Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Saturday 11/19/05

[FogerRox]

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x401817

All previous daily threads are available here:

http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_2004erd_el_ref_fr_thr_calenders.htm




watch the quicktime--
http://streaming.americanprogress.org/ThinkProgress/2005/schmidt.320.240.mov.html

[FogerRox]

1. California--Recertification hearing draws protest

Will California send Diebold packing before Turkey Day?

Miriam Raftery

Recertification hearing draws protest from activists over last-minute changes in procedures

On Monday, November 21st, California’s Voting System Panel (VSP) was slated to hold public hearings on whether to recertify Diebold TSX touchscreen machines. The California Election Protection Network (CEPN) issued a press release inviting concerned citizens to speak at the 10 a.m. hearing and attend a rally at Secretary of State Bruce McPherson’s office to encourage state officials to “send Diebold packing before Turkey Day.”

But when CEPN spokesperson Sherry Healy called to verify the hearing date and time, she received startling news.

“I asked Bruce McDannold in the Secretary of State’s office if the hearing is still on for Monday,” she told Raw Story. “He said, 'You’re half right. The VSP has been disbanded.' I asked why. He said, 'I can’t speak for the Secretary of State.’”

According to Healy, McDannold stated that a stenographer and recording device would be on hand to record any public comments.

CEPN issued a blistering press release criticizing the Republican Secretary of State, for the last-minute change in procedures. The release questioned the sincerity of those in government to publicly discuss issues with their constituents. “Is this the new government trend for public hearings – just give the people a room and a tape recorder?” the release asked.

more--
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Will_California_send_Diebold_packing_before_1118.html

[FogerRox]

2. Jim Kiser: All-mail voting deserves debate

Jim Kiser: All-mail voting deserves debate
My opinion Jim Kiser
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.18.2005
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Rick Murphy, a well-to-do radio executive from Bullhead City, is on a crusade. Murphy believes Arizona can increase voter turnout while reducing the cost of holding elections.
And his method doesn't involve unproven technology, hanging chads or expensive, touchscreen voting machines.
Murphy would convert Arizona to voting entirely by mail, thereby eliminating the current hybrid system that allows people to vote either by mail or by going to a polling place.
The good news? There is much evidence Murphy is right.
The idea of all-mail voting is not original with Murphy; Oregon has been using vote-by-mail since 1998. There, the results include record turnouts, Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury wrote in The Washington Post earlier this year.
Other benefits Bradbury listed: protection from fraud by verifying the signature of every voter, an automatic paper trail that makes recounts possible, easily updated voter rolls (because the post office does not forward ballots), election costs 30 percent lower than polling-place elections and better control of ballot handling and counting.

more-

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/103044


Down town Tucson--

[FogerRox]

3. All-mail balloting proposed for Ariz.

All-mail balloting proposed for Ariz.
Goal is to bring higher turnout

Jahna Berry
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 15, 2005 12:00 AM

A wealthy Bullhead City radio station executive is bankrolling an initiative that could pave the way for Arizonans to vote almost entirely by mail, a change that could transform state political campaigns and elections.

Businessman Rick Murphy said he's pursuing the initiative because he was disturbed by paltry voter turnout when he unsuccessfully ran for Rep. Trent Franks' congressional seat in the 2004 Republican primary.

On Monday, some state political leaders were intrigued by the proposal, which could make the voter identification rules in Proposition 200 moot. The state's top election official said she vehemently opposes the measure.
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"I feel very strongly that we have elections on Election Day and that people cast ballots at precincts," Secretary of State Jan Brewer said, noting that people can already vote by mail if they ask for an absentee ballot.

more-
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1115ballot15.html

[FogerRox]

4. MARGARET KIMBERLEY: Ohio vote theft, now and forever

MARGARET KIMBERLEY: Ohio vote theft, now and forever

by Margaret Kimberley
November 18, 2005

On Election Day in Ohio, four ballot provisions that would have brought greater integrity to the elections process went down to defeat at the polls. Not only were all four defeated, but polls predicted that all four would either win, or be decidedly by thin margins.

Reform Ohio Now had initiated the four proposals. The proposals would have changed rules on campaign finance, established a legislative redistricting commission, allowed the option of voting by mail, and put electoral issues in the hands of an independent commission, beyond the reach of Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

Polling conducted by the Republican newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, has a history of accurately predicting Ohio election results. Is it possible that the Dispatch pollsters suddenly lost their touch? Anything is possible, but the decisive loss of all four proposals by unexpected margins is highly improbable.


