Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sunday 07/30/06

[freedomfries]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sunday 07/30/06


All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

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

If you can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

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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.


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Link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

All previous daily threads are available here:
http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_20...

[freedomfries]

1. AZ: Daily Star Op-Ed Touchscreens raise questions

Touchscreens raise questions
Pima County staff responds to community debate
Opinion by Ann Brown
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.30.2006

"The accurate counting of all votes is absolutely fundamental to our democracy," local attorney William J. Risner said in a July 26 letter to the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
Risner is right.
Voting is a sacred privilege that must be honored and respected. And every vote must count and be counted.
The opportunity for fraud and manipulation in the way some votes might be cast and counted has sparked a contentious debate in our community.
Risner is among opponents of the use of Diebold TSX touchscreen voting equipment who question Pima County's methodology and competence in the testing and validation of equipment. The Board of Supervisors will be considering authorization of the machines for the upcoming elections at a special meeting Friday morning.
On June 6, the Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of 409 Diebold Elections Systems machines, one machine for each precinct. The board directed its staff to study the security and reliability of the equipment before it approved use of the machines.
The county purchased the equipment because it had to spend $2 million in federal money to be in compliance with the Help America Vote Act. The Diebold product was picked because it is compatible with the company's optical scanners, which the county uses.
....

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/139872

[freedomfries]

2. NY: Greene won't have new voting machines this year

Greene won't have new voting machines this year

By Ariel Zangla, Freeman staff 07/30/2006

CATSKILL - Greene County residents will continue to use the old mechanical lever voting machines for this year's elections because the state Board of Elections has yet to certify new machines in accordance with the Help America Vote Act, a county official said on Friday.

One new machine that is accessible to handicapped voters will be available at the county Board of Elections office for people with disabilities who wish to vote in the September primary or the November general election. But the rest of the county's voters will continue to cast ballots on the old machines.

"We'll use the lever machines that we've used for 50 years," said Thomas Burke, the Democratic elections commissioner for Greene County.

The Help America Vote Act was adopted by Congress in 2002 in response to the contested Florida vote in the 2000 presidential election. Under the act, mechanical voting machines were supposed to be phased out and replaced by electronic machines by this year's elections.

As a result of a federal government lawsuit against New York state for failing to comply with the act, counties agreed to purchase one or two voting machines for use by disabled voters in this year's elections, and a temporary statewide database has been launched until a permanent one can be put in place, possibly in September.


http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1769&dept_id=74969&newsid=16985534&PAG=461&rfi=9

[freedomfries]

3. KS: All systems go at county’s polling places

All systems go at county’s polling places
By Mike Belt
Friday, July 28, 2006

Douglas County voting clerk Elizabeth Ross, Lawrence, left, watches as supervising judges Don McDowd, Lawrence, and Nadine Larrick, Wellsville, remove a receipt of recorded votes from one of the new voting machines Thursday morning at Professional Moving and Storage warehouse. County voting officials tested the new electronic voting machines in preparation for Tuesday’s primary.
Douglas County’s new voting machines passed their pre-election tests Thursday with high grades, County Clerk Jamie Shew said.

“There were no problems. It went very well,” he said. “Everything is now sealed, secured and ready for delivery.”

The machines will be used by voters for the first time during Tuesday’s primary election. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If there should be machine problems, teams of people trained to deal with them will be scattered at locations throughout the county to respond, Shew said.

In May, the county took delivery of 160 machines. On Election Day voters will mark paper ballots as they have in the past. The difference in the machines comes in the way the votes are electronically tabulated. Some machines allow people with disabilities to vote without assistance.


By Mike Belt (Contact)

Friday, July 28, 2006


Photo by Nick Krug

Douglas County voting clerk Elizabeth Ross, Lawrence, left, watches as supervising judges Don McDowd, Lawrence, and Nadine Larrick, Wellsville, remove a receipt of recorded votes from one of the new voting machines Thursday morning at Professional Moving and Storage warehouse. County voting officials tested the new electronic voting machines in preparation for Tuesday’s primary.
Douglas County’s new voting machines passed their pre-election tests Thursday with high grades, County Clerk Jamie Shew said.

“There were no problems. It went very well,” he said. “Everything is now sealed, secured and ready for delivery.”

The machines will be used by voters for the first time during Tuesday’s primary election. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If there should be machine problems, teams of people trained to deal with them will be scattered at locations throughout the county to respond, Shew said.

In May, the county took delivery of 160 machines. On Election Day voters will mark paper ballots as they have in the past. The difference in the machines comes in the way the votes are electronically tabulated. Some machines allow people with disabilities to vote without assistance.


http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/jul/28/all_systems_go_countys_polling_places/

[freedomfries]

4. Re-Post: Reuters: Diebold 2nd-qtr profit falls

Diebold 2nd-qtr profit falls Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:11am ET

NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) - Diebold Inc. (DBD.N: Quote, Profile, Research), which makes electronic voting and automated teller machines, on Tuesday said second-quarter profit fell, hurt by restructuring charges.

Net income for the North Canton, Ohio-based company fell to $17.2 million, or 26 cents per share, from $32 million, or 45 cents, a year earlier.

Second-quarter results included 10 cents per share of restructuring charges mainly from the termination of an information technology outsourcing agreement and product development "rationalization," Diebold said.

Analysts polled by Reuters Estimates on average forecast profit of 35 cents per share.

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=marketsNews&storyID=2006-07-25T121123Z_01_WEN1922_RTRIDST_0_FINANCIAL-DIEBOLD-EARNS-URGENT.XML

[freedomfries]

5. FL St Petes' Times: For 2008 election, Al Gore could be the real deal

For 2008 election, Al Gore could be the real deal

By ROBYN E. BLUMNER, Times Perspective Columnist July 30, 2006

Al Gore, where have you been all my life?

Oh, I don't mean the alpha-male wanna-be, that scripted, stiff, uninspired candidate for president in 2000. I mean the self-effacing movie star with man-of-steel conviction from An Inconvenient Truth, who is trying to shake this country by the shoulders over the dire consequences of global warming. From the ashes of his overhandled "be everything to everybody" campaign rose the real Al Gore, a confident, wonkish, accessible intellect who has a supremely important question for inhabitants of Earth : How long can you tread water?

