internet voting and FCC

[Margit Johansson <margitjo@xxxxxxxxx>]

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Voting News about election integrity issues, voting machines, election
fraud, voter access and legislation in United States and sometimes other
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 Friday, November 20, 2009
FCC considers Internet Voting, WV oks internet voting for military, NY
Voting Machines had bug not
virus<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/fcc-considers-internet-voting-wv-oks.html>
The biggest threat to democracy quietly sneaks forward: The FCC seeks public
comment on internet elections by Dec. 10 of this year... Clearly the
e-voting movement is not keeping up. Problems with voting machines pale
compared to the risks of internet voting. Voting online is not secure and is
not secret according to many tech experts...Meanwhile, West Virginia just
passed a law allowing online voting for military, it goes to the governor to
be signed...

"Voting is not a commodity or industry, it's a democratic right...Anti-trust
officials must stop this monopolization of America's most basic democratic
process. More fundamentally, though, we must restore full public ownership
and management of our voting systems."~Jim Hightower...This should be true
everywhere: "Registration of voters should never be seen as a political
act." – European Commission Head of Delegation to Zambia...
...
There is good news and bad news about New York's voting systems. The
problems with some New York voting machines were not due to a virus, as
reported yesterday by the Gouverneur Times, but were due to a flaw/bug in
the source code. The problem was not caused by election workers but by the
voting vendor. The good news is that there are paper ballots. But the bad
news is that elections are still being used as beta tests for voting
vendors. We all know there is no perfect voting system but is it too much to
ask that these voting systems work correctly? Bo Lipari has a write up on
his blog and we have a press release from the New York State Board of
Elections...In Utah New ID Check-In scans your drivers license....

All this and much more in today's voting news below...


*IL: Undervotes and the AccuVote*
Champaign County Clerk under Elections. The formerly Diebold, formerly
Premier, now ES&S Accu-Vote ballot tabulation system is under the gun to
meet the state standards for rejecting undervotes. (We do not use the
Accu-Vote) At the State Board of Elections meeting yesterday we learned that
their first go around on testing failed, and now they are making programming
changes and retesting.
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2009/11/18/undervotes-and-the-accuvote/

*IL: Illinois Newspaper Story on Challenge to Green Party U.S. House
Candidate in 14th District
*November 20th, 2009 The Daily Herald, a newspaper in Arlington Heights,
Illinois, has this article about a Democratic Party-connected challenge to
the Green Party’s candidate for U.S. House in the 14th district.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/11/20/illinois-newspaper-story-on-challenge-to-green-party-u-s-house-candidate-in-14th-district/

*MA: BREAKING NEWS: Vote-Rigging Alleged in UC Presidential Election*
November 19, 2009 In an unprecedented reversal following allegations of
fraud and vote-tampering, the Undergraduate Council Election Commission
decided to “de-certify” the results of the presidential election released
today, pending further notice.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/11/19/11-bowman-votes-seiler/

*MN: Kummer wins Park Board seat without a majority
*Candidate is first under ranked-choice voting to be elected without support
from a majority of voters.
November 19, 2009 ...Incumbent Kummer amassed 46 percent of the vote to
almost 42 percent for Jason Stone in a replay of their 2005 finish. Her
election without a majority occurred because 957 ballots, or 12 percent of
those cast, were exhausted. That means either the voter didn't list a second
or third choice, or the candidate the voter listed was eliminated from
consideration.
http://www.startribune.com/local/70425287.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

*MO: Cooper County Clerk's office canvasses voter registration records*
...The effort is being made in accordance with the law, which states this
must be done every two years.
http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/news/x255188660/Cooper-County-Clerks-office-canvasses-voter-registration-records

*NC: Most missed filing deadlines*
Finance reports 'a little screwy'
CHAPEL HILL - This year the town instituted a new campaign-finance report to
reveal candidates' spending up through six days before the election. Trouble
is, only one candidate managed to file it on time. And she only received $1
in campaign contributions.
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/news/story/53692.html

*NJ: Quigley on Bill Creating Online Voter Registration* (A-4189)youtube
video
November 18, 2009 In this video press release, Assemblywoman Joan M. Quigley
(D-Hudson) discusses her legislation to allow New Jersey residents to
register to vote online. The measure (A-4189) would create an online voter
registration form, hosted on a secure site within the Department of State's
Web site, that would allow residents to register to vote, change their
voting address after a move or change their name in the voter file, all from
a computer
http://videos.nj.com/2009/11/quigley_on_bill_creating_onlin.html

*NY: Statement from the Board of Elections on the 23rd Congressional
District*
http://readme.readmedia.com/Statement-from-the-Board-of-Elections-on-the-23rd-Congressional-District/984695

*NY: No Voting Machine Virus in New York-23 Election*
November 20, 2009 By Bo Lipari. Erroneous reports are circulating that a
virus caused a problem in the scanners used in the NY-23 Congressional race.
...
The issue was a bug in the Dominion source code that caused the machine to
hang while creating ballot images for certain vote combinations in multiple
candidate elections (the ImageCast, like the other scanner used in New York,
the ES&S DS200, creates digital images of each ballot which can be reviewed
after the election). So if, for example, a “vote for three candidates out of
five” race was voted in a certain way, the scanner would hang. This is one
reason why the defect affected some, but not all machines with ballots
containing this type of race, because only certain combinations of votes
caused the memory problem. But here’s the thing – the problem was discovered
before the election.
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2009/11/20/212

*OH: Party-line vote* (HB 260 goes to state senate next)
Elections bill passed by divided Ohio House
Registration would be easier, 'golden week' eliminated
November 19, 2009 ...The House bill would make changes to virtually all
aspects of the voting process.
...
The bill would streamline the processes for showing identification at the
polls and for casting provisional ballots. It also would allow online voter
registration and automatic updating of registrations when voters move or
change their name.
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/
stories/2009/11/19/copy/election_bill.ART_ART_11-19-09_B1_8KFNMBB.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

or use this url http://twi.cc/6HAS

*SD: South Dakota Court Says Inactive Voters May Sign Petitions
*November 20th, 2009 On November 13, a South Dakota Circuit Court Judge
ruled that petition signatures are valid if the signer is not on the list of
active registered voters, but is on the list of inactive voters. Inactive
voters are those who once registered to vote, but whose registration is
considered questionable because the post office reported that the voter had
moved and that voter has not re-registered.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/11/20/south-dakota-court-says-inactive-voters-may-sign-petitions/

*UT: Utah New ID Check-In*
Utah is creating a new cool check in process for voters. The State’s voter
registration data base will be able to read the bar codes on a voter’s
driver’s license. So when a voter goes to check in to vote, a poll worker
will be able to scan the bar code on the back of the State driver’s license
and that person will be pulled up in the state database.
http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/?p=3002

*WVA: *Online Voting Bill Passes During Special Session
November 19, 2009 House Bill 406 passed during the special legislative
session Nov. 19
House Bill 406 passed during the special legislative session Thursday. The
bill gives military and other West Virginia citizens the opportunity to vote
online, while outside of the country.

