Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News.4.10.06 From Italy to New Hampshire

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Why is this man smiling?

He’s *’s best friend in Europe, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi
and he defied exit polls to split the electorate in Italy when he looked
sure to lose. Isn’t life grand.

…in other news

He’s not smiling. He’s James Topin, convicted of disrupting the NH2002 election.
He’s a Taurus, he likes biking, and he’ll be bunking with “Fast Eddy”at a Federal Pen soon..

NH Phone-Jamming Records Point to White House

“James Tobin, who recently was convicted in the case, made two dozen calls to the
White House within a three-day period around Election Day 2002

Never forget the pursuit of Truth.
Only the deluded & complicit accept election results on blind faith.

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News April 11, 2006

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

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

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.
2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233
3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.
4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.
Please

"Recommend"

for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

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1. Godeon: Can you stand the truth…are you sure…2006 Electoral Train Wreck!!

It’s a must read. There are problems that the HAVA folks have created that simply cannot be fixed by 2006, short of divine intervention and I hear the Deity is fed up with our selfish and profligate ways of late, so not much hope there. John Gideon wrote a great article. Thank you.


E-Voting 2006: The Approaching Train Wreck
Tuesday, 11 April 2006, 12:30 pm
Opinion: John Gideon

OUR ELECTIONS ARE NOW OFFICIALLY 'A NATIONAL DISASTER IN THE MAKING'

By John Gideon, VotersUnite.Org and VoteTrustUSA.Org
From: http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002673.htm

Normally this space is taken with my ideas of what are the "Top 5" voting news stories for the week. Today I am going to use this space to talk about what I see as the beginning of a disaster in the making with our elections. This isn't the election fraud that some point to when they talk about the vendors and some elections officials. It's not about recounts or audits. This is a real, get your hands around it, happening problem that will disrupt our election process if we do not do something about it now. While we have been involved in all of our issues about Direct Recording Electronic (DRE or "touch-screen") voting machines or paper ballots the electronic voting machine vendors have been wreaking complete havoc across the country.

So far this year two states have conducted primary elections. In Texas there is at least one candidate who has stepped forward and has challenged the election because of anomalies in vote counts and known voting machine failures. One county's machines counted some votes up to 6 times which resulted in approximately 100,000 more votes being counted than were cast. Though the vendor, Hart Intercivic, initially blamed the problem on human error, they finally had to admit that it was a programming error and not poll workers or voters who had erred. In Illinois some county officials are threatening to withhold final payment of funds on contracts with Sequoia Voting Systems because of failures with their machines that ended with results in the primary not being known for over a week after the voters went to the polls. In both states the involved vendors were very successful in the media with deflecting the blame from their machines to "human errors" or "glitches". However, when you listen to people who were there and who saw and worked through the problems you get a very different picture...

As these primaries were being conducted Summit County Ohio announced that over 70% of the memory cards for their precinct based optical-scan machines would not work. The vendor, ES&S, announced that their memory card contractor had made mistakes on some cards and they would be replaced. Memory cards for electronic voting machines store vote tabulations amongst other things.

Apparently ES&S does not consider 'Quality Control' to be a worthwhile corporate value because they never bothered to check those cards. They replaced the bad cards and 20% of those cards failed. Now, this week, the newest batch of cards were delivered after being tested twice by ES&S. They were tested by the county who found that 4% of those cards failed. In the meantime all 1000 memory cards delivered to the state of North Carolina were replaced because of a large percentage of failures. There is no report, yet, of how many of the 1000 memory cards are bad and will need replacement except that local counties still have not received their cards.

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2. NH: Election 2002 – Phone jamming the Democrats—Calling the WH in process

Oops, this isn’t as hard to explain as Jeff Gannon making 200 visits to the WH but it sure looks lousy. It’s the type of story CM loves to cover because it’s never ending and involves a trial. What will the WH say, who was he talking to?

Phone-Jamming Records Point to White House

By LARRY MARGASAK

The Associated Press
WASHINGTON —

Republican officials describe the two-dozen calls to the White House around Election Day 2002 as normal conversations about a close Senate race in New Hampshire.

Democrats have suggested in a court filing that another subject was discussed: a GOP scheme that jammed phone lines to keep state Democrats from being encouraged to vote.

The phone-jamming operation has led to three federal convictions and a pending indictment. Prosecutors have not raised questions in court about the White House conversations _ but records of the calls were available to them as criminal court exhibits.

