Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Wednesday 6//18/08

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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.
2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" here:link
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4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.

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1. States:

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4. AL:Voting records in third county seized

The state attorney general's investigation of complaints about the June 3 primary election has spread to a third county with the seizure of voting records in Lowndes County.

Attorney General Troy King announced Monday that agents from his office had served subpoenas on Lowndes County election officials and seized records, including all those pertaining to absentee ballots.

King said he took action in Lowndes County after learning about alleged improprieties. He previously seized records in Bullock and Perry counties after they reported unusually high levels of absentee ballots in the primary.

Secretary of State Beth Chapman, Alabama's chief election official, said two citizens from Lowndes County asked to meet with her last week about concerns in the central Alabama county. After talking with them and seeing the detailed information they had, Chapman took them to the attorney general's office.

Montgomery Advertiser

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5. CO:Voting accessibility for those with disabilities

As the presidential primaries race towards a close, preparations are continuing to ensure that the voting process in the general election in November is as streamlined as possible. One of the major challenges still facing many states is providing equal voting access to those with disabilities according to Disaboom, the largest online community for people living with or touched by disability.

Signed into law in 2003, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was designed to revamp a disorganized and chaotic voting system that many hold responsible for the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election. Provisions of the legislation include the replacement of punch cards and lever voting machines and the creation of a comprehensive electronic voter database. HAVA also mandates that each polling place have at least one voting system accessible to those with disabilities in a manner that guarantees equal opportunity and access for all voters.

The federal government has allocated billions of dollars to the states to implement these changes; but unfortunately voting accessibility problems are still widespread. The Department of Justice was forced to sue the state of New York in 2006 due to its non-compliance with HAVA. On February 4, 2008, a court order allowed New York to use Liberty Election Systems' touch screen voting machines, which have been highly criticized by those with disabilities.

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Problems with voting accessibility have been noted in the 2008 primary season as well.

Denver Your Hub

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6. FL:

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7. New Florida Rules Return More Than 115,000 Ex-Offenders to Voting Rolls

MIAMI — Gov. Charlie Crist announced on Tuesday that 115,232 Florida felons had regained their voting rights since new rules took effect last April, but 80 percent of the state’s disenfranchised ex-offenders remain off the rolls.

The governor — a Republican who had initially pushed for a broader clemency program — said he was proud of the progress and hoped the number of those regaining voting rights would increase.

“Once somebody has truly paid their debt to society, we should recognize it, and we should honor it and we should welcome them back into society and give them that second chance,” Mr. Crist told a crowd of law enforcement officials and advocates for prisoners’ rights in Tallahassee.

“That could make an enormous difference in November,” he said.

NY Times

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8. Fla. county's black voting rights argued in court

ATLANTA — A lawyer for a Florida county asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to reject a lawsuit seeking an election district plan that would make it easier for minority blacks to win a seat on the local school board and county commission.

The lawsuit was filed in 2000 by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of an unsuccessful black candidate and voters in Glades County, a large, sparsely populated area that forms the western shore of Lake Okeechobee.

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The suit claimed that system diluted the voting strength of blacks, who comprised just over 10 percent of the 2000 population of 10,576, compared to roughly 70 percent white, 15 percent Hispanic and 5 percent others, including American Indians.

The suit sought five single-member districts, including one around the county seat of Moore Haven in which blacks of voting age comprised a majority of 50.23 percent.

Naples News

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9. Mock Vote Prepares Voters, Workers For Election

LAUDERHILL, Fla. -- The general election is still five months away, but Broward County's Supervisor of Elections said it’s never to early to practice.

Election workers are holding a mock vote at the Lauderhill mall Wednesday to give voters, and themselves, an opportunity to practice with the county’s new voting machines.

Those high tech electronic voting machines are gone. And for the first time, voters in Broward will use a paper ballot to pick their president. You simply fill in the ovals next to your candidate's name, then slip the ballot through the optical scanner.

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By mid-afternoon Wednesday there were no problems to report. The Supervisor of Elections will hold a few more simulated elections between now and November just to make sure they get all of the kinks out of the system.

Local10

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10. Volusia County cities ponder changing their elections

A new state law requires Elections Offices across Florida to conduct manual audits of every election.

After an election, the date, time and place of the election audit would be announced, so people could attend and observe.

The canvassing board would randomly select one race from the election, and randomly select between 1 percent and 2 percent of the precincts voting in that race.

The ballots cast in those precincts would have to be recounted by hand, and the results compared to the results that were certified.

