Election Reform and Related News, Saturday, Feb. 2, '08

[livvy]

Election Reform and Related News
Saturday, February 2, 2008



Your participation is most warmly encouraged and welcomed. Please feel free to:


*Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

*Post stories using the new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph ...

*Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

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


Recommendations for the Greatest Page are always welcomed. It's the link below.

[livvy]

1. Super Tuesday n/t

[livvy]

2. Help Wanted

Original post and discussion by L. Coyote.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x496544

From: VerifiedVote2004
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 10:23:37 EST.......
Subject: URGENT: Assistance Needed For Super Tuesday Download
To All Election Analysts and Monitors--

This is a call for assistance downloading data from the web this coming Tuesday. As many of you may know, I have made it my business to download exit poll (EP) and tabulation data on election night since 2002, frequently with dramatic effect. We are now facing a new situation in which it appears unlikely that unadjusted (i.e., authentic) EP data will be publicly released. Or, to put it another way, they're on to us and want to make damned sure that we don't see anything controversial.

Nevertheless, for several reasons that are better not made public, it will be very important to download as much data as we can on Tuesday as efficiently as possible. There are 22 states involved, most of which have primaries (a few have caucuses or a convention), and we each need to take primary responsibility for real-time recording and preserving of the data for a single state. If there are enough of us to get all the states that would be great, but otherwise we'll have to make sure we at least capture the 'biggies' in rank order.

This will require some basic organization, in terms of assignment of tasks and a suggested protocol--so that those who are new to this won't be groping around in real time either looking for the right data page (the websites manage to bury it rather well) or figuring out how to capture it. A little redundancy won't hurt, but we don't want everyone winding up downloading the same state while others are ignored.

So the first thing I need is a reply stating that you will be available on Tuesday evening to download a state (or two) and that you have the basic capacity on your computer to do so reasonably rapidly (high-speed connection, pdf-maker and/or web-page-saver). Please respond today so that we can see how many downloaders we will have at work. Then I can make state assignments. It will be up to you to ascertain your state's poll closing time so that you'll know when to be ready at your computer.

The following protocol and recommendations will apply to all.
1. Please be familiar in advance with the website (CNN, MSNBC, etc.) and its levels/links, so that you can find the appropriate data without delay. I recommend practicing a few dry-run downloads using EP and tabulated data from concluded primaries (NH, SC, FL, etc.) which will be posted in the same place.
2. Be at your computer about 15-20 minutes before poll closing to check out the appropriate web pages and see if there are any new wrinkles in the way they are formatting/presenting data.
3. Be ready to download any EP data as soon as the polls close (we're expecting the NEP to withhold EP data for however long it takes them to substantially adjust it--in SC it was about 45 minutes--but you never know; so be prepared just in case, and also please capture the EP page even if it does not have any data on it yet other than perhaps the # of respondents). Note the time of all downloads (will explain further below).
4. Once EP data does appear for your state, download it at regular intervals (15 minutes should suffice) or any time you notice a change, for at least 3 hours. You can continue observing and downloading for longer if it appears that the EP results have not yet been brought into conformity with the tabulated results.
5. Be sure to download the ENTIRE exit poll page, including all of the crosstabs. This is of critical importance.
6. Also download the tabulated results as they come in, using your judgment about what is 'interesting' (sudden shifts, backwards counting, individual suspect counties, etc.).
7. The websites are not time-stamping their pages any more, so it is critical that in naming the file you download you include a precise reference to the time. Using local time is fine. Your file name might look like: CA-EP-D-21.17 (this would indicate California Exit Poll Democratic at 9:17 p.m.; the date is not necessary), or CA-Tab-R-22.07 (for the tabulated results on the CA GOP primary at 10:22 p.m.). Following this standard nomenclature for your files will be very helpful when we assemble the data from many states to try to get the big picture.
8. You can choose which website to work from (I prefer CNN but MSNBC is not bad) but be ready to switch websites (and know where they bury the gold on each one) in case one comes up dry while the other does not. There is so much we don't know about how decisions about what data to release at what time are made: we should not rule out the possibility of a given network acting somewhat independently.
9. Here are some URLs for the CNN website that should help you navigate the maze and find the EP data page without delay on Tuesday:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/epol... (polls)