In November 2004 Republicans used a combination of schemes to insure victory in Ohio for George W. Bush. Some of the chicanery was decidedly low tech and simple. Black voting precincts didn't receive all of the voting machines they needed. More than 60 machines sat in storage while thousands of Ohioans waited on lines for hours to cast their ballots. Inevitably, some could not spend an entire day attempting to vote.

more --
http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/commentary.cfm?ArticleID=2934

chicago skyline

[FogerRox]

5. Notable Measures on Nation's Ballots

Notable Measures on Nation's Ballots

(AP) - Some notable measures on the Nov. 8 election ballots in various states and municipalities:

STATEWIDE MEASURES:


CALIFORNIA:

Four measures promoted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:

-Rejected: Cap state spending, give governor more power to make budget cuts.

-Rejected: Make teachers work five years instead of two to pass probation.

-Rejected: Shift power over redistricting from lawmakers to a panel of retired judges.

-Results pending: Require public employee unions to get members' permission before dues could be used for political purposes.

Other measures:

-Results pending: Require parents to be notified when a minor seeks an abortion.

-Rejected: Create a program for prescription drug discounts.

-Rejected: Re-regulate state's energy market, requiring electric service providers to be controlled by California Public Utilities Commission.

MAINE:

-Rejected: Repeal a new law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.

-Approved: Offer tax breaks for waterfront property used for commercial fishing.

NEW JERSEY:

-Approved: Create post of lieutenant governor.

NEW YORK:

-Rejected: Give the legislature, not the governor, the upper hand in writing a budget.

OHIO:

-Rejected: Shift redistricting powers from state legislators and top statewide officeholders to a commission.

-Rejected: Reduce limit on individual contributions to political candidates.

-Rejected: Shift oversight of elections from secretary of state to a bipartisan, nine-member board.

-Rejected: Allow all voters to cast ballots early by mail.

TEXAS:

-Approved: Amend state constitution to ban gay marriage.

WASHINGTON:

-Rejected: Place cap on certain types of jury awards in medical malpractice cases and limit lawyers' fees.

-Rejected: Set up state-run supplemental malpractice insurance program, and allow doctors' licenses to be revoked after three malpractice verdicts against them in 10 years.

-Approved: Expand ban on indoor smoking to include bars, restaurants, non-tribal casinos.

-Results pending: Overturn the Legislature's gas-tax increase of 9.5 cents a gallon.

---

LOCAL MEASURES:

LIVERMORE, Calif.:

-Rejected: Clear initial barrier to build the nation's largest solar-powered housing development.

MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio:

-Rejected: Eliminate zoning laws that local Amish community says prevent the operation of family woodworking shops.

OGUNQUIT, Maine:

-Approved: Ban chain restaurants.

PHILADELPHIA:

-Approved: Impose limits on campaign contributions by those seeking municipal contracts.

SAN FRANCISCO:

-Approved: Prohibit sale of guns and ammunition, and ban residents, except for police, security guards or military personnel, from possessing handguns.

-Approved: Oppose military recruiting in public schools and colleges.

SEATTLE:

-Rejected: Construct 10.6-mile monorail.

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif.:

-Rejected: Ban the growing of genetically modified crops.

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas:

-Rejected: Change town's name to West Settlement.

http://news.findlaw.com/ap/p/618/11-09-2005/5e94001852d1b079.html

[FogerRox]

6. Hatch vs. Hatch for US Senate- State Green party-Press Release

State Press Release

Hatch vs. Hatch for US Senate

Green Party of Utah
http://www.gput.org

November 14, 2005

For information contact:
Campaign Manager Tom King, 801-502-8556
The Green Party of Utah, 801-631-2998, [e-mail]
Website: http://www.hatchforsenate.org/

Hatch vs. Hatch for US Senate: Kick-off, Nov. 19 in Salt Lake City
Green Party's Julian Hatch nominated to Challenge Senator Orrin Hatch

Campaign kick-off and media event: Saturday, November 19, 2005, 6 p.m. at the Free Speech Zone, 2144 South Highland Drive, Suit 130, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Green Party of Utah announces that Julian Hatch, a 51 year-old disabled military veteran will challenge incumbent Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah in his bid for an unprecedented sixth term in the November 2006 election. Julian Hatch is a Human Ecologist who serves as the southern Utah Coordinator for Western Watersheds Project, the environmental public lands policy organization based in Hailey, Idaho. Julian has been active in protesting the war prior to the invasion of Iraq and the continued occupation.

Julian Hatch accepted the nomination at a special convention held November 5, 2005 in Salt Lake City where the candidate voluntarily committed himself to a two-term limit. Senator Hatch has held office for nearly 30 years and considered an undefeatable "Goliath" but many in Utah believe he has become a "Washington Insider," something Orrin accused Democrat Frank E. Moss to win his first election in 1976.

