Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Thursday 12/29/05

[Wilms]

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Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News

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

If you can:

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

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

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[Wilms]

1. CA: Voting machines safe for now (?)

Voting machines safe for now

December 28, 2005

By GREG MOBERLY, Times-Herald staff writer and JULIET WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer

Solano County leaders could breathe a sigh of relief Tuesday when the state announced it would not decertify voting machines used here.

If the state had gone forward with its threat to decertify the Election Systems and Software used in Solano and in 10 other California counties, it likely would have meant Solano would have to replace its voting machines for the second time in nearly two years.

But after threatening potential decertification of the ES&S voting machine company, a Secretary of State's office spokeswoman said Tuesday the state was satisfied the company would make necessary improvements.

Specifically, in a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Assistant Secretary of State for Elections Bradley J. Clark warned he'd start the process of decertifying ES&S machines for use in California if senior officials didn't address concerns with vote counts and verification, problems that surfaced during the state's Nov. 8 special election. The concerns needed to be dealt with immediately, the letter said.

snip

http://timesheraldonline.com/ci_3349909


Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x406815

[Wilms]

2. NYC: Resolution Urging the State BoE to Certify Precinct Based/OpScan

Res. No. 1301

Resolution urging the New York State Board of Elections to promptly certify precinct based/optical scan voting systems for procurement by the local Boards of Elections and urging the New York City Board of Elections to select a PB/OS system as the new voting technology for the City of New York.

By Council Members Perkins, Barron, Jackson and Monserrate

Whereas, Honest, observable, and easily-verified public elections constitute the foundation of representative democracy; and

Whereas, Public confidence in the outcome of elections depends on voting technology that is reliable, secure, and easy to use; and

Whereas, The federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) was intended as a response to the concerns that surrounded the outcome of the Presidential Election of 2000; and

Whereas, HAVA requires states to modernize elections and undertake measures to increase voter participation; and

Whereas, New York State enacted the Election Reform and Modernization Act (ERMA) in order to comply with HAVA; and

Whereas, ERMA requires local Boards of Elections to select new voting technology to replace the mechanical lever machines which are currently used throughout the state; and

Whereas, Under ERMA, local boards may select either a Precinct Based/Optical Scan (PB/OS) voting system or a Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting system; and

Whereas, Under ERMA, the New York State Board of Elections has the responsibility for certification of the various models that will be available to the local boards; and

Whereas, The deadline for HAVA compliance is the first federal election of 2006, next September; and

Whereas, The New York City Board of Elections must work diligently to select and begin planning immediately to make a transition to the use of a new voting technology; and

Whereas, Voter and public confidence would be strengthened by the use of paper ballots which are marked directly by voters, as easily as a lottery ticket, whether manually by a pen or by use of accessible ballot-marking devices by disabled voters or those for whom English is not their primary language; and

Whereas, Paper ballots can be securely stored and handled, and enable election observers to meaningfully witness election procedures and vote-counting and thereby detect, prevent, and correct errors or tampering; and

Whereas, Paper ballots facilitate easy and observable recounts; and

Whereas, Optical scanners in the polling site would detect errors in ballot-marking such as overvotes, undervotes, and stray marks, and enable voters to correct such errors before their ballot is cast; and

Whereas, Optical scanners have proven their reliability by being successfully used in elections nationwide for over thirty years and are currently used by thirty-five percent of American voters in use in forty-six percent of American jurisdictions; and

Whereas, Optical scanners have been successfully programmed, operated, and maintained by public employees in New York State in agencies such as the Division of the Lottery, the New York State Education Department and the Department of Motor Vehicles, as well as by our county Boards of Elections in all boroughs of the City of New York for use in counting absentee ballots; and

Whereas, Public employees should perform all work related to the conduct of elections; and

Whereas, Optical scanners can easily be programmed by bipartisan, technical staff at the New York City Board of Elections without the need for ongoing involvement of vendors; and

Whereas, DRE’s do not lend themselves to complete public control as vendors typically retain an interest in the hardware, soft ware or source-code of such technologies; and

Whereas, Precinct-based optical scanners will be significantly less expensive than DRE systems; and

Whereas, The difference in costs relate to how many units would be required and initial purchase costs; transition costs of altering storage facilities, revision of training materials and procedures, training of voters and poll-workers; continuing costs of storage, transportation, logic and accuracy testing, and dealing with lawsuits of the type that electronic voting has engendered in other jurisdictions; as well as replacement costs, since optical scanner equipment is less delicate than electronic voting equipment and has a longer lifespan; and

Whereas Precinct-based optical scanners can provide the advantages of quick election-day results and accessibility without the risks associated with electronic voting; and

Whereas, Voter and public confidence would be lowered by the use of electronic ballots which are recorded in a way that no voter or observer can actually witness; and

