Election Reform and Related News: Sunday, June 29, 2008

[livvy]

Election Reform and Related News
Sunday, June 29, 2008

Sunday, June 29, 2008 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

George Carlin: A man of many well-chosen words
By Patrick MacDonald

Seattle Times music critic

George Carlin was fascinated with words. He was most famous, of course, for his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine, as has been pointed out in every obit written since the great comedian died last Sunday. That was a landmark routine that pushed the limits of what you could say on TV.

As someone who has made a living writing for more than 45 years, that was what I loved most about Carlin. He never lost his fascination with words. And he never dropped the "Seven Words" bit — he just expanded it, until it became hundreds of words.

Every time I interviewed Carlin, we always ended up talking about words.

"Jargon and trendy patois and what have you," he said in 1989 interview, "the fun is in how we use them."

"A word I dislike is 'lifestyle,' " he said in the same interview. "If you want to know what a moronic word 'lifestyle' is, all you have to do is realize that, in a technical sense, Attila the Hun had an outdoor lifestyle. Or that for the last two weeks of his life, Hitler enjoyed an underground lifestyle."

more at link below...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/television/2008021049_carlin29.html

Everyone is welcome to participate. Feel free to:

:bluebox: Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

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

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

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

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



Recommendations for the Greatest Page are always welcomed. It's the best way to share the news with members who don't frequent this forum. It's the link below.

[midnight]

1. Watched him last night on SNL.... HIs work is just as relevant

today as it was in 1975.

[livvy]

2. OpEd, Opinion, Editorial, Blog, etc. ('Toon, too)

[livvy]

3. Machining the Vote: A brief history of lever voting machines

June 28, 2008

Machining the Vote: A brief history of lever voting machines

By Rady Ananda


by Bryan Pfaffenberger, PhD

May 8, 2008

I've received a Scholar's Award from the National Science Foundation to study the history of lever voting machines, a subject that has never been studied by a scholar with professional training in the history of technology (or in any other discipline, for that matter). I am currently writing a book tentatively titled Machining the Vote, which covers the history of lever machines from their invention in 1888 to the bankruptcy of the leading manufacturer, Automatic Voting Corporation, in 1983.

Highlights of my findings:

1. In my analysis, the lever machine deserves recognition as one of the most astonishing achievements of American technological genius, a fact that is reflected in their continued competitiveness against recent voting technologies in every accepted performance measure. With as many as 28,000 parts, their mechanisms reflect an agonizingly difficult period of development, spanning more than twenty years (1888-1919) in which interlocking mechanisms had to be developed that were capable of dealing with the enormous complexity and variety of American elections. The result was a machine that captures in its immutable mechanical operations the voting rules that the American people, in their wisdom, developed in order to capture the will of the people.

The mind balks, perhaps, at the suggestion that a century-old technology might be the equal of today's best technologies -- or even superior! -- but the fact is that the lever machine is not alone. U.S. freight railroads continue to use electromechanical signaling systems that were, coincidentally, developed during almost exactly the same frame (1890s-1920). There is no sense of urgency to replace them. Their reliability has been proven in a century of service. They are perfectly adapted to the conditions of American railroading. They are easily understood and maintained by technicians with modest educational backgrounds.

2. Time and again, as I mentioned earlier, lever machines won the confidence of election officials and the public, even when doubts were expressed. I'd enjoy sharing the New York story with the commissioners. By 1925, most of upstate New York was voting on lever machines quite happily, but New York City - led by Tammany Hall Democrats -- resisted. New York's first activist Attorney General, Albert Ottinger, vowed to impose lever machines on the city whether Tammany liked it or not -- and by 1926, they were used throughout much of the city.

more...

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Machining-the-Vote--A-brie-by-Rady-Ananda-080628-791.html

[livvy]

4. Discussion

Original discussion post by Wilms...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x504855

[Wilms]

39. NY: Be Careful What You Wish For - County Considers Using Untested Scanners

With the blessings of the Bush Administration Department of Justice, and Judge Gary L. Sharpe, NY's Ulster County Board of Elections wants to try out the new, uncertified and "massively" failing Sequoia ImageCast Optical Scanners during the upcoming primary and general elections.

Bo Lipari looks on with reasoned alarm.

Rest assured, the Ulster County electorate could continue to cast their votes on secure, reliable, time-tested, non-software-dependent lever machines (ok, they ARE kind of heavy).

And, wisely, that is exactly what Bo Lipari, New Yorkers for Verified Voting, and the New York League of Women Voters are now advocating.