"It is time that all Utah citizens, regardless of gender, race, sexual preference, political or religious persuasion be represented in Washington D.C. by a common person instead of a millionaire Senator who is more beholden to corporate interests than average citizens." said Julian Hatch, a lifelong resident of the state.

more-
tp://www.gp.org/press/states/ut_2005_11_14.shtml

[FogerRox]

7. Recount in NJ-Judge orders recount for Franklin

http://www.votersunite.org/news.asp

Judge orders recount for Franklin

Friday, November 18, 2005
By Pete McCarthy
[e-mail]

A recount was ordered on Thursday to confirm a two-vote victory for Democrat committee candidate Kenneth Gallagher Jr. in Franklin Township.

The incumbent Republican, Patrick Dougherty, requested that all votes be checked and tallied one more time in order to get a "clearer picture of what the voters of Franklin Township intended," he said after Superior Court Judge Jean McMaster made her ruling.

"It's so close, we just need to know what the accurate count is," Dougherty said.

The four commissioners -- two Democrats and two Republicans -- with the county's Board of Elections have five days to schedule a date for the recount.

This is not the first time a recount has been ordered in Gloucester County since it changed to electronic voting machines in 2000. At least four others have occurred, according to Gloucester County Clerk James Hogan.

http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-0/113230536150570.xml&coll=8&thispage=1


USS New Jersey--

[FogerRox]

8. Colorado--State asks 10 counties for manual vote recount

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

By DANIE HARRELSON

The Daily Sentinel

Ten counties in Colorado are racing the clock to get their Nov. 1 election results to the state on time.

Colorado Secretary of State Gigi Dennis on Wednesday asked the counties to recount their mail-in ballots by hand after a post-election audit raised questions about the accuracy of machine tallies.

She said she ordered the manual recount to “ensure the integrity and accuracy of the election.”

County clerks have until Friday to submit election results to the Secretary of the State’s Office.

Dennis, who stopped Wednesday in Grand Junction to address a statewide gathering of municipal clerks and financial officers, said she didn’t expect the last-minute recount would prevent clerks in Pueblo, Sedgwick, Park, Huerfano, Fremont, Elbert, Custer, Clear Creek, Chaffee and Bent counties from making the deadline.

Colorado law requires county clerks to conduct post-election audits, which indicated a particular make of electronic vote-counting equipment failed to read mail-in ballots.

Mesa County Clerk Janice Ward said she knew of no Western Slope counties reporting such discrepancies.

Dennis said she didn’t foresee the new tally changing the statewide vote on Referendums C and D. The recount could affect the results of local elections, she added.

More-

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/11/16/11_17_1b_gigi.html

[Wilms]

9. NY: League of Women Voters Supports the Optical Scan Voting System

Opinion

New York State League of Women Voters Supports the Optical Scan Voting System

New York State must replace its lever voting machines because they do not meet accessibility requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and do not provide "second-choice" voting (voting machines must offer the opportunity to the voter to confirm his/her choice). New York State received a waiver to implement new voting machines until January 2006. The New York State Assembly and Senate introduced legislation in the 2004 session setting new voting machine standards in the New York State Election Law but did not agree on what those standards should be. A HAVA conference committee met during the spring of 2005 and eventually agreed on requirements and standards in June. Governor Pataki signed the legislation into law on July 12. The law permits local boards of election to select DREs or optical scan equipment.

Voting systems that record votes electronically (DREs) are only one of several available voting systems that provide accessibility for disabled individuals. Precinct based optical scan systems with the addition of ballot marking devices will also meet the requirements of HAVA and have many advantages over DREs. The documented failures and malfunction of electronic voting machines in recent elections, resulting in some elections having to be thrown out, have caused people to question their accuracy and reliability and look for a more secure and accurate voting system. League members also voiced that concern.

After weighing the pros and cons of DREs and optical voting systems, the New York State League of Women Voters support the precinct based optical scan system as the best voting method for New York State. The League's mandate is that any voting technology used be secure, accurate, recountable and accessible. The security and integrity of each and every vote cast is paramount, and the League of Women Voters of New York State are convinced that at this point in time, the optical scan machines, along with ballot marking devices for the disabled community, will best meet this goal.

There is no doubt that paper ballot optical scan machines are easier to use, longer lasting and more cost effective than the alternatives, for the counties and voters, in both the short and long run.

snip/more

http://www.antonnews.com/greatneckrecord/2005/11/18/opinion/leagueoped.html

[Wilms]

10. GA: Voter ID law may be altered - Photos might be free, more widely avail.

Voter ID law may be altered
Photos might be free, more widely available

By SONJI JACOBS , JIM GALLOWAY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/19/05

As controversy swirled Friday around a U.S. Justice Department memo that expressed concerns about Georgia's voter ID law, a Republican legislator said he is prepared to revise the measure.

State Sen. Cecil Staton (R-Macon), who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said changes could include letting city and county governments issue photo identification cards that would permit nondrivers to vote.

