'Daily Voting News' For January 29, 2008

By John Gideon on 1/29/2008, 8:00pm PT

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org

Liberty voting systems is not able to take NO! for an answer. Liberty is the company that sold hundreds of thousands of Euros' worth of voting machines to Ireland only so those machines could be found to be insecure and to have them stored since delivery in warehouses across the country; and the company whose voting machines have been banned in its home country of Holland. Last week the New York State Board of Elections chose not to allow the use of any DRE voting machines for persons with disabilities, thus leaving Liberty with nowhere to sell its machines. Yesterday Liberty decided to ignore the decision and turn to the courts, so it filed a temporary restraining order in an attempt to get the courts to change the decision made by the state. Last night the court found against the company and refused to issue an immediate restraining order. A further proceeding will now take place on Thursday. The utter gall of this company that sells voting machines that can’t be used in its home country and that are gathering dust in Ireland is amazing.

There will be a report, in this space, on the Florida primary tomorrow....

NAtional: In Too Many Elections, Voters Remain 'Uncounted,' Miscounted or Denied the Right to Vote, As Filmmaker David Earnhardt Shows Us
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/interviews/093
NAtional: Voting with (Little) Confidence
Experts say that when it comes to voting machines, usability issues should be as much of a concern as security.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20122/
NAtional: Are states ready for the 2008 election?
http://www.stateline.org...s/story?contentId=274862
NAtional: BuzzFlash Interview with 'Uncounted' Filmmaker, David Earnhardt
PLUS: Why Machine-Printed Ballots and So-Called 'Paper Trails' are ALWAYS a No-Go if You Wish to Have Verifiable Elections...
https://bradblog.com/?p=5620
NAtional: Q&A: "There Is Such a Thing as Technology Overkill"
Interview with Dr. Avi Rubin, expert on e-voting
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40988
AZ: Pima County - Ballots online: Can do but may be forbidden
http://www.azstarnet.com...elatedstories/222469.php
CA: Instant Runoff Voting Delayed
http://novometro.com/new...details.php?news_id=2554
CA: Sonoma County - Problems with mail-in ballots
http://www1.pressdemocra...WS/801290411/1033/NEWS01
CA: Sutter County - It will be voters' choice
http://www.appeal-democr...l/johnston_machines.html
CO: Johnson urges letter to Ritter
Lawmaker criticizes paper ballot proposal
http://www.coloradoan.co...7/1002/CUSTOMERSERVICE02
CT: Connecticut: Bysiewicz Prepared To Eliminate Manual Recoun
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=139
FL: Editorial - Change primary system
http://www.palmbeachpost...a_primary_edit_0129.html
FL: Touch-screen mysteries
http://www.sun-sentinel....9sbjan29,0,5418038.story
FL: Some problems crop up in Florida vote
http://rawstory.com/news...small_problems_0129.html
FL: Election chiefs warned about voting 'glitch'
http://www.pensacolanews...20080129/NEWS01/80129028
FL: Voting glitches reported in Florida
http://www.tampabays10.c...ticle.aspx?storyid=72754
FL: Broward County - Federal monitors will watch over polling sites
