of the 13 precincts that Braslawsce paid for on Monday, as many officials expected he would.

Braslawsce, a Democrat, lost to Vanport Township lawyer Tim Finn, a Republican, by a margin of 51 votes out of nearly 6,300 cast in the Nov. 8 election.

more-
http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15679344&BRD=2305&PAG=461&dept_id=478569&rfi=6

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8. 2 recounts in same state- Richmond VA

Candidates in 68th ask separate recount

BY TYLER WHITLEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 2, 2005


The candidates for attorney general and 68th District delegate were at odds yesterday about the recount process.

Del. Bradley P. Marrs, who lost his House of Delegates seat on Nov. 8 to independent Katherine B. Waddell by 42 votes, sought a recount. Marrs, R-Chesterfield, and an attorney for Waddell told Richmond Circuit Judge Theodore J. Markow yesterday that they want a recount separate from the one in the attorney general race.

That way, the 68th District race could be decided by next Friday, Marrs and Margaret L. Sanner, Waddell's attorney, said. Marrs, a lawyer, represented himself in a preliminary hearing before Markow.

But attorneys for Republican Del. Robert F. McDonnell of Virginia Beach and Democrat R. Creigh Deeds, a state senator from Bath County, argued that two recounts would increase the possibility of errors in the counting process.

more -
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768478838&path=!news&s=1045855934842

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9. VA- AG race loser may have to pay

AG race loser may have to pay

By Bob Gibson / Daily Progress staff writer
December 2, 2005

State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County, and Republican Del. Robert F. McDonnell of Virginia Beach are spending up to $99,000 set aside in the state budget for a transition office for the attorney general-elect.
Gov. Mark R. Warner gave Deeds and McDonnell each a transition office after the Nov. 8 election for attorney general left the candidates locked in the closest statewide election contest in modern Virginia history. But after the State Board of Elections certified McDonnell the winner by 323 votes, Warner's chief of staff told Deeds that the Democrat would have to return any transition funds he spends after the certification unless he wins the recount about to begin Tuesday.

William H. Leighty, Warner's chief of staff, said Thursday that he asked the Deeds transition office to return any taxpayer money spent since Monday's certification through the end of the recount if the Democrat does not prevail. Leighty said he did not make the same request of McDonnell, who has declared victory in the contest and was certified the winner with 970,886 votes to 970,563 for Deeds.

Leighty said the Deeds and McDonnell transition offices "have agreed they are going to minimize whatever costs they have." He said each transition office is drawing from "a common pot of money. When their phone bills and such come in, they get paid."


more-
http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768482980&path=!news

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10. McDonnell wins count––for now

November 30, 2005

McDonnell wins count––for now

Republican Bob McDonnell this week was declared winner of the 2005 election for Virginia Attorney General, but a recount is likely, according to campaign officials for Democrat Creigh Deeds.

According to official results certified by the State Board of Elections this week McDonnell received 970,886 votes, and Deeds received 970,563 votes, a difference of 323 votes, or less than one-tenth of one percent.
Deeds has said he will seek an official recount of the 1,943,250 votes cast in the Nov. 8 election by midweek. Even before the results were made official, Deeds posted a letter on his campaign web site in which he wrote that "a recount is inevitable."

http://www.loudouni.com/2005/11/mcdonnell_wins_countfor_now.html

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11. VA-Deeds files petition for recount in tight contest

Deeds files petition for recount in tight contest

BY MICHAEL HARDY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Nov 30, 2005


Lawyers for Democrat R. Creigh Deeds filed a court petition yesterday asking for a recount in the closest statewide election in modern Virginia history.

Deeds trails Republican Robert F. McDonnell by 323 votes in the Nov. 8 election for attorney general, in which almost 1.95 million Virginians cast ballots.

The petition asks for a retabulation of the vote to be overseen by a three-judge panel headed by Judge Theodore J. Markow, chief judge of Richmond Circuit Court. Two other judges will be appointed by Virginia Supreme Court Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr.