The records show that Republican campaign operative James Tobin, who recently was convicted in the case, made two dozen calls to the White House within a three-day period around Election Day 2002 _ as the jamming operation was finalized, carried out and then abruptly shut down.

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3. NH: Rep. Party Paying Legal Bills for Those Charged with Election Fraud

OK stop your griping. They asked this guy to pull, I mean do a job for them. Tobin did the job and “got results.” The rest is history. Are the Republicans supposed to stiff their sand up guy over a few Franklins for the mouthpiece, er…lawyer. Fugedaoboudid.

GOP Paying Legal Bills of Bush Official
Republicans Paying Legal Bills of Bush Campaign Official Accused of Voter Suppression

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1027860&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
By JOHN SOLOMON

WASHINGTON Aug 11, 2005 (AP)— Despite a zero-tolerance policy on tampering with voters, the Republican Party has quietly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide private defense lawyers for a former Bush campaign official charged with conspiring to keep Democrats from voting in New Hampshire.

James Tobin, the president's 2004 campaign chairman for New England, is charged in New Hampshire federal court with four felonies accusing him of conspiring with a state GOP official and a GOP consultant in Virginia to jam Democratic and labor union get-out-the-vote phone banks in November 2002.

A telephone firm was paid to make repeated hang-up phone calls to overwhelm the phone banks in New Hampshire and prevent them from getting Democratic voters to the polls on Election Day 2002, prosecutors allege. Republican John Sununu won a close race that day to be New Hampshire's newest senator.

At the time, Tobin was the RNC's New England regional director, before moving to President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.

<snip>

"The object of the

conspiracy

was to deprive inhabitants of New Hampshire and more particularly qualified voters … of their federally secured right to vote," states the latest indictment issued by a federal grand jury on May 18.

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4. NH: Democrats Court Challenge in NH Over 2002 Senate Campaign Dirty Tricks

Let’s see: there was phone jamming – telemarketers robocalling Jeanne Shaheen’s Senate campaign office (Democrat); this hurt her campaign significantly; John Sununu’s son won as a Republican; the Republicans are convicted of cheating. DOES THIS MEAN SHAHEEN GETS A NEW ELECTION? DOES SUNUNUHAVE TO QUIT?



PAPER CHASE NEWSBURST
Serious law. Primary sources. Global perspective.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Democrats going to court for GOP answers on New Hampshire phone jamming

Katerina Ossenova at 7:31 PM ET


Democrats will ask a federal judge Tuesday to order Republican Party and White House officials to answer questions in response to a civil lawsuit alleging voter fraud committed during the 2002 New Hampshire phone jamming plot . During the trial of James Tobin , President Bush's 2004 campaign chairman for New England who was convicted of two counts related to telephone harassment for his role in the plan to jam Democrats' phone lines during a get-out-the-vote drive, the US Justice Department used exhibits to show that the leaders in the plot had regular contact with the White House and the Republican Party as the plan progressed. An analysis of the phone records used in Tobin's criminal trial show that he made 115 outgoing calls to the same White House political affairs office during the three day period around Election Day 2002. The Republican National Committee, which spent over $722,000 on lawyers to defend Tobin, said he had committed no crime.

Several key figures in the scheme to jam the phone lines have already received prison time. Allen Raymond, former president of Republican consulting group GOP Marketplace, has received a five month sentence for his role in a plot and Chuck McGee, the former executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party , was sentenced to seven months in prison and $2,000 in fines. McGee admitted that he had paid a Virginia telemarketing company more than $15,000 in a scheme to jam Democratic Party phone lines with computer-generated calls. The election concerned was a off-term Senate race between Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican John Sununu , who won with 51 percent of the vote. AP has more.

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5. Italy: Berlusconi (* pal) Defies Exit Polls and Clings to Power

Good thing for him because if he leaves Italy for certain European countries, he’ll get arrested for illegal business practices. He was behind 4% in the exit’s but rallied,, “against all odds.” What a “coincidence” if you get my drift.

Italy Heads Toward Split in Parliament

By ALESSANDRA RIZZO
Associated Press Writer
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-italy-election,0,662855,print.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

April 10, 2006, 11:31 PM EDT

ROME -- Italy's parliament headed toward an unprecedented split on Tuesday between Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservative coalition and one led by his center-left rival -- the result of a national vote that could stall the formation of a new government.