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/stat... (returns)

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/epol... (polls)

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/states/florida.html (state main page)

Notice that they changed the nomenclature from the NH polls to the FL polls, so it will probably change again. You can follow their links, but don't get discouraged if they don't take you where you're trying to go--just keep trying (go back to your state's main page or back to Election Central and try a different route).
10. As far as the mechanics of downloading, a lot will depend on how your computer(s) is configured. If you have Acrobat Professional and can make good .pdfs, that's a good way to go (since they are most easily shared), but be sure to look at your .pdf downloads and make sure they are 'coming out right'. My experience was that, unlike in past years, my .pdfs were coming out truncated or even blank--which may be a problem with my Acrobat or NEP's way of making our lives even more difficult. In any case, make sure that you're not merrily downloading garbage or nothing. If the .pdf is not getting you good screenshots, try saving as webpage or simply select and copy all and paste into an email sent to yourself. In fact, it would not be a bad idea to do that as backup periodically (be sure to name the email subject line as you would the saved file according to the nomenclature recommended above).
11. If you encounter problems you can't solve in trying your dry runs or on Tuesday, email me. I'll also try to recruit one or two other trouble-shooters.
12. For those of you who are already resigned to the fact that EPs are now adjusted and bogus, please take heart: this is still a very important project. For one thing, we need to know precisely the time that EPs are first posted in your state and we need the first posting. It will help us in determining how much adjusting is being done and in what timeframe (we also will have some sourced, though not published, info on the unadjusted data for comparison). And there is still a lot we can do analytically with the adjusted EPs (without going into detail here). So please obtain as much as you can and don't throw in the towel.

Okay, the first step is to let me know if you can do (and what time zone you're in). Then we can parcel out the states and prepare for Tuesday.

Many thanks and best wishes--Jonathan Simon (EDA)
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/

[Peace Patriot]

14. Contact for Jonathan, or the EP project?

Is this it?
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/election_data_analysis
It requires registration for this EDA Working Group.

Another EDA site--"Election Day Rapid Response" where it says:
Send inquiries and offers of assistance to [e-mail] and check the "Take Action" and "Projects" links and the EDRR Working Group forum on this website for forthcoming directions and updates.
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/election_day_rapid_response

[livvy]

20. I don't know.

I checked around at the site, but got no answers. Maybe Coyote will respond.
:shrug:

It sounds like a good idea.

[livvy]

3. Washingtonpost.com and Newsweek Host Unprecedented Live S.T. Elect. Coverage

Friday, Feb. 1 2008
washingtonpost.com and Newsweek Host Unprecedented Live Super Tuesday Election Coverage

BusinessWire
Comtex


WASHINGTON, Feb 01, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- In an unprecedented endeavor on Super Tuesday (February 5th), washingtonpost.com and Newsweek, national leaders in political news, will offer six hours of continuous live video coverage of the election returns alongside the most comprehensive online reporting from every primary state. washingtonpost.com and Newsweek are combining the best of video and political journalism to create a unique interactive experience.

Anchor Jon Meacham, Editor of Newsweek, will report and discuss the latest Super Tuesday returns with renowned journalists from The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com, Newsweek, Slate magazine and WPNI's new site The Root. Reporters including Jonathan Alter, Dan Balz, Jonathan Capehart, Howard Fineman, Michael Isikoff, Anne Kornblut, Howard Kurtz, Ruth Marcus and Sally Quinn, among others, will provide the latest news and analysis from primary and caucus states around the country.

Expert political analyst Chris Cillizza will report live from The Washington Post newspaper's headquarters, placing the fast-moving election results in context and highlighting important trends. From the Decision Desk at washingtonpost.com, Ed O'Keefe will give updated results in real time. The program will also feature live video coverage of the candidates' speeches.

"We're very excited by the prospect of doing something new," said Meacham. "We'll be drawing on our team around the country to do what we do best: put breaking news in perspective."

more

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/media/article/washingtonpostcom-newsweek-host-unprecedented-live-super-tuesday-election_461082_15.html

[livvy]

4. Super Tuesday Promises Democratic Drama in U.S.

I love the dramatic writing style in this piece. It's interesting to see it from one European perspective.