County Considers Using Untested Scanners

June 27th, 2008

by bo lipari

snip

1) Ulster County’s machines do not have required software installed, and would require a questionable upgrade. State Board staff has stated several times that they don’t’ know which software would need to be upgraded, and what procedures would have to be followed to perform the upgrades.

2) The scanners have not passed either New York State or Federal certification testing. New York has been rightfully proud that our testing standards are among the highest in the nation. This high bar is important to safeguard the integrity of our vote. No voter should be asked to vote on equipment which has not met these rigorous standards.

3) Initial testing of the machines has shown a exceptionally high number of defects. At the State Board meeting, it was reported that the machines currently have over 1,000 defects logged against the New York State standards. At the State Board meeting Commissioner Douglas Kellner said:

“ES&S and Dominion both have brought us equipment that has not been Quality Control tested before they brought it for certification to New York. That literally thousands of defects and failure to comply with the guidelines have been identified.”

Since these systems are currently massively failing New York’s preliminary testing (and Ulster county would need to use these failed versions) it will undoubtedly contain many known defects and even more unknown ones - using these systems in an actual election is unconscionable.

http://www.nyvv.org/boblog/2008/06/27/county-considers-using-untested-scanners

snip

Now. About those lever machines...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x504855


Discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x504906

[livvy]

15. Campaign Finance – Stupidity Hits A New Low

Campaign Finance – Stupidity Hits A New Low
Posted on June 28th, 2008
by Simon Barrett in 2008 Election Coverage

The folks that created the constitution made the presidential spot open to whoever the public elected. This was a good decision, and one that has worked well for many years. In the 1970’s though we started to see a new trend. He with most money won.

Here we are in 2008, and the silliness has reached new peaks. Apparently Hillary Clinton is $20 million in the hole! And she isn’t even running any more.

I have no idea how accurate these numbers are, but according to Opensecrets.org almost one billion dollars has been spent on election ‘08.

What a waste of money, and a waste of time. The Clinton campaign apparently has spent almost $230 million. Obama is approaching $250 million, and hawkish McCain is still under $100 million. The other serious players add an additional $360 million. As the saying goes, a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you are talking real money!

more...

http://www.bloggernews.net/116454

[livvy]

28. Utah: Blame Primary Changes For Low Turnout

Blame primary changes for low turnout
By Jay Evensen
Deseret News
Published: June 29, 2008

The first gut reaction to last Tuesday's primary election might be a horrified gasp at the turnout. That would be justified.

In Utah's 3rd Congressional District, unofficial results show less than 10 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. In Salt Lake County alone, turnout was about 7.5 percent, according to the county elections clerk Web site.

It is a fact, then, that the other 90 percent or more allowed a small fraction of the people to remove an incumbent congressman. And, because the 3rd District is overwhelmingly Republican, it is an odds-on bet that they chose the next congressman, as well.

Given a century of hard-won struggles in this country by people tired of rules allowing only a small portion of the people to vote, that is pitiful.

But the second gut reaction is more problematic. It is that Utah voters simply don't care any more. This usually is put into the larger context of how American voter turnout has been in a steep free-fall since the 1960s, sort of in inverse proportion to gasoline prices. Often, people will attribute this to cynicism caused by the influence of wealthy interests in campaigns and insulting, negative advertising.

The only problem with this view is that it's wrong. It scolds the voters, when the blame belongs elsewhere.

more...

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700238312,00.html

[livvy]

29. ME: Rushford Eagerly Accepts Challenge of Revamping Polls

Sunday, June 29, 2008
Rushford eagerly accepts challenge of revamping polls

Nick KOTSOPOULOS Politics and the City
We wanted to come up with more convenient locations for voters.

David J. Rushford,
WORCESTER CITY CLERK


During his tenure as Worcester city clerk, David J. Rushford has never shied away from taking on ambitious projects.

Shortly after assuming the job in 1998, Mr. Rushford reorganized his office to improve its delivery of services and then proceeded to have much of its functions computerized to make it a more customer-friendly operation. The success of those moves has been reflected in the increase in revenue generated by the clerk’s office each year.

Last year, Mr. Rushford also was given the duties of running elections in Worcester, after a 20-year hiatus from any involvement in them other than voting. Not only have the three elections he has overseen since being given those duties last year gone off without a hitch, but he also smoothly directed the city through its first hand-recount of ballots in many moons, resulting from the hotly contested mayor’s race.


