The three-judge panel hearing Norm Coleman's election contest threw out the former senator's faulty photocopies of rejected absentee ballots, ordering him to resubmit originals only. The decision came after a Coleman witness nervously admitted under oath the photocopies differed from the originals by obstructing the legal reasons for rejection.
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Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
It's Time to Junk the Electoral College
By JONATHAN SOROS - In his election-night victory speech, Barack Obama said he would be a president for all Americans, not just those who voted for him. But as a candidate he didn't campaign with equal vigor for every vote. Instead, he and John McCain devoted more than 98% of their television ad spending and campaign events to just 15 states which together make up about a third of the U.S. population. Today, as the Electoral College votes are cast and counted state-by-state, we will be reminded why. It is the peculiar mechanics of that institution, designed for a different age, that leave us divided into red states, blue states and swing states. That needs to change.
The Electoral College was created in 1787 by a constitutional convention whose delegates were unconvinced that the election of the president could be entrusted to an unfiltered vote of the people, and were concerned about the division of power among the 13 states. It was antidemocratic by design.
Under the system, each state receives votes equal to the number of representatives it has in the House plus one for each of its senators. Less populated states are thus overrepresented. While this formula hasn't changed, it no longer makes a difference for the majority of states. Wyoming, with its three electoral votes, has no more influence over the selection of the president or on the positions taken by candidates than it would with one vote.
We often forget that the power to appoint electors is given to state legislatures, and it is only because they choose to hold a vote that Election Day is at all relevant for us. Nowhere is a popular election constitutionally required. And, as the 2000 election reminded us, the winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed to become president.
read more | digg story
The Electoral College was created in 1787 by a constitutional convention whose delegates were unconvinced that the election of the president could be entrusted to an unfiltered vote of the people, and were concerned about the division of power among the 13 states. It was antidemocratic by design.
Under the system, each state receives votes equal to the number of representatives it has in the House plus one for each of its senators. Less populated states are thus overrepresented. While this formula hasn't changed, it no longer makes a difference for the majority of states. Wyoming, with its three electoral votes, has no more influence over the selection of the president or on the positions taken by candidates than it would with one vote.
We often forget that the power to appoint electors is given to state legislatures, and it is only because they choose to hold a vote that Election Day is at all relevant for us. Nowhere is a popular election constitutionally required. And, as the 2000 election reminded us, the winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed to become president.
read more | digg story
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Diebold Voting Software Lost Ballots in California County
Election officials in a small county in California discovered by chance last week that the tabulation software they used to tally votes in this year's general election dropped 197 paper ballots from the totals at one precinct. The system's audit log also appears to have deleted any sign that the ballots had ever been recorded.
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Monday, December 1, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Coleman's Lead Over Franken Shrinks To 174 Votes
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports: The Great Minnesota Recount kicked off Wednesday with masses of volunteers for Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken moving into a fresh phase of the struggle: eyeballing the first of 2.9 million ballots, ready to pounce on anything that looked questionable.
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Saturday, November 15, 2008
First-time voters look to Obama to restore American dream
Like many voters on Election Day, Nurul Aman and his family dutifully rose before sunrise and headed to the polls in Andover, Massachusetts, to cast their votes. Nurul, Nilufur and Samuel Aman voted as a family for Barack Obama in their first presidential election this year.
But this election was especially significant for Aman, wife Nilufur and son Samuel, who were all voting for the first time."
As the first-time voter, it was emotionally remarkable to perform my civic duty," said Aman, a Bangladeshi native who became a U.S. citizen in 2005. "I felt great taking the ownership of this voting process that created a historic moment for the nation and the world."
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But this election was especially significant for Aman, wife Nilufur and son Samuel, who were all voting for the first time."
As the first-time voter, it was emotionally remarkable to perform my civic duty," said Aman, a Bangladeshi native who became a U.S. citizen in 2005. "I felt great taking the ownership of this voting process that created a historic moment for the nation and the world."
