Election Reform, Fraud and Related News, Friday, 7/11/08

[EFerrari]

Ohio mulls ban on voting machine 'sleepovers'

By STEPHEN MAJORS – 1 day ago

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's elections chief is reconsidering a plan to prohibit poll workers from taking voting machines home for safekeeping in the days before the November presidential election.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced plans in February to scrap the practice known as "sleepovers" because of security concerns. But her proposal is being attacked by county elections officials who argue that the custom makes it easier to transport machines to polling sites.

"She has listened to the concerns of election officials and ultimately wants to do what is best for their process but also make sure that all safety precautions are considered," Brunner spokesman Patrick Gallaway said Wednesday.

Brunner has frequently referred to a Licking County poll worker who took a machine home for safekeeping and improperly voted on it, fearing there wouldn't be enough time on Election Day.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ilkmtvS1EIYL5Pg8fPge_QM8hVbAD91QTAAO0



1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web. Here's the link to the News Directory:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233

2. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

3. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.

Recommendations are always appreciated!

[EFerrari]

1. The Nation.

[EFerrari]

5. VA should allow voter drives at its hospitals

VA should allow voter drives at its hospitals, senators urge

Dennis Camire, Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs should lift its ban on voter registration drives at its hospitals, clinics and homes to allow nonpartisan groups to help vets sign up, three Democratic senators and 10 secretaries of state said Thursday.

In a letter to VA Secretary James B. Peake, the senators said the agency should be proactive in helping nonpartisan groups register voters rather than hindering veterans from participating in the electoral process.

"Current VA policy makes it unnecessarily difficult for some veterans to participate in the electoral process," said Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawai'i, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

Ten secretaries of state, who oversee state voting laws, also wrote a letter Thursday asking Peake to allow nonpartisan voter registration drives and permit federal employees to help veterans register.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-07-10-va-drives_N.htm

[EFerrari]

6. Study: Electronic voting increased tabulation errors

Study: Electronic voting increased tabulation errors
By Peter Sayer

July 10, 2008 (IDG News Service) Polling stations using electronic voting systems suffered more voting discrepancies than polling stations using traditional paper votes in four recent French elections, according to a study sponsored by two groups campaigning for free and transparent elections.

Chantal Enguehard, a researcher at the University of Nantes who specializes in electronic voting, looked at discrepancies between the number of electors who signed the electoral register to confirm that they voted and the number of votes subsequently counted for each polling station. The study compared discrepancies at 6,427 polling stations using electronic voting machines and 14,624 using paper ballots, in both rounds of the 2007 presidential election and two subsequent elections.

There were discrepancies between the number of signatures and the number of votes at around 29.8% of polling stations studied using electronic voting machines, compared with just 5.3% of those using paper ballots, and those discrepancies were larger in the stations using voting machines, Enguehard found. It's unlikely that voters' unfamiliarity with the machines is to blame, for two reasons, said Enguehard. The ratio of discrepancies between electronic and traditional stations got worse, rather than better, with time, and there was no correlation between the bureaus with discrepancies and the bureaus that received the most complaints about difficulties with the voting machines.

In French elections, voters are traditionally presented with an opaque envelope and a selection of ballot papers, each printed with the name of one of the candidates. In private, they place the ballot paper of their chosen candidate in the envelope, before identifying themselves to voting officials who verify that they are registered to vote and have not already voted in that election. Finally, they place their envelope in the transparent ballot box and sign the register of electors to say they have voted.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=17&articleId=9108498&intsrc=hm_topic

[EFerrari]

27. States, FedEx address overseas voting issue

States, FedEx address overseas voting issue

By RICHARD WOLF • USA TODAY • July 11, 2008

Millions of Americans living abroad, including about 175,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, risk not having their votes counted in November because of chronic timing and technology problems.
Advertisement

The difficulties that have caused low turnout in the past will be compounded by September or October primaries in 11 states and the District of Columbia, which delays mailing absentee ballots. Efforts to expand electronic voting have slowed.

"It's going to be a harder year for our soldiers and military personnel and others who are overseas," Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said.