Each participating county will setup an online system. Military and overseas
voter will be able to login to the Web site using a security code, and cast
their ballot.
...
The bill now goes to Gov. Joe Manchin for a signature
http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=70683

*WV To Offer Online Voting For Some*
WEST VIRGINIA- A pilot program to allow West Virginians, serving in the
military, the opportunity to vote online passed the Legislature unanimously
on Thursday during the special session.

House Bill 406 now needs West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin's signature in
order to become law.
http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=88782


*National*

*FCC wants public comment on digital democracy* - (internet voting
whack-a-mole )
Comments due by December 10 of this year
http://government.zdnet.com/?p=6219
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/index.do?document=294676

*VerifiedVoting.org : Technologists' statement on internet voting
*This is also the position of VerifiedVoting.org on internet voting, and ...
www.verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=5866

*ES&S trying to monopolize America's voting system*
Lowdown
...But during the past decade, state and local election authorities have
ever-so-quietly allowed a little intrusion to come between the casting and
the counting of our votes. The intrusion is called "privatization."

Balloting, which has historically and properly been a purely public function
in our country, now relies largely on electronic machines that are made and
controlled by a handful of corporations
...
Anti-trust officials must stop this monopolization of America's most basic
democratic process. More fundamentally, though, we must restore full public
ownership and management of our voting systems.
http://www.csindy.com/colorado/esands-trying-to-monopolize-americas-voting-system/Content?oid=1514922


*Uniform State Law Commission Meets Again to Consider Changes in Electoral
College*
November 20th, 2009
The National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws has existed
since the 19th century. It proposes model laws to the state legislatures of
all states. The Commission has been meeting this year to work on a proposed
model law on how to stop presidential electors from voting for presidential
or vice-presidential candidates who vote for someone in the electoral
college who was not their party’s choice.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/11/20/uniform-state-law-commission-meets-again-to-consider-changes-in-electoral-college/

*International*

*Registration of voters should never be seen as a political act* – European
Commission Head of Delegation to Zambia
European Commission Head of Delegation to Zambia Derek Fee yesterday said
the registration of voters should never be seen as a political act in favour
of one side but as a necessary step in ensuring that election results
reflect the true will of majority voters.
http://zambianchronicle.com/?p=5392



Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
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email comments, questions us at ncvoter (at) gmail.com

=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from
Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending
a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be
sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your
contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link:
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=5295
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 Thursday, November 19, 2009
Virus in NY voting machines, Myrtle SC's missing 260 votes found,
ACORN ?<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/virus-in-ny-voting-machines-myrtle-scs_19.html>
Hot story today: VIRUS found in the VOTING MACHINES Tainted Results in
NY-23...Myrtle Beach's missing 260 votes "found" when "correct" memory card
put into machine to gather votes, voters will just have to trust the delayed
digital count since there are no paper ballots - does that inspire
confidence?...Benton County Arkansas officials do their citizens a
disservice by proposing to ditch paper ballot voting systems, the officials
claim this will save money, but cost studies show otherwise! Arkansas has a
paper ballot law that grandfathered paperless voting in some
counties....Indiana County PA officials are "irked" that they had to do a
real recount and not just read off the voting machine tape like
PA'spaperless counties do...
PPP survey finds that 52% of GOP believe Acorn stole the election for
President Obama...Readers, we apologize that for two days in a row
feedburner did not send you the voting news. You can find those missing
editions at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/ and we are working on a backup
plan to avoid this happening again....

All this and more in today's voting news below....

*AR: Paper Voting Ballots Could Be A Thing Of The Past*
Election Commission Looks To Make Changes
November 19, 2009. Should the Benton County Quorum Court approve the
expenditure of $360,000 for the Election Commission to purchase 200 new
electronic voting machines, paper ballots could soon be a thing of the past.

“Right now, it is an idea that is open for discussion,” Bill Williams,
chairman of the election commission, said.
http://www.nwanews.com/news/2009/nov/19/paper-voting-ballots-could-be-thing-past/

*Paper ballot voting cost less than all electronic voting*
Voting System Cost Studies and Reports
http://www.votersunite.org/info/CostStudies.asp

*NY: VIRUS in the VOTING MACHINES: Tainted Results in NY-23*
GOUVERNEUR, NY - The computerized voting machines used by many voters in the
23rd district had a computer virus - tainting the results, not just from
those machines known to have been infected, but casting doubt on the
accuracy of counts retrieved from any of the machines.

Cathleen Rogers, the Democratic Elections Commissioner in Hamilton County
stated that they discovered a problem with their voting machines the week
prior to the election and that the "virus" was fixed by a Technical Support
representative from Dominion, the manufacturer. The Dominion/Sequoia Voting
Systems representative "reprogrammed" their machines in time for them to use
in the Nov. 3rd Special Election. None of the machines (from the same
manufacturer) used in the other counties within the 23rd district were
looked at nor were they recertified after the "reprogramming" that occurred
in Hamilton County
...
At least one County official thus far has raised concern that it's possible
that ALL of the machines used in the NY-23 election had the 'virus' but only
a few malfunctioned as a result. The counts from any district that used the
ImageCast machines are suspect due to "the virus" discovered in Hamilton
County, last-minute "reprogramming" by Dominion workers, and security flaws
in the systems themselves. A manual paper-ballot recount of the vote could
resolve computer vote accuracy questions.

http://www.gouverneurtimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8144:virus-in-the-voting-machines-tainted-results-in-
ny-23&catid=60:st-lawrence-news&Itemid=175

*PA: Vote recount irks commissioner; tallies remain virtually unchanged
*November 19, 2009 The recount Wednesday of Indiana County votes for
Pennsylvania Superior Court judges resulted in no change in the total for
one candidate, and changes ranging from one to six votes for other
candidates.
http://online.indianagazette.com/articles/2009/11/19/news/10028636.txt

*SC: No changes as Myrtle Beach election results are certified* * (update
from missing 260 votes)Nov 19. ... This morning the hand-held counter was
placed back into its voting machine birth and the totals were printed out
and certified with the rest of the votes.

After the polls closed Tuesday, people began questioning the unofficial vote
totals from the Dunes precinct, which has 1,619 registered voters.

Horry County Voter Registration and Elections Director Sandy Martin, whose
office handles the voting machines, reviewed the machine printouts from
Tuesday night and confirmed that one machine's votes did not get counted.
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/breaking_news/story/1175247.html

*SC: Voting machine error reported in Myrtle Beach* *
Nov 18...A poll worker accidentally used the wrong hand-held vote counter to
close a voting machine at the Dunes 1 voting precinct in Myrtle Beach on
Tuesday, leaving about 260 votes uncounted.

But it appears that, along with the 23 failsafe, challenged and
late-arriving absentee ballots still to be certified Thursday, cannot change
the outcome of the election.

