Election Reform, Fraud and Related News Thursday July 13 2006

[EFerrari]

Election Reform, Fraud, and Related News Thursday July 13 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

[EFerrari]

1. GA: Photo ID law suffers 2 setbacks

Photo ID law suffers 2 setbacks
Georgia voters will face less strict requirements

By SONJI JACOBS , CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/13/06

Georgia's voter photo ID law suffered two major setbacks in two courtrooms Wednesday.

The federal and state legal blows mean voters will not be required to show one of only six forms of government-issued photo identification when they go to the polls in Tuesday's primaries.
election

And they may not have to abide by the new law in the November general election.

U.S. District Court Judge Harold Murphy, after a hearing in Rome that lasted more than five hours, ruled that Georgia's photo voter ID law appeared to violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment guarantee of the right to petition the government for redress of grievances, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law and due process.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/0713metvoterid.html

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2. AR:Election problems vendor’s fault, head of commission says

Election problems vendor’s fault, head of commission says
By Christina Verderosa

Arkansas County Election Commission chair Janie Long told the Quorum Court Tuesday that she is generally satisfied with the way the May primary and June run-off went. However, that opinion does not extend to her dealings with Elections Systems and Software (ES&S), the Omaha-based company that sells and services the electronic voting machines.

On the positive side, Long reported that all the election sites were open and the machines were working, although at some sites, the machines were not all turned on because of the low turnout. However, vote counting was slow, Long acknowledged. She said this was mostly due to the people doing the counts being very “thorough.”

“I really think we did pretty good,” Long said.

However, Long did not think ES&S did a particularly good job. “I did not give them a very good report,” Long said.

http://www.dewitt-ee.com/articles/2006/07/12/news/news02.txt

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3. CA: Group says San Diego County ignoring election laws

Group says San Diego County ignoring election laws, giving different figures for hand count

RAW STORY
Published: Wednesday July 12, 2006


According to voting rights activists, the office of San Diego County Registrar of Voters has publicly released three separate quotes for hand counting the ballots in the U.S. House special election in California's 50th Congressional District.

A California voter last week filed paperwork requesting a hand count, after it was reported that Diebold evoting machines used in the county had gone home with poll workers over night, where they were stored in garages and cars. Registrar Mikel Haas has admitted this would violate state laws regarding chain of custody.

The Registrar has so far not provided Jacobson with the chain of custody logs, as required by law. Haas also reportedly ignored Jacobson's earlier Public Records Request for the results of the mandatory 1 percent random audit.

In addition, Waas concedes that security seals were not placed on every machine.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Group_says_San_Diego_County_ignoring_0712.html

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4. CO: New machines allow people with disabilities to vote more easily

Opening new doors
New machines allow people with disabilities to vote more easily

By Dominic Graziano, Craig Daily Press writer
Thursday, July 13, 2006

For her entire adult life, Evelyn Tileston has relied on others to cast her ballot.

Her husband, Gordon, votes for her, but once, when Evelyn and Gordon didn't agree on a ballot item, she had someone else vote for her.

Evelyn was born partially blind, and she has never been able to vote independently, Gordon said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Evelyn got to test Moffat County's new voting machines, which have an option for users to listen to audio prompts.

http://www.craigdailypress.com/section/frontpage_lead/story/22656

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5. FL: Poll workers trained to avoid another debacle

Poll workers trained to avoid another debacle
By Suzi Hosfeld 07/12/2006

Everyone can remember the debacle of the 2000 election, with its hanging chads, pregnant chads and miscalculated ballots, but does anyone really understand what precautions Florida's government has taken to, hopefully, keep Florida from again being the butt of Jay Leno jokes?

One of the state's first and largest changes has been to add iVotronic touch-screen voting machines that use a direct-recording electronic touch screen to display ballots and record votes. they do not require paper ballots. Instead, poll workers activate terminals.

Poll workers now have to be trained in the process and be sworn to administer the election fairly and in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida. There was a time when poll workers were just picked off the street to "help out." Many of them left the polling site and then came back.