This is the man, with his charts and facts and rising seas message, that the Democrats should enlist in 2008.

Others have succeeded in winning the presidency after suffering defeat in general or primary elections, Nixon and Reagan to name just two. And Gore wouldn't have to go up against the Hillary Rodham Clinton big-donor fundraising machine. As Howard Dean demonstrated, the Internet is a gold mine of small-increment moneyraising that can produce huge sums - $59-million in Dean's case. As long as a candidate is in the race to be a leader as opposed to "not a loser," there are plenty of concerned Democrats of average means willing to give.

A candidate who operates with the candor, sincerity and smarts of someone not beholden to focus groups and polling data is what rank-and-file Democrats desperately want. By all accounts, Gore understands this now and would resist any reformatting by consultants.

...
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/07/30/Columns/For_2008_election__Al.shtml

[freedomfries]

6. TN: The Real Threat to Democracy: Man charged with voting twice in 2004 !

Man charged with voting twice in 2004 - July 30, 2006
MEMPHIS (AP)

A former Shelby County man was charged with voting twice in the 2004 presidential election.

Willie F. McCain, 60, of Nesbit, Miss., was escorted by police back to Memphis on Friday after a grand jury indicted him on three felony counts of election fraud.

Each count is punishable by one to six years in prison. Authorities say McCain voted once in Mississippi and once in Tennessee in the Nov. 2, 2004 election.

McCain could not be reached for comment Friday but, in a previous interview denied double voting, telling a reporter someone may have forged his name in Memphis.

Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons said McCain is charged with double voting and with falsely stating he was a qualified voter in Memphis despite moving into a home in DeSoto County, Miss., and registering to vote there.





http://www.southernstandard.net/news.php?viewStory=33852

[freedomfries]

7. AL: Democratic chairman raises political issues over voter database

Democratic chairman raises political issues over voter suit
PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press 07/27/2006
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Development of a statewide voter registration database is getting politically charged, with the state Democratic Party chairman going to court Thursday to try to stop the Republican governor from getting appointed to take over the duty from the Democratic secretary of state.

Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham said moving the responsibility to Gov. Bob Riley looks like "a partisan attempt to affect the Democratic secretary of state negatively in the upcoming election, while affecting the Republican governor and other Republican candidates positively."

Riley's communications director, Jeff Emerson, said, "Gov. Riley's only concern is the state be in compliance," and it's fine if a federal judge wants to appoint someone else to complete the voter database.

The Republican-led U.S Justice Department sued Secretary of State Nancy Worley in May, saying she had failed to meet a federal deadline for implementing a single statewide computerized voter registration database. Alabama received $41 million from the federal government for elections improvements, and Worley has allocated $12 million of that to a computer company and buy equipment.

Every state is required by the Help America Vote Act to develop a single database.

U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins ruled last week he would appoint a special master to complete the job. On Tuesday, the Justice Department and Republican Attorney General Troy King, who is required by law to represent Worley, recommended the judge appoint the Republican governor. The judge has scheduled a hearing Aug. 2

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/15138722.htm

[freedomfries]

8. AL Tuscaloosa News: The Politics of the Voter Degistration Database

DANA BEYERLE: Riley may oversee state’s voting system
Alabama Exposure
July 30. 2006 3:30AM

Gov. Bob Riley, reacting to Democratic Party concerns over him possibly becoming a special voter registration master, said he’ll accept whatever duties a federal judge gives him.

Riley was suggested as a special master to assume temporary control of Alabama’s voter registration system after the inability of Democratic Secretary of State Nancy Worley to create a single voter registration system that complies with a new federal law.

Riley spokesman Jeff Emerson said if the judge wants Riley to be special master he’ll do the job to the best of his ability and if the judge app-oints someone else, that’s OK. Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham seeks to intervene in court to keep Riley from be-coming special master, saying some party members don’t trust the voter system in the hands of a Republican so close to the election. Emerson said Worley told Riley’s legal counsel, Ken Wallis, that Riley would be acceptable to her as a special master.

Worley said she could accept Riley if he doesn’t try to play politics with the voter registration system and if he’s fair and nonpartisan.


http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/NEWS/607300344/1015/SPORTS

[freedomfries]

9. AL: AP: What's Behind the Voter Database Battle ?

Opponent has words for Worley By Phillip Rawls
The Associated Press
July 29. 2006 3:30AM


MONTGOMERY | Democratic Secretary of State Nancy Worley and Republican challenger Beth Chapman heated up their race in their first public appearance together Friday, with Chapman calling Worley’s performance an embarrassment to the state.

Chapman, completing her first term as state auditor, said the state had to spend $250,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by one of Worley’s employees and now it’s having to defend her in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department over Worley not completing a statewide voter registration database on time.

“It’s an embarrassment to us. Don’t you think over the years Alabama has been embarrassed enough?" she asked at the Alabama State Employees Association’s political forum.

Worley said the voter registration project isn’t finished because politics gets involved when the state has $12 million to spend with computer companies, which often make campaign contributions.

“That’s a political pool of money that everybody wants to get their hands on," she said.

Worley said she has neither solicited nor accepted any campaign donations from computer companies seeking the state’s business. “Nancy Worley has not sold her soul for that," she said.

...

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060729/NEWS/607290339/1007/NEWS04

[freedomfries]

11. AL Montgomery Advertiser: D-Secretary of State Under Siege!

Ads big part of Worley spending
By Francis X. Gilpin
Montgomery Advertiser

July 30, 20006

There is a silver lining to the cloud hanging over Alabama's tardy efforts to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act.

Secretary of State Nancy L. Worley has spent just 12 percent of a trust fund set up for the purchase of voting equipment and the creation of a computerized central registry of Alabama voters.

In May, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Worley for missing a deadline to have the voter database ready by Jan. 1, even though the federal government provided almost $41 million to help Alabama comply with HAVA. A federal judge in Montgomery has relieved Worley of her HAVA responsibilities and might appoint a special master as soon as Wednesday to pick up where she left off.

