Daily Voting News For June 1-8, 2007

The New Jersey Star-Ledger reported today, “Seeking to avoid voting scandals like those experienced in Florida and Ohio in the past two presidential elections, a coalition of good government and lobbying groups yesterday proposed six bills to improve New Jersey's election process. The New Jersey Citizens' Coalition on Help America Vote Act Implementation, a group of 30 organizations, offered the measures in the hope the Legislature and Gov. Jon Corzine will approve them before the state's presidential primary in early February. The key measure (S-507) proposed by the coalition -- and the only one presently embodied in legislation, sponsored by Sen. Nia H. Gill (D-Essex) and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer) -- would outline a procedure for the mandatory audit of election results. The bill would use the margin of victory in a race to determine the extent of an audit. In closer races, more election districts, chosen at random, would be scrutinized.”...

• NAtional: Hearing on FEC Pick Could Add Fuel to Debate Over Justice Dept. LINK
• National: Senate looks at election tactics Ehrlich, Steele fliers condemned by judiciary panel LINK
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• Florida: Sarasota County - Florida County at Center of Election Storm Dumps ES&S in Favor of Diebold LINK
• New Jersey: Coalition offers 6 bills to better N.J. elections Seeks Legislature's OK before primary LINK
• New Jersey: Bills aim to improve election process LINK
• Utah: County: keep voting machines LINK
• Fiji: Team proposes deferring electronic voting 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.**

The Connecticut House has voted 150-1 to follow the unanimous “yes” vote of the Senate to require audits in 10 percent of randomly selected polling districts during state elections starting in 2008. Only 13 states require audits of election results, and most stipulate far less than 10 percent of polling places. Our congratulations go to the voters in the state of Connecticut. The Sarasota Co Florida Commissioners decided that not only will they follow the mandate from the voters to dump their ES&S iVotronic DREs but also to dump ES&S. One commissioner said, “I’ve lost faith in ES&S entirely”. The county will now turn to Diebold to provide their optical-scan voting system....

• NAtional: Voter Supression? LINK
• National: Model for the Nation: New Jersey May Do Audits Right (And Other Needed Reforms) LINK
• National: The American Way of Voting Needs a Major Tune-up: Part Two LINK
• Arizona: Pima County – Opinion - Kimble: Does the RTA vote really add up? LINK
• California: Monterey County - Just what does 'No' mean? Sides differ on interpretation of election results LINK
• California: San Diego County - County's registrar Deborah Seiler says she hopes to win over critics LINK
• California: San Diego County - Ballot-machine review could change primary LINK
• Connecticut: House approves lawmaker employment disclosure, voting audit program LINK
• Connecticut: New Britain - Voting machines wind up costing city LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Sarasota scrubs touch-screen voting LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Sarasota backs voting machines with a trail LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County switches vote machines LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Sarasota endorses Diebold voting machines LINK
• Michigan: Opinion - Sensible path to paper trail LINK
• Mississippi: Pearl River County - Poll worker training to be held LINK
• New Jersey: Report: Disabled voters face challenges LINK
• New Jersey: Warren County - Paper-trail voting printer gets a test run in Warren LINK
• New Jersey: Warren County Experience with Voter-Verified E-Ballots Bodes Well for State LINK
• New York: State will continue to use current voting machines LINK
• Texas: Counties look to state for funds Texas to reimburse for election LINK
• Utah: Counties hone plan for primary LINK
• Utah: Covering Costs of November Election Still Uncertain LINK
• Washington: Opinion - Election errors must not be repeated 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.**

We know that money is tight and that elections integrity is not one of the fashionable issues to support with what money you can afford to give to an issue. However, VotersUnite may not make it to another election if we don’t get some help. If you use our resources please help us to maintain our website and to continue providing those resources for you. Please help us out by going HERE. Thank you all again....