Now, poll workers have to be trained in classes before each election. These classes can be up to four hours long. Poll workers must be registered to vote in Collier County, able to stand for long periods of time and work a 14-hour day. The new touch screen voting machine can weigh up to 50 pounds, and poll workers must be able to lift, move and assemble this machine. There are six main positions at each precinct. The Clerk manages the precinct, conducts meetings with the assigned poll workers and ensures that the voter is processed efficiently and in compliance with Florida election laws. In layman's terms, the Clerk is pretty much the boss.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16913690&BRD=2605&PAG=461&dept_id=523946&rfi=6

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6. KS: Thornburgh says reduction in polling sites won't hurt access

Thornburgh says reduction in polling sites won't hurt access

By Sarah Kessinger
Harris News Service
Waddell Reed

[e-mail]

TOPEKA - Kansans will have fewer places to cast their ballots in upcoming elections than they did a few years ago.

But Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh said access remains adequate. The reduction in polling sites coincides with easier access to advanced voting for Kansans who want to send their ballots by mail or drop them off at most county clerk offices before Election Day.

Advance voting begins today and runs through the end of the month prior to the Aug. 1 primary. Voters will select party candidates for the November general election and in some cases vote on local government questions.

The reduction is polling sites is not new to the state. In the year 2000, there were 2,400 polls. By 2002, that was down to 2,200. This year, there are just under 2,000.

http://www.hutchnews.com/news/regional/stories/polls071306.shtml

[Kurovski]

19. LOL!

Are they passing those out to voters? Are you trying to be the first ERD to be locked? :D

All in all, that toy is a definite turn-off, but a really excellent statement on the Republican Party today.

Thanks for today's thread, sfexpat2000!

[EFerrari]

23. I wondered about that. It's a tribute to The Daily Show 7/12.

:)

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7. KY: County to wait on new voting machines

County to wait on new voting machines
By Ronica Shannon
Register News Writer

Madison Fiscal Court decided not to pursue gathering proposals for new voting machines after hearing a presentation from Joe Harp of Harp Enterprises of Lexington.

The state Board of Elections asked that the county bid out for all new machines, using just one system rather than the old system, plus the new system, said Madison County Clerk Billy Gabbard.

“The cost would be over $125,000 and we asked the court if they would like to entertain the idea of getting the proposal just to see what it would cost,” Gabbard said. “At this time, they would just rather wait and go through the November election and get that over with. Then, they will try to work on it the first of the year.”

The county, along with all counties in the state, will eventually be required to convert to all new voting machines that are smaller and weight less.
http://www.richmondregister.com/localnews/local_story_194082716.html?keyword=topstory

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8. MI: Warren devices to aid disabled voters

Warren devices to aid disabled voters

Federally funded machines will be tried out today

July 13, 2006


BY DAN CORTEZ
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Barb Thornton was the first visitor Wednesday to the Warren Voting Fair.

Thornton, 63, is a regular voter, but in the past has cast absentee ballots because she needs a motorized scooter to get around. She was pleased to see new machines that are specially tailored to meet the needs of disabled voters.

"I was curious about the new machines and I really do like them," Thornton, 63, said. "The main thing is that it's not confusing."

There are 97,000 registered voters in Warren, and while city clerk Richard Sulaka said it's impossible to estimate how many disabled voters will use the system, he believes more disabled voters who usually vote absentee will go to the polls.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/NEWS04/607130435/1006

[EFerrari]

9. MN: New voting machines to be demonstrated at County Fair

Slayton, Minnesota - Eighteen new voting machines have been delivered to Murray County to be used in the next election, according to Gary Spaeth, Murray County's Auditor.

These machines offer assistance to voters with disabilities who may have trouble with the normal voting procedure. Until now, voters who had vision, hearing or physical problems had to have an election judge mark their ballots for them. The new machine gives those voters the same privacy that others have. In addition, it provides language assistance to voters who are more comfortable speaking an alternative language or who have reading difficulties.

Federal money was allocated to purchase these machines under provisions in the Help America Vote act and the state was required to have them in place this year.

