Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Friday 10/28/05

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

If you can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.



2. Post stories using the "Election Fraud and Reform News Sources" listed here:



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x371233



3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.



4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.







If you want to know how post "News Banners" or other images, go here:



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=371233#371391

Link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News thread:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x398678


All previous daily threads are available here:

http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_2004erd_el_ref_fr_thr_calenders.htm











Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

"Yes On 75" Mailer Fraudulent; Breaks Law
Alliance for a Better California, October 20, 2005

Sacramento - Today the Alliance for a Better California has requested an investigation by United States Postal Service (USPS) and announced possible legal action against the California Recovery Team (CRT) unless they stop violating the law by sending out campaign mail that illegally uses discounted non-profit postage and displays a fraudulent union bug. Both actions are violations of federal law.
The CRT is the front group that is promoting Governor Schwarzenegger’s Collection of anti-worker ballot measures. The Alliance for a Better California is composed of unions and progressive groups fighting the Measures.

"CRT's use of a non-profit permit to get cut-rate discounts on their blatantly political mailing is outrageous. This permit was either unlawfully issued or is being unlawfully used. Only organizations that satisfy special standards and have received official authorization from the USPS may mail items using the Nonprofit Standard Mail rate," said Alliance Attorney Lance Olson.

"CRT's unlawful use of a nonprofit permit places the Alliance at a significant competitive disadvantage to communicate its dissenting views prior to the November 8th Special Election," said Olson. "We have requested that CRT to immediately stop this illegal activity and if they continue, the Alliance is prepared to initiate legal action to require CRT to stop breaking the law. We are working with the USPS and expect a full investigation."

By misusing the nonprofit mail permit, the governor's campaign saved about seven cents per piece mailed. A single small mailing of one million pieces would have saved $68,000, while a larger six million piece mailing would have saved $408,000. According to the California Secretary of State, there are currently 15,839,327 registered voters in California.

http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2621&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

5. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES&S.

Hagel was never with ES&S--- he was Chairman of AIS.



6. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, long-connected with the Bush family, was recently caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.


See # 5




9. Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.


False--- the TSX has a VVPB printer and is certified to the 2002 VVSS

from the First Church in Roxbury to Boston Common








On October 30 at 1:00, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia will lead a commemorative march from the First Church in Roxbury to Boston Common, where more than 5,000 people are expected to participate in an effort to better understand the struggle for civil rights. The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and a consortium of civil rights and race relations organizations are organizing this important commemoration with support from Boston-area foundations and businesses.

In March 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to protest voting restrictions for blacks. Five months later, Congress passed the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 enforcing the right granted to all Americans by the 15th Amendment to the Constitution.

In April of 1965, Dr. King led marchers on a three-mile walk from Roxbury to a rally at Boston Common to protest de facto school segregation in Boston. In June, the state legislature passed The Racial Imbalance Act outlawing "racially imbalanced" schools.

Show your committment to the fight for civil rights and the importance of political engagement by walking with us from Roxbury to Boston Common on October 30th. Register to participate below.

http://www.mfh.org/retracingthestruggle/march.html

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has denied a stay of a federal district court decision last week, which enjoined a voter ID law enacted by the Georgia legislature. That law, as described here, requires voters to show government-issued photo ID to vote at the polls. Voting rights advocates argued that such a requirement would impose a barrier to many voters, particularly people of color who are disproportionately likely to lack ID. The brief order from the Eleventh Circuit may be found here, and the district court's preliminary injunction order here. The Eleventh Circuit's order does grant the state defendants' motion for expedited review. Briefing is to be completed by the end of January 2006, and oral argument will then be scheduled.

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/blogs/tokaji/

Watch it here:

http://www.nbc4i.com/slideshow/4815127/detail.html?qs=;s=1;w=320

Posted yesterday by wilms, but bears reposting!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x398678
http://ohiohonestelections.org/

New from VoteTrustBlog
By Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, VoteTrustUSA
October 27, 2005
It has been suggested that the recent report of the Commission on Federal Election Reform represented a compromise, or more precisely, a trade-off, between issues that meant most to the Republicans (voter ID) and those that meant most to the Democrats (VVPAT). The trade may never have been explicit, but could have just emerged from the fault lines on the panel as they struggled to reach a unanimous agreement. Needless to say, I have no way of knowing about the internal politics of the Commission, but I strongly object to the glib assumption of a political polarity between Voter ID and VVPAT.