Super Tuesday promises democratic drama in U.S.
Feb 2 2008 by David Williamson, Western Mail

On Tuesday, almost half of the US goes to the polls in one of the most decisive elections in American history. The Western Mail’s David Williamson previews the greatest drama democracy has ever seen

THERE will be no rest for the ambitious in America this weekend – an election is at stake.

On Tuesday an unprecedented experiment in democracy will take place when voters in 24 states go to the polls to select the Democratic and Republican candidates.

Never before have so many of America’s 50 states chosen to hold their contests on the same day.

It is not surprising commentators feel the traditional “super” does not do it justice. Some have dubbed the day “The Tuesday of Destiny”. Many have opted for “Super Duper Tuesday”.

scene two at link...



http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/politics-news/2008/02/02/super-tuesday-promises-democratic-drama-in-u-s-91466-20427221/

[livvy]

5. Super Tuesday States Face Hurdles

Super Tuesday states face hurdles
February 1, 2008

By DEBORAH HASTINGS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Long lines, a shortage of poll workers and an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots could delay vote counts Tuesday, when more than 20 states hold primaries and caucuses.

Adding to possible delays are expectations of record-breaking turnout in contests expected to be close. Many states that moved up primaries have never been involved in one with meaningful impact, said Tova Wang of the Century Foundation, which studies and analyzes policy issues.


Officials in some states appear to have overlooked facts of life. "There's been a lot of concern about the weather, and poll workers not showing up," said Wang. "In states where a lot of their senior citizens are snowbirds, counties were having a hard time getting poll volunteers."

Sunbelt states also have felt the pinch. As of Thursday, California election officials were still recruiting poll workers.

Doug Chapin of electionline.org said Super Tuesday "is really like a national primary." And if state contests produce tight margins and too-close-to-call races, demands for recounts could abound.

more

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080201/NEWS07/802010340/1009/NEWS07

[livvy]

6. Super Tuesday Results Could Take a While

Super Tuesday Results Could Take a While
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER – 18 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Super Tuesday may be a de facto national primary, but the outcome might not be as clear — or as timely — as results in most November elections.

Unlike general elections for public office, the goal in primaries and caucuses is to win delegates to the parties' national conventions this summer. The Democrats will have 1,681 delegates at stake on Tuesday, and the Republicans will have 1,023. But it might take days to find out who wins them all.

In California, where the largest batch of delegates is at stake, a record number of absentee ballots, voting machine changes and logistical headaches have left registrars worried that they will end election night with up to 2 million ballots still to be counted, about 22 percent of the expected vote.

Voters in a total of 24 states and American Samoa, as well as Democrats around the globe, will cast ballots on Tuesday. They will take part in a hodgepodge of primaries, caucuses, a state party convention and even Internet voting by Democrats living overseas.

Tiny American Samoa is determined not to get lost in the mix — even though it is six hours behind the East Coast and doesn't take part in the general election.

more

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hn1l0ek0pJGJQ9eR2HZLMsOxlJMQD8UHQDMO0

[livvy]

7. States n/t

[livvy]

8. Limited Use of Electronic Voting Machines To Slow Ballot Counting

This is the lamest thing I've heard in a while concerning the use of paper ballots. Maybe they should do a few Jane Fonda workout tapes to get in shape before this strenuous exercise.

Limited Use Of Electronic Voting Machines To Slow Ballot Counting

POSTED: 8:13 am PST February 2, 2008
UPDATED: 8:27 am PST February 2, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- The limited use of electronic voting machines and changes to recount procedures for Tuesday's presidential primary could slow the pace of ballot counting and election certification in San Diego County, according to the registrar of voters.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen decertified the use of most electronic voting machines in California last year.

Because of that, local election officials will be forced to manually scan ballots as they come in from the 1,650 polling locations around San Diego County, according to Registrar of Voters Deborah Seiler.

"There are going to be several hundred thousand ballots that we are going to have to hand-count here in our office,'' Seiler said.

>snip

"We are hand-scanning paper into machines, and that is just going to be a lengthier process,'' Seiler said.

more

http://www.10news.com/news/15202658/detail.html

Unbelievable. And here I've always thought the whole point of an election was to accurately count the will of the People. I guess I forgot about the instant gratification issue so many are so accustomed to. Jeesh...