http://www.miamiherald.c...g_news/story/397212.html
FL: Broward County – Florida Voting Problems
http://firstread.msnbc.m...e/2008/01/29/617612.aspx
FL: Hillsborough County - Hillsborough Hires PR Firm To Explain New Voting Machines
http://www2.tbo.com/cont...o-explain-voting-device/
FL: Martin County - Voting going smoothly as election day begins
http://www.palmbeachpost.../01/29/0129mcvoting.html
FL: Miami-Dade County - Glitches blemish S. Fla. voting
http://www.miamiherald.c...g_dade/story/398429.html
FL: Palm Beach County - Notable glitches mar otherwise smooth voting in Palm Beach County
http://www.palmbeachpost...01/29/0129pbcvoting.html
FL: Palm Beach County - Voting underway; with a disruption in Kings Pointe
http://weblogs.sun-senti...rway_with_a_disrupt.html
FL: Palm Beach County - Rush Limbaugh has trouble voting
http://www.palmbeachpost...gh_has_trouble_voti.html
FL: Sarasota County - Problems with new voting machines reported in two precincts
http://www.heraldtribune...080129/BREAKING/63466273
FL: Sarasota County - Problems with voting machines; reaction mixed on tax amendment
http://www.heraldtribune.../63466273/-1/newssitemap
FL: Volusia County - Canvassing board orders another count of early ballots
http://www.news-journalo...a/evlEAST02POL012908.htm
FL: Volusia County - Voters Report Problems In Florida
http://www.local6.com/po...ics/15168479/detail.html
IA: Area voting machines fine with state
http://www.timesrepublic...nt.detail/id/502124.html
IN: Marion County - Special election ballots to be tallied at central site
Clerk defends plan to eliminate scanners at polls after GOP expresses concern
http://www.indystar.com/...L19/801290354/-1/LOCAL17
MN: Columnist - Nick Coleman: Every vote counts - unless, of course, it doesn't
http://www.startribune.com/local/14623742.html
NY: They’re Baaaack…
DRE Vendor Demands Court Restraining Order
http://nyvv.org/blog/2008/01/theyre-back.html
NY: Next challenge for New York: Run better elections than New Hampshire
http://www.opednews.com/...next_challenge_for_n.htm
NY: Editorial: New York closer to better voting machines
http://www.newsday.com/n...633jan29,0,1889042.story
NY: Monroe County Has to Move Fast on Voting Machines
http://www.publicbroadca...1219471&sectionID=1
NY: Tompkins County - Elections board picks optical scan machine
http://www.theithacajour...29/NEWS01/801290324/1002
OH: If It’s Broke; Don’t Fix It
http://www.opednews.com/..._it_s__broke_2c_don_.htm
OH: Cuyahoga County - ACLU asks federal court to block paper ballots in Ohio county
http://jurist.law.pitt.e...court-to-block-paper.php
OH: Cuyahoga County - ACLU wants to keep Cuyahoga from using new voting system for primary
http://www.cleveland.com...30271000.xml&coll=2
OH: Lucas County - Ohio will review complaints about elections board
http://toledoblade.com/a...0080129/NEWS24/801290371
PA: Lackawanna County - Voters association says paper ballots best for primary
http://www.thetimes-trib...ept_id=415898&rfi=6
PA: Northampton County - No worries over voting machine challenge
http://www.mcall.com/new...g0128-cn,0,3790737.story
VA: Lawmakers wonder if state election laws are tough enough
http://www.wdbj7.com/Glo...?S=7792121&nav=S6aK
Germany: Security of Voting Machine in German State Election Questioned
http://www.dw-world.de/d...e/0,2144,3094781,00.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**

