Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News 03.28.06 The Good, Bad, & Ugly

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The GOOD the BAD & the UGLY

Strange Daze in Election Integrity Land

Never forget the pursuit of Truth.
Only the deluded & complicit accept election results on blind faith.

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News March 28, 2006

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

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

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.
2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233
3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.
4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.

Please

"Recommend"

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

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1. FL: Columnist Just Lays it Out on Sancho Screwing – Nothing held back!

The unvarnished truth. The voting machine vendors operate like a cartel not like separate entities. Doesn’t this tell you something? They all have the same paymaster. Now who could that be? Thinking…thinking…We all have to support Sancho. This is an act of desperation on Bush’s part. They could have just let him buy the ESS machines but they had to make a point. Thus “the point,” the punishment, is the message here. Don’t mess with us or we’ll crush you. Bad for Sancho but worse for the Bush Cartel and the neocons.

More election shenanigans in Sunshine State

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/fred_grimm/14181959.htm
BY FRED GRIMM
[email protected]

Not even the toadies on the Florida Public Service Commission would allow their corporate buddies to get away with this.

EASY TO HACK

Ion Sancho offended the election machine triopoly last year when he brought in computer security experts who demonstrated how an insider could hack Leon's Diebold voting machines, alter the outcome of an election and then wipe out all signs of tampering.

Diebold cut him off like a betrayed lover. ES&S canceled his order for touch-screen machines, claiming that the company was just too busy to supply Leon County. (Oddly, an ES&S official assured Maryland's election administrator in February that the company could outfit the entire state with new machines.)

SANCHO THREATENED

Instead, Cobb, in an act of corporate cuddling that would embarrass Jack Abramoff, threatened Sancho. She demanded that he return a $564,421 federal grant to buy machines that had been funneled through her office.

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2. Nation: Miami Herald Again—Forget Dubai – Worry about Smartmatic!!!

The Herald captures a theme that may spread to the right wing. Seems they think that Hugo Chavez controls Smartmatic and is rigging machines to screw up our democracy. Well Hugo, Bush beat you to it. So here’s the story. Smartmatic’s ownership is not yet known. Google did a huge search on this and couldn’t find much. The key point is there should be NO voting machine companies, just paper or a public concern heavily audited.

ELECTRONIC VOTING
Forget Dubai -- worry about Smartmatic instead

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/14194451.htm
BY RICHARD BRAND
[email protected]
The greater threat to our nation's security comes not from Dubai and its pro-Western government, but from Venezuela, where software engineers with links to the leftist, anti-American regime of Hugo Chávez are programming electronic voting machines that will soon power U.S. elections.

Congress spent two weeks overreacting to news that Dubai Ports World would operate several American ports, including Miami's, but a better target for their hysteria would be the acquisition by Smartmatic International of California-based Sequoia Voting Systems, whose machines serve millions of U.S. voters. That Smartmatic -- which has been accused by Venezuela's opposition of helping Chávez rig elections in his favor -- now controls a major U.S. e-voting firm should give pause to anybody who thinks that replacing our antiquated butterfly ballots and hanging chads will restore Americans' faith in our electoral process.

Consider the lack of confidence Venezuelans have in their voting system. Anti-Chávez groups have such little faith in Smartmatic's machines that they refuse to run candidates in elections anymore as reports surface of fraud and irregularities from Chávez's 2004 victory in a recall referendum. Yet somehow Smartmatic International and its Venezuelan owners were able to purchase Sequoia last year without the deal receiving any scrutiny from federal regulators -- including the Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS), which is tasked with determining whether foreign takeovers pose security risks.

Smartmatic has a brief but controversial history. The company was started in Caracas during the late 1990s by engineers Antonio Mugica and Alfredo Anzola. They worked out of downtown Caracas providing small-scale technology services to Latin American banks. Despite having no election experience, the tiny company rocketed from obscurity in 2004 after it was awarded a $100 million contract by the Chávez-dominated National Electoral Council to replace Venezuela's electronic voting machines for the recall vote.

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3. Nation: Who Owns Smartmatic – Google Answers…

Nation: Who Owns Smartmatic – Google Answers…
Well, here is what our friends have to say about Smartmatic. Good stuff.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=589189

Answer
Subject: Re: Who owns Smartmatic
Answered By: tutuzdad-ga on 04 Nov 2005 19:28 PST

Dear moosehead5032-ga;

Holy smoke, the background on this company reads like a novel and
looking into it absolutely wore me out. Here we go:

Smartmatic Corporation was formed by Antonio Mugica, Alfredo Anzola,
Antonio Mugica Rivero, Roger Piñate, Antonio Mugica Sesma and Luis
Feliu and incorporated in Florida in 2000. Seven years prior, the
company was then a Venezuelan “research group” called, "The Research
and Development Unit of Panagroup in Venezuela".