"What we're asking for is a fair and accurate count of the votes," Mark Bergman, Deeds' campaign spokesman, said in an interview after the filing in the Richmond court.

more-
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768428091&path=!news&s=1045855934842

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12. Another recount- in NJ-

Lawyer: Dougherty weighing recount options

Friday, December 02, 2005
By Pete McCarthy
[email protected]
FRANKLIN TWP. -- No court papers were filed on Thursday for township Committeeman Patrick Dougherty to contest the Nov. 8 election results, his attorney said.

Dougherty, a Republican, trails his Democratic challenger Kenneth Gallagher Jr. by three votes after Wednesday's recount.

"Pat is still investigating and weighing his options," attorney Mark Shoemaker said Thursday. "Within the next week, a decision will have been made as to what his next step will be -- if anything."

Dougherty was scheduled to review the registration books with the county Board of Elections on Thursday to check the names and addresses of those who voted in the local election.

All races in the county, except the one naming Gallagher one of two winners in Franklin Township, have been certified, according to County Clerk James Hogan. Before officially naming Gallagher the winner, Hogan said he would confront the Board of Elections' four commissioners to see where they stand on the issue.

more-
http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/local/index.ssf?/base/news-1/113351493889660.xml&coll=8

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13. more on NJ recount

Franklin committeeman not conceding

Friday, December 2, 2005

By TIM ZATZARINY JR.
Courier-Post Staff

WEST DEPTFORD
Franklin Township Committeeman Patrick Dougherty and his supporters on Monday will continue the slow process of double-checking more than 250 absentee and provisional ballots against voter rolls in the contested committee election.

Dougherty and a half-dozen campaign workers spent about three hours Thursday afternoon at the Gloucester County Board of Elections, scrutinizing the ballots and rolls for any discrepancies.

"It's going to take a couple more hours," Dougherty, 36, said afterward.

In one instance, Dougherty said, a woman signed the roll book on Election Day near the 8 p.m. deadline but was not allowed to vote because a machine at her polling place had been shut down.

more -

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051202/NEWS01/512020368/1006

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14. Another recount in MA.-

Home > Amesbury News > Opinion & Letters


Letter: Candidate answers critics of recount request
Thursday, December 1, 2005

To the editor:

I ran for library trustee board in the recent Amesbury election. I wish to thank those of who supported and voted for me.

I lost the election by a mere eight votes, and felt that it was necessary to have a recount. Apparently, Sydney Baily-Gould and her supporters have an issue with this, and I would like to defend myself, instead of being criticized openly for what they say is "wasting tax payers money." I have to wonder, if these people who are so fast to judge, would request a recount if the shoe was on the other foot? After all, isn’t the truth in democracy? I may of lost, but I still gained two more votes that I wouldn’t of gotten without this recount. I worked very hard to earn each and every one those votes, and I wasn’t going to go through life always wondering, if I had not gone through with the recount. I am proud of the fact that I tried, and believed in something enough to take a stand, and put myself out there by running. The future of the library is of great importance to me, and I wanted to be part of that board. If elected, I would have worked diligently to help find some resolution to the problems our precious, historic library. I will still keep active in town, and trust that our library trustee board makes the right choices in the future and preservation of our library. I sincerely appreciate the outpouring of support from the people in this town and wish to thank those of who helped me in the recount, and the town workers who took the time out to count the ballots.

Debra J. Provost

Feeley Terrace

Amesbury
http://www2.townonline.com/amesbury/opinion/view.bg?articleid=380966

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15. & yet another recount in MA--

Council's changing face

By Christopher Loh/ Staff Writer
Friday, December 2, 2005

With five new faces set to take seats on the Town Council and Clyde Younger back in the president’s seat, Watertown has spoken out for a change to the council.

District D Councilor Fred Pugliese was defeated by newcomer John Lawn, while Angie Kounelis defeated Councilor Sal Ciccarelli in District A.

snip-
The District A Town Council recount between incumbent Sal Ciccarelli and Councilor-elect Angie Kounelis was scheduled to take place last night. Results are available at www.watertowntabandpress.com.


more-

http://www2.townonline.com/watertown/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=381073&format=&page=1

