Weekend of April 8-10 Election Fraud, Reform, & Updates Thread

[MelissaB]

In order to organize and document I thought it would be a good idea to have a daily thread to place items related to reform, fraud, protests, and other items. This also make it easier to "catch up" when we are away from the computer for a while.

Please help us. If you see something that isn't here post it with a link to the thread and a thanks to the author. Thanks to everyone who is helping with this project.

Link to the thread from Tuesday: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x352797

[MelissaB]

1. Dean Outlines Plans for Support in States

Dean Outlines Plans for Support in States

Friday April 08, 2005 4:48pm



Washington (AP) - Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Friday that the national party will invest almost half a million dollars in state parties in Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota and West Virginia. All four states were won by President Bush (website - news - bio) in the 2004 presidential election.

"This is just the beginning," Dean told state Democratic chairs at a meeting of their association in Little Rock, Ark. "We will announce additional investments in the weeks ahead."

Dean has been to 14 states in his two months as chairman and has pledged to build state parties all across the nation, including in states dominated by Republicans.

"We have to show up if we're going to win, and we're going to rebuild and empower our state parties," Dean said when he announced the $465,000 investment.

Link: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0405/219390.html

[MelissaB]

2. Pa. Decertifies Voting Machines of Type That Lost N.C. Ballots

Pa. Decertifies Voting Machines of Type That Lost N.C. Ballots

By Peter Jackson
The Associated Press
(04/08/05 -- HARRISBURG, PA.) — Pennsylvania officials on Thursday barred three counties from continuing to use a touch-screen voting system that apparently contributed to a larger-than-usual undercount in the November election.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortes said officials do not believe votes that were cast but not counted on the UniLect Patriot direct recording electronic voting system would have changed the outcome of any of the races in Mercer, Beaver and Greene counties.

Still, he said, "there are enough problems with this system that in our estimation it's in the best interests of the voters" to stop using it immediately.

The UniLect Patriot system also was blamed for lost votes in two North Carolina counties last year.


More: http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/news/040805_APstate_votingproblems.html

[Wilms]

23. Discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x353752

[Wilms]

3. Paper Makes a Comeback as Electronic Elections Spur Opposition

Paper Makes a Comeback as Electronic Elections Spur Opposition

April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Meet the next big thing in paperless voting: paper.

Voting-rights groups and computer scientists, concluding that a tangible record is essential to any electronic voting system, are persuading a growing number of U.S. lawmakers and election officials either to reject paperless voting machines or to require fitting them with costly add-on printers to help verify results.

-snip-

So far, 12 states require a vote-by-vote paper trail, half of them as a result of laws passed in the last year. Similar bills are pending in about 20 other state legislatures, and five bills introduced in Congress would require paper trails in all states, according to electionline.org, a non-partisan Washington- based clearinghouse on election reform.

At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, state and local purchases of new voting equipment. The purchases are being spurred by the Help America Vote Act, passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2002 in the wake of the disputed 2000 presidential election.

-snip/more

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aaB4iadjGAC0&refer=us

[MelissaB]

4. Volusia will get paperless voting

Volusia will get paperless voting

The touch-screens, for disabled voters, win approval despite misgivings.

By Kevin P. Connolly
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 8 2005

DELAND -- After a three-hour hearing punctuated by passionate debates about the fallibility of technology, Volusia County Council members Thursday reluctantly agreed to buy touch-screen voting machines, despite lingering concerns about the paperless system.

At one point, County Council members even flirted with the idea of filing a lawsuit against the state or federal government to get out of what they described as an unfair requirement to buy voting machines many people don't trust.

But, faced with a deadline to have disability-accessible machines for elections after July 1, a majority of council members went against the wishes of scores of paperless-voting foes and authorized Election Supervisor Ann McFall to negotiate a contract with Diebold Election Systems for 210 touch-screens.

"I really don't want to buy this equipment," said County Chairman Frank Bruno, who joined Carl Persis to oppose touch-screens, which were approved 5-2. "I feel like we're being forced to buy this equipment. I think that the citizens of Volusia County don't want me to spend the money to buy this equipment."

>>>snip


Doug Towne, a Largo-based consultant on disability issues for the state Division of Elections, told council members that paperless-voting foes were incorrectly raising concerns that touch-screens were "somehow endangering democracy."

"Quite the contrary. Accessible voting is probably the best example of inclusion to come along in recent years short of the Americans with Disabilities Act. That's what this is about," he said.

More: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/orl-locvdisabledvoters08040805apr08,0,5114238.story?coll=sfla-news-florida

Somebody needs to educate Doug Towne.