Well, there also happens to be a software company in Venezuela called
“Bizta Corporation” that, until a couple of years ago was doing very
poorly. According to a report attributed to Miami Herald, the
Venezuelan government decided to revive the company so they sank about
quarter million dollars into it. This allegedly gave the government a
28% ownership interest in the company and wouldn’t you know it, things
supposedly starting getting much better for them.

<snip>

Best regards;
Tutuzdad – Google Answers Researcher

OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES

VCRISIS
http://www.vcrisis.com/index.php?content=letters/200508141135

SMARTMATIC
http://www.smartmatic.com/
http://www.smartmatic.com/about_us_03.htm

VCRISIS
http://www.vcrisis.com/index.php?content=letters/200508141135

SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINES USED:

Google http://www.google.com

SEARCH TERMS USED:

Smartmatic, Panagroup, Venezuela, Bizta

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4. MT-Nation: Now THIS IS ELECTION FRAUD in the RAW!!!!! WoW

If you ever doubted that Republican owned voting machines provide “irrational exuberance, here it is. These people think they’re invulnerable. Surprise, they’re not.

Bush backs Abramoff-linked Montana senator

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1774520

Mar 27, 2006 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush expressed support on Monday for U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, who is under pressure over his links with Jack Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist at the heart of an influence-peddling scandal.

Speaking at a fund-raising event for Burns' re-election campaign at a Washington hotel, Bush praised the Montana lawmaker as a strong supporter on national security and tax relief.

"He's the kind of person the people of Montana need here. They need somebody who's steadfast when it comes to defending the country, who's wise about how we spend your money," Bush said.

<snip>

Burns, who faces a tough fight for re-election in November, became ensnared in the corruption investigation involving Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to fraud in January and is cooperating with prosecutors.

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5. Nation: “Tell a Friend” Campaign – Comprhensive Article to Email etc.

This is an excellent article, really the outline of a monograph. Each paragraph deals with a major factor in election fraud and the flow is logical. Let’s help out. Go to the site, clip the article or link, and TELL A FRIEND.

The Currency of Democracy
Tell A Friend

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_paul_jac_060327_the_currency_of_demo.htm
by Paul Jacobs March 27, 2006
http://www.opednews.com

Votes are the currency of democracy, but casting a ballot is far more precious than any monetary transaction. All political power is inherent in the people and that is the core value of the vote. The reason millions of dollars are invested in political campaigns is to capture our votes. We fail to recognize the worth of this treasure we hold and are allowing democracy to be electronically swindled away.

Running a clean election is based on a simple precept: Vote in private; count in public. The secret ballot protects the voter from outside intimidation to afford the freest expression of democracy. Counting votes in public ensures total transparency for security and accuracy in the tallying. Paper ballot systems are vulnerable to tampering at 5 points of entry, but they are inherently reliable and secure because of the simplicity and transparency of the process.

<snip>

Principals in these 3 companies unilaterally contribute to, and otherwise support, the Republican Party. When election irregularities have been detected, they universally favor Republican candidates. The R.I.P above could stand for the traditional “rest in peace,” or perhaps more accurately: Republicans in power. This is not a partisan comment; it is simply a representation of widely available information.

Exit polls are the gold standard for verifying the integrity of elections across the globe. For eons, exit polling accurately proved the result of an election, or exposed fraud. When exit polls in 2004 revealed significant discrepancies in Ohio and New Mexico, the news media and the Democratic Party shrugged and quickly lost interest. The discrepancies were never explained, but offhandedly discounted as glitches. That is the typical election industry response recited by officials.

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6. Great Britain: House of Lords Rejects bLIARS Voter ID Program

For Tony B, it’s all about a religious inflused version of 1984, with a heavy dose of driven Narcissism. He’s always moving, in every direction, on his path to enslave the British people. The House of Lords has rejected his Voter ID program, as an invasion of privacy and unnecessary. Tony won’t compromise despite plummeting popularity. Sound familiar.


EADT

Phillips plea on ID cards vote
28 March 2006 | 00:03


A SUFFOLK life peer has pleaded with the Government to stop “bullying” the House of Lords in the row over Identity Cards.

The call comes from Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Lord Phillips of Sudbury, on the eve of a key vote aimed at finding a compromise solution to the Parliamentary deadlock over Ministers' plans for compulsory ID cards.

The proposals have already been rejected four times on votes in the House of Lords.