FedEx, working with the private Overseas Vote Foundation, offers a speedier, and usually costlier, alternative to the snail-like pace of mail that has beset Americans abroad.

http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/NEWS19/807110471

[EFerrari]

30. House inquiry not likely to help Siegelman

House inquiry not likely to help Siegelman
By Doug Abrahms • [email protected] • July 11, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Few House Democrats on a subcommittee investigating whether politics played a role in the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman expect the hearings to help the former Alabama governor, but Rep. Arturo Davis, D-Birmingham, said they were never intended to.

The House Judiciary subcommittee sought Karl Rove's testimony Thursday, but the former White House deputy chief of staff did not appear, refusing to comply with a subpoena.

Although this could be the first step toward finding Rove in contempt of Congress, the process could drag on for months, making it unlikely it could have any impact on Siegelman's situation.

"It was never expected that these hearings would have any impact on the case that Don Siegelman has," Davis said. "The oversight process, in my opinion, is and should be whether the Department of Justice was politically influenced."

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/NEWS/807110330

[EFerrari]

2. By State.

[EFerrari]

7. AK: Report on elections addressed

Report on elections addressed

Published: July 10, 2008

Kendall Owens, T-H Staff Writer

The St. Francis County Election Commission this week began trying to formulate a solution and a response to state officials to more than 60 irregularities cited by state monitors from the May primary.

The commission discussed the issues in the report, which ranged from voter privacy to electioneering in prohibited areas, which were noted by monitors from the State Board of Election Commissioners.

Commissioners and county election coordinator Sandra Wright took issue with one area in the report which recommended more training for poll workers. According to Wright, training should not have been an issue. Wright also said she felt that state officials should have discussed the report with the commission prior to issuing recommendations.

“I did not feel really comfortable with them saying that there was a training issue. Had they talked with us, they would have learned that for the May election alone we had five separate training sessions, each attended by at least five poll workers from each of the sites. They would also have learned that at least 99 percent of the information that they cited was covered in our training sessions, and they would have also learned that at least two members of the commission were present every time we held a training session,” said Wright, who also serves as a state certified election trainer.

http://www.thnews.com/article.php?id=5898

[EFerrari]

8. Ark. mulls paying counties for general elections

Ark. mulls paying counties for general elections

By Andrew DeMillo
AP
Thu Jul 10, 2008, 07:10 PM CDT

Hot Springs -

Election officials said Thursday they may ask state government to pick up general election costs for Arkansas' 75 counties — a proposal that could cost more than $2 million annually.

Secretary of State Charlie Daniels and one of his office's attorneys, Tim Humphries, said they're mulling the funding plan as they work on legislation that would require each county to appoint an election coordinator to be paid for by the state. A similar election coordinator proposal failed in the Legislature last year.

"If we took that cost away from the counties and let the state pay for it just like you do in the primary, they would have some free money to be able to hire a coordinator with," Daniels said after lawmakers met with a group of county clerks to discuss the coordinator proposal.

The state currently pays the cost of conducting primaries in the state, which Daniels said costs the state between $2 million and $2.5 million. Daniels said his office doesn't have an estimate on how much it would cost the state to pay for general election costs.
Humphries said that, in 30-35 of the state's counties, the county clerk or deputy clerk currently serves as the election coordinator in charge of preparing for the primary and general elections.

http://www.helena-arkansas.com/news/x1346881555/Ark-mulls-paying-counties-for-general-elections

[EFerrari]

9. CO: Mail-in ballots gain popularity

Mail-in ballots gain popularity


58,000 in the county opt to vote at home
July 10, 2008 - 3:47PM
BY PAM ZUBECK
THE GAZETTE

Interest is high in the Aug. 12 primary election, or people simply like voting from home.

Today, the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office will mail 58,000 absentee ballots - a record number, according to election worker Liz Olson. In 2006, 30,000 were mailed, she said.

Olson said one reason for the sharp increase could be that the law changed since the 2006 election to allow people to become permanent mail-in voters.