Another idea would eliminate a provision under which voters can obtain a photo ID without paying a fee by signing a pauper's affidavit. "We'll make it free," Staton said.

snip

Meanwhile, political fallout continued Friday regarding a Justice Department memo on the photo ID law that attributed to Rep. Sue Burmeister (R-Augusta) comments indicating that "when black voters in her black precincts are not paid to vote, they do not go to the polls." An Augusta Democratic official called on Burmeister to resign, and she backed away from the comments.

snip/more

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/1105/19voterid.html

Thanks to Thom Little
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1935559

[Algorem]

11. OH-Lucas Co.chairman, 2 others resigning Republican Party posts(Noe)

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051119/NEWS09/51119001

Article published Saturday, November 19, 2005

By JIM TANKERSLEY
BLADE POLITICS WRITER


The Lucas County Republican Party, already struggling with campaign-finance investigations and fund-raising woes in the wake of scandals surrounding former Chairman Tom Noe, revealed yesterday that three of its leaders have resigned or plan to do so soon.

Interim Chairman Doug Haynam told party executive committee members this week that he will leave his post “as soon as possible.” Vice Chairman Steve Hornyak resigned Nov. 9, and Treasurer Patrick Kriner will step down Dec. 1.

Mr. Haynam and Mr. Kriner said yesterday their resignations are independently timed but similarly rooted in fatigue from steering the party through troubled times.

Mr. Hornyak said he wanted to clear room for permanent leadership and criticized Mr. Haynam for focusing less on GOP candidates and more on “doing damage control for the Noe situation.”..

[Algorem]

12. OH-14 abandoned vote machines gathered at University of Toledo

Article published Saturday, November 19, 2005

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051119/NEWS09/511190406

Article published Saturday, November 19, 2005

By JOSHUA BOAK
BLADE STAFF WRITER

In the 10 days since the election ended, 14 touch-screen voting machines have sat unattended in the central hallway at the University of Toledo Scott Park Campus.

Only metal wire laced through the machines' handles and linked by a padlock protected them.

Each machine cost $2,700, according to the Ohio secretary of state's office.

It was the latest awkward moment for the Lucas County Board of Elections, which is scrambling to right the problems behind the laggard ballot count in the Nov. 8 election. The board is hosting a pancake breakfast today at the Lucas County Recreation Center to recap the election...



Election meal leaves sour taste
Commissioners flip over cost of controversial breakfast

Article published Friday, November 18, 2005

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051118/NEWS09/511180431

By JOSHUA BOAK
BLADE STAFF WRITER

The Lucas County Board of Elections is now stuck in a flap about flapjacks.

With this Saturday's pancake breakfast for volunteer poll workers costing an estimated $11,250, the county commissioners said yesterday that the agency has devoted more money to recapping the problematic Nov. 8 election than preparing for it.

"I think they need to be conscientious of the dollars spent ahead of time to carry out a successful plan, not after the fact," Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak said.

Unofficial results from the election appeared more than 13 hours after the polls closed, slower than the other 87 counties in the state...

[Wilms]

13. Bi-Partisan Co-Sponsors of Election Reform Bill Cite GAO Report

Bi-Partisan Co-Sponsors of Election Reform Bill Cite GAO Report on E-Voting Security in Letter to House Colleagues

Letter from Holt, Davis Points to Failures in Voting Machines Around the Country

Bill Has More than 150 Co-Sponsors, But Has Not Been Allowed to Come to Floor by House Leadership

by Brad

11/18/2005

The original co-sponsors of legislation in the House of Representatives to require "paper records" on Electronic Voting Machines and many other security measures and improvements to the Help America Vote...

The original co-sponsors of legislation in the House of Representatives to require "paper records" on Electronic Voting Machines and many other security measures and improvements to the Help America Vote Act of 2002, have sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to other members citing the landmark report recently released by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the myriad security problems found after a year-long investigation into those machines.

In a letter from last Wednesday obtained by The BRAD BLOG, Congressmen Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Tom Davis (R-VA) asked colleagues to join them in support of H.R. 550, known as the "The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act".

In their letter, the congressmen point out several of the key findings in the GAO report leading off with a quote from it that reads ". . . computer programs could access these cast vote files and alter them without the system recording this action in its audit logs.”

The legislation, which currently has more than 150 bi-partisan co-sponsors, has been languishing for some time as House Leadership has kept it from coming up for debate on the House floor or committee mark-up. H.R. 550 is currently "pending" in the House Administrative Committee, according to Holt's Communications Director, Patrick G. Eddington, but it has received "no debate, mark-up or hearing" as of yet. He added, "no Committee has specifically addressed H.R. 550."

snip/more

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002037.htm

Thanks to freedomfries

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x401988

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