• NAtional: McConnell Voter ID Amendment Resoundingly Defeated in the Senate 52–41 LINK
• National: Will electronic voting reform create new ways to steal elections? LINK
• Arizona: Pima County – Opinion - RTA vote question needs to be cleared up LINK
• California: Riverside County - Ballot counting decried as 'charade' Count conducted in usual fashion, respond officials LINK
• California: San Diego County - Voting critics object at county budget opening; patient also asks county to drop medical marijuana challenge LINK
• Florida: Sarasota County - Uncertainty muddles budgeting Sarasota County playing what-if with money as it awaits legislation LINK
• Iowa: Jasper County - Voting machines to have paper trail LINK
• New Jersey: Primary gets no priority among New Jersey voters LINK
• New Jersey: Atlantic County - Galloway ballot error exposes bitterness LINK
• Pennsylvania: Bedford County - Recount ordered for Bedford LINK
• Pennsylvania: Bedford County - Judge Orders Recount For Bedford County Commissioner Race LINK
• South Dakota: Pennington County - Election turnout lower than expected Humidity causes some slow down in ballot counting. LINK
• Texas: Official promises kinks in voting system will be fixed But many unconvinced snags will be gone by 2008 election LINK
• Washington: Technique: Data up-to-date Washington builds its own database to meet voter-registration mandate 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.**

It has now been well over a year since we have bothered you with a plea for funds to keep our work going. We are proud to announce that we have been accepted as an activity under the auspices of International Humanities Center [http://IHCenter.org] and, as such, any donations to VotersUnite are now tax deductible. We have appreciated the assistance that we have gotten in the past and will likewise appreciate any help you can give in the future. “Daily Voting News” and the data gathering and report writing that we do all take a lot of time and we know from comments from all of you that you use our work in your work. Please help us to continue to help you. Go to http://www.votersunite.org/donate.asp and give generously. Thank you...

• NAtional: Justice Department actions expected to draw congressional scrutiny LINK
• National: Peering Through Chinks in the Armor of High-Tech Elections LINK
• Florida: Opinion - Election reform LINK
• Iowa: Auditors worried about same-day registration LINK
• North Carolina: Pender County adding voting precincts LINK
• New Jersey: Justice Department To Monitor N.J., Elections LINK
• New Jersey: Turnout in Tuesday's election expected to be low LINK
• New Jersey: Warren County - A primary example of election credibility LINK
• New York: Montgomery County - Amsterdam voters forced to go to one polling site 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.**

In a combined statement Common Cause, VerifiedVoting.Org and VoteTrustUSA have said the following to Senator Diane Feinstein regarding her election reform legislation, “There is copious evidence that e-voting machines are prone to malfunctions and vulnerable to malicious software attacks, yet over 35 million registered voters will cast their vote on an unverifiable, unauditable, paperless electronic voting machine in November 2008 unless Congress acts urgently to correct this unacceptable reality. Voters everywhere agree that all voting systems should produce a verifiable, re-countable paper record. We know too much to recklessly gamble with the 2008 Presidential election”. This statement is in regard to the lack of any solution in the Feinstein bill to address the widespread problem of paperless voting before the 2008 Presidential election. ...

• NAtional: Looking for a Single Name: What Congress Member Would Vote Against the Banning of Illegal, Invisible Unverified Electronic Ballots? LINK
• National: Will Electronic Voting Reform Create New Ways to Steal Elections? LINK
• National: Action Alert! Call your member of Congress Monday to vote 'no' on HR 811 LINK
• Alabama: Voting felons dispute decided LINK
• Arizona: ACLU sues to restore vote to some felons LINK
• Florida: Law limits touch screens Voting will be done primarily by optical scan LINK
• New Jersey: Gusciora Eagerly Awaits Results of Trial Run With Paper-Verified E-Voting in Warren County LINK
• New Jersey: Warren County - Paper trail will be put to the test as Warren votes LINK
• New Jersey: Warren County voters to achieve first in Tuesday's primary LINK
• Texas: Jefferson County - Texas Attorney General Says ES&S Instruction Manual Does Not Have To Be Released To The Public LINK
• Utah: Pricey Presidential Primary Less of a Boon to Utah LINK
• Utah: Salt Lake County - SLCO to Join Others Opposing Federal Election Bill LINK
• West Virginia: (And Ohio) - Elections Changes on Horizon 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.**