Peers would prefer a voluntary scheme and say that compulsory ID cards go against the Labour Party general election manifesto, is an infringement of civil liberties and could lead to more identity fraud.

"The Government must stop trying to bully the Lords and should instead listen to the merits of the argument. “The House of Lords can be under no duty to endorse the Government's breach of faith with

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7. Ukraine: Orange Revolution Splits, Faction they Ousted Wins Fair & Square

The Orange Revolution came to power and ruled long enough to straighten some things out, including the election system. They fractures over a disipute and, as a result, the pro-Soviet party won a plurality. Now the two Orange factions are uniting, reluctantly. At least the elections were fair or “fairer” than before. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, for everybody. 67% TURNOUT!!!

Orange Revolution Rebuffed by Ukrainians

By Natasha Lisova

Associated Press
http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=17125


Ukraine’s former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko
talking during a news conference in Kiev on Sunday.
Tymoshenko said a liberal coalition was on the brink of
being formed.

KIEV, Ukraine — Parties that once joined forces to carry out Ukraine’s Orange Revolution were left jockeying for power on Monday as early results showed their one-time nemesis in the lead, a stinging rebuke to President Viktor Yushchenko’s West-leaning administration.
Official vote tallies were coming in slowly, but initial returns showed the pro-Russia party led by Viktor Yanukovych taking the largest number of votes, followed by the president’s former ally, Yulia Tymoshenko. Yushchenko’s party was a distant third.
M<>

And while several of Yushchenko’s aides signaled their readiness for signing a plan on forming an Orange coalition, the president’s deputy chief of staff Ivan Vasyunik said Yushchenko sees no need for such a document.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe declared the elections “free and fair” and said they strengthened the ex-Soviet nation’s democratic course. The elections “further consolidated the breakthrough in the conduct of a democratic election process,” the OSCE said in a statement.

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8. Reply #8: MA Elections Officials Deliberately Bar Latinos: DOJ Investigate

Mass elections officials are not kind to the peole who do a lot of the work in their state. How is it that this is happening only in predominantly Hispanic areas? Could it be...nah, just a mistake by some well meaning public officials. btw, Did I mention,I have a great bridge to sell you on Brooklyn;)


http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_sw_060321_doj_confirms_voting_.htm

DOJ Confirms Voting Rights Violations in Massachusetts

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_sw_060321_doj_confirms_voting_.htm
by David Swanson March 21, 2006
http://www.opednews.com

The race for Massachusetts Secretary of State has reached a new level of urgency. On March 10, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) confirmed it is investigating Voting Rights violations in Springfield. Today, the DOJ confirmed that they are actively investigating Voting Rights violations in Lowell as well. In each city, the lack of voting assistance to Latino and Cambodian Americans, respectively, is at the center of the probes. But it doesn’t end there.

In 2005, the City of Lawrence sent letters to 15,000 mostly Latino voters declaring that they were on the inactive list just days before Election Day. Despite a federal judge demanding that the city reach out to these voters and inform them that they could still vote, Lawrence had its lowest turnout for a mayoral election in Lawrence in 30 years -- and this in a contested race with a Latino challenger.

Earlier the same year, the DOJ sued the City of Boston for Voting Rights violations against Chinese, Latino and Vietnamese voters. Boston entered into a consent decree with the DOJ as a result and has agreed to provide ballots and other voter information in multiple languages, including Chinese and Vietnamese. The DOJ will also continue to monitor elections in the state’s capital for the next few years.

These problems, as well as the lack of any true electoral reforms in the Commonwealth that promote our democracy, are just some of the reasons that John Bonifaz was the first person to step forward last year and officially declare his candidacy for Secretary of State. Massachusetts needs a Secretary who will work with cities and towns to ensure the voting rights of all voters before anything ever gets to the point where Federal intervention would be required.

Each time Bonifaz has raised the issue of these investigations in the past, Secretary of State of William Galvin has accused his challenger of making up these claims, while also admitting that he was unaware of any such investigations. Bonifaz’s statements have now been supported by the DOJ itself.

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9. MA: Bonifaz WOULD NOT put up with this--Bonifaz-Scty of State for MA!!!

http://www.johnbonifaz.com/

BONIFAZ

Secretary of State
Massachusetts

Contact

http://www.johnbonifaz.com/

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10. DUers are Rokken on Election FRAUD Check it out.