Now, Mr. Rushford, working with the Election Commission, is involved in perhaps his most ambitious project to date — one that will have a significant impact on Worcester voters.


more...
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080629/COLUMN27/806290391/1008/NEWS02

[livvy]

32. Satire: Spinning the War of the Worlds

Spinning the war of the worlds

First published: Sunday, June 29, 2008

"The assassination of Benazir Bhutto ... was an 'unfortunate event,' says (chief McCain strategist Charlie) Black. 'But (McCain's) knowledge and ability to talk about it re-emphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be commander-in- chief. And it helped us.' As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. 'Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,' says Black."
-- Fortune Magazine

"Good evening, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from CNN Center in Atlanta. It has now been almost 15 hours since the first reports of strange lights in the sky over Earth's largest cities. These were followed by incredible eyewitness accounts of large machines emerging from spacecrafts of alien origin. These walking tripods are equipped with some sort of heat ray capable of vaporizing anything in their path. New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Beijing and London lie in ruins. To discuss what this means for the 2008 presidential election, we turn to chief McCain strategist Charlie Black."

"Good evening, Wolf. Wow, what a terrible day, huh?"

"Charlie, refugees from our demolished cities are streaming into the countryside to stay ahead of these death-dealing extraterrestrial weapons. How does this shake out for Sen. McCain?"

"Listen, I hate to call anything like this a 'win' -- after all, hundreds of thousands of Republicans have been annihilated by these aliens. But looking at the cold, hard realities of electoral politics, this is going to end up giving John McCain a big advantage going into the general election."

"How so?"

"Your larger cities tend to go Democrat, and these tripods are doing a very effective job of, shall we say, culling the voter rolls. In a single day, four or five states that were seen as squarely in the Obama column are in play."


more...

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=699893&category=OPINION&newsdate=6/29/2008

[livvy]

34. Picking President By Popular Vote Would Invite Tumult And Division

Picking President By Popular Vote Would Invite Tumult And Division
The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 28, 2008

It strikes some voters as peculiar, even wrong, that it is possible for a president to be elected with fewer total votes than the closest rival.

Under the Electoral College designed by the nation's founders, such an undemocratic outcome occasionally happens, but that doesn't make the system evil or even archaic.

Lots of people want change, which is why Florida Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for a constitutional amendment to elect the president by popular vote. His intentions are honorable, but there are several sound reasons, still valid today, to justify a less democratic system.

The founders gave these matters serious thought, as so should we before changing a system that has facilitated regular and peaceful changes in what has become the world's most powerful post.

more...

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/28/na-picking-president-by-popular-vote-would-invite-/

[livvy]

5. National and 'toon

[livvy]

6. Justice Antonin Scalia: Al Gore to blame for 2000 US election mess

Justice Antonin Scalia: Al Gore to blame for 2000 US election mess
By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last updated: 12:56 AM BST 27/06/2008

The 2000 presidential election debacle was the fault of Al Gore, who should have followed Richard Nixon's 1960 example and conceded without legal action, according to the Supreme Court's leading conservative judge.

AP
Justice Antonin Scalia"Richard Nixon, when he lost to Kennedy thought that the election had been stolen in Chicago, which was very likely true with the system at the time," Justice Antonin Scalia told The Telegraph.

"But he did not even think about bringing a court challenge. That was his prerogative. So you know if you don't like it, don't blame it on me.

"I didn't bring it into the courts. Mr Gore brought it into the courts.

"So if you don't like the courts getting involved talk to Mr Gore."

Justice Scalia insisted that his controversial decision, along with four other justices, to stop votes being recounted in Florida because the method was unconstitutional and it was too late to consider other options was "absolutely right".

more...

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/linkframe.php?linkid=62848

[livvy]

20. Election Day: Will My Vote Count?

Election Day: Will My Vote Count?
By Sarah Kliff | NEWSWEEK
July 7-14, 2008 issue

In 2000 it was hanging chad in Florida; in 2004 it was disputed provisional ballots in Ohio. Possible polling problems this year:

Two thirds of voters will use a different method to vote than they did in 2004. "Everyone's trying to figure out what works best," says Doug Chapin, director of Electionline.org. "That change breeds a lot of uncertainty."

Most voters will use paper because of security and accuracy worries about digital voting. Paper balloting provides a physical record, but it "lends itself to people making mistakes," like stray marks, says Paul DeGregorio, formerly of the Election Assistance Commission.

Voter turnout will be high. Primary issues could reappear: long lines, inadequate numbers of voting machines and ballot shortages.