Horry County Voter Registration and Elections Director Sandy Martin said the
hand-held counter will be placed back into its voting machine at 10 a.m.
Thursday, and the machines' totals printed out and certified along with the
rest of the votes cast.
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/story/1173528.html

*National*

*Majority of GOP voters think ACORN stole 2008 vote*
... PPP's newest national survey finds that a 52% majority of GOP voters
nationally think that ACORN stole the Presidential election for Barack Obama
last year, with only 27% granting that he won it legitimately
http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2009/11/acorn.html

*International*

*Winnipeg shopping for voting machines*
November 19, 2009 The city of Winnipeg is shopping around for a large number
of new voting machines to be used in next year's municipal election.

More than $1 million has been set aside to purchase 230 cutting-edge ballot
counters, which officials said will cut down on voter fraud and make casting
a ballot easier for visually impaired people.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/11/19/mb-voting-machines-winnipeg.html


Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to receive the Voting News by email by visiting this link:
http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=VotingNews&loc=en_US
email comments, questions us at ncvoter (at) gmail.com

=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from
Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending
a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be
sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your
contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link:
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=5295
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 Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Myrtle Beach missing 260 votes, Ohio voter rolls in disarray, Phantom
districts<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/myrtle-beach-missing-260-votes-ohio.html>
Our apologies if you did not receive a Voting News yesterday, there was a
problem with our feedburner delivery... 260 votes lost or uncounted in a
Myrtle Beach SC muni runoff election...Lackawanna PA will use a machine to
recount its other failed machine count. Which machine count would you
trust?....Phantom congressional districts get stimulus money...In Iran 5
Post Election Protesters Sentenced to Death...Congratulations: Citizens for
Election Integrity Minnesota Celebrates its 5th Anniversary!...Bob Fitrakis
reports: On voter registration, the Columbus Dispatch gets it right,
almost...
Retail Fraud – A Stitch In Time Could Save Democracy, Luther Weeks writes
about absentee ballot fraud and disenfranchisement...Judge orders recount in
Rutherford NJ squeaker...
Project Vote Releases New Report on Composition of the 2008 Electorate ...We
used to look to Canada for accurate and transparent elections, but that is
at risk now as more Canadian municipalities adopt internet voting...

All of this and more in today's voting news below...

*Voting News for November 17* (if you missed it)
*Public Opinion and Election law shocker, NY 26 absentee ballots, Acorn
-Bill of Attainder
*
http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/public-opinion-and-election-law-shocker.html

*CT: Chain-Of-Custody Education In Haddam*
November 18, 2009...Unfortunately, in Connecticut, election laws,
regulations, procedures and common sense are often not followed. The
Coalition Post-Election Audit Reports have documented many lapses in
procedures, including the chain-of-custody. It is quite possible that in
this case there was a violation of state law subject to enforcement, as the
registrar points out
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=2603

*CT: Retail Fraud – A Stitch In Time Could Save Democracy*
November 15, 2009. There is no agreement on the demarcation between retail
vote fraud and wholesale vote fraud. In general retail fraud represents
fraud that involves individual voters and individual votes, while wholesale
fraud would represent fraud an a large scale by insiders or hackers.
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=2595

*MA: Massachusetts Military and Overseas Voters, Submit the Federal Write-In
Absentee Ballot* (FWAB) NOW for the December 8, 2009 Special Primary
On Tuesday, December 8, 2009, Massachusetts will hold a special primary
election to fill the vacancy left as a result of the passing of Senator
Edward M. Kennedy. A special State election will follow on Tuesday, January
19, 2010.

Massachusetts jurisdictions are currently express mailing ballots to
military and overseas voters.
http://www.fvap.gov/global/news/nr17-2009.html

*MA: MassVOTE on Boston's phantom precinct
*...This phantom precinct, made up of Boston’s Harbor Islands, where no
ballots have been cast in the last four elections, is a quirk of the city’s
intricate electoral landscape, which because of an obscure legal exemption
has not been redrawn in almost a century.
...
“This one little voting place is so out of whack that it is an indication
that all the precincts in Boston are in need of adjustment,’’ said Avi
Green, executive director of MassVOTE
http://nonprofitvote.blogspot.com/2009/11/boston-globe-massvote-on-bostons.html

*MN: Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota Celebrates its 5th
Anniversary!
*http://www.ceimn.org/citizens_election_integrity_minnesota_
celebrates_its_5th_anniversary_0
or use this http://twi.cc/Szjl

*NC: Kinston rejects nonpartisan appeal despite pleas from residents*
November 17, 2009 KINSTON — Despite a series of passionate pleas from local
residents and political activists, the Kinston City Council voted 3-2 Monday
against appealing the U.S. Justice Department’s decision to deny nonpartisan
voting in municipal elections.

Just more than 64 percent of the 7,680 ballots cast in a special referendum
during the 2008 elections were in favor of changing Kinston’s election
system.

But Section 5 of the federal 1965 Voting Rights Act requires that any
changes to the elections systems in selected cities, counties or states with
a history of discrimination against minority voters — Lenoir County is on
that list — must be approved by the justice department.
http://www.newbernsj.com/news/kinston-49581-rejects-appeal.html

*NJ: Judge orders recount in Rutherford squeaker*
...State Superior Court Judge Estela De La Cruz in Hackensack ordered the
recount of the race where one vote separates two candidates vying to take
office for the first time. The order also calls for election workers to
recheck 24 voting machines.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/politics/70254012.html

*NY: An irregularity at Nassau ballot count?
*November 17, 2009 ...There was a brief flurry of activity at about 11:15
a.m. when the team at Table No. 4 reported an irregularity.

They had agreed to open a ballot that looked proper, but found an extra
sheet of paper enclosed. The Democratic boxes on the ballot were checked for
every race, but the extraneous piece of paper was a note, in a different
handwriting, saying the voter had meant to vote straight Republican.
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/an-irregularity-at-nassau-ballot-count-1.1595104

*NY: Elections commissioners still auditing results 2 weeks later*
Steuben County. “The Board of Elections will not start the recanvassing
(counting the absentees, affidavits, & write in votes) until the state
required audit is complete,” a notice on the Web site states. “Once the
audit is complete we will notify you on this website when we will begin the
recanvass.

“We are sorry for the delay but we must follow the state requirements. This
is a new process for everyone so please be patient.”
http://www.eveningtribune.com/news/x255188197/Elections-commissioners-still-auditing-results-2-weeks-later

*OH: Moyer, others want justice selection changed*
November 17, 2009...Moyer, who now is closing out his final term, is leading
a quest to depoliticize the state's highest court by replacing competitive
elections every six years with a far less frequent "retention" election in
which the justice doesn't face an opponent.

