Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
Recent reports that Voting Technologies International has gone out of business have apparently been premature but now the company is being sued by past employees, vendors, and Wisconsin labor regulators, all of whom say the company did not pay them for accrued time off, services rendered and reimbursable expenses. How much longer can it be for VTI?
Meanwhile a congressional task force will meet April 17, for the first time, to begin discussions of the election in Florida CD-13. The GOP has, so far, chosen to not have any members on this task force. The group will meet with or without a GOP representative.
And speaking of Florida, the Governor and Senate seem to be in agreement that DRE voting must go. The state House seems to be holding out. The Speaker of the House is concerned that state funds are going to be used by the counties to correct their bad decisions. And then late this afternoon the GOP majority in one House committee voted to axe any funds for the state to purchase new machines to replace their DREs.
Also today, true to its seemingly partisan position the EAC has decided to disown a commissioned study on VoterID and do it again in an attempt to get the result that they want.
All those stories and more linked below…
NAtional: Federal Election Agency Plays Politics with Voter ID Study LINK
NAtional: EAC to Launch Comprehensive Study of Voter ID Laws LINK
NAtional: “The Right to Count: Democracy v. Electronic Voting” – A documentary by Richard Van Slyke LINK
CA: Early primary squeezes review of voting systems
Registrars warn secretary of state that August deadline for fixes is unrealistic LINK
CA: New California e-voting measure uses hackers to test voting machine security LINK
CA: CA-11 – McNerney Election Protection Task Force Releases Election Report with 36 Recommendations LINK
CA: Riverside County – Voting machines topic at hearing
Programmer will discuss vulnerabilities of electronic system LINK
CA: Riverside County – Expert: Paper ballots are best for Riverside County LINK
CA: Riverside County – ELECTIONS HACK TEST: Counter-Challenging Elections Officials on the Truth LINK
CA: San Joaquin County – Election officials object to audit LINK
FL: Florida Senate: $35M for voting machines LINK
FL: Paper Trail Still Lacks Direction LINK
FL: Touch vote machines in Senate cross hairs LINK
FL: Florida Senate backs new voting machines
The Florida Senate has signaled its support to buy new opti-scan voting machines across the state for $35 million. The House, meanwhile, has kept silent on the plan. LINK
FL: Legislators look for support to replace controversial touch-screen machines LINK
FL: Lawmakers debate voting-machine bill LINK
FL: Republicans vote to ax effort for more money for optical voting scanners LINK
FL: House panel says no to voting machines that leave paper trail LINK
FL: FL-13 – Group to start District 13 talks LINK
FL: FL-13 – Democrats press on with voting probe LINK
IL: DuPage County – Elected officials caught in loophole
Why some towns won’t be able to swear them in LINK
MN: IRV shows how to put heart back into our elections LINK
NV: Bill seeks accountability report on elections LINK
NV: Lawmaker proposes election complaint study LINK
NY: When Will New York Upgrade Voting Machines? LINK
NY: Council backs paper ballots – Votes unanimously to replace old voting booths LINK
NY: Chemung County – New voting machines discussed LINK
OH: Cuyahoga County – Bennett sues to keep his job on elections board LINK
OH: Cuyahoga County – Election board chair sues to keep his job LINK
PA: Cambria County – County gets ‘good report’ on machines LINK
RI: Commentary: R.I. should require voters to present ID LINK
WI: Entrepreneur sued by Microsoft says he was unaware of alleged infractions LINK
WV: Beckley councilman wants election overhaul 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**
Recent reports that Voting Technologies International has gone out of business have apparently been premature but now the company is being sued by past employees, vendors, and Wisconsin labor regulators, all of whom say the company did not pay them for accrued time off, services rendered and reimbursable expenses. How much longer can it be for VTI?
John,
Have you seen this article at The LATimes?
**snip**
The administration began skewing federal law enforcement before the current U.S. attorney scandal, says a former Department of Justice lawyer.
By Joseph D. Rich, JOSEPH D. RICH was chief of the voting section in the Justice Department’s civil right division from 1999 to 2005. He now works for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
March 29, 2007
“I spent more than 35 years in the department enforcing federal civil rights laws “” particularly voting rights. Before leaving in 2005, I worked for attorneys general with dramatically different political philosophies “” from John Mitchell to Ed Meese to Janet Reno. Regardless of the administration, the political appointees had respect for the experience and judgment of longtime civil servants.
Under the Bush administration, however, all that changed. Over the last six years, this Justice Department has ignored the advice of its staff and skewed aspects of law enforcement in ways that clearly were intended to influence the outcome of elections.”
This is huge! John Conyers pointed it out on his blog!
Sherry
BAD NEWS Regarding Florida Voting…Help Needed
This was from Friday’s Sun-Sentinel. Although the governor and the people want reform, these reps are trying to stop it in the budget. I sit in one of these Reps district (Hasner). Anything I can do, let me know.
Republicans vote to ax effort for more money for optical voting scanners
By Anthony Man & Linda Kleindienst
sun-sentinel.com Tallahassee Bureau
Posted March 30 2007, 2:30 PM EDT
TALLAHASSEE — Republicans in a key Florida House committee voted on Friday to kill an effort to add money to the state budget to pay for optical scanners to replace touch-screen voting machines in 15 Florida counties.
State Reps. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale; Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton, and David Rivera, R-Miami, were among those voting against the money, which would help cover the cost of replacing the voting machines in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Bogdanoff and Hasner each represent parts of both counties; Rivera represents parts of Broward and Miami-Dade, which also would get replacement money.
State Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, questioned the need to switch voting equipment just a few years after the touch-screen machines were bought. “The fact is that some people don’t like the outcome of elections and then question the integrity of the voting system.”
Hours later, the House Republicans issued a notice explaining they are not necessarily all that opposed to scrapping the touch-screen machines.
Although they’ve taken no action on legislation to eliminate the touch-screen machines during the first four weeks of the annual legislative session, shortly after the Republicans voted to eliminate the budget amendment, the party leadership suddenly announced it would allow a hearing on the proposal after all.
Replacing the touch-screen machines with optical scanners that read paper ballots is a top priority of Republican Gov. Charlie Crist. But neither the House nor the Senate has included the $35 million cost in early versions of the state budget.
House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, has questioned whether all the state’s taxpayers should cover the cost of replacing touch-screen voting machines in just 15 counties that made decisions to buy that equipment. Those counties cover more than half the state’s voters.
State Rep. Ari Porth, D-Coral Springs, proposed a budget amendment Friday, asking the House Budget and Policy Council to add $35 million for touch-screen replacement.
“I think our voters are looking for a higher level of integrity. Just because a county screwed up [by buying touch-screen machines] I don’t want to penalize the voters in that county,” he said.
State Rep. Mary Brandenburg, D-West Palm Beach, supported Porth. “No one can deny there have been problems with elections in Florida. It’s important to restore confidence.”
The council’s Republican members, including several Rubio lieutenants, voted down the Porth proposal. Rivera said voters already have access to paper ballots, and can choose them instead of touch-screen voting, by using absentee ballots through the mail.