These new machines are built by a Omaha-based Electronics company and are called Automark. The Automark looks like a large printer with a screen and it sits on a table that's about the height of a chair or wheelchair. Voters insert their standard optically scanned ballot into the slot, and the AutoMark reads the ballot. Voters can use the touch screen to scroll through the options and make their selections. Then the AutoMark prints the selections onto the ballot, and the ballot is returned to the voter to be cast in the regular fashion. The voter can increase the size of the print, or use headphones to listen to the ballot being read to them. The Automark reviews the ballot and alerts the voter if they under-voted, by maybe selecting only one candidate when they could legally vote for two. The machine will also warn the voter if they over-voted -- say they selected three in a race that only allowed two. Then the voter can print out the ballot to be counted.

http://www.murraycountynews.net/default.asp?storyid=28190&secid=105

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10. NM: Dona Ana County elections supervisor fired

Dona Ana County elections supervisor fired

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 11, 2006

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - Dona Ana County's elections supervisor has been fired, though she has until Thursday to appeal the decision.

Mari Langford-Pavao was given a firing notice July 3, county spokesman Jess Williams said.

Langford-Pavao had been placed on administrative leave on June 26, almost two weeks after county commissioners criticized the county clerk's office for problems with the June 6 primary election.

It's unclear whether the election problems led to Langford-Pavao's firing. County officials have declined to comment on the details, saying it's a personnel matter.

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/46273.html

[EFerrari]

11. NY: Cash approved for elections switch

Cash approved for elections switch
Steinhaus veto of $780,000 is overridden


By Nik Bonopartis
Poughkeepsie Journal


The Dutchess County Legislature overrode County Executive William Steinhaus' veto of $780,000 to help centralize this year's elections under the county Board of Elections.

Under a new law, elections functions previously run by towns and cities must be centralized under the county. But Steinhaus said he vetoed the money to make that switch because he did not trust the two elections commissioners and called for them to resign.

In passing the vote late Tuesday night by a 20-5 margin, several legislators ex-pressed confidence in Commissioners David Gamache and Fran Knapp and said the money was necessary to ensure elections this year.

Majority Leader Noreen Reilly, R-Hyde Park, said her initial concerns about the feasibility of centralizing elections were addressed, and approving the cash was a necessary step.

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/NEWS01/607130356/1006

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12. NY: Ex-felons in New York closer to being able to vote

Voting rights and registration bill passes: Ex-felons in New York closer to being able to vote
by GLENN TOWNES
Special to the AmNews
Originally posted 7/12/2006

In a measure spearheaded by a number of groups and individuals, including Harlem Assemblyman Keith Wright and the Legal Action Center, the New York State Assembly unanimously passed the Voting Rights Notification and Registration Bill in Albany late last month. The move brings thousands of disenfranchised African-American men in New York one step closer to being able to vote again.

Glenn Martin, co-director of the National H.I.R.E Network in New York—a project of the Legal Action Center and co-sponsor of the bill—said the Assembly’s passage of the bill is a clear indication that members of the state legislature are committed to ensuring that individuals with felony convictions are provided with information and the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.

“It’s a major step for us in attempting to eliminate some of the many barriers that exist for New Yorkers with criminal convictions and to re-establish themselves in the community,” Martin said in an interview with the AmNews.

http://www.amsterdamnews.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=70931&sID=4

[EFerrari]

13. NC: More hearings planned in voting brouhaha

More hearings planned in voting brouhaha
By Gary D. Robertson
The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. - The State Board of Elections refused to affirm an 11-vote victory for a House Republican primary challenger, instead agreeing Wednesday to hold more hearings in Lenoir County next month to investigate possible voting irregularities.

The Lenoir County elections board in May ordered a new election in the race between Rep. Stephen LaRoque, R-Lenoir, and Willie Ray Starling.

Starling edged LaRoque 913-902 in the May 2 primary in a district that covers Greene County and parts of Lenoir and Wayne counties.

After hearing nearly two hours of arguments, the state board voted 3-2 to reject a motion to certify Starling as the winner. Now the board will travel to Kinston Aug. 7-8 to hear more testimony before making a decision.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/15026873.htm

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14. NC: Vance considers consolidating polling sites in city of Henderson

Vance considers consolidating polling sites in city of Henderson

By MATTHEW MILLIKEN, Daily Dispatch Writer

Vance County's election board chairman said Tuesday that he would like to consolidate polling sites within the city of Henderson.

James Kearney, the chairman, wants the board and its staff to explore the feasibility of combining precinct polling sites during next year's nonpartisan municipal elections. Henderson's mayor and eight council members are all elected to two-year terms that expire in December of odd-numbered years.