The so-called merit selection process would take most of the money out of
judicial elections, Moyer said yesterday, which in turn would combat the
perception that judicial rulings can be bought.
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/
2009/11/17/copy/moyer.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
or use this http://twi.cc/CK1w

*OH: On voter registration, the Columbus Dispatch gets it right, almost*
November 17, 2009 ...Ohio’s voter registration databases are in disarray. In
the 2008 presidential election, many voters found their right to vote
challenged in Ohio because of discrepancies in state and federal databases.
For example, under Social Security I am listed as Robert John Fitrakis, but
on my driver’s license it’s Robert J. Fitrakis. On the voting rolls I’m
Robert Fitrakis. If the states would integrate their databases and establish
a single form for voter registration, bizarre challenges over middle
initials and names may become a thing of the past.
...
Ohio purged more than 1,250,000 voters between the 2004-2008 elections. Many
of these voters lost their ability to vote because of electronic poll books
using proprietary software and hardware provided or controlled by private
companies with questionable loyalties.
http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2009/1787

*PA: Lackawanna County Vote Recount Begins
*Election officials said the whole process will take a few days and they
started bright and early in an effort to make sure the election results they
came up with are correct.

For the first time since election night, the ballots come out of the boxes
and once again, through a machine.

All 52,000 ballots from Lackawanna County will pass through when all is said
and done, as ordered last week by the county board of elections because
malfunctions were discovered in several machines on election night.

In two races, some straight party Republican and Democratic votes never
showed up.
http://www.wnep.com/wnep-lacka-recount-begins,0,3254905.story

*SC: Voting machine error reported in Myrtle Beach** (ES&S iVotronic
paperless touchscreens)
A poll worker accidentally used the wrong hand-held vote counter to close a
voting machine at the Dunes 1 voting precinct in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday,
leaving about 260 votes uncounted.

But it appears that, along with the 23 failsafe, challenged and
late-arriving absentee ballots still to be certified Thursday, cannot change
the outcome of the election.
http://www.thesunnews.com/news/breaking_news/story/1173528.html

More on that story
*SC: MB leaders to tally unaccounted for votes**
Leaders in Myrtle Beach say approximately 257 votes are unaccounted for
following Tuesday's municipal runoff election in the city due to a problem
with a voting machine printout.

It happened in the Dunes 1 precinct at Fire Station No. 5 on 79th Avenue
North.

Sandy Martin, director of the Horry County Voter Registration and Elections
Office confirmed vote totals from one of the three machines in that precinct
did not print when the poll clerk collected the results.

The county will retain possession of the machine and bring it to the
Election Commission meeting at 10:00 a.m. Thursday at City Hall.

At that time, Martin will retrieve the votes from the third machine and
present those numbers to the commissioners.
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=379016

*WV: Retain Elections For Judicial Posts
*November 17, 2009 Members of a special commission set up to recommend
changes in the state's court system were right to surprise some observers by
failing to make a suggestion that many expected.

*Gov. Joe Manchin established the Independent Commission on Judical Reform
earlier this year.* It was a blue-ribbon panel, the luster of which was
enhanced by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's
agreement to serve as honorary chairwoman.
http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/531068.html

*National
*
*Project Vote Releases New Report on Composition of the 2008 Electorate*
Representational Bias in the 2008 Electorate reviews the story of who was
eligible to vote, who was registered to vote, and who did vote in the 2008
general election.
http://www.projectvote.org/component/content/article/441-project-vote-releases-new-report-on-composition-of-the-2008-electorate.html

*$6.4 Billion Stimulus Goes to Phantom Districts*
November 17, 2009. Just how big is the stimulus package? Well for one, it
has doubled the size of the House of Representatives, according to
recovery.gov, which says that funds were distributed to 440 congressional
districts that do not exist.
http://watchdog.org/2009/11/17/6-4-billion-stimulus-goes-to-phantom-districts/

*International*

*Canada: Huntsville Ontario. Phone-in and Internet voting possible in 2010
municipal election*
November 18, 2009 It could be like voting for your favourite singer on
reality television. Almost.

The Town of Huntsville is considering Internet and phone-in voting for its
next municipal election, which takes place October 2010.
http://www.huntsvilleforester.com/article/150110


*Canada: Port Hope adds Internet voting for 2010 election
*Election method costs for 13,903 eligible voters
Paper ballot system: $82,650. Cost per voter: $5.94
Paper and internet voting for 2010 election only: $121,820. Cost per voter:
$8.76

Paper and internet voting for 2010 and 2014 elections: $170.990 ($85,495 per
election). Cost per voter: $6.15

Internet and telephone voting only (plus list management, salaries,
technical support, advertising, auditing and miscellaneous costs): $79,424.
Cost per voter: $5.71
Polling stations will remain open as well
Nov 12, 2009
http://www.northumberlandnews.com/news/article/139984



Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to receive the Voting News by email by visiting this link:
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=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from
Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending
a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be
sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your
contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link:
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AM<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/myrtle-beach-missing-260-votes-ohio.html>
0
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 Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Public Opinion and Election law shocker, NY 26 absentee ballots, Acorn -Bill
of Attainder<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/public-opinion-and-election-law-shocker.html>
A national survey of the public's attitudes towards basic voting rights
would shock the activist community - the poll shows majority support (55%)
for literacy tests...
Was Acorn defunding and "bill of attainder...an example of class
warfare?"...
The University of Connecticut's analysis of the state's 2008 post election
audit is out...NY 23 can Doug Hoffman un-concede?...its a short news day but
we will catch up tomorrow, if you think we missed something please email us
as ncvoter(at)gmail.com...

All this and more in today's voting news below

*AK: Court ruling reverses Haines election* (decision on approved write-ins)
Nov 16, 2009 Five forlorn questioned ballots have been counted, and Haines
has a new borough assemblyman.

Judge Patricia Collins' decision to accept the five ballots means write-in
candidate Daymond Hoffman has bounced from losing the election to Gary
Lidholm by two votes to winning by three. The ballots in question included
two votes for "D. Hoffman," one for "Hoffman," and two absentee ballots that
arrived without postmarks.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/news/politics/2935-court-ruling-reverses-haines-election

*CA: Lawyer Who Wrote Voting Law Sues & Collects, as Gov’t Officials Steam
Over $4.3M Won*
Nov 16, 2009. Only one legal group in California is suing to enforce the
state's unique voting rights law. And a key attorney in that group helped
draft it and get it enacted.
...
the California statute. It is intended to protect minority candidates from
being shut out of the political process by at-large elections that dilute
the power of minority voting districts.

But all of the litigation brought under the voting rights law was initiated
by Rubin or Avila and pursued by attorneys working with them, the AP
reports. While there is nothing illegal about that, it has been another
aggravating factor in an already-annoying situation to those defending the
litigation.
http://www.abajournal.com/news/lawyer_who_wrote_law_
sues_collects_as_govt_officials_steam_over_4.3m_won/
or use this http://twi.cc/wMSq

*CO: IRV still fails after all of the
 provisional 
ballots counted*
November 17, 2009
...
The advisory question, although split nearly down the middle, will likely
compel City Council to place a binding charter amendment question on a
future ballot.
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/137664

*CT: Analysis of the Connecticut November 2008 post-election audit*
The University of Connecticut’s Voting Technology Research Center has
recently made available the results of their analysis of the State of
Connecticut’s post-election audit of the November 2008 election
http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/?p=2997

*FL: Anthony Westbury: Today is election day in Fort Pierce, again*
November 17, 2009...Today’s election may not even be legal, and it’s
conceivable Perona could be declared ineligible if he prevails.