© 2008

Sure seems like there should be more, but :shrug:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/143762

[livvy]

25. Rogue code could seriously skew US presidential election results

Rogue code could seriously skew US presidential election results

If you thought the electronic voting systems being used in the upcoming American presidential elections guarantee a fair ballot...think again. Small changes to these machines' software by a rogue programmer could completely distort election results without us even knowing it, says an expert.

6/25/2008 8:00:00 AM
by Brian Jackson

This Fall's U.S. Presidential elections could be stolen by one person – not Democratic candidate Barack Obama or Republican candidate John McCain – but by a rogue programmer writing code for one of the many electronic voting machines used, experts say.

After the 2000 election dispute in Florida forever ingrained the term "hanging chad" in the public consciousness, the U.S. began funding user-friendly e-voting systems.

Many researchers now say Al Gore should have won that election by a wide margin over George W. Bush, and blame a confusing ballot system for the error.

But the solution may leave the country no better off, according to experts with A Center for Correct, Usable, Reliable, Auditable and Transparent Elections (ACCURATE). The centre was created in 2005 with a $7.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation as part of a program to bolster the nation's computers against attack.

"One programmer could make a change in the software that would affect 100,000 votes," says David Dill, an investigator with ACCURATE. "That's a one-attacker team."

more...


http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/news.asp?id=48929

[livvy]

26. Discussion

Original post and discussion by kpete:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x504743

[livvy]

7. Election '08 and a 'toon

]

[livvy]

8. Bill Clinton says Barack Obama must 'kiss my ass' for his support

Bill Clinton says Barack Obama must 'kiss my ass' for his support
By Tim Shipman in Washington and Philip Sherwell in New York
Last updated: 1:13 AM BST 29/06/2008

Bill Clinton is so bitter about Barack Obama's victory over his wife Hillary that he has told friends the Democratic nominee will have to beg for his wholehearted support.

Hillary Clinton has put on a united front with Barack ObamaMr Obama is expected to speak to Mr Clinton for the first time since he won the nomination in the next few days, but campaign insiders say that the former president's future campaign role is a "sticking point" in peace talks with Mrs Clinton's aides.

The Telegraph has learned that the former president's rage is still so great that even loyal allies are shocked by his patronising attitude to Mr Obama, and believe that he risks damaging his own reputation by his intransigence.

A senior Democrat who worked for Mr Clinton has revealed that he recently told friends Mr Obama could "kiss my ass" in return for his support.

A second source said that the former president has kept his distance because he still does not believe Mr Obama can win the election.

more...


http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/linkframe.php?linkid=62845

[livvy]

21. True or False? Evangelicals Are Crucial to Winning the 2008 Election

Evangelicals Are Crucial to Winning the 2008 Election
Lisa Miller
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 5:14 PM ET Jun 28, 2008

The leaders of the religious right don't have great affection for John McCain. They think he's too moderate on immigration, embryonic-stem-cell research and campaign-finance reform, and they think he doesn't do enough to promote his pro-life positions.

That's where they agree. But as the 2008 general election unfolds, it's clear that their movement is in disarray—in a transitional period that could diminish its influence this cycle. For decades, right-wing kingmakers used their sway with voters to pick candidates and set a national agenda at the polls and in the courts. But McCain's candidacy has tamped down their enthusiasm, exposing fractures that make a rallying of the troops in the pews unlikely.

The right's issues are mostly generational. The conservative Christian activists who came of age with the Rev. Jerry Falwell—and experienced in 1980 the exhilaration of electing a president who represented their values—are in their 70s. Falwell died last year, and no younger pastor has taken his place as a spokesperson (lightning rod?) for the kinds of social-conservative stances he believed in. "Maybe we've done our job," says Chuck Colson, 76, the former Nixon aide-felon turned born-again Christian. "The Christian public is much more educated about politics than they ever were."

Some on the right want to tone down the rhetoric. Whereas attacks on Falwell's divisive words used to come mainly from secular outsiders, Christian insiders now rebuke their brothers and sisters for hate talk that once passed for business as usual. In this election, if a card-carrying Christian partisan such as John Hagee or Jeremiah Wright Jr. has endorsed a candidate, that candidate has had to repudiate the endorsement or risk being sullied, or further sullied, by the association. Hagee endorsed George W. Bush in 2000 and Bush wasn't tainted.

more...

http://www.newsweek.com/id/143760?tid=relatedcl

[livvy]

9. States and another 'toon (My personal favorite.)

[livvy]

10. OH: Voting machine swap means you'll scan paper ballot

Voting machine swap means you'll scan paper ballot
Posted by Joe Guillen June 27, 2008 19:47PM
From The Plain Dealer, June 25, 2008

Rental Machines Needed This Year

The county will rent 1,500 scanners_to be distributed throughout 576 voting locations-for the November election.