Whereas, DRE voting systems make errors and tampering difficult, if not impossible to detect, prevent, or correct; and

Whereas, Computer security is notoriously difficult to achieve; and

Whereas, The use of wireless communications capability would open an electronic ballot box to tampering by anyone in the world; and

Whereas, Other jurisdictions have experienced severe problems with electronic voting systems which have depressed voter confidence and prompted lawsuits by candidates and voters as a result of the many irregularities experienced with such systems; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York urges the New York State Board of Elections to promptly certify precinct based/optical scan voting systems for procurement by the local Boards of Elections and urges the New York City Board of Elections to select a PB/OS system as the new voting technology for the City of New York.

http://webdocs.nyccouncil.info/textfiles/Res%201301-2005.htm?CFID=557179&CFTOKEN=59231373

Discussion
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x406826

[Wilms]

3. Doubtful Elections in George Bush's America

December 27, 2005

From the New Deal to the Dirty Deal

Doubtful Elections in George Bush's America

by Elizabeth Jordan and Oliver T. Dawshed

http://www.opednews.com

The present work discusses how to identify electoral fraud and estimate its scale. Reasons to believe it occurred in Florida in 2000 and, with less certainty, in 2004 are outlined. It should be noted, however, that statistical analysis on its own is not sufficient to prove fraud. Proof can only result from direct evidence gathered by a searching investigation. A political strategy must be combined with an analytic strategy to obtain that investigation.

A critical element of that strategy is to develop a genuinely impartial media. Even if it were shown that votes were not being stolen, media performance has been so defective that American elections cannot be said to be free and fair. Indeed, two former American presidents and several senior members of Congress have indicated that the elections of 2000 and 2004 were not.

How to steal an election

When election results come in, how can one know whether they are accurate or not? Computer voting may facilitate fraud, but even paper ballots can be corrupted, as the recent voting scandal in the UK illustrates. A decision to request a recount must often be made within hours of poll closing, based on limited information, and with supporting evidence strong enough to persuade a judge. Political variables often determine whether recounts are obtained: complaints that are not timely or that represent minor or accidental wrongs are often dismissed as sour grapes.

snip

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_elizabet_051227_from_the_new_deal_to.htm

Discussion
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x406765

[Wilms]

4. FL: Committee for Fair Elections Petitions- must be mailed by Friday

http://www.committeeforfairelections.com//content.jsp?content_KEY=372

Committee for Fair Elections
http://www.committeeforfairelections.com

Discussion
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x406822

[Wilms]

5. CA: Counties cast an anxious eye at Jan. 1 voting rules deadline

Counties cast an anxious eye at Jan. 1 voting rules deadline

By TIM MORAN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: December 23, 2005, 04:25:29 AM PST

County officials are scrambling to meet a fast-approaching deadline for federal regulations designed to assure voters their ballots are accurate and properly counted.

The task is complicated by the fact that federal and state regulators are trying to determine which voting machines should be certified for election use.

That leaves some county election officials unsure if the equipment they have already purchased will be allowed for upcoming elections.

snip

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/11621155p-12351734c.html

[Wilms]

6. CT: Locals Wait on Voting Machine Decisions

Monday, December 26, 2005

Locals Wait on Voting Machine Decisions

By Jennifer Connic

Less than one week remains before decisions need to be made under federal law regarding voting machines, and Westport officials are still waiting for word from the secretary of the state’s office.

In September, the federal government ruled the traditional lever machines do not comply with the Help America Vote Act, and ruled that they cannot be used in state elections.

Local officials attended demonstrations a month ago of the new, electronic machines, but they still have not heard which ones can be used in the election next fall.

“We haven’t heard anything yet,” said Nita Cohen, registrar of voters. “I don’t understand the hurry. There’s going to need to be a lot of education and money spent, and I we’re doing it in such a hurry.”

snip

http://www.westportnow.com/index.php?/v2/comments/12237/

[Wilms]

7. Few Get On Board Georgia's ID Plan

Few Get On Board Georgia's ID Plan

A bus is going into the corners of the state to issue photo cards so people can vote under the terms of a new law. Why few folks are signing up is a politically volatile issue.

By Ellen Barry, Times Staff Writer

LA FAYETTE, Ga. — On a cold, clear winter morning, a red-and-white school bus negotiated the winding road into this city of 6,700, tucked in the hills along the Tennessee border.

Kenneth Sherman pulled into a parking lot across from the county courthouse and prepared for another long, slow day.

Sherman's bus has been crisscrossing Georgia for four months as part of a state initiative to supply photo identification cards to people who do not have any. The journey has amazed him, he said, with the hints of an old-fashioned life that still exists outside the vortex of Atlanta.

