8/23 Florida voter alert! After India EVM expert arrest. Dan Rather on voting machines

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Florida voter alert! After India EVM expert arrest. Dan Rather on voting machines

August 23 2010

CTVoter on reforms intended to tweak turnout -"Fighting the last war – Be careful what you ask for!" Florida Voter Alert: 2008 Absentee Voters May Have Problems at Polls...Dan Rather on Chris Matthews today, "Electronic voting machines still alot of problems..."...India electronic voting machine update: The ‘story’ behind Hari Prasad’s arrest and its aftermath

News is brief today, we'll catch up tomorrow...

AK: Primary election features three ballot choices for some voters
http://newsminer.com/bookmark/9238126-Primary-election-features-three-ballot-choices-for-some-voters FAIRBANKS — As an election-week reminder, don’t forget there are three ballot choices for some voters Tuesday during the state primary election.

CO: Ask for single question to repeal IRV
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/letter-editor/142140

CT: Fighting the last war – Be careful what you ask for!
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/fighting-the-last-electionwar-be-careful-what-you-ask-for/
There are several recent stories about the low turnout in the August 10th primary and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz suggesting the primary date be changed from August to June
...
This is not a voting integrity issue, yet we place it in the category of “Fighting the last war” (i.e. Changes/reforms that look good when attempting to correct a recent, assumed election problem, without looking at all the consequences. )

FL: Voter Alert: 2008 Absentee Voters May Have Problems at Polls*
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13848
If you voted absentee in the 2008 general election, but were planning to vote at the polls this Tuesday, you may be in for a surprise when you get there. You may be told that you cannot cast a regular ballot because you have already received an absentee ballot in the mail. This could happen even though you didn't specifically request an absentee ballot for this election and even though you haven't actually received one in the mail.

FL: Ballot mess still casts pall over election
http://www.bocabeacon.com/?p=4893
Calls have stll been coming into the Lee County elections office in connection to scores of mail-in boomerang ballots that were returned to sender.
...
If you believe your voting rights have been violated, contact Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, [phone]. To check the status of your ballot, go to BocaBeacon.com and click on the link provided.

NC: Instant runoff voting, here we come ... ready or not
http://www.news-record.com/blog/54431/entry/97310
When they see the ballot for this special election, voters will wonder what the state legislature was thinking when it created this system. It's going to be a joke, and not only for voters who will be asked to mark a first, second and third choice on their ballots. The election workers don't know how to handle these ballots, either.

NC: Time to Shorten the Ballot
http://www.carolinajournal.com/jhdailyjournal/display_jhdailyjournal.html?id=6746
Every two years, the state asks millions of voters to choose among candidates for North Carolina’s supreme court and court of appeals. The vast majority of voters have no personal experience with the lawyers or judges in question. They have no significant information about the candidates’ qualifications and legal philosophies.

TN: Rutherford election official says no coverup
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100821/NEWS02/
8210343/1009/NEWS02/Rutherford+election+official+says+no+coverup
http://tinyurl.com/2d239va Rutherford County's top election official says there was no attempt to cover up the fact that the county failed to hold early voting for the Aug. 5 election on the first Saturday it should have been held, a violation of state law that was not revealed until two weeks after the election

National
Dan Rather on Chris Matthews today, "Electronic voting machines still alot of problems..." http://video.thechrismatthewsshow.com/player/?fid=31183#videoid=1245262 On Chris Matthews show Sunday, in last 3 minutes of show, Dan Rather makes a brief comment about voting machines. In "Scoops, predictions... tell me something I don't know" :

"ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES still alot of problems with them, as we near the November elections your gonna hear alot of complaints, probably alot of lawsuits, Germany has done away with them, the Dutch have done away from them... but so many counties have them..."

"Lobbying is a necessary part of democratic society based on the First Amendment of the United States Constitution." And: "Lobbying is paying off politicians and government officials to get them to do something." http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016787.html

Interesting Kevin Lee Blog Post on CU over at "Mirror of Justice"
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/016789.html

International

India: The ‘story’ behind Hari Prasad’s arrest and its aftermath
http://www.indianevm.com/blogs/?p=412 For most of you concerned about the plight of Hari Prasad, let me give you the good news. He is doing fine. On the legal front, the father-son duo of Ram Jethmalani and Mahesh Jethmalani, India’s ace criminal lawyers whom I met yesterday in Mumbai agreed to defend Hari Prasad in the case. Mahesh Jethmalani will appear in court on behalf of Hari Prasad. Both the lawyers were horrified that a technologist with good intentions of strengthening democracy was being harassed in this manner raising serious question marks about the motives. Watch out for one of the most fascinating battles for saving democracy from one of the country’s finest lawyers.

I made a day’s trip to Mumbai yesterday to have a ‘feel’ of the ground situation, to tie up the legal help and to explore other factors leading to the arrest. Some shocking facts have surfaced.

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