[Wilms]

19. Seiler may be feeling bad for her former colleagues.

[livvy]

9. Georgia Sticks With Electronic Voting, Despite Concerns Elesewhere

Saturday, February 2, 2008
Story last updated at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, February 2, 2008

Ga. sticks with electronic voting, despite concerns elsewhere


By GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA - Six years after Georgia elections officials took their brand new touchscreen voting machines on an introductory roadshow, it's safe to say that most voters heading to the polls on Tuesday are familiar with the devices by now.

As the first state to adopt uniform statewide electronic voting, Georgia holds the longest track record with electronic voting machines. And amid mounting concern elsewhere about the reliability of the machines, the state hopes its history can be a model for other governments.

When Secretary of State Karen Handel talks about the equipment, she quickly points to the state's partnership with the Center for Election Systems at Kennesaw State University.

It was founded in 2002 to be an objective body that tests and maintains Georgia's voting equipment, trains elections staffers and helps counties build their ballots. Each time a machine is purchased or its software is upgraded, it must go through testing at the center.

"One of the things that makes Georgia unique is the system of checks and balances. It's one of the strictest standards for touchscreens and voting machines," said Handel. "It is tight. And the programs are intense."

more


http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/020208/D8UIAC903.shtml

[livvy]

15. Hawaii Will Use New Voting Equipment

Friday, February 1, 2008 - 11:28 AM HAST

Hawaii will use new voting equipment
Pacific Business News (Honolulu)

The Hawaii Office of Elections has signed a $43.4 million contract with Hart InterCivic to provide eScan and eSlate voting equipment for the 2008 elections.

Each polling place will give voters the option of using an eScan paper ballot or an eSlate electronic ballot. The state used eSlate voting machines for disabled voters in the 2004 and 2006 elections.

The contract begins this year and expires Dec. 31, 2016, with an option to extend for the 2018 elections.

Hart InterCivic is based in Austin, Texas.



All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.

This is the whole thing, but here is the link...
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/01/28/daily49.html

[livvy]

16. OH: Absentee Voting Glitch Found on County Web Site (Dem ballots only, of course!)

Absentee voting glitch found on county Web site
The problem affects those who applied online for a Democratic ballot.
By Lynn Hulsey

Staff Writer

Saturday, February 02, 2008

DAYTON — If you think you applied for a Democratic absentee ballot for the March 4 primary using the Montgomery County Board of Elections online application, look again.

An apparent computer glitch causes the box marked "Democrat" to go blank on the application that needs to be printed out and signed to receive an absentee ballot. Applications for Republican ballots are unaffected.

Persons who list no party affiliation can only vote on issues, not candidates, in the March 4 primary.

Board of Elections Director Steve Harsman said his data processing staff will fix it.

Jim Carter of Butler Twp. said his daughter, Natalie Mauser-Carter, 21, discovered the problem when she downloaded an application to vote absentee because she's away at college.

When the mark for Democrat disappeared, she marked it by hand, mailed it and told Carter what happened.

"I thought it was odd and tried it a number of different ways," said Carter. "It was working properly except for Democrats."

more

http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/02/01/ddn020208elex.html

[livvy]

17. State Joins Fraud Probe in Muncie Mayoral Vote

Published: February 2, 2008 6:00 a.m.

State joins fraud probe in Muncie mayoral vote

Associated Press MUNCIE – The state will join an investigation into allegations of voter fraud during the November mayoral election that spurred a recount and calls for a special election.

Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said he hoped the investigation would restore public confidence in Delaware County’s election system.

“I think it’s fair to say that historically there have been many questions raised about the electoral process in Delaware County,” he said.

Delaware County Prosecutor Mark McKinney said the attorney general’s help will add credibility to the investigation. McKinney is a Democrat, and Carter is a Republican.

“While I have every confidence that my office could have handled the criminal investigation in a fair and impartial manner, it is important that everyone, regardless of political affiliation, has faith in the outcome,” McKinney said.

more

http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080202/NEWS07/802020316/1002/LOCAL

[livvy]

18. NJ Absentee Voters Get 2nd Chance

Feb 2, 12:43 PM EST


NJ Absentee Voters Get 2nd Chance

By JEFFREY GOLD
Associated Press Writer

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Vote early and often is more than a joke in New Jersey.