The Justice Department and state Attorney General Troy King are recommending Gov. Bob Riley for the job. Whoever is assigned the task, there are still tens of millions of dollars in the HAVA trust fund to complete it, according to state records reviewed by the Montgomery Advertiser.

When asked about the money spent so far, Worley asked the newspaper to wait until her office finishes compiling that information to present to U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins.

In the meantime, the Advertiser examined expenditure records for the trust fund maintained by the state comptroller. Those records indicate Worley has spent more than $5 million through July 27.

The bulk of those taxpayer funds, about $4.4 million, was sent to county commissions across the state to buy new voting equipment.
...


http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/NEWS/607300309/1001

[TINAMARY]

45. CA: 46 REPUBLICAN PEDOPHILES

Sorry, I have to reply to a couple of posts before I can post
my own but I thought this might be of interest (although
perhaps off topic).  This is not the only discussion forum I
will be posting this is.  Tina M.

46 conservative pedophiles
by xray
Thursday Jul 27th, 2006 8:12 AM

    hide your kids...reinvestigate the franklin coverup

http://www.armchairsubversive.com/


46 REPUBLICAN PEDOPHILES


* Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a
convicted child rapist in Florida.


* Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty
to
molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8
years in
prison.


* Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to
fondling a
10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.


* Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded
guilty
to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a
bounty to
anybody who murders an abortion doctor.


* Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced
to 10
years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9
and 17.


* Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year
sentence in
federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.


* Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced
to
three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year
old girl.


* Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom
Thurmond had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced
a child.


* Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended
during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police
after
admitting to a sexual affair with a female juvenile.


* Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to
having
an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.


* Republican activist Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child
sex
parties at the White House during the 1980s.


* Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex
parties
at the White House during the 1980s.


* Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens was
found guilty of
having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in
jail.


* Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty
of
child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for
sexual photos.


* Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts
of
sex crimes involving children.


* Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to
attempted sexual assault on a child.


* Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor
working as a congressional page.


* Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly
Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step
daughter.


* Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger allegedly had sex
with
a 16 year old girl when he was 28.


* Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman
was
charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at
a gay bar.


* Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for
distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.


* Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican
Marty"),
was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of
unlawful
sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of
delivering the
drug LSD.


* Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged
with
molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child
pornography.


* Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of
having
sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his
candidacy after
the allegations were reported in the media.


* Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to
traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20
to a
14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.


* Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to
exposing
his genitals to an 11 year old girl.


* Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch"
Kimmerling was
sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old
girl after
he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.


* Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six
counts
of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.


* Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced
to
two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from
a 14-year
old girl.


* Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two
counts of
first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.


* Republican politician Keith Westmoreland was arrested on
seven
felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under
the age
of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).


* Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was
charged
with sexual misconduct involving a 15-year old girl.


* Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to
molesting a male child.


* Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal
sexual
assault on a teenage girl.


* Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting
his
two daughters.


* Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was
convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl.


* Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded
guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage
boy.


* Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no
contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in
prison.


* Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to
possession
of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to
30 months
in federal prison and fined $18,000.


* Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state
representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child
pornography
was found in his possession.


* Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate
Robin
Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of
soliciting sex
from boys and girls over the internet.


* Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as
a
"good military man" and "church goer," was
convicted of repeatedly
having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years
in prison.


* Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy
for
Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went
swimming in
the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter.


* Republican director of the "Young Republican
Federation" Nicholas
Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to
six years
in prison.


* Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups,
Richard
A. Dasen Sr., was charged with rape for allegedly paying a
15-year old
girl for sex. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children
and several
grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past
decade he
paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of
young women

[livvy]

10. Allow me to be the first! K&R

Freedomfries, check your inbox. I sent you a message.
livvy

[freedomfries]

12. AL Decatur Daily: Democrats focus on local races

Democrats focus on local races By M.J. Ellington
DAILY Staff Writer
[email protected] · [phone]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Democratic Party is sending messages to folks in your hometown that local races matter and that grass-roots efforts build strength, said state party Chairman Joe Turnham.

The message is one that Republicans who once had no Southern base learned well and one that works, say political experts.

A fundraiser for county-level Democratic nominees Wednesday at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham is the first volley in a series of fundraisers for local candidates before the general election Nov. 7, Turnham said.

"I still believe you build parties from the bottom up," Turnham said. "Collective strength affects races at all levels. As a state party, I believe we need to nurture that and grow from that."

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060730/races.shtml

[freedomfries]

13. AL: AP Republicans target speaker in south Alabama House race

Republicans target speaker in south Alabama House race 07/29/2006
BOB JOHNSON
Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - State Republican Party officials believe Alabama House Speaker Seth Hammett is part of an endangered species that should be extinct - Democrats who keep getting re-elected in legislative districts that vote for GOP candidates in national and statewide races.

The state GOP set out earlier this summer to make sure voters in Hammett's House District 92 in Covington and Escambia counties know that the speaker is a Democrat. They ran radio spots that painted Hammett as a liberal with ties to state and national Democrats like former President Bill Clinton, U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

The ads were paid for by the Alabama Republican Party and not by Hammett's Republican opponent in the Nov. 7 general election, political newcomer William Blocker, a 51-year-old retired Air Force colonel who grew up in Covington County.

The ads said Hammett represents "the failed policies of the past" and criticizes him for using his campaign funds to support other Democrats, like Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, "to help liberals stay in office."

The 60-second spot points out that Holmes voted against a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. The spot also criticizes Hammett for voting for a bill to restore voting rights for some ex-felons and for voting against the original version of Gov. Bob Riley's proposal to give Alabama residents an across-the-board tax cut.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/15153758.htm

[freedomfries]

14. ComputerWorld: Auditor's Report Criticizes Florida's Voter Database

Auditor's Report Criticizes Florida's Voter Database
State agrees to fix security woes that could lead to unauthorized access

June 26, 2006 (Computerworld) -- Florida voter registration data can be vulnerable to theft, corruption, unauthorized access and alteration, despite the best efforts of elections officials, indicated a report by the Florida auditor general.

