Voting

September 18, 2007 -- Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo today presented his investigative report to the State Board of Elections and Secretary of State Trey Grayson calling for improved testing and security upgrades for Kentucky’s electronic voting systems.

The report’s key findings include the following:

* Cooperation between state officials is essential to restore public confidence in voting systems.
* Kentucky’s electronic voting systems suffer from serious security vulnerabilities, according to independent researchers in Florida and California.    » read more »

Electorate remains polarized on approach to foreign affairs

05 September 2007 -- Washington -- U.S. foreign policy is on the minds of enough American voters that a candidate’s positions on how he or she would work with the international community can be the deciding factor in an election. The growing importance of foreign policy issues also comes at a time when the American electorate is the most polarized in recent history on how to interact with the world.    » read more »

September 5, 2007 -- To ensure an orderly introduction of the state's voter ID law, Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land today released instructional materials to Michigan's election officials designed to aid them with the implementation of the requirement.

Beginning with the Nov. 6 election, voters will be asked to show a photo ID - or sign a form stating that they don't have one - before receiving a ballot. The requirements are the result of a 1996 law recently determined to be enforceable by the Michigan Supreme Court.    » read more »

September 4, 2007 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has signed into law Senate Bill 624 that establishes January 15, 2008 as the date for a statewide presidential primary for the 2008 presidential election cycle. The bill passed with bipartisan majorities in both the state house and state senate and is supported by leaders from both state parties. It was filed with the Office of the Great Seal this morning, has immediate effect, and is now Public Act 52 of 2007.

Granholm said she expects every credible candidate to appear on the ballot in Michigan.    » read more »

August 30, 2007 -- This week the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) formally requested that the Secretary of State (SOS) be made to hold hearings or otherwise allow for public comment regarding the proposed rule changes in voting requirements.

"Potential changes to the voting processes must be given the full public scrutiny they deserve," said MDCR Director Linda V. Parker. "Beyond that, the law does not allow for changes to voting processes without public debate."    » read more »

August 28, 2007 -- Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo today announced that his office’s recently launched investigation into electronic voting machine irregularities has yielded a surprising result – Jefferson County voters have been using an uncertified voting system, apparently for at least the last three elections.    » read more »

Wilmington, DE (August 24, 2007) -- Two days after Michigan Senate Democrats opposed a Republican bill to break the window established by the Democratic National Committee, the Biden for President Campaign again called on Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Speaker of the House Rick Johnson to defeat the Republican efforts, which began with Mitt Romney’s supporters in Florida.    » read more »

August 24, 2007 -- San Francisco – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today announced that she will introduce a resolution to abolish the Electoral College and provide for the direct popular vote of the President. Senator Feinstein’s announcement comes against the backdrop of a bid in California to qualify a ballot initiative that would skew the outcome of Presidential elections.    » read more »

08/23/2007 -- Calling for a fundamental change in the way political boundaries are drawn to promote fairness and transparency in elections, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined former Governors Davis and Wilson to push redistricting reform. The governors met with members of the Voices of Reform Coalition, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters and others to discuss the need for a redistricting measure to be passed this legislative session.    » read more »

New Mexico Governor Richardson Calls Transition to Paper Ballot a Success

August 21, 2007 (Santa Fe) -- SANTA FE – Independent researchers from the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, the University of New Mexico and the University of Utah issued a report today on the administration of the 2006 General Election and the state’s transition to a paper ballot voting system.    » read more »

Says Changes Recommended by Voting Machine Examination Committee Must First Be Adopted and Machines Re-tested by NJIT

August 10, 2007 -- Trenton, NJ – The New Jersey Voting Machine Examination Committee has rejected immediate certification of voter verified paper record systems for electronic voting machines in use in 20 of the state’s 21 counties, recommending a number of fixes before the machines could be used in elections. The committee said the systems met core criteria, but certain shortcomings needed to be corrected before approval.    » read more »

August 08, 2007 -- (Frankfort, KY) On a day when thousands of Kentuckians read about Secretary of State Trey Grayson’s plan to provide greater accountability in Kentucky’s elections process, Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo again issued reckless allegations to garner headlines while stating that he does not support Voter Verified Paper Records (VVPRs) for Kentucky elections.    » read more »

August 8, 2007 -- On the 42nd anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act, Democrats reaffirm our commitment as a Party that ensures that all eligible Americans are able to vote and have their vote counted without fear of intimidation or harassment.    » read more »

August 08, 2007 -- Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo today demanded that electronic voting machine manufacturers immediately correct security flaws identified in an independent review by experts in California.

The Attorney General’s letters to Hart InterCivic and Diebold Election Systems, Inc. (click here) require the voting machine makers to immediately upgrade their products or face a lawsuit by Kentucky.    » read more »

August 08, 2007 -- Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo today called on Secretary of State Trey Grayson and the State Board of Elections to immediately reexamine electronic voting systems to determine whether they are “defective or unacceptable” because of their vulnerability to tampering.    » read more »