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Alaska Update: Thousands of Ballots 'Found'
One-third of ballots remain uncounted...This just in from Alaska, where thousands of new ballots continue to be found each day, since it was first reported that turnout in 2008 was 11% lower than in 2004. Thousands of ballots, nearly a third of them, remain uncounted nearly a week after the election. Their numbers could explain the strange results so far in races --- such as those of the felonious Sen. Ted Stevens (R) and the under-investigation Rep. Don Young (R) --- for which pollsters had predicted decisive losses for the Republicans.
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Thursday, November 6, 2008
Pot Wins in a Landslide: A Thundering Rejection of America's Longest War
Voters dealt what may be a fatal blow to America's longest-running and least-discussed war -- the war on marijuana.
On Tuesday, largely under the radar of the pundits and political chattering classes, voters dealt what may be a fatal blow to America's longest-running and least-discussed war -- the war on marijuana.
Michigan voters made their state the 13th to allow the medical use of marijuana by a whopping 63 percent to 37 percent, the largest margin ever for a medical marijuana initiative. And by 65 percent to 35 percent, Massachusetts voters decriminalized the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, replacing arrests, legal fees, court appearances, the possibility of jail and a lifelong criminal record with a $100 fine, much like a traffic ticket, that can be paid through the mail.
read more digg story
On Tuesday, largely under the radar of the pundits and political chattering classes, voters dealt what may be a fatal blow to America's longest-running and least-discussed war -- the war on marijuana.
Michigan voters made their state the 13th to allow the medical use of marijuana by a whopping 63 percent to 37 percent, the largest margin ever for a medical marijuana initiative. And by 65 percent to 35 percent, Massachusetts voters decriminalized the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, replacing arrests, legal fees, court appearances, the possibility of jail and a lifelong criminal record with a $100 fine, much like a traffic ticket, that can be paid through the mail.
read more digg story
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
URGENT: Stop Racist Voter Suppression - Take Action NOW!
Please sign this petition! If you're having problems voting and feel your voting rights were violated go to The Election Violation Report Site and file a report. A list of telephone numbers by state is available at NASS's State Voter Hotlines
Sign the online petition at http://www.iacenter.org/stopvotersuppression
Online Petition Text:
To: President Bush, Senator McCain, Governor Palin, Attorney General Mukasey, Governors of Key States, Congressional and Republican Party leaders and members of the media
In the days leading up to a historic election, there has been a massive, illegal attempt to suppress votes, particularly among the poor, communities of color, and students.
These tactics include:
--In Ohio, the Republicans attempted to illegally challenge the registrations of 200,000 new voters.
--Voters, like in West Virginia counties, have reported that electronic voting machines visibly changed their vote to John McCain when they tried to cast their vote for Barack Obama.
--Students in Colorado, Virginia, and South Carolina were told that they would lose their scholarships and that their parents could no longer claim them as dependents on their tax returns if the students voted in their college towns.
--In Georgia more than 50,000 voters were improperly purged from the voting rolls, a clear violation of federal laws that prohibit massive purging within 90 days of an election. Approximately 4,500 of them have been wrongly identified as “non-citizens”.
--In Indiana, Republican officials filed a lawsuit to close down early voting sites in three key Indiana cities—Hammond, Gary and East Chicago. Indiana’s population is only eight percent Black, but Black voters are heavily concentrated in the three cities targeted by the lawsuit.
--In Florida, Ohio, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin, right wingers are using the Jim-Crow practice of 'caging,' where they send out mass mailings to low-income neighborhoods. If the letters come back unopened, then those voters are challenged at the polling place.
These are just a few of the tactics that have come to light in the recent period which are part of an ongoing pattern of racist disenfranchisement--an illegal campaign to deliberately deprive people of the hard-won right to vote.
I demand:
• Stop police intimidation of voters.
• Keep polls open until everyone has the opportunity to vote.
• Full emergency staffing of polling places to meet the widely-expected massive turnout.
• STOP all voter suppression – count all ballots.Make your voice heard NOW!
Sign the online petition and send a strong, clear message to the White House, Congress, Governors of Key States, and the media.
