Daily Voting News For November 12, 2006

As should be expected by anyone who follows elections as closely as we do, the news today is again full of articles from Sarasota Co., Florida where the counties paperless ES&S voting machines failed to register over 18,000 votes for a 13th Congressional District race. ES&S and the county elections director are, of course, blaming the problem on the voters just not wanting to vote in the race. Meanwhile the media is full of anecdotal evidence that the machines failed to register votes in that race. The lesson is that Never, NEVER should the decision of who wins a race come down to a decision made by a voting machine. Never! NEVER should a voting machine be part of the decision. If the voters don't want to vote in a race then it's their decision and there should be no doubt that was there decision. A paper ballot gives us that information. A box with circuitry and software gives us nothing. We need to take the box out of the decision process....

• National: Sequoia Voting System Failure Means Votes Counted Twice in NJ County LINK
• National: ES&S Voting Machines Fail Again: More Votes than Voters in Arkansas, Thousands of Votes Missing in Florida and Zero Votes Recorded for One Mayoral Candidate LINK
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• National: E-voting worries focus on failures, not fraud LINK
• National: Ballot Roulette
  Computer scientists and mathematicians look for better ways to vote LINK
• Arkansas: Poinsett County - Candidate: Zero Vote Tally Off - by 1 LINK
• Arizona: Maricopa County - 'Early' ballots cast late slow counting process LINK
• California: Riverside County - Time to admit mistake LINK
• California: Ventura County - Absentee voting rate increasing in county
  Rising trend slows down count for local offices LINK
• Colorado: Opinion - What went wrong in Denver LINK
• Colorado: Montrose County – Editorial - The damage is done; time for an investigation LINK
• Colorado: Montrose County - City wants independent inquiry into election LINK
• Florida: Confidence up in election process
  Voters mostly satisfied with experience, state survey finds LINK
• Florida: Palm Beach County – Columnist - Goodman: Sarasota shows we need a voter-verified paper trail LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - The Sarasota Triangle: Why America Needs to Examine the Election in Florida's 13th District LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County audit to begin Monday, state officials say LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Dent will back machines with trail LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Vote machines spark uproar in Sarasota
  Without paper trail, recount may prove nothing about touch-screens LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - The 2000 recount is fresh in the mind of Jennings lawyer LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - How did we end up here again? LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Work begins for recount LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Unclear ballot? Glitch? Maybe both, experts say LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - PFAW Foundation Urges Sarasota County Not to Certify Results of Disputed Race in Florida's 13th Congressional District LINK
• Idaho: Dems critical of Idaho election officials LINK
• Indiana: Vanderburgh County – Editorial - Smooth Election LINK
• Kentucky: Complaints about state's voting machines may lead to modification LINK
• Maryland: Pols this year specialized in voter harassment LINK
• Pennsylvania: Lebanon County - Officials solve election problem
  Programming error won't return, they say LINK
• Tennessee: Buy more voting machines
  The delays on Election Day should not be repeated again. LINK
• Texas: Newfangled machines, old-fashioned voters lead to election night delays LINK
• Virginia: Vote counters will take accuracy over speed
  Use of electronic tallying last week wasn't as fast as some expected it would be LINK
• Virginia: Montgomery County - Pursue more voting upgrades than just the 'Ding!'
  Dings are nice, but a paper trail would be nicer LINK
• Wisconsin: Voting places seek new help
  As aging poll workers retire, schools, charities asked to recruit replacements LINK

**"Daily Voting News" is meant as a comprehensive listing of reports each day concerning issues related to election and voting news around the country regardless of quality or political slant. Therefore, items listed in "Daily Voting News" may not reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or Scoop.**

John Gideon
Executive Director www.votersunite.org and
Member www.votetrustusa.org

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