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READER COMMENTS ON
"'Daily Voting News' For January 29, 2008"
(11 Responses so far...)

COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
... Phil said on 1/29/2008 @ 9:09 pm PT...

Can you imagine a pub full of Irish with a "liberty" electronic vote tabulation device?

No wonder they are stored in a warehouse! Although the Irish might be up for a fair fight, they're not up for another civil war.

COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 1/30/2008 @ 2:00 am PT...

John, I wonder if this dood has been reading Bradblog, he has the same concerns as we do about central tabulation vs precinct based and about the chain of custody. Your 'IN' link

Tom John, the county GOP chairman, said White's office should be able to turn around programming on the machines in the seven-week period between elections, given that states such as Virginia and Ohio took less than 40 days for a similar task.
"She's putting at risk the rights of thousands of voters," John said. "There's a period of time when we won't know where the votes are between them leaving the voter and arriving at the counting machine."

hmmm

Do you think Paris Hilton kos wonders about this?

COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
... Agent 99 said on 1/30/2008 @ 2:36 am PT...

Well, flo, dear, I'm not defending him, but.... Maybe we should dig a little harder.

COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 1/30/2008 @ 4:43 am PT...

On a vote of a different sort (since I already outed kos here at Bradblog), the House and Senate passed a bill forbidding permanent military bases in Iraq. The preznit blush gang-signed it.

So does McCain interpret "permanent" to mean 99.9 years or 999,999 years? He said there would be more wars and we would be in Iraq for 100 or 1,000,000 years.

Did he vote for the law, or is he going to call all military bases "temporary" no matter what?

How did he vote ... to ridicule the word "permanent" ... or did congress ridicule Americans by using a meaningless word?

Were you fooled by the VOTE ... was it another exercise to give new meaning to VOTE FRAUD?

COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 1/30/2008 @ 7:13 am PT...

Damn Conspiracy theorists

John said "unscrupulous people" could remove or add votes, and there would be no "audit trail" to check against the votes recorded at the close of the polls.
He also objected to a plan to keep disabled-access voter machines in storage and make them available upon request. He said doing so would not comply with federal law.
Aaron Haith, the attorney for Democrats on the City-County Council who said he attended Monday's meeting as a private citizen, expressed concerns about whether all the votes would be counted.
For instance, if the seal on an envelope were to break while it's being transported, election officials weren't certain whether the votes would be thrown out.

he-he, that was more of our John's 'IN' link above

COMMENT #6 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 1/30/2008 @ 7:49 am PT...

On another voting front, Democratic Senators StinkyMer (a.k.a. shumer) and FineStain (a.k.a. feinstein) voted to confirm AG Mukasey.

Their boy Muckycase now refuses to say waterboarding is illegal:

Attorney General Michael Mukasey still won't say whether waterboarding is torture, a stance that is upsetting Senate Democrats who had threatened to derail his confirmation over the issue.

(AP). Heckuva job there Stinky and Stain, I am sure Muckycase will do you right.

COMMENT #7 [Permalink]
... kharma said on 1/30/2008 @ 8:07 am PT...

Check out Broward County Supervisor of Elections. 109% voter turnout. 930 registered voters, 1020 ballots cast.

COMMENT #8 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 1/30/2008 @ 8:31 am PT...

Kharma #7

The sky's the limit baby if you have the faith.

COMMENT #9 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 1/30/2008 @ 8:44 am PT...

Remember to get out and VOTE on a very important topic at the one and only kos deep blog:

Poll

Have you gotten a cold this winter?

Yes---bad
28% 1363 votes

Yes---mild
29% 1425 votes

No
42% 2074 votes

| 4862 votes | Vote | Results

(Dkos Deep). Oh how that kossy knows polls and polling so well ... Goober is proud of lil' kos fer doin' a heckuva job.

COMMENT #10 [Permalink]
... the zapkitty said on 1/30/2008 @ 9:55 am PT...

Off-topic FISA update...

Rumors this morning that Senate Majority -something-or-the-other Reid had struck a deal with Minority Leader McConnel on FISA... D.C. phone lines must have exploded because a prompt statement was released by Reid's office saying that no actual deal had been reached and intimating that Senators Dodd and Feingold are in the loop regarding the discussions.

Funny... you'd think people didn't trust Harry Reid for some reason...

Leaving aside the no-brainer issue of telco immunity (i.e. Bush and company immunity) there are other issues in the debate over the proposed FISA amenments.

The Senate Judiciary Committee version of the bill expanded on the old but still valid FISA law in ways that at least paid some attention to American civil liberties... but the Bush-approved Senate Intelligence Committee version of the bill essentially makes the atrocious-but-temporary Protect America Act the permanent FISA law.

And that's why when Reid chose to make the Senate Intelligence Committee version the base bill for the debate he deliberately made it an uphill battle against despotism.

And now the bill must be amended to resemble the Judiciary Committee version... and Russ Feingold explains why in 30 seconds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDlYcn5HEs8

COMMENT #11 [Permalink]
... Bluebear2 said on 1/30/2008 @ 12:58 pm PT...

109% voter turnout.

It really stands out when the majority of the other precincts were in the mid-30% to mid-40% range.

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