His failure to step down from the Fort Pierce Utilities Board while running
for the City Commission has prompted two formal complaints to the 19th
Circuit Court.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/nov/16/no-headline---sl_anthcol/

*NY: NY-23: Absentees (Still) Point to a Democratic Win
*11/16/09
http://washingtonindependent.com/68016/ny-23-absentees-still-point-to-a-democratic-win

*NY: Hoffman wants a do-over
*Doug Hoffman has fanned the flames surrounding the New York 23 special
election, telling Glenn Beck yesterday that he would “un-concede” the
election, “if that’s possible.”

Problem is, it’s not possible – or at least won’t affect the seating of Rep.
Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) -- unless the New York Board of Elections certifies
Hoffman as the winner of the race. Hoffman’s initial concession on Election
Night set the stage for Owens to be sworn into Congress, and unless there’s
incontrovertible evidence that Owens lost, he can’t call for a do-over.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/1109/Hoffman_wants_a_doover.html

*OH: Vote-fraud cases linger from 2008*
November 16, 2009 Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien continues to pursue
a handful of cases after prosecuting six people in voting-related cases last
year, including five who cast ballots in the state even though they were not
Ohio residents
...
O'Brien said he wanted to file charges against other voters but couldn't for
lack of evidence and because Ohio's residency laws are hazy.
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/
11/16/copy/voter_fraud.ART_ART_11-16-09_A1_O9FM66J.html?
adsec=politics&sid=101
or use this http://twi.cc/7CYZ

*National*

*"Public Opinion and Election Law" (shocker)
*The following is a guest post from Stephen Ansolabehere and Nathaniel
Persily (cross posted):

As part of our national survey of attitudes toward courts and the
Constitution performed by Knowledge Networks this past July, we included
several items related to election law and voting rights. We wanted to assess
public opinion on some contemporary controversies, such as photo ID laws and
election-day registration, while also examining classic controversies, such
as literacy tests, poll taxes and one person, one vote.
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/014778.html

*ACORN Sues Congress Over Defunding Legislation*
*Unconstitutional 'Bill of Attainder' to be legally challenged, but was it
also an example of class warfare?*
...
The CCR suit "seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the government
from reallocating funds designated for the organization and its affiliates
and a preliminary injunction to stop Congress from singling out a single
organization for punishment without proper investigation or due process."
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7519

Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
Archives here at http://votingnews.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to receive the Voting News by email by visiting this link:
http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=VotingNews&loc=en_US
email comments, questions us at ncvoter (at) gmail.com

=============================================
"The Voting News is a free service made possible in part by support from
Verified Voting Foundation. You can help support the Voting News by sending
a check to Verified Voting Foundation, PO Box 4104, Carlsbad, CA 92018. Be
sure to note "for Voting News" in the memo line of your check! Your
contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Donate online at this link:
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PM<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/public-opinion-and-election-law-shocker.html>
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 Monday, November 16, 2009
Sarasota voting machine blues, Lackawanna GOP distrust machines, Virginia
laws need overhaul<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/sarasota-voting-machine-blues.html>
The Herald Tribune says Sarasota Florida new voting-machine problems must be
remedied, and statistically significant audits should be implemented state
wide...Did you think the ballot you cast in the 2008 election was secret?
Think again if you live in Hawaii...Three Indiana county precinct election
results flipped....
Northern Kentucky set to get new scanning machines, why isn't
Tennessee?...In Michigan, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal members protest private
election recount...Ohio lawmakers are considering electronic voter
registration in addition to regular methods.... Lackawanna PA GoP party
disappointed that recount of 51,000 Nov 3 will be done by ES&S machine, not
hand...

Branchville South Carolina town council election results thrown out -
election change wasn't pre-cleared with DOJ...Virginia’s election laws need
to undergo a major overhaul says the ACLU of Virginia after operating an
Election Day hotline... Washingtonians tire of watching elections drag on
and show new interest in requiring ballots returned by Election Day...
...The Supreme Court might announce Citizens United this week...
...India's electronic voting machines impresses Clinton...Kosovo Votes in
First Election

All of this and more in todays voting news below....

*CA: CA to Provide Precinct-Level Data*
elections, standards, open source, berkeley, friends, research, policy,
usability Add comments Today, UC Berkeley Professors Philip Stark, Jasjeet
Sekhon and Henry Brady, along with me, sent the California Secretary of
State a brief comment about her effort to provide precinct-level elections
data for all 58 California counties.
http://josephhall.org/nqb2/index.php/2009/11/16/cappldp

*CA: Mail-Only Elections Are Likely Here to Stay in Santa Barbara*
Decision not final but city officials tout turnout, price and trends as
reasons to continue.
...
Some common issues with the ballots this year were people forgetting to sign
their ballot envelopes or signatures that didn’t match voter registration
papers. Up until Election Day, city staff mailed letters to or called local
residents to try to fix the issues before it was too late.
http://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/111509_
santa_barbara_vote_by_mail_elections/
or use this http://twi.cc/P5MJ

*CT: OUR VIEW: A tale of two elections*
...this recount is a reminder of what a miracle our election process is —
voters choosing freely, poll officials determining the results honestly,
winners peacefully taking office, while defeated incumbents quietly step
down.
http://www.bristolpress.com/articles/2009/11/13/
opinion/doc4afe1580f086e652453892.txt
or use this http://twi.cc/EHDD

*CT: In Monroe, Southbury and Washington
*Election Audit Plans Detailed
11/14/2009 HARTFORD - According to a Tuesday, November 10, press release
from Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, 60 of 597 voting precincts will
have ballots hand counted and matched against machine totals to ensure the
integrity of voting.

As required by Public Act 07-194, An Act Concerning the Integrity and
Security of the Voting Process, 10 percent of the polling precincts used in
the election are subject to an audit.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20388023&BRD=1380&PAG=461&dept_id=157525&rfi=6

*CT: Morehead alleges voter fraud* (absentee ballot)
Ward 22 alderman to accuse opponent of tampering with absentee ballots
November 10, 2009 Ward 22 Alderman-elect Greg Morehead is expected to file a
complaint with the state government today accusing one of his opponents in
last Tuesday’s election of voter fraud
...
Morehead said he has received statements from two New Haven senior citizens,
both of whom he said approached him with concerns about their absentee
votes. The residents claimed Hopkins told them all they had to do was sign
their ballots before she would mail them, Morehead said. Hopkins then took
the blank and unsealed ballots from them, Morehead added.
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/city-news/2009/11/10/morehead-alleges-voter-fraud/

*FL: New voting-machine blues*
November 13, 2009 at 6:05 p.m.
Elections Systems & Software -- the company now responsible for Sarasota
County's optical-scan voting machines -- has some explaining to do.