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16. another recount in NJ--

GOP candidate seeks voting recount

By: Tony Regina, Managing Editor12/01/2005

Shelly Lovett thought it was a fair race. However, she doesn't believe that the outcome was entirely accurate.
Last week, Lovett, who ran for Gloucester Township council this year, filed for a voting recount after a close loss to Orlando Mercado. Her decision comes after recognizing the possibility of error in the election.
"There were some irregularities we saw. When you see those things, there could be mistakes," Lovett, a Republican candidate, said.
The irregularities Lovett refers to root in "interesting voting patterns in Gloucester Township," according to Lovett's attorney, Thomas Booth, Jr. Ticket discrepancies mark one area that needs a closer look.
"It's my understanding that typically, one can expect that you'll lose about 60 percent of the voters in election because they vote from the top, but never make it to bottom of the ticket, which is their local election," he said.
"The results in Gloucester Township indicate that 100 percent of the voters went up and down the ticket. While not impossible, that certainly is improbable."
Another area both Booth Jr. and Lovett want officials to reexamine is absentee voting. This year, Camden County emphasized absentee voting in an effort to cut down on polling lines.

more-
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15672623&BRD=1687&PAG=461&dept_id=41463&rfi=6

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17. Another freakin recount- In Washington state

Bucoda mayoral race to be counted again

BY BRAD SHANNON

THE OLYMPIAN

The Bucoda mayor’s race is going to a recount after all — on Monday.

Challenger Kathy Martin led Mayor Alan T. Carr, a one-term incumbent, by a 100-95 margin after the final ballots were counted Tuesday.

But Carr later plunked down a deposit of roughly $46 to pay for the manual recount of less than 200 ballots, said Steve Homan, Thurston County elections manager.

The recount will be done at 9:30 a.m. at the Thurston County auditor’s election shop in Tumwater, Homan said Thursday.

“Whatever,” Martin said, when asked what she thought of the recount. Martin, a former deputy town clerk, is married to former Mayor Ken Martin, who beat Carr for the post in the early 1990s.
Carr declined to comment after the tally and could not be reached immediately for comment Thursday.

more-
http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051202/NEWS01/51202030/1006

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18. ah-- yeah - another recount-- in CANADA

Wilson's win confirmed in Coquitlam

By Kate Trotter
The Tri-City News
Dec 02 2005

Maxine Wilson will be sworn in as the 17th mayor of Coquitlam this Monday, Dec. 5 after a partial recount this week confirmed her election.
Defeated mayoral candidate Jon Kingsbury had petitioned for a judicial recount based on the 52-vote difference between him and Wilson. The argument for the recount made by Kingsbury's lawyer Brian Kaminski was that there is no guarantee automatic voting machines are perfect.
"I know of no machine that has 100% accuracy," he told Judge Anthony Spence. "Every machine has a marginal error rate. Any minor error would make a huge difference."
But on five sample polls tested in Port Coquitlam provincial court Wednesday, the machines were found to be 100% accurate.
Judge Spence also heard from lawyers representing mayor-elect Wilson and the city, who argued against a recount.
The city's lawyer, Dan Bennett, offered to have Chris Iskander, a mechanical engineer who checked the accuracy of the voting machines on election day, to testify the machines are accurate. But the judge said the only way to know for certain was to count by hand.

more-
http://www.tricitynews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=74&cat=23&id=547471&more=

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26. Another recount in WA-Issaquah City Council

Recount to decide Issaquah council contest
By Sonia Krishnan and Peyton Whitely

Bothell Mayor Pat Ewing won his council race.


In the race for an Issaquah City Council seat, former Councilwoman Maureen McCarry leads Councilman Bill Conley by 21 votes out of 5,158 cast, less than one-half of 1 percent.

"With that lead, I'm pretty comfortable," said McCarry, who led by just three votes at one point after the Nov. 8 general election. "But the county hasn't said I'm the winner. They're the ones I have to rely on."

That race is among three in King County that are headed for mandatory recounts, while candidates in other close races claimed victory by thin margins after the results of the election were certified Tuesday.

A machine recount will be conducted Friday for races for the Issaquah and Shoreline city councils, with certification expected by 4 p.m. A race in Federal Way will require a hand recount.

more-

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/eastsidenews/2002654843_eastelex30e.html

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27. more on WA.- recounts

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - Page updated at 10:45 AM

Correction: Information in this article, originally published November 30, 2005, was corrected November 30, 2005. Janet Way held a 59-vote lead over Paul Grace in election results certified Tuesday for Shoreline City Council Position 3. An article Wednesday incorrectly reported that Grace led by 41. Results will be recounted by machine Friday.