You can sign online at http://www.iacenter.org/stopvotersuppression
We voted! Did you?
My wife and I just voted! Below is a picture of my wife, Kat wearing the fuzzy hat with an Obama/Biden sticker on it (you can't see the sticker too well in this pic but alot of people beeped and waved as we strolled by). There weren't too many people at our polling station yet. But, we voted early. When we asked about the number of voters at our polling place, we were told that they expected heavy voter turnout later in the day.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Massachusetts Voters: Vote Yes on 2!!!!
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Question 2 seeks to replace criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties, to be enforced by issuing citations. The new system would exclude information regarding this civil offense from the state’s criminal record information system (CORI). Offenders age 18 or older would be subject to forfeiture of the marijuana plus a civil penalty of $100. Offenders under the age of 18 would be subject to the same forfeiture and, if they complete a drug awareness program within one year of the offense, the same $100 penalty.
Proponents of Question 2 say changing the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana would free police up to focus on serious crimes, rather than arresting 7,500 people annually for marijuana possession. Taxpayers would save $30 million a year in arrest costs.
“Question 2 would not increase marijuana use,” said Whitney A. Taylor, campaign manager for the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy. “Eleven other states have similar laws and have shown no increase in marijuana use.”
Opponents include most law enforcement agencies.
“Marijuana decriminalization is an endorsement of substance abuse and dangerous criminal activity, and sends the wrong message to young people,” said Michael O’Keefe, district attorney for the Cape and Islands, and president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.
Here are 2 former law enforcement officials that are voting YES ON 2;
Question 2 seeks to replace criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties, to be enforced by issuing citations. The new system would exclude information regarding this civil offense from the state’s criminal record information system (CORI). Offenders age 18 or older would be subject to forfeiture of the marijuana plus a civil penalty of $100. Offenders under the age of 18 would be subject to the same forfeiture and, if they complete a drug awareness program within one year of the offense, the same $100 penalty.
Proponents of Question 2 say changing the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana would free police up to focus on serious crimes, rather than arresting 7,500 people annually for marijuana possession. Taxpayers would save $30 million a year in arrest costs.
“Question 2 would not increase marijuana use,” said Whitney A. Taylor, campaign manager for the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy. “Eleven other states have similar laws and have shown no increase in marijuana use.”
Opponents include most law enforcement agencies.
“Marijuana decriminalization is an endorsement of substance abuse and dangerous criminal activity, and sends the wrong message to young people,” said Michael O’Keefe, district attorney for the Cape and Islands, and president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.
Here are 2 former law enforcement officials that are voting YES ON 2;
Barack Obama Answers Your Questions - MTV News
MTV News sat down with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Saturday in Nevada, but we weren't alone. We were armed with your questions, and we took them directly to the senator himself. (MTV News extended a similar offer to Republican presidential candidate John McCain, but he declined.)
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Election Night Watch Guide!
What to watch for during election night and how it might effect the rest of the race. Great article written by the statistician from www.fivethirtyeight.com.
In 2000 and 2004, the outcome of the presidential race was unknown into the wee hours of the morning (and indeed for several weeks thereafter in 2000). This time, it is possible that we will be able to guess the winner of the presidential race relatively early in the evening. Regardless, there will be plenty to watch Tuesday night, particularly for those who can appreciate a good slugfest in the Senate. And lest we count John McCain out, we need only remember the polling disasters that befell states like New Hampshire in this year's primaries. Here, then, is what I will be watching each hour on election night.
read more digg story
In 2000 and 2004, the outcome of the presidential race was unknown into the wee hours of the morning (and indeed for several weeks thereafter in 2000). This time, it is possible that we will be able to guess the winner of the presidential race relatively early in the evening. Regardless, there will be plenty to watch Tuesday night, particularly for those who can appreciate a good slugfest in the Senate. And lest we count John McCain out, we need only remember the polling disasters that befell states like New Hampshire in this year's primaries. Here, then, is what I will be watching each hour on election night.