As reported in the Herald-Tribune, officials preparing for recent municipal
elections in Venice found an intermittent glitch in one of the scanners: In
tests, it failed to "read" a ballot that had been marked with blue ink.

That is not supposed to happen. Indeed, ballot instructions specify that
voters should use "a blue or black pen." If the scanner can't always detect
both colors, why are citizens being directed to use them?
...
Sarasota County voters approved a charter amendment with three key
directives: Get rid of touch-screens; install a paper-based balloting
system; and verify its accuracy with random, significant post-election
audits.

Legislators should act

The first two directives were carried out. But the prescribed audit
procedures have never been used, because appellate judges found that the
charter amendment unconstitutionally conflicted with state law.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20091115/OPINION/911151023/-1/NEWSSITEMAP
#

*HI: Did you think the ballot you cast in the 2008 election was secret?
Think again if you live in Hawaii*

Bob Babson, lead plaintiff in the Babson v. Cronin lawsuit, has documented
some of his concerns and suggestions in an email request for new legislation
that I hope our lawmakers will take very seriously. As I read through his
document, I was alarmed at some of the revelations. See what you think.

In response to Babson’s lawsuit, Judge Joseph E. Cardoza enjoined Hawaii’s
Office of Elections from purchasing electronic voting equipment until
administrative rules were in place. A central concern expressed in the
lawsuit was the danger of so-called “man-in-the-middle” attacks that could
change election results
http://disappearednews.com/2009/11/did-you-think-ballot-you-cast-in-2008.html

*IA: Iowa ranks #1 in soldier-friendly voting policies*
Iowa is being recognized for easing the way for military voting overseas. A
survey by the Overseas Vote Foundation gave Iowa the highest ranking of all
states for policies that are easiest to navigate for military personnel
serving abroad.

Foundation director Claire Smith says the military in particular benefits
from Iowa’s law allowing overseas balloting by e-mail or fax. Smith says you
can return your registration by either e-mail or fax and you can get your
ballot by e-mail or fax.
http://www.radioiowa.com/2009/11/16/iowa-ranks-1-in-soldier-friendly-voting-policies/

*IN: Three county precincts reported flipped results in RTD referendum* *
The Voters Registration Office reported this week that three voting
precincts, including one in Westchester and one in Pine township, turned in
flipped results in last week’s countywide referendum.

All three precincts originally reported voting in favor of creating the
Northern Indiana Regional Transportation District, but precinct workers
later told election officials the votes were the opposite of what originally
had been reported.
http://www.chestertontribune.com/Politics%20and%20Elections/111391%20three_county_precincts_reported.htm
or use this url http://twi.cc/lZ0g

*IN: County looks to add voter precincts
*November 16, 2009 Tippecanoe County election officials are looking to add
nine new precincts before next year's election.
...
"No one's ballot will change," said Debbie Ingersoll, Republican co-chair of
the election board.

And because Tippecanoe County uses vote centers, centralized polling places
that voters from any precinct can go to, the place where they cast a ballot
next year probably won't change either.
http://www.jconline.com/article/20091116/NEWS09/91116014

*KY: Northern Ky. to get new voting machines*
COVINGTON, Ky. -- Election officials in northern Kentucky say new voting
machines purchased with federal funding will make voting easier and faster
than ever before.

Boone, Campbell and Kenton are among dozens of Kentucky counties to obtain
federal funding to buy the "e-Scan" electronic voting machines.

Secretary of State Trey Grayson says the systems are user-friendly and
reduce wait times at the polls.
http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/1021667.html

*MI: RUMBLINGS: Barrow says voting rigged to repeat '89
*...
In a Nov. 9 letter to Dorothy Burrell, chairwoman of the Detroit Board of
Canvassers, Barrow requested a recount of the results
...
Barrow alleges some city voting equipment was defective and programmed to
give results identical to the 1989 mayoral contest in which Barrow lost to
then-incumbent Coleman Young.

“In all of the precincts where such equipment had been used, the percentages
calculated and results determined … are in amounts and percentages precisely
identical to that conducted and certified to by this body 20 years
previously … such amounts being 56.20 percent and 44.80 percent,” Barrow
wrote.
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20091115/SUB01/311159919


*MI: Group protests recount** (election recount not public)
November 14, 2009 About a dozen Saginaw Chippewa Tribal members held signs
in protest Friday after news that a recount request was granted for the
District 1 ballots from the Nov. 3 general election.

... “It’s unfair to the Tribal membership whenever an election does not turn
out for certain candidates – they get their way,” said Patricia Peters,
Tribal member.

The recount is not open to the community, but will take place in a “closed
session with only the candidates,” the Caucus Committee, and Tribal clerk
personnel, according to Peters.

“That’s not democratic,” Peters said. “When they do things behind closed
doors, it’s like they’re hiding something.
http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2009/11/14/
news/doc4afe0e1dc75e0371423179.txt
or use this http://twi.cc/1Wa9

*Absentee ballots simplified in wake of Senate race*
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie says the new ballots are easy to understand,
user-friendly.
November 13, 2009 ...Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced Friday that
he is changing the administrative rules that govern absentee ballots. And,
he said, the new ballots are "more user-friendly and easy to understand."
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/69990857.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:UthPacyPE7iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

*MN: Poll: 56% of voters prefer instant runoff voting*
Minnesota Public Radio November 16, 2009.
St. Paul, Minn. — A new Minnesota Public Radio News/University of Minnesota
poll shows Minneapolis residents are divided over the city's new instant
runoff voting system.

Those who turned out to vote in this year's election tend to prefer the new
system, but many of those who stayed home wish the city would go back to the
old way of voting.
...
Minneapolis elections director Pat O'Connor reviewed the poll results at the
Minneapolis elections warehouse, where he's been supervising the counting of
all 46,000 ballots cast in the election. The counting has to be done by hand
because there are no machines certified under state law that can handle
instant runoff ballots.

During the counting, O'Connor has noticed many voters did not exercise the
option to rank multiple candidates. They just voted for one candidate, and
left the second- and third-choice columns blank.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/13/irv-poll/

*MN: Samuels is first to win via ranked-choice system
*November 13, 2009 Samuels is first candidate to win office through counting
of second choices in Minneapolis' new voting system.
http://www.startribune.com/politics/local/70038427.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU7DYaGEP7vDEh7P:DiUs

*MN: Minneapolis declares 3 more unofficial winners in election*
November 16, 2009 ...The winners will be official when all of the ballots
are counted and the election is certified on Dec. 21
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/16/more-winners-minneapolis/

*MS: Mississippi doesn't need voter ID law*
November 15, 2009
...other states inexpensively utilize a copying machine to place actual
voter registration card signatures right next to their names on the voting
roll listing.

When the voter comes up to the table, he or she takes a card and prints
their name and signs it.