When people try to make elections issues into a partisan issue we always tell them it’s not partisan; it’s about democracy. Actually it is very hard not to be partisan because we all are one way or another. It’s also not easy to be non-issue oriented. Some have said that because we feel a particular way about certain legislation that “Daily Voting News” will be used as our ‘bully-pulpit’ to spread the word only about our view point while stifling the other side. Well, we are not Fox News Network. There’s a disclaimer at the bottom of every DVN that says that our view may not always match the views given in the articles we link to. That’s because we post articles from all over and we don’t take sides when we post. In fact, about the only things that I have consciously left out of DVN are articles that attack people or organizations that are in the Election Integrity community. If there are few articles posted that meet your particular view point it’s because none were written or I could not find them in my normal search places. Write an article/blog and get it posted somewhere and let me know. I’ll post it....

• NAtional: Panelists allege election tampering LINK
• National: The Missing 2nd Step in High Tech Voting LINK
• Arizona: Pima County - RTA lawyer: It's too late to challenge vote Dems, Pima seeking probe of possible rigging LINK
• Arizona: Pima County - State to look at RTA election Dems, county official want investigation of tampering suggestions LINK
• California: Columnist - Democracy lifeblood flows on paper LINK
• California: Monterey County – Commentary - Keeping an eye on the count LINK
• Mississippi: Editorial - Voter ID needed in Mississippi LINK
• Ohio: Columbiana County - Vote Board: Petitions available LINK
• Pennsylvania: Washington County - Campaign 2007/Washington: Written vote countin prothonotary race heads to court LINK
• Tennessee: Sevier County - Attorney says alleging fraud is 'serious' 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.**

It’s good to be back from my well deserved trip to Alaska. A great time was had by all; except the fish.

Journalist, radio personality and friend Pokey Anderson opened her excellent article, “Peering Through The Chinks in the Armor of High-Tech Elections” thusly;

“When you vote, who you voted for is a secret.

“Virtually everything else about elections should be public and transparent. But somehow, secrecy has come to cloak many aspects of elections.

“First off, the software counting votes is secret.

“A raft of other aspects of elections are secret or obscure, including who owns and runs voting machine companies, who their programmers are (google Jeffrey Dean & Diebold for one hair-raising example), reports by certification entities and many experts, and even raw exit poll data by the nation’s biggest exit polling group. All secret.”...

• NAtional: Peering Through The Chinks in the Armor of High-Tech Elections LINK
• National: Top vote-machine maker also tops complaint list Vendor discounts woes, blames poll workers. LINK
• National: Civic Groups Call on Senate to Correct E-voting Problems Before 2008 LINK
• National: Voting: Taken In By High-Tech LINK
• National: Raging Caging What the heck is vote caging, and why should we care? LINK
• National: DNC: Bush Administration Owes Apology Over Assault on Voting Rights LINK
• Arizona: Pima County - Fellow Investigators and Patriots: Election Misconduct in Pima County AZ LINK
• Arizona: Pima County - Results of Pima County sales tax vote disputed LINK
• Arizona: Pima County - RTA lawyer: It's too late to challenge vote Dems, Pima seeking probe of possible rigging LINK
• California: Riverside County - Positive results in test of vote-counting machines fail to sway critics LINK
• California: San Diego County - 'And that's it' County dismisses critics of elections—office hires LINK
• California: San Mateo County - Slow voting system review sparks concerns County elections chief says process could create 'impossible' situation LINK
• Colorado: Montrose County - Secretary of State: County on right track LINK
• Connecticut: EDR To Get Vote Today; Senate GOP Propose Solution, Search for Problem Continues LINK
• Hawaii: Editorial - 111 Seats Open in 2008 Elections - Hawaii Needs You LINK
• Kansas: Johnson County - Timing of U.S. House vote on election paper trail bill unclear LINK
• New York: Editorial - State must comply with Voting Act LINK
• Ohio: Stark County - Election board makes good investment LINK
• Pennsylvania: Bucks County - Write-in voters found glitches with machines LINK
• Pennsylvania: Mercer County - Extended warranty for voting machines is costly LINK
• Pennsylvania: Monroe County - Group alleges trouble at Coolbaugh polls LINK
• Utah: Opinion - Holt's bill not fiscally fair 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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