Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
It appears that the voters in New Mexico have been given a Thanksgiving present (or early Christmas present) and not the ‘turkey’ they were going to have for elections. Their SoS, Rebecca Vigil-Giron has suddenly had an epiphany and has decided that the counties in the state should have an option between DREs and optical-scan systems. This is a complete change from her recent statements against the use of optical-scan systems. We also have an excellent article from our friend, Bob Koehler who talks about the recent Ohio election debacle….
NAtional: Poll Shock. Off by 40 points, newspaper’s predictions may be disturbingly accurate LINK
NAtional: Create nationwide form for absentee votes, students urge LINK
NAtional: Editorial – Georgia on their mind LINK
CA: In an unprecedented turnaround, last-minute provisional ballots have changed election night results in both the Half Moon Bay City Council and Point Montara Fire Protection District races. LINK
CT: Chatham – A New Party Sprouts From Grass Roots LINK
GA: Congressman seeks hearing on voter ID LINK
GA: Black Lawmakers Defy Voter ID LINK
GA: Voter ID sponsor asked to step down LINK
GA: Black Democrats criticize state’s new voter ID law LINK
IL: Cook County – Orr: Machines make voting secure, simpler LINK
LA: Voting machine purchase set up (Sequoia but as with any DRE they still do not meet HAVA mandates for accessibility) LINK
MD: Majority rule making comeback (IRV) LINK
MI: Former AG says requiring ID hurts vote rights LINK
NM: Clerks will choose voting machines LINK
OH: Summit County – Decision nearing on vote machine LINK
OH: Ohio’s Diebold Debacle: New machines call election results into question LINK
SD: Madison and Sioux Falls – Voters to try touch-screen voting LINK
WA: Snohomish County – County may switch vote to mail-only LINK
INternational: Burnaby, Canada – Close count to be challenged LINK
INternational: Venezuela – Súmate: audit of ballot box is useless 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 BradBlog.Com**
Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
Let’s get those forged uranium documents in the news a bit more, shall we?
{ed note: Obnoxious, inappropriate, off-topic comment deleted.}
What strikes me sometimes is that even when people do address the topic of electronic machines, they seem to want to twist it in a way that pits them against other means of voting, almost as if they want to avoid the fundemental point that all means of voting, whatever they are, need accountability, both technically and in terms of human handling. The fundemental issue is simple and stark. Whether it be machines that are left in a hallway or machines that create no meaningful paper record or stacks of ballots that are not secured before or after election or that are designed to decieve less attentive voters and so on, the argument is fundementally about accountability.
I used to vote on machines that involved levers. Was that safer? Not necessarily. I never saw my vote actually being recorded nor did I have any way of knowing that it actually was recorded or recorded accurately. This last time I voted absentee so that there would be a paper record; come to find out that that just gives them more excuses to eliminate my ballot. Did I fill out every bubble exactly right? Do I sign my signature exactly the same way every time? And so on.
Is there a perfect system? In an imperfect world, absolutely not. But should we be working to make the system better rather than more wide open in nearly every concievable way? Obviously yes.
Maybe we need a mock national convention to pass a mock constitutional amendment to make the point that the election issue is as fundemental as any issue can be.
We should include in such a convention a session on habeas corpus, another issue fundemental to democracy.
There is supposedly "rig proof" voting machine. As we all know, if person/persons wish to corrupt a machine, they will find a way. It’s not the machines, it the counters!
A canadian defense minister is reported to believe that aliens are visiting earth (link here).
Currently in the US one is looked at as crazy for questioning the election integrity of our country.
Its as if we are saying bad things about our mother or our "homeland". Criticism and debate are seen as unpatriotic.
Voting problems can not be fixed in such a sordid state of mind.
So I am glad to see some public statements by neoCons and liberals alike to the effect that debate is ok.
Perhaps the climate is changing and we will not be accused of saying aliens are tampering with our elections just because we want to make the system fair to all voters.
Has John Kerry won Ohio yet???
#6 once again, what do you not understand about yes?