He routinely meets people who have never needed to show a card to prove their identity and, in some cases, never received so much as a birth certificate. Occasionally, he will ask for a birth certificate and the client will give the name of a midwife.

"I'm awed by it," said Sherman, an examiner with the Department of Driver Services. "You're 60 years old — you've never done some of the simplest things we take for granted. You've never been on a plane."

snip

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-voterid26dec26,0,4180810.story?track=tothtml

[Wilms]

8. GA: Black lawmakers vow to repeal state's voter ID law

Wednesday, December 28 at 6:52 AM

Black lawmakers vow to repeal state's voter ID law

by The Associated Press

ATLANTA - At the end of a losing battle in the final days of last year's legislative session, State Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan burst into a rendition of "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around," one of the anthems of the civil rights' movement. She did it to protest the Legislature's passage of a law requiring voters to show a state-issued photo ID at the polls.

In the next session that will start Jan. 9, the 27-year-old black legislator says she will not be moved in the fight to turn back the measure.

"It's whatever it takes," said Morgan, D-Austell. "I'm putting on the armor. Nothing they can do will fix the bill. It's a bad law and it needs to be repealed. We're not going backwards."

snip

Momentum is building around the issue. In November, a U.S. Justice Department memo was leaked that revealed a team of federal lawyers and analysts were initially opposed to the Georgia law before it won the agency's approval. In October, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked enactment of the law, saying the law amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax and that it was not tailored narrowly enough to serve its stated purpose of preventing voter fraud.

snip

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=99508

[Wilms]

9. MO: Feds force new voting machines local officials say weren't needed

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Feds force new voting machines local officials say weren't needed

Thursday, December 22, 2005

By Mark Lile/Staff Writer

Saline County voters will see some new equipment when they go to the polls for state or general elections next year -- even though the county's chief election official says the system which has been is use works fine.

County Clerk Ken Bryant announced at Thursday's meeting of the county commissioners that he was proposing to spend $159,595 on new voting equipment including 20 electronic touch-screen units and the related training and software.

Bryant had expressed a reluctance last month to spend up to $189,400 which Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office had announced was available to Saline County for updating voting equipment under the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

snip

While the initial expense for the machines and software is paid for through federal moneys, Bryant also is concerned about ongoing related costs such as training of election judges and software updates or maintenance.

snip

http://www.marshallnews.com/story/1132514.html

Related Discussion
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x406649

[Wilms]

10. OH: Commi$$ioner$ OK Better Facilitie$ for New Voting Machine$

Commi$$ioner$ OK Better Facilitie$ for New Voting Machine$

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

By Kelli Young Repository STAFF WRITER

CANTON - $tark County i$ continuing it$ renovation$ to give it$ new voting machine$ a bigger and better home.

$nip

The election$ board ha$ been $eeking improvement$ to $tore and protect the new electronic voting machine$, which weigh more than punch-card machine$, have temperature limitation$, mu$t be handled more delicately and mu$t be charged and programmed before an election.

$tructural improvement$, rough electrical work, a fixed roof and ventilation $ystem already have been fini$hed at the garage, $aid county Admini$trator Jeff Dutton.

The next pha$e, e$timated to co$t $68,000, include$ painting, drywall and window$, Dutton $aid. In$talling $helving or buying cart$ to hold the machine$ and in$talling electrical outlet$ al$o need$ to be done, Dutton $aid.

$nip

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=260638&Category=9

[Wilms]

11. PA: Ex-Bucks officials stump for machines...with hard-copy record

December 27, 2005

Ex-Bucks officials stump for machines

They say county needs voting equipment with hard-copy record.

By Hal Marcovitz
Of The Morning Call

Seven former Bucks County commissioners have called on the current board to select voting machines that create a hard-copy record of electronic ballots.

The seven former officeholders have signed a letter calling for machines that create ''voter-verified paper ballots.'' Signing the letter were Republicans G. Roger Bowers, Walter Farley, Denver Lindley Jr. and Charles Meredith and Democrats Andrew Warren, Carl Fonash and Lucille Trench.

Commissioners expect to spend up to $10 million to buy new voting machines in early 2006. All machines under consideration by the commissioners are electronic.

For months, the citizens group Bucks County Coalition for Voting Integrity has been pressuring the commissioners to select machines that create a paper record of votes. The group's leaders have suggested that in the event of a machine malfunction, electronically cast votes can disappear.

snip

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/quakertown/all-b1_2machinesdec27,0,3399090.story?coll=all-newslocalquakertown-hed

[Wilms]

12. UT: Disabled voters speak up

Disabled voters speak up

By Jared Page
Deseret Morning News

Legislation proposing changes to the Utah election code is written in such a way that it disenfranchises voters with disabilities, a proponent of disabled Utahns' rights said.