:patriot:

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11. NV MOJO - Vegas Odds Better than Voting Machine Odds (LOL, but true)

NVMojo Donating Member Mon Mar-27-06 07:47 AM
Original message
Political Notebook: Author argues elections bigger gamble than slots

March 27, 2006

An academic researcher has concluded that Las Vegas slot machines are more trustworthy than electronic voting machines.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x418984

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12. Judi Lynn on Primaries -- A Big Wall Awaiting Out of Control "machines"

Judi Lynn Donating Member (1000+ posts) Tue Mar-28-06 12:09 AM
Original message
Primary voting-machine troubles raise concerns for '06

Posted 3/27/2006 11:36 PM
Primary voting-machine troubles raise concerns for '06
By Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Problems using voting machines in the Texas and Illinois primaries this month have reinforced fears that the 2006 elections may be beset with glitches.

[Judi Lynn]

15. Here's the link, autorank......

Posted 3/27/2006 11:36 PM
Primary voting-machine troubles raise concerns for '06
By Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Problems using voting machines in the Texas and Illinois primaries this month have reinforced fears that the 2006 elections may be beset with glitches.

"There's a lot of evidence that some of those fears are coming to pass," says Doug Chapin, president of Electionline.org, a non-partisan group that studies elections. "The theory that new technology results in error seems to be borne out early in the process."

More than 30 million Americans will be voting on unfamiliar equipment this year, after modernization required by the Help America Vote Act. Congress passed the law in 2002 to address problems stemming from the 2000 presidential election in Florida.

Among early trouble spots:

• The largest jurisdictions in Illinois, Chicago and Cook County, encountered problems in the March 21 primary. In some cases, precinct election judges didn't get hands-on training before the election. There were paper jams, misplaced memory cartridges containing election results and long delays in counting.
(snip/...)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-03-27-voting-machines_x.htm

Good photo of Ion Sancho in your opening post. He should be cloned. I like this photo, too:

~click~

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I12863-2004Oct30

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13. kpete Gets Busy on the NOLA Primary (aka stolen election, racism, etc.)

kpete :patriot: Donating Member (1000+ posts) Mon Mar-27-06 08:49 AM
Original message
Judge To Hear New Orleans Vote Challenge Updated at 6:41 PM

Judge To Hear New Orleans Vote Challenge

POSTED: 8:25 am EST March 27, 2006
UPDATED: 8:25 am EST March 27, 2006

NEW ORLEANS -- With less than a month before New Orleans' first elections since Hurricane Katrina, the vote's plan _ and even the date _ are still in dispute.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x418989

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14. TX: Major Article on Lousy Texas Voting System--

Hey Texas Republicans, how's your blue eyed boy now. Happy, many of you, at his election. Don't blame you. He only seemed like a COMPLETE Creep to those of us with overworked radar. But now, look what you have. BushWorld in Texas. Republicans suing Republicans, Democrats challenging primaries, lousy machines. Wow, this stinks. Give is some Democrats and go back to your great tradition of poopulism.


http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/14192074.htm

Election problems renew electronic voting concerns

By ANNA M. TINSLEY
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

Computer glitches. Overcounts. Improper computer programming. Bad batteries.

These are among the problems that have cropped up in communities nationwide -- including in Tarrant County -- with electronic voting in recent weeks and months.

And although officials say most of the issues have been resolved, the problems have renewed concerns among some critics that electronic voting -- without paper backups -- could lead to widespread problems exceeding those in Florida that slowed the recount of the 2000 presidential votes.

"Election systems are not immune," said Dan Wallach, an associate professor at Rice University who specializes in computer security and electronic voting. "Barring radical advances in computer technology, these machines are basically computers with software that can have bugs and be tampered with."

"If all the numbers add up, then it might have worked and it might not have worked," he said. "When you have a system where the inner workings of the system are a secret, like with electronic machines, you don't know."

ENOUGH OF THE BULL SHIT. THROW THESE MACHINES OUT NOW...THROW THEM OUT NOT...

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16. Nat. Inst. Science & Tech (Feds): Major Electonic Voting Seminar Wed 29th

Nat. Inst. Science & Tech (Feds): Major Electonic Voting Seminar Wed 29th
MAJOR MEETING ON ELECTRONIC VOTING IN DC AREA (MD BURBS)

and PDF handouts at this link if you can’t attend
http://vote.nist.gov/meeting20060329.htm#material



TGDC Plenary Meeting, March 29, 2006
(or go directly down to: Written Meeting Materials)


When: 8:55 am- 5:30 pm EST, March 29, 2006

Where: NIST-Gaithersburg Campus (Red Auditorium)
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8900

Purpose: To act in the public interest to assist the Executive Director of the Election Assistance Commission. To review and approve draft documents that will form the bases for recommendations for future voluntary voting system guidelines.
The draft documents respond to tasks defined in resolutions passed at previous Technical Guideline Development Committee meetings.

Topics: Help America Vote Act requirements for technical guidance related to human factors and privacy; security and transparence; and core requirements and testing of voting systems. Preliminary material to be discussed at the meeting will be available for public review at this web site in early March.