Kearney, speaking at the Board of Elections' regularly scheduled meeting this week, said that he was not interested in changing the precinct boundaries, merely in eliminating city polling sites that do not attract many voters.

He isn't interested in changing rural precincts or polling sites. Kearney figures that eliminating city polling places will not require affected voters to travel very far to cast ballots.

http://www.hendersondispatch.com/articles/2006/07/13/news/news01.txt

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15. RI: Carcieri vetoes bill that would have let teens register to vote

Jul 12, 1:44 PM EDT

Carcieri vetoes bill that would have let teens register to vote

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Gov. Don Carcieri vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have let 16- and 17-year-olds register to vote.

The bill, introduced by Edwin Pacheco, D-Burrillville, would have let teens "pre-register" to vote, with their registration automatically becoming active when they reach 18. Pacheco, 24, has said the bill was intended to help get young people involved in the political process.

Carcieri said he wants to encourage young people to vote, but letting teens register so far in advance would make it difficult for the Secretary of State to keep an accurate voter registry.

Some teens can still register, he noted.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RI_TEEN_VOTE_RIOL-?SITE=RIPRJ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[EFerrari]

16. TN: Longest Ballot in History Of State Means Long Lines

Longest Ballot in History Of State Means Long Lines On Election Day

July 12, 2006 10:43 AM

MEMPHIS - If you plan to vote on August 3rd you might want to bring along some reading materials, because you could be there a while. A monster ballot and unfamiliarity with new touch screen voting machines may slow the process down.

Election officials say do your homework. Know exactly who and what you are voting for before you head to the polls. Not only is this the largest ballot in Shelby County History, but the largest in the history of the state.

"There are 140 plus offices and 300 plus candidates so voters should come prepared with their decision already on paper, if you will," said Shelby County Election Commissioner, O.C. Pleasant.

For the first time voters in Shelby county will also be using touch screen machines during early and regular voting. Election officials say it could take voters who aren't prepared up to 15 minutes to cast a ballot.

http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?S=5141629

[EFerrari]

17. TN: State election law pushed to limit in August vote

State election law pushed to limit in August vote
July 13, 2006 05:51 AM
Election Ballot Concerns: Darrell Phillips

Shelby County election officials say most voters will only need around ten minutes to complete the massive August ballot. State law says taking more than ten minutes could get a voter thrown out of the polling place.

A little talked-about piece of Tennessee Election Law could play a big role in the weeks leading up to the massive Shelby County election in August.

It says "no voter who is voting without assistance may remain in a voting machine booth or occupy a voting compartment for more than five (5) minutes if other voters are waiting or more than ten (10) minutes in any event. "

"That is a serious concern, certainly it's a law and therefore we will follow it. However, we do realize that there are variables in this election that are unprecedented in the state of Tennessee," says Election Commissioner Rich Holden.

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=5144014

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18. TX: 'Super' polling places rejected (Collins Co)

'Super' polling places rejected
By KRYSTAL DE LOS SANTOS McKinney Courier-Gazette
(Created: Wednesday, July 12, 2006)

At the urging of the County Elections Administrator and both major political parties, Collin County commissioners rejected participating in a pilot program that could make voting easier for all Texans.

Both Coordinated Campaign Chair David Smith, speaking for the Democratic Party of Collin County, and Collin County Republican Party Chairwoman Kathy Ward asked the commissioners to abstain from consolidating 135 voting locations into 30 "super polling places," to allow voters to cast their ballots at any of the polls in Collin County on Election Day, much like they can during early voting.

"We support the recommendations of our county elections administrator not to proceed with this pilot program," Smith said. "It's a great concept, but we've gotten caught up in the implementation."

Last year, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 578, which orders the Texas Secretary of State to conduct a study of consolidating polling locations during the November 2006 general election into super polling places, to see if a new system would be more convenient for voters and increase election day turnout. The pilot would have allowed Collin County voters to cast their ballots without having to report to the precinct of their residence.

http://www.mckinneymessenger.com/articles/2006/07/12/mckinney_courier-gazette/news/news03.txt

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20. UT: Recount policy to be developed (wait for it -- )

Recount policy to be developed
Ballots: Officials say the process is also an endorsement for the new touch system
By Glen Warchol
The Salt Lake Tribune

The Lieutenant Governor's Office will develop a statewide policy for election recounts after all.

Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen had been asking state elections officials for nearly a year to come up with a statewide
policy for recounts as required by the federal Help America Vote Act.

But last week, Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert's chief of staff Joe Demma said state elections officials planned to leave recounts up to the discretion of Utah's 29 county clerks within "guidelines" set by the state.

Herbert has created a seven-person committee, Demma said Wednesday, including computer scientists, election officials, legislators and policy experts to propose a statewide policy for recounts and running random audits on the paper back-ups of election results.

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4044652

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21. WI: Cities unsure about voter registration software

Cities unsure about voter registration software
All say they could handle the election if Accenture system isn't ready
Chris Fleissner • Published 07/12/06

Madison, Wis. - In a perfect world, an electronic voter registration database would help safeguard Wisconsin against the controversial dilemma that Florida faced after the 2000 presidential election, but implementation of such a database across the state has proved problematic and deployment remains incomplete.

And the clock is ticking.

The Web-based, statewide voter registration system (SVRS) mandated by Section 303 of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 was supposed to be utilized in many Wisconsin cities during two busy forthcoming elections, but it appears to be working better in some than in others.

As the Wisconsin Elections Board works to mend the kinks in the SVRS project, missed deadlines, recurring delays and escalating costs have intensified criticisms leveled against Executive Director Kevin Kennedy and the contractor he hired to install the system, software developer Accenture.

http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=3138

[EFerrari]

22. WI: Town, village voters now required to register

Town, village voters now required to register

The Reporter Staff

Residents of all towns and villages in Fond du Lac County must register to vote in future elections.

Federal law mandates that all voters be registered. Citizens of the cities of Fond du Lac, Ripon and Waupun were required to register to vote in the past and will not need to re-register, but all other voters in the county were not previously required to register and must register.

If citizens of Fond du Lac County towns and villages have not filled out a voter registration form since Sept. 14, 2004, they must do so before voting.

http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/FON0101/607130506/1985

[EFerrari]

24. OpEdNews: A Chronology of Vote Theft and Corruption

July 13, 2006 at 07:05:52

A Chronology of Vote Theft and Corruption Post 2004; Post Script to "Invisible Ballots" documentary

Tell A Friend

by Joan Brunwasser

http://www.opednews.com

July 2006

To be read AFTER viewing "Invisible Ballots: A Temptation for Electronic Vote Fraud"

By Joan Brunwasser, Voting Integrity Editor, OpEdNews

So much has happened since the documentary "Invisible Ballots" was released in April 2004 that it's time to offer a companion piece to the film that brings viewers up to speed. In the coming months, developments will undoubtedly gain momentum, rendering this update obsolete. In the meantime, here are the highlights.

What Went Wrong In Ohio: The Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election. Academy Chicago Publishers, 2005.
Rep. John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, along with 11 Congressional colleagues, went to Ohio to gather sworn testimony regarding the 2004 election. "Witnesses included both Republicans and Democrats, elected officials, voting machine company employees, poll observers, and many voters who testified about the harassment they endured, some of which led to actual vote repression." http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/ohiostatusrept1505.pdf

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report , September 2005
This report essentially validated concerns originally brushed aside as coming from "sore losers" and "conspiracy theorists." The GAO is one of the few nonpartisan, incorruptible institutions left, and their indictment is extremely serious. However, the report received virtually no media coverage, except for on the web. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05956.pdf

According to Fitrakis and Wasserman, in "Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 election findings:"
This critical finding confirms that rigging the 2004 vote did not require a "widespread conspiracy" but rather the cooperation of a very small number of operatives with the power to tap into the networked machines and thus change large numbers of votes at will. With 800,000 votes cast on electronic machines in Ohio, flipping the number needed to give Bush 118,775 could be easily done by just one programmer.
http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1529

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_joan_bru_060713_post_script_to__22invi.htm

[mod mom]

31. excellent compilation!