Beacon Online News

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11. Party may be passe for Lee County's boss of elections

Lee to discuss putting measure on ballot

Voters could get the chance to decide whether to choose the Lee County supervisor of elections on a nonpartisan basis.

Lee County commissioners today will consider putting the issue, and one other, on the November ballot.

In the other issue, commissioners could decide whether to move to a ballot a proposal to give an advisory committee the authority to bypass them and take issues right to voters.

The Charter Review Committee convenes every four years to review and make changes to how county government is structured. The 15-member panel, made up of three appointees from each commissioner, has been meeting for more than a year and made the two recommendations June 5.

Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington, a Republican, said her office would not operate differently if she had no party affiliation.

News Press

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12. GA:City election requires federal help

A little more than a month from municipal elections, the Fort Payne City Council needs the federal government to work quickly.

Required to have new voting methods or new voting locations cleared by the Justice Department, the city has around nine weeks to get information to Washington and back before voters head to the polls Aug. 26 to elect both a council and a mayor.

First, the council agreed Tuesday to rent 10 voting machines from DeKalb County. Those machines were not used in the last municipal election, and even though the Justice Department cleared the machines for the county, it must also clear them for the city.

Second, and maybe the most difficult, the council eliminated the Five Points voting location and those registered voters will now vote at the Senior Center.

The building previously used as the poll for both city and county elections is being torn down. DeKalb County officials must also replace the Five Points location before the July 15 primary runoff.

The Times Journal

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13. IN:Replacing voting machines in Johnson Co. expected to be costly

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) - Johnson County is finally getting a better look at voting machines ruined by flooding last week.

Floodwaters damaged nearly 500 voting machines in a Johnson County annex building.

"They were in approximately six feet of water," said Johnson County Clerk Jill Jackson.

They have since been moved to higher ground. The prognosis from the voting machine company is not expected to be good.

WISH TV

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26. GOP says Illinois voters tried to vote in Indiana primary

CROWN POINT | Lake County election officials heard allegations Tuesday a number of Illinois residents attempted to vote in last month's Indiana primary election.

Raymond Lopez, chairman of the East Chicago and Whiting Republican organization, told the Lake County elections board, busloads of Illinois residents and downstate Indiana students who weren't registered to vote in East Chicago or Whiting appeared at those communities' polls, according to Republican election workers to whom he spoke.

"It was quite a few. They showed us Illinois driver's licenses. We asked them why they were here and they said 'We were told to vote here.'"

Lopez said none of them was admitted into voting booths. He didn't indicate whether he was able to ascertain from where the individuals came or whom may have sent them. Elections Supervisor Michelle Fajman asked Lopez to put his complaints and others he made, in writing, so her staff can investigate.

NWI

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30. Panel Studying Ways to Make Path of Elections Run Smooth

Rokita part of national advisory board

Secretary of State Todd Rokita is back in Indiana after a two-day conference in Washington on ways to make American elections run better.

The 2002 "Help America Vote Act" created an independent commission to set standards for voting machines and offer recommendations on local election procedures. As president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, Rokita is part of that panel's advisory board.

Rokita says the panel is urging quick work on those voting-machine guidelines, without short-circuiting the march toward Internet voting.

Rokita says he's pushed unsuccessfully for more aggressive recommendations on voter fraud. He says he'd like to see wider use of photo I-D laws like Indiana's. Instead, the board has ordered a review of what's considered fraud under different states' laws.

WIBC

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14. NC:Election officials consider Sunday voting

GUILFORD COUNTY - Elections officials could decide by July 1 if they want to offer early voting on at least one Sunday in October. The Guilford County Board of Elections agreed Tuesday to review research on Sunday voting patterns to see if it would be worthwhile. Mecklenburg County offered Sunday voting in 2004 when an estimated 2,400 people voted.

The Rev. Cardes Brown, representing a group of Greensboro ministers and churches in the black community, agreed to provide research to see if Sunday voting, boosted by church congregations, would increase turnout. The Democracy North Carolina research group also is interested in the project.

"We do have to look at the turnout figures," Brown said. "I thought Sunday voting would make a lot of difference with the turnouts we have seen so far in North Carolina this year."

Elections Director George Gilbert said Oct. 19 and 25 are critical Sunday work days for updating registrations rolls.

HighPoint Enterprise

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29. Some voice concerns over early voting situation in county

SHELBY - Going by the numbers, November's 2008 General Election will be big, possibly more so than ever in North Carolina.

In 2004, 16 percent of state voters turned out for the primary. Later that fall, 64 percent - 3.5 million voters - participated in the general election.

