Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, special Tuesday edition, 8/5/08

[tbyg52]

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, special Tuesday edition, 8/5/08

The cat is home and fine, we *did* get some rain out of the almost-hurricane, and the Election News is finally forthcoming....! ;)


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[tbyg52]

1. States nt

[tbyg52]

8. PA: Ex-Pa. lawmaker, aide plead in election fraud case

A former state lawmaker and an aide avoided jail time by pleading guilty Tuesday to forging signatures, including a dead person's, on nominating petitions for the 2006 primary.

Linda Bebko-Jones, 62, and her former chief of staff Mary B. Fiolek, 60, were both sentenced in Dauphin County to 12 months' probation and fined $1,500.

They each pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges , forging and submitting false signatures and criminal conspiracy. All other charges were dismissed.

Kevin Harley, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said the offenses go to the heart of the elections process.

"In Pennsylvania, we require candidates to file nominating petitions and we expect , and the law expects , that the names on those petitions are of registered Pennsylvanians of the party in which the candidate is seeking nomination," he said.

More:
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20080805_ap_expalawmakeraidepleadinelectionfraudcase.html

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9. AL: Secretary Chapman Says Voter Fraud Reports Continue

Secretary of State Beth Chapman says just two months after the June primary election and 65 business days prior to the November presidential general election, new allegations of voter fraud continue on a weekly basis. More than ten new complaints have come in during the past two weeks alone.

Chapman says that the website, www.stopvoterfraudnow.com, and toll-free number, 1-800-274-VOTE have been instrumental in receiving the allegations.

"Voter Fraud is one big business in Alabama that needs to be shut down," Chapman said. "Dead people can not vote, and those living over the age of 18 who are Alabama citizens and citizens of the United States of America should only vote once” she continued. Chapman says she will do everything within her power to "ensure that fair and honest elections prevail."

Absentee voting and selling votes appear to be the biggest conduits for recent voter fraud allegations.

More:
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/NEWS/80805011

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12. AZ: 97-year-old voter can't prove she's a citizen

Shirley Freeda Preiss of Surprise, in the Phoenix area, is one ticked-off little old lady.

And who can blame her? The 97-year-old retired schoolteacher and onetime traveling showgirl has voted in every presidential election since 1932 when she cast a ballot for Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But thanks to the state's voter identification requirements, it's looking unlikely that she'll be able to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

She simply can't prove her citizenship as required by a 2004 law passed by Arizona voters.

"I am an American. How 'bout this? I never drew a breath anywhere else but America. I have been here all of my life," Preiss told me emphatically in a phone interview from her home.

Proposition 200, a sweeping measure aimed at illegal immigrants, required Arizonans to present proof of citizenship to register to vote and proof of identity at the polls.

More:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/TNItestingsite/92782.php

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13. OH: Some polling stations fail disabled voters

The two Summit County election board workers counted the handicapped spots in the parking lot of the Coventry Township Hall.

Two out of 50 spaces. Passed.

But the universal symbol of handicapped spaces on the asphalt had faded and there were no vertical signs. Failed.

They gauged the slope of the spaces. Under 2 percent. Passed.

They measured the size of the door opening: 35 inches. Passed.

More:
http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/26270789.html

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15. FL: Voting Machines Tested in Duval County

There are several races on the ballot for the 2008 Primary Election. Election day is August 26th. Voters in Duval County can vote early August 11 - 24.

Elections officials in Duval County are getting ready. The Duval County Canvassing Board tested the voting machines Tuesday for the Primary.

The Board consists of Board Chair and County Court Judge James Ruth, Jacksonville City Council Vice President Richard Clark and Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland.

Board members tested the voting machines from a precinct in each of the city council districts.

More:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=115541

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16. KS: Ballot confusion hits Victoria polling place

A special question regarding USD 432 was missing from ballots here early this morning.

At least four voters selected the wrong ballots on the electronic voting machines. They were able to cast their votes correctly for local and state races, but were unable to vote on a $3.5 million bond issue in the school district.

"They evidently didn't realize they had the wrong ballot even though they knew they didn't have the bond issue on there," said Marilyn Wagner, Victoria election board worker. "If they come and tell us they have the wrong ballot, then we go back in and bring up the right ballot."

County Clerk Alberta Klaus said election board workers are instructed to use the information from the polling book to determine which ballot each person should be voting on. However, Klaus did say board workers are not responsible for physically selecting the correct ballot on the touch screen.

"If the voter gets the wrong ballot, they should tell us about it," Klaus said.

More:
http://www.hdnews.net/Story/victoriaelection080508

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17. CT: BBB Warns about voter registration scams

Connecticut BBB says the latest scam to steal your private information may come by telephone or e-mail, and is related to voter registration.

The Federal Trade Commission, (FTC) the nation’s federal consumer protection agency, reports scammers are using the pretext of requiring personal information to be registered to vote or to ensure your registration information is correct. The con involves unsolicited contact from people who claim they need your Social Security Number (SSN) or other personal information.