The report, released earlier this month by Auditor General William Monroe, found several IT security problems with the state's central voter registration database. "There were some procedures that were missing we felt needed to be in place," noted Jon Ingram, an IT audit manager in the Florida auditor general's office and a contributor to the report.

For instance, Ingram noted that the review of the system found that a state worker was erroneously given access to the database and that a worker whose contract was finished mistakenly retained access.

The Florida Voter Registration System (FVRS) database was created by Secretary of State Sue Cobb's office to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act. HAVA mandates that every state create a centralized voter information repository to, among other things, protect against election fraud. Work on the project started in 2003, and the database was rolled out in January.

The auditor's report recommends that Cobb's office create a set of security procedures to help county elections officials ensure that FVRS data is protected from unauthorized access. The report also calls on the state to establish virus-protection, patch management, maintenance and system recovery policies.

"A critical system could be secure today and vulnerable tomorrow because of software changes, and the vulnerability goes down even to the workstation level, which could have an impact on the whole network," said Ingram.

Dawn Roberts, head of the Florida Division of Elections, said that the report shouldn't cause undue concern among the state's voters. She noted that the division requested the audit to help ensure the system's security. "There's nothing in the audit to suggest that FVRS is compromised," she noted.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=13&articleId=112204

[freedomfries]

17. Full Report on Voter Database by Association for Computing Machinery

Here is the pdf file with the text of the full report:
http://www.acm.org/usacm/PDF/VRD_report.pdf

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

27. got any more info specifically about electronic poll books?

that was a great link to the ACM report on registration lists,
and it touched on the poll books some.

However, with the prospect of "same day registration" being proposed
in states that have early voting, there is the likelyhood of
a big push for electronic poll books.

That has me worried - can poll workers add or subtract people from
the registration database?

[freedomfries]

35. "all records under one central administration"

Good questions, WillMyVoteBeCounted!
With the introduction of statewide voter-registration databases, we are entering a whole new world of risks regarding the integrity of the voter records to which we haven't woken up to yet. The Secretary of State, and not the counties now functions as the "datamaster."
The jostling between the two parties in AL and IN over which party illustrates the dire implications for those not in charge.

An older ComputerWorld article called "Voter Database Security Questioned" summarizes the whole issue in a few paragraphs:

June 26, 2006 (Computerworld) -- The creation of statewide voter databases, as mandated for all states by the federal Help America Vote Act, could pose unavoidable privacy risks, some advocates and officials fear.

"The Help America Vote Act mandated that all states create centralized, statewide voter registration databases, but it didn't mandate any protections for that data," said Kim Alexander, president and founder of the California Voter Foundation, a nonprofit voting technology watchdog group.

When people register to vote in the U.S., they are required to provide personal information, such as date and place of birth and current residence, which could be used by identity thieves, she said. Such personal information will be stored in each state's voter database.

Freddie Oakley, clerk recorder for Yolo County, Calif., said she fears that a loss of local control could diminish the security of voter data.

"The data I have collected and feel some responsibility for is now out of my hands," she said. "I have zero control over what happens once it's in the custody of the secretary of state. We do know that nobody is excellent at managing databases with respect to privacy."
...
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=112206

[Cookie wookie]

15. Voter group calls for verifiable paper ballot system

The citizen-based, voter-verified paper ballot petition initiative to amend the Sarasota County Charter demonstrates democracy in action.

In the past six months, thousands of county voters have voiced their support for a voting system that provides an independent method of verifying the accuracy of election results. On June 30, the supervisor of elections certified that the nonpartisan Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections had met the requirement for 12,030 valid voter signatures required to move forward in the process of amending the county charter.

The proposal would amend the charter to require the use of voter-verified paper ballots with independent random audits of election results. The County Commission is required to place this proposal on the ballot to give all voters a chance to voice their opinion on this important issue.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060729/COLUMNIST13/607290310/-1/COLUMNIST

[Cookie wookie]

16. Dent says initiative on ballots is flawed

Even though a Sarasota group has collected enough signatures for a referendum to force Sarasota to change its computerized voting machines, it's far from a done deal, Sarasota Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent told Republicans last week.

Dent said she's not happy with the group's effort and hopes the County Commission and county attorney turn back the proposal before it gets on the ballot.

Dent said she's convinced that the group that led the petition drive -- Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections -- misled people into signing for the ballot initiative, which, if passed, would force the county to ditch its $4.7 million voting system in favor of a voter-verified paper trail system.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060724/COLUMNIST89/607240369/-1/COLUMNIST

[livvy]

18. OH: The GOP's Sleaziest Attack Campaign

BLOG | Posted 07/28/2006 @ 2:08pm
The GOP's Sleaziest Attack Campaign

How low will Republicans go to try and hang onto control of Ohio, the swing state where their machinations secured the presidency for George W. Bush in 2004?

Lower than reasonable Americans, no matter what their partisanship, no matter what their ideology, could imagine.

Gary Lankford, the Ohio Republican Party's recently hired "social conservative coordinator" this week dispatched a mass e-mail to so-called "pro-family friends" that featured his 10-point introduction to U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, the Democratic nominee for governor.

Strickland, an ordained Methodist minister who has thrown Republicans for a loop by speaking about his faith during the campaign, is running far ahead of scandal-plagued Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, the Republican nominee who gained national fame in 2004 when he was broadly accused of manipulating election processes and vote counting to favor Bush in the presidential race.

>more

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=106378

[livvy]

19. Flap Over Campaign Tactics: GOP Leader Apologizes...Staffer is Fired...

Article published Friday, July 28, 2006

FLAP OVER CAMPAIGN TACTICS
GOP leader apologizes to Strickland; staffer is fired for an e-mail packed with allegations

By JIM TANKERSLEY
BLADE POLITICS WRITER

http://toimages.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TO&Date=20060728&Category=NEWS09&ArtNo=607280411&Ref=AR&MaxW=240
GOP chairman Bob Bennett, left, and Ted Strickland.

