Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
Now that Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman has followed state law and found that nearly every voting system used in the state has problems resulting in decertification or conditional certification of those systems, he wants the laws changed to make voting system certification easier.
He claims he doesn’t want to change requirements for security or accuracy but, on the other hand, he thinks a change to state law to allow the vendors to install software patches following an abbreviated certification process, with no federal testing or certification, would be good.
He also doesn’t want to be bothered with state certification testing, looking instead to other states for their test results. Of course this would allow him to pick and chose between states.
California decertified Diebold/Premier voting systems and recertified them with conditions. Colorado did not decertify their Diebold/Premier machines. Perhaps Coffman would rather look at testing done by Washington state where there is next to no testing other than an acceptability test done on vendor provided equipment with vendor provided test ballots? He clearly doesn’t like the results of his own testing so he is searching for a test that will give him what he considers to be acceptable results.
Links to that story, and all the other notable voting news today, follows below as usual…
- NAtional: A Step in the Right Direction
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/494abixg.asp - NAtional: (France) French e-voting study highlights hidden costs
Electoral districts have difficulty evaluating all the costs associated with using electronic voting machines
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/12/19/French-e-voting-study_1.html - NAtional: (France) French e-voting study highlights hidden costs
Districts didn’t budget realistically for deployment issues
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=security_hardware_and_software&articleId=9053644&taxonomyId=145&intsrc=kc_top - NAtional: Tougher voter ID laws fuel debate
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-12-19-voter-id_N.htm - AZ: Arizona: Judge Orders Election Database Release
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2690&Itemid=113 - CA: Election Software Lost in Transit
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/12/election-softwa.html - CA: Lost In Transit
https://bradblog.com/?p=5462 - CA: San Diego County – County suing state over voting-machine use conditions
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071218-1623-bn18county.html - CA: San Diego County sues secretary of state
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/19/news/top_stories/1_04_1412_18_07.txt - CA: San Diego County – County sues official over voting machine rules
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071219-9999-7m19county.html - CA: San Diego sues Bowen over voting machine restrictions
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/579402.html - CA: San Mateo County – Voting machines to be tested for presidential primaries
http://www.almanacnews.com/news/show_story.php?id=1451 - CA: Tulare County – Mixup on voter form deadline
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEWS01/712190316 - CO: Secretary Of State Wants To Fas-Track Election System Fixes
Coffman Asks Legislators To Change Law To Affirm His Decisions
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14884775/detail.html - CO: Most Electronic Voting Machines Banned in Colo.
http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5256514&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1 - CO: Quick fix possible?
http://www.coloradodaily.com/articles/2007/12/18/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt - CO: Colorado Decertifies Machines for Voting
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/us/politics/19voting.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin - CO: Looser rules sought for voting fix
Mike Coffman says the current “inflexible bureaucratic process” won’t allow machines to be fixed for 2008 elections.
http://www.denverpost.com/extremes/ci_7755289 - CO: Editorial – Talbot: Your vote counts …
… except in 1 percent of test cases
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/19/your-vote-counts/ - CO: Editorial – A vote for flexibility
Secretary of state should be able to streamline certification
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/19/a-vote-for-flexibility/ - CO: Editorial – Patchwork plan to tally votes
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_7753183 - CO: Solution may not be simple
Coffman appeals for calm, but new lawsuit possible
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/19/solution-may-not-be-simple/ - CO: El Paso, Teller counties pass muster in state tests
http://www.gazette.com/articles/counties_31056___article.html/voting_machines.html - CO: Douglas County – Cities, including a rookie, deal with ballot curveball
Castle Pines North among those with elections at hand
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/19/cities-including-a-rookie-deal-with-ballot/ - CO: Eagle County – Eagle Co. escapes voting machine crisis
Local equipment not included in those deemed unreliable and unsecured, officials say
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20071218/NEWS/424730451 - CO: Garfield County – Secretary of state nixes GarCo voting machines
http://www.aspendailynews.com/article_23503 - CO: Garfield County can’t count on voting machines
County clerk not sure what will happen in upcoming election
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20071219/VALLEYNEWS/67660618 - CO: Jefferson County – Jeffco to appeal voting machine decision
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/19/jeffco-appeal-voting-machine-decision/ - CO: Ouray County – State decertifies e-voting systems
http://www.ouraynews.com/Articles-i-2007-12-19-169054.112113__State_decertifies_evoting_systems.html - CO: Routt County – Coffman, legislators seek election solutions
County clerks fear voter confidence is shaken
http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2007/dec/19/coffman_legislators_seek_election_solutions/ - FL: Court Enjoins Florida Voter Registration Requirement
http://www.ballot-access.org/2007/12/18/court-enjoins-florida-voter-registration-requirement/ - FL: State Will Fight Judge’s Ruling On Voter ID
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2007/12/state-will-figh.html - FL: Judge blocks Florida voter-ID law
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-votinglawsuit1907dec19,0,1073016.story - IL: Kane County – County clerk works to fight election confusion
Official says Web site and early voting could help with double election
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/703535,2_1_AU19_ELECTION_S1.article - MI: Some Michigan voting machines same as Colorado’s
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/POLITICS/712190435/1022/POLITICS - NM: New Mexico has no plans to toss voting machines
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/dec/19/new-mexico-has-no-plans-toss-voting-machines/ - NY: New Voting Machines May Not Meet State Standards
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/voting/20071219/17/2384 - NY: N.Y. lags in voting-machine overhaul
Justice Department suing; court case resumes today
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEWS/712190338 - NY: NYS Faces Court Order For New HAVA Voting Machines
http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007/1219/features/041.html - OH: Editorial – Look to Minnesota for vote-counting solution
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2007/12/19/foley19.ART_ART_12-19-07_A17_R88QJGF.html?sid=101 - OH: Editorial – Ohio votes
http://www.thecourier.com/opinion/editoral/ar_ED_121807.asp - OH: Ohio governor backs 2008 election overhaul
http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=293141&c=y - OH: Concerns About Ohio Voting Machine Vulnerability
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=7e6e7600-4270-4c83-a4bc-9a233f7eeb51 - OH: Ohio Will Likely Face Big Vote-Counting Problems in 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/71041/ - OH: NE Ohio elections boards back vote counters pulled in Colorado
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/summit/1198056642320050.xml&coll=2 - OH: Ohio’s return to paper ballots will be studied, speaker says
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEWS09/712190420 - OH: Governor, speaker urge action on voting reform
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEWS01/712190331/1056/COL02 - OH: Voting changes a costly concept
Brunner gives her plan a $31 million price tag
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/12/19/more_machines.ART_ART_12-19-07_A1_B78QNJ9.html?sid=101 - OH: Strickland backs voting overhaul
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEWS01/712190380 - OH: Columnist – Ann Fisher commentary: Can Ohio deal with another ballot box?
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/12/19/ann19_ART_12-19-07_B1_IC8QOIP.html?sid=101 - OH: Harvey Wasserman on New Ohio Voting Report: “The 2004 Election Was Stolen… Finally We Have Irrefutable Confirmation”
http://www.democracynow.org/2007/12/17/harvey_wasserman_on_new_ohio_voting - OH: Cuyahoga County – Colorado rejects vote scanner that Ohio official wants
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1198057287320050.xml&coll=2 - OH: Cuyahoga County – Cuyahoga elections board to meet Thursday on voting equipment
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1198057138320050.xml&coll=2
**”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**
The bastard needs one law,
Stop tabulating ballots electronically.
This guy is another “Perceived Diligence” case.
I see the pattern.