[Wilms]

5. (FL) Touch screen OK not exactly a vote of confidence

Volusia Journal OnLine Touch screen OK not exactly a vote of confidence

By JAMES MILLER
Staff Writer

Last update: April 08, 2005


DELAND -- Pleas for a paper ballot and a reminder from the 2000 presidential recount failed to sway the Volusia County Council Thursday.

A state deadline and disabled voters long ready to cast their ballots in secret had more success.

After an almost four-hour public hearing, a mostly reluctant council paved the way with a 5-2 vote for Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall to buy 210 touch-screen voting machines.

The touch screens are meant primarily for disabled voters, but activists seeking a paper ballot or other "voter verifiable" paper records vehemently opposed them because they do not provide either.

"It is not for all the voters in this county, this state and this nation," said Councilwoman Joie Alexander before making the motion. "It is for one specific group of voters. I still want paper, and I hope this will come, but I think (disabled voters) have made their compromises."

No disabled-accessible voting equipment that provides a voter verifiable paper record has been certified for use in Florida, yet the state requires counties to have voting machines for the disabled in place for any elections after July 1.

-snip/more-

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/WestVolusia/03WVolWEST01040805.htm

[MelissaB]

6. Volusia opts for touchscreen voting for disabled

Volusia opts for touchscreen voting for disabled

Last Update: 4/8/2005 9:00:52 AM

DELAND, Fla. (AP) - Volusia County is buying 210 touchscreen voting machines but doesn't seem to like the idea.

The County Council has voted for the purchase with misgivings. Voter mistrust of the high-tech balloting is one of the reasons.

The county is meeting a federal requirement to allow people with disabilities to vote independently at polling places. Retired Volusia County Judge Michael McDermott suggested council members should fight the mandate with a lawsuit.

County Chairman Frank Bruno says he doesn't want to buy the equipment and feels like the county is being forced to. He was on the losing side of a five-two vote.

Fifteen of Florida's 67 counties use touchscreens as their main voting system.

Link: http://www.wtev.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=F8C6FCDD-82E0-4643-B690-10957FB299AB

[Wilms]

7. (FL) Elections dispute in Legislature

Posted on Fri, Apr. 08, 2005

Elections dispute in Legislature

Officials want secretary of state to have final say

By Gary Fineout

CAPITOL BUREAU

Despite grumbling from some counties' election officials, Florida lawmakers are moving ahead with proposals to give state officials more control over elections.

The Republican-controlled Legislature also is moving ahead with a lengthy list of election changes, including one measure that critics say would silence anyone who disagrees with how the state carries out election laws.

-snip-

"The Division of Elections seems to be more concerned with game control than putting the voters of Florida first," Sancho said. "If the proposals by the Division of Elections are adopted by the Legislature, voters can expect even longer lines at the polls next year and subsequent elections, and more hurdles than before will be put in front of their right to vote."

-snip/more-

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/politics/11340228.htm

[Wilms]

8. (IA) COUNTY VOTING PRECINCTS REDUCED

COUNTY VOTING PRECINCTS REDUCED

April 07, 2005

VOTING EQUIPMENT UPGRADE TO BE PAID FROM STATE, FEDERAL FUNDS

-snip-

The number of polling precincts in the county went from 18 to eight following a meeting of county supervisors, township trustees, township clerks and interested persons Thursday.

-snip-

Rutledge said if the county maintained the present 18 precincts, the cost of new voting equipment would be $176,000. The county would be responsible for $82,258 of the total cost. The balance would come from state and federal funds.

-snip-

Rutledge told the more than 40 persons the county would have no voting equipment expense by reducing the number of polling places to eight. Under the new plan, the federal and state governments will supply $93,742.

-snip/more-

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14301777&BRD=2020&PAG=461&dept_id=231738&rfi=6

[Wilms]

9. Military Absentee Voting

http://www.nationaldefensecommittee.org/MAV2004.htm

[Wilms]

10. States, Counties Spar Over Election Rules

States, Counties Spar Over Election Rules
By JOHN McCARTHY, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

04-06) 13:54 PDT Columbus, Ohio (AP) --


States and counties are quarreling over ballot counting, voting equipment and control of voter information as time runs out for complying with the election-overhaul law enacted after the fiasco in Florida in 2000.


"Right now, we're sitting in the first quarter of the new year and there's not much time when you have a huge initiative," said Michael Vu, director of elections in Cuyahoga County, Ohio's largest with more than 1 million registered voters.


Disputes have erupted in at least four states over the Help America Vote Act, intended to update election systems after the punch-card disaster in Florida.

-snip-

"That's how much time we have left and yet there is no certified equipment," said Conny McCormack, registrar-recorder for Los Angeles County. (editor's note: She's lying.)

-snip/more-

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/04/06/politics/p135456D87.DTL

[Wilms]

11. Voter ID supporters lack hard evidence

Voter ID supporters lack hard evidence

Voting is different from boarding an airplane, using a credit card, or buying alcohol.