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Top 60 Memorable Campaign Ads Of 2008
For the political masochists here is a compendium of the best, worst, and most memorable hits of the 2008 election cycle.
It is tradition in every campaign for each side to denounce the other as having run the sleaziest race in modern political history. And certainly it seems like every day brings with it a new attack ad deemed "the worst one yet."
While historians are generally skittish when it comes to such claims -- pointing out that past years witnessed some serious mudslinging of their own -- it is hard to dismiss just how dirty and/or memorable some of the attack ads have been this election cycle.
read more digg story
It is tradition in every campaign for each side to denounce the other as having run the sleaziest race in modern political history. And certainly it seems like every day brings with it a new attack ad deemed "the worst one yet."
While historians are generally skittish when it comes to such claims -- pointing out that past years witnessed some serious mudslinging of their own -- it is hard to dismiss just how dirty and/or memorable some of the attack ads have been this election cycle.
read more digg story
Are You on the Edge of Your Seat?
The big day is tomorrow, and everything points to a surprising victory for Obama and the Dems.
As the big day approaches, there's a glut of information out there on the election. What follows is a round up of some of the most important and fascinating news from the 2008 race:
Latest polling shows Obama upswing
Gallup/USA Today Poll released on Nov. 2: Obama: 53% McCain: 42%
And CBS released another poll showing similar numbers: 54 percent to 41 percent.
Hope Reborn from DailyKos writes of the Gallup/USA Today results:
"When Gallup allocates undecided voters … Obama's share climbs to 55%, giving him an 11-point spread over McCain's 44%. These are blowout numbers. By comparison, in 1988 (the last time one of the two major parties posted a decisive win, without a significant third-party candidate in the race) George Bush Sr. won 53.4% to Michael Dukakis's 45.7%.
"In other words, if Gallup's final poll is roughly right, John McCain may very well end upunderperforming Mike Dukakis. And how effective have McCain's slimeball attacks on Obama been? One more historic tidbit from the survey: Obama's favorable rating is 62% -- the highest that any presidential candidate has registered in Gallup's final pre-election polls going back to 1992."
read more digg story
As the big day approaches, there's a glut of information out there on the election. What follows is a round up of some of the most important and fascinating news from the 2008 race:
Latest polling shows Obama upswing
Gallup/USA Today Poll released on Nov. 2: Obama: 53% McCain: 42%
And CBS released another poll showing similar numbers: 54 percent to 41 percent.
Hope Reborn from DailyKos writes of the Gallup/USA Today results:
"When Gallup allocates undecided voters … Obama's share climbs to 55%, giving him an 11-point spread over McCain's 44%. These are blowout numbers. By comparison, in 1988 (the last time one of the two major parties posted a decisive win, without a significant third-party candidate in the race) George Bush Sr. won 53.4% to Michael Dukakis's 45.7%.
"In other words, if Gallup's final poll is roughly right, John McCain may very well end upunderperforming Mike Dukakis. And how effective have McCain's slimeball attacks on Obama been? One more historic tidbit from the survey: Obama's favorable rating is 62% -- the highest that any presidential candidate has registered in Gallup's final pre-election polls going back to 1992."
read more digg story
Candidates Make Aggressive Final Pitch On Eve Of Election
Tomorrow, Americans will cast their vote for the next president of the United States. And the presidential campaigns are in full throttle, sweeping through key battleground states that could heavily influence the race's outcome. NPR political editor Ken Rudin and Washington Post reporter Perry Bacon take offer Election Day eve developments.
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McCain or Obama? Irrelevant Celebrity Endorsements
For the undecided voter that might be swayed by Scarlett Johansson's opinion. Here are some popular celebrities and the candidates they are backing.
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Early voting could go nationwide, experts say
The unexpected wave of millions of early voters casting ballots for Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama may prompt Congress to mandate some form of early voting nationwide for future elections, experts say.
Early voting earthquake 1:57
People are voting early in more than 30 states. Deborah Feyerick reports
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Early voting earthquake 1:57
People are voting early in more than 30 states. Deborah Feyerick reports
read more digg story
Sunday, November 2, 2008
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