Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
“We enthusiastically support Secretary Coffman’s recommendation that Colorado move to paper ballots,” said Myriah Conroy, a plaintiff in the Colorado voters’ 2006 lawsuit. “We are pleased that Secretary Coffman has recommended that Colorado join with California, Florida, Michigan, and Ohio in rejecting the widely discredited DRE voting systems. DRE computerized voting systems are easily hacked and compromised, and have a history of operational problems that have disrupted elections across the country. For that reason we believe that the Secretary should support electronic ballot-marking devices, not DRE computerized voting machines, to accommodate voters with disabilities. Nonetheless, the Secretary’s decision to support paper ballots represents a major milestone on the path to election integrity in Colorado,” said Conroy.
That story, and today’s other notable voting news, posted below…
- NAtional: Rep. Rush Holt to Push for Paper Ballots and Vote Count Audits for 2008
http://www.alternet.org/election08/71608/ - NAtional: Human factors researchers test voting systems for seniors
http://www.physorg.com/news117983796.html - CA: San Diego County – County sues state official over voting machine rules
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071227-9999-1m27county.html - CO: Conroy Plaintiffs Applaud Colorado Secretary of State’s Decision to Support Optical-Scan Paper Ballots as Best Solution for 2008 Elections
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/technology/article/conroy-plaintiffs-applaud-colorado-secretary-states-decision-support_418945_12.html - CO: Opinion – CARROLL: Outdated thinking
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/27/carroll-outdated-thinking/ - CO: Colorado Lawmaker Backs Proposal For Paper Ballots In ’08 Elections
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009550100 - CO: Colorado Secretary Of State Recommends Paper Ballots
Mike Coffman Opposes All Mail-In Ballots
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14928312/detail.html - CO: Secretary of state backs paper ballots
Coffman announces preference in wake of decertification ruling
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/27/colorado-secretary-state-backs-paper-voting-2008/ - CO: Paper trail in sight for November voting
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/12/26/122707_1B_paper_ballots.html - CO: Secretary of state recommends paper ballots, polling places
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20071227/NEWS/261053632 - CO: Paper ballots garner a vote
Secretary of State Mike Coffman favors the traditional system over the controversial electronic-voting kiosks.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_7816350 - CO: Opinion – Coffman’s voting plan is flawed
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_7816008 - CO: Colorado Secretary of State Wants Paper Ballots in Precinct Polling Locations
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2700&Itemid=113 - CO: Arapahoe County – County is confident in election procedures
http://blogs.denverpost.com/eletters/2007/12/27/county-is-confident-in-election-procedures/ - CO: El Paso County – Colorado secretary of state’s push affects counties relying on machines
http://www.gazette.com/articles/voting_31314___article.html/mail_coffman.html - IN: Indiana is at center of next year’s voter ID debate
http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/NEWS0301/712270333 - KS: Democrats accuse GOP of vote ‘caging’
Republicans deny making list of voters to challenge
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/dec/27/democrats_accuse_gop_vote_caging/?city_local - MS: Some states pushing voter ID laws
But many waiting for Supreme Court to rule
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/NEWS/712270358/1001 - NJ: NJ considers taking elections away from attorney genera
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj–electionoversight1227dec27,0,1961657.story - NY: Opinion – Meet deadline for electronic voting machines
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/OPINION04/712270312/1041/OPINION - NY: Opinion – N.Y. should be ashamed of inaction on HAVA
http://www.thedailystar.com/opinion/local_story_361034507.html - NY: Warren County – More workers needed at polls
Help America Vote Act calls for disabled access across Warren County
http://www.poststar.com/articles/2007/12/27/news/local/13203564.txt - OH: Were we misled on high-tech voting machines?
http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/page/content.detail/id/502364.html - OH: Cuyahoga County ““ Welcome New Machines
http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/34/lost-and-bound - OH: Cuyahoga County predicts next-day election results with new voting system
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/12/cuyahoga_county_predicts_nextd.html
**”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**
Quote: …the bill also provides $100 million for audits, where 3 percent of all paper ballots — including absentee and early voting — would be hand-counted to verify the electronic count before winners would be certified.
This audit design is wrong. We went through the problems with fixed percent audits over and over in the struggle for rationality in HR 811.
Here it is again!
Why?
Holt doesn’t understand? No; he does know something about statistics; didn’t he once consider a tiered audit? – better if not the best choice.
Congress members and staff too dumb to follow the logic? I don’t believe that. The record is pretty clear; they seem to want a bill with scraps to toss to all the contending interests not a sysnthesis that would be good for the country.
Wiggling for political horse-trading advantage? I could believe that; but, such skullduggery. usually just reprehensible, is profoundly undemocratic in the context of voting integrity…
I suppose it’s hopeless to point out that opscan systems are subject to error, breakdown and subversion…and that HCPB is the only way we’ll ever approach trustworthy elections.
Even the idea that voting for President should be done separately with HCPB is too sensible to have a chance in this theater of gibberish Holt presides over.
Know what, colleagues? I might just sit this one out…