By SPENCER OVERTON

Opinion

Atlanta Journal Constitution 04/08/05

In Congress and about a dozen states, recent debates over proposals to require photo identification at the polls have fallen along partisan lines. Republicans generally support ID requirements and Democrats oppose them.

Both parties need to move beyond political posturing and empty rhetoric. Voter fraud is wrong. At the same time, however, advocates have yet to show that ID laws solve more problems than they create.

Photo ID requirements will reduce participation by legitimate voters. While more research is needed, one study by the Task Force on the Federal Election System showed that 6 percent to 10 percent of the existing American electorate lacks any form of state ID. According to the AARP's Georgia chapter, about 36 percent of Georgians over age 75 have no driver's license. A 1994 Justice Department study found that blacks in Louisiana were four to five times less likely than whites to have photo IDs. In 2004, South Dakota voters in predominantly Native American counties were two to eight times more likely to fail to bring ID to the polls than other voters.

-snip/more-

http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=5138

[Wilms]

12. (FL) Voting machines aren't trustworthy

Voting machines aren't trustworthy

Sandy Wayland

Legislative Chair Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition

Posted April 8 2005

We are disappointed that the Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections is taking the full blame for the failure of an inherently flawed election system. The Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition in June called on Gov. Jeb Bush to order independent audits of Florida's voting systems to determine whether they are working properly, which would increase voter confidence, and that state officials are doing everything possible to protect the rights of voters. The response was that it was not our "goal … to undermine voter confidence." The office of Secretary of State Glenda Hood followed with a statement that Florida has the most rigorous certification process in the country.

The proof of this flawed system has now been made clear with the supervisor's admission that these machines are capable of being programmed to erase votes. Supervisor Kaplan's statement that these "glitches" did not affect the outcome of the vote misses the point. Miami-Dade's voters deserve to vote on a system that is reliable and accurate. They should not be forced to settle for a problem-prone system that was obsolete before it was delivered.

-snip/more

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-brmail996apr08,0,6764372.story?coll=sfla-news-letters

[Wilms]

13. (IO) Editorial: Require paper trail for votes

DeMoine Register

Editorials

Require paper trail for votes

By REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD

April 8, 2005
Iowa is about to launch a $17.5 million overhaul of voting machinery that will change the way many voters cast ballots in future elections. This is a historic change, so we should get it right. A bill passed by the Iowa Senate is designed to assure that. The House should follow suit.

Senate File 351, passed 48-0, by the Senate would require that voters who use touch-screen voting machines be able to examine a paper version of their ballot. That allows the voter to confirm that votes have been correctly cast, and it creates a paper trail for auditors to use in a recount.

-snip/more-

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050408/OPINION03/504080377/1035/opinion

[MelissaB]

14. State promises to pay for replacment voting system in 3 counties

Posted on Fri, Apr. 08, 2005

State promises to pay for replacment voting system in 3 counties

PETER JACKSON

Associated Press


HARRISBURG, Pa. - State officials promised Friday to pay for replacement voting systems in three western Pennsylvania counties in which the regular voting equipment has been banned because of questions about its reliability.

Spokesmen for two of the counties said they were surprised by Secretary of State Pedro Cortes' announcement halting the use of the UniLect Patriot direct recording electronic voting system on Thursday - barely a month before the May 17 primary election. But they said they were pleased that it would not mean extra costs for county taxpayers.

"Considering that (state officials) created this problem ... they ought to fix it," Beaver County spokesman Brian Hayden said.

"We've been really satisfied with the system," Hayden said, adding that no election has been contested on grounds of miscounted ballots since the county bought its more than 400 UniLect touch-screen machines and related equipment for $1.2 million in 1998. "We got the machine because we had problems with the paper ballot."

>>>snip

A separate study indicated that the "undercount" in the presidential race - the difference between the number of voters who cast ballots and the total votes counted - was higher in the three counties that used the UniLect system than the 1.5 percent average in a group of 24 rural counties. The undercount was 7.3 percent in Mercer County, 5.3 percent in Beaver County and 4.5 percent in Greene County, according to the study by a professor at Grove City College.

Burkhart said the equipment used in Shamos' re-examination was a "prototype" that was different from the devices used in the three counties. However, she said its failure to register touches and tendency to freeze up were normal because no ballot was inserted in the device.

More: http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/11344964.htm

[Wilms]

15. (MD) Quest for reform of elections falters in House

Quest for reform of elections falters in House

by Steven T. Dennis

Staff Writer

Apr. 7, 2005

ANNAPOLIS -- Hopes for major election reform crashed and burned last week when bills requiring upgrades to the state's voting machines and public financing of campaigns failed on the House floor.