In 2009, the optical scanners will be replaced with more modern, digital scanners, which are not yet certified for use in Ohio.

Cuyahoga County polls will be stocked with new machines this November, but the voting experience will be familiar to people who cast ballots last March.

The county is sticking with the paper ballots that debuted in the primary after two troublesome years with touch-screen voting machines.

But there will be a big difference. Unlike in March, voters will feed their ballots into scanners at the voting locations instead of dropping the ballots in a box to be counted later in the night.

The new optical scanners - made by Election Systems & Software - record votes on memory cards and alert people if their ballots were filled out incorrectly, giving them a chance to fix errors.

The scanners create a potential for a second line at the polls, after you may have waited to get a ballot. Cuyahoga is renting 1,500 scanners, to be distributed throughout the 576 polling locations. With only one scanner per precinct, lines are possible at the machines.

more...

http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2008/06/voting_machine_swap_means_youl.html

[livvy]

11. PA: Advocates hope voting machines ruling has domino effect

Sun Jun 29 2008

Advocates hope voting machines ruling has domino effect

By GARY WECKSELBLATT
Bucks County Courier Times

Bucks County voting-rights advocates are pleased with a New Jersey court decision allowing computer experts to examine the state's electronic voting machines and release their results to the public.

The Coalition for Peace Action and the American Civil Liberties Union had sued New Jersey, arguing that the public should be privy to the results before the Nov. 4 presidential election.

“This is the first time a court recognized the public's right to examine voting computers and our experts are very excited,” Rutgers University law clinic attorney Penney Venetis said of last week's ruling by Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg.

Locally, the Coalition for Voting Integrity hopes the decision spurs movement in the courts and among lawmakers against electronic voting machines like the Danaher model used in Bucks. They want them replaced with systems —such as optical scanners — that let voters fill out paper ballots and verify them when they vote.

more...

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-06282008-1555891.html

[livvy]

14. TN: Blackburn Campaign Finance Complaint Could Go Forward

Blackburn campaign finance complaint could go forward
By Bartholomew Sullivan (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, June 29, 2008

For U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. -- with years of misreported campaign financial filings, acknowledged in April, and a formal complaint by a watchdog group earlier this month -- life just got more complicated.

Since December, the Federal Election Commission, which polices campaign finances, didn't have a quorum. That meant it couldn't act as Blackburn's campaign finance lawyer, Donald F. McGahn, worked with the commission's Office of General Counsel to explain how she failed to report $286,278 in expenditures and $102,044 in contributions in quarterly reports filed since she first ran for Congress in 2002.

But with a full complement of commissioners confirmed last week -- in part to resolve issues over Republican John McCain's options for financing the presidential general election -- the complaint against her by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government and Germantown resident Barbara Kaye Ginsburg could now move forward.

The campaign formally received the complaint last Wednesday, spokesman Darcy Anderson said. It has 15 days to respond.


more...

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/29/blackburn-complaint-could-go-02/

[livvy]

16. CA: County rolls out first-of-its-kind election audit tool

County rolls out first-of-its-kind election audit tool
Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 06/29/2008 01:29:35 AM PDT


Ever want to call for an election recount? Well, the Humboldt County Elections Office might soon give you the chance to do just that, and more.

The Humboldt Transparency Project, a pilot program which officially kicked off last week, aims to allow anyone in the world the opportunity to access images of every ballot cast in an election, which can then be cross-sorted and tabulated by anyone who wants to conduct a recount from the comfort of their own home.

According to Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich, the vision is simple: After the ballots from an election are counted and the results certified, an image of every ballot cast in the county would be put on line. Sorting software would let people view the ballots by precinct, district, race or ballot measure to recount as they see fit.

It's kind of like leaving the full power of an election audit at the fingertips of anyone with Internet access. That's the vision, anyway.
snip...

A local election watchdog group, the Humboldt County Voter Confidence Committee, has been vocally critical of the county's use of optical scan ballot counting machines, and member Bob Olofson said the transparency project does little to alleviate those concerns.

”By our definition of transparency, the whole process has to be seeable and understandable to the general public,” Olofson said. “We have concerns that if the transparency project is used as a way of basically validating a count by optical scan, we would not have faith in that validation because it's essentially one technology verifying another technology.”


more...

