Daily Voting News For December 2-4, 2006

"The most important thing for Congress is to take a deep breath," says Dan Tokaji, an election-law expert at Ohio State University. He worries that momentum is building for something that could prove to be a mistake. "Passing paper trails at this stage, based on what we know right now is really fools gold. It may provide an initial sense of confidence. But that confidence won't be long-lasting unless we resolve some deeper issues." Tokaji is absolutely correct. He just didn't go far enough and say that with no confidence in the paper trail there should also be no confidence in Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machines. They are both, together or singly, "fools gold". / In Maryland "Barbara Samorajczyk, who lost to Ronald A. George by 53 votes in House of Delegates District 30, said she conceded by phone yesterday after deciding that "there wasn't any meaningful way to do a recount" with electronic voting machines. "We cannot recount the machine," Samorajczyk said."...

• National: Bloggers step up for Jennings
  Liberals flex muscles to raise money, awareness of 13th District fight. LINK
• National: Touch-screen voting machines aren't secure, federal agency says LINK
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• National: Editorial - Checking the Vote
  Another disputed Florida race points up the need for a paper trail. LINK
• National: Voting machine firm [Smartmatic] denies tax, bribery allegations LINK
• National: Partisanship and the Machines LINK
• Arizona: Fed probe of vote bulge finds no tampering but possible problems LINK
• California: San Joaquin County - Here's a vote for some improvements LINK
• Florida: Touch-screen voting machines not safe, federal agency says
  With voting machines in Sarasota still under the microscope, a federal agency criticized machines that provide no backup paper trail. LINK
• Florida: FL-13 – Editorial - Fishy in Florida
  With 18,000 disappeared votes in a tight race, Florida officials should call a new election. LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Audit of Fla. 13 Voting Machines Ends as Fight Rages On LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Last round of machine testing over, election battle continues LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Red flags raised on voting machines LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Voting machines pass test LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Jennings committed to additional election tests LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - 4 voting machines pass test in recount LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Voting-machine findings won't end battle LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Second vote test mirrors first LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Jennings Campaign Sues Voting-Machine Manufacturer ES&S LINK
• Maryland: New voting system supported
  Research group, politicians agree voters need verifiable paper trail LINK
• Maryland: Anne Arundel County - Democrat Admits Loss In Anne Arundel Race, Gives Up Court Fight LINK
• North Carolina: Editorial - Without paper, without integrity LINK
• New Jersey: Clerks cast doubt on new election machines LINK
• Ohio: Franklin County judge seeks recount, citing voting machine woes LINK
• Pennsylvania: Feds fear voting security breaches LINK
• Rhode Island: Court ruling on 'rejected ballots' may hold key to House District 72 outcome. 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.**

"Among the supposed benefits of electronic voting ---- of which Riverside County was a pioneer, and for which it spent in excess of $30 million ---- were greater accuracy, reliability and speed. What we appear to have gotten for that money was less reliability and slower results. The question of accuracy remains unanswered and here we are, almost four weeks after the election, and the Registrar of Voters office just posted what appear to be final numbers late Saturday." / “What is the point if you run it through the machine again?” said Mary Kiffmeyer, the Minnesota secretary of state, who instituted hand recounts in 2000. “If you do it by hand, you’re doing an audit on the machine.”...

• National: Treasury Urged to Make Public the Results of CFIUS Investigation of Smartmatic LINK
• California: Voters raising bar for process LINK
• California: Riverside County – Editorial - Election probe a good start LINK
• California: Riverside County – Opinion - Riverside County needs to find fix for myriad voting troubles LINK
• Colorado: Denver County - Voters, judges give city an earful
  An overflow crowd alleges incompetence, election judges want their pay and the mayor predicts serious changes. LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County – Columnist - The errors they'll find are likely their own LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Testing Undervote Hypotheses in Sarasota: Declaration of Technical Expert Dan Wallach LINK
• Ohio: OH-15 - The Pryce of Democracy in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District LINK
• Rhode Island: Paper vs. scanner: Ensuring the vote’s integrity LINK
• Virginia: Opinion - Electronic votes shouldn't be a leap of faith LINK
• Wisconsin: Recounts can be costly 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.**

Citizens in King Co. Washington wanted to exercise their right within state law and asked for a hand recount of two precincts in the county. They filed the proper paper work and turned over a down payment of $.50 per ballot for the 922 ballots that would be included in the recount. The county accepted the money and the paper work and then informed the citizens that they needed $2500 per day with a minimum of four days for security. These are ballots that have already been counted. The citizens are not contesting an election, just asking for their state's given right of a hand recount. The county clearly does not want that recount to take place. What is the county hiding? / One of the TGDC members who voted against "Software Independence" had this to say today; "I'm not sure that we've really proven that the processes that state election officials have used for a few decades now of testing and verifying that the systems work ... are failing," said Paul Miller, voting systems manager at the Washington state Secretary of State's Office. "Now we're adding another requirement." It seems Miller has joined the throng of vendors and elections officials who have their heads buried in the sand and ignore the election failures going on around them....

• National: Federal panel rejects extra checks on electronic voting machines LINK
• National: Government rejects e-voting paper trail proposal LINK
• Arizona: Maricopa County - Candidate seeks ballot inspection LINK
• California: Editorial - An anti-machine vote LINK
• California: San Joaquin County - Nov. 7: Tipping point for e-voting? LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County – Opinion - Why didn't they vote? Why not ask? LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County – Opinion - Sarasota controversy shows need for paper LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Rally questions machines, calls for another election LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Protesters demand new election for District 13 congressional seat LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Jennings: 'This is not about me' LINK
• New York: What's Wrong With My Voting Machine? LINK
• Ohio: Ashtabula County - Recount complete; Moroski adds 2 votes to win total LINK
• Ohio: Cuyahoga County - Ohio County Considers Shift on E-voting Systems LINK
• Pennsylvania: Vote watchdogs warn of system failure LINK
• South Carolina: Kershaw County - Candidates protest county reelection decision LINK
• Washington: King County - Citizens group requests small 8th District recount 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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