[EFerrari]

25. Opinion: The Stolen Election of 2004 / Parenti

COMMENTARY:
The Stolen Election of 2004
The numbers simply do not add up
by MICHAEL PARENTI

The 2004 presidential contest between Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry and the Republican incumbent, President Bush Jr., amounted to another stolen election. This has been well documented by such investigators as Rep. John Conyers, Mark Crispin Miller, Bob Fitrakis, Harvey Wasserman, Bev Harris, and others. Here is an overview of what they have reported, along with observations of my own.

Some 105 million citizens voted in 2000, but in 2004 the turnout climbed to at least 122 million. Pre-election surveys indicated that among the record 16.8 million new voters Kerry was a heavy favorite, a fact that went largely unreported by the press. In addition, there were about two million progressives who had voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 who switched to Kerry in 2004.

Yet the official 2004 tallies showed Bush with 62 million votes, about 11.6 million more than he got in 2000. Meanwhile Kerry showed only eight million more votes than Gore received in 2000. To have achieved his remarkable 2004 tally, Bush would have needed to have kept all his 50.4 million from 2000, plus a majority of the new voters, plus a large share of the very liberal Nader defectors.

Nothing in the campaign and in the opinion polls suggest such a mass crossover. The numbers simply do not add up.

http://www.baltimorechronicle.com/2006/071306PARENTI.shtml

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26. FL: No. 2 election official resigns (Volusia Co)

Volusia County -- The No. 2 official in the Volusia County Department of Elections has resigned, Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall said Wednesday.

On Monday, Tim Augustine, who has worked as the chief operations officer since January 2005, told McFall he was leaving.

His resignation was effective immediately.

"He is resigning to pursue other interests," McFall said. "It was a mutually agreed-upon decision."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-mcfbriefs13_1006jul13,0,7965683.story?track=rss

[EFerrari]

27. Mexico: Obrador Supporters Seek Recount in Mexico

Published on Thursday, July 13, 2006 by the Associated Press
Obrador Supporters Seek Recount in Mexico
by Olga R. Rodriguez


Tens of thousands of supporters of leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador headed to Mexico City on Wednesday, leaving mountain towns and sprawling industrial cities to demand a ballot-by-ballot recount.

Protesters were gathering outside each of the country's 300 electoral districts before heading to the capital, where a mass rally is planned for Sunday to denounce official results showing conservative Felipe Calderon as the apparent winner of the July 2 election.

Lopez Obrador aide Jesus Ortega said late Wednesday that more than 40,000 people had begun their journey and promised that Sunday's demonstration would be "gigantic."

In the candidate's home state of Tabasco, dozens of supporters wearing yellow — the color of Lopez Obrador's Democratic Revolution Party — and carrying signs that read "Vote by vote! No to electoral fraud!" began a 60-mile protest march.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0713-07.htm

[EFerrari]

28. Protests gather steam in support of Obrador

Protests gather steam in support of Obrador

July 13 2006 at 01:46AM

By Frank Jack Daniel

Mexico City - Several thousand Mexican leftists marched on the capital on Wednesday to protest what they say was vote fraud in a presidential election that has divided the nation between left and right.

The marchers, who walked from Mexico City electoral districts to a giant central square in small groups, said they would not back down unless electoral authorities accept leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as the victor of the July 2 vote.

Official results show conservative Felipe Calderon won the election by 0.58 of a percentage point but Lopez Obrador has cried fraud and an electoral court now has until the start of September to decide who is the next president.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_World&set_id=1&click_id=&art_id=qw1152736566286B252

[EFerrari]

29. AP: "Supporters of defeated candidate begin march"

(Nice going, Authorized Propaganda)



Supporters of defeated candidate begin march

The Associated Press

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Mexico City — Protesters started marching from mountain towns and sprawling industrial cities to the nation’s capital Wednesday to protest official election results showing conservative Felipe Calderon as the winner of the July 2 presidential election.

Supporters of leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador were gathering outside each of the country’s 300 electoral districts before heading to Mexico City, where a mass rally is planned for Sunday to denounce official results.

Lopez Obrador has filed legal appeals challenging the nearly 244,000-vote advantage Calderon had after an official tally of the more than 41 million votes cast. His party has submitted dozens of boxes stuffed with videos, campaign propaganda and other alleged proof of election misconduct.