Advocates for voter-verified paper ballot receipts killed a bill by Del. Jon S. Cardin (D-Dist. 11) of Baltimore that would have required an upgrade of the Diebold system to provide some form of vote verification, but left the particulars of the improvements up to a committee.

-snip-

Paper ballot advocate Linda Schade of TrueVoteMd.org called Cardin's bill a "decoy" and fretted that the bills could let lawmakers off the hook.

"It put it squarely back in the hands of our friend, Linda Lamone, and we wanted legislators to be accountable," Schade said. "Why aren't they passing the paper trail bill?"

-snip/more-

http://www.gazette.net/200514/princegeorgescty/state/268773-1.html

[Wilms]

16. AccuPoll Successfully Completes Qualification Testing

April 07, 2005 08:00 AM US Eastern Timezone

AccuPoll Successfully Completes Qualification Testing to More Stringent 2002 Federal Voting System Standards;
First VVPAT Voting System to Complete Testing to 2002 Standards

TUSTIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 2005--AccuPoll, Inc. (OCTBB:ACUP), a developer of Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting systems, today announced that independent testing authority SysTest Labs has completed qualification testing of the company's voting system for compliance with the 2002 Federal Election Commission Voting System Standards.

SysTest Labs will now submit testing results to the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) for review and assignment of an official federal qualification number. Assignment of a federal qualification number will allow AccuPoll to pursue certification in states that require voting system qualification under the 2002 Federal Election Commission Voting System Standards.

"This is a significant event because AccuPoll becomes the first company with a voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) to complete testing under the more stringent 2002 Federal Voting System Standards," said Frank Wiebe, president of AccuPoll. "States such as Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Kentucky require that voting systems be federally qualified under the new standards. Successful completion of this testing attains a major milestone for AccuPoll that our competitors have yet to reach."

-snip/more-

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050407005229&newsLang=en

[MelissaB]

17. Suit filed on county vote machines

Published: Friday, April 8, 2005

Suit filed on county vote machines

A contract between Snohomish County and a private firm is unconstitutional, two Everett men argue in court action.

By Jerry Cornfield
Herald Writer


SEATTLE - Two Everett men filed suit Thursday to void the contract between Snohomish County and the maker of its electronic voting machines, claiming the deal illegally shifts control of vote counting from the public to a private company.

Paul Lehto and John Wells allege in their suit that the contract between Snohomish County and Sequoia Voting Systems violates the U.S. Constitution by altering the right of citizens to an open and transparent election.

The Democratic and Republican parties shield information that would prove the ballots are tabulated exactly as they were cast, insisting the data is a trade secret.

"Who's the boss is the issue," said Lehto, an attorney. "A private party controls the election for Snohomish County, and the government has to do what it says, and that's not right. The Constitution does not allow government to set up systems that are uncheckable."

>>>snip

John Gideon of VotersUnite!, a national nonpartisan organization that monitors elections and the performance of electronic voting machines, welcomed the suit.

The machines "are not transparent. Votes are counted by software, and that software is kept secret from anyone who is not an employee of Sequoia," he said. "The citizen has no idea what happens to that vote after they put it into the machine."


More: http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/04/08/100loc_voting001.cfm

[Wilms]

20. Disscussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x354506

[Wilms]

18. Criminal charges against S.F. official

Criminal charges against S.F. official

Sources say Shelley fund-raiser accused of diverting grant funds

Christian Berthelsen, Vanessa Hua, Chronicle Staff Writers

Friday, April 8, 2005

State prosecutors charged a top volunteer fund-raiser for former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley with grand theft and other felonies on Thursday, accusing her of diverting $125,000 from a taxpayer-funded grant to Shelley's 2002 campaign fund, sources with knowledge of the case told The Chronicle.

The complaint, filed under seal in San Francisco Superior Court, claims that Julie Lee, a San Francisco businesswoman, city commissioner and political power broker in the Asian community, forged documents to obtain state funds, used the money for illegal purposes and later falsified records to cover her tracks when questions emerged about how the funds were used, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition they not be identified.

The criminal complaint, prepared by the state attorney general's office and the San Francisco district attorney, also charges Lee with the "extraction" of a total of $80,000 from two clients of her real estate business to contribute to Shelley and disguising the true source of political donations, the sources said.

The reported criminal charges are the first to come out of several overlapping federal, state and local inquiries that began when the contributions were initially called into question by The Chronicle last summer.

-snip/more-

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/08/MNGLFC57TE1.DTL

Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x354505

[Wilms]

19. BradBlog: MAINSTREAM AMERICAN NEWSPAPER TO JUMP INTO CLINT CURTIS STORY

BREAKING: MAINSTREAM AMERICAN NEWSPAPER TO JUMP INTO CLINT CURTIS STORY THIS WEEKEND!