The Ohio Republican Party chairman apologized to U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland yesterday for a GOP e-mail that questioned Mr. Strickland’s sexuality, and the staff member who sent it was fired.

>snip

The e-mail — sent July 17 by the state Republican Party’s social conservative coordinator, Gary Lankford, and first reported Sunday by The Blade — attacked Mr. Strickland’s resume and alleged piety, and it linked to an Internet post suggesting that both he and his wife, Frances, are gay.

>snip

Mr. Lankford did not respond to a request for comment yesterday. Before the firing, he was active in conservative politics.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Ken Blackwell paid him nearly $16,000 this spring as a “voter contact consultant.” The Ohio Restoration Project, a faith group that has hosted events featuring Mr. Blackwell, listed Mr. Lankford as its “state director” on its Web site until late last week, when The Blade began questioning GOP officials about him.

Mr. Blackwell’s spokesman, Carlo LoParo, said he supported Mr. Bennett’s decision: “I’m not going to second-guess the chairman.”

>more

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060728/NEWS09/607280411/-1/NEWS

[freedomfries]

20. AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH: New machines + extra races = more than long lines

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH: New machines + extra races = more than long lines

Monday, July 24, 2006 Monday, July 17, 2006 Monday, July 10, 2006
ELECTION SPECIAL REPORT -- By now, Shelby County's 604,390 registered voters no doubt have heard the warning about the slow-moving lines come Election Day: Vote as early as you can.

But there's a less obvious reason why everyone from state election officials to members of the Shelby County Election Commission to the candidates themselves are urging people not to postpone their trip to the polls Aug. 3.

Long lines, in fact, are only a byproduct of the reason. Election workers insist anyone who shows up Thursday to cast a ballot will get to do so, but it's becoming difficult to reconcile that scenario with the mathematics of the situation.

In other words, it appears likely that if voter turnout even slightly exceeds what's being predicted for Thursday, the county's 279 precincts are going to be hard-pressed to accommodate every voter who wants to vote.


http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial/StoryFocus.aspx?&id=93774

[freedomfries]

21. FL: Venice Gondolier: VVPB and audit requirement may appear on ballot

Venice Gondolier
07/23/06
Voting measure may appear on ballot


Concerned voters in 15 Florida counties are closely watching Sarasota's paper-ballot referendum this fall before considering similar initiatives.

Volunteers for SAFE -- the Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections -- gathered 2,000 more signatures than the required 12,030 well before the July 7 deadline, and Elections Supervisor Kathy Dent has certified the signatures as valid.

The final ballot language and title were submitted to the county commission this week by lawyers for SAFE.

The proposal would require independent, voter-verified paper ballots and random audits of voting machines in selected precincts across the county immediately following an election, by 2008.

If the measure survives legal muster and voters approve it Nov. 7, it would become a part of the home rule charter, Sarasota County's "constitution."

The county commission will hold a public hearing, probably in early September, to listen to those backing and opposed to the measure, to determine the final language of the ballot question and summary. The measure could well draw court challenges, Dent said.

The public hearing will likely be contentious: The measure would force the county to scrap $5 million worth of generally popular touch-screen equipment it has used in 39 elections since 2002, and spend $2 million on an optical scanning system, Dent said.

Such optical scanning systems, which do provide independent paper trails, are in use in Manatee and 51 other counties.

Those systems require voters to fill out a paper ballot that is then "read'' by a scanner, similar to those used to grade standardized tests taken by millions of school children, and tallied by a computer. Post-election audits can count the paper results if computer tallies come under question.

"Any system has vulnerabilities,'' Dent said. "But most important is having the people, policies and procedures in place to protect it ... which we have."

SAFE Chair Kindra Muntz said she has heard from several counties using the "Direct Recording Electronic'' system without an auditable paper trail, which Sarasota was the first Florida county to adopt. Those counties include Charlotte, Lee and Pinellas

http://www.venicegondolier.com/NewsArchive3/072306/vn3.htm

[rumpel]

32. FL: Put election system to a vote (Opinion)

Herald Tribune


Last modified: July 30. 2006 12:00AM
Residents should decide about Sarasota County's voting equipment

In the past four years, Sarasota County's touchscreen voting machines have worked rather well. But they lack an independently verifiable paper trail, and they aren't likely to gain that capacity any time soon.

So, should the county ditch the touchscreens? A local group thinks so, and wants voters to answer that question affirmatively in November.

The group, Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections, wants to switch (in 2008) to an optical-scan, paper-ballot system. It's not a new technology -- Manatee County and dozens of other communities in Florida have used it for years. The paper ballots have the advantage of providing an independently verifiable trail of votes, in case of anomalies, suspected fraud or a recount. Advocates contend that the optical-scan system is also simpler and less expensive to deploy than touchscreens, which can require significant technical support.

SAFE mounted a petition drive to put its proposal (as well as several related reforms) to voters, and submitted the necessary signatures earlier this summer. Under the county's charter, the county commissioners must place the issue on the ballot -- whether or not they think it's a good idea.

Let the debate begin

Approving it for the ballot is a multistep process, and we urge the commissioners to get it under way as soon as possible so the measure is ready to be voted on in the November general election.

That's not much time to explore the pros and cons of this complex proposal. The sooner the debate begins, the better.

To be sure, abandoning touchscreens would be problematic for Sarasota County. Millions in tax dollars could be affected. Assuming the measure passed legal muster, implementing it would involve revamping election procedures, retraining poll workers and re-educating voters -- major endeavors that are crucial to smooth operations. Switching to an optical-scan system could bring back some of the risks inherent in paper ballots, i.e., they can be lost, stolen, altered or damaged, and sometimes they're not roomy enough to cope with a long slate of races and referendums.