Due to a ruling by a state judge in Ocean County, voters who cast absentee ballots in that county for a presidential candidate who later withdrew from the race, such as Republican Rudy Giuliani or Democrat John Edwards, can get a replacement absentee ballot before the state's primary Tuesday.

The ruling is not binding in New Jersey's 20 other counties, but county clerks have the discretion to provide replacement ballots, said David Wald, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office. If the voter's request is denied, the voter can appeal to a state judge, he said.

At least four counties - Bergen, population about 900,000; Essex, population nearly 800,000; Ocean, population more than 560,000; and Union, population more than 530,000 - have arranged to accommodate voters who wanted a replacement ballot, Wald said. Bergen and Essex are the state's largest counties. New Jersey has more than 4.8 million registered voters.

more

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEW_JERSEY_PRIMARY?SITE=NEYOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[livvy]

23. New Mexico Democratic Caucus to be held Tuesday

New Mexico Democratic Caucus to be held Tuesday
By Diana M. Alba Sun-News reporter
Article Launched: 02/02/2008 04:21:10 PM MST


LAS CRUCES — Are you a Democrat?

Were you registered as a voter in Doña Ana County by Jan. 4?

If you answered "yes" to both questions, you're eligible to vote for the party's presidential nominee on Tuesday.

The caucus in New Mexico will take the form of a paper-ballot election. Voters in the county must show up at one of 16 polling locations on election day.

Residents must provide only their name and address, said county Democratic party Chairwoman Melinda Whitley.

"They don't have to bring any cards; they don't have to bring a utility bill," she said. "We're making it really easy."

more


http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_8151298

[livvy]

24. CA: County Braces For Strong Weekend Voter Turnout

County Braces For Strong Weekend Voter Turnout

POSTED: 11:12 am PST February 2, 2008
UPDATED: 2:32 pm PST February 2, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego County election officials said they expect Saturday will be a big day for early voters.

California's primary is on Tuesday, when more than 20 states hold primary elections.

The Registrar of Voters office said it expects voter turnout to beat that of the last three primary elections. Officials credit the increased interest to California's earlier primary date.


"We're seeing this as a much busier primary because we're voting earlier this time," said Deborah Seiler of the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. "We have a voice in this primary election, and that's not happened in the past."

Karen Tolbert, 41, a Democrat from Sacramento who supports Barack Obama, said the election is a very hot topic.

"It's very exciting," she said. "There's definitely more advertising about it. My pastor last night was even talking about it.

more
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/15203273/detail.html

[livvy]

25. AR: Officials Expect Smooth E-Voting

Officials Expect Smooth E-Voting
Training aims to avoid past troubles
This article was published on Saturday, February 2, 2008 6:24 PM CST in News
By Don Dailey
THE MORNING NEWS

Benton County election officials avow they learned from the vote-counting problems that grabbed a lot of publicity in the 2006 primary and general elections. A repeat is unlikely in this year's presidential primaries, they assure.

"You have to remember everything was brand new to us that year," said Benton County Election Commission Chairman John Brown Jr.

That year the state used touch-screen machines for the first time, and Benton County had trouble counting the votes cast on those machines in both the May primary and November general election.

Officials said the rush to get the machines in service left too little time to train poll workers properly, resulting in delays and mistakes in the counting process.

snip

Benton County Democratic Party Chairman Barbara McCoy said she would rather see paper ballots used, but she doesn't think anyone locally is tampering with the electronic machines.

She said she does have concerns about the machines being tampered with by someone with the company that manufactures and distributes the machines.


more
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/02/02/news/020308azpolltech.txt

[livvy]

10. Op-Eds, Opinions, Blogs n/t

[livvy]

11. The Democratic Party's Dangerous Experiment

The Democratic Party's Dangerous Experiment

By David L. Dill and Barbara Simons
February 02, 2008

As most of us now understand, paperless electronic voting is a really bad idea. But there is a still worse idea: voting over the Internet.