Pulitzer Prize Winning Reporter to Break Major New Element in Story!

...DEVELOPING HARD...DETAILS SOON...

-snip-

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001313.htm

[Wilms]

21. Nevada provisional ballot bill causes confusion

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Provisional ballots caused confusion in Nevada in the last elections - and a bill to clear up the process, debated by lawmakers Thursday, created some confusion of its own.

SB230, sponsored by Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, and Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, would require provisional ballots to be counted even if not cast in the correct polling place - so long as the ballot included the correct races based on the voter's address.

Horsford told the Senate Legislative Operations and Elections Committee that last fall some voters in one southern Nevada neighborhood were intentionally misinformed for political reasons of where they was supposed to cast ballots.

"If they didn't show up at the right place, then they were disenfranchised with their ability to vote and that's why this language is important," he said. The bill also would establish guidelines for ensuring all provisional ballots are counted and the process can be observed and challenged with a demand for a recount.

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/apr/07/040710365.html


Thanks to NVMojo for posting the discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=354086#354570

[Wilms]

22. BradBlog: The Moscow Times' Covers the Clint Curtis Story!

The Moscow Times' Covers the Clint Curtis Story!

And other important BRAD BLOG stuff that the American Media continues to yawn at...

(Though perhaps not for too much longer!)

Blogged by Brad on 4/7/2005

One week after the November 2004 election, we blogged an item we called "Why It Matters: The World is Watching". The piece covered the way in which Russia's Pravda wondered aloud, "Did Bush fix the election"?

-snip-

And today, it's The Moscow Times who joins the World's America Hating Party in a damning article suggesting the game is over and the forces of Democracy in the previously-Free World have lost.

Unlike their compatriots in the American Media, The Times covers the Clint Curtis story in their article by way of referencing much of what The BRAD BLOG has reported on that sorry affair. They've even beaten the American Media at reporting on the latest Baker Commission Blue-Ribbon "Election Reform" fix which America can now look forward to -- even if they're not paying attention -- unless something is done about it.

-snip/more-

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001309.htm


Thanks to Al-CIAda for posting the discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x354057

[Wilms]

26. (FL) Blogs spin tale of computers, conspiracies

Blogs spin tale of computers, conspiracies

The Web sites say an Oviedo Republican asked a programmer for software to alter electronic vote totals.

By LUCY MORGAN

Times Tallahassee Bureau Chief

Published April 9, 2005

-snip-

No one has proven anything, and no serious investigation appears to be under way, but the blogs are lighting up with the news and suggestions for proving corruption.

They have seized on an affidavit Curtis wrote Dec. 6 about his allegations of vote fraud. The affidavit was initially published the same day on bradblog.com. On March 3, Curtis passed a lie detector test given by Tim Robinson, retired chief polygraph operator for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

-snip-

"All I can tell you is I didn't do any of the illegal things Curtis says I did," Feeney said, "and I didn't lead the purple Martian invasion of Earth either."

-snip-

Litigation involving the Yangs, DOT, Curtis and Georgalis continues in Leon County.

-snip/more-

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/09/State/Blogs_spin_tale_of_co.shtml

[Wilms]

29. Brad Blog Responds to SP Times Clint Curtis Coverage

ST. PETE'S TIMES REPORTS CLINT CURTIS PASSES POLYGRAPH EXAM!

Story Broken in Florida's St. Petersburg Times by Pulitzer Prize Winning Reporter!

Still Manages to Mangle, Misrepresent and Omit Several Key Elements of the Story!

Blogged by Brad on 4/8/2005 @ 4:13pm PT

After many months and many requests and many challenges from both critics and Mainstream Media types, The St. Petersburg Times is reporting -- and The BRAD BLOG can confirm -- that Clint Curtis took a polygraph test on March 3rd...and passed!

The lie-detector test, administered to Curtis by Tim Robinson, the retired chief polygraph operator for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, found that the Florida whistleblowing software designer who has charged in a sworn affidavit that he was asked by U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) to create an electronic vote-rigging software prototype in 2000, was indeed found to be truthful in all of his reponses!

-snip-

Despite her impressive credentials, the month-long exclusive access to Curtis' test-results that Morgan was given, and the full cooperation of The BRAD BLOG along with our months of reporting and materials acquired during our continuing investigation, she still managed to publish a number of errors and more than a few key ommissions.

-snip-

We knew there was trouble afoot from the first beat as the story was headlined "Blogs Spin Tale of Conspiracy, Computers". Which prompts us to wonder what headline The Times might have used when covering Woodward and Bernstein's series of Watergate articles in 1972: "Washington Post Spins Tale of Conspiracy, Cover-up"?

