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May 15, 2008 Providing legal resources and election news to California election officials and the attorneys who represent them. |
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« June 2005 | Main | August 2005 » July 29, 2005 "Strong, smart advice for county elections""King County Executive Ron Sims and the King County Council should quickly enact a set of first-class recommendations from a first-class task force on election reform. Only by moving decisively can the county begin to restore public confidence in the elections system. Sims' appointed group of top-notch problem solvers offered solid changes that ought to be implemented within the next month." The story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 02:08 PM | Permalink. . . Public Input Sought in Selection of New San Francisco Voting System"The San Francisco Department of Elections is inviting members of the public to participate in a "mock election," featuring the two voting systems that the City is considering to replace its current voting equipment. The mock election will be held from August 1st through 12th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, in City Hall outside of Room 48. (Please note that on Friday, August 12th, the last day of the mock election, voting will end at noon." The full notice is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:06 AM | Permalink. . . "Ohio voting system unfair, suit says""A group of voter advocates filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday accusing Ohio of operating a voting system that fails to protect the right to vote. The lawsuit against Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and Gov. Bob Taft cited problems with voter registration, poll worker training, counting of provisional ballots and distribution of voting machines." The article is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:25 AM | Permalink. . . "State rejects e-voting system""After possibly the most extensive testing ever on a voting system, California has rejected Diebold's flagship electronic voting machine because of printer jams and screen freezes, sending local elections officials scrambling for other means of voting. "There was a failure rate of about 10 percent, and that's not good enough for the voters of California and not good enough for me," said Secretary of State Bruce McPherson. If the machines had been used in an actual election, the result could have been frustrated poll workers and long lines for thousands of voters, said elections officials and voter advocates on Thursday." The story is here. Here is the staff report on the rejected system. Posted by Randy Riddle at 07:49 AM | Permalink. . . July 28, 2005 Court of Appeal Schedules Hearing in Proposition 77 LawsuitThe Court of Appeal has scheduled oral argument in the Proposition 77 lawsuit. The Court will hear the matter on Friday, August 5 at 9:30 a.m. The Court's order is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 06:18 PM | Permalink. . . July 27, 2005 Supreme Court Orders Proposition 80 Back on the BallotThe Court's order is here. The AP story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 05:06 PM | Permalink. . . July 26, 2005 "Black groups demand US voting rights act extension""Civil rights activists demanded on Monday that the Bush administration extend the life of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, claiming the landmark legislation was necessary to prevent a return to widespread discrimination in voting practices. Parts of the act, including a provision that forces a number of mostly Southern states and counties to get pre-approval from Washington before changing voting times, places or methods -- are set to expire in 2007 unless reauthorized by the federal government. "We see schemes to undermine voting growing and the silence from the Department of Justice is deafening," civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson said at a news conference in Atlanta to promote an Aug. 6 voting rights march in the Southern city." The story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:38 AM | Permalink. . . "Appeal filed on governor's redistricting measure""Supporters of a ballot measure aimed at redrawing congressional and legislative districts filed an appeal Monday and were granted a temporary suspension of a lower court ruling that ordered Proposition 77 off the ballot. The measure, one of three backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the November special election, would give authority for redrawing district boundaries to a panel of retired judges. But organizers of the petition drive mistakenly used two different versions in the circulation process prompting Sacramento County Judge Gail Ohanesian to toss the measure from the ballot last week. But Justice Coleman A. Blease, of the 3rd District Court of Appeal agreed to stay Ohanesian's order until the case could be decided." The full story is here. The stay order is here Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:29 AM | Permalink. . . July 25, 2005 "Disabled advocates fight vote ruling""A federal judge misread a state law and incorrectly applied previous court rulings when he refused to order disability-accessible touch-screen voting in Volusia County this fall, attorneys for the National Federation of the Blind and others said Friday. Attorneys for the NFB, its state affiliate and five blind voters from Volusia filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta seeking to overturn U.S. District Judge John Antoon II's decision on Thursday. In their 13-page motion, attorneys for the NFB and other plaintiffs asked the appellate court to force Volusia officials to purchase the paperless touch-screens by Monday. That would allow delivery of the machines by Friday, the "drop-dead date" to implement touch-screens for Volusia's next election, which is Oct. 11, according to the appeal. "It's an emergency," said James Gashel, executive director for strategic initiatives for the NFB, a nonprofit with its main offices in Baltimore and more than 50,000 members nationwide. County leaders have said they support accessible voting but oppose the machines, which allow visually disabled people to vote independently with "audio ballots" and headphones, because they don't use paper ballots. Paper ballots, such as the ones now used in Volusia's optical-scan voting system, are essential for double-checking results of close elections or recounts, most County Council members say." The full story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:00 AM | Permalink. . . July 22, 2005 Proposition 80 Ordered Removed from the BallotAfter the Sacramento Superior Court ordered Proposition 77 off the ballot yesterday, the Calfironia Court of Appeal for the Third District issued a decision today removing Proposition 80 from the ballot. Proposition 80 would impose new regulatory measures on electricity providers. The Court explained: "Proposition 80 is such an unquestionably invalid initiative The opinion can be found here. At this rate, there will be no measures left on the ballot by the end of next week. Posted by Randy Riddle at 01:40 PM | Permalink. . . "Federal officials investigate LA compliance with voting law""Federal officials visited polling places during elections in March and May to determine whether the city violated federal voting law by failing to provide ballots in languages other than English. The visits were part of an ongoing investigation that has targeted several other Southern California cities. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department announced settlements with Azusa, Paramount and Rosemead after concluding they had broken the law by printing official ballots only in English." The article is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:32 AM | Permalink. . . "U.S. elections post to be filled by Secretary of State Davidson""President Bush said Thursday he intends to appoint Colorado Secretary of State Donetta Davidson, who has been criticized for state election blunders, to the four-member federal Election Assistance Commission. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Davidson, who is expected to make $143,000 annually, would serve the remainder of a four-year term expiring Dec. 12, 2007." The article is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:16 AM | Permalink. . . July 21, 2005 "Judge tosses redistricting measure off ballot""A Sacramento judge Thursday tossed Proposition 77 from the Nov. 8 special election ballot, saying proponents of the redistricting overhaul initiative did not follow legal procedure in circulating their petitions. Backers of the initiative said they would appeal Judge Gail D. Ohanesian's decision." The article is here. Judge Ohanesian's order can be found here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 06:55 PM | Permalink. . . "New vote system is touching""Elections in Monterey County will soon be conducted by touch-screen voting machines that look as though they could be R2-D2's grandchildren. Registrar of Voters Tony Anchundo today will ask the Board of Supervisors for permission to convert the county election system to touch-screen ballots at polling places, a move Anchundo said would meet new federal voting laws. "It will be a whole new era in voting," he said. "People will still have the option of using paper ballots by voting absentee, but they will use the touch screens at polling places." The article is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:54 AM | Permalink. . . "Legislators set hearing on initiative""The California Legislature scheduled an oversight hearing Wednesday into interactions between Proposition 77 proponents, the governor's office and the secretary of state's office leading to the redistricting measure's disputed placement on the ballot." The article is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:41 AM | Permalink. . . July 20, 2005 "Electronic Voting Law Splits Florida Disabled Advocates"The article is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:34 AM | Permalink. . . July 19, 2005 "EAC Public Meeting & Hearing in Pasadena, CA Consideration of Proposed Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG)"Here is the notice and agenda: DATE & TIME: EAC Public Meeting - Thursday, July 28 (10:00 AM-12 Noon) EAC Public Hearing - Thursday, July 28 (1:00 -5:00 PM) LOCATION: California Institute of Technology Baxter Humanities Building Baxter Lecture Hall (Third Floor) 1200 East California Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91125 (626) 395-6811 MEETING AGENDA Discussion of the statewide voter registration list guidance and the voter identification provisions of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). HEARING AGENDA EAC will solicit comments on the proposed voluntary voting system guidelines and receive presentations from state election officials and academicians. EAC will also hear comments specifically related to the wireless capabilities testing guidelines. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD After presentations are concluded, members of the public will be able to comment on the voluntary voting system guidelines. Posted by Randy Riddle at 04:03 PM | Permalink. . . "Election officials express concern about plan to implement Prop 200""A plan to implement the voting provisions of a law targeting illegal immigrants could force poll workers to turn some eligible voters away, according to county election officials from across the state. The plan to comply with the voter-approved Proposition 200 calls for voters to be given more ways to prove their identity than under previous proposals. But some county election officials and others are concerned about the part of the plan that says those lacking Proposition 200-compliant identification wouldn't be able to cast even a provisional ballot." The story out of Arizona is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 01:58 PM | Permalink. . . July 18, 2005 "New voting tools require more training""New voting equipment has triggered additional training requirements for current and prospective Contra Costa County election workers. The Election Department is offering an ongoing, one-hour certification course in the new optical scanning equipment in addition to its election officer training classes set for October." Here is the story. Posted by Randy Riddle at 10:02 AM | Permalink. . . "Probe targets Republican's donation to election official""Prosecutors are investigating a $10,000 check that a Republican political consultant who works for a voting-machine company handed to the director of the Franklin County Board of Elections. The consultant, Pasquale "Pat" Gallina, visited elections director Matthew Damschroder in early 2004 on the same day that the county was opening bids for voter-registration software, Damschroder said. "I'm here to give you $10,000," Damschroder recalled Gallina saying. "Who do I make it payable to?" "Well, you're certainly not going to make it out to me," Damschroder said he told Gallina, who represents Diebold Election Systems. "But I'm sure the Franklin County Republican Party would appreciate a donation." Gallina wrote the check and Damschroder said he mailed it to the county party. Diebold didn't get the software contract, and Damschroder said he never recommended the company." The story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:58 AM | Permalink. . . "JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILES VOTING RIGHTS LAWSUITS AGAINST THREE CALIFORNIA CITIES AND ENTERS CONSENT DECREES""The Justice Department announced that late yesterday it filed three separate lawsuits against