Final results in the two-day vote ending Monday showed Romano Prodi's center-left coalition gaining control in the lower house of parliament, with 49.8 percent of the vote compared to 49.7 won by Berlusconi's conservatives. The winning coalition is automatically awarded 55 percent of the seats.

According to the results, Berlusconi's center-right coalition held a one-seat lead in the Senate; six seats elected abroad were still to be counted, but if the lead stands, the split could usher in a new period of political instability for Italy.

"Until the very end we were left in suspense, but in the end victory has arrived," a jubilant Prodi told supporters.

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6. Italy: Right Wing Italian President (*Bot) Trails by 5%-That Means He Wins

We know how this works. Berlusconi owns a considerable share of Italian media, he’s very wealthy, and a pal of the * regime. He’s also under indictment in parts of Europe for illegal business dealings and cannot travel freely. 5% for someone like, that – he’ll take it in a “squeaker.” If I’m wrong, I’m happy.

Well, lets say I was right. Berlusconi defied a 4% deficit in the exit polls to cling to som form of power. Surprising isn’t it?;)


April 9, 2006
Italy Begins Voting on the Fate of Berlusconi
By IAN FISHER
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/world/europe/09cnd-italy.html

ROME, May 9 — Italy began voting today for 945 members of its Parliament, but as has been the case here for years, the day was about one man alone: Silvio Berlusconi.

This time, in two days of voting, the issue is simply whether Mr. Berlusconi, the quirky dominating force in Italian politics, business and media, will keep his job as prime minister. Anything is possible, but after five years in office, a bad economy and a shrill campaign, Mr. Berlusconi did not seem to be basking in the voters' warm glow on this gorgeous spring day.

"Frankly, he has some character problems," said Domenico Calia, 41, an airplane salesman in Rome who voted for Mr. Berlusconi in 2001 but could not bring himself to do so again today. "A very insecure man, and it shows."

Polls have consistently shown Mr. Berlusconi, 69, trailing as much as 5 percentage points behind his center-left opponent, Romano Prodi, a technocratic former prime minister

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7. FL: BradBlog has More Bad News for Ms. Coulter-“Oh, Brad,say it’s not so

TUESDAY EXCLUSIVE: More on Ann Coulter's Florida Voting Fraud!

Read this if you're not up to date on the story so far. More coming on Tuesday...
http://www.bradblog.com/ Check in at BradBlogt today for developents.

In the meantime, we're happy to point to Clint Curtis' recent statement lauding Palm Beach County Florida Supervisor of Elections Arthur Anderson for taking action so far in this matter. Said Curtis, noting the irony of it all, "many Floridians...still recall Ms. Coulter calling our elderly voters 'hapless' and our statutory recount process 'a subterfuge for fraud, error and outright theft' during the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election."

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8. FL: Dem Candidate Clinton Curtis (election hero) nails Coulter on his blog

This is the Clint Curtis blog for his campaign against Tom Feeney. This one’s for real. Curtis called foul when he reported that Yang Enterprises, Feeney was closely connected then, had asked him to develop a vote flipping software program. Well Clint blew the whistle at considerable risk and has become an activist for election integrity. Now he’s taking it to Feeney and running against him for Congress. God please, I’ll say my prayers, etc. etc., just let Clint win this one.

Clint Curtis Responds to Ann Coulter's Alleged Vote Fraud Felony
http://clint-curtis.blogspot.com/2006/03/clint-curtis-responds-to-ann-coulters.html

This is the Clint Curtis blog for his campaign against Tom Feeney. This one’s for real.
Titusville, FL, Florida 24th District – Clint Curtis, Congressional candidate and election fraud whistleblower, expressed his approval today of Palm Beach County election officials’ decision to investigate and take possible legal action against GOP columnist/author Ann Coulter after allegations that she committed voter fraud in Florida last month.

The Palm Beach Post reported that Ms. Coulter has been given 30-days notice to explain why she registered to vote at an address that was not her place of residence and then voted in that precinct, even after being told of the discrepancy. If true, such a blatant violation of the rule of law would be a felony charge in the state of Florida, punishable by up to three years in jail.

In reaction to the investigation, Mr. Curtis expressed hope that “this may be a sign that more citizens and election officials are treating our sacred election processes with the seriousness it deserves.”

Mr. Curtis noted the irony of “many Floridians who still recall Ms. Coulter calling our elderly voters ‘hapless’ and our statutory recount process ‘a subterfuge for fraud, error and outright theft’ during the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election” – but he was quick to add that her political views were irrelevant to “the message being sent that everyone’s right to vote is equal, as is their responsibility to play by the rules.”