Second, there are five contested Republican primary races, which might be generating more interest than normal, she said.

http://www.gazette.com/articles/election_38084___article.html/district_primary.html

[EFerrari]

10. CO: A primary election primer

A primary election primer

By Emily Anderson
Grand Junction, CO Colorado

GRAND JUNCTION — Voters have 33 days before the primary election in Mesa County to decide when to vote, where to vote and who to vote for.

Mesa County Elections began mailing information to voters about the Aug. 12 primary this week. Early voting begins Aug. 4 and lasts until Aug. 8. Vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on primary election day.

The 25 vote centers, listed on the Mesa County Elections Web site, recorder.mesacounty.us/elections.aspx, will use up to 340 voting equipment units owned by the county (some of those are back-ups). Voters can choose their voting center, regardless of what precinct they live in.

Switch parties — or don’t.

Mesa County’s 37,911 registered Republicans (as of May 20) and 18,890 registered Democrats have until Monday to switch to the other party if they want to vote across the aisle in the Aug. 12 primary election. The same goes for the county’s 98 registered Green Party members, 217 registered Libertarians and 22 other party members.

http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20080710/COMMUNITY_NEWS/104916594/1076&parentprofile=-1

[EFerrari]

11. FL: Ex-commission candidate sentenced for voter fraud

Ex-commission candidate sentenced for voter fraud

July 10, 2008 - 10:28PM
Andrew Gant
Daily News

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS - Greg "Charlie" Burke won't run for the Walton County Commission. In fact, he'll pay back all salary he made from another county post.

That's the price for fudging his election documents, a judge said Thursday.

Burke, a former candidate for the commission, was sentenced to two years probation for committing voter fraud, a third-degree felony.

He also will pay back the money he earned as commissioner of the South Walton Mosquito Control District. He will pay more than $1,800 in restitution to the state attorney's office and $775 in court costs.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/county_9366___article.html/burke_control.html

[EFerrari]

12. FL: No new election despite 'mistakes' in S. Miami

No new election despite 'mistakes' in S. Miami
Posted on Thu, Jul. 10, 2008

BY ERIKA CAPEK
[email protected]

A Miami-Dade Circuit judge ruled Thursday that South Miami doesn't have to have another election despite ''mistakes'' in a Feb. 12 election in which a candidate lost by 24 votes.

Rene Guim, defeated by Commissioner Velma Palmer, was unsuccessful in persuading Judge David C. Miller to overturn the first election because of a postcard falsely telling some voters they couldn't vote.

''There is insufficient proof that the number of people who should have voted that didn't would have changed the outcome of the election,'' Miller said. ``There were definitely mistakes made in the election process, but it was not gross negligence as I understand it.

''Even if I did find gross negligence, there's overwhelming proof that the election was close, but no cigar,'' the judge added.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/coral_gables/story/600710.html

[EFerrari]

13. GA: Voter ID Law Challenged Again

Voter ID Law Challenged Again

ATLANTA -- Attorneys for the Democratic Party squared off in Fulton County Superior Court against the Georgia Secretary of State's office Thursday.

Democratic Party attorneys are still hoping for an injunction so Georgia voters will not have to present photo identification during Tuesday's primary election.

"It's obvious a photo ID requirement will discourage many people; poor people, African Americans and minorities from voting," said Emmet Bondurant, who represents the Georgia Democratic Party.

Though the case has already gone to the Georgia Supreme Court twice, both times it's been dismissed because it turned out the plaintiff possessed a photo ID and therefore had no standing to sue.

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=118408&catid=3

[EFerrari]

14. GA: Judge tosses voter photo ID challenge

Judge tosses voter photo ID challenge

By BILL RANKIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/10/08

Georgia voters must present a government-issued photo ID when casting ballots at the polls in Tuesday's primary elections, a judge ruled Friday, rejecting a request to temporarily halt enforcement of the controversial ID law.

The Georgia Democratic Party, which is challenging the law, had asked for a temporary restraining order from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Tom Campbell.

"After considering the evidence and balancing the harms alleged by each party, the court finds that the plaintiff has failed to meet the legal standard for the granting of a temporary restraining order," Campbell wrote in a two-page order.

