Daily Voting News For January 19-22, 2007
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Daily Voting News For January 22, 2007
Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
Horry Co South Carolina is now reporting that they had more problems than reported on Saturday. It seems that not only
could they not get 80% of the machines to start-up on Saturday morning but many of those same machines could not be
turned-off when the polls closed. It seems that the internal clocks were set for the ES iVotronics to be closed-out next Saturday evening following the Democratic primary. Those machines had to be taken to
the county election office and the clocks had to be changed. The county was still counting ballots late on Sunday. I had
a reporter call me from one SC newspaper. He asked how I felt about this delay in getting the results out. My response
was that quick and early results were for the media not for the voter. We want our votes counted accurately; not
quickly. It is, in part, the media that has driven election officials to waste our tax money on the purchase of machines
that give some result as quickly as possible upon poll closure. It may not be an accurate number but it is a number that
can be reported. Tomorrow the Republican South Carolina primary will be forgotten as all eyes turn to the next primary
and the next potential disaster. ...
NAtional: Editorial - Election Changes May Be Detrimental LINK
National: Voter ID allies betray King and democracy LINK
Arkansas: Officials Expect Few Electronic Voting Problems LINK
Arkansas: Officials Expect Smooth Vote In February Primary LINK
California: Columnist - Thomas Elias: Prospects for accurate vote tallies are good LINK
California: Santa Clara County - Mail-in ballots get most votes LINK
Colorado: Opinion - Hodge: Voting equipment snafu causing chaos LINK
Colorado: Boulder County - County Clerk will discuss voting machines with City Council LINK
Connecticut: Primary will cost cities LINK
Florida: Absentee ballot requests in Broward three times higher than 2004 LINK
Florida: Florida prepares to unplug touchscreen voting machines LINK
Iowa: Problems in South Carolina prompt questions about electronic voting LINK
New Hampshire: Who Counts in New Hampshire?
And, are Diebold memory cards forgetful? LINK
New Hampshire: Our view: Recount won't change New Hampshire result LINK
New Jersey: Opinion - Congress must ensure vote integrity LINK
Nevada: After Nevada Caucuses, Charges of Foul Play LINK
New York: A dream for making sure every vote counts
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday a time to reflect on the integrity of the ballot. LINK
Ohio: Elections chief finds surprises in first year LINK
Ohio: New election rules will cost
Butler Co. estimate: $1.5M; Hamilton Co., $3.4M LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Vote results further delayed
Officials vow to fix machine issues by Saturday LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - County, state to blame for Horry County voting machine errors LINK
Rhode Island: Can R.I. count on its voting machines? LINK
Overseas: Americans Abroad Can Now Vote Online 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.**
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Daily Voting News For January 21, 2007
Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
Two weeks ago South Carolina election officials told their voters that they needn’t be concerned about the negative
reports relative to the state’s chosen voting system, ES iVotronic DREs, that have come from Ohio and Colorado. Officials talked about how security in the state was top-notch.
So yesterday, in Horry Co, the voting system melted down forcing voters to cast their ballots on any paper they could
find. A state representative told the media even paper towels would suffice if necessary. OK, so the problem turned out
to be what appears to be a human error again. Someone forgot to complete the last step of testing and the machines would
not start at the polls without the testing being closed out. Early reports were that 80 to 90% or more of the machines
in the county were affected. Today, one day after the meltdown, damage control has kicked-in and one media outlet is
even saying that just 20 machines in the county were affected. But no matter, yes it appears to have been human error
and that error may have affected 20 or 20,000 machines, the fact is that some voters went away from the polls without
voting. The fact is also that state election officials provided the counties with a voting system that may be too
difficult and too technical for use by someone without a computer sciences degree. I would lay better than even odds
that an ES representative or two were there when the machines were tested and probably had an active role in that testing. Even
they failed to follow the instructions and complete the process. Voting should be easy. Voters should be able to walk
away from the polls with a feeling of pride in taking part in our democracy; not concern for whether the paper towel
they voted on would actually by counted. The KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid - rule should apply....
AR: Officials Expect Smooth Sailing With Voting Machines LINK
California: Kings County - Kings Co. counts on a difficult vote count LINK
New Hampshire: Huge Diebold Disparities Uncovered In New Hampshire Recount
Memory cards missing as attorney voices concerns about transparency LINK
New York: Breakthrough at the Board?