The voting officer lines it up to the name on their roll and compares it. If
it is not horribly different, the voter gets a pass and votes; if the
signature doesn't seem to quite match up, then the voter has to show ID, or
absent ID their ballot gets placed in a review stack. Not complicated.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20091115/OPINION03/911150345

*NC: Hendersonville. No friend to voters*
LTE Published: Sunday, November 15, 2009
To The Editor: "All men are created equal but some men are more equal
than others." (George Orwell, "Animal Farm," 1945).
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20091115/NEWS/911159998?Title=-No-friend-to-voters

*NY: Nassau count starts with lots of lawyers and ballots*
Lawyers settled down with Nassau County clerical workers Monday morning for
what promised to be a long week — or more — together counting the ballots
for disputed elections in the county.
Two attorneys — one for Democrats, one for Republicans — sat across from two
Board of Elections workers at each of five gray, rectangular tables at the
board offices in Mineola
http://www.newsday.com/blogs/politics/spin-cycle-1.812042/nassau-count-starts-with-lots-of-lawyers-and-ballots-1.1592389

*NY: Voting by Numbers By Martin McGloin - Recanvassing Update* (and
cartoon)
Yonkers, NY -- The UNOFFICAL vote count tallied so far is courtesy of
acid-tongued bloggers in the know. Yesterday, night's (November 13, 2009)
count ended with incumbent Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick
holding a 99 votes lead.
http://yonkerstribune.typepad.com/yonkers_tribune/2009/11/voting-by-numbers-by-martin-mcgloin.html

*NY: Broome election totals tweaked slightly; no outcome affected*
The hand-count of votes in Johnson City's elections ended Friday with slight
changes in the numbers but no changes in the outcomes.
...
The margin narrowed by two votes because one ballot favoring dissolution was
determined to have been scanned into a voting machine but not recorded
because it got stuck. An anti-dissolution ballot was scanned twice because a
poll worker believed the ballot did not register the first time, said Broome
County Elections Commissioner John Perticone.
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20091113/NEWS01
/911130377/Broome+election+totals+tweaked+slightly++no+outcome+affected
or use this http://twi.cc/vbQP

*OH: A better way
Electronic voter registration could reduce fraud and boost accuracy,
confidence*
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Ohio's county boards of elections spend more time and money shuffling paper
around in an outmoded voter-registration system than on anything else.
That's why a priority for legislators considering election reform should be
to modernize and simplify the way voter registrations are created and
updated.

Of the many worthy suggestions to emerge from the past year's worth of
discussions on how to change Ohio's elections, two would markedly improve
voter registration: Allow voters to register online and update
voter-registration rolls by electronically transferring reliable data to
elections officials from other state-government databases. Both ideas are
included in Substitute House Bill 260, expected to pass the Ohio House soon
...
Nine allow voters to register online and at least five -- Delaware, Kansas,
Washington, Michigan and Arizona -- electronically transfer voters'
information from their motor-vehicle bureaus to their elections officials.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/
2009/11/15/votreg.ART_ART_11-15-09_G4_MOFLDL8.html?sid=101
or use http://twi.cc/VsfE

*PA: Republicans charged in $10 million scandal**(public money spent on
election campaign) November 13, 2009 13--HARRISBURG -- Former House Speaker
John Perzel, one of the most powerful members of the General Assembly since
1994, was charged Thursday with 82 felonies for allegedly masterminding a
"sophisticated criminal strategy" to spend more than $10 million of
taxpayers' money on political campaigns, Attorney General Tom Corbett said.
http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/news.do?feed=yellowbrix&storyid=137693209

*PA: Election board orders recounts across Lackawanna County
*November 13, 2009 ...Vowing to ensure confidence in future county
elections, the Lackawanna County Board of Elections on Thursday ordered a
machine recount of all 51,000 ballots cast in the Nov. 3 general election,
and more limited manual recounts in 10 races.

The board also ordered a manual recount of 2 percent of all ballots cast.
...
Leaders of the county Republican Party, who wanted a hand recount of all
51,000 ballots, left somewhat disappointed.

Party secretary Lance Stange said he is skeptical about the new, high-speed
machine recount because Election Systems & Software is providing the
machine.

"It's from the same company that made the earlier error," he said.
http://www.scrantontimes.com/news/1.412969


*PA: Perzel accused of 'dirty tricks' on GOP, too** (using state funds for
political activity)

HARRISBURG - State Rep. Curt Schroder of Chester County wasn't worried about
the Republican primary in spring 2006. He was running unopposed. All he
needed to do was get enough voters to sign his nominating petitions.
But in February - around the time his petitions were due - Schroder's
constituents began receiving peculiar telephone calls.

The calls were automated. A voice told voters not to sign the petitions
because Schroder "opposed property-tax reform," the legislator said Friday.

Schroder had an idea of who was behind the mystery calls. But he wasn't sure
until last week, when a grand jury concluded that John M. Perzel, then the
House speaker, had ordered the calls to punish Schroder for not siding with
Perzel on the property-tax issue
...
The 188-page presentment announced Thursday by Attorney General Tom Corbett
described widespread use of computer technology for Republican campaigns,
and accused Perzel and others of using more than $10 million in state
funding to pay for it.

Perzel, who was arraigned Friday with nine other defendants and freed after
posting $100,000 bail, faces 82 counts of theft, conspiracy, and obstruction
of justice.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20091115_Perzel_
accused_of__dirty_tricks__on_GOP__too.html
or use this http://twi.cc/c5Eq

*SC: Branchville town council election results thrown out
*Nov 14, 2009 (AP) — The results of a town council election in South
Carolina have been thrown out.
...
The local election commission voted unanimously Friday to invalidate
Branchville's Nov. 3 election and order a new one for all six town council
members.

The commission found the town did not get pre-clearance from the U.S.
Justice Department to change council members' terms from two years to four.
...
The decision came after an unsuccessful candidate challenged the results.
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11505253

*TN: Election Commission Strives For Better Voting Sites* (same old misinfo
that there are no voting machines that meet TVCA standards)
Putnam County. http://www.ucdailynews.com/news/local/70221582.html

*TX: McCarthy’s Military Voting Protection Act provisions become law*
Nov 12th, 2009 The act would help ensure overseas military absentee ballots
are delivered to the appropriate state election officials by the statutory
deadline, reduce delays in the absentee voting system currently in place for
overseas troops and provide for the express shipping of completed absentee
ballots with in-transit tracking, according to McCarthy\'s office.
http://www.pasoroblespress.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=3780

*VA: Election Day demonstrates the need for reform of Virginia’s election
laws*
November 12, 2009. We at the ACLU of Virginia have just completed our tenth
year of operating an Election Day hotline for voters, and I have two
observations. First, Virginia needs to do a better job of training poll
workers. Second, Virginia’s election laws need to undergo a major overhaul.
Both are easy to fix.
...
We know from our hotline that many voters in Virginia who showed up without
an ID last Tuesday were told by poll workers they could not vote or that
they must cast a provisional ballot. That was wrong. In Virginia, voters who
do not have IDs merely need to sign an Affirmation of Identity Form, and
they may then cast a regular ballot.