-snip/more-

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001313.htm

[Wilms]

30. Clint Curtis Coverage Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x354822

[MelissaB]

24. LBN: US lawmakers regret voting for Iraq war(Rep. wants apology from Bush)

(Maybe there is hope that some Rep. & Democrats will begin to speak out against the war.)

US Representative Walter Jones, a conservative Republican, does not hide his anger when he says bad information led him to vote for the Iraq war.


"If I had known then what I know today, I wouldn't have voted for that resolution. Absolutely not," he said Thursday in an interview.


His comments reflect concerns of other Republican lawmakers in Congress, and polls show a lingering debate over the reasons for going to war have hurt the administration even as the Iraq operation shows signs of success.


A day earlier, during House Armed Services Committee testimony on the Iraq war, Jones demanded an apology from the administration of President George W. Bush.


"To me, there should be somebody that is large enough to say, 'We made a mistake'," Jones said, almost in tears with frustration. He said he and other lawmakers want to ensure they are never again asked to authorize a war with bad information.

More: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=13180


Thanks to NNN0LHI here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1380979

[MelissaB]

25. Nashville conference discusses problems in electronic voting

Nashville conference discusses problems in electronic voting

By LAURA LUXOR
For The Tennessean

Election reform advocates have gathered in Nashville this weekend to discuss problems with electronic balloting that occurred in last year's presidential election.

Citizens, researchers, activists and elected officials said yesterday that the balloting system and the electronic voting machines could have intimidated voters who didn't understand the voting process, from whom they were voting for to what precinct they were supposed to vote in.

More than 20 states experienced problems with electronic voting machines. These officials believe this affected the election's outcome.

>>>snip

''Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything,'' said conference organizer Bernie Ellis, quoting Joseph Stalin, a former Russian dictator.

This conference brings together as many as six political parties: Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green Party, Constitution and Independent.

More: http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/05/03/68029191.shtml?Element_ID=68029191

Discussion here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x354708

[Wilms]

27. Call-in line gives voice to voter frustration, provides data of problems

electionline Weekly

April 7, 2005

I. In Focus This Week

‘I hear disenfranchised people’

Call-in line gives voice to voter frustration, provides data of problems

By Doug Chapin
electionline.org

New data from a voter hotline reveals that registration problems were the leading source of voter complaints leading up to and on Election Day 2004.

As concerns about the 2004 election mounted last fall, several organizations set up voter hotlines to enable voters to register complaints and concerns about the electoral process. The hotline, 1-866-MYVOTE1, was funded by a consortium led by the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government and designed by InfoVoter Technologies of Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

-snip-

Patusky and Smukler are both seeking additional funding to analyze the full list of voter messages. In so doing, they hope to fill out the nation’s understanding of the conduct of the 2004 election as well as to help guide the election reform process for the 2006 election and beyond.

-snip/more-

http://www.electionline.org/index.jsp?page=Newsletter%20April%207%202005

Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=354388&mesg_id=354388

[Wilms]

28. (NC) Security increased on voting results software

Security increased on voting results software

Patch sought after problems in November

CARRIE LEVINE

Charlotte Observer

08 April 2005

Mecklenburg elections officials are increasing safeguards on software they use to download election results, which they said should prevent a repeat of the incorrect early voting tallies they posted last November.

County elections director Michael Dickerson said Microvote, the company that makes the machines and software, has developed "an additional level of security" that would prevent votes from any machine being downloaded more than once.

-snip-

In November, when tallying early voting results, county election officials were overwhelmed by the number of them and double-and-triple counted some votes, while leaving others uncounted.

The faulty tallies caused them to post incorrect results on election night.

-snip/more-

http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=5143

Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x354811

[MelissaB]

31. Forbes: Teresa Heinz Kerry statement about electronic voting machines

(This is a negative comment about THK, but those darn machines are mentioned.)



Random Thoughts on the passing scene:

• Teresa Heinz Kerry's latest loony statement--that pro-Bush hackers could have gotten into the electronic voting machines during last year's election--gave me my first misgivings about having criticized her. She may not be playing with a full deck.

Link: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2005/0425/024.html

[Wilms]

32. (CT) Requiring vendors to show they can adapt their machines for VVPAT

A collection of briefs from the state Capitol

Associated Press

April 4, 2005

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are supporting a bill that would require new electronic voting machines to create paper records of votes.

The bill requires any new electronic machines the state buys to include a paper receipt that a voter could verify. Ultimately, that receipt could be referred to in a re-count.

The bill is awaiting action in the Senate. It may be referred to other committees and proponents of the measure fear the bill may get snagged amid fears that it would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

-snip-

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said her office is requiring all vendors to show they can adapt their machines to include a voter verified paper receipt.