NY Could Vote on Paper Ballots LINK
Ohio: Better training would be better than dumping LINK
Ohio: Butler County - 9 in county accused of voting twice
Elections board refers the incidents from November to the county prosecutor. LINK
Pennsylvania: Local officials dismiss reports of flawed voting system LINK
Pennsylvania: No "perfect" voting solution for county LINK
South Carolina: Democrats concerned
Party hopes machines ready for Saturday LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Human Error Delayed Opening of Voting Machines in Some Horry County Precincts LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Machines fail, voters use paper ballots LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Horry voting machines melt down LINK
Tennessee: Davidson County - Nashville laptop theft may cost $1 million
Thieves have stolen two laptops containing unencrypted Social Security numbers of 337,000 Tennessee residents. 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.**
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Daily Voting News For January 20, 2007
Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
Voters went to the polls in Horry Co South Carolina this morning in hopes of casting their vote in that state’s
Republican primary. Unfortunately testing of the voting machines had not been completed by the county and ES so poll workers were not able to start the machines. Over 80% of the machines used in the county sat dark until
technicians could be sent out to get them cleared and ready for the voters. While county election officials were telling
the media that no voters had been turned away, voters were telling the media the truth. Voters were sent away without
voting.
Ohio SoS Jennifer Brunner has moved back a bit from her plans for November. Gone are her demands for vote centers and
gone is her mandate for only central count. Now she will allow counties to use precinct based optical scan to
unofficially count the ballots at the precinct level so they can compare those numbers to the official centrally counted
tally. There is still no mention of accessible voting for voters with disabilities or federally mandated over vote
protection. ...
CA: 600 ballots sent astray; to be in the mail Saturday LINK
Colorado: Vote machine bill on its way to passage LINK
Connecticut: Coalition Says Changes Needed in Election Audits LINK
Florida: Palm Beach County - Avoid absentee problems by going to the polls LINK
Florida: St. Johns County - Early voting means fewer precincts in St. Johns LINK
Maryland: Security of ballot not 100%
Critics expect flaws as Md. switches systems LINK
Mississippi: 2 days of runoffs possible for Mississippi
Depending on need for special election to fill Lott's Senate seat LINK
Montana: Guest Opinion: Election machines secure in Montana LINK
North Carolina: Wake County - Instant-runoff voting mulled
Complicated or convenient? Wake voters weigh in at public hearing LINK
New Hampshire: Human error in Nashua Ward 5 resulted in extra numbers LINK
New York: N.Y. gets OK for new voting machines
But local election officials must examine machines from state list before making choice. LINK
Ohio: Secretary of state retreats from some voting changes
Brunner still wants to replace touch screen machines in 57 counties. LINK
Ohio: Central counting of votes waived
Brunner still pushing shift from touch screens to scanned paper ballots LINK
Ohio: Elections officials fear paper ballots will delay primary results
Paper ballots could delay results of primary until the wee hours LINK
Ohio: Ashtabula County steams ahead with its voting system LINK
Pennsylvania: Northampton County - Officials get set for new voting era LINK
South Carolina: Chester County - Justice Department won't monitor primary in Chester
NAACP asked for oversight of voting machines LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - State readies for elections
Polling formerly conducted by parties LINK
South Carolina: E-Voting Train Wreck 2008: The Horry County, SC Disaster LINK
South Carolina: Horry County Voting Machine Error LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Voting machine problems reported in one South Carolina county
Posted: 11:15 AM ET LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Voters being turned away in Horry? LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Voting machine problems anger voters LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Electronic Voting Machine Problems in Myrtle Beach LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Voting Machine Error Forces Paper Ballot Use LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - SC polling problems: Man v. Machine LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - McCain looking to extend South Carolina poll hours LINK
South Carolina: Horry County - Voting problems widespread in Horry County, officials say LINK
South Carolina: Horry County – SC Voting Problems 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.**
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Daily Voting News For January 19, 2007
Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
Direct Recording Electronic voting is on the wane. New Mexico has already gone from DREs to paper. Florida is in the
process of making the change and will be there by Nov. Ohio may make the move from DREs to paper ballots before Nov.