Fast forward to 2008. Thirty-seven percent of N.C. voters took part in the May 6 primary - more than double the 2004 turnout. By comparison, the sky's the limit for voter turnout come November.

But as it stands now, there won't be any extra accommodation for early voters in Cleveland County compared to years past.


The Star

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15. RI:Changes at the voting booth?

PROVIDENCE — Surrounded by GOP lawmakers, Governor Carcieri yesterday mounted an eleventh-hour appeal to the General Assembly’s Democratic leaders to eliminate the option of straight-party voting and require that voters produce a photo identification before they are allowed to vote.

At an afternoon news conference, Carcieri said the voter ID requirement would ensure “that voters are who they say they are,” and elimination of the straight-ticket option would spur more “thoughtful” consideration of candidates in Rhode Island, where Democrats hold an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly and in all statewide offices except the governor’s office.

As one of only 17 states that still allow straight-party voting, Carcieri said eliminating this option “will encourage voters to do their homework, consider candidates more carefully, and make informed decisions. Doing away with straight-ticket voting would give all candidates a fair chance.”

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The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union has led the campaign against voter ID on the grounds that “these laws disenfranchise eligible voters, pose a particular burden on poor, elderly, disabled and minority voters, and divert attention from more serious problems facing the voting process — all in an attempt to ‘fix’ a largely non-existent problem of alleged voter impersonation.”

Providence Journal

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16. SC:Voter complaints land Horry on watchdog list

Group concerned about problems with machines

A national watchdog group that monitors elections for voting-machine problems has placed Horry County on a watch list in light of voter complaints following last week's primary election and voting-machine errors during January's Republican presidential primary.

Bev Harris, founder of BlackBoxVoting.org, said Horry County will join hundreds of other counties the group deems at risk for election problems. The group will pay special attention to those areas for irregularities in November's general election, Harris said.

But Chris Whitmire, spokesman for the S.C. State Election Commission, said criticism from the group was unwarranted. The state continues to institute measures to improve elections, he said.

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In January, a software error made by the state election commission prior to the election delayed the voting counting from the voting machines. The problem was exacerbated when the machines, which then had to be taken to Conway, got mixed up on arrival.

Myrtle Beach Online

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17. VA:

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18. Officials seek voting exemption

Amherst County officials are trying to get an exemption to a section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that requires reporting each instance of a voting change to the Department of Justice.

County Administrator Rodney Taylor said the county is seeking the exemption, also called a “bailout,” because submitting changes to the department is a “cumbersome process.”

“You have to go through a lot of legal hoops whenever there is a change,” said Ray Vandall, an Amherst County supervisor.

County officials insist having the exemption would never hurt individuals’ voting rights.

New ERA Progressive

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19. Groups Push to Restore Va. Felons' Voting Rights

RICHMOND -- Civic and social organizations are teaming with Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to try to add thousands of nonviolent offenders to the voting rolls in time for the November election, a move that has angered Republicans who say the effort is designed to help Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
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Under Virginia's constitution, people convicted of a felony automatically lose their right to vote for life, which has resulted in an estimated 300,000 residents being disenfranchised, even though they are not in prison.

But a Virginia governor can restore a felon's voting rights. Under a process set up by former governor Mark R. Warner (D) , felons convicted of nonviolent crimes can apply to have their voting rights restored if they have a clean record for three years after their sentence has been completed. People convicted of violent felonies, which in Virginia includes selling drugs, have to wait five years.

Earlier this year, Kaine (D) promised that his administration would expedite a review of applications from nonviolent felons who submit their papers by Aug. 1.

Washington Post

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24. OH:Board of Elections pressed to pick new voting machines on Friday

Cuyahoga County election officials, who have already missed one self-imposed deadline, are being pressured to pick a new voting system on Friday.

But the four Board of Elections members still don't know which way they want to go. One system would cost about $9 million; the other $13.4 million.

Members are impressed by both companies selling their wares and are hopeful that responses to contract proposals will point them to one firm.

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Platten favors Election Systems & Software, which supplied the scanners for the successful March primary, but the company carries the higher price tag. The firm's proposal includes a rental price for November because its more modern, digital scanners won't be available until 2009.

Hart InterCivic, the other company considered, has digital scanners available for fall - and the lower cost.

Plain Dealer

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28. NJ:County to discuss voting irregularities

Atlantic County officials will hold another public hearing today on something that's caused controversy over the past several years: An election.