During a hearing before Campbell on Thursday, Secretary of State Karen Handel testified there would be "mass chaos" at the state's 3,000 precincts if the judge were to grant the party's request so soon before the July 15 primaries.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/07/10/voter_id_challenge.html

[EFerrari]

15. IN: Thompson proposes easing Ind.'s voter ID requirements

Thompson proposes easing Ind.'s voter ID requirements

The Courier-Journal • July 10, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS – In her first new policy proposals since winning the Democratic nomination for governor, Jill Long Thompson pledged today to give more duties to a faith-based program office and to ease voter ID requirements.

Thompson, who is trying to unseat incumbent Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, offered the ideas in conjunction with the start of the Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration in Indianapolis.

“The challenges we face are too great to not maximize the diverse talents of all our citizens,” Thompson said in a statement. “However, today in Indiana too many people and places are being left out and left behind – and that must change.”

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080710/NEWS02/80710027

[EFerrari]

16. Mich. election officials reject claims of illegally barring voters

Mich. election officials reject claims of illegally barring voters
Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau

LANSING -- Michigan elections officials Thursday rejected claims by a national voting rights group that the state is violating state and federal law by denying certain individuals the right to vote.

"We believe we are fully in compliance with Michigan and federal election law," said Kelly Chesney, spokesman for Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.

Of particular concern to officials with the Advancement Project, a national civil rights group that works to extend voting rights to everyone, is a meeting that was canceled at the last minute between its members and Chris Thomas, the director of the state's Bureau of Elections. The meeting had been slated for Wednesday morning.

The group said it was concerned that the state has violated election laws in a variety of ways, including canceling voter registrations of people who apply for and receive a driver's license from another state, and requiring a second piece of picture ID if the poll worker cannot recognize the voter from a single piece of identification.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/POLITICS01/807110326

[EFerrari]

17. MS: Cleaning up voter rolls aim of mailing campaign

Cleaning up voter rolls aim of mailing campaign

By Lucy Weber
[email protected]

Madison County officials are working out the details of a mail campaign aimed at cleaning up the inflated voter rolls.

The Board of Supervisors instructed the Election Commission to work on a task force to plan on handling the thousands of notifications that voters mail back or are returned as undeliverable by the post office.

“We’re got to have a system in place so on one falls through the cracks,” board President Tim Johnson said.

County Administrator Donnie Caughman said he, purchase clerk Hardy Crunk and the five election commissioners plan to meet Tuesday to create a draft response plan to present to the supervisors possibly at next Monday’s meeting.

http://www.mcherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080710/NEWS/80710004

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

18. NJ: Controversial election job created

Controversial election job created
Gloucester County freeholders want a Democrat appointed superintendent, to save money. Critics say overriding a bipartisan board compromises results.

By Jan Hefler

Inquirer Staff Writer
The Democratic-controlled Gloucester County freeholder board yesterday created the job of superintendent of elections, reducing the responsibilities of the four-member bipartisan board that has overseen county elections.

Supporters say the move will save money, while critics, including local Republican leaders, fear that giving powers to a single political appointee could increase the possibility of unfair elections.

Officials who gathered at the county office building in Woodbury yesterday said the matter was especially important this year, when the presidential race could prompt a large turnout in November.

"Our country was founded on a system of checks and balances to make sure no one has too much power," said Larry Wallace, a Republican candidate for freeholder. "This takes away checks and balances. At the very least, this takes away the perception of a fair and just election."

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20080710_Glouco_election_job_creates_friction.html

[EFerrari]

19. NM: Candidates offer views of recount

Candidates offer views of recount

Thursday, July 10, 2008 4:58 PM MDT

GRANTS - “It's been a frustrating roller coaster, but now we all need to move forward for the district,” said David Ulibarri in response to the Cibola County re-canvass of the District 30 senate race in the June primary election.

The re-canvass in all three counties (Cibola, Valencia and Socorro) in the district resulted in a five-vote lead for Ulibarri, the incumbent. One anomaly found during the recount was the absence of 182 ballots from two precincts in Grants.