In fact, elections are not about politics. I know that sounds absurd but hear me out. Elections are an idea - an old idea by now, but an idea that somehow always seems innovative. Let’s collectively decide what should happen and agree that we’ll all have an equal part in making those decisions. We’ll all indicate our opinions - let’s call them votes - and we’ll all accept the results.

There are three basic principles underlying the notion of elections: every eligible voter should be able to vote, nobody should get more than one vote, and everyone’s votes should be counted correctly. Sounds simple. It is when those three basic principles are subject to manipulation that politics gets involved.
Read more...
http://www.votetrustusa.org/

New from VoteTrustBlog
By Robert Tuke, Chairman, Tennessee Democratic Party
October 26, 2005
Editor's note - This letter was sent recently to Democratic Representatives on County Election Commissions.

You are in the process of making decisions that are vitally important to the safety, security and trustworthiness of our voting process in Tennessee. I know you want to be sure that our future elections here in Tennessee will remain free from the problems that have occurred too often with non-verifiable, insecure and expensive electronic voting systems in several states.

For the past several years, the problems with direct record electronic (DRE) voting systems have been well documented. These expensive voting systems have encountered multiple problems that, through accident or by design, have impacted the conduct of elections in several states around the country. These voting machines have been studied by computer scientists at many universities, and these researchers have recommended against using these machines because they frequently malfunction and their secret operating software can be easily tampered with without detection by election officials.
Read more...
http://www.votetrustusa.org/

Download free, or
Buy a bound copy!


Information is power. Learn the facts.
Myth Breakers...
- Corrects HAVA misconceptions
- Describes HAVA-compliant alternatives to DREs
- Gives general pricing information
- Speaks about myth vs. misinformation

The second edition includes...
- Malfunctions from the 2004 General Election
- More about testing and certification
- Details about software complexities
Myth Breakers is a tool for citizen activists. Myth Breakers will enable you to speak with confidence about the issues. Then ... Spread the Truth! Deliver "Myth Breakers: Facts about Electronic Elections" to your local election officials and legislators. Give them the information they need to make wise decisions.

Participants have confirmed that Myth Breakers (first and second editions together) have been delivered to thousands of election officials and legislators.

Do your local and state officials have the updated facts?


http://www.votersunite.org/

By Susan Pynchon, Executive Director, Florida Fair Elections Coalition
October 24, 2005
Performance of the Diebold “Blended” or “Dual” System: Preliminary Report

Introduction

Two members of Florida Fair Elections Coalition (FFEC), Kitty Garber and I, traveled to Flagler County in September to support Flagler’s lone voter activist, Deborah Susswein, in observing the closing of the municipal primary election held for the city of Palm Coast on September 13, 2005. Deborah and I stayed at the elections office while Kitty observed the poll closing at one polling place and then joined us at the elections office.

We believe this election was the first time the Diebold “blended” or “dual” voting system was used in an election in Florida. “Blended system” is the term used by Diebold and the state of Florida to refer to a dual voting system that combines optical scanners and Diebold TSX touch-screens in each polling place. One touch-screen is placed with the op-scan(s) in each precinct for the stated purpose of serving disabled voters who cannot mark a paper ballot.


A Diebold internal memo from January 2003<1> condemns the blended system:

My unsolicited two cents is that this is a crazy way to run an election. Expecting jurisdictions to train for and administer two systems is just nuts. It is the worst of a paper-based election with the worst of an electronic election.
Ken Clark, Diebold Senior Systems Engineer

Diebold hopes that problems with the blended system will eventually convince their op-scan customers to purchase all touch-screens, as evidenced by the following Diebold internal memo from Mark Earley in response to Ken Clarks email above:

more:
http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=210&Itemid=51

?filter=ksl/story_big

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A bill proposed for the next legislative session would allow early voting to make casting ballots more convenient and increase turnout.

The measure by state Rep. Doug Aagard, R-Kaysville, would allow voting up to 14 days before Election Day.

"I want to make voting more user-friendly," Aagard said. "People walk away (from polling places) when they get tied up in long lines. Early voting cuts down on that possibility."