We know that some voters were told they could not vote because they were
wearing political apparel. Wrong. Until this year, the right to wear such
expression varied depending on how the local registrar interpreted the
somewhat murky rules on the subject. Under a 2009 law, however, voters may
wear buttons, pins, hats, T-shirts or whatever they want showing support for
the candidate of their choice.

We know of voters who were told they could not cast a ballot because they
were not on the voter rolls. Wrong. Voters have a right to cast a
provisional ballot even when their names are not in the registration book.
The provisional ballot may or may not be counted, depending on who is at
fault, but it is a far better option than not casting a ballot at all.
http://augustafreepress.com/2009/11/12/kent-willis-election-day-demonstrates-the-need-for-reform-of-virginias-election-laws/

*WA: Remember when elections were settled in November?
*...It was nearly a week after the polls closed before cell phone executive
Joe Mallahan conceded victory to Mike McGinn.

The delay in learning who'll lead the state's largest city has Gov. Chris
Gregoire calling for election reforms to speed future counts
...
But unlike most states that vote by mail, Washington's ballots aren't due on
election day. Votes postmarked by 8 p.m. election day are valid, even as
they trickle in for days and weeks...
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinions/story/789753.html

*WA: Don’t mess with success of state’s vote by mail
*The Spokesman-Review Print
It seems that a year can’t go by in Washington without a change in the
state’s election laws.

For example, voting by mail has become the rule rather than the exception.
The September primary election has been moved up to August. General election
nominations now go to the top two primary finishers, regardless of party.
What next?
...
Voting by mail has been a success. But the trade-off that was understood and
accepted from the beginning was that mailed ballots take a little longer to
arrive.

As the secretary of state’s office observed, a substantial number of voters
want to take full advantage of the campaign time to weigh their decisions.
That kind of civic engagement should be celebrated, not punished.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/nov/14/dont-mess-with-success-of-states-vote-by-mail/

*WV: Massey wins favorable ruling from W. Virginia court*
Thu Nov 12, 2009. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court said a West Virginia judge
should have disqualified himself from hearing an appeal of a $50 million
jury verdict against Massey because the company's CEO had been a major
campaign donor to the judge's election campaign
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSN1243399220091112

*National
*
*US CENSUS: TO COUNT OR NOT TO COUNT NONCITIZENS*
WASHINGTON – Steve Gándola, president and chief executive officer of the
Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, wants to count all Latinos in the
2010 census, including millions of noncitizens.
...
And the Rev. Miguel Rivera, who heads the National Coalition of Latino
Clergy and Christian Leaders, wants illegal Latino immigrants to boycott the
U.S. census as a way to show their displeasure with Congress’ refusal to
overhaul national immigration laws. His motto: “No legalization, no
enumeration.”
...
The Golden State would lose five of its 53 House seats if noncitizens were
not counted, according to a study by Andrew Beveridge, a professor of
sociology at Queens College in New York.
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=49110

*Creatively Securing IT: Melissa Hathaway, White House Cybersecurity Policy
Review Leader*
November 12, 2009
The critical posture of cybersecurity in the United States. "The threat is
outpacing our defenses at a volume and velocity never imagined."
http://www.govinfosecurity.com/podcasts.php?podcastID=371&rf=110709eg

*CRIMINAL DISENFRANCHISEMENT LAWS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES* (surprising
difference between states)
http://www.brennancenter.org/page/-/d/download_file_48642.pdf

*Citizens United watch*
The Supreme Court might announce Citizens United this week
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/?p=6297

*International*

*Your Rights Online: Hackers Fail To Crack Brazilian Voting Machines on
Sunday November 15 *...All attempts (aside from a minor one which would not
compromise the overall results) failed, and observations from the
participants and neutral observers will be taken into account to improve the
process even further
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/11/14/1936200/Hackers-Fail-To-Crack-Brazilian-Voting-Machines
Interesting post in comment section:
Cracking contests are warning sign number 9 on Bruce Schneier's list of
security snake oil
warnings<http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-9902.html#snakeoil>

*India's electronic voting machines impresses Clinton*
The opposition parties might be raising questions over electronic voting
machines of India, but the EVMs and credible electoral system have impressed
the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/70832/LATEST%20NEWS/India's+electronic+voting+machines+impresses+Clinton.html<http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/70832/LATEST%20NEWS/India>

*Ireland. By-election fraud allegations lead to calls for voting system
change
*15 Nov 2009 After reports that police are investigating alleged voting
fraud in the Glasgow North East by-election, a leading democracy group has
called for reform of the system.
...
Oliver continued: "Our elections are currently run on faith, yet
impersonation has been the largest type of electoral fraud in the last two
sets of local elections. The Government has already solved this problem in
Northern Ireland where voters are asked to prove their identity in the
polling station before receiving their ballot"
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10605

*Kosovo Votes in First Election*
PRISTINA — The people of Kosovo are voting Sunday, November 15, in the
first-ever elections since the Albanian-majority region won independence
from Serbia last year
...
Kosovars are electing mayors and local council members in 36 municipalities,
including the capital Pristina.

Some 74 political parties, coalitions and independent candidates are
standing in the election.
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1256909997642&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout


Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
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 Posted by Voter at 5:46
PM<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/sarasota-voting-machine-blues.html>
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comments<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/sarasota-voting-machine-blues.html#comments>
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 Friday, November 13, 2009
Did Hoffman Win NY-23? Dominion scanner issues, Lancaster VA multiple
machine malfunction<http://votingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/did-hoffman-win-ny-23-dominion-scanner.html>
A 'Post-Racial' America? Not yet....On the law surrounding lines at polling
places...Pay to play in New Jersey
<http://politicalactivitylaw.com/?p=6276>?...Ex-first selectman has
lawyer probe Middlebury CT voting, machine
malfunction and some ballots photocopied...They don't float: Clark County
Indiana found out the hard way that if you store voting machines in a
basement they may get water damage, we saw this happen in Gaston County NC
after the 2004 election.... Meaningless recounts held in Carroll County
Georgia and New Brunswick New Jersey on paperless e-voting machines, why
even bother?...Post election audits in New York next week...

Did Hoffman Win NY-23? Does It Matter If He Did?...Hand counts needed in
three Lancaster County Virginia precincts after multiple Diebold OS machines
malfunctioned...
Oregon voters increasingly none-of-the-above...A handful of machines in
Lewis, Seneca and Schuyler County New York froze due to memory
problems...Pierce Council still hearts polling places, state’s last holdout
for poll-site voting...Denmark Strips Away the Right to Privacy from Blind
Voters...

All that and more in today's voting news below...

*CA: "Assessing California's Hybrid Democracy"*
...One lesson of this decade is that the devices of direct democracy remain
too blunt and expensive as tools for anything but interstitial governance.