Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org
ED NOTE: This “Daily Voting News” was posted yesterday, but due to a software “glitch”, it was somehow overwritten by another post. We’re reposting it here. Good thing we had a paper trail backup!
The Allegheny County Pennsylvania suit brought by voters and PFAW against the county, state and federal government will be heard beginning next Tuesday in Pittsburgh. Summit County, Ohio’s election director has predicted failure of the voting machines in their primary on May 2. A recount of ballots in Kane and DuPage County Illinois has been asked for partially because some voting machines were shut-down early due to the polls running out of paper for the DRE vvpat printers. Sequoia is over two months behind in delivering Advantage machines to New Jersey counties. In Indiana, MicroVote has been given until May 2 to make their uncertified equipment meet all state requirements or counties will not be able to use it in the primary…
CA: Long Beach � Train Wreck – Clerk to probe L.B. ballot problems LINK
IL: Kane and DuPage County � Train Wreck – District 303 vote to be reviewed LINK
IN: Train Wreck – Time almost up for fixing vote machines (MicroVote) LINK
IN: Train Wreck – Voting software company apologizes to state for problems (ES&S) LINK
IN: Train Wreck – Problems with voting software continue LINK
IN: Marion County � Train Wreck – Hand counts needed in 2 school board races LINK
NJ: Essex County � Train Wreck – Freeholders want to know: Where are the voting machines? (Sequoia Advantage) LINK
NJ: Pasaic County � Train Wreck – New machines not ready yet (Sequoia Advantage) LINK
OH: Summit County – E-VOTE TRAIN WRECK ON COURSE: ‘Optical-Scan Voting System Will Fail in May Primary’ Predicts Election Official LINK
OH: Summit County � Train Wreck – Trouble feared at ballot box. Summit County elections director predicts optical scan system will fail in May primary LINK
TX: Wichita County � Train Wreck – Glitch could disrupt early electronic voting (ES&S) LINK
WV- Train Wreck – Early voting for May 9 primary begins LINK
WV: Kanawha County � Train Wreck – Voting machines not ready LINK
AK: Suit asks for vote records LINK
AK: Alaska Dems File Lawsuit to get at State’s Diebold’s 2004 Election Data! LINK
CA: Who Or What Is Stopping The California SoS From Allowing Eligible Californians To Register To Vote? LINK
CA: Testimony in Favor of AB 2097 LINK
CA: Los Angeles County – County to Upgrade Voting Machines (Ink-a-Vote Plus) LINK
CO: Denver announces 47 vote centers for 2006 elections LINK
KY: New voting machines for disabled ready for use LINK
LA: New Orleans – New Orleans election a test of democracy LINK
MO: GOP says Carnahan misled on Carter concerns on voter ID LINK
MS: Justice approves county’s precinct consolidation plan LINK
NC: Chatham County – Early voters get wrong ballot LINK
NY: New York rushes to comply with e-voting rules LINK
NY: Nassau – Voters get election rerun LINK
OH: Ohio Recount Mismanagement Case Moves Forward LINK
PA: Allegheny County – Hearing to decide voting machines’ fate LINK
PA: Allegheny County – Court hearing slated on voting machines LINK
TX: Judge Nixes Smith’s Challenge of Primary Results in High Court Race 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 TheBradBlog.Com**
Polls are showing that the people favor democrats taking over majority party status in congress in November. It is by average about 47% to 33% and growing (link here).
However, the way congressional districts are drawn (link to your district map here) raises the very serious spectre that gerrymandering may thwart the will of the people.
The way districts are drawn can change everything (link here).
The reason that is wrong is because it is anti-voter and even when the voters overwhelmingly favor a particular outcome, this can be thwarted and republicans could hold the majority.
In other words, the design of the districts is such that it thwarts and is contrary to the will of the people at large. It is designed to preserve incumbency and thwart the political notion of accountability.
The effect is that the people cannot replace members of congress unless and until the kool aid drinking devotees of that congress member revolt. Districts are carved out in strange shapes that result in districts passing thru many counties instead of being defined and bounded by one or more counties.
The map link above shows how true this is. Look at the 25th and 28th districts of Texas, Tom DeLay constructs, to see what I mean.
We have a dictatorial situation anytime the will of the people is thwarted by its government. There is no other name for it.
Some dictatorships are less vile than others, but calling a spade a spade is what I am talking about.
We have a dictatorship if the people cannot express their will by their vote. If the government allows us to vote but that vote is meaningless, the fact is that it is a dictatorship because the people cannot change the government.
The Texas gerrymandering case has been put on the fast track by the US Supreme Court (link here).
This is unusual under normal circumstances, but is all the more unusual since the cases have been stalled and have therefore been on the slow track in the US Supreme Court until now.
The case it now seems that will be reversed is Henderson v Perry (link here).
The issue of gerrymandering is equal to the problem with voting machines. Because even if we perfect the voting machines, the gerrymandering issue is just as much a threat.
Both evils … gerrymandering and fraudulent and junky electronic voting machines … are destroying American democracy.
And if the judicial goes down the tubes too (link here), and does not stop gerrymandering, I am sorry to say that democracy will be gone from American soil for a long time.
California District 1 winds its way thru Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, Sonora, and Napa counties; while California District 2 winds its way thru Siskiyou, Trinity, Shasta, Tahama, Glenn, Butte, Yuba, Colusa, Sutter, and Yolo counties.
Texas District 25 winds its way thru Hidalgo, Starr, Jim Hogg, Duval, Live Oak, Karnes, Gonzales, Caldwell, and Travis counties. Texas District 28 is similar.
Utah District 1 winds its way thru Juab, Tooele, Box Elder, Cache, Rich, Summit, Morgan, Davis, Webber, and Salt Lake counties.
Alabama District 7 winds its way thru Tuscaloosa, Pickens, St. Clair, Greene, Hale, Perry, Sumter, Chocktaw, Marengo, Dallas, Wilcox, and Clarke counties.
New York District 23 winds its way thru Clinton, Franklin, Essex, Hamilton, Fulton, Saint Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, Oneida, and Madison counties.
Up to ten or morecounties can be touched in just one congressional district. It’s a gerrymander thang.
These facts illustrate the point that election officialdom is bounded by county lines and state lines, however, these gerrymandered congressional districts have no such political boundaries. This is problematic and it exacerbates the problem.
If counties use different voting machines and techniques, you could have ten different types of voting procedures for one congressional district. Add precints to the count, and it becomes more and more obvious that political cacophony and helter-skelter are apt descriptions for the gerrymander world.
Further, if a congress member wants to challenge election results for only one congressional district, that congress member may have to pay up to ten counties or more for a recount.
You know what I mean …