Recounts set for races in 3 King County cities
By Sonia Krishnan and Peyton Whitely

Seattle Times Eastside bureau

Three races in King County are headed for a mandatory recount, while candidates in other close races claimed victory by thin margins after the results of the Nov. 8 general election were certified Tuesday.

Races for the Shoreline and Issaquah city councils are slated for a machine recount Friday, with certification expected by 4 p.m.

The only hand recount is in Federal Way, where Ed Barney held a 28-vote lead over Grace Rawsthorne out of more than 22,000 votes cast. Those votes will be recounted Monday and certified at 4 p.m.

Machine recounts are required by state law if one candidate leads by fewer than 2,000 votes and by less than one-half of 1 percent of votes cast. Manual recounts are done when the spread is fewer than 150 votes and one-quarter of 1 percent of votes cast.

In Issaquah, former Councilwoman Maureen McCarry led Councilman Bill Conley by 21 votes of 5,158 cast, less than one-half of 1 percent.

more-

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002654841_metroelex30m.html

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19. Edison NJ- recount- in Mayors race

ELECTION RECOUNT REAFFIRMS CHOI'S VICTORY IN EDISON

Challenge continues
Home News Tribune Online 12/1/05
By JERRY BARCA
STAFF WRITER
[email protected]
EDISON — Jun Choi is still mayor-elect after yesterday's recount, but the election challenge may continue.

"We're still not ready to concede," said William Stephens, Choi's opponent and a former Township Council president.

After yesterday's recount, Choi had gained another vote, giving the 34-year-old first-time candidate for office a 270-vote victory.

"This reaffirms the choice Edison voters made on Nov. 8," Choi said. "I'm ready to move forward."

As of today, Stephens has nine days to challenge the election in Superior Court in New Brunswick, said Assistant State Attorney General Donna Kelly, who oversaw yesterday's recount.

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20. more on Edison NJ recount

Recount shifts Milltown tally

One vote decides council-race outcome
Home News Tribune Online 12/1/05
By KRISTIN BOYD
STAFF WRITER
[email protected]
MILLTOWN — The Middlesex County Elections Office has declared Democrat Joseph Cruz the official winner of a Borough Council seat — by one vote — following a recount earlier this week.

But Republican candidate Randy Farkas, who until Monday's recount had edged out Cruz by one vote, is not conceding loss just yet.

"I'm very disappointed and very frustrated," Farkas said last night. "Not only has this let me down, but it let the people of Milltown down. In a circumstance like this, the people, not a judge, need to decide who they want."

Farkas, with help from the borough's Republican party, plans to investigate the election results and the recount.

"We will follow the rules and see how this plays out," Farkas said.

Cruz could not be reached for comment last night.

more-
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051201/NEWS0102/512010444/1001

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22. recount in Long Branch NJ

Recount for contested seat Dec. 8
Initial tally showed Questore led Gaetano by 19 votes
BY SUE MORGAN
Staff Writer



EATONTOWN — By next Thursday afternoon, residents here might finally know which one of two contenders will occupy the seat on the far left of the Borough Council’s dais come New Years’ Day.

The outcome of the official recount, scheduled for 2 p.m. on Dec. 8 at the Monmouth County Board of Elections offices in Freehold Township, is also expected to reveal whether or not all six council seats, including the contested one-year, unexpired term will be held by Democrats.

That would be the result if Democratic candidate Joseph Questore is found to outdraw Republican Anthony “Bubba” Gaetano again, as was the case following the Nov. 17 tally of all provisional ballots filed in the council election nine days earlier.

On the other hand, if the second count of all of the machine, absentee, and provisional votes come out in Gaetano’s favor, the council makeup would be 5-1 in favor of the borough’s Democrats during the calendar year 2006.

more-
http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2005/1201/Front_Page/010.html

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24. Dover Ohio-Recount changes little - Only vote totals - not results

Recount changes little - Only vote totals - not results - are modified
By JOE MIZER, T-R Staff Writer


Although some vote totals changed slightly, the results of two races and two issues from the Nov. 8 general election in Tuscarawas County remained the same after recounts Wednesday.

The Tuscarawas County Board of Elections certified the re-elections of Donald C. Kemp as a member of the New Philadelphia Board of Education and Timothy Tarulli of Dover to his City Council at-large seat.

The board also certified the defeat of a 0.7-mill senior citizen replacement/additional levy and the defeat of a local option issue for the Sunday sale of beer that had been requested by the Fraternal Order of Eagles at Dennison.

The two races and two issues qualified for automatic recounts after the board’s certification of overall election results on Nov. 21. Each had a margin of less than 1/2 of 1 percent of the total votes cast for the race or issue.

more-
http://www.timesreporter.com/left.php?ID=48348&r=2

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25. NY-- Five-county recount winner announced

Five-county recount winner announced
Ardsley justice wins judgeship


By Steve Lieberman
The Journal News



A Westchester County lawyer has unofficially won the fourth state Supreme Court judgeship after a five-county recount of hundreds of thousands ballots was completed Wednesday.

Lewis Lubell, a Democrat and acting Ardsley village justice, beat Suffern Justice Matthew Byrne and Orange County Court Judge Stewart Rosenwasser, both Republicans, according to unofficial votes counted in Rockland, Westchester, Orange, Putnam and Dutchess counties.

Dutchess County Board of Elections officials, watched by candidates and their representatives, completed their recount Wednesday afternoon.

On election night, Rockland County Court Judge William Kelly, state Chief Administrative Law Judge Jonathan Lippman and Westchester County Court Judge Joseph Alessandro had insurmountable leads for three of the four judgeships.

Lubell, Byrne and Rosenwasser were bunched for the fourth spot.

more-
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051201/NEWS01/512010327/1006/NEWS01

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29. Ohio-Wood County officials plan to recount 5 races

Wood County officials plan to recount 5 races


BOWLING GREEN — Wood County election officials will be recounting votes in five close candidates’ races next week.

The election board yesterday certified the results of the Nov. 8 election, then scheduled recounts for Cygnet Village Council at 9 a.m. Tuesday; Fostoria charter commission at 2 p.m. Tuesday; Pemberville Village Council at 9 a.m. Wednesday; Henry Township trustees at 2 p.m. Wednesday, and Elmwood school board at 9 a.m. Thursday.

In Pemberville, four council seats were up for grabs, but just one vote separated the fourth and fifth top vote-getters.

Unofficial results showed David Miesmer with 273 votes and Patricia Vandersall with 272 votes.

more-
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051201/NEWS09/51201015/-1/NEWS

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30. Detroit City Clerk-requests a partial recount- too many mistakes

Currie requests a partial recount

November 29, 2005

BY MARISOL BELLO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER




Jackie Currie: "I believe that some mistakes have taken place at several precincts." (ERIC SEALS/Free Press file photo)
Detroit City Clerk Jackie Currie, whose office was in charge of the November election, believes the process was so riddled with mistakes that she wants a recount of her own.

Currie, who was held in contempt for violating a judge's order, stripped of control of absentee ballots and scrutinized by federal investigators, asked Monday that the Wayne County Board of Canvassers recount 55 of the city's 720 precincts.

"It's sort of funny that she's hoping to get back into office on the basis that she made so many mistakes that you can't count on the results she released," said Mark Grebner of East Lansing-based Practical Political Consulting, a leading voter list company in the state. "This is a woman who is reluctant to eat her own cooking and probably for good reason."

The problems in Currie's office already are likely to cost the city upward of $500,000. A recount request filed by mayoral candidate Freman Hendrix last week is expected to cost $250,000 to $500,000. Requests by Currie and two other candidates are expected to add a six-figure sum to the tab.

more-
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051129/NEWS01/511290371/1003/NEWS

[FogerRox]

31. Detriot- more-

More candidates ask for recount in Detroit election
11/28/2005, 6:53 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — The city clerk, who lost her bid for a fourth term, and a candidate who lost a run for a seat on the City Council have asked for a recount of votes cast in the Nov. 8 election.

In a petition to the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, City Clerk Jackie L. Currie said she believes mistakes were made at 55 of the city's precincts on Election Day, Detroit-area television station WXYZ reported.

Currie, whose office is responsible for overseeing elections, was defeated by Janice Winfrey. Winfrey had 53 percent of votes cast, to Currie's 47 percent.
The council candidate, Jai-Lee Dearing, was 10th in the bid for nine seats, coming up about 3,300 votes short. He filed his request Monday.

"We just want an official count, a hand recount," he told WXYZ. "We want to look at the paper ... to see what those numbers are."

Dearing's and Currie's announcements come less than a week after mayoral challenger Freman Hendrix asked for a recount. Hendrix lost to incumbent Kwame Kilpatrick.

more--
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-30/113322234324440.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

[FogerRox]

32. Flint MI.- 5th ward recount

Flint finishes 5th Ward recountResults and winners remain the same
By Randy Conat
FLINT (WJRT) - (11/29/05)-- A recount of ballots in a Flint City Council race has failed to overturn the election.

Benny Spence lost in the November 8th general election to incumbent Carolyn Sims by just 38 votes. At his request, a recount was held this morning by the Genesee County Board of Canvassers.
Some of Spence's campaign workers urged him to file for a recount because they thought some absentee ballots weren't handled correctly.

The Board of Canvassers, along with Genesee County election officials, and staff members from the Flint City Clerk's office, processed the 97 absentee ballots again and came up with the same results.

Sims received 62 absentee votes while Spence got 35.

Hundreds of other regular ballots were also counted before the Board of Canvassers certified that Sims had won re-election.

City Clerk Inez Brown says the recount shows how accurate her staff is. "We feel very confident in the work that they do, in terms of their integrity, in terms of the process and in terms of what they do to assist the voters and so forth. But I should also indicate that Mr. Spence, and any other candidate, has the right to request a recount if so desired," she said. "Because we feel very confident that the work we do will meet the test."

more-
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=local&id=3677735

[rumpel]

23. WAPO: Justice Staff Saw Texas Redistricting as Illegal

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/120205O.shtml

By Dan Eggen
The Washington Post

Friday 02 December 2005

Voting rights finding on map pushed by DeLay was overruled.
Justice Department lawyers concluded that the landmark Texas congressional redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom DeLay (R) violated the Voting Rights Act, according to a previously undisclosed memo obtained by The Washington Post. But senior officials overruled them and approved the plan.

The memo, unanimously endorsed by six lawyers and two analysts in the department's voting section, said the redistricting plan illegally diluted black and Hispanic voting power in two congressional districts. It also said the plan eliminated several other districts in which minorities had a substantial, though not necessarily decisive, influence in elections.

"The State of Texas has not met its burden in showing that the proposed congressional redistricting plan does not have a discriminatory effect," the memo concluded.

The memo also found that Republican lawmakers and state officials who helped craft the proposal were aware it posed a high risk of being ruled discriminatory compared with other options.

But the Texas legislature proceeded with the new map anyway because it would maximize the number of Republican federal lawmakers in the state, the memo said. The redistricting was approved in 2003, and Texas Republicans gained five seats in the U.S. House in the 2004 elections, solidifying GOP control of Congress.

[autorank]

28. A big K & R--Great Graphic, Even Better news n/t

[FogerRox]

33. States and Localities Prepare for Jan. 1 HAVA and E-Voting Deadline

States and Localities Prepare for Jan. 1 HAVA and Electronic Voting Deadline
Wayne Hanson
Dec 02, 2005
Last year Washington state experienced what State Elections Director Nick Handy termed "the mother of all recounts," during the closest governor's race in U.S. history. "2.8 million people voted and we counted the ballots three times," he said. Thirty-eight of the state's 39 counties had been tallied, and the state waited, electrified, for the final county's results. The reason? The candidates were only eight votes apart.

Nick Handy


>snip<

California's Best Practices Blueprint

Bruce McPherson


"We are entering a new era of voting systems technology," said California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson in his introductory remarks at his summit in Sacramento. Among the challenges facing voting officials, he explained are the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) as well as building voter confidence and accessibility.

>snip<

The Federal View

Paul DeGregorio


HAVA, the Help America Vote Act, will take effect Jan. 1, said Paul DeGregorio, of the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) which was created by HAVA. The purpose of HAVA, says the Act, is: "To establish a program to provide funds to states to replace punch card voting systems, to establish the Election Assistance Commission to assist in the administration of federal elections and to otherwise provide assistance with the administration of certain federal election laws and programs, to establish minimum election administration standards for states and units of local government with responsibility for the administration of federal elections, and for other purposes."

State View

Sandy Steinbach


Sandy Steinbach, chair of the NASED Voting Systems Board, and director of elections for the Iowa Secretary of State, said voting systems qualification is not a new process. "We've had computerized voting since the 1960s and 70s," she said, "including computerized voting machines, punch cards, optical scan, and optical scan central count." But voting system failures create tension, she said. Back in 1975, a National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) report said that lack of technical skill at state and local levels were the primary cause of computer related problems. Congress responded in 1984 -- nine years later -- to develop voluntary national standards, and six years later, in 1990, the FEC issued the performance and test standards for punchcard, marksense, and direct recording systems. Then in 2002, the FEC issued the revised standards currently in effect, which are the basic standards incorporated into HAVA, explained Steinbach. "They are in effect until they are replaced by the EAC."

>snip<

Paul Craft


Paul Craft of the Florida Secretary of State's Office, said the Florida Legislature decided to set standards without waiting for the new federal standards to come out. He said that standards should be clear, understandable, consistent and reasonable, and not "include stuff that hasn't been invented yet."

>snip>

Brit Williams


"Texas is the only state that has more counties than we have," said Dr. Brit Williams of Georgia. "I'm not sure that's anything to brag about." He, like Washington's Nick Handy, said that errors in vote tallying were because of human error. "We had 4,000 ballot scanners for the 2002 election, and not a single glitch was attributed to the voting system."

>snip<

Local Concerns

Connie Schmidt


Connie Schmidt, former election commissioner of Johnson County Kansas, said many small counties don't even have computers, and rely on vendors to set up for elections. "There may be no budgets for them to attend conferences like this," said Schmidt, "how do we even know what is certified? Do we know what we received is the certified version? Should we perform our own testing? How do we stay informed about new version releases? How do we educate our voters and election officials?

>snip<

[MelissaB]

34. Email from Common Cause (Senator Barack Obama)

Dear Melissa,

The 2006 elections will be close and hard-fought, as many elections have been in the past few years. Because of this, it is likely that we will see the return of some of the despicable and underhanded tactics used in past elections to stop people, especially minorities, from voting.

For example, voters waiting in long lines have been arbitrarily told that there was no point in waiting and that they should just go home, even though polls wouldn't close for hours. Fliers have been distributed listing the wrong day for the election, or saying Republicans should vote on Tuesday and Democrats should vote on Wednesday.

http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/{fb3c17e2-cdd1-4df6-92be-bd4429893665}/senatorobama.jpg
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)

Voters have been told that traffic violations made it illegal for them to vote and that all parking tickets and overdue rent had to be paid before voting. Voters have received mailings claiming that anyone registered by the NAACP was not allowed to vote.
Now, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) is working to eliminate this significant problem. He has introduced a bill, S. 1975, The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2005. The bill would create a criminal penalty for deceptive practices, with penalties of up to $100,000, one year imprisonment, or both. Here's the letter he sent to his colleagues about the bill. The legislation would also require the attorney general, in conjunction with the federal Election Assistance Commission, to provide accurate election information when allegations of deceptive practices are confirmed.

We need your help to round up cosponsors for the bill. We hope to see it signed into law before the 2006 elections. Building support for this bill is a critical first step.

Please call your Senator today and urge them to cosponsor S. 1975.

After the 2004 election we released a report based on phone calls from voters reporting problems they faced. Sen. Obama's bill will help put a stop to these violations of Americans' voting rights.

This is a simple, straightforward bill, but it will face stiff opposition from many in Congress. We need your help. So does Senator Obama.

Please call your Senator today and urge them to cosponsor S. 1975.

Click here to find your representative: www.commoncause.org/FindElectedOfficials

Thank you for all you do for Common Cause.


Sincerely,

Chellie Pingree
President
Common Cause