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/jul/13/supporters_defeated_candidate_begin_march/

[EFerrari]

30. CA: Santa Cruz residents could vote to impeach Bush

July 13, 2006

Santa Cruz residents could vote to impeach Bush
By Shanna McCord
SENTINEL STAFF WRITER

SANTA CRUZ — City residents unhappy with the way President George W. Bush is leading the country may have the opportunity to vote for his impeachment in November.

Such a vote, which a group of community activists is seeking to put on the Santa Cruz ballot Nov. 7, would do nothing to actually remove the president from office. Instead, supporters say it would be something more than an opinion poll that would send a message to Washington, D.C.

"He's has broken so many laws, and he doesn't seem to take the laws seriously," said Sherry Conable, a member of Santa Cruz Peace Coalition, one of the local groups organizing the ballot initiative. "He's spied on American people without authorization; he's ignored the Geneva Conventions and the outting of Valerie Plame — all of these things are illegal."

Conable and others are asking the City Council to put a measure on the November ballot that calls for Congress to begin an immediate investigation into alleged impeachable offenses by the president.

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/July/13/local/stories/02local.htm

[EFerrari]

32. Bradblog: SAN DIEGO COUNTY REGISTRAR STYMIES BUSBY/BILBRAY HAND COUNT!

Registrar Mikel Haas Refuses to Supply Chain of Custody Docs as Requested by Voter, Fails to Explain $150,000 Cost Estimate, $6000 Deposit Demand, Disparity in Quotes; Runs out Clock…
Hand Count Filer: 'It seems nobody is accountable here, and the voters are just left out to dry.'

"It seems the Registrar is the judge and juror, the decider and the arbiter and is accountable to no one. Clearly, we've been stonewalled by the Registrar," opined Barbara Gail Jacobson in regard to having little or no legal recourse to challenge the seemingly arbitrary rules set by San Diego County Registrar Mikel Haas concerning her requested hand count of ballots in the special U.S. House election held in California's 50th district on June 6th.

Jacobson's request to hand count paper ballots and "paper trails" in the disputed CA-50 Busby/Bilbray election to replace the jailed Republican Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham looks to have hit a brick wall. The SD Country Registrar of Voters office has refused to provide chain of custody documents sought by Jacobson in relation to her request, filed after the revelation that the election employed Diebold optical-scan and touch-screen voting machines in apparent violation of both state and federal law.

In a letter sent Tuesday by Jacobson to Registrar Haas' office, in reply to an email the office had sent late that day, the San Diego resident requested a written commitment that the requested documents would be provided before a hand count would begin, and prior to the payment of the $6000 as demanded by Haas — by 3pm Tuesday — to cover the costs of the first day's counting on Wednesday.

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3060

[stellanoir]

33. 9th rec !!!

Wows. You've outdone autorank !!!

Keep it up. He's such a "lazy loafer." :)

Great work dear.

[rumpel]

34. MA: Meehan sues FEC to close 'loopholes'

The Lowell Sun


Article Launched: 07/13/2006 11:31:51 AM EDT

By EVAN LEHMANN, Sun Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan is suing the Federal Election Commission to close "loopholes" in the landmark campaign finance law he helped draft four years ago.

The suit, filed Tuesday in federal court, marks the third time Meehan and Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., have jointly sued the commission. This time they say the commission is allowing unlawful coordination between federal candidates and wealthy outside groups.

The lawmakers were successful in both preceding attempts in forcing the commission to rewrite its rules to more stringently limit the use of money in politics.

"The FEC has had four years to stop wealthy special interests from circumventing campaign finance laws, and they have failed in that duty," Meehan said in a statement yesterday.

In court documents, the lawmakers argue that the FEC's loopholes provide "immense incentive for candidates and political parties to engage in massive, unregulated coordination with corporations, unions, wealthy individuals, and interest groups."

http://www.lowellsun.com/front/ci_4046416

[rumpel]

35. TX: "Grandma" Sues Texas Secretary Of State

All Headline News

July 13, 2006 9:15 a.m. EST

Richard Rittierodt - All Headline News Staff Writer
Austin, TX (AHN) - The Texas secretary of state was sued on Wednesday by independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn to have her nickname "Grandma" listed with her name on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Earlier this week, Secretary of State Roger Williams stated that "Grandma" could not be permitted on the ballot because it was a slogan and not a nickname.
Strayhorn's suit says that the Texas Election Code guarantees her the right to use her nickname.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7004203042

[rumpel]

36. GA: Choicepoint President Funds Secretary of State Candidate Scott Holcomb

in Georgia



By Matthew Cardinale and Betty Clermont

7-13-06, 9:25 am

(APN) ATLANTA – With the Georgia Primary for Secretary of State only days away, Atlanta Progressive News has learned Democratic Candidate Michael "Scott" Holcomb has accepted campaign contributions from the President of Choicepoint Corporation and the President's wife.

Choicepoint has come under scrutiny for its well-researched acquisition of the company responsible for the false felon voter list which disenfranchised tens of thousands of minorities in the 2000 elections in Florida. Choicepoint, headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, with over a billion dollars in revenue in 2005, is synonymous with voter fraud and Bush cronyism to many advocates. It has billions of data points about individuals and has contracts with the US government to provide much of that information to them toward their goal of total information awareness.

Mr. Douglas Curling, the President of Choicepoint, gave $1,000 to Holcomb's Campaign on December 19, 2005, according to campaign finance disclosures dated December 31, 2005.

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/3811/1/198/

[Joanne98]

43. And there lies the problem.

[rumpel]

37. FL: Federal voting trial delayed

13 Jul 2006
By Jason Holland News-Gazette Staff Writer
A federal judge has granted Osceola County’s request to delay the trial of a U.S. Department of Justice voting rights lawsuit challenging the method for selecting county commissioners.

The trial, originally scheduled to start July 19, will now start Sept. 18 and last an estimated three days, said Judge Gregory Presnell in a ruling issued July 7. The judge has already issued an injunction that delays County Commission elections until the lawsuit is resolved. Commission primaries were scheduled for September, with the general election in November, but with recent developments voters will have to wait until early next year. Other elections, however, will be held as scheduled.

In seeking the delay, attorneys representing Osceola County cited a need for more time to take depositions from 27 potential witnesses. Among that group are 20 witnesses who did not take the stand during the injunction hearing, thus not allowing cross examination by the county’s attorneys, and seven individuals interviewed by Jose Cruz, an expert witness for the Department of Justice in the course of preparing for his testimony at the injunction hearing.

The Justice Department said the current Osceola County at large system diluted Hispanic voting power.

The county also contends that expert testimony so far has yet to resolve whether a district can be drawn using 2006 population and registration data that is Constitutionally proper and proportionate and still provides for a Hispanic majority.

The county said further work by both parties must be done to answer this question.

County officials remain focused on defending the at large system currently in place, citing a need to protect the choice that voters made in the 1996 referendum that switched the voting system from single member districts, which were voted in four years earlier.

http://www.oscnewsgazette.com/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=13239

[rumpel]

38. CS Monitor: Voting rights and wrongs

The Monitor's View

Thu Jul 13, 4:00 AM ET
An essential tool to protect minority interests in the US has been the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It has curbed discrimination at the ballot box and given blacks and other groups the electoral power to check discrimination elsewhere. So why mess with success?

One of the act's provisions (Section 5) is up for renewal with a vote on it in the House expected soon. This provision allows federal intervention in all or portions of 16 states – mostly in the South – that had a history of practicing voting discrimination before 1965. Such practices included literacy tests and poll taxes dating back to post-Civil War years.

Passage of Section 5 was all but certain until a group of House Republicans suddenly objected. They say the South has changed in four decades. Many blacks now hold public office – Mississippi has the highest number – and that singling out only a few states based mainly on old history is itself discriminatory.

The issue has deeply split the GOP. Some want the party to simply win more minority votes in this fall's elections by renewing the provision. Others care about lifting a stigma off the "new South" and ridding these states of the burden to have every change in election procedures precleared by the Justice Department.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20060713/cm_csm/evotingrights

[autorank]

39. Outstanding thread..!!! And a good comprehensivei web page.

...and yes Mlle. Noir is correct;)

Good resource for getting up to speed: www.ElectionFraudNews.com Al seems to like it.

[EFerrari]

40. Thanks, autorank! I keep forgetting to check it..

:)

[Kurovski]

41. Kick to the top.(nt)

[Wilms]

42. .