Colorado clerks in all but three counties want to go to vote-by-mail for all elections and their SoS has now
flip-flopped over to their side. Maryland has now budgeted $6.8M to make the move. Yet officials in Northampton Co,
Pennsylvania have decided to buy DREs from Sequoia and they won’t even have a vvpat printer. Even the vendors are
beginning to admit that while they have made hundreds of millions of dollars selling flawed technology their time is
coming to an end. Soon the DRE purveyor will go the way of the snake-oil salesman. But officials like those in
Northampton need to look beyond their county border and realize there is a world out there and they can learn from more
than just a “slick-willie” salesman who is selling them junk.
Tax payers in four California counties need to question their counties decision to file a wasteful lawsuit against the
Secretary of State. How much San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kern money was wasted in this attempt to not
follow the rules? Kern stupidly announced they were joining the suit on Wed. and heard the tentative ruling against them
on Thurs. That’s great planning....
NAtional: Paper jam may curb Latino vote LINK
National: The Legacy of Hanging Chads
As the Florida recount implodes, the high court decides Bush v. Gore LINK
National: Can America Run a Fairer Election?
Why it's so hard to make sure that voting day goes as it should LINK
National: Rep. pushes bill offering cash for paper ballots LINK
National: New Jersey Congressman Rush Holts Grand Notion… LINK
California: Growth in absentee voters threatens to delay California tally LINK
California: Tentative decision in San Diego case favors Secretary of State LINK
California: State's tallying may be delayed LINK
California: San Diego County - Judge Rules Against San Diego's Recount Dispute LINK
California: San Diego County - Hand count of ballots for primary may grow LINK
California: Solano County - Absentee voters told not to err LINK
California: Tulare County - One size does not fit all ballots
Absentee votes can be folded to send back to the county LINK
Colorado: County clerks want all-mail ballot after machine, database problems LINK
Colorado: Coffman bows to clerks on mail vote
Secretary of state attempts to mend election fences LINK
Colorado: All-mail ballot wins ally
Secretary of State Coffman says he may support it, but not all clerks on board LINK
Colorado: Voting system fix may need a 'time out'
Lawmakers should approve all-mail-in election this year LINK
Colorado: Secretary of state closer to voting machine retest LINK
Colorado: Voting machine measure clears House committee LINK
Florida: Touch-screen voting popular with many but on the way out LINK
Illinois: Elections officials defend safety of technology, watchdogs say it invites fraud LINK
Massachusetts: New voting machines help sight-challenged voters LINK
Maryland: Funding set for vote with 'paper trail'
Md. budget has $6.8 million for new optical-scan system LINK
Maryland: Board gets grant to study 2008 election LINK
New Hampshire: 'No Problems' in NH Hand Count Says Local Media (Who Apparently Didn't Bother to Check First with Anybody
but the SoS) LINK
New Hampshire: New Hampshire law spells out how AccuVote technology must be used LINK
New Hampshire: Election officials shrug off criticisms of voting machines LINK
New Jersey: Bill prods states to drop paperless voting machines LINK
New Jersey: Opinion - Electronic voting machines should have backup system LINK
New York: Opinion - Judicial action gets New York moving on voting machines LINK
Ohio: Brunner backs off centralized vote-counting demand LINK
Ohio: Ohio leaders, minus speaker, huddle to prepare for election
Husted cites scheduling conflict in missing presidential vote meeting on counting ballots LINK
Ohio: Brunner backs off proposals for voting
Touch-screens still out; other changes can wait LINK
Ohio: Brunner backs off centralized vote-counting demand LINK
Ohio: Cuyahoga County - Ohio ACLU Sues SOS Brunner on Claims Voting System Changes Unlawful and Will Result in More
Uncounted Ballots LINK
Ohio: Cuyahoga County - ACLU files suit to block paper ballots
New paper ballots called unconstitutional LINK
Pennsylvania: Northampton County - County picks new electronic voting machines
Sequoia voting machines resemble lever machine ballots. LINK
Pennsylvania: Northampton County - County: It's Sequoia by a landslide
With lone holdout, council picks new voting machine vendor. LINK
South Carolina: Absentee vote gaining popularity LINK
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John Gideon
Executive Director www.votersunite.org