The recount was mandated by a new state law, which requires it when the vote difference between the two leading candidates is less than one half of one percent.

Second place candidate Clemente Sanchez expressed concern about the missing ballots saying, “People feel disenfranchised and they can't believe how the election has been handled.”

http://www.cibolabeacon.com/articles/2008/07/10/news/news2.txt

[EFerrari]

20. NM: Candidate wants answers about missing NM ballots

Candidate wants answers about missing NM ballots
By BARRY MASSEY Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 07/10/2008 04:20:13 PM MDT

SANTA FE—It remains a mystery what happened to 182 primary election ballots that turned up missing in Cibola County. There's still no explanation five weeks after the election.

Imagine if those ballots went missing after polls closed in the November general election and the eyes of the nation were focused on New Mexico because of a close presidential election. Just turn back the calendar to 2000, when Democrat Al Gore won New Mexico by a mere 366 votes over Republican George Bush.

When the state Board of Canvassing met earlier this month to accept statewide election returns from the primary, there was no public discussion by its members about the missing paper ballots or what to do about them. The board meets again Friday to certify results of recounts in two races—one of them the Democratic nomination in a state Senate district that includes the two precincts in Cibola County where the ballots remain missing.

Elections officials conducted the recount in those two precincts using memory devices from voting machines, which recorded Election Day tallies. In other precincts, the paper ballots were fed back through a tabulator or were hand counted for the recount.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_9842444

[EFerrari]

21. NY: Electronic voting coming to Ulster County

Electronic voting coming to Ulster County
Commissioners say machines will get test run


By Jeremiah Horrigan
July 11, 2008

Times Herald-Record

KINGSTON — Electronic voting machines are coming to a district in Ulster County this November, despite questions about the machines' security.

The county's two election commissioners, Democrat John Parete and Republican Tom Turco, intend to test machines manufactured by the Sequoia Voting Systems for their accuracy this November. The district or districts have not yet been chosen. Parete said he believed Ulster was the only county in the state that plans to use the new machine this year.

The state is under federal mandate to switch to electronic machines by the 2009 election, but the county election commissioners want to test the process before then.

Parete emphasized the use of what are called optical paper ballot scan machines this year will ensure that the mandated switch to electronic voting machines runs more smoothly and accurately in 2009.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/NEWS/807110347/-1/NEWS

[EFerrari]

22. OH: Commissioners approve new voting system in 2-1 vote

Commissioners approve new voting system in 2-1 vote
Posted by Joe Guillen July 10, 2008 15:55PM

Cuyahoga County commissioners finalized a $13.4 million contract on Thursday to acquire a new voting system, but the contract's hefty price tag -- $4.6 million more than the other bidder over five years -- caused one commissioner to vote against the deal.

Approval of the more expensive contract comes as the county faces tough budget decisions. Cuts to social services and layoffs have been discussed.

"You try to avoid fiscal crisis by always making good fiscal decisions," said Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, who opposed the deal.

Jones said both companies -- Election Systems & Software and Hart InterCivic -- showed they are capable of handling the November presidential election.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/07/commissioners_approve_new_voti.html

[EFerrari]

23. S.C. Supreme Court expedites AB election appeal

S.C. Supreme Court expedites AB election appeal
By Robert Morris - [email protected]

The state Supreme Court will consider the contested mayoral election in Atlantic Beach on an expedited schedule that could lead to a decision in two months at the latest, according to an order signed today.

Town Councilwoman Retha Pierce defeated Mayor Irene Armstrong 71-70 in the November election, but after a series of appeals and criminal charges against both politicians, a local judge ordered a new election. Pierce then appealed the call for a new election to the state's high court.

Since Armstrong's suspension amid bribery and misconduct charges, the four-member council has fallen into gridlock. In response, the attorney for the town election commission asked the Supreme Court to speed its consideration of Pierce's appeal, a request Pierce joined in and the court granted Thursday.

