Voting News: Bridgeport CT refuses election audit. Recounts everywhere, what are the laws?
AP news says Murkowski won Alaska Senate Race.Miller did not concede..The Connecticut county with too few ballots -
"Bridgeport Embarrasses Itself Once Again, Refusing to be Audited"...Will California ever finish counting absentee
ballots?..Who Stole Election Day? (Early voting)...Machine recounts in NC 2nd CD. Election fraud charged in
Madison,Yancey Co NC..Photo ID proposed in OK and TX, plans to propose in NC, with LWV filing suit in Oklahoma...Cuomo
Seeks Expedited Senate Recount...
All this and more in today's voting news below...
State Recount Laws Searchable Database:
AK: Murkowski emerges as winner in Alaska Senate race
Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday became the first Senate candidate in more than 50 years to win a write-in campaign..
...
Murkowski has a lead of 10,400 votes, a total that includes 8,153 ballots in which Miller observers challenged over
things like misspellings, extra words or legibility issues.
AK: State to provide Miller with voter rolls
The state will provide GOP nominee Joe Miller with voter rolls his campaign requested to ensure there was no voter fraud
or irregularities in the Alaska Senate race.
AK: Senator leads; Miller wants hand recount
BUT HANG ON: Miller team, citing "suspect" computer system, wants entire election recounted by hand http://www.adn.com/2010/11/16/1557873/murkowskis-lead-more-than-10000.html
AK: Judge denies AFN in election lawsuit
A federal court judge has denied a request by the Alaska Federation of Natives to intervene in the write-in election
lawsuit brought by U.S Senate candidate Joe Miller.
AL: Election officials plan recount for Jefferson County Circuit Court Place 20 judicial race http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/election_officials_plan_recoun.html
AL: Alabama: Vendor Supplies Pencils for Marking Ballots (Trust the Vote Commentary)
I guess that what Etowah County deserves, but does not have today, is a voting system with optical scanners that are
“functionally compatible” with a “marking device” that local election officials can easily buy by the hundred dozen at a
local store.
AR: Benton County OKs Election Changes
OFFICIALS APPROVE PLAN FOR VOTING MACHINE SOFTWARE
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/nov/17/benton-county-oks-election-changes/ ...which would eliminate sending information and material back and forth between Bentonville and Omaha, Neb..
CA: Vote count tight, messy in California attorney general race
CA: Registrar of voters continues count of remaining absentees, work on election certification http://lakeconews.com/content/view/16964/919 Still being counted are 4,500 vote by mail ballots turned in between Oct. 29 and Nov. 2. Of those, 1,834 were turned in
on election day, Fridley said.
CA: City, county, state votes still being counted
http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_16637892 While several Mendocino County candidates are still waiting for votes to be counted, the statewide contest for attorney
general also remains to close to call. As of noon, November 16, there were 774,065 votes left to be counted statewide,
and Kamala Harris was leading Steve Cooley by only 18,064 votes.
There were only 12 counties that have completed counting votes.
CA: Riverside County names acting registrar of voters
Luna appointed Chief Deputy Registrar Rebecca Spencer to the post.
CA: Reilly and Kelly concede D2 and D10 races
For Reilly, the disappointment was sharpened by the knowledge that she received more first-place votes than any other D2
candidate.
...
“In my own race, an independent expenditure committee armed with $230,000 leveled an 11th-hour smear campaign against
me,” Reilly noted...
CO: Overvotes the latest wrinkle in House District 61 race
Now that the undervotes are almost tallied in the House District 61 race, the contest between Roger Wilson and Kathleen
Curry could come down to overvotes.
Kathleen Curry
CT: Bridgeport hearing expose issues beyond ballot shortages
“Training was not evident. Professionalism was not evident,”
CT: Bridgeport rejects ballot recount
HARTFORD -- Bridgeport officials, citing a lack of authority for Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, have rejected a
request to recount ballots in the 12 city voting precincts that were kept open an extra two hours on Election Day.
CT: 74 Districts in 55 towns chosen for audit. And the surprises just keep coming.
CT: Bridgeport Embarrasses Itself Once Again, Refusing to be Audited
If ever there was a time for Bridgeport election officials to say “sure, we’ll do whatever you want with our voting
machines,” it’s right now. But no such luck. In the aftermath of the ballot debacle, city officials are now refusing to
participate in the biennial audit of voting machines
CT: CT State Representative Chris Caruso calls for impeachment of a registrar and admonishes the SoS in this interview after a hearing on recent election problems in Bridgeport. http://doingitlocal.com/index.php?option=com_content=section=blog=13=457
CT: Complaints fly before Election Day panel; answers harder to come by
Guam: Gutierrez Camp Begins Review of Voter Registration Lists, In Preparation for Lawsuit http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/index.php?option=com_content=article=9404:gutierrez-aguon-camp-wants-to-inspect-voter-signature-roster=45:guam-news=156 The review is being conducted ahead of an expected lawsuit challenging the outcome of the Gubernatorial race.