On the other hand, having the tangible, original ballots on hand can be pretty darn appealing, considering the "glitches" reported with touchscreen use in such places as South Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and others. Screens have frozen or gone blank, needed recalibration, and even scrambled vote tallies. In certain Mercer County, Pa., precincts, for example, citizens trying to cast ballots in November 2004 had to vote in reverse, "starting on the last page of the touchscreen system and working back to the front page," according to The Vindicator, a newspaper in Youngstown, Ohio.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/OPINION/607300562/1030

[freedomfries]

22. DKos: Diebold Diebold Diebold

Diebold Diebold Diebold
by SocioSam
Sat Jul 29, 2006 at 06:05:11 PM PDT
Let's all take a pledge that for the next 100 days we will not speak or write that "Gore lost...," or "Kerry lost..." Neither will we attribute Bush winning to Nader, the Christian Right, or low Democratic turnout. When we read or hear someone make such a claim, we must immediately challenge the comment. We don't need to go into a long sermon but challenge the claim with a short but firm "Bush didn't win..." "Gore and Kerry didn't lose..."

Democrats have not learned to use language like Republicans. Republicans recognize that words create mental images - "death taxes" and "killing the unborn" are classic examples of how they use words to create mental images. And for a mental image to grow and spread we must repeat it over and over. The critical image we need to create and spread is that Bush and his supporters are liars and cheaters.

Bush didn't win and we need to say it over and over. "Diebold," "fair elections," "count every vote" and similar phrases need to replace any talk of past Bush wins or Democrat loses. And when Republicans complain or call us sore losers, repeat that we did not lose but we were cheated. The madder they get the more we repeat it.

...
The mental image that "Bush won" or that "Gore and Kerry lost" needs to be replaced with the mental image that our elections are not fair - they are corrupt and need to be fixed. Tie fair elections to good things - progress, healthy environments, peace, prosperity. Link election fraud to economic inequality, pollution, war, and death.


http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/7/29/21511/6262

[freedomfries]

24. my best thanks to livvy and cookie wookie

for helping out with this thread!:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[freedomfries]

23. IN: IndyStar: GOP's voter-roll cleanup is Democrats' purge

GOP's voter-roll cleanup is Democrats' purge
Removal of names determined to have been duplicated stops; accusations July 30, 2006

By Rob Schneider
[email protected]

Democrats questioned Saturday why Republicans were in such a hurry to purge names from the Marion County voter rolls, while Republicans said they were just trying to clean up voter records.

Party officials challenged each other's motives and offered different versions of why the work to purge the names, which began Friday, was discontinued Saturday morning.

Marion County Democratic Chairman Ed Treacy said Republican voter registration staff agreed to stop the process after Democratic staff members said they would re-enter the names being deleted.

Marion County Republican Chairman Michael Murphy suggested Republican staff members stopped work Saturday because of personal and family engagements but would resume their efforts Monday.

The Democrats believe the Marion County Election Board should hear the issue if the two sides can't agree on how to handle it.
The names came from a list, supplied through a vendor for the secretary of state's office, that indicated about 36,000 Marion County voters are registered in more than one place.
...
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/NEWS02/607300427/-1/ZONES04

[Melissa G]

25. Way to Go Freedom Fries! Happy to K&R this to Greatest page!

Good work on your first Daily Thread!:applause:

[Wilms]

26. Feds Investigating Ney, Abramoff, HAVA Negotiations

Feds Investigating Ney, Abramoff, HAVA Negotiations

Case Links Ney and Abramoff, a Tribe, a Casino, Millions of Dollars and a Transparent Lie

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

7/26/2006

We've been reading some very interesting news today from John Stanton at Roll Call.

Justice Department investigators have begun a review of Senate Rules and Administration Committee records relating to negotiations over the Help America Vote Act, involving then-Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and former House Administration Chairman Bob Ney (R-Ohio), as they wrap up their investigation into Ney's connections to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Senate sources said Tuesday.

Senate aides familiar with the review said Justice officials indicated the inquiry was not focused on Dodd, who now serves as the committee's ranking member, and the type of information investigators were seeking - while not specific enough to indicate they were looking for a smoking gun - appear to point directly at Ney.

snip

Senate Rules Chairman Trent Lott (R-Miss.) acknowledged that the review by Justice was centered on the HAVA negotiations, which occurred in 2001 and 2002, and that it appears to be directed at Ney rather than Dodd.

snip

Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to bribery charges late last year, had pushed Ney to include provisions in the act that would have given federal tribal recognition to the Tigua Tribe and to allow it to reopen a casino in Texas. Abramoff represented the Tiguas. Although e-mails that have surfaced as part of the Abramoff scandal revealed the disgraced lobbyist bragged that he was close to Dodd and Ney, the provision did not make it into HAVA.

snip/links

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3128&print=1


Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x444108

[rumpel]

28. TN: Voters may have to take a stand - in line (other problems on horizon)

Timesnews.net

Published 07/30/2006
By J.H. OSBORNE
BLOUNTVILLE - More than 8,300 Sullivan County voters cast early ballots for Aug. 3 elections, according to information released Saturday by the Sullivan County Election Commission.

And, thanks to lengthy ballots, each voter spent an average of eight to 10 minutes in the voting booth, Sullivan County Administrator of Elections Gena Frye said.

Early voting was offered at three locations in the county - one each in Blountville, Bristol and Kingsport - from June 14 through Saturday, excluding Sundays. Absentee ballots also have been arriving at the election office by mail for the last couple of weeks.

snip

"Early voting has been very successful this time," Frye said. "We're sorry for the delays, but we expect delays on Election Day, too. This ballot is just going to cause that - it's a ballot thing. All in all it's gone very well. We've done two things here, not really by choice - but it had to happen. We've put the biggest ballot in an eight-year cycle on a new voting machine. And on top of that you have a lot of contested races, so that raises interest. Voters have done well with the new voting machines. It is taking a long time. It's taking about eight to 10 minutes for people to get through the ballot."

A state law giving voters a five-minute limit in the voting booth also allows election officials some leeway on enforcement, Frye said, and Sullivan County voters won't have to worry about being rushed because of the circumstances of this election.

snip

"There is a law there, but the truth is, with new voting machines and with this ballot ... we're not really timing people," Frye said. "If someone is in there an unusually long time, we'd offer to help them. And if someone is just ‘hanging out' we'll notice."