Both sides still have a series of written arguments due, with staggered deadlines based on how quickly they are filed. At the latest, the final briefs would be due about 60 days after the first deadline, July 21 -- or late September, in other words.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/story/516232.html

[EFerrari]

24. TN: Hamilton officials fixing second ballot mistake

Hamilton officials fixing second ballot mistake
July 10, 2008 11:15 EDT

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- For the second time, Hamilton County election officials are reprinting thousands of Aug. 7 ballots to fix embarrassing, costly mistakes.

County Election Administrator said he is "very disturbed about it." He told the Chattanooga Times Free Press "it won't happen again."

First, election officials discovered the U.S. Senate race was omitted and they decided to reprint all 140,000 of both Democratic and GOP ballots.

On Wednesday, officials said they will also have to print for the third time about 50,000 Republican ballots because a name was omitted in the first reprinting.

http://www.wztv.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.tn/29518c73-www.fox17.com.shtml

[EFerrari]

25. TX: Human error or faulty technology? Review screen prompts missed votes on eSlate

Human error or faulty technology? Review screen prompts missed votes on eSlate
By AUDREY M. MARKS
[email protected]
07/10/2008

A day after the Texas Democratic Party filed federal appeal to remove eSlate electronic voting machines from Texas elections, officials are beginning to speculate if the suit will be attributed to equipment problems or voter errors.

The state’s Democratic Party filed the appeal July 9 in 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against the Texas Secretary of State over the use of Hart Intercivic’s eSlate, a direct recording electronic voting machine.

According to the Democrats, the eSlate needs to be reprogrammed to operate to make sure votes are counted.

The party is charging that the machines don’t count some votes when voters cast a straight-party ballot.

http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19843659&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=635575&rfi=6

[EFerrari]

26. VA: Volunteer Poll Workers Help Ensure Integrity of U.S. Elections

Published: July 10, 2008


Volunteer Poll Workers Help Ensure Integrity of U.S. Elections

By Kathyrn McConnell

The volunteer poll workers rise early to be at their assigned stations before the first voters arrive. The day is long and they take only brief breaks. They are paid nominally for a work day that stretches up to 16 hours.

But they love their work because they are helping to ensure the integrity of elections. Nationwide, about 3 million Americans work at the polls, said Gary Scott, deputy registrar of Fairfax County, Virginia.

For each local, state and national election in the United States, counties -- or regional governmental jurisdictions broken into precincts -- recruit and train volunteer poll workers. Many precincts may need more workers in 2008 than in previous elections because of the anticipated high voter turnout.

Poll workers receive training on operating electronic voting machines and handling extraordinary situations, such as an emergency evacuation, voting machine malfunctions, or discrepancies in voter documentation. Once trained, election officials must take an oath to uphold the laws of the United States and of their state.

http://newsblaze.com/story/20080710125533tsop.nb/topstory.html

[EFerrari]

33. OH: Election Officials May Face Criminal Charges (Press release)

July 11, 2008

Election officials may face criminal charges: OEJC files in federal court

By Paddy Shaffer

Election Officials May Face Criminal Charges: Ohio Election Justice Campaign Files in Federal Court
~
For Immediate Release:
Columbus, Ohio, PRWEB, July 11 -- Eight members of the Ohio Election Justice Campaign filed papers on Thursday in United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio, asking Hon. Judge Algenon Marbley to begin criminal contempt proceedings for the destruction of ballots from the November 2004 election.
~
The Ohio Election Justice Campaign (OEJC) submitted over 1000 pages of supporting documents.

In the case before Judge Marbley, King Lincoln, et al. v. Brunner, et al., Civ. No. C2 06 745 (S.D. Ohio), the judge had issued specific orders directing Ohio's 88 county boards of election to preserve all ballots from the election until a decision was rendered in the case.

At least 56 county boards assert they have destroyed some ballots from 2004; seven counties assert they have destroyed all ballots.

This citizen-initiated action is pro se litigation in which the plaintiffs act as their own attorneys.