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_9734981

[livvy]

19. FL: Nearly 700 West Palm votes not tallied election night

Nearly 700 West Palm votes not tallied election night
By THOMAS R. COLLINS

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, June 27, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH — The votes for three precincts weren't counted on election night after Tuesday's special city commission election, prompting the candidates to ponder the reliability of the new optical-scan system as the county heads toward a busy election season culminating with the presidential vote in November.

Nearly 700 votes from three precincts - 14 percent of the total cast - were added into the final results released by the supervisor of elections office after the standard post-election audit Wednesday and Thursday.

The uncounted votes included those from Ibis Golf & Country Club and Riverwalk, two gated communities that produced the highest vote totals in the race. The third precinct was Ironhorse, another gated community.

Under the new totals, Kimberly Mitchell, who served as District 3 commissioner through March, remained the winner. But retired technology company executive Gregg Weiss vaulted into second place, and real estate attorney Rebecca Young finished third.

more...

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/06/27/0627wpbelex.html

[livvy]

22. IL:Ex-political aide gets 2 years' probation for election fraud in Milton Township

Ex-political aide gets 2 years' probation for election fraud in Milton Township

Tribune staff report
11:21 PM CDT, June 27, 2008

A DuPage County political consultant, convicted in March of election fraud, avoided a jail term Friday when he was sentenced to 2 years' probation.

Rodney McCulloch, 43, of Westmont was also sentenced by Judge Michael Burke to 150 hours of public service and ordered to pay $200 to a county anti-crime fund.

McCulloch had faced up to 5 years in prison after Burke convicted him of perjury and disregard for the election code.

McCulloch was convicted of signing the election petitions, claiming that he saw the actual citizens' signatures being made, and acquitted of forging those signatures.

more...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mcculloch-both-jun28,0,555571.story

[livvy]

23. AL: Cooperation needed in voter fraud probe

Cooperation needed in voter fraud probe
Saturday, June 28, 2008

ALABAMA ATTORNEY General Troy King and U.S. Justice Department officials shouldn't be fighting over who gets to investigate possible election fraud in Perry County.

There's enough evidence of voting irregularities in that west Alabama county to keep state and federal investigators busy getting to the bottom of it.

Mr. King also thinks something may be rotten in the voting in Bullock, Jackson and Lowndes counties. He should go all-out in determining whether, as one anti-fraud activist put it, a "crime against democracy" occurred in those jurisdictions.

Recently, the attorney general said the Justice Department had become an "obstacle" to his investigation in Perry County. Mr. King said federal election monitors refused to immediately provide him with reports on possible voting problems in the county.

more...


http://www.al.com/opinion/press-register/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1214644510311860.xml&coll=3

Oh, hell, let's just purge them all and be done with it! :sarcasm:

[livvy]

24. Voter fraud in Perry County addressed

Voter fraud in Perry County addressed

By KELLI WRIGHT/[e-mail]
(Updated: Friday, June 27, 2008 11:18 PM CDT)

MARION — The Marion Military Institute Chapel was full Thursday as Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman addressed a group of citizens, press members and members of the Democracy Defense League.

Chapman’s visit to Perry County was part of a public rally on voter fraud, a topic that has come to the public eye once again in the Black Belt with recent allegations of voter fraud stemming from absentee ballots in Perry County in the June 3 primaries.

“It’s no secret Perry County is one of three counties under review for voter fraud,” Chapman told the audience. “When I first heard about this I was shocked and saddened.”

Chapman has been working closely with Attorney General Troy King’s office on getting information from the public for the investigation, and vowed she would see to it that anyone associated with the illegal activity sent to jail.

more...

http://www.demopolistimes.com/articles/2008/06/27/news/news9141.txt

[livvy]

30. MN: IRV: Dead or Alive?

IRV: Dead or alive?

By Mary Turck , TC Daily Planet
June 28, 2008

St. Paul lets voters petition to put a measure on the ballot. This year, the requisite number of voters signed petitions to put Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) on the ballot. The city attorney wants to keep it off, and the city council might just vote to deny the petitioners their chance to bring IRV to a vote. The issue is neatly defined in a Park Bugle article.

Proponents of IRV say it will offer voters more choices and open up races to third parties shut out of the current system, as well as save money by eliminating the need for primaries.

Detractors say voters will only be confused by longer ballots and the need to memorize more candidate choices, and that there’s nothing wrong with electing candidates by a plurality rather than a majority.