Voters may worry about whether voting machines were hacked by programmers or poll-workers who have machines stored in their homes prior to an election. But with internet voting, we must also worry about whether the system has been hacked by a teenager in Eastern Europe, organized crime, or even an unfriendly government. We must worry about network failure, "denial of service"attacks that shut down selected machines on the internet, counterfeit Internet websites, and spyware and/or viruses on the computers used to cast votes. And we must worry about whether the people running the system are engaging in electronic ballot-stuffing.

Like whack-a-mole, internet voting proposals have reappeared in different guises in the U.S. for much of the past decade. When an extremely ambitious Department of Defense proposal for internet voting in the 2004 presidential election was reviewed by computer security experts, it was terminated because of security concerns documented by those experts - the same concerns that should cause all citizens to view any proposal for internet voting with extreme skepticism.

Nonetheless, on Super Tuesday the Democratic Party is going to deploy internet voting. Democrats living outside the country will be treated as a 51st state, called Democrats Abroad, and will elect delegates to the convention. This approach adroitly side-steps almost all regulation on election technology, which typically are matters of state, not Federal, law. Internet voting won't even be subjected to the notoriously inadequate certification process that applies to almost every other voting system in the U.S. The organizers apparently maintain their confidence in the security of internet voting by not consulting anyone who might, as happened in 2004, warn them of risks. (We know most, if not all, of the independent experts in internet voting in the U.S., and none of them has been asked to examine this system).

more

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2736&Itemid=26

[livvy]

12. The Nation Speaks

February 2, 2008

THE NATION SPEAKS
Diary Entry by James Strait

The clock is ticking...the nation is furious...

::::::::

THE NATION SPEAKS



For the voting integrity grassroots, and for many new to the dilemma of voters rights, the “VOICE OF THE VOTERS” radio broadcast has become that GO TO radio venue where the latest news are debuted and dissected by the best minds in the struggle to save Americas voting integrity.



The January 30 broadcast airing on WNJC1360 in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania listening market, and on the web at wwwdotwnjc1360dotcom, was a two hour special, where the show airing just prior to VoV, “American Voices” hosted by the author, shared its earlier time slot with VoV allowing for a multitude of callers from all over the United States to share information conveying the urgency of the national condition.



After a brief on air introduction by the author, Voice of the Voters program host Mary Ann Gould welcomed well known political blogger and voting activist Brad Friedman to the program. Brad commented that the Los Angeles Times produced a 2800 word voting issues article that lacked the input of even one voting integrity activist. So much for investigative journalism. He also conveyed his overall sense that there is demonstrable progress being made with much more awareness of the voting integrity problems within the general population, and that the many victories within the grassroots have had an impact. “We’re winning, he said, but a long way from having won it”.



Following Brad Friedman was Susan Pynchon with updates on New Hampshire and Florida. When speaking of the voting in the New Hampshire primary ,“She never dreamed that she would see what she saw” was her opening exclamation . “There is solid evidence that leads to believe a connection to organized crime” was her startling follow up(more on that at a later date). Her observation that, “the state has abdicated its responsibilities and given it to a private company” was conveyed with a sense of deep frustration. When asked by Mary Ann about the biggest lesson learned in New Hampshire, Susan said, “Chain of custody, where any number of things can go on”. Yup, New Hampshire has issues.

more

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=5935

Be sure to read the author's note at the end.

Host of "American Voices"-Wednesdays 7-8PM Eastern & Thursdays 8-9PM Eastern, airing on WNJC1360 in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania radio market(live internet stream www.wnjc1360.com);

link:
http://www.wnjc1360.com/Live_Netcast/live_netcast.html

[livvy]

13. Why America Needs Coalition-Clean Elections and Freedom

February 2, 2008 at 06:56:04

Headlined on 2/2/08:
Why America Needs Coalition – Clean Elections and Freedom

by Melinda Pillsbury-Foster Page 1 of 3 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com


There is an immediate need to take back the vote. For longer than it is comfortable to contemplate the vote has been controlled by those who sign the contracts with the corporations who provide 'voting machines.'