If you receive an unexpected phone call or e-mail from anyone who claims to need your SSN or other personal information to help you “register to vote,” report it to the FTC online at www.ftc.gov, or by telephone at 1-877-ftc-help. (1-877-382-4357).

If you already have shared your personal information with somebody you don’t know, you may be the victim of a scam. After filing your complaint, visit www.ftc./gov/idtheft.

More:
http://www.bignews.biz/?id=785707&keys=BBB-Voter-Registration-Scam

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18. NY: Rensselaer County receives 90 new voting machines

Ninety new optical scan voting machines, touting a price tag of more than $1 million are being kept under lock and key in the Rensselaer County Office Building.

Training of staff is currently under way and expected to be completed in time for the upcoming September primary.

But only a select few voters will actually get to use the new voting technology this year that, surprisingly, relies heavily on paper ballots, said county Board of Elections Commissioner Larry Bugbee.

"The laptop-like scanner device will tabulate the totals, but each vote will be recorded on a sheet of paper that will drop into a locked box inside the voting machines," he said. "Voters will (initially) feed a sheet of paper into the scanner after they check off their selections."

More:
http://www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19892928&BRD=1170&PAG=461&dept_id=7021&rfi=6

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19. WI: Out-of-state voter registrations lead to confusion

Voters head to the polls again in about a month, and election officials are urging the public to think twice before filling out registration cards from out-of-state organizations.

It may be that they don’t need to, according to City Clerk Terri Kalan.

Some Wisconsin residents may receive forms or postcards from state and national organizations asking them to register to vote or update their voter records, but it may not be necessary.

In February, national mass mailings generated more than 6,000 voter registration forms arriving at the Wisconsin Election Division for the presidential primary.

Mailings that do not come from local election officials — such as the municipal clerk or the Wisconsin Elections Division, usually do not use the Wisconsin voter registration forms and their data may include people who are already registered.

More:
http://www.superiortelegram.com/articles/index.cfm?id=29687§ion=news

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20. CO: Unaffiliated voters won't receive mail-in ballot

Unaffiliated voters who applied for a Permanent Mail-In Ballot, will not receive a ballot for the Primary Election due to their "unaffiliated" voter status. However, unaffiliated voters may vote in the Primary Election if they affiliate with a major party on or before Primary Election Day.

Unaffiliated voters may choose one of the following options in order to vote in the Primary Election:

(A little) more:
http://denver.yourhub.com/CastleRock/Stories/Elections/Story~504279.aspx

[tbyg52]

22. FL: FRRC fights for ex-felon's voter rights

Over the weekend, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), a non-partisan group committed to reforming voting rights for ex-felons, held its statewide annual convention at Stetson University’s College of Law in Tampa. The group is campaigning to make the process for disenfranchised felons to obtain their rights more efficient and effective by pushing for an amendment on the statewide ballot that would automatically restore suffrage.

Florida has recently been one of only three states that have denied the right to vote to individuals with past felonies who have completed their sentences. And while some changes that would allow ex-felons the right to obtain their voting privileges have been made since Gov. Charlie Crist took office last year, many of the ex-offenders are still unaware that they can even apply for rights restoration and are often confused by the whole process.

Sherri Lockett, secretary of the National Black Police Association and a police officer in Miami Dade who spoke at the conference, said voting is not the only liberty these individuals lose. They are also denied other civil rights such as serving on jury or holding public office.

More:
http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/5943

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27. WI: Wisconsin voters register in record numbers

Three months before the November election, a top state official says Wisconsin residents are registering to vote in record numbers.

Registration drives by outside groups and Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign are fueling the increase, which is aided by the public's high level of interest in the presidential race.

(A little) more:
http://www.waow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8791978

[tbyg52]

28. NY: Tell it to the Judge

As I reported in my last post, problems encountered during New York State’s tough certification testing has caused the timeline for the 2009 rollout of state’s new voting machines to slip. Now the State Board of Elections has notified the Court that it will not be possible to complete testing on schedule and deploy the new machines in time for the September 2009 primary, as the Court has ordered.

The state, in its July 25 Status Report to Judge Gary Sharpe for the first time gives formal notice that:

“Overall, activities and progress toward HAVA compliance are in jeopardy…”

“For the first time, and after affirmatively representing that the time line for certification testing could still be met as recently as July 17, 2008, the most recent weekly status meeting, on July 24, 2008 SysTest admitted that it was behind schedule and would not make the October 1, 2008 certification testing completion date.”

Why did this happen?

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2925&Itemid=113

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30. MA: Same-day registration could pose problems

Town clerks had predicted a little anarchy with their democracy if House legislators acted on a bill allowing voters to register on Election Day.

Same-day registration would have required communities to train and hire additional staff and it would have opened the door to voter fraud, they said

“When I first heard about it, I called up and said ‘please vote against it,’” Marsha Silvia, Raynham assistant town clerk, said.

The measure would have also allowed little time to get the names of new voters off previous voting lists or to get their names to polling stations for verification.

“We haven’t been filled in on the procedure but they wouldn’t be on the voter list when they got to the polls,” Lakeville Town Clerk Janet Tracy said.

More:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/raynham/homepage/x223023097/Same-day-registration-could-pose-problems

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34. NC: Senate Bill 1263, “An act to establish the Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee

to clarify the new election statute as it applies to multi-seat races; to reauthorize the pilot program for instant runoff voting; to amend the statute concerning notice of an election-protest order and the timing of appeal; to clarify the meaning of the term "election" for purposes of the thirty-day residence requirement for voting; to respond to the decision of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in North Carolina Right to Life v. Leake; to replace the twenty-one-day contribution embargo in the judicial public campaign program with an expedited release of matching funds; to exempt certain sales of goods or services by political party executive committees from certain contribution requirements; to require all treasurers to report according to the municipal campaign reporting schedule if their candidates or committees participate in municipal elections; to prohibit co-mingling of campaign funds; to require that new-party candidates be registered with the party; to amend the reporting requirements for matching funds in public financing programs; to limit the prohibition in the electioneering communications statutes; and to require forty-eight-hour reports for any contribution of late contributions of more than one thousand dollars, regardless of the source; and to make related changes.” The bill was sponsored by Sen. Martin Nesbitt (D-Buncombe). The law becomes effective upon the governor’s signature.

More new laws (scroll down for this one):
http://www.salisburypost.com/Area/080508-bills-signed

[tbyg52]

38. NV: Election fraud task force formed

Nevada state and federal authorities on Thursday announced the formation of a task force that will aggressively pursue allegations of election fraud.

The secretary of state, attorney general, U.S. attorney's office and Federal Bureau of Investigation plan to work together as the election approaches and on Election Day to ensure a free and fair election in Nevada, where record turnout is anticipated.

"This is part of an effort to work proactively," Secretary of State Ross Miller, the state's chief elections official, said of the combined effort, which he said would "ensure there is integrity in the system."

Miller said investigators are already looking into allegations of fraud in voter registration, though he declined to go into specifics of an investigation he suggested was being handled by the FBI.

Clark County officials have said they suspect fraud is occurring in the thousands of voter registrations being submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, which works to get low-income people to vote. ACORN, whose officials have faced fraud charges in other states, says the group's workers are trained to follow the law.

More:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/26172074.html

[tbyg52]

48. NM: More Details Revealed on Lawsuit by Defeated Dem Incumbents Robinson, Taylor & Silva

Even though it's Sunday, I thought I'd follow up on yesterday's post about a suit filed in state district court by Shannon Robinson, Dan Silva and James G. Taylor that alleges campaign finance fraud in connection with the victories of three Dem challengers to long-time incumbents in the June 3, 2008 Dem primary. Today's Albuquerque Journal includes an article by Sean Olson that reveals more details about the suit, which was filed late Friday afternoon.

According to the article,

The lawsuit names the Center for Civic Policy and its director Eli Lee; Conservation Voters New Mexico, its director Javier Benavidez and its president Ned Farquhar; the SouthWest Organizing Project and its director Albert Ozawa Bineshi; and New Energy Economy Inc., its president John Fogarty and director Keegan King as the nonprofits allegedly working with the winning Democrats in the campaign.

The three incumbent losers and their backers must be miffed indeed by their defeats to go after some of the most respected nonprofits and issue advocates in New Mexico.

More:
http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2008/08/more-details-re.html

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50. KS: Copper theft forces KCK polling place to move

Election officials relocated a polling site this afternoon after a thief stole the copper out of an air-conditioning unit of a Kansas City, Kan., church.

The Metropolitan Baptist Temple at 853 Washington Ave. was being used a polling place, however, someone broke into the church recently — possibly within the last 24 hours — and stole the copper, said Bruce Newby, county election commissioner.

Officials closed the polling location at noon and moved it to the nearby Wyandotte County Election Office at Ninth Street and State Avenue. Newby said the new polling site was open by 12:25 p.m.

Signs have been posted at the church directing voters to the new location. Voters should enter the center door on the south side of the building on State Avenue, Newby said.

More:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/734746.html#recent_comm

Discussion:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3735148&mesg_id=3735148

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52. GA: False phone messages left for voters

I couldn't get this to come up in a regular browser window. If you can't either, click "print" to see the story. (I'd link directly to that, but it comes up in one of those little windows without a URL.)

Jackson and Banks flooded with calls

Registered voters in at least three northeast Georgia counties, including Hall, are getting unsolicited, automated phone calls that falsely inform them they must vote in today’s primary runoff election in order to vote in November.

Jackson County and Banks County voting officials say they have been flooded with calls from concerned voters who have received the message. A Hall County board of elections official said the office had received only one call about the message.

Banks County Probate Judge Betty Thomas said the unidentified voice announces “that they have received information from the registrar that they haven’t voted and that if they don’t vote (today) then they would be ineligible to vote in the November general election, and of course that’s wrong in more ways than one.”

Thomas said the Georgia Secretary of State's office has been notified and is looking into the source of the calls.

More (don't forget to click "print" if you don't see the story):
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/7632/

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2. National nt

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7. Voter fraud. Missing ballots. Hanging chads. Florida 2000? No, Sunnyvale 2008. (Maybe.)