Depending on which district races they vote in and which, if any, party primary they choose to vote in, voters can expect to have about eight or nine pages, or screens, to navigate through on the voting machines, Frye said.

snip

In Tennessee, voters are not registered by party. But a review of someone's voting record - which shows which party primaries they've participated in, but not who they've voted for - is one way election officials can try and pinpoint party loyalty.

snip
This is the first time county voters have used new voting machines.

An interactive demonstration of the eSlate voting machine, to be used in all precincts countywide, is available at www.hartintercivic.com. A video about the machines and a link to the online demonstration are available at www.sullivancountyelections.org.

snip
If a voter thinks they've been given a ballot for a district other than their own, they should ask for help immediately, Frye said.

"They need to question the machine person before they push that red ‘cast vote' button," Frye said. "Once that button is pushed, there's nothing we can do.

http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=3660493

[rumpel]

29. CO: Getting in on the Voting Act

Sunday July 30, 2006

Voting technology to debut update in Aug. 8 primary

By MARGIE WOOD
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

With more than 40 years of experience in election work, Pueblo County Clerk Chris Munoz has seen all kinds of voting equipment.

The 2006 edition, which she will roll out for the Aug. 8 primary election, is the highest technology yet.

To be sure, most of the equipment voters will see at their polling places will be familiar to them - the large paper ballots where you connect the arrow and then feed the sheet into a machine to be counted.

But each polling place will also have a new machine - brand name AVC Edge from Sequoia Voting Systems, generically called a DRE for direct recording equipment - to meet the requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act.

Munoz and one of her staffers, Jeff Byland, walked reporters through the new system as they were busily checking all the voting equipment and getting ready to transport it to polling places for next week's primary.

http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1154241957/3

[rumpel]

30. FL: Machines win vote of confidence in Volusia

Orlando Sentinel

Denise-Marie Balona | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted July 30, 2006

DAYTONA BEACH -- For Jane Pikula, a computer teacher who has been blind since birth, it's a simple thing that means a lot: being able to cast her ballot in secret, without the help of a poll worker, a friend or even her loving husband of 20-plus years.

No worries about inconveniencing anyone. No worries about being talked out of a vote.

"It gives you more dignity if you do it yourself," said Pikula, 55, of Ormond Beach. "Dignity is one of the most important things when you have a disability."

For the first time, she and many others with disabilities will be able to vote without help in Volusia County using touch-screen voting machines. Volusia, known for its unusual voting problems and close elections, is thought to be among the last in the state to use the equipment. They are still a controversial subject because the touch-screens do not produce paper ballots.

Pikula and dozens of residents trickled into the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services in Daytona Beach on Saturday, arriving in wheelchairs or with the aid of canes or seeing-eye dogs to test the new machines before the Sept. 5 primary election. The county will start using the touch-screens during early voting in late August, officials said.

Voters practiced by making selections in pretend races such as the Minister of Comic Relief and poet laureate. Elections officials explained how people who cannot see or have difficulty seeing can use headphones to hear "audio ballots" and use hand-held keypads to make their selections -- a process similar to navigating an automated telephone system.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-vmachine3006jul30,0,7195446.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-volusia

[rumpel]

31. FL: Campaigning -- Your Tax Dollars at Work

The Ledger

By JENNIFER LIBERTO
St. Petersburg Times

TALLAHASSEE -- Think you didn't donate to a campaign this election year? Think again.

Statewide candidates collected on Friday the first of several checks totaling a whopping 6.5 million taxpayer dollars for their campaigns, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

And there's more to come.

Republicans have historically derided public financing, and Gov. Jeb Bush often has called it "welfare for politicians."

Yet state law allows candidates to qualify for publicly financed matching dollars for every dollar they collect from Floridians who contribute less than $250. By accepting this public money, candidates for governor agree not to spend more than $20 million total, and those running for Cabinet offices must keep their totals under $10 million.

"In the past, politicians have criticized such public financing as taxpayers subsidizing politicians, and that's exactly what we have now," said Ben Wilcox, executive director of Common Cause Florida, a nonprofit that advocates election reform.

At the top of the list was Republican candidate for governor Charlie Crist, currently the attorney general, who received $1.8 million in matching funds, or about as much as he raised over the past three months.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/NEWS/607300370/1004

[rumpel]

33. MI: Government fumbling may lead to Election Day fiasco

The Oakland Press

Web-posted Jul 30, 2006

EDITORIAL
Remember the "hanging chads" election problem in Florida after the 2000 presidential election? The outcome was in doubt for weeks because of a close race and faulty voting systems.

Never again, Congress thundered, and sweeping new ballot legislation was passed with that as its goal.

Now many states, including Michigan, are on the eve of the first voting to be affected by the congressional change. And the nation seems to have a bigger mess on its hands than it did to begin with. A typical government fiasco may be in the making.

Within that ominous context, though, Michigan and Oakland County may be in less trouble that many other localities.

Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson reports that in some states the new electronic voting machines have no paper backup records, for example. That's not the case here. Recounts are possible.

The big problem locally is that the new voting machines mandated by Congress were rushed into mass production, and many were faulty when delivered.

Some repairs can be made, but an apparent design flaw can require election workers to periodically open the machines to remove or pat down ballots to avoid paper jams.

Johnson is recommending that representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties be at each polling place and watch the machine-opening process to reassure voters nothing sinister is going on.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/073006/opi_2006073005.shtml

[rumpel]

34. WORLD: Congo: DR Congo holds watershed general elections

as reported in China


www.chinaview.cn 2006-07-30 13:46:28

KINSHASA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday is holding its first democratic presidential and legislative elections since independence more than four decades ago, hoping to turn a new page for the war-devastated nation.

With voting process officially starting from 6:00 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Sunday, voters queued outside polling stations, eager to make their choices from 33 presidential candidates and more than 9,700 legislative candidates vying for 500 seats in the National Assembly.

"I care about whether the candidates can bring us security, justice, development and stability, " said Morgan Kunga, a 40-year-old guard, who stood at the head of the line at the polling station nearest from the Independent Electoral Commission based in the capital of Kinshasa.

Kunga said investors do not dare to come if security cannot be guaranteed.