-snip/more-

Scroll down to 2nd story.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-04171442.apds.m0454.bc-ct-xgr--apr04,0,3845826.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire

[merh]

33. Prosecutor to probe Cuyahoga County recount

Prosecutor to probe Cuyahoga County recount

Posted on Sat, Apr. 09, 2005
Prosecutor to probe Cuyahoga County recount
2 written complaints allege problems in '04 presidential election
By Stephen Dyer
Beacon Journal staff writer

CLEVELAND - Erie County Prosecutor Kevin J. Baxter is investigating whether the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections broke the law in its recount of ballots from the November presidential election.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor William Mason appointed Baxter as a special
prosecutor in the case because the board of elections is Mason's client, which could pose a conflict of interest, said Mason spokeswoman Jamie Dalton.

Baxter said he didn't know yet whether the allegations have any validity. He said his investigators will begin interviewing people in the next several weeks.

(snip)

The probe stems from two requests written to Mason: one from minor-party presidential candidates David Cobb and Michael Badnarik, and another from entrepreneurial consultant Edward Michael Caner.

(snip)

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/11352898.htm
(c) 2005 Beacon Journal and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved

[Wilms]

34. Discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x354869

Thanks for posting in both places, merh.

[Wilms]

35. EAC: Public Meeting for the Technical Guidelines Development Committee

U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
1225 New York Ave. NW – Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005

SUNSHINE ACT NOTICE AGENCY

United States Election Assistance Commission

ACTION:
Notice of Public Meeting for the Technical Guidelines Development Committee

DATE & TIME:
Wednesday, April 20, 2005, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and
Thursday, April 21, 2005, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

PLACE:
National Institute of Standards and Technology
100 Bureau Drive, Building 101 Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8900.

STATUS:
This meeting will be open to the public. There is no fee to attend, but, due to security requirements, advance registration is required. Registration information will be available at http://vote.nist.gov by March 31st, 2005.

SUMMARY: The Technical Guidelines Development Committee (the “Development Committee”) has scheduled a plenary meeting for April 20-21, 2005. The Committee was established to act in the public interest to assist the Executive Director of the Election Assistance Commission in the development of the voluntary voting system guidelines. The Development Committee held previous meetings on July 9th, 2004; January 18 and 19, 2005; and March 9th, 2005.

The purpose of the fourth meeting of the Development Committee will be to review and approve a draft of the recommendations for voluntary voting system guidelines. The draft document will respond to tasks defined in resolutions passed at previous Technical Guideline Development Committee meetings

-snip-

CONTACT INFORMATION: Allan Eustis 301-975-5099.

If a member of the public would like to submit written comments concerning the Committee’s affairs at any time before or after the meeting, written comments should be addressed to the contact person indicated above, or to [e-mail] .

more

http://tinyurl.com/448vg

[MelissaB]

36. America’s Broken Electoral System

America’s Broken Electoral System
Get over it, says mainstream press

Extra! March/April 2005

By Miranda Spencer

Throughout 2004, the “swing state” of Ohio was in the media spotlight. Prior to the election, it was a site of alleged voter fraud and suppression; as Extra! reported (12/04), the news media tended to portray the charges as partisan ploys rather than significant threats to the electoral process.

Then, on November 2, Ohio became this election’s Florida: Once again a tight race hinged on the electoral votes of a state too close to call. At the end of the night, with only about 130,000 votes separating Democrat John Kerry and Republican George W. Bush, Kerry refused to concede. The reason: an estimated 150,000–250,000 provisional ballots had yet to be examined. Under state law, the process of reviewing these ballots, which are given to people who believe they are registered but whose names are not found on the rolls, could not occur for 11 days. Moreover, standards for validating these ballots varied among Ohio’s 88 counties. The situation boded another long, contentious wait to find out who had won the election.

But then, the day after Election Day, Kerry politely conceded, reportedly having calculated that the number of possible votes in his favor would not be likely to offset Bush’s lead (Washington Post, 11/4/04). Despite the uncertainties, the election was, a report by the nonpartisan political website Election Online.org put it (“Briefing: The 2004 Election,” 12/04), “beyond the margin of litigation.”

>>>snip

Also, as BBC reporter Greg Palast argued in In These Times (12/13/04), the more than 90,000 spoiled ballots in Ohio—mentioned nowhere in our sample but in the New York Times (11/7/04, 12/24/04)—nearly make up the 118,000-vote difference between Bush and Kerry. That fact alone suggests that, just as in 2000, the White House’s occupant may be there due to system failure rather than any mandate. The leading media should not have dismissed this crucial issue of democracy—regardless of how much they, like Senator Kerry, craved closure.

Link: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2488

[Wilms]

37. (SC) Claflin students get first glimpse at county's new electronic system

The Times and Democrat

Claflin students get first glimpse at county's new electronic system

By DANIELLE JOHNSON AND LAURA STOEHR KAMMERER

T&D Staff Writers

Sunday, April 10, 2005

This past week, Claflin University students got the first chance to use Orangeburg County's new electronic touchscreen voting machines.