WARNING * WARNING * WARNING *

WARNING * WARNING * WARNING *

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9. GA: DOJ Approval of VoterID by Guy Who Blogged Anonymously Against It

We call that a “conflict of interest” in most cases and always when the conflict is not disclosed (as in this case) by the person passing judgment with a potential conflict. His name is Hans von Spakovsky and he’s a noted right wing opponent of election integrity as we define it. Priceless.

ajc.com > Metro

Voter ID ruling bias charged
U.S. lawyer helped OK Ga.'s law

By CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/11/06

A Bush appointee from Georgia who played a role in upholding the state's controversial photo voter ID requirement held an inappropriate — and secretive — bias in favor of the law, a voting rights group fighting the measure contends.

Further, the group says the U.S. Department of Justice should take steps to make sure the views of Hans von Spakovsky, a former lawyer for the department, do not influence pending consideration of a new voter ID requirement passed by the Georgia Legislature this year.

According to an April 7 letter sent by the ACLU Voting Rights Project to the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, von Spakovsky wrote an article last spring under the anonymous name "Publius" in the Texas Review of Law & Politics. At the time he allegedly wrote "Securing the Integrity of American Elections: The Need for Change," von Spakovsky was counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights and participated in the review of Georgia's voter ID law.

The article appeared before the Department of Justice approved House Bill 244, a law passed by the Georgia General Assembly in 2005 that requires voters to present government-issued photo identification at the polls. The ACLU, League of Women Voters and other groups sued to block the law, arguing it could suppress minority voting participation. A federal judge temporarily halted enforcement in October.

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10. Nigeria: Nigerian Governor Defines Dignity & Importance of Politics

Wouldn’t it be nice if we heard some of this around here before 2006. Do not hold your breath.


LG polls: Egwu warns aspirants against thuggery
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/east/se211042006.htm
By Eric Ugbor
Posted to the Web: Tuesday, April 11, 2006

ABAKALIKI—Governor Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State has warned that any aspirant for the forthcoming local government polls in the state who indulges in thuggery or intimidation of political opponents will be disqualified from contesting the election scheduled to hold on April 29, 2006.

He also advised local government chairmen who performed below expectation, as well as those who have been in office since 1999 not to bother picking the parties nomination form as they may not be allowed to recontest.

The governor who was addressing a PDP stakeholders meeting on the local government polls, Sunday, made it clear that nobody has been adopted or endorsed as a government candidate for any position in the coming elections.

He advised politicians not to see politics as a do-or-die affair, but as an opportunity to serve the people, stressing that his administration is determined to make the people imbibe the culture of tolerance and love for one another.

[Kurovski]

11. OMG! Did Diebold steal the last "e" in "New Hampshire"?

K&R.

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12. Happy now!!!!! :arg:

:rofl:

:hi:

[Kurovski]

13. NO! Now you ruined my stupid joke!

:hi: :D

Thanks for burning the midnight oil, Mr. autorank!

[PATRICK]

14. Worldwide gains in e-voting

Despite better safeguards than we are allowed here it seems the same salesmanship and same suppressed knowledge of inherent dangers this technology is making great strides in many many places. Bahrain hosted an e-voting forum and comes up with twelve shiny positive planks for itself and Sudan, Jordan etc.

Is there anyway to get to people in areas we have not been successful in here such as law enforcement, the law, or do we have the unenviable task of trying to build more grass roots activism among people with less technological background who have less apparent fraud than we do and have to go uphill against the beneficent rulers and dazzled leadership including media who have absolutely no idea of the ultimate dangers? Do any of them have a clue about E-voting Fraud 101? I think most honestly trust themselves and their checks and critiques to fine tune this slick new system and so they march on slowly then jump into such things as Internet voting with not a worry in the world. Ironically the people in many nations used to paper need a lot more preparation to accept the machines, so ignorance is a temporary plus.

Is there any communication with the rest of the world? We barely can get through to our own party and occasional caveats or scandals reported in world news at most is only slowing down the inevitable. Even national security seems to fall off the radar. Hey people, the US can slip in and tamper with your systems invisibly, the potential so powerful it cannot be resisted. But no, I am sure all you get is polite stares or brushoffs from even the most incorruptible national leaders.

In Italy the experiment shows that the secret complex software(for security) is favored by the government(which just fell) and another option is open source simplicity and transparency. Such a modest choice, so much at stake, so similar to what is happening here.