The 6 p.m. hearing at the old courthouse on Main Street in Mays Landing by the Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders will involve what county officials call "concerns regarding the recent primary election."

Freeholder Joseph McDevitt said there were "too many irregularities in the printing of and reading of absentee ballots, and that warrants a full investigation into how the county clerk worked or did not work with the other election offices."

"I am particularly concerned by the manner in which absentee ballots were printed by the county clerk so that they couldn't be read electronically on election night," McDevitt said. "I believe we need to examine the printing of the county clerk's name on the sample ballot and compare that to previous election cycles.

"Finally, I believe the county clerk needs to answer why a secret drawing was not held for ballot positions this year as it has been done in previous years."

Press of Atlantic City

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31. MA:Lost without transliteration

The Coalition for Asian American Voting Rights will hold a civil rights march this Friday in Chinatown, ending in a rally at the Statehouse, to encourage legislators to support fully bilingual ballots for Chinese-speaking voters.

The Department of Justice agreement that paved the way for bilingual Chinese ballots expires in 2008, but another bill currently before the state legislature would allow the city to print candidate names in Chinese characters. Supporters hope the rally will highlight our history of voting inequalities as it coincides with this week’s celebration of Emancipation Day, commemorating African Americans struggle to achieve full equality in the United States.

Election authorities have long recognized the need to provide ballot access and instructions in multiple languages for voters with limited English skills. However, Chinese, which does not use a Western alphabet, poses a special problem when it comes to candidate names — the only parts of the ballot not written in Chinese script.

The new law requires names to be “transliterated” — a process of converting one alphabet’s characters into another, and performed for more than a decade by election officials in New York City and in California counties with significant Asian populations.

Metro Boston

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32. CT:Probe: Voting numbers don't add up

BRIDGEPORT — In the midst of a heated court battle over last fall's Democratic mayoral primary, state Rep. Christopher Caruso's legal team asserted there were more votes than voters.

City officials and their lawyers scoffed at Caruso's contention, calling it untrue and irresponsible.

However, a Connecticut Post examination of election records from the Sept. 11, 2007, primary shows there were more votes than voters — 105 more.

Not enough to change the outcome — state Sen. Bill Finch defeated Caruso by 270 votes — but enough to raise some electoral eyebrows.

The Post found 105 more ballots were run through the optical scan voting machines than there were voters who checked into polling places. A total of 9,804 voters cast ballots for mayor.

Conneticut Post

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33. NY Advocates to State Board of Elections: Make Election Audits RISK-BASED

Election Integrity: Fact & Friction

NY Advocates to State Board of Elections: Make Election Audits RISK-BASED
Howard Stanislevic

June 17th

A coalition of New York's election integrity advocates have asked the State Board of Elections not to approve the current draft of the Part 6210.18 auditing regulations, which are loosely based on the State Election Law requirement to manually count the ballots from 3% of electronic vote counting systems in each county (expected to be computerized paper ballot optical scanners).

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A letter sent to the State Board on June 16, after several months of intermittent negotiations and discussions, signed by Bo Lipari (New Yorkers for Verified Voting), Lawrence Norden (Brennan Center for Justice), Aimee Allaud (League of Women Voters), Neal Rosenstein (NYPIRG) and yours truly, among others, proposes risk-based statistical audits and the formation of a state election auditing task force within 60 days. The proposed group would conclude its work at least 60 days prior to the first 2009 election. The audits proposed in the letter are favored by many national election integrity advocates as a more efficient and effective method than percentage-based audits to confirm the winners of elections called by electronic vote counting systems independently of software and with a high level of confidence.

Certification of the systems slated to replace New York's mechanical lever machines has been fraught with difficulties such as continued non-compliance with federal and state voting system standards by vendors, and the withdrawal of federal certification of New York's first voting system testing lab, Ciber, Inc. in 2006.

These and other reported problems and failures, including documented cases of incorrect electoral outcomes reported by e-vote counting software, have led an increasing number of advocates, experts, and officials to conclude that the risk-based post-election audit, possibly resulting in a full hand recount, is the only way to know with any certainty that the outcomes of elections reflect the will of the voters.

http://e-voter.blogspot.com/index.html


The Letter in Full and Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x504485

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2. Commentary, OP-Ed, etc:

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20. MAS Freedom 'Voting is Power' Not Connected to Democratic Party Voting Campaign in Louisiana

Right-Wing Groups Push False Information Concerning National Muslim Voter Drive

WASHINGTON, June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MAS Freedom (MASF, http://www.masnet.org/freedomfoundation.asp), the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS, http://www.masnet.org/), has learned that numerous individuals and organizations on the political right have recently embarked upon a campaign, through various internet-based "news" sources, to openly vilify both MAS and MASF by falsely associating the MASF voter registration, mobilization and education campaign, Voting is Power (VIP, http://masvip.org/), to an investigation of possible election fraud in the state of Louisiana.