Liz McCoy, an advocate with the Disability Law Center, says the Salt Lake City-based nonprofit organization supports the concept of early voting and common polling places — but not the present form of the proposed legislation sponsored by Rep. Douglas C. Aagard, R-Kaysville.

"We definitely see that there can be benefits if the law is written well and if it's written appropriately," McCoy said. "But we have some concerns about the legislation and the way it's written."

The DLC is requesting additions to the legislation to clarify or modify the location and definition of common polling places and to alter requirements of voter identification and polling-judge training for early voting.

snip

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635171794,00.html

[Wilms]

13. NH: (Convicted) Former GOP official seeks new trial

(Convicted) Former GOP official seeks new trial

December 28, 2005

CONCORD, N.H. --A former national Republican Party official convicted in a phone-jamming plot against Democrats in New Hampshire is seeking a new trial.

James Tobin of Bangor, Maine, filed a motion on Dec. 21 seeking a new trial and to overturn the jury's guilty verdict. The documents filed in federal court in Concord do not include Tobin's arguments for a new trial. They are expected to be filed within a month.

Tobin faces up to seven years in prison for telephone harassment.

snip

State Democrats are pursuing a civil lawsuit, which they hope will expose knowledge or approval of the scheme by GOP officials higher than Tobin.

snip

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2005/12/28/former_gop_official_seeks_new_trial/

[Wilms]

14. Judge: Set date for N.O. elections

December 28, 2005

Judge: Set date for N.O. elections

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge on Tuesday urged state officials to quickly set a date for postponed elections that would decide the next mayor for this hurricane-battered city.

The destruction of polling stations, dispersal of election day workers and the difficulties of contacting tens of thousands of evacuees prompted state and local elections officials to call off a mayoral primary set for Feb. 4.

At a hearing on a lawsuit challenging the decision to postpone the elections, U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle said voting is an essential part of democracy and that elections would give New Orleanians "a sense of normalcy."
"I don't want to take over the elections in this state," Lemelle said, adding that if state and federal officials "fail to act ... I may be forced to."

snip

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051228/NEWS0110/512280381

[Wilms]

15. CO: Voting comment period extended

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Voting comment period extended

By RICHARD VALENTY Colorado Daily Staff Writer

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 9:57 PM MST

Boulder County extended a deadline Wednesday for public comment on the process to select new voting equipment for the 2006 election, giving citizens until Jan. 4 at noon.

snip

A number of local voting activists and representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) complained that the period for comment was not only brief, but also fell in the middle of the holiday season when many people would prefer to spend time with family and/or friends.

Judd Golden, chair of the ACLU Boulder County chapter, said he barely noticed a recent article in a local publication announcing the Dec. 28 deadline.

snip

http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2005/12/29/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt

[Wilms]

16. UT: Counting on Diebold

December 29, 2005

Counting on Diebold

The provider of Utah’s new voting machines faces allegations of bad security.

by Ted McDonough

snip

Elliott said Summit officials dragged their feet as long as they could to investigate Diebold but in the end determined the county couldn’t turn down the state’s offer to purchase the machines. Utah counties were given a September deadline to sign up with Diebold, at state expense, or go off on their own. States, in turn, face a Jan. 1 deadline to tell the feds their voting machines are reliable.

Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch said he voted for Diebold despite unresolved concerns because Herbert’s office “put a gun to our head and said, ‘Take it.’”

snip

http://www.slweekly.com/editorial/2005/politics_2005-12-29.cfm


Discussion
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x406820

[GuvWurld]

17. Great Job Wilms. K&R #5

[Algorem]

18. "Ghosts in the Voting Machines"

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2452/

By Joel Bleifuss


Concerned about reports of election fraud and vote suppression in the 2004 election, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, to examine the allegations. In September, the GAO released a report that found electronic voting systems "have caused local problems in federal elections--resulting in the loss or miscount of votes." In the 2004 general election, about 64 percent of voters cast ballots on one of two types of electronic voting systems: optical scan systems, which read marked paper ballots, and direct recording electronic systems (DRE), which have a touchscreen that voters use to make their choice.

The GAO highlights one major problem with electronic voting systems: They can be hacked because of woefully inadequate security systems.

The report notes, "Regarding key software components, several evaluations demonstrated that election management systems did not encrypt the data files containing cast votes (to protect them from being viewed or modified). ...If exploited, these weaknesses could damage the integrity of ballots, votes and voting system software by allowing unauthorized modifications."

The report goes on to say that flaws in electronic voting security protections "could allow unauthorized personnel to disrupt operations or modify data and programs that are critical to the accuracy and the integrity of the voting process."...

[MelissaB]

19. Jon Stewart skit on Diebold and e-voting

Thanks to kster here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x406856