Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org
An article at The BRAD BLOG reports the following:
The results of California Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s “top-to-bottom review” of electronic voting systems previously approved for use by her predecessor is still underway. But before any of the findings from her teams of security specialists, software analysts, and voting systems experts have been made public, the unprecedented analysis has already revealed a disturbing anomaly which may have far-reaching implications for both state and federal voting systems laws across the country.
The King Coounty, Washington, County Council voted on Monday that there can be no bar-code or other unique marks on paper ballots. In a press release one council member said, “The Washington State Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to cast a secret ballot,†said Councilmember Dow Constantine, prime sponsor of the motion. “We must protect this right by accurately tracking the return and signature verification of every voter’s sealed envelope, while ensuring that the ballot inside cannot later be connected with a particular voter.†One can only hope that now the state legislature will follow the county’s lead and make the same decision for the whole state.
Those stories, and the other voting news notables today, all linked below…
NAtional: Let’s Not Miss the Chance to Change Voting Laws LINK
AR: Washington County – Election Commissioners ask for double pay
Officials say increase would not effect county budget LINK
CA: Discrepancies Reported in Versions of LA County E-Voting System Source Code as Submitted and Escrowed by ES&S LINK
CA: California Enlists Higher Ed Hackers To Test Voting Machines LINK
FL: Sarasota County to pay $2.9 million for new voting machines LINK
NC: Pamlico County – Pamlico elections director resigning LINK
NY: Columnist – Now, it’s voters left hanging LINK
PA: Paperless voting remains a danger LINK
PA: Tuscarawas County – Board of Elections reviews absentee voting changes LINK
WA: Press Release – Council preserves voters’ right to secret ballot in vote-by-mail system LINK
WA: King County – Hitch won’t halt all-mail voting plan LINK
WV: Kanawha County – Defeated East Bank candidate sues 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**
M. Taylor says she doesnt intend to testify cause Bush claimed executive privilege. But Mr.Cheney said hes no part of the executive. Wheres the court to imrison these assholes?
John,
The article you linked to had some positive news:
(Waldman at Huffpo, emphasis added). Once upon a time on this blog I had a disagreement with Bev Harris, who was posting advocating abandonment of legal actions as a form of remedy for voting issues.
And yesterday I was chided by Agent 99 and Floridiot for asking RFK, Jr. how the qui tam was going. I can understand those two good Bradbloggers are frustrated with the courts and why.
Evidently, according to them, RFK was advocating the abandonment of such efforts, as Bev Harris once did.
As your link shows, it would be the apex of folly to abandon any method or means of fixing the election system.
The courts are still worth fighting for and fighting in IMO.
Honestly, after musing on this issue for a while, I’ve come to the conclusion that truly secret ballots have, at best, mixed effects on election integrity.
If there is really a constitutional guarantee of secret ballots in Washington state, then, obviously, it’s necessary to take appropriate practical steps there. However, the vote-by-mail process with its intrinsic delays and authentication issues is quite vulnerable, and ballot serial numbers represent a powerful tool for auditing and testing election integrity.
Considering that vote-by-mail fails to ensure voting boot privacy, the argument that ballot secrecy is somehow more important that process verifiability is preposterous.
Speaking of voting to fix election problems, another vote is added to HRes 333:
(Raw Story).
Damn DREDD your a fsckin dictionary!!
(That’s actually a compliment!)
You like flipped a dictionary research fact switch I’ve noticed for awhile now. Thank god (whatever god or not that it might be) that you got hell of awareness.
I screwed up yesterday, Never made the calls for the Opednews thing… I been grinding to the bone out here with work. (work I don’t make a cent off I might add)
~phil
For some old enjoyment….
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203×380559
I must say though….
I screwed up when I attacked Bev back then. My fucking websites have been under attack then too. (I just didn’t know at the time cause I didn’t play admin yet. (I think) any way the timeline was confusing cause my ISP died. RIP Walt.
Coincidence?
Electronic Fraud Haiku