The state could also benefit financially from early voting because smaller crowds at polling places would mean less need to continually purchase new electronic election equipment, Aagard said.

The state will spend about $25 million to purchase 7,500 touch-screen voting machines to comply with federal regulations. The machines are slated to be used statewide in the June 2006 primary election.

more:
http://www.ksl.com/

Who are poll workers? They are our neighbors, colleagues and friends who serve on the front lines of democracy on Election Day. Under the direction and training of local election officials, poll workers help run elections from the time polls open at 7 a.m. to after votes are tallied and ballots and voting machines are secured.
Poll workers face challenges assisting new citizens, those who cannot speak or write English, people with disabilities, the young, and the elderly. They deal with voters who forgot their ID or don't live in the precinct, long lines, electronic equipment and accuracy and security issues. They must be able to accurately and clearly explain complex voting rules and technologies to voters. They do this for little pay and long hours.


Is it any wonder that certain communities cannot recruit enough poll workers? According to an MIT/Caltech study, Massachusetts must recruit more than 12,000 workers for each statewide election. According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the average age of a poll worker is 72.This challenging task is sometimes made more difficult by the restrictions governing who can serve as a poll worker.
The National Council of State Legislatures Elections Reform Task Force reports that only 17 states, including Massachusetts, require that poll workers be registered in the community where they work. Of these 17, five allow some exceptions permitting residents of other precincts to serve if not enough precinct residents can be recruited. Massachusetts does not currently allow any exceptions. One way to recruit more poll workers would be to allow cities and towns to hire poll workers from outside their municipalities.

more:
http://www2.townonline.com/stoneham/opinion/view.bg?articleid=353858

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

14 precincts eliminated to reduce costs

By DEBBIE BURT MYERS
Managing Editor


Supervisors have voted to consolidate the county s 38 voting precincts into 24 in order to more easily comply with federal mandates.

The action is pending approval by the U. S. Department of Justice.

Among other things, the consolidation eliminates three Native American precincts Bogue Chitto, Tucker and Pearl River.

At a meeting on Monday, Board of Supervisors Attorney Wade White worked individually with supervisors as they put their consolidations down on paper.

When he finished with all of them, they approved the new precincts without discussion.

more:
http://www.neshobademocrat.com/Main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=297&ArticleID1

Friday, October 28, 2005
T.C. Brown
Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus - Tom Noe became the focus of a national political fund-raising scandal after a curious chain of events unwittingly set off by his own wife.

In January 2004, Noe's wife, Bernadette, chairwoman of the Lucas County Republican Party and a member of the county Board of Elections, and her colleague on the board Sam Thurber, took a story to the Lucas County prosecutor's office. They reported that elections board Executive Director Joe Kidd might be taking kickbacks from voting machine manufacturer Diebold, according to officials familiar with the investigation.

Bernadette Noe got the information from Kidd's wife, Tracy, a partner in Mrs. Noe's Toledo law firm. The Kidds were experiencing marital difficulties at the time.

Kidd denied the allegations, but he dropped some bombshells of his own when authorities interviewed him in March 2004. Kidd told investigators he had information that would "put the Noes in handcuffs," said Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates.

more:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/113049259353500.xml&coll=2

Posted by Algorem here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x398764

October 27, 2005, 10:07 PM EDT

TRENTON, N.J. -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester won't be charged with violating campaign finance law, the state's attorney general said Thursday, although he added that the statute Democrats accuse Forrester of violating should be re-examined.

The state law bars people with a majority interest in insurance or banking firms from contributing to political campaigns. Forrester, a multimillionaire majority owner in an insurance brokerage, has donated millions of dollars to his own campaign and hundreds of thousands to other GOP candidates.

Forrester says his actions are legal because the brokerage is licensed in the District of Columbia, not New Jersey.

"It's always nice to be vindicated," Forrester said Thursday. "We've known for a year now we've done everything right."


more:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-njgovernorsrace1027oct27,0,4731520.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey

Posted by Judi Lynn in Breaking news:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1883869

Posted by wilms:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x398747

Hi wilms, feeling better I hope.:hi: :hug:

Lyle residents ask county to address election fraud claims
By Lee Bonorden/Austin Daily Herald





Unhappy with the handling of their complaints about election fraud, Meri Jo Lonergan, Norma Olson and Blanche Hollerud went to the Tuesday meeting of the Mower County commissioners.

