Voting

Says Deal Needs 'Additional Scrutiny' From Consumers And Congress

October 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), the Chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, raised new concerns Friday over Diebold’s proposed sale of its voting machine business to its biggest competitor, and announced that his Rules Committee staff would begin a formal review of potential problems posed by the merger.

Schumer announced he would be seeking input from state and local election officials to investigate the deal’s impacts on the administration of elections across the United States. The findings will be compiled into a public report that could be shared with the Department of Justice.    » read more »

Guidelines to Assist in Testing Voting System Accuracy, Reliability and Security

June 1, 2009 -- GAITHERSBURG, Md. – The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today delivered to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) a draft revision to the 2005 federal Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) Version 1.0, specifying how electronic voting machines are built and tested. The EAC has made the draft revision available for public comment today, with a final version expected by the end of 2009.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 03/26/2009 - As many as three million registered voters did not cast a ballot in the 2008 General Election due to voter registration problems, suggests a survey cited today by Doug Chapin, director of Election Initiatives for the Pew Center on the States in testimony before the Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee on House Administration. The problem was most acute for younger voters and registered voters who moved less than a year ago, one in four of whom said that a problem with their registration was a major reason why they did not cast a ballot.    » read more »

January 28, 2009 -- (Oklahoma City) In an effort to boost voter turnout, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry today announced he will urge the Legislature to expand early voting in Oklahoma.

According to election officials, early voting has become increasingly popular with each passing election cycle in Oklahoma. During last year’s presidential election, for example, the state set a record for ballots cast during the three-day early voting period, with long lines and multi-hour waits experienced at polling places around the state.

To improve early access to the polls, Gov. Henry wants to expand early voting to seven days in state general elections, so Oklahomans can cast ballots the full week before election day.    » read more »

Allows Deployed Military Personnel to Vote in State Elections

August 12, 2008 -- TRENTON - New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed legislation to expand voting rights for military personnel and New Jersey citizens overseas to include state and local elections. Previously overseas voters, including military personnel, could only vote by overseas absentee ballot in federal elections. This new legislation corrects a fundamental flaw in the law and will now allow for greater participation in the electoral process    » read more »

Washington, DC, July 21, 2008 -- Rock the Vote and Comcast Corporation, the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, announced today at the Tri-Caucus Youth Summit in Washington, D.C., that they have entered into a multimedia partnership to encourage young Americans, ages 18-29, to register to vote. The Summit was hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc (CBCF) and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS).    » read more »

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 »