-snip-

"We are saving at least two or three hours with the machines than with counting ballots," he said.

-snip-

He said the new system is good in theory but said Claflin lacks the ability to carry it out fully. Hannah said the machines create less stress for those counting the vote but could cause other problems.

-snip-

Voters do not receive a paper receipt listing their votes; however, the system has a recordable paper trail, which can be downloaded, Whalen explained.

Handing out paper receipts could lead to increased voting fraud, he said. "One of the ideals of democracy and freedom is to be able to cast your ballot without retribution," he said. Receipts could lead to increased vote-buying, with buyers asking for proof that votes were cast in a particular candidate's favor, he said.

-snip/more-

http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2005/04/09/news/doc4258a54d7aa9d345659351.txt

[merh]

38. Kerry: Trickery Kept Voters From Polls

Kerry: Trickery Kept Voters From Polls

Many voters in last year's presidential election were denied access to the polls through trickery and intimidation, former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry told a voters' group Sunday.

"Last year too many people were denied their right to vote, too many who tried to vote were intimidated," the Massachusetts senator said. "There is no magic wand. No one person is going to stand up and suddenly say it's going to change tomorrow. You have to do that."

Kerry supporters charged that voting irregularities in largely Democratic areas made it difficult for voters to cast ballots in the November presidential election. A lawsuit in Ohio cited long lines and a shortage of voting machines in predominantly minority neighborhoods, but the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed the suit.

Kerry also cited examples Sunday of how people were duped into not voting. "Leaflets are handed out saying Democrats vote on Wednesday, Republicans vote on Tuesday. People are told in telephone calls that if you've ever had a parking ticket, you're not allowed to vote," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050410/ap_on_go_co/kerry_campaign_lessons_2

LBN Discussion here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1384599

2004 Election Discussion here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x355038

[MelissaB]

40. This is now on the front page of Raw Story!

http://www.rawstory.com/

[Wilms]

39. Editorial: Electronic voting is a good idea. Vote verification is the next

Disabled voters get to catch up

Our position: Electronic voting is a good idea. Vote verification is the next step.

Editorial

Orlando Sentinel

April 10, 2005

-snip-

The County Council last week approved more than 200 electronic voting machines to comply with upcoming federal requirements.

It's too bad, though, that the equipment doesn't allow voters to verify their ballot. This would provide an added measure of security and confidence, something that may be in short supply in Florida.

At least elections staff can print out a trail showing how people voted in case of a recount or other problems. And, fortunately, the manufacturer Diebold Inc. of Ohio may put out a companion printer allowing voters to doublecheck their on-screen ballots.

If so, Volusia along with other Florida counties with Diebold optical scan and electronic equipment should make a beeline to purchase the printer.

-snip/more-

http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=5159

[Wilms]

41. National Conference on Election Reform Opens with Civil Rights Panel

Tennessee Independent

National Conference on Election Reform Opens with Civil Rights Panel

by Abigail Thorton

10 Apr 2005

On the evening of the opening of the National Conference on Election Reform, participants from twenty six states gathered in the sanctuary of the Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee to listen to a civil rights panel, introduced by Bernard Ellis, conference organizer. Those present were former president of the NAACP Nashville, Reverend Sonnye Dixon, Dr Charles Kimbrough, and Michael Grant. Panelists discussed the struggle to obtain the right to vote during the civil rights era, the need to address the human needs of those most disempowered by the powers that be, and the need for election reform to preserve our democracy.

-snip-

"What we need is a holistic approach to voting. It can't just be about voting, it must be about issues that give people a sense of value. The church did that and if we are going to sustain our movement we must do that also. If there is anyone in this struggle we have turned our backs on, it is young black men. We have forgotten about the human aspect of the struggle. In the meanwhile, the right wing political establishment has modeled their success on the historic black church. The republicans are taking it to the churches, but they do not empower these people as individuals but rather use them for their votes."

-snip/moe-

http://www.tnimc.org/feature/display/4960/index.php

Thanks to MeganMonkey for posting:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=355079&mesg_id=355079

[Wilms]

42. (FL)

Opinion SANDY WAYLAND, Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition

09 April 2005

Floridians deserve a flawless voting system

We are disappointed that Constance Kaplan, former Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections is taking the full blame for the failure of an inherently flawed election system. In June 2004, the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition called on Gov. Bush to order independent audits of Florida's voting systems to determine whether they work properly. This would help increase voter confidence and show that state officials are doing everything possible to protect voters' rights.

-snip/more-

http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=5152


Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition:

http://www.reformcoalition.org

[Wilms]

43. It's fun to