Brace yourself ladies and gentleman, we may have a hanging chad situation emerging out of last week’s Yahoo shareholder meeting. The meeting was largely uneventful as Yahoo cut a deal with investor Carl Icahn days before to diffuse his hostile takeover attempt (and he didn’t even show up). But there may be more to the story including potential voting fraud or at least miscalculation, a source tells AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher.

At the meeting, Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang got 85.4 percent of the shareholders voting for him to keep his position with 14.6 percent withholding their votes to show their displeasure with him. Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock got 79.5 percent of the vote in his favor with 20.5 percent withholding. This was very surprising because the results for both men were actually higher than they were last year when the state of the company was obviously better than it is today, as Swisher notes.

But the real intrigue comes in when you consider that two of the largest funds with big stakes in Yahoo, Capital Research Global and Capital World Investors both apparently recommended that votes be withheld from Yahoo’s leadership to show their displeasure with the company’s performance. Capital Research Global owns 6.5 percent of Yahoo’s shares while Capital World Investors owns 9.8 percent. If both did use most of those shares to vote their displeasure, that would mean that nearly no one else voted against Yang and Bostock — something which seems very unlikely.

Capital Research & Management, the parent of the two funds has apparently asked its own vote tabulator, Broadridge Financial Solutions, to look into the matter.

More:
http://venturebeat.com/2008/08/04/voter-fraud-missing-ballots-hanging-chads-florida-2000-no-sunnyvale-2008-maybe/

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14. The Yahoo Shareholder Vote: Like Florida, Except More Confusing!

All Yahoo needs now is for former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to show up and start recounting votes.

It could happen, given all the crazy characters who have been drawn to the much-beleaguered Internet company like a magnet, in 2008.

It’s almost as if there is a voodoo curse on Yahoo (YHOO).

So, you didn’t think the digital gods would let it have more than one weekend of good news, did you?

No, they will not, it seems.

After the annual meeting last Friday, which went off without a hitch and, more importantly, without an expected major shareholder vote against the company’s management and board, you could feel a palpable easing of tension among Yahoo leadership and its exhausted PR team.

By Monday, the Yahoo shareholder kerfuffle–in essence, one major shareholder of Yahoo has asked for its outside tabulator of investor votes at the annual meeting for a recount–had landed with a thud.

More:
http://kara.allthingsd.com/20080805/the-yahoo-shareholder-vote-like-florida-except-more-confusing/

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29. Justice probe still threatens Gonzales

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will face new legal jeopardy when the Justice Department’s inspector general issues his next report on how the Bush administration let politics influence prosecutorial judgments, says ex-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias.

That installment is expected to address the firings of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and could set the stage for criminal charges against Gonzales and his former deputy, Paul McNulty, according to Iglesias, the former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico who was one of those fired in the purge.

In an interview, Iglesias said he believes Inspector General Glenn Fine will recommend that Attorney General Michael Mukasey appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Gonzales, McNulty and others for perjury, obstruction of justice and possibly other crimes related to the firings.

However, given Mukasey’s unwillingness to pursue past crimes that implicate the Bush administration, Iglesias said accountability for Gonzales and others may have to wait until a new president takes office.

More:
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3581.shtml

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31. Computer Technologists’ Statement on Internet Voting

Election results must be verifiably accurate -- that is, auditable with a permanent, voter-verified record that is independent of hardware or software. Several serious, potentially insurmountable, technical challenges must be met if elections conducted by transmitting votes over the internet are to be verifiable. There are also many less technical questions about internet voting, including whether voters have equal access to internet technology and whether ballot secrecy can be adequately preserved.

Internet voting should only be adopted after these technical challenges have been overcome, and after extensive and fully informed public discussion of the technical and non-technical issues has established that the people of the U.S. are comfortable embracing this radically new form of voting.

A partial list of technical challenges includes:

More:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2923&Itemid=26

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32. LinuxWorld gets an open source voting tryout

The Open Voting Consortium is giving its open source based voting machines a trial run at LinuxWorld, currently being held in San Francisco. In a mock election ballot for the 2008 Presidential election, attendees will be able to vote and see the votes tallied on a half hourly basis and see how the system supports recounts.

One of the civil issues where open source can help is the issue of transparency, especially in electronic voting where proprietary vendors rely on security by obscurity to protect the vote, making tampering often incredibly easy, yet also hard to prove. The Open Voting Consortium was formed in a response to this problem and has been working on creating an open source, publicly administered, publicly owned and accountable voting system.

The system being demonstrated at LinuxWorld costs around $400 per voting machine, much less than proprietary solutions, and uses the attendee's badge barcode to generate a personal ballot paper. The attendee casts their vote and the system scans the ballot paper for the voters choice, leaving an auditable paper trail.