Instant-runoff voting lists all candidates on a single ballot and lets voters rank their choices. A voter can rank only a top choice, rank all the choices or stop anywhere in between.

more...



http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2008/06/28/irv-dead-or-alive.html#

[livvy]

31. Ky. official continues to work after conviction

Posted on Sun, Jun. 29, 2008
Ky. official continues to work after conviction

The Associated Press
An attorney for a Knott County official who was convicted by a federal jury of election fraud said the official will stay in office while he fights the charge.

Judge-Executive Randall C. Thompson was one of four county officials who were convicted Thursday in a scheme to offer paving work in exchange for votes.

His attorney, Terry D. Jacobs, said he will continue to show up for work as long as he is allowed to do so.

Allison Martin, spokeswoman for the state Attorney General's Office, said state law allows Thompson to stay in office while his appeals are pending, even if he is in prison.

Thompson was were found guilty on one count of conspiracy to buy votes and conspiracy to misappropriate federal funds and one count of misappropriating federal funds.

Federal prosecutors said the officials conspired to pave private driveways and repair private bridges in exchange for votes.

That is all...

http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/447015.html

[livvy]

33. MI: Ex-felons, homeless are part of state voting process

Sunday, JUN 29, 2008

Ex-felons, homeless are part of state voting process
By Eric T. Campbell
The Michigan Citizen

DETROIT — The 2008 primary race for the highest office in the nation has brought millions of new voters to the polls. With the end of the primary season and the beginning of the general election, many more will finally become active participants. But what about access to the polls for those whom society has attempted to marginalize?

The purging of Florida citizens, ex-felons and non-felons alike, from voter rolls in 2000 is just one example of a state apparatus intentionally eliminating minorities from the election process. In addition, new photo ID laws popping up around the country create more barriers to voter participation.

The 2004 presidential election in the U.S. resulted in numerous cases of alleged election fraud and a lack of sufficient numbers of voting machines.

In Michigan, the homeless and ex-felons are legally entitled to vote.

more...

http://www.michigancitizen.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=6182&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1070&hn=michigancitizen&he=.com

[livvy]

35. MS: Hosemann Pushes Voter ID For State

Hosemann pushes voter ID for state
Saturday, June 28, 2008
By CHERIE WARD

BILOXI -- Mississippi needs to turn a page and pass voter identification legislation, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said Friday at the Mississippi Press Association's annual convention.

"This is the first step in voter reform," Hosemann said.

Hosemann, who took office in January, said an incumbent superintendent in Wilkinson County was buying votes in the Democratic primary and was caught and convicted.

"I called about 16 of the people who sold their votes," he said. "One mother who has throat cancer, sold her vote to help with medical bills. Another mother, a drug addict, sold her vote for $20. She sold her daughter's vote for $15. Poor people are the ones voter fraud hurts the most."

more...

http://www.gulflive.com/news/mississippipress/index.ssf?/base/news/1214648103207120.xml

[livvy]

12. World and 'toon

[livvy]

13. Electronic machines to be used in Punjab local polls

Electronic machines to be used in Punjab local polls

June 28th, 2008 - 7:36 pm ICT by IANS

Chandigarh, June 28 (IANS) Electronic voting machines will be used Monday for the first time in Punjab’s municipal council elections, an official said Saturday. Over 10 million voters are eligible to vote in 87 municipal councils and eight nagar panchayats June 30, a state election commission spokesman said here.

A total of 2,950 polling booths have been set up across the state. Voting will be held between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Counting of votes will start immediately after the voting is completed and results will be declared Monday evening.

That's the whole thing found here...

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/electronic-machines-to-be-used-in-punjab-local-polls_10065597.html

[livvy]

17. Macedonia holds second election rerun because of voting irregularities

Macedonia holds second election rerun because of voting irregularities

The Associated Press
Sunday, June 29, 2008

SKOPJE, Macedonia: Macedonia opened more than a dozen polling stations Sunday after authorities ordered a second rerun following voting irregularities at a June 1 general election.

The voting in ethnic Albanian areas, involving around 14,500 voters, will not affect the result of the election, which was won by conservative incumbent Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. But they could spur fierce rivalry between two parties representing Macedonia's ethnic Albanian minority.

"All 15 polling stations were opened on time at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT)," State Election Commission spokesman Zoran Tanevski told The Associated Press.

But he said later the voting process was interrupted briefly at two polling stations.

"The election board spotted a case of ballot stuffing at one station and a voter caused an incident at another when he tried to destroy the ballots," Tanevski said.

more...