The campaign, through no fewer than 16 separate cross-postings of similarly accusatory articles, began surfacing on the internet June 12, 2008, directly identifying MAS/MASF as having contracted with the national Democratic Party to register voters in Louisiana.

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MAS Freedom is convinced that this latest anti-Muslim campaign of vilification-by-false-association was not motivated by a genuine opposition to alleged voter fraud; rather, its sole purpose was to augment an agenda to discredit legitimate Muslim organizations striving to encourage civic empowerment and engagement, and to perpetuate an unfounded climate of extreme prejudice, suspicion and fear against the Muslim American community. Tactics such as this are also used by the likes of 'terrorism expert' Steve Emerson, who appeared on the FOX News Bill Hammer show and insinuated that the success of the MAS Freedom VIP initiative, covered (http://www.masnet.org/takeaction.asp?id=3893) in national media (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/12/politics/main567750.shtml), should be viewed with suspicion.

MAS Freedom will not be dissuaded by the false allegations of pundits and bigots. We will continue to exercise our rights as citizens to register, educate, mobilize, and vote.

Yahoo

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22. Voters Get Voice on 2008 Campaign Through Web Video Voting

pollClash.com, New Website, Lets Voters Compare and Vote on 2008 Campaign Videos and Soundbites
pollClash.com Adds a Dimension to Video Content Sites: Users Can Not Only Watch Videos But Compare Them Side by Side and Cast Votes on Statements, Soundbites and Controversies

Keeping it Honest: Are pollClashes the End of Spin?

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Video has already played a key role in the 2008 Presidential election. But starting today it will have a much more direct and measurable impact thanks to a new Website, pollClash.com (www.pollclash.com) – the first site that allows voters to directly compare and vote on video soundbites from the election campaign.

Voters who visit pollClash.com can watch campaign videos of candidates and other key players. But unlike other video sites, pollClash.com shows them in side-by-side windows, then lets voters vote on which are more credible, which are more effective, and which make the better case about critical campaign issues like the economy and national security.

A current pollClash compares Barack Obama’s call for change with John McCain’s assurances that the U.S. economy is sound. Voters can move sliders to vote on which is right, which candidate has the better vision, and which is more Presidential. The current pollClash is still open and voters can have their say by going to the site at www.pollclash.com.

Yahoo (AP)

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23. LinuxWorld To Host Open Source Voting Demonstration

Attendees will have an opportunity to use open source voting to cast a mock ballot for the upcoming 2008 Presidential election

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — IDG World Expo, the leading producer of world-class tradeshows and events, has announced that The Open Voting Consortium (OVC) has teamed-up with LinuxWorld to host a demonstration of open source voting at this summer's LinuxWorld event. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to use an open source voting system to cast a mock ballot for the 2008 Presidential election, as well as witness how the votes are tallied and available for recount using this system. LinuxWorld is scheduled to take place August 4-7, 2008 at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

The Open Voting Consortium is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development, maintenance, and delivery of trustworthy and open voting systems for use in public elections. Since 2000, there has been a rush to modernize the voting system in the United States. Billions have been spent on new systems, but since they still rely on the same manufacturers and the same secretive proprietary methods, voters still can't verify how their vote is counted. Open source is an ideal solution for the voting application because it enables more complete public oversight by replacing secret processes. The OVC is a driving force behind the adoption of open source software in voting systems, making the voting process one that is truly owned by The People.

"We've been working collaboratively with experts from throughout the world to examine every aspect of voting scientifically and to advance needed reform so that confidence can be restored in American elections, and we're excited to bring the system we've developed to LinuxWorld(R)," said Alan Dechert, President and CEO, Open Voting Consortium. "With thousands of voters at LinuxWorld expected to cast ballots on the system, it will be the largest demonstration so far of the OVC voting system."

Centre Daily

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25. Young Voters, Engaged and Online

Whoever wins the White House come November, this much is true: Web-savvy young voters will have been a crucial voting bloc.

The 2008 primary campaign, and especially the protracted and historic Democratic battle, buried the tired old adage that young people don't vote. Turnout among voters under 30 has increased since the 2004 election, and young voters now, by large margins, lean Democratic (as books such as "Youth to Power" convincingly argue). Two recent studies by non-partisan organizations -- by CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement), released Friday, and by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, released today -- outline the growing trend.