More:
http://www.heise-online.co.uk/open/LinuxWorld-gets-an-open-source-voting-tryout--/news/111243

[tbyg52]

3. Foreign nt

[tbyg52]

25. Ghana: NCCE warns against registration of Minors

The National Commission for Civic Education, NCCE, has expressed concern about the alleged attempts by some political parties to register minors and also convey people in buses to register them across the country. It reminds the parties and the public that it is a criminal offence for anybody below 18 years to register and vote in an election.

(A little) more:
http://gbcghana.com/news/21719detail.html

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26. Fiji: Voting age could be reduced to 18

The National Council for Building a Better Fiji members have gone through the People's Charter and endorsed the draft, co-chairperson Archbishop Petero Mataca said yesterday.

Interim Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the endorsement included moving away from communal voting in Fiji's electoral system.

This also includes reducing voting ages to 18 years.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said while there would be compulsory registration there would no compulsory voting. On whether Fiji would be able to have elections next March, the NCBBF said this was a question that needed to be answered by the interim Government.

More:
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=97108

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33. Ottawa, Canada: Most bad ballots from francophones, analysis reveals

As Conservative fortunes rose during the 2006 election campaign, the riding of Louis-Hébert in Quebec City was seen as one the party had a chance of poaching from the Bloc Québécois as the Tories strove for a breakthrough in the province.

The Conservative candidate, computer specialist Luc Harvey, was a relative unknown, but the Bloc's hold on the riding was not absolute. It had voted Tory in the Brian Mulroney era and swung to the Liberals in 2000. This race was difficult to call.

No one knew just how close it would be. When the ballots were counted on Jan. 23, Mr. Harvey came out ahead by just 231 votes, making him one of 10 successful Tories in a province dominated by the Bloc.

More:
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=85dbaec5-5c22-4b1c-837e-47e6725c88a5

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39. Ghana: NPP, PNC call for extension of voter registration exercise

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC) on Tuesday appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the on-going limited voter registration exercise due to operational lapses over the past six days. The lapses include shortage of registration Form A and compliant forms, alleged registration of minors and foreigners, slow pace of the registration process, movement of registration team, and intimidation of NPP agents.

"Our monitoring and assessment of the registration exercises since its inception on July 31st indicate that, EC has failed to provide adequate registration materials at some electoral centres, particularly strongholds of the party, registration of minors and intimidation tactics by the operatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)," Nana Ohene Ntow, NPP General Secretary, stated in Accra. Nana Ohene Ntow at press conference organized to express the party's concern about the current registration exercise also tasked the EC to take more stringent measures to check the registration of minors and foreigners and ensure availability of adequate registration materials at all centres.

More:
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=147940

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4. Blogs, Editorials, LTTEs, etc. nt

[tbyg52]

10. Beyond McCain's Smears: Will Obama Campaign Overcome Barriers to a Fair Election?

While the Obama campaign is facing a barrage of McCain smear ads that also may make "dog-whistle," coded appeals to racists and anti-Christ-fearing evangelicals, he's got an even more systemic challenge ahead to winning in November.

With the smears driving down Obama's support and leading to a deadlocked race, the fate of the election and the next president in the White House may turn on this often overlooked issue:

How will the Obama campaign, the Democratic Party and their progressive allies successfully mobilize millions of unregistered and disaffected voters to turn out to vote while overcoming illegal or vote-suppressing barriers to registration and voting?

One of the biggest obstacles they have to overcome is the stark fact that most states are breaking a federal law, the National Voter Registration Act, that requires state social services agencies to offer voter registration opportunities to clients and applicants. As I reported last week in Alternet:

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/beyond-mccains-smears-can_b_116911.html

[tbyg52]

11. Letter to Democrats Abroad: The Weird Presidential Race at Midsummer

Kind of circular (CrisisPapers) ;) but it *did* show up in a news search! :woohoo:

snip

But even this wide base of support for Obama may not be enough, for a wide variety of reasons:

1. The Democrats, already smelling victory, might relax, thinking it's in the bag, and ease up just enough to permit the GOP back into the race.

2. The voting and vote-tabulating systems are just as corrupt and corruptible as they were in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. Not much has changed. Most vote-counting, for example, is still outsourced to Republican-supporting companies who manufacture the voting machines, control the secret software inside the machines, and do the tabulating away from prying eyes. It's been publicly demonstrated that software manipulations of vote totals can be performed in less than a minute, leaving no sign of any tampering. And there is plenty of evidence that such manipulations have been done in a number of races in recent years. (See Mark Crispin Miller's new book "Loser Take All." and The Crisis Papers essays by Ernest Partridge on the topic of election fraud).

3. In key states, just as they were in 2000 and 2004, hundreds of thousands of likely Democratic voters are being purged from the voting rolls, similar to what transpired in 2000 and 2004.

More:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/CrisisPapers/187

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21. LTTE: Lack of support for voter registration drives

Many high-profile businesses are using a “no solicitation” policy to keep non partisan voter registration groups from setting up a simple table with a sign to register new voters or allow existing voters to change to a mail-in ballot to avoid long poll lines this November. One supermarket has been very supportive in allowing registrant groups to flag down individuals walking in and out of the supermarket, but does not give permission for a table. A table allows individuals to choose to seek registration and to comfortably fill out the registration form instead of standing and writing on a clipboard.