The papers in front of Judge Marbley also ask him to impanel a Special Grand Jury to investigate the destruction of ballots.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Election-officials-may-fac-by-Paddy-Shaffer-080711-509.html

[Wilms]

37. NY: Electronic voting coming to Ulster County

Electronic voting coming to Ulster County

By Jeremiah Horrigan

July 11, 2008

Times Herald-Record

KINGSTON — Electronic voting machines are coming to a district in Ulster County this November, despite questions about the machines' security.

snip

Legislator Susan Zimet, D-New Paltz, was the sole opponent of the request.

Zimet said she supports the election commissioners' trial run, but that the federal Help America Vote Act that mandates the change is a bad law. "The commissioners are doing what they have to do, they're doing what's right. But the federal law is making us fix something that's not broken."

Zimet and other critics of the law contend that not only the Sequoia machines but other electronic systems are easily hacked and can be just as easily subverted. In contrast, lever voting machines are "designed to prevent and reveal tampering."

Jean McGarry, president of the Mid-Hudson Region League of Women Voters, said the league supports the optical scanners because they leave a paper trail.

"Let's hope they work," she said. :scared:

snip

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/NEWS/807110347/-1/NEWS


Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x505425

[EFerrari]

3. International.

[EFerrari]

28. UN sanctions on Zimbabwe vetoed by Russia and China

UN sanctions on Zimbabwe vetoed by Russia and China

A draft resolution that would have put sanctions on the regime of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been blocked in the United Nations Security Council. Russia and China vetoed a proposal that was put forward by the United States and which envisaged an arms embargo on Zimbabwe as well as financial and travel restrictions on Mugabe and 13 of his top officials. The US, Britain and France, said sanctions were needed to respond to the violence and intimidation linked to Zimbabwe's recent and widely condemned presidential election. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, expressed surprise and frustration at Moscow's veto, quoting recent Russian support for the move at the G8 summit in Japan. Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin argued that sanctions would have taken the UN beyond its mandate to deal with threats to international peace and security.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3478431,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf

[EFerrari]

29. Cambodian journalist shot dead: police

Cambodian journalist shot dead: police

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - A Cambodian journalist and his son were shot dead as they left a sports stadium in the capital Phnom Penh, police said Saturday.

Khim Sambo, 47, died in hospital Friday evening soon after being shot twice in the back by unknown gunmen, Phnom Penh's police chief Touch Naruth said.

His 22-year-old son Khat Sarin Theada was shot once in the chest and died later, he added.

(snip)

The deadly attack took place as Cambodia kicked off a month of campaigning for its July 27 general election.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080712/wl_asia_afp/cambodiapoliticsvotemediacrime_080712031025

[EFerrari]

4. OpEd.

[EFerrari]

31. Sirota: The Homogenization of American Politics

The Homogenization of American Politics
Posted July 11, 2008 | 09:05 AM (EST)

To paraphrase Jerry Garcia, my book tour has been a long, strange trip - but as my newspaper column this week notes, it has been strange in how much of the same I've seen.

As our culture has homogenized and as our economy has been Wal-Mart-ized, our politics have - rather unfortunately - followed suit. As I've found in my travels, the concept of thinking globally, acting locally is a foreign one to many political activists. No matter where you go, the focus is almost exclusively on federal elections - and more specifically, the presidential election - to the exclusion of almost everything else.

2581824136_fec1f79696_m.jpgI'm not saying great local work isn't being done - it sure is. But it is undeniable that the political focus in this country - whether among rank-and-file voters or even among activists - is almost completely on the palace drama of presidential campaigns.

The rise of truly "national politics" is something of a modern phenomenon. In many past eras, Congress and the presidency has been seen as secondary or merely equal in importance to state and local politics. A century ago, for instance, a congressional seat was seen as almost a ceremonial position when compared to offices like mayor or alderman.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/the-homogenization-of-ame_b_112094.html

[EFerrari]

32. Poll: If Pelosi Changes Her Impeachment Position Will It Change Your Attitude Towards Congress

July 11, 2008
Govt- Politics:
If Pelosi Changes Her Impeachment Position Will It Change Your Attitude Towards Congress
By Rob Kall

The house of representatives Nancy Pelosi leads has seen its positive ratings reach an historic low. What is your position on approval or disapproval for congress?