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/29/europe/EU-POL-Macedonia-Election-Reruns.php

[livvy]

18. Zimbabwe election: Robert Mugabe's 'Operation Red Finger' causes terror

Zimbabwe election: Robert Mugabe's 'Operation Red Finger' causes terror
By a special correspondent in Zimbabwe and Louis Weston
Last updated: 12:00 AM BST 29/06/2008

For most of the last decade, the Mupedzanhamo market has been one of the few thriving enterprises in the Zimbabwe capital, Harare.

The reason for its success is simple: it sells second-hand clothes and imported bric-a-brack at knockdown prices, and as the country's economy has gone into freefall, it has acquired an ever-expanding clientele of ever-more destitute customers.

Yesterday, however, the normally bustling flea market was devoid of 250 of its vendors, thanks to the thugs sent in by the man who has done more than anyone else to keep the place in business.

The traders' crime was to be caught without a splash of indelible red ink on their fingers - the telltale sign that they had not visited the polling stations for Friday's election, and were therefore probably not loyal fans of President Robert Mugabe.

Gangs of Zanu PF militiamen sent in by Mr Mugabe on "finger inspections" promptly rounded offenders up and began terrorising them. "They raided us at 10am and conducted what they called a vetting exercise," said one vendor.

more...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/2213189/Zimbabwe-election-Robert-Mugabe's-'Operation-Red-Finger'-causes-terror.html

[livvy]

27. Mugabe inauguration scheduled in Zimbabwe before election result announced

Mugabe inauguration scheduled in Zimbabwe before election result announced
By ANGUS SHAW Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press - Sunday, June 29, 2008

HARARE, Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe was preparing to be sworn in for a new term Sunday and extend his nearly three decades as Zimbabwe's ruler, claiming victory in a violent and widely discredited runoff election.

Ministry of Information officials told reporters to be at the presidential residence for the Sunday afternoon inauguration ceremony before results from Friday's runoff had even been announced.

Attempts to reach government spokesmen for comment were not immediately successful.

African and other world leaders had condemned the election, in which Mugabe was the only candidate. It followed a campaign that saw opposition supporters targeted by brutal state-sponsored violence, human rights groups said.


Angolan Foreign Minister and election observer Joao Bernardo de Miranda, left, hands documents to Zimbabwean President Robert Muagbe, right, during a meeting in Harare, Saturday, June 28, 2008. Many Zimbabweans deliberately defaced their ballots in a discredited presidential runoff with President Robert Mugabe as the sole candidate, and voted only out of fear, the head of a foreign observer mission said Saturday. (AP Photo)

more...

http://www.grandforksherald.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D91JMN600

[livvy]

36. Just 'toons

Have a great week ahead and a spectacular July 4th!

[tbyg52]

37. K,R,&thanks!

:kick:

[BillORightsMan]

38. OH: Hart InterCivic questions Cuyahoga machine choice

Head of voting machine firm Hart InterCivic questions Cuyahoga County choice
Cuyahoga picked costlier system
Saturday, June 28, 2008 by Joe Guillen

The CEO of a Texas-based voting-machine company says he still wants to know why the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections bypassed his equipment in favor of a system that will cost taxpayers an extra $5 million.

Hart InterCivic President and Chief Executive Gregg Burt on Friday criticized the board's selection process, a week after the board voted to spend $13.4 million for scanners from another company. County commissioners still must approve the deal.

"I have yet to hear a logical reason why we weren't selected," Burt said. "The taxpayers deserve an answer for this."

~snip~
Burt said he has written letters expressing his dismay to the county commissioners and has hired a lawyer to examine the selection process.

During public sessions, none of the four board members doubted Hart's equipment could do the job in November.

According to board projections, the county would save $5.3 million over five years by picking Hart. ES&S would lease equipment for the fall and sell more-modern ballot scanners to the county in 2009.

Burt said he is amazed Cuyahoga picked a significantly more expensive voting system.

~snip~
If the commissioners complete the deal with ES&S, the county will receive digital scanners next year, once they are certified for use in Ohio.

But if ES&S' newer equipment isn't certified by then, the county would buy the company's less-modern equipment and get a $1.4 million refund.

Burt said the uncertainty surrounding the ES&S equipment should have worked in his company's favor.

"It seems the Board of Elections is open to betting taxpayer dollars on the hope that a new uncertified product will soon become certified," he said.

There's a pot-kettle story in here somewhere...
:wow:

imbillorightsmanandiapprovethismessage
:patriot:

[Wilms]

40. .