�We realize we can't overturn what has been done,� Lonergan said. �You're our last-ditch hope. We feel betrayed.�

Before the morning was over, a visibly upset Mower County Attorney Patrick W. Flanagan lectured the women on the criminal justice system and normally mild-manner Mower County Auditor Woody Vereide started expressing his frustration over the women's complaints.

In the end, nothing was done.

�It appears there's really no action the county board can take as far as the complaints are concerned,� said Ray Tucker, 2nd District county commissioner and chairman of the county board.

rest of story--

http://www.austindailyherald.com/articles/2005/10/27/news/news3.txt

and appreciate the help.

V

OCT. 27 8:45 P.M. ET MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Former Gov. Don Siegelman pleaded not guilty Thursday in a political corruption case, saying he will be "proven totally innocent" and won't halt his campaign for a second term.

A federal grand jury indicted Siegelman and two former Cabinet members Wednesday, along with former HealthSouth Chairman Richard Scrushy, in what prosecutors described as "a widespread racketeering conspiracy."

Siegelman and his former chief of staff, Paul Hamrick, are charged with trading political favors for money, and Siegelman is accused of soliciting more than $1 million from people doing business with the state. Former state Transportation Director Mack Roberts is accused of using mail fraud to help Siegelman.


rest of story--

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8DGN9IG0.htm?campaign_id=apn_home_down&chan=db

Former Alabama Governor Predicts He'll Be Found Innocent

POSTED: 8:56 am CDT October 28, 2005
UPDATED: 11:25 am CDT October 28, 2005
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Former Governor Don Siegelman had predicted that he'd be indicted a second time, and he was right. Now he's making two more predictions. Siegelman predicts he will be proven innocent of new government corruption charges ... and he predicts the charges won't halt his campaign for a second term.
Siegelman was indicted by a federal grand jury in Montgomery Thursday, along with former Cabinet members Paul Hamrick and Mack Roberts and former HealthSouth Chairman Richard Scrushy. Siegelman, Hamrick and Roberts appeared for their arraignments afternoon, and each entered a not guilty plea.
Outside the courtroom, Siegelman told reporters that he won't quit his re-election campaign because he wants Alabama voters to have a choice in 2006.
Siegelman was first indicted last year by a different grand jury in north Alabama. But that case ended a year ago when a federal judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to support a charge that Siegelman conspired to rig state Medicaid contracts.

rest of story--
http://www.nbc13.com/news/5196463/detail.html

Former leader of HealthSouth turns himself in

BLOOMBERG NEWS


MONTGOMERY, Al.

Richard Scrushy, the founder of HealthSouth Corp., who was acquitted in June of a $2.7 billion fraud, surrendered to federal marshals yesterday on charges of bribing Don Siegelman, a former governor of Alabama.

Scrushy arrived yesterday at the federal courthouse in Montgomery, went to the marshal's office and then left.

Siegelman also gave himself up to federal authorities yesterday in Montgomery, was fingerprinted, went to lunch, returned in the afternoon and pleaded not guilty. He was released on an unsecured bond.

Scrushy is accused of making two payments worth $500,000 to the Alabama Education Fund, a Siegelman lottery-campaign vehicle, for a seat on the state's hospital certificate-of-need board.

rets of story--
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128767805402

Gates

MONTGOMERY, Alabama, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The founder and former chief executive of HealthSouth Corp. (HLSH.PK: Quote, Profile, Research), who was found not guilty of a $2.7 billion corporate accounting fraud in June, was indicted on Wednesday along with a former governor of Alabama on charges of bribery and mail fraud.

U.S. prosecutors unsealed a 30-count indictment against former Alabama Gov. Don Eugene Siegelman, a Democrat, and a two-count indictment against HealthSouth's Richard M. Scrushy in Montgomery, Alabama.

The prosecutors also indicted two other men -- Siegelman's chief of staff, Paul Michael Hamrick, and the former director of the Alabama Department of Transportation, Gary Mack Roberts -- in what the government called a scheme related to racketeering and conspiracy.

Siegelman is expected to challenge the state's current governor, Republican Bob Riley, in 2006.

rest of story--

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20051027:MTFH20545_2005-10-27_01-16-53_N26387609:1