IL: Champaign County Clerk - Two ways to make the media happy
In the election business, there are two things you can do to make the media jump for joy.
The first is to give them quick election results, preferably in time for the 10:00 pm news or at the very least
tomorrow’s morning edition. This comes with the additional benefit of getting the media safely tucked into bed by
midnight.
The second is to screw something up in the election so that they have a ready made and easy to report story for the
ensuing weeks.
IL: Primary matters --Yes it helps to be first on the ballot. Now what can we do about that? http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2010/11/primary-matters-.html
KY: The problem with election night returns (online reporting on SOS website)
4963/Local.Features/The.problem.with.election.night.returns http://tinyurl.com/36v5vwh
ME: Who Stole Election Day? (Early voting too early?)
Too many voters are making decisions when horse-race coverage dominates the news, attention to issues is limited, and
key debates haven't taken place.
MN: State GOP drops gubernatorial election data lawsuit
MN: Emmer, GOP ask high court to reconcile votes
The petition asks the Supreme Court to order the State Canvassing Board to make sure the voter numbers and ballots cast
numbers are reconciled before a recount in the governor's race proceeds.
...
The Dayton campaign has no over-voting evidence, Martin added, and if it occurred the canvassing board should pick it
up. "In this recount, we start zero to zero."
NC: Recount Begins To Determine Alamance County District Attorney*
Current District Attorney Pat Nadolski won the election by seven votes over challenger Rob Sharpe two weeks ago. The
board of elections had to throw out three votes last week, another voter's address couldn't be verified and two people
voted twice. [In person voting is on touchscreen,only paper ballots are absentee or provisional. Initial recount is by
machine, candidate can request hand to eye of 3% with potential to expand]
NC: Vote investigations in Madison, Yancey*(miscount,conflict of interest, coercion)
The challenges came after one-stop voting ballots from the Hot Springs and Beech Glen precincts were initially left out
of the election-night totals. When those 1,100 ballots were later included, Harrison had apparently lost to Assistant
District Attorney Gary Gavenus.
That miscount is the basis for Harrison’s protest, though he also tried to get Jerry Wallin, the chairman of the county
board of elections, to step aside from the canvass and certification because he says Wallin and his wife donated “at
least $1,100 to the campaign of Gary Gavenus.”
...
Yancey County Board of Elections Chairman Charles McCurry said a state investigator had been in Burnsville after
complaints from “individuals who say they were harassed or persuaded to vote in a particular way.
NC: Secret ballots — a whisper with loud implications
http://www.mountainx.com/opinion/2010/111710secret-ballots-a-whisper-with-loud-implications ...I learned that although individual votes are secret, neighborhood (precinct) votes are not.
NC: ID push is partisan
NC: Brief Filed in 4th Circuit in North Carolina Independent Candidate Ballot Access Case http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/11/16/brief-filed-in-4th-circuit-in-north-carolina-independent-candidate-ballot-access-case/#comments
NC: NC: Second and third choices by voters will determine winner between Thigpen, McCollough http://www.americanindependent.com/157072/nc-second-and-third-choices-by-voters-will-determine-winner-between-thigpen-mccollough
Winner of Court of Appeals race won't be known until end of November
NJ: No proof juror tainted in ongoing voter fraud trial, judge rules as case slowly moves on http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_38687e40-f1c8-11df-842e-001cc4c002e0.html
NJ: FBI investigates New Brunswick primary election (messenger ballots)
http://www.dailytargum.com/news/fbi-investigates-new-brunswick-primary-election-1.2408506 FBI agents made a visit to downtown New Brunswick early yesterday to seize documents and electronic data from June's
democratic primary election, in which Patricia Bombelyn challenged long-time incumbent candidate Mayor Jim Cahill.
NY: New Yorkers Pretty Much Sucked at Voting This Year
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2010/11/fewer_new_yorke.php New York ranked among the 10 lowest states for turnout in 2006 and 2008, but until this year it was not at the bottom.
...
Bombelyn's campaign worker Gideon Weisberg observed a Cahill campaign aide, Kevin Jones, allegedly handling stacks of
unsealed, undelivered mail-in ballots in Pine Street Park in June, according to a June 9 article on nj.com.
NY: Cuomo Seeks Expedited Senate Recount
Governor -elect Andrew Cuomo has written a letter to the State's chief judge, asking for expedited court action in three
disputed State Senate races that will determine the outcome of which party controls the State Senate.
NY: Dems call for hand count in 60th state senate race
http://tonawanda-news.com/top_stories/x1672070487/Dems-call-for-hand-count-in-60th-state-senate-race Democrats are strengthening calls for a hand count of every vote cast in the ongoing race for New York’s 60th senate
district after a reported glitch in some area voting machines failed to provide tallies Monday.
NY: New wrinkle in Senate recount
Ward said the problem was not the memory sticks, which contain the machine results, but rather the software that reads
the sticks.
...
The problem with the software, Ward said, was fixed by the software manufacturer, a remedy Senate Democrats were quick
to criticize.
“What they’re effectively doing is seeking a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants fix by the manufacturer,” said Gianaris, a
lawyer and assemblyman who won election to the Senate this month.
NY: In tight local races, focus is on absentee ballots
A lawsuit promised last week by attorneys for Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) to secure a full hand recount of the paper
ballots cast in the 1st Congressional District race on Election Day has not yet been filed, according to Bishop
spokesman Jon Schneider.
A separate suit filed by Assemblyman Marc Alessi (D-Shoreham) Nov. 8, seeking to impound the voting machines and obtain
a hand recount, has been adjourned on consent till the end of the month, according to Alessi attorney Steven Schlesinger
of Garden City. The parties were due in court Nov. 15.
NY: Voters Found Faults With Ballot, Council Says
http://www.qgazette.com/news/2010-11-17/Features/Voters_Found_Faults_With_Ballot_Council_Says.html A City Council survey of people who voted in the recent elections reveals that they cited issues such as ballot design,
the size of type used to print instructions and lack of privacy among the problems encountered on Election Day, Council
Speaker Christine Quinn announced.
OH: Election problem explained to supervisors
http://columbustelegram.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_7dc0d44a-f25b-11df-8083-001cc4c03286.html Olmer said ES the election service company that provided the ballots for the election has agreed to credit its billing for Platte
County's election in the amount of $2,000.
The credit will cover the costs incurred for extra temporary employees to hand count the 455 ballots rejected by the
scanner because of a printing error
OH: Cost of early voting site divides Summit elections board
OK: Oklahoma voter ID measure challenged
A lawsuit claims State Question 746 interferes with Oklahomans’ voting rights. It is the third challenge to a state
question approved by voters earlier this month.
...
The measure imposes undue limits on the right to vote, Thomas wrote in the lawsuit, and is unconstitutional under
Article 3 of the state constitution, which reads: “All elections shall be free and equal. No power, civil or military,
shall ever interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.”
OK: League of Women Voters sues to stop voter ID
OK: Rumored lawsuit becomes reality for Oklahoma’s SQ 746
http://ballotnews.org/2010/11/17/rumored-lawsuit-becomes-reality-for-oklahomas-sq-746/ A lawsuit was filed on November 16, 2010 in Tulsa County District Court challenging the passage of Oklahoma’s State
Question 746, stating that statewide question interferes with the “right of suffrage by those entitled to such right.”
TX: Left with discrepancies*
The Cameron County judge’s race remains in limbo, and the individual who can settle the issue is not saying a word about
it.
...
Still at issue is which candidate will be the county judge starting in 2011. Both Republican Carlos H. Cascos, the
incumbent, and Democrat John Wood had been deemed the winners just hours apart.
Shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, Ortiz said Cascos was the winner receiving 20,392 votes to Wood’s 20,342. However,
within hours, a discrepancy was discovered, resulting in reports that Wood defeated Cascos by five votes, 20,576 to
20,571.
...
Records indicate that there appears to be a discrepancy between the votes counted on Election Day and the recount
conducted on Friday and Saturday.
Unofficial returns in the county judge’s race show there were 41,164 votes counted on Election Day and 40,734 votes
tallied during the recount — meaning that the recount had 430 fewer votes in total.
The numbers also differ in the number of mail-in votes counted on Election Day and during the recount. On Election Day
674 mail-in votes were counted, but during the recount that number jumped to 926 — a difference of 252 votes.
TX: Fraser Files Photo ID Measure
TX: Casey: Feuds are bloodiest in the family
State Sen. John Whitmire, a Democrat, had little use two years ago for a Republican-backed law requiring voters to
present a picture ID when they go to the polls.
"I've never thought there was much fraud at the polls," he said. "Mail-in ballots — there's a problem there, but not at
the polls."
...
But he's not joking about being more flexible on the voter ID issue.
"If we fight like hell, we'll lose," he said. "We need some discussion about making it work better."
TX: Houston Group Sues to Strike Down Texas Campaign Finance Law
VT: Recount set in Vt. race separated by a single vote
According to the secretary of state's office, there are nine recounts taking place across Vermont, including Rutland
City which also has only a one-vote difference.
WV: City Council considers vote-by-mail system (Morgantown)
Postal voting is on the agenda for the Committee of the Whole meeting Dec. 3.
Internet Voting Watch
Editorial: Electronic voting should be the goal in New York
http://www.mpnnow.com/opinions/x1270142273/Editorial-Electronic-voting-should-be-the-goal-in-New-York {another bad idea for election reform)
National
Wall St: I Voted (Cartoon)
"Reform Groups Press 'Disclosure Only' Bill in Senate; New study to be release on contribution disclosure" http://electionlawblog.org/archives/017995.html
Report: Black voters had mixed impact in midterm elections
What Do You Mean, “One Person?” (article on re-districting)
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