Status: The meeting is open to the public. No registration fee is required. NIST security regulations require pre-registration by all attendees. Pre-registration closed March 22, 2006.

Summary: The Technical Guidelines Development Committee (the “Development Committee”) has scheduled a plenary meeting for March 29, 2006. The Development Committee was established to act in the public interest to assist the Executive Director of the Election Assistance Commission in the development of the voluntary voting system guidelines.

[Wilms]

18. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x419171

[Wilms]

17. GuvWurld Author Publishes "We Do Not Consent," An Online Book

GuvWurld Author Publishes "We Do Not Consent," An Online Book

LOCAL AUTHOR, ELECTION INTEGRITY ADVOCATE PUBLISHES FIRST BOOK

Dave Berman issues "We Do Not Consent," a compilation of essays from the GuvWurld blog

March 27, 2006—Just one week shy of the GuvWurld Blog's second anniversary, author Dave Berman has compiled 20 essential essays into an online book called "We Do Not Consent". The material highlights Berman's style of advocacy journalism, reporting on his own work for social change in a way that furthers those efforts. Berman puts himself above charges of bias by openly stating his progressive goals and promoting this approach as a key to successful community organizing.

Berman observes the obsolescence of mainstream journalistic neutrality, citing debunked threats of WMD, withheld reporting on unconstitutional surveillance, the unresolved contradictions and scientific impossibilities of 9/11, and thousands of uninvestigated electronic voting glitches.

"What the newspapers and network news don't tell us is enough to manipulate the common perception of reality," Berman explains. "Shaping perceptions this way is intentional, yet subliminal. I'm also trying to shape your view of reality but I'm telling you this up front and showing you the difference between what the media report and what you can directly observe for yourself. I'm asking you to be ruthlessly honest – with yourself."

GUVWURLD BLOG – LOCAL BY NATURE, NATIONAL BY STATURE

snip

http://guvwurld.blogspot.com/2006/03/press-release-guvwurld-author.html


Discussion: Please Recommend

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=419044&mesg_id=419044

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19. Election Law: Scalia on Gore v. Bush. Proves again he's an idiot!!!

Scalia is the SINGLE WORST THING TO HAPPEN TO AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE. His a disgrace (not to mention his tame quail hunts with Cheney). Now he's "combative" about taking the election and plunging the world into insanity. Thanks for nothing Scalia. I look forward to an impeachment festival for these neocon and fellow-traveler judges. They gave us idiots, they're idiots, and they're also responsible for this damage the idiots they offered up have caused. But hey, that's just my opinion.

March 27, 2006
More Justice Scalia on Bush v. Gore
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/005273.html

A video has surfaced of a speech Justice Scalia gave in Switzerland (the Justice ordinarily does not allow video of his speeches), and according to Marty Lederman's post on SCOTUSblog, the Justice had this to say about Bush v. Gore:

Scalia is characteristically combative and provocative. For instance, in response to a question about Bush v. Gore, he responds: "Come on, get over it." He states that the real question in the case was whether the election was to be decided by the Florida Supreme Court or by the U.S. Supreme Court -- "not a very hard question," in his view -- and "there was no way we could have turned that case down." He then states that the Florida Supreme Court -- but not the U.S. Supreme Court -- was "politically motivated."


Posted by Rick Hasen at March 27, 2006 09:24 AM

[Wilms]

24. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x419183

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20. NH: Three Convicted of 2002 Phone Jamming, Election Fruad 4th Charged.

Well, well, well...here we go. Crooks and liars getting sentenced. Who benefits? Senator Sununu. Maybe he had no idea, probably didn't, but this is disgusting. These people need to do hard time...but they won't. After all it's only an election, not a 7/11, which would get them some serious manual labor.

Fourth man charged in GOP phone-jamming scam

By Holly Ramer, Associated Press Writer | March 27, 2006
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/03/27/fourth_man_charged_in_gop_phone_jamming_scam/
CONCORD, N.H. --The former co-owner of a telemarketing firm pleaded not guilty Monday to participating in a Republican scheme to jam Democrats' get-out-the-vote phone lines on Election Day 2002.

Shaun Hansen, 34, of Spokane, Wash., was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 8, but the charges were not made public until his arraignment Monday.

Hansen is charged with conspiring to commit and aiding the commission of telephone harassment. Prosecutors say he was paid $2,500 to have employees at Idaho-based Mylo Enterprises place hundreds of hang-up calls to phone lines installed to help voters get rides to the polls on Nov. 5, 2002. Among the contests decided that day was the close U.S. Senate race in which Republican Rep. John Sununu beat outgoing Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.