1- Are you among those who approve of congress's work now?

2- You have disapproved of congress primarily because of impeachment and if Pelosi puts impeachment back on the table, it would move you to support congress.

3-Pelosi putting impeachment back on the table is not enough, but I could switch if congress does more

4-This congress is hopeless and the US is toast.

5-not sure.

This poll is just focusing on the house of representatives.

Vote at link: http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/page_poll.php?pid=89

[EFerrari]

34. Sneak Preview of "Count My Vote"

July 11, 2008

Sneak Preview of "Count My Vote - A Citizen's Guide to Voting" by Steven Rosenfeld
By Joan Brunwasser


Forewarned is Forearmed

AlterNet has been around for the last ten years, bringing its millions of monthly readers the latest in award-winning, independent, investigative journalism and doing the job the traditional media abdicated long ago. This spring, they branched out and AlterNet Books was born. Count My Vote – a Citizen’s Guide To Voting is one of their first offerings, written and compiled by Steven Rosenfeld, an AlterNet Senior Fellow who specializes in democracy and elections. He co-authored several books on the 2004 election including What Happened in Ohio: A Documentary Record of Theft and Fraud in the 2004 Election (New Press) and Did George W. Bush Steal America’s 2004 Election? (Columbus Institute of Contemporary Journalism). As a result of Rosenfeld’s extensive research into what went wrong in 2004, there are few people in a better position to write the voter education guide, Count My Vote, which will hit the bookstores later this month. This is a combination sneak preview and interview with its author.

Why did you write Count My Vote?

I wrote the book based on my experience covering what happened in Ohio in 2004. That summer, when I was the executive producer of an Air America Radio show, we had people on the air that kept telling us they were registering tens of thousands of voters in Ohio – and “Don’t worry, we will win.” It turned out that neither the 527 groups working for John Kerry nor the Democratic Party had a firm grip on what the GOP was doing in Ohio to tilt the playing field on Election Day. This book is an attempt to look at what is happening now, instead of looking back after Election Day and asking “what happened?”

What’s new in the book?

The landscape facing voters is not the same in 2008 as it was in 2004. That’s a big deal, and one that most of the films about 2004 don’t address. I decided to do this book after virtually every state had a high-turnout primary this spring. This was more than a dress rehearsal; it showed the flaws in their voting systems that could affect a large turnout in the fall. So this book takes the record from the primaries and says here are the lessons, here are the things to look out for, and here’s what to do about it.

How is 2008 different from 2004? And what are the big problems?

I spend so much time on registration and getting properly credentialed because that is what will stop people – for many reasons – from voting in the fall. The GOP, mostly working at the state level where they are in power, has created new bureaucratic hoops for voters and especially new voters: be they new ID requirements, moved polling places, etc. Also, some states are using new statewide voter lists for the first time and longtime voters have been left off. There also will be many states purging voters this summer. If people know they are properly registered and show some backbone and patience with lines and poll workers, then they will get to vote and beat partisan voter challenges.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Sneak-Preview-of--Count-My-by-Joan-Brunwasser-080711-687.html

[EFerrari]

35. Make it easier, not harder, for vets to vote

Make it easier, not harder, for vets to vote

With a July 19 voter registration deadline looming for our state's Aug. 19 primary, it's hard to figure what the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was thinking when it banned voter registration drives in its hospitals.

Veterans in VA hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and shelters can vote, but are left in a lurch when it comes to getting help registering. The VA approved such drives on April 25, but retracted the decision 10 days later, claiming fears of distractions and partisan badgering for patients and staff.

When it comes to enfranchising those who have served, the VA stepped forward but then leaped backward -- clear off the boat. The reversal is puzzling and unnecessary.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, veterans register and vote more frequently than non-veterans. Veterans are a vital bloc, especially during an election year when foreign wars and the treatment of veterans are key issues.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080711/OPINION01/541233509

[rumpel]

36. wow

lot's of news...

thanks, sfexpat

:woohoo:

:hi:

[flashl]

38. K&R. Finally got to be #5. nt

[EFerrari]

39. Thank you!

:hi: