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The Voting News for June 21, 2011
The Voting News for June 21, 2011
National: House to vote on repealing election commission set up after Bush-Gore | The Hill
The House is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to repeal an election commission set up after the controversial 2000 presidential election. Members plan to vote on H.R. 672, which would repeal the Election Assistance Commission. That commission was established in 2002 after confusion and controversy over ballots in Florida for presidential election between then-Vice President Al Gore and then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
The commission was set up under the Help America Vote Act approved in 2002. That law created the commission, which set voting guidelines for states, and to distribute funds to states that could be used to update voting equipment.
Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), the sponsor of H.R. 672, says repealing the commission would save $14 million a year and that it can safely be repealed because the commission's work has been completed. He said that in 2010, the National Association of Secretaries of State renewed their request to repeal the EAC, which has "served its purpose."
Indiana: White Again Denied Immunity for Recount Commission Testimony | 93.1 WIBC Indianapolis
Secretary of State Charlie White has lost another preliminary round ahead of a Tuesday hearing on whether he can stay in office. Marion Circuit Judge Louis Rosenberg has rejected White's request for immunity for his testimony at a Recount Commission hearing.
White's facing a criminal trial in August on related charges, accusing him of voting from an address he'd already moved away from. Attorney Jim Bopp says allowing prosecutors to scour his testimony before the commission leaves him with "an unconscionable choice" between mounting his best defense in the criminal case or the election case.
Arizona: Arizona voter-registration law to be weighed by U.S. Court of Appeals | Arizona Republic
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit will hear arguments this afternoon surrounding Arizona's 2004 voter-approved requirement that residents show proof of citizenship when they register to vote.
A three-judge panel of the Appeals Court ruled in October that the National Voter Registration Act pre-empts Arizona's Proposition 200. Arizona appealed the ruling, and the court agreed to rehear the case "en banc" before an 11-judge panel of the court. The hearing is in Pasadena, Calif.
Among its provisions, the National Voter Registration Act creates a standard federal registration form that all states must accept. It requires applicants to sign a statement that they are citizens, but it does not require them to show any proof. Prop. 200 requires applicants, regardless of whether they are submitting a federal voter-registration form or a state one, to provide a driver's license, passport, birth certificate, tribal identification or naturalization certification number.
Indiana: White blames transient time for voting allegations | StamfordAdvocate
Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White is expected to paint a picture of a man with a complicated personal life who was essentially without a home for nearly a year when he defends himself against voter fraud allegations during an Indiana Recount Commission hearing.
But White's tale of what he calls efforts to care for his son and respect the wishes of his then-fiancée may not hold sway with the commission, which is under a judge's order to decide whether he illegally voted in the May 2010 primary while registered at his ex-wife's address.
A ruling against White would invalidate his election and force his removal from office. He also could face jail time if convicted in a separate criminal case.
North Carolina: New legislation makes it easier for military overseas to vote | NewsObserver.com
Gov. Bev Perdue Monday signed into law model legislation that makes it easier for North Carolina military serving overseas to vote. Standing in front of dozens of National Guardsmen, Perdue said the legislation was part of North Carolina's efforts to become make the state military friendly.
The bill mandates that absentee ballots be sent at least 60 days before a general election to military overseas. It would also apply to civilians stations overseas.
The measure, which had bipartisan support in the legislature, follows a model law approved last year by the Uniform Law Commission. A report by the Pew Commission of the States in 2009, found that many military stationed overseas did not have time to vote.
Having failed to prevent Tuesday's scheduled hearing before the Indiana Recount Commission on a Democratic Party complaint that he was illegally registered to vote at the time he declared his candidacy and thus, ineligible to have been elected as Indiana's Sec. of State, Charlie White has filed a motion [PDF] to compel a grant of 'use immunity' in exchange for his and his wife's testimony before the commission.
Separately, White is facing seven felony counts, including three for voter fraudrelated to his having been registered to vote at a house where he did not live, while serving as a member of a town council in a town where he also didn't live. Trial in that criminal case is scheduled to commence on Aug. 8. The two special prosecutors assigned to the case have declined to provide the Whites with use immunity --- with good reason. They no doubt want to avoid what happened to the Iran/Contra independent counsel when, for example, an appellate court ruled in United States vs. Col. Oliver North that a grant of use immunity to North shifted the burden to the independent prosecutor to "demonstrate an independent source for each item of evidence or testimony."
Granting use immunity to White would make the job of the prosecutors in the criminal case that much more difficult.
Wisconsin: Some Recall Voters Might Get Turned Away | WUWM
In three weeks, some Milwaukee voters will cast ballots in a recall of state Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills. Darling, five other Republicans and three Democratic Senators face recalls…either for their support or opposition to Gov. Walker’s collective bargaining bill. As WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson reports, a few people who go to the polls could find themselves unable to vote because of a new state law.
One provision in the new Voter ID law the Legislature and governor approved in May, requires voters to have lived in their ward for 28 days. That means anyone who moved into their voting wards after June 14 is out of luck. However, Milwaukee Election Commissioner Sue Edman does not expect there to be much outrage at the polling places on July 12.
Wisconsin: County, city clerks prep for recalls | Fox11 WLUK-TV
County and city clerks are busy preparing for some unprecedented recall elections. Nine State Senators will fight for their seats over the next two months.
That includes three Democrats, Dave Hansen of Green Bay, Jim Holperin of Conover and Robert Wirch of Pleasant Prairie. There are also six Republicans, including Robert Cowles from Allouez, Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac and Luther Olsen of Ripon.
The unusual round of elections has county and city clerks on their toes. They're working on ballots for a July 12th primary. "They're at the printers now and they're being prepared for printing," Outagamie County Clerk Lori O'Bright explained. Only this primary is a bit different.
New Jersey: Fairfield candidates contest election results, blaming touch-screen machines | NJ.com
Fewer than 50 people stepped up to a single Sequoia touch-screen voting machine on Primary Election day. Admittedly, that’s a low voter turnout total but apparently enough to cause controversy. Due to the alleged unreliability of that brand of touch-screen voting machines, two candidates want the results voided and a recount or new election held.
Current Deputy Mayor Ernest Zirkle received nine votes and resident Cynthia Zirkle got 10. What’s more, 28 Fairfield residents who voted in the early June primary election have signed affidavits that state they voted for the Zirkles. So, sore losers or the fallibility of a much-discussed modern machine? It would seem to be the latter.
Missouri: Missouri Governor Vetoes Controversial Voter ID Bill | Campus Progress
A major victory for voting rights was handed down on Friday when Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vetoed controversial voter ID legislation. The bill, which would have required a photo ID to vote, was heavily opposed by many state and national groups, including Campus Progress, who joined with over 40 other organizations in signing on to a letter that was sent to the Governor on Friday before he handed down his veto. In vetoing the legislation, Governor Nixon joins Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and Mark Dayton of Minnesota who also struck down photo ID bills passed earlier this year in their states. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has more on Nixon’s justification for the veto:
“In a letter explaining his veto, Nixon said the photo ID requirement would have hurt senior citizens and people with disabilities who are qualified to vote but are less likely to have a drivers license or other government-issued photo ID. ‘Disenfranchising certain classes of persons is not acceptable,’ he said.”
Indiana: Judge: White’s testimony at election panel can be used in court | The Indianapolis Star
Anything Secretary of State Charlie White says at an election hearing Tuesday can be used against him in his criminal case in Hamilton County, a Marion Circuit Court judge ruled this morning. White’s attorney, Jim Bopp, said he is considering fighting the ruling in the Court of Appeals. If he appeals, he would ask for an expedited ruling so Tuesday’s hearing could continue as planned.
The Indiana Recount Commission will hear arguments and testimony Tuesday regarding Democrats’ complaint that White was illegally registered to vote at the time he declared his candidacy and shouldn’t be allowed to hold office. The Democrats say that White’s Democrat opponent, Vop Osili, should replace White.
Indiana: Democrats sights set on White at hearing | The Desert Sun
Secretary of State Charlie White will be asked today to publicly answer Democrats' claims that he was illegally registered to vote last year when he declared his candidacy. The Indiana Recount Commission will hold a hearing this morning to hear testimony and arguments over whether he should be removed from office.
But it's uncertain how many questions White, who is also facing felony charges that include voter fraud, will answer. A judge ruled Monday that anything he says can be used against him in the Hamilton County criminal case.
Philippines: Biometrics election registration gets approval in The Philippines| The Manila Bulletin
The House of Representatives yesterday gave the nod for the measure requiring biometrics registration for “honest, clean and credible” elections. House Bill 3469, principally authored by Tarlac Rep. Susan Yap, which was passed on third and final reading seeks to ensure the integrity of any electoral exercises, be it election, plebiscite or referenda.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will serve as the implementing arm of the measure. It is tasked to come up with a single, official, centralized, interactive computerized voter registration list “in a uniform and nondiscriminatory manner.”
Moldova: Igor Dodon Refuses To Concede Defeat In Chisinau Moldova Mayoral Race | Radio Free Europe
The Communist Party contender for the key job of mayor of the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, says he will not recognize his defeat to a pro-Western candidate in the June 19 runoff election and will fight against it using "all legal means," RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.
According to preliminary results the liberal incumbent, Dorin Chirtoaca, won the race with 50.6 percent of the vote, against 49.4 percent for his Communist Party challenger Igor Dodon. But Dodon today said the difference was so narrow and the "frauds" so numerous that he and his party had no choice but to contest the result.
Venezuela: New Ballot Presented in Venezuela | Inside Costa Rica
The President of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena, presented a new ballot paper that will be used in the 2012 presidential and regional elections. According to Lucena, the new ballot is remarkable because of its size and voter-friendly features.
"It is very large and thus has more space for electronic voting machines, with voters required to press a button to chose their favourite candidate or party, after which a light will be turned on to ratify the process," said Lucena, speaking on the Televen television program "Jose Vicente Hoy" on Sunday.
The Election Commission of India on Tuesday has invited Indian Media to witness the purview of the Electronic Voting Machine & Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) ay its office in New Delhi.
As per the ECI, After General Elections to Lok Sabha 2009 doubts about the tamperability of EVMs have raised in Media. In order to discuss EVMs & other Election issues, the ECI had a meeting of all political parties on 4th October,2010
The parties expressed satisfaction on the EVM but several parties recommended that the Commission might consider of introducing VVPAT for further transparency in the system.
Pakistan: Azad Jammu and Kashmir polls: Electioneering to end on June 24 | TheNews.com.pk
The election campaign for the 41-seat Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly would end 32 hours before the beginning of polling, it was officially declared.
The spokesman of AJK Election Commission said that there would be a complete ban on holding any sort of public meeting or procession by any political or independent candidate soon after the end of the election campaign.
Guyana: Guyana Elections Commission pledges open-door policy | Guyana Chronicle
Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr. Steve Surujbally has given a commitment that GECOM will maintain its open-door policy to meet with key Stakeholders in the run up to the General and Regional Elections – 2011. This pledge was made during a meeting between GECOM and a team of representatives from the Private Sector Commission (PSC) last Tuesday in the Commission’s Boardroom, immediately before the Commission’s 328th Statutory Meeting.
… A GECOM release said the PSC had requested the meeting to discuss several areas of concern which had been raised during prior meetings between the PSC and some of the political parties in Parliament; and which the PSC shared.
Significant changes to the proposed constitution have been made and elections are on track for 2012. That’s the word from FCO Minister for Overseas Territories Henry Bellingham.
Thursday’s announcement came following two days of “very fruitful” talks on constitutional reform in London this week. A seven member TCI delegation visited the capital to persuade ministers to alter their stance on some of the draft document’s most contentious prescripts. And as a result details surrounding Belongership bestowal, the electoral system, and the Governor’s role were all changed for the final constitution package.
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