<snip>

Former state Republican Executive Director Chuck McGee pleaded guilty to devising the idea of jamming the lines and served seven months in prison. Allen Raymond, former president of Virginia-based GOP Marketplace LLC, pleaded guilty to executing the plan and is serving a three-month sentence.

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21. DU: GuvWurld's ONLINE BOOK -- GET IT TODAY!!!

DUer GUVWURLD HAS A BOOK!!!!!Follow the link for your FREE online copy.
http://guvwurld.blogspot.com/2006/03/press-release-guvwurld-author.html

Monday, March 27, 2006
PRESS RELEASE: GuvWurld Author Publishes "We Do Not Consent," An Online Book

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOCAL AUTHOR, ELECTION INTEGRITY ADVOCATE PUBLISHES FIRST BOOK
Dave Berman issues "We Do Not Consent," a compilation of essays from the GuvWurld blog

-----------------------------------------------
March 27, 2006—Just one week shy of the GuvWurld Blog's second anniversary, author Dave Berman has compiled 20 essential essays into an online book called "We Do Not Consent" (.pdf). The material highlights Berman's style of advocacy journalism, reporting on his own work for social change in a way that furthers those efforts. Berman puts himself above charges of bias by openly stating his progressive goals and promoting this approach as a key to successful community organizing.

Berman observes the obsolescence of mainstream journalistic neutrality, citing debunked threats of WMD, withheld reporting on unconstitutional surveillance, the unresolved contradictions and scientific impossibilities of 9/11, and thousands of uninvestigated electronic voting glitches.

"What the newspapers and network news don't tell us is enough to manipulate the common perception of reality," Berman explains. "Shaping perceptions this way is intentional, yet subliminal. I'm also trying to shape your view of reality but I'm telling you this up front and showing you the difference between what the media report and what you can directly observe for yourself. I'm asking you to be ruthlessly honest – with yourself."

GUVWURLD BLOG – LOCAL BY NATURE, NATIONAL BY STATURE

In a January 2006 cover story on Humboldt County blogs, the North Coast Journal recognized GuvWurld for "gaining some stature in the larger blogosphere." This notoriety stems primarily from the Voter Confidence Resolution (VCR), a statement challenging the legitimacy of the U.S. government's claim to power after elections that did not seek the Consent of the Governed. Such Consent, according to the Declaration of Independence, is the source from which government's "just Power" is derived. The book's title, "We Do Not Consent" is a clarion call to peaceful revolution and served as the theme of a recent community forum in Eureka.

Last July, the City Council of Arcata, CA became the first to adopt the VCR. More recently, Palo Alto's Human Relations Commission and several Progressive Democratic caucuses in WA have also endorsed the VCR. Berman cites this as the GuvWurld Blog's most successful example of advocacy journalism.

LEADING ELECTION REFORM EXPERT ENDORSES GUVWURLD EFFORTS

----------------------------------------------------------
This work has brought Berman into contact with other thinkers on elections and election law. Paul Lehto is an attorney in Everett, WA. He sued election machine maker Sequoia, and eight months later their machines were removed from use in Snohomish County, WA. Lehto wrote the Foreword to "We Do Not Consent."

According to Lehto, "Berman, writing under the GuvWurld name, is spearheading one of the most incisive arguments to make against the secret vote counting that always occurs with electronic voting. Namely, whenever secret vote counting is used, there is no rational basis for confidence in the reported election results. This is so because nobody saw the count, nobody can verify it, and nobody can independently repeat it. Such conditions violate all of the basic principles of science necessary to have a basis for confidence in the reported election results. That's no way to run a system of elections if you're serious about defending democracy."

BERMAN TO DISCUSS BOOK AT UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

------------------------------------------------
Berman's writing and quotes often appear in Humboldt County media and he keeps an active speaking schedule. Upcoming appearances include the Demand Your Democracy Forum on April 11, 7pm, at HSU Founders Hall Room 118; and KHSU radio "Thursday Night Talk" with Rob Ammerman on April 13 at 7:30pm.

Berman is also a founding member of the Voter Confidence Committee (VCC) of Humboldt County, an election integrity watchdog group. Supported by GuvWurld promotion, the VCC conducted the county’s first parallel election last November and continues to lead the resistance to the use of Diebold and any other election machines containing "proprietary" programming.