Some 6.5 million voters under 30 voted in this year's primaries and caucuses, according to data compiled by CIRCLE. That's a record figure, said CIRCLE director Peter Levine, and the first time the youth vote has risen in three consecutive election cycles (2004, 2006 and 2008) since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1971. CIRCLE's data shows that the overall national youth voter turnout rate almost doubled in eight years; it was 9 percent in 2000 and grew to 17 percent this year. In addition, of the 17 states in which primary exit polls were conducted in both 2000 and 2008, 16 saw increases in youth voter turnout, with some states showing a triple or quadruple jump. In the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, for example, the youth vote comprised 18 and 16 percent, respectively, of the total share of voters.

"This primary season the Millennials have gone to the polls in record numbers, showing they are an influential voting bloc in American politics," said Levine. "They realize what's at stake and the impact this election will have on their future and the
future of our country."

Washington Post

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27. Election Industry Trade Group Seeks Reform of Regulatory Process

Issues report entitled “Broken: The Regulatory Process and the Voting Industry” which calls for substantive policy changes

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Election Technology Council, an industry trade association representing providers of over 90% of the voting systems used in the United States, today issued a bleak assessment of the current state of the federal regulatory process administered by the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and called for significant reforms to better serve election officials and voters. Since February 2007, no voting system has achieved federal certification through the EAC. Since 2002, the standards have not changed, only the certifying agency.

“The industry is participating in and financing a process that remains indefinite in both time and money,” said David Beirne, Executive Director of the ETC.

The industry’s assessment describes a new federal agency that finds itself a victim of its own decisions which have effectively shut the regulated industry out and left it without a voice in the process. Among the key problems identified:

1. The EAC has yet to recognize the voting industry as a regulated industry. As a regulated industry, certain due process requirements should be afforded to industry providers during the EAC's policy setting and certification efforts. Since the voting industry currently finances federal certification of its products, decisions made by the EAC that are not subjected to full due process could deprive voting system providers of property and potentially lead to violations of the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment.


ETC Recommendation: The EAC needs to clearly identify itself as a rulemaking agency when it comes to the adoption of rules and regulations governing its certification program and ensure due process rights are afforded to the industry.

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The full report issued by the Election Technology Council is available here:

http://www.electiontech.org/documents/ETC-BROKEN.pdf

EAC

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3. National:

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21. Voting commission faces problems, lacking funds

It was not an auspicious beginning. The year was 2004 and the newest federal agency had no desks, no computers, and no office to put them in. It had neither an address nor a phone number. Early meetings convened in a Starbucks near a Metro stop in downtown Washington.

Somehow, Congress had neglected to fund the Election Assistance Commission, a small group with a massive task: coordinating one of the most sweeping voter reform packages in decades.

"It sounds incredible, but it's true," said Paul DeGregorio, a Republican from Missouri and former commission chairman. "All we wanted to do was hit the ground running."

But from the beginning, the commission stumbled. Now, long after Congress passed the Help America Vote Act — designed to prevent a repeat of the Florida recount fiasco of 2000 — the four-member, bipartisan commission still struggles under its heavy workload and accusations of playing politics, foot-dragging and whitewashing reports that could appear detrimental to Republican interests.

Under the act, commissioners are required to serve as a clearinghouse for voluntary guidelines and reports on ballot issues. They also audit federal funds awarded to state and local voting officials, and assist states during general elections.

USA Today

[EFerrari]

34. Thank you, flashl!

:hi:

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36. Thanks. nt

[tbyg52]

35. K&R!

:kick:

[Algorem]

37. Cuyahoga Elections Board picks $13.4 million scanning system

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/06/cuyahoga_elections_board_picks.html


Posted by Joe Guillen June 20, 2008 23:53PM
Categories: Election



The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections picked a new voting system Friday, but it will be up to the county commissioners to approve the deal.

After meeting for six hours, most of that time behind closed doors, the four-member board selected Election Systems & Software's $13.4 million ballot-scanning system. That system was chosen over another scanning system offered by Hart InterCivic for $9.7 million.

The board voted 3-1, with Republican Chairman Jeff Hastings casting the dissenting vote because of the cost. He said he had confidence in the other system.

At one point, the board deadlocked 2-2. Then the board reconvened behind closed doors and Republican Rob Frost changed his vote and sided with Democrats Sandy McNair and Inajo Davis Chappell...


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