Voting

May 10, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - The Barack Obama campaign launched Vote for Change, a 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive, with 101 kickoff events across the county today. Thousands of grassroots volunteers joined with elected officials and activists to register new voters and engage more people in the democratic process in advance of the November election.

Senator Barack Obama with supporters: Photo by Barack Obama campaign (CC)    » read more »

April 28, 2008 -- This morning, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling upholding Indiana's undemocratic and restrictive voter identification law. The Supreme Court acknowledged that "The record contains no evidence of any such [impersonation] fraud actually occurring in Indiana at any time in its history," and acknowledged the law's burden on the elderly, low-income voters and other classes of voters covering hundreds of thousands of Indiana citizens.

Yet this Court, ignoring the realities of life for the less affluent and powerful of the state's citizens, shrugged off these burdens and found that the law should stand. [New Republic Blog, 4/28/08]    » read more »

April 21, 2008 -- Residents who participated in Michigan's Jan. 15 presidential primary won't have their political party preferences revealed thanks to Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land's commitment to voter privacy.

Land is refusing to release information regarding which partisan ballot each voter selected in the Jan. 15 election. Public Act 52 of 2007, which set the Jan. 15 election date, required the Secretary of State to provide Michigan's Democratic and Republican parties with a list showing voters' party preferences.

Vote here sign, Michigan primary election: Photo by Ben+Sam (CC)    » read more »

12 April 2008 -- The Carter Center found that the majority of Nepali voters participated in a remarkable and relatively peaceful constituent assembly election on April 10, 2008. Preliminary reports indicate that the administration of this election was well executed, bearing testimony to the hard work of election officials and the determination of Nepal's people to ensure that their country continues on the path to sustainable peace and democracy.

It is now essential for Nepal to remain calm, to await final results, and where there are disputes, to follow appropriate legal procedures. The Carter Center will continue to observe the district counting and national tabulation until complete and, when appropriate, comment further on the electoral process.

Key points:    » read more »

March 27, 2008 -- CONCORD - New Hampshire Governor John Lynch today received a letter from U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Stewart Baker PDF Doc icon stating the federal government has agreed to postpone imposing Real ID requirements on New Hampshire citizens.

Gov. Lynch sent a letter to Homeland Security officials PDF Doc icon last month requesting that the Department not impose Real ID requirements on the citizens of New Hampshire.    » read more »

March 27, 2008 -- (Frankfort, KY) With many Presidential campaigns’ attention turning to Kentucky, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson announced a number of reminders today for voters in Kentucky so that they can be prepared for the May 20th election. In particular, he reminded Kentuckians about a number of voter registration issues that citizens may encounter.

“Kentucky is already receiving attention from presidential campaigns, and that intensity will only increase after the Pennsylvania primary on April 22nd,” said Secretary Grayson. “Kentucky voters need to be aware right now about many issues that they may face before Kentucky’s primary in May.”    » read more »

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2008, WASHINGTON - The Justice Department announced that it has settled a Voting Rights Act lawsuit against the Georgetown County, S.C., Board of Education. The Justice Department simultaneously filed a complaint and negotiated consent decree pertaining to the method of election for the Georgetown County Board of Education.    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- (Frankfort, KY) -- The Kentucky House of Representatives voted today to allow early voting in Kentucky, a voting procedure backed by Secretary of State Trey Grayson that allows voters to vote absentee ballots without having an excuse as currently required in the Commonwealth. The historic vote on House Bill 138 is the first time that early voting has passed out of a chamber in the Kentucky Legislature and is sponsored by Rep. Milward Dedman (D-Harrodsburg) and co-sponsored by Rep. Rob Wilkey (D-Scottsville).    » read more »

WASHINGTON (Wednesday, March 12, 2008) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) testified today before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration about voter disenfranchisement stemming from purported voter fraud claims.    » read more »

March 12, 2008 -- Washington, DC –The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, chaired by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), today held a hearing about in-person voter fraud, and whether requiring photo identification disenfranchises vulnerable voters.    » read more »

March 03, 2008 -- MONTGOMERY - Alabama Governor Bob Riley created a bipartisan panel and tasked it with developing a plan that will allow deployed military troops and other Alabamians overseas to vote in elections using the Internet.    » read more »

Reports No Significant Voter Problems In Alabama During Super Tuesday

March 03, 2008 -- MONTGOMERY -- Alabama Governor Bob Riley is telling a federal judge today that Alabama had no significant problems with its new voter registration system during last month’s presidential primaries and he wants to relinquish his court-appointed responsibility for the system and turn it back over to the Secretary of State.    » read more »

02 March 2008 -- With nearly all of the ballots counted, Dmitri Medvedev has 70 percent of the vote. While the result is hardly a surprise, two of his opponents are crying foul.

Speaking at a political rally on Red Square just hours after polls closed, incumbent President Vladimir Putin said his hand-picked candidate, Dmitri Medvedev, was enjoying a convincing lead in the vote count. He said victory entails enormous responsibility, adding that it will ensure continuation of what he termed the "successful policies of the past eight years."    » read more »

Feb. 11, 2008 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today signed bipartisan legislation that will allow Secretary of State Mike Coffman to begin the review and recertification process for electronic voting machines that the Secretary decertified in December.

House Bill 08-1155's chief sponsors were Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, and Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver.    » read more »

02/09/2008 -- English and Spanish transcripts of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's weekly radio address, hosted this week by Secretary of State Debra Bowen, are below.

Secretary of State Bowen:

Hi, this is Secretary of State Debra Bowen, filling in for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

As the state's chief election officer, I was very excited to see millions of Californians from across the state cast their votes on Tuesday.    » read more »