The Left has been talking about that for a long time now; they noticed first because in the beginning it was their ox being gored. On the Right we were lulled into the belief that it was just sour grapes. Part of that came from the media, other elements on which we built up our smug house of cards came from such books as, “Stealing Elections,” by John Fund. You may not be aware that a book with a similar title that actually outed the NeoCons was published earlier. The author died mysteriously. When you intend to steal elections it makes perfect sense to inject disinformation at the outset. Fund was late producing his book, it was originally planned in 2000, but he did write it and it has proven to be very useful in creating the impression that election fraud either did not exist or was more likely to be the tool of the Left than a clever idea raised to new levels of profit and complexity by his own friends.


The Campaign of the Voting Machines was designed to steal elections as an adjunct of the NeoCon political strategy for gaining absolute control over government. This gave them control over enormous wealth to be parceled out to their friends. Using that strategy they stole the rhetoric of peace, prosperity, individual Rights and freedom, converting the meanings to war (for us), grinding poverty (for us), and absolute slavery for us and our posterity.

The divisions between the Right and Left worked. It is time to come together since, to borrow a phrase from a previous generation, if we don't hang together we will all hang separately. Many on the Left doubt that rapid change is possible. Their skepticism is based on many years of experience with trying to change the present system. They have been diligent, methodical, and focused. Yet the system is still under the control of those who purchase voting machines both to profit their friends and to control elections.

more


http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_melinda__080202_why_america_needs_co.htm

[Peace Patriot]

21. CALIFORNIA ELECTION INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT 2008

This assessment will give you many of the tools you will need to analyze Feb 5 Primary Election results in California--including identification of potential trouble spots for weird totals, strategic breakdowns, failures, errors and disenfranchisement (particular counties and election systems), as well as detail on the new reforming Sec of State Debra Bowen's improvements, and other vital info (such as a list of CA county registrar contact info).

CALIFORNIA ELECTION INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT 2008 (final edited version)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x496552

Original post:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x496453

Michael Collins posted it at Election Fraud News today (less edited version)
http://www.electionfraudnews.com/Articles/PeacePatriot.htm

This is a load of crap (mentioned in "news" articles above) about potential slowdowns caused by reforms. The corrupt among the county election officials are already setting this up in the corporate media to exonerate their bad actor selves and blame SoS Bowen, all the better to serve their corporation masters. We need a purge of quite a few county election officials in CA.

[Wilms]

22. Percentage-Based versus Statistical-Power-Based Vote Tabulation Audits

"Tiered percentage audits specify a percentage of precincts to be audited, depending on the reported winning margin."

"This approach addresses the need to audit more when margins are narrower..."

"Statisticians and a growing number of election experts have urged replacing fixed percentage audits with audits that employ a statistically grounded criterion of efficacy. Here we present a power-based audit which determines the number of precincts that must be sampled to achieve a specified power level for each election contest. In addition to the desired power, the sample size will depend on the reported victory margin, the value ofWPM, and both the number and size-distribution of the precincts."

"Since a key purpose of a post-election vote tabulation audit is to provide a check on the original tabulations, procedures should verify election results without trusting any part of the software used in voting."

Percentage-Based versus Statistical-Power-Based Vote Tabulation Audits

Authors: McCarthy, John; Stanislevic, Howard; Lindeman, Mark; Ash, Arlene S.; Addona, Vittorio; Batcher, Mary
Source: The American Statistician, Volume 62, Number 1, February 2008 , pp. 11-16(6)
Publisher: American Statistical Association



Abstract:

Several pending federal and state electoral-integrity bills specify hand audits of 1% to 10% of all precincts.

However, percentage-based audits are usually inefficient, because they require large samples for large jurisdictions, even though the sample needed to achieve good accuracy is much more affected by the closeness of the contest than population size. Percentage-based audits can also be ineffective, since close contests may require auditing a large fraction of the total to provide confidence in the outcome.

We present a plausible statistical frame-work that we have used in advising state and local election officials and legislators. In recent federal elections, this audit model would have required approximately the same effort and resources as the less effective percentage-based audits now being considered.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asa/tas/2008/00000062/00000001/art00002


A free full text pdf version is available:
pdf: http://verifiedvoting.org/downloads/TAS_paper.pdf


(I'll be surprised if there is a) Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x496581