Bantobueji Luse Celespin, an agent of the Independent Electoral Commission, shared Kunga's view, saying that he hoped, through the elections, his country would become a country governed by law so that it would attract foreign investment and develop.

Sylvie Feruei, who is jobless and at her 30s, said she wanted to vote although she had no clear idea about whom to vote for.

"Life is too hard, I hope the elections could bring changes to it," she said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-07/30/content_4894974.htm

[rumpel]

36. Guyana: Communities tense about potential for electoral violence

Stabroeck news

EVER report
Sunday, July 30th 2006


A new report says communities are tense about the potential for an outbreak of electoral violence, prompting a call for all parties and stakeholders to denounce violence.

According to the first Election Violence and Resolution (EVER) Report for the period June 20 to July 11, monitors found most communities calm, but apprehensive about the elections and the potential for violence. "According to reports from the field, overall, the situation is calm. Many people are reporting fears that violence might occur, however, and some report that people would prefer to be outside Guyana around election time," it said. "As official campaigning begins, existing tensions will likely be heightened, and it will be important to maintain a close eye on any changes in mood within communities as actions early in the campaign period could set the tone for its duration," it added. It also advised that peace initiatives have the potential to have a great impact if launched in the early stages of the campaign period.

Apart from the burning of the preliminary voters' list outside the headquarters of the elections commission, there were no reports of elections-related violence, though the act itself has been seen as a cause for concern. However, the division in the elections commission is being carefully observed as it is feared that any major decisions without the support of the opposition-nominated members could lead to further dissatisfaction and result in protests that might increase tensions.

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_general_news?id=56500545

[rumpel]

37. Congo flocks to vote in first elections in 40 years

http://www.eitb24.com:80/archivos/portales/eitb24/imagenes/lg_eitb24.gif

07/30/2006
"This is a great event. I'm 44 years old and this is the first time I've ever voted," said Congolese Zawadi Unega.

Millions of Congolese turned out enthusiastically to vote in their first free elections in 40 years on Sunday, protected by the world's biggest U.N. peacekeeping force and hoping to end years of war and chaos.

From Democratic Republic of Congo's sprawling capital Kinshasa to the thick jungles of the Congo river basin and the mist-shrouded peaks of the east, they flocked to cast their ballots under the watchful eye of U.N. blue helmets.

"I came early because I love my country and we want there to be peace," said Barbara Asha, 40, who voted at Goma in Congo's violence-plagued east, where the polls took place amid fears of attacks by marauding rebels and militias.

But voters appeared undeterred and with Congolese police and U.N. soldiers on the alert, they turned out peacefully and in large numbers across the vast, mineral-rich former Belgian colony, witnesses and electoral officials said.

Schools, churches and tents had been transformed into 50,000 polling stations for more than 25 million voters.

Residents in the capital Kinshasa, many dressed in their Sunday best, lined up to vote as church bells pealed.

"This is a great event. I'm 44 years old and this is the first time I've ever voted," said Zawadi Unega, wearing a colourful blue, white and yellow wrap.

Voting appeared to be generally orderly. But complaints over irregularities and an opposition boycott have already raised the spectre of violence and a rejection of the results, which are expected to be announced within three weeks.

More than 17,000 United Nations peacekeepers - backed by 1,000 European soldiers recently dispatched to the country - have been deployed to ensure voting takes place safely across the war-scarred country, the size of Western Europe.

http://www.eitb24.com/portal/eitb24/noticia/en/international-news/historic-elections-in-africa-congo-flocks-to-vote-in-first-electi?itemId=B24_1767&cl=%2Feitb24%2Finternacional&idioma=en

[rumpel]

38. and three cheers to freedomfries!

thanks

:yourock:

[freedomfries]

40. thanks to rumpel & more AL news!

Thanks for keeping the thread going rumpel!

Now, it looks like things are really heating up in the State of Alabama! Here's a friendly campaign exchange, as reported by the Birmingham News:

Baxley blasts Riley over contributions
Saturday, July 29, 2006 DAVID WHITE News staff writer

MONTGOMERY - Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, the Democratic candidate for governor, blasted Republican Gov. Bob Riley on Friday as a puppet of millionaires and big businesses and portrayed herself as the candidate of the people.

"This is how I always wanted to serve, as the friend of the people who needed someone to be a voice for them," Baxley said.

Contrasting herself to Riley just before speaking at a candidates forum, Baxley said, "He has dollar power on his side, and I have people power on my side."
...

Baxley noted that Riley raised $5.5 million in cash contributions for his re-election bid last year and this year through May 31, compared with the $1.72 million she raised. But Baxley questioned some of Riley's contributions.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1154164768311750.xml&coll=2

[rumpel]

39. PEW: Election Reform Briefing: Holding Form--Voter Registration 2006

July 2006

electionline.org

For the past six years, the only constant in election reform has been change – from new rules at polling places and updated voter databases to new machines and ballot-counting procedures. However, there is one area that appears relatively untouched — voter registration.

This, the 13th electionline.org Briefing, explores the user end of the registration process: how would-be voters obtain forms, complete them, and how much time they have before an election to do so.

As technology marches forward in virtually all other aspects of the election process, the methods of registration remain firmly entrenched in the 20th century, seemingly immune to numerous advances in e-governance.

Despite improvement in Internet security and expanded opportunities for consumers to use online services for purposes from banking to shopping to research and entertainment, the survey revealed that voter registration remains an ink, paper, stamp and mail process. States allow voters to download and print forms, but only one state allows voters to register entirely online while another allows a limited online registration from approved locations.

Read the full report--Holding Form: Voter Registration 2006.
(pdf -link) inside article

http://www.pewtrusts.com/ideas/ideas_item.cfm?content_item_id=3527&content_type_id=8&issue_name=&issue=0&page=8&name=Grantee%20Reports

[EFerrari]

41. Thank you, freedomfries!

:hi:

[FogerRox]

42. Ditto, KNR

[Wilms]

43. Thanks for a great thread, Freedom. n/t

[Kurovski]

44. K&R

Great work, and thank you for it!