"WE DO NOT CONSENT" AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN PRINT

[Wilms]

25. Click Here to Recommend Guv's Thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=nominate&forum=203&thread=419044


Here's the discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=419044&mesg_id=419044

[autorank]

22. TechDIRT Blog: How Dare You!!! Secure Election...haha;)

How Dare You Actually Want Secure And Valid Elections?!?
from the take-that,-whistle-blower dept
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060327/1133205.shtml
Back in December, a Florida county ran some hacking tests on Diebold's ballot counting machine and found them to have serious security issues, which made the county elections supervisor, Ion Sancho, ban the questionable machines. Diebold responded not by showing that their machines were secure, but by cracking jokes about the whole thing. Why were they so amused by the whole situation? Perhaps because they're the ones in the power position. They were able to get around a similar ban in California and now none of the approved voting machine vendors will even sell approved e-voting machines to Sancho, effectively punishing him for daring to make sure the machines were accurate and secure. This is a bit strange, as you'd expect the other two approved firms, Sequoia Voting Systems and Election Systems & Software, would jump at the chance to both replace Diebold and prove their machines accurate and secure. Instead, it sounds like the only firm that is even willing to negotiate with him... is Diebold. But, they want to put in a clause in the contract that would ban him from conducting any such tests again. Instead, he'd only be allowed to perform "authorized" tests -- because we all know that anyone involved in election fraud follows the "authorized" rules for hacking these machines. Diebold also spins things around by complaining that Sancho is responsible for undermining "the public's confidence in the security and accuracy" of Diebold machines. That's funny, we thought Diebold was doing a damn fine job of that entirely on its own

[autorank]

23. IL: Who voted early in Illinois? Great Blog Piece

EARLY VOTING Blog

Friday, March 24, 2006
Who voted early in Illinois's primary
http://earlyvote.blogspot.com/2006/03/who-voted-early-in-illinoiss-primary.html
First reports are coming out of Illinois regarding early voting rates in the March 21st gubernatorial primary.

A story out of Park Ridge reports that it ranked second out of 137 county voting sites ( this is sites in Cook County )in terms of early voting, "according to figures released by the Cook County Clerk."

The Clerk's website ( Cook County Clerk ) does not report these results yet and I cannot find any press release.

While searching around for these results, I found this interesting website: http://www.fidlar.com/results/us/il/ . This looks like a private company that reports the official Illinois election results. Can this be true? This may be the case at this point because official results are not being reported until April 21st. The Fidlar Company varies in what it reports by county. Some counties show under and over votes. Others show just vote totals. None that I have seen contain early vs. day of election votes.

posted by Paul Gronke at 10:19 AM

[autorank]

26. Chicago, IL: Primary "A debacle." "An embarrassment." "A disgrace."

Thanks for nothing 2002 Congress. HAVA – Help (Certain) Americans Violate (Most) Americans Rights.. Oh, bi partisan approval. I think we need a new law – Congress has to both read, think about and discuss the legislation they pass. This is the most devastating attack on democracy in our history. It’s worse than “Bloddy Kansas”, Boss Tweed, etc. People should be ashamed…but they won’t (it’s their nature).

WOW...this is by Chicago electoral standards!!!! Just imagine how bad it was...
Celebrating HAVA one disaster at a time. THANKS FOR NOTHING CONGRESS, 2002.

City Finance Chair: Election Ballot Count A 'Debacle'

http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/18999.php
Steve Miller Reporting
CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio 780) -- The chairman of the Chicago City Council Finance Committee calls the primary election ballot count "a debacle" - and he says the city should withhold payment from the company that supplied the machines.

"A debacle." "An embarrassment." "A disgrace."

Those are the words of City Council Finance Committee Chairman Ed Burke, who says the city shouldn't pay Sequoia, the maker of the voting machines, until the city finds out exactly what went wrong and why the votes are still being counted.

"Here it is a week later and we still don't know the results of the election," Burke said. "There's something wrong. It's obvious. It's clear. Ray Charles could see there's something wrong here."

The Chicago Board of Elections also is ready to withhold payment from Sequoia while the city investigates the slow vote count, trying to find out if the problem was bad machines, bad training or just a steep learning curve the first time around.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kpete]

28. Newspaper ads call voters to polls two days early

Newspaper ads call voters to polls two days early
Last updated Mar 28 2006 11:41 AM EST
CBC News


Elections Ontario ran an advertisement in Tuesday's edition of the Ottawa Citizen mistakenly telling residents of Nepean-Carleton to cast their ballots Tuesday for the provincial byelection.

The election is actually on Thursday.

The quarter-page advertisement, which ran on the second page of the city section, announced in bold letters, "Today is election day in the electoral district of Nepean-Carleton."

Officials at Elections Ontario are unsure as to why the ad ran two days before the March 30 byelection.

"Elections Ontario is investigating it," said Wayne Beaten, a returning officer for Elections Ontario. "They're checking with the Citizen to try and find out what has happened here."

http://www.cbc.ca/ottawa/story/ot-electionsontario20060328.html

[FogerRox]

29. Kn R

[paineinthearse]

30. MA: Conyers endorses Bonifaz

by email



Dear Friends,

Congressman John Conyers, Jr. announced today his endorsement of John Bonifaz for Massachusetts Secretary of State. Below is the press release we issued today on this exciting news. And for other updates on our campaign, visit our website at www.johnbonifaz.com.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28, 2006

CONGRESSMAN CONYERS ENDORSES BONIFAZ FOR MASSACHUSETTS SECRETARY OF STATE

BOSTON, MA - Congressman John Conyers, Jr., the second most senior member in the United States House of Representatives, announced his endorsement today of voting rights leader John Bonifaz for Massachusetts Secretary of State.

"In the wake of Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004, it is more important than ever that we have a Secretary of State like John Bonifaz who will fight for our democracy," said Conyers (D-MI), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Congressman Conyers and Bonifaz have worked closely together in fighting to protect the integrity of the electoral process, and in challenging the Bush administration on its illegal war in Iraq. In December 2004, Bonifaz, the founder of the National Voting Rights Institute, joined Conyers for hearings the congressman held in Columbus, Ohio, and in Washington, D.C., on the irregularities of the 2004 election in Ohio. Bonifaz led the fight in the courts for a full recount of the 2004 presidential vote in Ohio. The recount fight contributed important evidence to the report Conyers issued, "Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio," which led to the historic challenge in the US Congress in January 2005 to the counting of Ohio's Electoral College votes.

In February 2003, Bonifaz served as lead counsel for Conyers and other Members of Congress, along with US soldiers and parents of US soldiers, in a federal lawsuit in Boston challenging President George W. Bush's authority to launch a first-strike invasion of Iraq absent a congressional declaration of war or equivalent action. In June 2005, Bonifaz joined Conyers again as a key witness testifying on the Downing Street Minutes in hearings the congressman held in the basement of the US Capitol. The Downing Street Minutes, first reported by the London Sunday Times, revealed that the Bush Administration had decided, as of July 2002, to invade Iraq and that the "intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."

"John Bonifaz has been a remarkable asset to me and to the nationwide movement to hold the Bush Administration accountable for its abuses of power," Conyers said in his announcement today. "Massachusetts deserves a strong, proven leader like John Bonifaz. Our country needs to elect more principled progressive candidates like John Bonifaz."

"I am deeply honored to receive this endorsement today from Congressman Conyers," said Bonifaz. "Congressman Conyers is an extraordinary human being with a long history of standing up for what is right. He believes, as I do, that we must fight to return voters to power and to uphold the basic promises of our democracy. I am proud to stand with him."

To read the full text of the Conyers endorsement, go to: http://www.conyersblog.us/archives/00000413.htm

P.O. Box 300007, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 - www.johnbonifaz.com - [email protected]

http://www.conyersblog.us/archives/00000413.htm

Blogged by JC on 03.28.06 @ 08:47 AM ET

Meet John Bonifaz, Running for Massachusetts Secretary of State

My dear friend, John Bonifaz, is running for Secretary of State of Massachusetts and he needs our support. Some of you may recognize John from his work with me as...

My dear friend, John Bonifaz, is running for Secretary of State of Massachusetts and he needs our support. Some of you may recognize John from his work with me as a panelist on my Downing Street Minutes basement hearings. He also was an ally of mine in Ohio where he led the fight in the courts for a full recount of all the votes cast for President in the 2004 general election.

Meet John Bonifaz.

John Bonifaz has been a remarkable asset to me and to the nationwide movement to hold the Bush Administration accountable for its abuses of power. Massachusetts deserves a strong, proven leader like John Bonifaz. Our country needs to elect more principled progressive candidates like John Bonifaz.

Any race for statewide office requires funds – and this race is no exception. John is challenging an incumbent in this race – an entrenched incumbent. Your early donation is critical to John's campaign. Massachusetts campaign finance law allows individual contributions up to $500 per calendar year, and your support this month is critical.

I urge you to visit his campaign website today and to contribute as generously as you can.

I am proud to stand with John, and I hope you will join me in supporting him. Visit his campaign website today to learn more about his work:

1. Founding the National Voting Rights Institute;
2. Defending the Massachusetts Clean Elections Law; and
3. Drafting the Voters' Bill of Rights.

In the wake of Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004, it is more important than ever that we have a Secretary of State like John Bonifaz who will fight for our democracy. I hope you will join me today in supporting this campaign for Massachusetts and for the nation.

[Wilms]

31. News of the future

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x419441