the cities of Azusa, Paramount, and Rosemead, California, alleging violations of the rights of minority-language voters under the Voting Rights Act. The Department simultaneously filed consent decrees resolving the lawsuits against the cities." The DOJ press release is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:47 AM | Permalink. . . "Save the money: Move now to all-mail voting""A report released last week bumped up the cost of keeping polling places open in Snohomish County from $1 million to $1.67 million. County officials don't know where the money will come from. The idea of taking out a loan has been floated. County Council members say financing plans are in the works and will be presented in two weeks. Whoa. Let's rethink this idea before we gallop into the sunset on an expensive, outdated horse. Look at the facts. All-mail ballots are already in place and working in nearly 30 counties in Washington. Eventually, all Washington voters likely will be casting ballots by mail. Why should Snohomish County wait? Why should the county spend $1.67 million to keep polling places open, only to eventually switch to the mail system? Especially when the majority of county voters already vote by mail." The full editorial is http://heraldnet.com/stories/05/07/17/100edi_editorial001.cfm. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:45 AM | Permalink. . . "Touch-screen debate focuses on deadline""An attorney for the National Federation of the Blind on Friday urged a federal judge to order Volusia County to immediately purchase controversial touch-screen voting machines. But a special counsel for Volusia County argued against the request, telling U.S. District Judge John Antoon II that under federal law, the county has until Jan. 1 to purchase devices that will allow the visually disabled to vote independently." The story out of Florida is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:42 AM | Permalink. . . July 15, 2005 "Flawed measure ignites new flap""Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration knew about legal problems with the proposed redistricting ballot initiative at least a week before the secretary of state's office was contacted and the matter was publicly disclosed. That and other disclosures Thursday by officials of the Governor's Office and by leaders of the initiative campaign were seized upon by opponents as evidence that Schwarzenegger was playing behind-the-scenes, partisan politics with a cornerstone of his government reform package." The story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 11:13 AM | Permalink. . . "Judge rejects call for immediate ban on felon voting rights""A 7th Judicial District Court judge on Thursday denied a petition from the Muscatine County Attorney's Office for an immediate temporary order barring Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack from automatically granting voting rights to felons who have served their prison sentences. Saying the issues brought up by the voting rights case were in the public's interest and "needed to be resolved soon," judge David E. Schoenthaler asked attorneys representing the governor and the county attorney's office to get together after the hearing to settle on court dates to further examine the merits of the temporary order." Here is the story. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:27 AM | Permalink. . . "Ohio's high court enters voting-machine dispute""The Ohio Supreme Court yesterday waded into the battle between Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and a voting-machine manufacturer that claims Mr. Blackwell's actions have cost it millions of dollars. At Mr. Blackwell's request, the high court agreed to consider whether a lawsuit filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court by Nebraska-based Election Systems & Software should be moved to the Ohio Court of Claims, which usually handles monetary claims against state officials." The article is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 08:22 AM | Permalink. . . July 11, 2005 "Sesenbrenner calls for extension of Voting Rights Act""U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner is calling for an extension of the landmark Voting Rights Act, saying provisions set to expire in 2007 must be renewed. "While we have made progress and curtailed injustices thanks to the Voting Rights Act, our work is not yet complete," the Wisconsin Republican said in remarks prepared for delivery Sunday at the NAACP's annual meeting in Milwaukee. "We cannot let discriminatory practices of the past resurface to threaten future gains." The story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 11:03 AM | Permalink. . . "Special Election Burnout""Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s determination to get a tighter grip on the state budget and reshape a Legislature known for its political extremes will send California voters to the polls for the fourth statewide election in two years. The collateral damage might be voters themselves. The cavalcade of candidates and ballot propositions—dating to the October 2003 election that put Schwarzenegger in office—has left many weary of all that goes with them." The story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 11:02 AM | Permalink. . . July 01, 2005 "County stands firm on election paper trail""Their attorney said they should do it, but Volusia County council members said no. In a place where elections have been decided by a coin flip or recounted in the glare of the national media, the allure of having a paper ballot proved too strong to ignore for four council members Wednesday. For the second time in a month, a divided council refused to buy 210 touch-screen voting machines for people with disabilities primarily because the machines don't use paper ballots." You can find the story here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:14 AM | Permalink. . . "Panel: Congress may sit on vote reform""A commission studying election problems will submit substantive recommendations for reform recognizing that Congress may take years to act on the plan, two of the nation's elder statesmen said Thursday. Democratic former President Carter and Republican former Secretary of State James A. Baker III of Houston, co-chairs of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, are looking at voting problems with the intention of proposing recommendations to improve the electoral process." The story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:11 AM | Permalink. . . "Touch-screen fracas brewing""A day after the Volusia County Council rejected touch-screen machines because they don't use a paper ballot, the decision reverberated in DeLand and Tallahassee." Here is the story. Posted by Randy Riddle at 09:10 AM | Permalink. . . |
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