(A little) more:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/eletters/2008/08/05/lack-of-support-for-voter-registration-drives/

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23. PERHAPS IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR "IRV" VOTING?

IS IT TIME TO FINALLY FOLLOW THE PROCESS USED IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA & THE UNITED KINGDOM?

"Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)" is a voting system used for single-winner elections in which voters have one vote, but also rank or "list" all of the candidates on the ballot in order of preference, 1st place through last place. If no single candidate receives a majority of the #1 choice position, the candidate with the fewest number of votes is eliminated and that candidate's votes redistributed equally to the voters' next preferences among the remaining candidates. This process is repeated until one candidate has a majority of votes among the remaining candidates. The term "instant runoff" is used because IRV actually simulates a series of run-off elections tallied in election rounds."

IRV is called "Preferential Voting (PV)" in Australia, "Preferential Balloting (PB)" in Canada, "Alternative Voting (AV)" in the United Kingdom, and in some state elections in the US, is sometimes called "Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)". It has also been referred to as the "Hare System", after Thomas Hare, the inventor of the Single Transferable Vote (STV) now called IRV.

Robert's Rules of Order calls IRV "especially useful and fair in elections by mail if it is impractical or too costly to offer more than one election".

More:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/70580

[tbyg52]

24. A setback for primary reform

Barack Obama's decision to call for restoration of full voting rights to the members of the Florida and Michigan delegations at the Democratic national convention is what a candidate in his position would be expected to do.

But what's good for the candidate isn't good for reforming the party's free-for-all primary system. Efforts to establish a more controlled primary calendar in future years will be de railed if those punished for violating the rules this year are, in the end, welcomed back into the political family without penalty.

National party leaders originally told Florida and Michigan delegates that their votes would not count at the conven tion because state leaders de fied national party policy by holding primaries before approved dates.

In May, the Democratic rules committee, under pressure from Hillary Clinton backers, agreed to let each delegate in those states have half a vote.

Now Obama wants to act as if nothing ever happened. He's asked convention leaders to seat those delegates with full voting privileges.

More:
http://www.nj.com/opinion/ledger/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1217910936123300.xml&coll=1

[tbyg52]

5. Campaign Finance nt

[tbyg52]

41. FL: Suit: Rep. Buchanan Skirted Campaign Finance Law

A former employee has filed a lawsuit accusing U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan of falsifying business documents in the operation of a Venice car dealership.

The lawsuit also says Buchanan skirted federal campaign laws by reimbursing dealership employees for contributions they made to his political campaign. These allegations echo claims in a previous lawsuit filed by another former employee.

In the suit filed Thursday in circuit court in Sarasota County, Carlo Bell says the Buchanan dealership, Venice Nissan & Dodge, falsified credit reports and engaged in a practice known as "power booking," described as duping banks into approving car loans based on contracts listing nonexistent luxury options.

Bell, the dealership's former finance director, said the illegal practices were a way for the dealership to reduce commissions paid to employees. He filed the suit, in part, to collect unpaid commissions.

More (plus comments):
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/aug/04/lawsuit-questions-buchanans-business-practices-cam/

[tbyg52]

42. UT: GOP legislators apparently violated federal campaign finance laws

Former Utah House member and 2006 Republican congressional candidate LaVar Christensen's last-minute push to raise funds for his failing campaign two years ago may have resulted in federal election law violations by several Utah legislators.

The apparent violations seem to be the result of miscommunication.

Christensen was a Republican state legislator when he challenged Democratic Congressman Jim Matheson. Christensen lost, and now is trying to reclaim his old seat in the Legislature.

In the week before the 2006 election, about two dozen legislators contributed to Christensen's campaign in an eleventh-hour attempt to overcome Matheson's lead. Fourteen drew the money out of their legislative campaign accounts.

Unless the rules governing such donations are scrupulously followed, the contributions can violate federal election laws because while state campaigns can accept corporate donations, federal campaigns cannot.

More:
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_10079337

[tbyg52]

45. Canada: Campaign finance reform should be top priority

When people ask me what I think this city council should be doing, they're always surprised to hear that the No. 1 priority should be campaign finance reform.

"That's so technical," they say, "and only government geeks like you would care about it. Shouldn't they be working on sprawl, homelessness, transit?"

Indeed they should. But transparency, fairness and participation are the foundation of clean, effective government, and we can't have these without fixing the current non-system of campaign finance.

Let me be clear: I'm not suggesting that there is a simple quid pro quo in place. To argue, as Ald. Linda Fox-Mellway did in last week's Herald, that she can't be bought for $5,000 or $10,000 (would $20,000 be enough, one wonders? Does she ever have a sale?) is reductionist and absurd.

I'm not saying that just because Intergulf-Cidex donated $18,000 to the mayor's campaign, making them the second-largest of his donors, that the city then bought their entire development in Montreux for affordable housing. Yes, that looks bad, but it was also a good decision.

More:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/theeditorialpage/story.html?id=51b61cc5-30c4-48a2-b1ca-b035f77f532d

[tbyg52]

46. MA: LTTE: State needs a freer system of campaign finance

RE "Campaign-finance doldrums" (Editorial, July 25): Supporters of Governor Deval Patrick who contribute to the Seventy-First Fund are responding to Massachusetts' laughably low contribution limits. Contribution limits of $500 are nearly five times lower than the federal limits, and are barely higher than Vermont's old contribution limits, which were found to be unconstitutionally low by the US Supreme Court.

(A little) more:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2008/07/31/state_needs_a_freer_system_of_campaign_finance/

[tbyg52]

49. MA: Wilkerson settles campaign finance dispute, will pay $10,000

Attorney General Martha Coakley and state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson settled a long standing dispute over Wilkerson's campaign record keeping on Friday, with Wilkerson agreeing State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson (D-Boston)State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson (D-Boston)to pay a $10,000 forfeiture of her own personal funds.

In addition to the $10,000, the agreement, reached by Wilkerson (D-Boston), Coakley (D-Medford) and the Office of Campaign and Political Finance requires Wilkerson to release the $29,524 debt she claimed her campaign owned her and forces Wilkerson to adhere to stricter campaign finance reporting standards than other members of the legislature.

By taking part in the agreement, Wilkerson acknowledged violations of campaign finance laws in her record keeping from 2000 to 2004.

More:
http://www.politickerma.com/jeremyjacobs/555/wilkerson-settles-campaign-finance-dispute-will-pay-10000

[tbyg52]

6. The Youth Vote nt

[tbyg52]

35. IN: Newspaper: Students got free lunches in primary voting

Dozens of Gary high school students who voted during school hours in Indiana's last two primaries were treated to lunches at Lake County restaurants that cost taxpayers more than $1,000, a newspaper has found.

The Times of Munster said it obtained Gary school financial records which show that about two dozen Roosevelt High School students ate out April 21 at the Golden Corral in Merrillville during a field trip to vote at the Lake County Government Center.

Their meals ran up a $530.84 bill.

Another 54 students from Lew Wallace High School took similar field trips to vote April 26, 2007 and April 27, 2007, and ate out at a Ponderosa Steakhouse in Crown Point where each received a $6.29 meal and a $1.69 beverage.

More:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-studentsvoters-lu,0,6778105.story

[tbyg52]

36. University of Victoria class to study, analyze U.S. election in real time

Professors at the University of Victoria's political science department aren't waiting for the result of this year's U.S. presidential race to let students analyze it. Instead, they're making the race between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain the focus of a full-credit course, and they're inviting the public to join in.

The third-year course is called Obama vs. McCain: American Presidential Politics, Canada and the World. The class was going to be limited to 50 students, but Dennis Pilon, who specializes in electoral systems, said demand was so strong that the department doubled the class size. It's now full and has a waiting list.

In addition to the 100 UVic students, as many as 150 members of the public will be invited to register for the once-a-week, three-hour course. The cost through Continuing Studies will be about $180, and the faculty expects a full lecture theatre.

The concept was born at the department's annual spring retreat. Warren Magnusson, an expert on the role of the United States in the world, came up with the idea.

More:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080805.COURSE05/TPStory/National

[tbyg52]

37. CA: West Hills College Lemoore gears up for Xtreme Registration

Xtreme Registration will take place Friday, Aug. 8, at 6 p.m. at West Hills College Lemoore. It's not too late to register for fall semester classes that start Aug. 11 in the West Hills Community College District. Students can register 24/7 online or for those who need more help the Xtreme Registration event at WHCL will be held on Friday from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Students will be able to apply for admission, take a placement test, meet with an advisor or counselor, apply for financial aid and enroll in classes at all West Hills' locations during Xtreme Registration.

"We really encourage students to enroll early for best class selection," said Sylvia Dorsey-Robinson, associate dean and Xtreme Registration committee head at West Hills College Lemoore. "Xtreme Registration is for those last minute students."

More:
http://www.coalingarecord.com/articles/2008/08/05/lifestyle/doc48951e42a1c12377781092.txt

[tbyg52]

40. Teens Pessimistic About Future of the Country, Optimistic About Themselves and Own Future

Teens are feeling the weight of the world now more than ever, according to a new report issued today. There has been a steep drop-off in the number of students feeling hopeful and optimistic about the future of the country, falling from 75% in 2003 to just 53% today, a 22% decline in optimism over the past five years. Despite these declining views of a fading nation, teens are nonetheless positive as they envision their own futures. With 88% describing themselves as confident and 66% saying they feel optimistic about their own futures, they are making strides towards achieving success as young adults.
The 10th State of Our Nation's Youth report was issued today by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. The report compiles the results of the national survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates. The 2008-2009 report is a comprehensive study of American high school students' opinions, apprehensions and aspirations. Highlights from this year's survey include:

-- Presidential Election - 75% of teens say the election outcome will make a substantial difference in the direction of the country. Students' biggest concerns are the economy and jobs (34%), and the war in Iraq (31%).

More:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/teens-pessimistic-about-future-country/story.aspx?guid=%7B4144DAC7-35F5-4A2E-8DCC-5AA9292A9B5A%7D&dist=hppr

[tbyg52]

43. WFU freshmen explore their role in the 2008 election

Each year, incoming freshmen at Wake Forest University are assigned a reading dealing with a thought-provoking issue, and required to attend a lecture related to that issue by a high-profile speaker during orientation. Reflecting the record high level of young voter activism in the 2008 election cycle, this year’s orientation speaker and reading assignment relate to college students and political engagement.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a nationally known scholar and commentator on politics and the media, will talk to Wake Forest freshmen at 8 p.m. Aug. 22 in Wait Chapel about trends in the 2008 election cycle and why they matter. Jamieson is director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, co-founder of FactCheck.org, and an author, co-author or editor of 15 books, including “Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction and Democracy.” She is a commentator on a variety of television news programs and is a regular guest on PBS’ “Bill Moyers Journal.”

In preparation for Jamieson’s talk, incoming students are required to read "Millennials Talk Politics: A Study of College Student Political Engagement,” published by The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). Wake Forest was among the dozen colleges and universities participating in that study.

More:
http://www.wfu.edu/news/release/2008.08.05.f.php

[tbyg52]

44. ME: Young voters hope to 'wake up' others at rally

Last spring, York resident Victoria Simon went to York High School to conduct a voter registration drive. She said she was surprised and disheartened by the response she received.

“They’d say, ‘This has nothing to do with me,’ or ‘I don’t know enough about this.’ ‘I don’t know who to vote for.’ ‘I don’t know where to get information,’” she said. “They did not seem to be very involved politically at all.”

She said she decided, “If kids don’t have the information, let’s get it to them.” With that in mind, she and a small group of dedicated young people are putting on a “Let’s Wake it Up” voter awareness rally this Sunday at Lobster in the Rough on Route 1, specifically geared to those 18-26 years old.

As far as she is aware, this is the only rally of its kind in Maine this election season.

More:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080804/NEWS/80804041/-1/NEWS19&sfad=1

[tbyg52]

47. Young people finding Obama way cooler than McCain

Forget the war for the White House for a moment. Among young people, Barack Obama appears to be beating John McCain in the battle for "cool."

"Obama is a tad cooler than McCain on probably 57 fronts," said Emily Goulding, 25, of Los Angeles. "Obama's better looking than McCain, Obama's more stylish than McCain, Obama's more fit than McCain. He refers to better music than McCain."

"Obama's big with the kids, everyone knows that," said Tom Johnson, 21, of Norfolk, Va. "McCain — that guy's not cool. I just can't call McCain cool."

"It's got to be Obama," said David Munn, 20, of Keene, N.H. "He's younger, I think he has more of a connection with my generation. I just think he communicates better to my generation, especially with issues in Iraq. (McCain) is all right, but not as cool as Obama."

More:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jOYEXQWlwGlgxmsGgDDPND2xfaYgD92C6FB80

[livvy]

51. KnR #1...How 'bout some more for this fine thread? n/t

[tbyg52]

54. Thanks, livvy!

:hi:

[tbyg52]

53. That's all, folks! nt

[UncountedMary]

55. Jesse Jackson, Jr Says: "Going To the Polls Does Not Mean You Have The Right To Vote"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rick Bryant
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 [phone]

"Going To the Polls Does Not Mean You Have The Right To Vote"

Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., said today that while the world closely watches us choose our next president, we must closely examine the process we use to elect all of our leaders. "The new Advancement Project report and the documentary Uncounted offer warnings about the fragile state of our electoral system. They support what I've been saying for years: Going to the polls -- which they're doing today in states like Michigan and Tennessee -- does NOT mean you have the right to vote.

"The AFFIRMATIVE right to vote is not in the Constitution," Jackson said. "Until we put it there we will continue to have presidents selected by the Supreme Court, partisan officials crafting rules in their favor, and voters disenfranchised by political games or plain old sloppiness. The Advancement Project report details a dizzying array of Election Day meltdowns, and in Uncounted there's evidence of how voting machines themselves can create problems. Without the constitutionally-protected right to vote, we don't have the power to make sure that every vote is counted in a complete, fair and efficient manner.

"Every Congress since 2001, I've introduced House Joint Resolution 28 (H.J. Res. 28), legislation calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting everyone the affirmative right to vote. It's time to scrap the states' rights-based system we have now, and place the right to vote alongside the constitutionally-protected right to free speech. Voting gives you the political power to protect all of your other rights. That power is the bedrock of our democracy. It should not be left to political whims, economic downturns and disenfranchising procedures," said Jackson.

(The Advancement Project report is available at www.advancementproject.org and information about Uncounted is available at www.uncountedthemovie.com.)

- 30 -

Theresa Caldwell
Deputy Communications Director
Office of Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.
202-225-0773

[tbyg52]

56. Thanks, UncountedMary!

You might want to make this an OP.....? :hi:

[UncountedMary]

57. Thank you!

Wasn't sure I could do that yet! Thanks for the nudge...